I have never seen that much frustration over an Update in any game before

LunaticOne_

U35 is the most controversial thing I have seen about any update in any game before. While many players just seem to be upset about many of these changes and need a way to show these feelings in hopes of getting heard, many others try to safe things by spending countless hours of their freetime to dedicatedly document their testings of the likely upcoming changes of U35, add calculations, compare data to the live server, compile all of their testings and findings into thoughtful and constructive texts, even add possible solutions and share them with us, with you. These players, which I really have to point out, are a good portion across all skill and experience levels of your playerbase, all have two things in common:

1.) they LOVE this game and 2.) they FEAR that this will change.

This sums up pretty every "knee jerk reaction" you have seen so far and also every almost stunningly detailed, constructive and thoughtful post I am sure you have seen (...and ignored, sorry it had to be added) plenty of. We just want the game to get better, we love it, we don't want to lose what we love and while you don't take the game away from us, it seems like this Update really is harmful to our precious. Just look at the outrage, I have no idea how many people over here you have banned over the last couple weeks, but I have heard plenty off and still, there are a lot of people, threads and messages filled with critiques, frustrations, hopes, fears and so on, left. The oversensual moderation on these forums pretty much became a meme by now, feedback, be it constructive or not, simply doesn't seem to be appreciated, that's the overall impression of YOUR playerbase. We play this game because we love "the elder scrolls", but if we leave, we leave because decisions were made that harm this love. Now, Zenimax, please hear me out:

Knee jerk reactions... while not unexpected, they are still tiresome and disappointing.

I get it, critique is scary. At the same time though, a little trust would be much appreciated. At least experience the actual changes before guessing and going off the deep end... hear us, Zenimax, we are not upset because you try to help us, we are upset because you are about to fail your own goals miserably, harm us and don't want to see it because of false pride or whatever. We are people, too, we want the same things for this game, let us talk. Please.

VampiricByNature

I would be the most happy if we just got new dungeons and they scrapped the combat changes of the new patch entirely. I don't even need new dungeons tbh.

As a console player, I don't play on the PTS. I have to nervously read and try to prepare. The "knee jerk" reactions from our console community often just include people being unwilling to see the changes and they just take breaks or leave the game entirely.

I want to look forward excitedly to patches. Instead I find myself preparing like my mother is coming to visit.

Mumbles_the_Tank

Nah - you’ve seen it every year - this is just how Zenimax does business. Create unnecessary problems - sell solutions a patch or two later. This is the way since the craft bag.

Bonus points for whoever has the big idea which helps to sweep as many vets as possible out the door because they’re an extremely over-demanding portion of the player base.

It’s only dedication to an already established IP that has kept people hoping it will somehow change all this time. They’ve abused this every single year since Morrowind at least and it works for them, it’s obviously profitable. Never a truly sustainable strategy - but one that could milk fools’ wallets for a decade, give or take? Huge success really!

It’s a sad result but anyone who’s woken up and canceled over this last straw PTS cycle should be proud of themselves! The relationship between this company and its playerbase has always been abusive and they’ve exploited our love of Tamriel and commitment to friends made in game to cover up their own lack of direction for years. If it wasn’t Elder Scrolls on the box this company would have been in the MMO graveyard within a year of release.

Just look around this board the last few weeks - textbook stages of grief all over. Well past time you all stopped bargaining with folks who have only ever made statements which confirm that they’re not really listening.

OBJnoob

[snip]
Now there are two things people want to say: 1) but they have a pts so they WANT our feedback.
[snip]

This isn't the worst patch. Oakensoul wasn't the worst item. People just complained so much 4 years ago that we are now, here, in the only place we left for ourselves to be. In an escalated state of unhappy.

I play ESO cuz its an entertaining video game. And I give ESO money because I'm happy to pay to be entertained. That is the FULL extent of my relationship with the people who make my video game.

[edited for baiting]

Suddwrath

OBJnoob wrote: »

We have a disgustingly toxic and entitled player base, at least as represented by these forums. Imagine critiquing the people that make your clothes like this... Instead of just buying a different brand. Imagine critiquing milk. Cigarettes. Coffee.

What an absurd comparison.

OBJnoob

Yes its absurd to compare consumer goods. Almost as absurd as the anger people have with a video game.

neferpitou73

OBJnoob wrote: »

Yes its absurd to compare consumer goods. Almost as absurd as the anger people have with a video game.

How dare people want to enjoy a product they've invested time and money into!!! The outrage!

Suddwrath

neferpitou73 wrote: »

How dare people want to enjoy a product they've invested time and money into!!! The outrage!

But the MILK! We need more milk outrage!

Troodon80

VampiricByNature wrote: »

I want to look forward excitedly to patches. Instead I find myself preparing like my mother is coming to visit.

I think this says something about the general sentiment toward patches. ZOS wants blind trust, but time and time again people have the same worry: how will the next patch completely destroy their playstyle. If anything, when ZOS announces some new fancy system, like the Set Collection or Curation, people tend to worry even more because they expect it's a way to cover some of the other changes and ease the pain, so to speak. That's a sad state, I think.

I don't tend to worry much, I'll adapt one way or another, I tend to make a joke out of it: What absurd chagnes, which no one asked for, will ZOS do next? Maybe add Major Vulnerability to Sorcerer's Crystal Fragments? We all know that Sorcerers need a buff. It should also apply Major and Minor Breach and Minor Brittle. Obviously that's too OP to leave the proc chance at 33% for the increased damage, so the percentage will be adjusted down to 32%. You know, front load the ability and make it the most OP thing possible, creating a new meta for PvE and completely breaking PvP, ignore the community telling you it's the most OP thing, and then change it two patches later because it's overused/overperforming.



And for years people blamed CP for power creep.

I'm convinced at this point the only reason why they make any sort of "balance" change to the game is to ensure any given meta doesn't last long. It has little to do with actual balance and making it so that all classes and abilities are equal. The PvE end game community tends to be very much "Monkey see, Monkey do" in that a meta is discovered and then it trickles down even into groups who cannot really pull it off. This creates a cycle of overuse. Two years ago, it was Nightblades, a year ago it was Dragonknights, now it's Sorcerers. I've deliberately not included Necromancers because they've always been a staple. It just goes from class to class, but at no point is this actually balanced.

wenchmore420b14_ESO

OBJnoob wrote: »

[snip]
Now there are two things people want to say: 1) but they have a pts so they WANT our feedback.
[snip]
This isn't the worst patch. Oakensoul wasn't the worst item. People just complained so much 4 years ago that we are now, here, in the only place we left for ourselves to be. In an escalated state of unhappy.

I play ESO cuz its an entertaining video game. And I give ESO money because I'm happy to pay to be entertained. That is the FULL extent of my relationship with the people who make my video game.

[snip]

What you are missing about the community here is that this is not "just a video game".
It is Elder Scrolls. An IP with 25 years and 10 games of Lore, Adventure, History, Love and a World that is as special to some of us as Middle Earth or Hogworts is to others.

I have 12,000+ hours in this game. I have 97 months of subbing. I was in closed beta. When and if I complain does not make me entitled or toxic, it shows my diligence and love about a game that I want to see be better and grow in a positive way, and not be destroyed by dev decisions that go against what we, the consumers want.

[snip]
Well, they did at one time. Once the Devs communicated and interacted with us as a community.
Who remembers the Council of Nirn? A roundtable group of GM's and Devs getting together to discuss the state of game?
Devs used to discuss, explain and answer questions on ESO live. Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8m14tUK43U&list=PL4tB6flpmULi4KhRolY9a41sIUs1mfrEk&index=

At launch they had a "Developers Question of the Week". Example:

https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/745

If someone had a idea about a new addition for the game, such as "Underwater Exploration", the Devs would sit down and explain why they could or couldn't do it and answer our questions about it. Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BhsqvscZz4&list=PL4tB6flpmULi4KhRolY9a41sIUs1mfrEk&index=24&t=5507s

So Yes. We have good reason to be angry at the silence and ghosting that ZoS has been showing us more and more each year. Yes, we should express our likes and dislikes about the the future of ESO.
[snip]

My 2 Drakes.
Huzzah!!


[edited for baiting]

shadyjane62

OBJnoob wrote: »

Yes its absurd to compare consumer goods. Almost as absurd as the anger people have with a video game.

I felt a genuine grief when I realized they were destroying my Templar. I was sad for a couple days. I try not to have those feeling as they can compound as I read the disrespect from the company that made this game.

We pay our money, do their testing and then are ignored.

I would never accept this behavior from a company and then still buy their product.

It is with profound sadness and a little financial grief that I bought a year sub like I always have as an 8 year player.

Never again.

ZOS_Lunar

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