Will ESO see a graphics refresh?

WhyMustItBe

Until video card companies stop price gouging and blaming it on scalpers they just can't control, IO don't really care about graphics improvements in games. RTX is not worth selling cards with an MSRP of $700 for upwards of $3000 three years after their launch date.

This industry has become a sickening cancer.

mocap

ESO models are semi-ok, textures are absolutely ok if you play 3rd person view. ESO atm needs way better lighting shaders, which is very easy to make and it doesn't require new engine.

Screenshot of ESO Summerset zone with reshade:

Grandchamp1989

basegame could indeed use a graphical overhaul IMO. I agree.

Basegame outfits/motifs for higher resolutions.
Basegame food/furniture for higher resolutions.

basicly just a higher resolution version of what we have now with more details in it like in the newer DLC zones.

RazielSR

By 2026 when TESVI releases.

Narvuntien

All of Valenwood looks awful, it needs a visual texture upgrade. I don't necessarily need things to be actually changed all that much just to improve the weird blocky rocks actually look at least somewhat natural.

Dhaylen

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

newtinmpls wrote: »

Raideen wrote: »

Recently my GF and I when playing ESO notice that some of the older zones are feeling "old" now, same as character models. Newer armor/costumes look better than older armor/costumes.
<snippage>
Anyone who does decorating in their homes can see a huge difference in original housing items vs todays stuff. The newer stuff has much greater detail and are seemingly higher resolution.

Housing really highlights the disparity between older graphics and newer ones.

Also - some pets - I wanted the Nyx Hound pet for roleplaying purposes but that thing is horrifically bad in terms of animation/graphics quality.

What's wrong with the nix-hound?

Dhaylen wrote: »

Two things:

1: They need to make it openworld now - loading into 4 areas in one zone (Skyrim) is rp breaking to say the least
* Also, you could have flying mounts (world is big enough)

2: If they feel they have to keep it this way, then at least update the graphics to Senua Sacrifices level.
* They could just go Unreal Engine 5 and really do open world right
(They are a victim of coming out with it not soon enough to be a WoW or GW2, and to early to adopt to next gen)

Also... whatever is in the store, should be earnable in the game.
Like WoW you can pay for a month of game time with in-game money (fact)
(or have the balance to buy other stuff - like my son has done...)

Love TES - Skyrim fan (despite the best part being a mod called Inigo cat follower mod - and the actual bug fix mod)
So... Zos (now owned by Micro$oft - can definitely afford to throw some love at this game)

I took a break since Elsweyr - I mean, Im a thief and cant get into like 90% of the houses... of whom all cats are thieves. lol!
Yeah, it may make sense... hah hah - but, there is no content there.

Look at morrowind... I mean, excellent opportunity to update the assassin dLC - no love at all.
People at Zos really love pvp - and not pve rp that much

...Are you serious?

yeah... why not?
You lose 100% of nothing if they do this.

So... problem? does not exist... you only benefit from it or ignore it.

Think of it this way - if its a wish list, why limit yourself?
DIablo 4 team was way into development - stopped and REMADE THE ENGINE.
... they said not to limit yourself.

Unreal Engine 5 is here - AI in gaming is here (island expeditions in wow)
you want your game to just go backwards or best, stay the same?
not too big of a fan I would say.

They have microsofts cash behind them...

Dhaylen

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Meh, doesn't really need one. Looks good. /shrug

Dhaylen wrote: »

Two things:

1: They need to make it openworld now - loading into 4 areas in one zone (Skyrim) is rp breaking to say the least
* Also, you could have flying mounts (world is big enough)

As people have mentioned, newer zones have more loading than old zones do. It's headed in the opposite direction of what you're looking for. Which suggests there's technical reasons for it.

2: If they feel they have to keep it this way, then at least update the graphics to Senua Sacrifices level.

<insert BenderOhWaitYou'reSerious.gif>

1: Tech reasons
* maybe they messed things up in the beginning (happened with Conan Exiles)

note:
Yeah, still no excuse of a company - now owned by Micro$oft - not to step up their game
Consider Unreal Engine 5 and what can be done
(you can drag and drop an asset straight from Zbrush with as many polys as you wish, essentially and it will work - can you imagine ESO like that)

About Senua - yeah, why not.
The same goes with the above comment caveat though... they 'done and messed up'
* In todays world - this game either needs to step it up (do what they need, new engine, etc - fix their's)
or just fold... tech isnt moving back (like they are)

... quite the opposite - look at WoW using AI with island expeditions where the npcs look like players.
Say what you will about it - but the future of AI is here (and its already in gaming and going forward)

Graphics/AI, etc. - love ESO (well, like the lore) the actual build...want it fixed.
Dont say 'what can be done' and give ZoS an excuse not to...

unlike you and me - they have money at their disposal to actually do the 'miracle' if they wish.

Isnt this a what we want?
If you start limiting yourself, you wont even get the lowbar from Zos.

Keep dreaming.

note
Look at Diable IV
I keep up with the quarterly updates...
and they were well through it - the development - but stopped and REMADE the ENGINE!

The developer said :never say its hard and cant be done... the team says yes, and how high.

NOTE: UPDATE
You mentioned they have more and more load.
Look at why...

Summerset was seemless.
Morrowind was almost seemless, but clockwork was separate.
This is how they can sell parts of a game and not give you everything in the price of an expansion.

So skryim is not a tech limit - just milking it like in the real skyrim game (no 'real' content but always a new release) lol!

Kiralyn2000

WhyMustItBe wrote: »

Until video card companies stop price gouging and blaming it on scalpers they just can't control, IO don't really care about graphics improvements in games. RTX is not worth selling cards with an MSRP of $700 for upwards of $3000 three years after their launch date.

The $700 MSRP is bad enough by itself. With the chip shortages and everything else, they've had no reason to make lower-end cards in a long time (all the 700-1k cards will be snapped up, why bother with 300's?)
Not everyone wants to spend as much (or more) as the rest of their computer on the GPU. Or run 4k/60/raytraced in the first place.


Really hoping not to be kicked out of gaming if/when my GPU dies and there's nothing I'd be willing to buy even at MSRP.

Elsonso

Sarousse42 wrote: »

The engine really needs an update. On character models first, then on environment. Once you've walked in a forest in New World when it's rainy and windy and get back to ESO you feel like it's totally outdated and dead all around.

I figure that they are not going to do anything with character models in my lifetime. They might touch up textures, but I think that the character models are going to stay as they are for a long long time. This is a lot of work for the studio, and on top of that, it has to work everywhere, and for everyone. After they are all done, probably half or more players won't even be able to tell the difference without side-by-side comparisons.

Dhaylen wrote: »

Look at Diable IV
I keep up with the quarterly updates...
and they were well through it - the development - but stopped and REMADE the ENGINE!

ZOS has said this a couple of times, but they have apparently never stopped developing, and redeveloping, the engine. They have replaced parts of the graphics system over the last couple years, the latest change being the multi-threaded rendering. Apparently, the performance in Cyrodiil has captured the attention of the programmers and that sounds like a lot of engine rework on the server side.

The catch is that they develop the engine to do what they want it to do, not necessarily what the players want it to do.

Hurbster

While the older consoles are supported I can't really see a graphical overhaul (although they can do it as the ps4 version shouldn't be the same as the ps5 one, and the xbox ones are completely different downloads), but I would obviously love to see one.

etchedpixels

Dhaylen wrote: »

... quite the opposite - look at WoW using AI with island expeditions where the npcs look like players.
Say what you will about it - but the future of AI is here (and its already in gaming and going forward)

In ESO NPCs look like players, or more accurately players look like NPCs

All of the talk about improvement and AI overlooks one thing. The game has a particularly model of play built over 8 or so years based upon assumptions that were made at the time of original design. You can see this in all sorts of ways like the placement of mobs just within detection range of farming resources which nowdays nobody triggers as they've all slotted a 1m sneak range reduction to avoid it.

If you fixed ESO so mobs didn't shoot through walls it would be nice but also significantly change some of the game balance and play techniques. If you gave the overland goblins a little AI so they started sneak attacking you, group rushing the healer and all the smart stuff they'd do it would certainly liven up overland a little. Likewise switching Dragons to an AI intelligently learning and targetting attacks might make Elsweyr dragon fighting a lot different.

So if you did all this sort of stuff it wouldn't be ESO any more. It's a game that's in large chunks anchored by historical decisions from mob functionality to the lack of spears.

cmetzger93

Elsonso wrote: »

Sarousse42 wrote: »

The engine really needs an update. On character models first, then on environment. Once you've walked in a forest in New World when it's rainy and windy and get back to ESO you feel like it's totally outdated and dead all around.

I figure that they are not going to do anything with character models in my lifetime. They might touch up textures, but I think that the character models are going to stay as they are for a long long time. This is a lot of work for the studio, and on top of that, it has to work everywhere, and for everyone. After they are all done, probably half or more players won't even be able to tell the difference without side-by-side comparisons.

Dhaylen wrote: »

Look at Diable IV
I keep up with the quarterly updates...
and they were well through it - the development - but stopped and REMADE the ENGINE!

ZOS has said this a couple of times, but they have apparently never stopped developing, and redeveloping, the engine. They have replaced parts of the graphics system over the last couple years, the latest change being the multi-threaded rendering. Apparently, the performance in Cyrodiil has captured the attention of the programmers and that sounds like a lot of engine rework on the server side.

The catch is that they develop the engine to do what they want it to do, not necessarily what the players want it to do.

I recall an interview Rich Lambert had with a Russian site where he stated character models are being worked on with "might and main"

Elsonso

.

cmetzger93 wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

Sarousse42 wrote: »

The engine really needs an update. On character models first, then on environment. Once you've walked in a forest in New World when it's rainy and windy and get back to ESO you feel like it's totally outdated and dead all around.

I figure that they are not going to do anything with character models in my lifetime. They might touch up textures, but I think that the character models are going to stay as they are for a long long time. This is a lot of work for the studio, and on top of that, it has to work everywhere, and for everyone. After they are all done, probably half or more players won't even be able to tell the difference without side-by-side comparisons.

Dhaylen wrote: »

Look at Diable IV
I keep up with the quarterly updates...
and they were well through it - the development - but stopped and REMADE the ENGINE!

ZOS has said this a couple of times, but they have apparently never stopped developing, and redeveloping, the engine. They have replaced parts of the graphics system over the last couple years, the latest change being the multi-threaded rendering. Apparently, the performance in Cyrodiil has captured the attention of the programmers and that sounds like a lot of engine rework on the server side.

The catch is that they develop the engine to do what they want it to do, not necessarily what the players want it to do.

I recall an interview Rich Lambert had with a Russian site where he stated character models are being worked on with "might and main"

We'll see. It is a little like changing a tire while the car is moving, but Blizzard did it with WoW.

OldStygian

WhyMustItBe wrote: »

Until video card companies stop price gouging and blaming it on scalpers they just can't control, IO don't really care about graphics improvements in games. RTX is not worth selling cards with an MSRP of $700 for upwards of $3000 three years after their launch date.

This industry has become a sickening cancer.

Up until the chip shortage the main reason GPUs are expensive is because of the high demand for use in crypto mining.

Merlin13KAGL

Asks for graphics refresh; references a game that prides itself on the cartoonish drawing style?

I'll agree that a lot of textures need to be updated to higher quality and take away from the overall look of the game. That being said, I don't see them doing this without placing it in the crown store, as it's a cost with no real return as it stands.

People aren't going to stop playing if some textures remain a bit fuzzy. It would have to be a paid upgrade for them to consider it.

Raideen

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

Asks for graphics refresh; references a game that prides itself on the cartoonish drawing style?

I'll agree that a lot of textures need to be updated to higher quality and take away from the overall look of the game. That being said, I don't see them doing this without placing it in the crown store, as it's a cost with no real return as it stands.

People aren't going to stop playing if some textures remain a bit fuzzy. It would have to be a paid upgrade for them to consider it.

Please re-read the OP. I never requested for a refresh, I asked a question and used the most popular MMORPG in history, both in player count and money earned as an example. "Cartoon drawing" is irrelevant.

There is no need to monetize an upgraded graphics in the crown store. Maintaining the game and keeping it fresh is part of the cost of doing business and will help to ensure the game maintains a healthy player count, especially as newer MMORPGs come out with strong graphical appeal. People might not stop playing, but "old graphics" can and does keep new players from playing and I would venture a guess that new players purchase more than old players, who have in many cases exhausted the crown store for their desires.

Luke_Flamesword

Erm, for last year we got new graphic/engine feature with almost every update. Game already looks much better and probably it's not end, so they work very hard on it right now and you discuss about it like nothing happened. For me HBAO, new water and lighting/fog effect makes ESO much more beautifull.

Just look at this screenshot from base game zone - Shadowfen.



Base game zones looks better with every update, it's happening without reworking zones (which is huge work) but by implementing new technology, so whole game looks better and better. Old zones have their own charm anyway and personally I want just more new landscapes than cosmetic improvments of old content.

Nanfoodle

I would be pleased if they just updated some of the textures. I think the game still looks good. Would also like to see cosmetics updated. Turning on and off more slots. Update some of the older cosmetics that people love.

Elsonso

Luke_Flamesword wrote: »

Erm, for last year we got new graphic/engine feature with almost every update. Game already looks much better and probably it's not end, so they work very hard on it right now and you discuss about it like nothing happened. For me HBAO, new water and lighting/fog effect makes ESO much more beautifull.

Base game zones looks better with every update, it's happening without reworking zones (which is huge work) but by implementing new technology, so whole game looks better and better. Old zones have their own charm anyway and personally I want just more new landscapes than cosmetic improvments of old content.

At this point, I consider a "graphics update" to be texture, model, and animation updates.

Jclogan1813

They really should refresh the graphics. The cool thing is if you are running a weaker computer or a Xbox one, The graphics could default to a lower setting. But those with stronger computers or the Series X. Can crank it up! Also When I'm in any area of Skyrim, I really wish it would pull from the original sound track. Does not feel the same with out. Thanks

EmperorIl

Of all the things wrong with this game graphics are at the bottom of the list.

EmperorIl

Dhaylen wrote: »

Two things:



Look at morrowind... I mean, excellent opportunity to update the assassin dLC - no love at all.
People at Zos really love pvp - and not pve rp that much

Huh? Seriously? PvP is the most neglected part of this game.

Sylvermynx

Elsonso wrote: »

We'll see. It is a little like changing a tire while the car is moving, but Blizzard did it with WoW.

Yeah, and none of my characters looked like "themselves". With that "update" plus the dreck of WoD coming not long after, I quit playing WoW and have never been back.

Charlotte_Loreley

Luke_Flamesword wrote: »

Erm, for last year we got new graphic/engine feature with almost every update. Game already looks much better and probably it's not end, so they work very hard on it right now and you discuss about it like nothing happened. For me HBAO, new water and lighting/fog effect makes ESO much more beautifull.

Just look at this screenshot from base game zone - Shadowfen.



Base game zones looks better with every update, it's happening without reworking zones (which is huge work) but by implementing new technology, so whole game looks better and better. Old zones have their own charm anyway and personally I want just more new landscapes than cosmetic improvments of old content.

Well, if you're nitpicking details in the post, I'll do the same to the picture...

Textures in the picture are smudged and there's very little detail in objects.
Grass in the water looks unnatural and almost like it was placed on top of water.
Sky looks cloudy and seems like a storm is brewing, but the lighting suggest sunny. No change in air - no precipitation, no fog, nothing. It's a swamp in a jungle, just to remind you.
I'm not even going to ask what the hell is that rectangle doing in a screenshot.

BONUS: Since you didn't show a character model, I'll describe one for you. They clip with everything: hair, loose armor bits, weapons, etc.. Personalities and different animations further makes it even worse.

---

P.S. People keep forgetting that ESO tanked on release and it's a AAA game developed by a well known publisher. Just because they "fixed" what shouldn't have been broken in the first place, people keep praising and defending them.
At what point gamers will finally understand the value of their own time and hard earned money, or is everyone still using their mommy's credit card for their games and gaming machines?

I have nothing against game developers and publishers. However, if you're going to do something, do it right and do it with passion. Just because corporate vision and culture is running the gaming industry, doesn't mean it has to be ruined and we can sit here blaming the big rich guy and defending the so-called "victims" all the time.

Charlotte_Loreley

Sylvermynx wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

We'll see. It is a little like changing a tire while the car is moving, but Blizzard did it with WoW.

Yeah, and none of my characters looked like "themselves". With that "update" plus the dreck of WoD coming not long after, I quit playing WoW and have never been back.

I've yet to play a game where developers updated character models and I kept playing it.

I stopped playing Regnum Online after their model update where boots turned into socks and armor turned into leggings.
I stopped playing WOW after the change to night elves facials and animations.
I stopped playing Mordekaiser in League of Legends after its visual update.

Developers don't understand that players just want updated models with better and more fluid BUT still the same animations and facial expressions, and better animated armor and physics. Instead they just change everything with minimal upgrades and call it "new and awesome".

Sylvermynx

Charlotte_Loreley wrote: »

Sylvermynx wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

We'll see. It is a little like changing a tire while the car is moving, but Blizzard did it with WoW.

Yeah, and none of my characters looked like "themselves". With that "update" plus the dreck of WoD coming not long after, I quit playing WoW and have never been back.

I've yet to play a game where developers updated character models and I kept playing it.

I stopped playing Regnum Online after their model update where boots turned into socks and armor turned into leggings.
I stopped playing WOW after the change to night elves facials and animations.
I stopped playing Mordekaiser in League of Legends after its visual update.

Developers don't understand that players just want updated models with better and more fluid BUT still the same animations and facial expressions, and better animated armor and physics. Instead they just change everything with minimal upgrades and call it "new and awesome".

This has always been true for me as well. If they had left the faces alone, and just "freshened" animations to be more fluid, I'd have been okay (well, until WoD released - that was the major kicker for me, and the change to characters just pushed me out a bit faster).

Karivaa

I would rather see upgraded servers

Aardappelboom

What I really miss is environmental details, more contrast in shadows, beter water and waterfall effects, moving foliage and trees (wind, breeze, etc), leaves falling down, small critter effects (bugs, birds in trees, bees) better weather effects, dust setteling, some rocks falling of cliffs, better lightening in general...

I have to say that new world is a good example of this.

I'd also like to see both my equiped weapons l, better walking animations and a better implemented form of animation cancelling (without changing the gameplay, because I like animation on cancelling, which would be almost impossible, but still we can hope.)

Thing is, I'm still amazed at some sights a'd world design in ESO so I can't help but wonder what more it's capable of but it's also quite allright at this moment.

tenryuta

without armor overhauls to a more realistic style(ragdoll armor vs texture swap), bdo grade cc, and more weighted skills/combat(enemies keep getting good epic attacks, we get...), nah. graphics can wait, and someone mentioned a post processing addon to make it look better. personally i think filling the closed homes of existing areas for new quests/homes/stealing spots, dynamic events(random event generator bigger than say some bandits over there, or small daedric invasion squads).

spitfire1525

I hope they reduce loading screens/zones before a graphics overhaul....
I shouldn't have to load to enter an inn , bank , etc in a city. that should be seamless nowa days