If you have a plethora of evidence then provide it. As someone making the claim, the onus is on you to provide the proof you claim exists. And you can't get out of it by telling people to research for themselves. You're saying you apparently have access to proof, so provide it.CatoUnchained wrote: »CatoUnchained wrote: »CatoUnchained wrote: »CatoUnchained wrote: »spartaxoxo wrote: »Maintenance mode does not invest in new players.
What "mode" invests in player retention? You know, what is ESO doing to keep veteran end game players sticking around?
I'm sure player retention is fine. You have to remember that any game is going to focus their efforts on the new and/or casual player because veteran end gamers make up a very small portion of the player base realistically. The veteran end gamer - in any live service game - is always going to be completing the available content much faster than the developer can create more. The developer is always going to prioritize content that is relevant to the majority of their players, the new and casual players.
It's a tale as old as time. The loudest complainers are the top 5% wondering why a developer doesn't pump content into the game specifically for that 5% just as fast as those 5% exhaust the content that's already there. It's not unique to ESO by any means.
Player retention is the opposite of fine for the last few years, and the problem is getting worse in a hurry. Why do you think ESO is releasing less and less content now days? When the vet players and content creators move on it's because they see the signs and it's not long after (2-3 years typically) for the game to shutter it's doors.
What concrete data have you gathered regarding historical and current trends to show that player retention is the "opposite of fine"? Anecdotes from content creators and/or your buddies don't count as a trend for the entire game population.
Are you new to ESO? I've been playing since 2014.
And? My point and question both still stand.
The mass exodus began with U35. That was in 2022. Now, 2 years later, ZOS announces what is essentially an end to significant new content releases.
My point still stands unchallenged and is supported by a plethora of evidence. If you don't see it, that's on you.
Cooperharley wrote: »I didn't read it like that at all. We've been asking for them to switch it up and change that.
Overland difficulty increase
Improving visuals in old zones and textures moving forward
New stories to experience throughout the year
More experimentation
A change up in pvp, specifically cyrodiil, to improve pop caps
Seasons w/ cool new rewards
New difficult zones like OG craglorn
I'm confused as to how that's going into maintenance mode. They're little checking off most of the stuff we've been asking for?
Yep, maintenance mode...minor content updates, minor changes. No major investments. Developers laid off or reassigned to new products. Par for a 10 year old MMO.
The performant comments regarding pvp is discouraging. My guess is that they go with a "PVP skill line" for each class and that is all you can use in PVP. Very similar to werewolf...5 fixed skills and an ultimate.
acastanza_ESO wrote: »Cooperharley wrote: »I didn't read it like that at all. We've been asking for them to switch it up and change that.
Overland difficulty increase
Improving visuals in old zones and textures moving forward
New stories to experience throughout the year
More experimentation
A change up in pvp, specifically cyrodiil, to improve pop caps
Seasons w/ cool new rewards
New difficult zones like OG craglorn
I'm confused as to how that's going into maintenance mode. They're little checking off most of the stuff we've been asking for?
Right? Like, the letter was literally a checklist of what the forums have been begging for for years, and instead of taking that as a sign that ZOS actually seems to have listened people are crying "maintenance mode" just because we won't be getting another "daedric prince wants to take over tamriel" rehash chapter. Like, seriously? What the heck people.
Yep, maintenance mode...minor content updates, minor changes. No major investments. Developers laid off or reassigned to new products. Par for a 10 year old MMO.
The performant comments regarding pvp is discouraging. My guess is that they go with a "PVP skill line" for each class and that is all you can use in PVP. Very similar to werewolf...5 fixed skills and an ultimate.
Reworking the base game zones to bring them up to current standards really does NOT sound like a "minor change", nor the kind of thing anyone would bother to do if they were planning to shut a game down. Indeed, general consensus among players here has tended to be that the idea of overhauling the base zones was preposterous because of the work involved.
Yep, maintenance mode...minor content updates, minor changes. No major investments. Developers laid off or reassigned to new products. Par for a 10 year old MMO.
The performant comments regarding pvp is discouraging. My guess is that they go with a "PVP skill line" for each class and that is all you can use in PVP. Very similar to werewolf...5 fixed skills and an ultimate.
Reworking the base game zones to bring them up to current standards really does NOT sound like a "minor change", nor the kind of thing anyone would bother to do if they were planning to shut a game down. Indeed, general consensus among players here has tended to be that the idea of overhauling the base zones was preposterous because of the work involved.
EverQuest did this years ago. They went back and reworked many of the base zones by updating textures, graphics, adding new models, etcetera. It was great for a couple of weeks, as people went and looked around, marveling and applauding all the lovely new work. And then within a month, those zones were deserted once again, as people went back to the newer zones to get the newest drops.
Unless they give folks a good reason to play extensively in old zones, it will be a waste of effort. We'll have to wait and see how ZOS incentivizes it.
Yep, maintenance mode...minor content updates, minor changes. No major investments. Developers laid off or reassigned to new products. Par for a 10 year old MMO.
The performant comments regarding pvp is discouraging. My guess is that they go with a "PVP skill line" for each class and that is all you can use in PVP. Very similar to werewolf...5 fixed skills and an ultimate.
Reworking the base game zones to bring them up to current standards really does NOT sound like a "minor change", nor the kind of thing anyone would bother to do if they were planning to shut a game down. Indeed, general consensus among players here has tended to be that the idea of overhauling the base zones was preposterous because of the work involved.
EverQuest did this years ago. They went back and reworked many of the base zones by updating textures, graphics, adding new models, etcetera. It was great for a couple of weeks, as people went and looked around, marveling and applauding all the lovely new work. And then within a month, those zones were deserted once again, as people went back to the newer zones to get the newest drops.
Unless they give folks a good reason to play extensively in old zones, it will be a waste of effort. We'll have to wait and see how ZOS incentivizes it.
Yep, maintenance mode...minor content updates, minor changes. No major investments. Developers laid off or reassigned to new products. Par for a 10 year old MMO.
The performant comments regarding pvp is discouraging. My guess is that they go with a "PVP skill line" for each class and that is all you can use in PVP. Very similar to werewolf...5 fixed skills and an ultimate.
Reworking the base game zones to bring them up to current standards really does NOT sound like a "minor change", nor the kind of thing anyone would bother to do if they were planning to shut a game down. Indeed, general consensus among players here has tended to be that the idea of overhauling the base zones was preposterous because of the work involved.
EverQuest did this years ago. They went back and reworked many of the base zones by updating textures, graphics, adding new models, etcetera. It was great for a couple of weeks, as people went and looked around, marveling and applauding all the lovely new work. And then within a month, those zones were deserted once again, as people went back to the newer zones to get the newest drops.
Unless they give folks a good reason to play extensively in old zones, it will be a waste of effort. We'll have to wait and see how ZOS incentivizes it.
Consider it this way: ZOS sells the very affordable base game as a way to introduce new players to the larger game and its chapters. If the game they're seeing is essentially 2014 graphics, that's not a good way to introduce players, especially considering how different the newer zones look. A more consistent and up-to-date look is great for long-term player retention, and not just for vets. It may even allow them to consolidate assets which could lower the install size a bit.
Just to follow up here. The changes here are to make us more agile and produce more engaging and varied content. So from our prospective, it is not us "going into maintenance" but rather being able to address several concerns the player base has noted over the years.
It's not full on maintenance mode, but I'd call it soft maintenance mode and frankly I don't think that's a bad thing. ESO is massive. It's about time they went deeper into existing zones instead of releasing shallow new zones like Gold Road.
It's not full on maintenance mode, but I'd call it soft maintenance mode and frankly I don't think that's a bad thing. ESO is massive. It's about time they went deeper into existing zones instead of releasing shallow new zones like Gold Road.
So yes, agree... it's a "soft maintenance mode" and I think the community should embrace it. I also love the idea that they are going to try new things and let the devs "experiment".
I_killed_Vivec wrote: »It's not full on maintenance mode, but I'd call it soft maintenance mode and frankly I don't think that's a bad thing. ESO is massive. It's about time they went deeper into existing zones instead of releasing shallow new zones like Gold Road.
So yes, agree... it's a "soft maintenance mode" and I think the community should embrace it. I also love the idea that they are going to try new things and let the devs "experiment".
That's what they say, but we were expecting a new Chapter announcement in a couple of weeks... now nothing until April, when they might announce some kind of "season". Hardly breeds any sense of confidence.
As for "experiments", I'd rather they experiment at their own dollar, not mine. I want to be paying for a game that works. Experiments, bug fixes, oversights, performance updates... that's all part of the game I have already paid for handsomely, I shouldn't have to pay for them again.
I_killed_Vivec wrote: »It's not full on maintenance mode, but I'd call it soft maintenance mode and frankly I don't think that's a bad thing. ESO is massive. It's about time they went deeper into existing zones instead of releasing shallow new zones like Gold Road.
So yes, agree... it's a "soft maintenance mode" and I think the community should embrace it. I also love the idea that they are going to try new things and let the devs "experiment".
That's what they say, but we were expecting a new Chapter announcement in a couple of weeks... now nothing until April, when they might announce some kind of "season". Hardly breeds any sense of confidence.
As for "experiments", I'd rather they experiment at their own dollar, not mine. I want to be paying for a game that works. Experiments, bug fixes, oversights, performance updates... that's all part of the game I have already paid for handsomely, I shouldn't have to pay for them again.
How can they experiment if they don't push it to live? It's not like the entire game is going to change. They already said they will add a new campaign for the experiment related to cyro. I don't see anything wrong with this.
If you want to think about it a bit differently any "change" they make to ESO has been an experiment. If it's received poorly or didn't work as intended they change course. Now they are just going to be more aggressive and transparent about said experiments.
It's not full on maintenance mode, but I'd call it soft maintenance mode and frankly I don't think that's a bad thing. ESO is massive. It's about time they went deeper into existing zones instead of releasing shallow new zones like Gold Road.
I think it can be seen as a maintenance mode for players who primarily play for the solo questing content.
Integral1900 wrote: »Craglorn…….. CRAGLORN!!!!!!!!!?????
I love Craglorn, but……..
They rebuilt it because nobody was there! The quest chain was impossible to complete unless everyone was at the exact same stage! There were so few people who finished the quest chain you could’ve fitted them all in one classroom! Why in sanity’s name is this thing being used as the example if your plan is to inspire confidence?
The zone was such a disaster it got a a rebuild, the main quest chopped into pieces, difficulty spikes and pits all over the place, some of the prettiest dungeons and best world building in the game where, after the rebuild, a player could encounter either opponents so feeble they could walk through the entire lot simply holding down the left mouth button, or massive packs of trash mobs with hundreds of thousands of health which beat the snot out of them, basically next door to each other!
The open world needs a higher difficulty set, there is no way around that. The quests need to be beefed up. The base game main quest needs to be beefed up. There is some great storytelling and some wonderful set pieces, but the delivery is a mess.
fall0athboy wrote: »The line about freeing up staff concerns me, because IIRC Zenimax has been working on another MMO for a while. It sounds like they're trying to move people to that.
We are embarking on these changes to give the development team the space to find a new cadence that can mix new content and systems with addressing feedback, fixing issues, and adding new quests and activities to existing zones and stories.