Combining ESO PC, XBOX, and Playstation Servers?

VoidCommander · January 16

One of the biggest complaints for ESO is long queue times for various activities like dungeons and battlegrounds. Having a larger player population is almost never a bad thing for the health of a game, so artificially reducing the population by separating the playerbase across these other platforms seems counter-intuitive.

There are pros and cons of this, mainly the fact that Console Players would be at a disadvantage compared to PC players when it came to things like access to Addons or being able to type in chat quickly and effectively. Obviously, this would mean that PC players would need proximity voice chat enabled as a feature in order to communicate with console players who queue with them in activities.

The economy of the new server would be drastically altered. Some people in console who manually craft their writs and have a stockpile of gold upgrade materials might find themselves suddenly poor compared to the PC players who can do the same number of writs in a mere fraction of the time it takes them to do so.

I am interested to see the community's thoughts on such a server merge in the future, perhaps as a way to increase the effective population (not unlike the wonderful update of One Tamriel). If the game starts struggling with player numbers, this could be a proactive way to get ahead of the problem.

For this poll, I will assume that NA and EU servers will be kept separate for reasons I think everyone understands already.

ArchMikem · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

Long queue times for dungeons isn't an indicator of low population, it's an indicator that the vast majority of players prefer the Damage Dealer role. We need more Tanks and Healers, but people don't like to play that way.

Combining the servers just increases the number of DDs in the queue, the problem continues.

Necrotech_Master · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

adding some form of cross play while i wouldnt be against it, would still be a huge technical hurdle, mainly with the significant problems of account naming conflicts and account DB merging

LunaFlora · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

i would Love it if i could use my ps eu characters on all platforms, but combining all servers seems like a bad idea.

guild trader bidding would be an even bigger competition for people and there's probably more annoying stuff

Melivar · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

The addon issue for PC's would be the only issue why I think they need to stay separated.

I don't need people coming after my addons because they aren't allowed to have them.

TaSheen · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

No thank you, for the variety of reasons others stated above.

Tandor · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

See all other threads on this subject.

Amottica · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

ArchMikem wrote: »

Long queue times for dungeons isn't an indicator of low population, it's an indicator that the vast majority of players prefer the Damage Dealer role. We need more Tanks and Healers, but people don't like to play that way.

Combining the servers just increases the number of DDs in the queue, the problem continues.

Pretty much this since queue times seem to be the justification of this thread and are of no indication of the server population.

We see only an extremely small part of the game. Our limited observation is not a very solid justification for changes. That does not mean we should not bring up ideas since Zenimax can then determine if those ideas are workable and if they are good for the game.

Ragnarok0130 · January 16

Combine all Servers into One (Still Keeping NA and EU separated)

Melivar wrote: »

The addon issue for PC's would be the only issue why I think they need to stay separated.

I don't need people coming after my addons because they aren't allowed to have them.

No they can simply offer ZoS vetted addons for download in the console stores similar to what they did with the Creation Club in Skyrim and Fallout 4 to address the addon disparity. Consoles already have discord so an in game communication system wouldn't even need to be added to the PC client.

dk_dunkirk · January 16

Here we go again.

Braffin · January 16

Leave the Servers Separated

I'm not against crossplay per se, but there are simply too many differences between platforms (add-ons, voice-chat, market). I don't see, how zos could do a merge without alienating a major fraction of it's customer base:

1) Add-ons are important QoL-tools on pc. A lot of us would simply quit the game, if they were taken away to comfort those console users, which feel disadvantaged by them.
2) Pc users don't need voice chat, as we are socialized by using discord anyways. I would simply deactivate an optional VC, and won't play a game with mandatory VC.

Additionally major (and dangerous) work would have to be done to the game's databases.

So, better leave it as is.

phaneub17_ESO · January 17

Combine all Servers into One (Still Keeping NA and EU separated)

You know what, let's do it! Trample all the console players in PvP!

TaSheen · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

You know what, let's do it! Trample all the console players in PvP!

Um. Please no. Be kind....?

phaneub17_ESO · January 17

Combine all Servers into One (Still Keeping NA and EU separated)

TaSheen wrote: »

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

You know what, let's do it! Trample all the console players in PvP!

Um. Please no. Be kind....?

On top of that PC market will destroy the Console market. Having addons that can give precise data on what things are being sold at makes it easier to upsell everything. Our PC prices will upend the console markets within a matter of weeks then you will have to deal with this crazy inflation we created.

Necrotech_Master · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

You know what, let's do it! Trample all the console players in PvP!

actually you would be surprised by the amount of PC players who use a controller and still are pretty good at pvp lol

the way the game is setup, a mouse+keyboard setup is not a huge advantage over a controller, unlike say a first person shooter where a controller is a severe handicap

Hapexamendios · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

The whole concept is just ill-conceived.

Danikat · January 17

According to ZOS it's impossible for them to merge databases, so they couldn't do it even if they wanted to.

That's why the only time a transfer was available was shortly before the game launched on consoles - because it was copying accounts into empty databases - and why the PTS has to mirror the NA or EU server and can't have both together.

I know some people think that's just an excuse and ZOS actually could do it any time they felt like it, but even if that's the case I think it's unlikely they'll suddenly choose to do it.

Oznog666 · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

No thanks. First of all because I'm pretty sure that as soon as the servers are connected the console players will complain because of the addons on pc. And second because we don't need all those bots from console on our PC servers :-)

majulook · January 17

If they combine the PC and Console servers, it might be the end of PC addons.

Console players are not allows addons. So at the least I would expect lots of addons to start throwing errors, as they try and get API results form those servers.

wolfie1.0. · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

This woild be a logistical nightmare. First character names and sometimes account names are server specific. And while many players might not care character names are important to a lot of players. I personally have quit 2 MMOs do to character name loss and I will do so again.

Second, it's not as simple as adding proximity chat either, most pc players would disable the feature as 3rd party apps are way more useful for pc players. So console players again would be on their own.

Addon support... zos would either have to add features that players use addons for, or disable them. Addons have more impact on pc play than difference between controller vs keyboard and mouse.

Microsoft vs sony: their isn't exactly good blood between these two companies at the moment. It's probably to the point that if ESO reached a point where the PS version of the game was going to die out, they would just shut down the servers rather than try cross-platform play. Cross-platform play for anything that Microsoft isn't contractually obligated to release will likely not happen in my opinion. So they might just shut it down. Xbox is more likely.

Still lots of complaints will happen if/when merger occurs.

SpacemanSpiff1 · January 17

Combine all Servers into One (Still Keeping NA and EU separated)

Yes. merge all of the servers. it couldn.t take more than an afternoon.

Soarora · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

Xbox and Playstation sure, but not console and PC. Besides addons there’s a massive cultural and economical difference between PC and console.

dk_dunkirk · January 17

Here we go again.

Soarora wrote: »

Xbox and Playstation sure, but not console and PC. Besides addons there’s a massive cultural and economical difference between PC and console.

I also think that would be cool, but every time I bring up the fact that consoles could get addons, people like to complain about Sony being a stick in the mud about it. Combining player bases would require massive cooperation between Microsoft and Sony, and I doubt either one of them would be jazzed about it. Both would have to address friends lists and comms. It's been done before, to be sure. For instance, Battlefield 2042 is completely cross-platform. But it's my understanding that it takes a behemoth like EA to get everyone to play nice on their backends. Now that Bethesda is Microsoft, I suspect that they will not be... amenable to making it possible for Playstation users to play with Xbox users. That's just one of MANY reasons I was hoping the merger would not go through, but that's a rant for a different thread.

NoxiousBlight · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

No big deal if you combine the console servers somehow.

Terrible idea to combine the PC servers with the console ones.

Amottica · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

Melivar wrote: »

The addon issue for PC's would be the only issue why I think they need to stay separated.

I don't need people coming after my addons because they aren't allowed to have them.

No they can simply offer ZoS vetted addons for download in the console stores similar to what they did with the Creation Club in Skyrim and Fallout 4 to address the addon disparity. Consoles already have discord so an in game communication system wouldn't even need to be added to the PC client.

We do not know if it is that simple because we do not know the real reason addons are not available to consoles. As such it is likely not the same so not so simple.

Mesite · January 17

Combine all Servers into One (Still Keeping NA and EU separated)

It'll be great. And can I merge my PC account with my Xbox account? Actually I'd be happy if you could just send me my gold from my PC account to my Xbox.

Brakkish · January 17

Merge console servers, yes.
Merge console and PC, no. Cuz Addons.

Kiralyn2000 · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

ArchMikem wrote: »

Long queue times for dungeons isn't an indicator of low population, it's an indicator that the vast majority of players prefer the Damage Dealer role.

Which is pretty standard for MMOs with roles & queue systems. I mean, I've been reading queue complaint threads, on multiple MMOs' forums, for probably 15 years now.

XSTRONG · January 17

Combine all Servers into One (Still Keeping NA and EU separated)

I wouldnt mind if they combined all servers but it would be huge problems that im pretty sure Zos cannot solve.

Merge console servers would probably be easier but dont think they will merge Xbox with playstation servers.

I play on PS5eu and I dont think that server is even close to dead but merging it with xboxeu why not.

jtm1018 · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

No, heck no, hells no, heavens forbid.

The animosity is real between platforms.

Dont feed that animal.

Cazador · January 17

Leave the Servers Separated

No thanks. I really don't want to have to pay the significantly higher prices you guys have on pc.

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