We are currently investigating issues some players are having on the megaservers. We will update as new information becomes available.
We are currently investigating issues some players are having with the ESO Store and Account System. We will update as new information becomes available.
Scathing review OR acurate appraisal ???
Phantax
✭✭✭✭✭
✭
✭
I recently came across this review of ESO and despite it giving our beloved game quite a bashing, sadly there isn't any one of the five points I can't agree with.
Large-Scale Dynamic Events
Is there anything sadder than The Elder Scrolls Online’s dark anchors? Just a half-dozen players can turn these ever-so-slightly-dynamic events into a race to see who can get in even a single shot before each daedric attacker falls in battle. These meager occurrences are laughable shadows of Rift’s rifts and Defiance’s arkfalls, and offer no incentives to group with others, or even to participate at all.
What if dark anchors caused as much drama as this screenshot actually implies?
Were Zenimax Online Studios to increase the scope of these events, dark anchors could give rise to exciting and unpredictable battles. If anchors were left alone long enough, tougher and more impressive enemies could spawn in, perhaps going so far as to roam the surrounding region in packs and attack nearby encampments or even entire cities. Not only would such dynamic events give players a reason to band together, but they would give ESO the touch of capriciousness it so desperately needs, and hopefully offer unique loot that encouraged adventurers to participate.
A Reason to Get Off the Beaten Path
One thing I really like about Elder Scrolls Online is the world itself. It's a sprawling, diverse, often gorgeous collection of outdoor terrain and bustling villages. But the more time I spend traipsing along the trails that link the cities of Tamriel, the more I long for an incentive to go exploring.
Surely there must be better reasons to take a tour of Tamriel.
Sure, you can find new quests and the occasional treasure chest by getting off the beaten path, but the world feels static, and lacks those serendipitous discoveries of previous Elder Scrolls games. It's little things like the use of environmental storytelling. Think of when you would wander into a small shack in Skyrim, a building having nothing at all to do with a quest, only to find a dead body and the remains of a business deal gone sour. Maybe there was a note, maybe there wasn't. But it was a fun--if slightly grim--opportunity to imagine your own story.
It's stuff like that I miss, those random little discoveries--the loot sitting at the bottom of a lake, the troll with a suicide note under a bridge--that drive home the fact that this is a lived-in world. As is, Elder Scrolls Online really only comes to life when you're on a quest. It's all that time in between I'd like to see become more interesting.
Group-Friendly Questing
The Elder Scrolls Online’s biggest issue--and it’s a doozy--is how its single-player storytelling and multiplayer structure are constantly at odds. Should you and a groupmate be at different stages within a set of missions, or if your groupmate has already concluded that particularly story, you may not be able to adventure together. Giving players the opportunity to join teammates even when they are in a different story layer would help rectify that issue, and would be no more damaging to the game’s sense of immersion than its current reluctance to let players remain together.
What a lovely group of adventurers! Too bad The Elder Scrolls Online tries so hard to split them up. And that needs to change. Even better, why not allow groupmates to tackle decisions together? The oft-maligned Star Wars: The Old Republic actually did a creditable job of letting players make choices as a unit. A similar system in ESO wouldn’t just keep grouping from being such a hassle--it would encourage people to come together.
Greater Incentives to Craft
I write this as my level 11 Dragonknight sits on the verge of level 12, and in all the hours I've spent getting there I've never once felt an urge to try out the crafting system. The quests are so generous in doling out useful equipment that I feel no need to spend time pursuing a career in amateur blacksmithing, and the skill tree is so flexible that I show up in battle without the slightest urge to buff myself with potions or food. Crafting in ESO might be a wonderful, robust system for all I know. But with over 50 quests under my belt, I just haven't felt any need to see what it's about. What a lovely sword you crafted. Who will you sell it to once you've outgrown it?
Granted, my relative ignorance of crafting is something I can very easily remedy by, you know, crafting. But at the same time, I can't help but feel like this portion of the game feels somehow disconnected from the rest of it, tucked away into a dusty corner with only the occasional vague gesture letting you know it's there. Sure, that beats the hell out of having a terrible crafting system shoved down your throat, but I just wonder what the development team can do to give players a little more encouragement to try it out. An auction house would be a great way for master blacksmiths and alchemists to sell their wares, while guilds would be able to better make a name for themselves if all their members could create armor and shields stamped with custom guild insignias. Hopefully that would bring crafting in from the periphery of the game and make the whole thing feel more cohesive.
Day/Night Cycle
Is it night? Is it morning? On cloudy days, you might not even be able to tell. In offline Elder Scrolls games, we’re used to seeing citizens go through their daily lives, setting up shop during the day and packing up and heading home when the work day is done. Of course, The Elder Scrolls Online does not allow you to speed up time by resting in a bed, so having vendor access around the clock is important. But what if night time vendors sold different items during the day? What if there were different monsters, or those monsters behaved differently depending on the time of day? What if you could only accomplish some quests during the night? What if night were actually… dark?
Is it day? Is it night? Is it going to rain? Why are there butterflies and torchbugs next to each other?
Few MMOGs go out of their way to make night time all that different from daytime, but the Elder Scrolls series has always given significance to time’s passage. Not only would the variable NPC behavior make the game feel more alive, but time-based elements could give Tamriel an air of the unexpected.
You can find the original article here-
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-5-improvements-and-additions-we-d-like-to-see/1100-6419368/
Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing ESO, in fact I'd say I'm a bit of a fan-boy.
(Imperial edition owner, 90 sub right from day one)
Zeni have so far done a good job of listening to the players, I just hope they continue to listen and react. Because this article shows that its not just here on the forums people are complaining. Its big names like ING, Gamespot and PC Gamer that are voicing concerns and they have a lot of ears listening.
Do you agree ???
Large-Scale Dynamic Events
Is there anything sadder than The Elder Scrolls Online’s dark anchors? Just a half-dozen players can turn these ever-so-slightly-dynamic events into a race to see who can get in even a single shot before each daedric attacker falls in battle. These meager occurrences are laughable shadows of Rift’s rifts and Defiance’s arkfalls, and offer no incentives to group with others, or even to participate at all.
What if dark anchors caused as much drama as this screenshot actually implies?
Were Zenimax Online Studios to increase the scope of these events, dark anchors could give rise to exciting and unpredictable battles. If anchors were left alone long enough, tougher and more impressive enemies could spawn in, perhaps going so far as to roam the surrounding region in packs and attack nearby encampments or even entire cities. Not only would such dynamic events give players a reason to band together, but they would give ESO the touch of capriciousness it so desperately needs, and hopefully offer unique loot that encouraged adventurers to participate.
A Reason to Get Off the Beaten Path
One thing I really like about Elder Scrolls Online is the world itself. It's a sprawling, diverse, often gorgeous collection of outdoor terrain and bustling villages. But the more time I spend traipsing along the trails that link the cities of Tamriel, the more I long for an incentive to go exploring.
Surely there must be better reasons to take a tour of Tamriel.
Sure, you can find new quests and the occasional treasure chest by getting off the beaten path, but the world feels static, and lacks those serendipitous discoveries of previous Elder Scrolls games. It's little things like the use of environmental storytelling. Think of when you would wander into a small shack in Skyrim, a building having nothing at all to do with a quest, only to find a dead body and the remains of a business deal gone sour. Maybe there was a note, maybe there wasn't. But it was a fun--if slightly grim--opportunity to imagine your own story.
It's stuff like that I miss, those random little discoveries--the loot sitting at the bottom of a lake, the troll with a suicide note under a bridge--that drive home the fact that this is a lived-in world. As is, Elder Scrolls Online really only comes to life when you're on a quest. It's all that time in between I'd like to see become more interesting.
Group-Friendly Questing
The Elder Scrolls Online’s biggest issue--and it’s a doozy--is how its single-player storytelling and multiplayer structure are constantly at odds. Should you and a groupmate be at different stages within a set of missions, or if your groupmate has already concluded that particularly story, you may not be able to adventure together. Giving players the opportunity to join teammates even when they are in a different story layer would help rectify that issue, and would be no more damaging to the game’s sense of immersion than its current reluctance to let players remain together.
What a lovely group of adventurers! Too bad The Elder Scrolls Online tries so hard to split them up. And that needs to change. Even better, why not allow groupmates to tackle decisions together? The oft-maligned Star Wars: The Old Republic actually did a creditable job of letting players make choices as a unit. A similar system in ESO wouldn’t just keep grouping from being such a hassle--it would encourage people to come together.
Greater Incentives to Craft
I write this as my level 11 Dragonknight sits on the verge of level 12, and in all the hours I've spent getting there I've never once felt an urge to try out the crafting system. The quests are so generous in doling out useful equipment that I feel no need to spend time pursuing a career in amateur blacksmithing, and the skill tree is so flexible that I show up in battle without the slightest urge to buff myself with potions or food. Crafting in ESO might be a wonderful, robust system for all I know. But with over 50 quests under my belt, I just haven't felt any need to see what it's about. What a lovely sword you crafted. Who will you sell it to once you've outgrown it?
Granted, my relative ignorance of crafting is something I can very easily remedy by, you know, crafting. But at the same time, I can't help but feel like this portion of the game feels somehow disconnected from the rest of it, tucked away into a dusty corner with only the occasional vague gesture letting you know it's there. Sure, that beats the hell out of having a terrible crafting system shoved down your throat, but I just wonder what the development team can do to give players a little more encouragement to try it out. An auction house would be a great way for master blacksmiths and alchemists to sell their wares, while guilds would be able to better make a name for themselves if all their members could create armor and shields stamped with custom guild insignias. Hopefully that would bring crafting in from the periphery of the game and make the whole thing feel more cohesive.
Day/Night Cycle
Is it night? Is it morning? On cloudy days, you might not even be able to tell. In offline Elder Scrolls games, we’re used to seeing citizens go through their daily lives, setting up shop during the day and packing up and heading home when the work day is done. Of course, The Elder Scrolls Online does not allow you to speed up time by resting in a bed, so having vendor access around the clock is important. But what if night time vendors sold different items during the day? What if there were different monsters, or those monsters behaved differently depending on the time of day? What if you could only accomplish some quests during the night? What if night were actually… dark?
Is it day? Is it night? Is it going to rain? Why are there butterflies and torchbugs next to each other?
Few MMOGs go out of their way to make night time all that different from daytime, but the Elder Scrolls series has always given significance to time’s passage. Not only would the variable NPC behavior make the game feel more alive, but time-based elements could give Tamriel an air of the unexpected.
You can find the original article here-
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-5-improvements-and-additions-we-d-like-to-see/1100-6419368/
Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing ESO, in fact I'd say I'm a bit of a fan-boy.
(Imperial edition owner, 90 sub right from day one)
Zeni have so far done a good job of listening to the players, I just hope they continue to listen and react. Because this article shows that its not just here on the forums people are complaining. Its big names like ING, Gamespot and PC Gamer that are voicing concerns and they have a lot of ears listening.
Do you agree ???
High Elf Sorcerer VR12 - Destro / Resto Staff
I'm a werewolf. If you vamps don't like it.... Bite me !
We're not retreating... we're advancing in a different direction !
I'm a werewolf. If you vamps don't like it.... Bite me !
We're not retreating... we're advancing in a different direction !
3
-
daneyulebub17_ESO✭✭✭✭✭
✭Scathing???
That word, I don't think it means what you think it does.
Basically acknowledged it still has a ways to go, and offered some (pretty good) suggestions. Not scathing at all.Edited by daneyulebub17_ESO on May 4, 2014 5:48PMThis message confirms that you have successfully cancelled your subscription to The Elder Scrolls Online. You will no longer be charged for a subscription on a recurring basis, and your access to the game will expire at the end of your current subscription cycle.
We're sad to see you go now, but we'll be happy to welcome you back at any time! Whenever you're ready to come back, your characters will be waiting for you, just like you left them. You can return anytime by resubscribing on the Manage Subscription page on your Elder Scrolls Online account.
Please print this email and keep it for your records.1 -
Phantax✭✭✭✭✭
✭daneyulebub17_ESO wrote: »Scathing???
That word, I don't think it means what you think it does.
Basically acknowledged it still has a ways to go, and offered some (pretty good) suggestions. Not scathing at all.
Unless I've used it in the wrong context I thought it to mean 'Harsh, mean, maybe even spitefull'
(may be wrong tho...lol)
High Elf Sorcerer VR12 - Destro / Resto Staff
I'm a werewolf. If you vamps don't like it.... Bite me !
We're not retreating... we're advancing in a different direction !0 -
As Matt stated in the post at the beginning of the month; ESO has a long road ahead of it to live up to the expectations placed on ZoE.
I am quite enjoying the game, but have little to offer by way of argument against his points. ...I wouldn't so much call it scathing.
Yahtzee & Angry Joe..now THEIR reviews were harsh. (unjustifiably so at some points in my opinion.)0 -
Vodkaphile✭✭✭Dark Anchors dont scale well, they're often too tough (at veteran ranks) for one or two players, but way too easy the more players you add. The only thing that seems to scale is that it requires more mob kills to activate a pinion.
However, the Rifts in Rift had the exact same problem, except worse because they had no pinion sustem, simply a "kill X" objective. Until they implemented raid rifts, much later. The Arkfalls in Defiance, however, were pretty awesome.
The reviewer misses the boat on crafting by such a huge margin that it's not worth addressing, he clearly doesn't understand the simple facets of being able to craft rares and epics (or better), that crafting gear is superior to anything else you get while leveling, that you can craft sets, etc.
When he delves into the exploration, he again misses badly. Especially when he compares it to other ES games. He does this again in the day/night cycle part. So no, I cant agree with the majority of what he said, because:
a) He made it to level 12 at the absolute most, and clearly stated that. Would we accept a review from any other game when they've only played 5% of the game?
b) He compares the game to other ES games for two of the main points. Guess what? This is an MMO. There's things you simply cant do, like closing the entire game world off for 12 hours at night, in an MMO when millions of other players are in the same world.
c) He doesn't mention overworld bosses, epic public dungeons (the one per zone that almost certainly requires a group to do without trouble) only anchors.
Why does it feel like the people reviewing ESO aren't even attempting to be taken seriously? Level 12 and does a full review? Is this for real?3 -
PharmaChief✭✭✭I think that most negative reviews missed the bigger picture by focusing their full attention in technical issues and bugs, many of which are not even an issue today. Also they were very much affected by false expectations as they were expecting a Skyrim clone. Unfortunately many people have been affected by those reviews and didnt even try the game. Its a shame in my opinion...0 -
pborerb16_ESO✭✭✭Some things in this review are almost universally criticized (e.g. the poor group questing - would be really nice if this could be improved), other parts seem indeed to come from a certain superficiality on part of the reviewer who played only a few levels - e.g. with regard to crafting. In the beginning I ignored it too, but then noticed that it's really very useful even from the very start with a new character, as you quite easily can create a decent outfit for yourself you wouldn't get that quickly just through questing and loot. But it took me some time to realize it, maybe more than the reviewer invested in the game so far.
Regarding the dark anchors, I agree. I've now been playing the released game starting with the first day of early access, and just couldn't bother to deal with the anchors. The game is great fun, I love it, but the whole anchor business seems rather pointless gameplay-wise, which is a bit sad, as they're supposed to be a great, important threat...
Finally, I think this thread would be better fitting into a "General Game Discussion" forum, if we only had such a forum here (as I recently suggested), it's not actually a Customer Support issue, I'd say.Edited by pborerb16_ESO on May 4, 2014 6:25PM1 -
I agree with most of what he said. It wasn't 'scathing'.
Anchors are ridiculously easy. You only need about three people to take them out. Most people never return to repeat them because they offer nothing new.
Questing could have been done better than it was. It does feel static. It is occasionally unpredictable, but much more of that is needed.
Crafting: He's only level 12. He mentioned he has no desire to craft. However, he's correct in saying that crafting would be much more interesting if we actually had somewhere to sell our stuff. Besides the frickin' chat box. Which is performing multiple roles right now, due to poor game design.
Day and night cycles that offer questing and environment changes would be nice. Other MMO's have quests that can only be done at night, when certain enemies are present. Lord of the...
Get on it, Zen.0 -
raglau✭✭✭✭✭I think it was a quite reasonable synopsis, apart from the point on crafting which I feel is integral.
The game has a way to go but all the foundations are there. And it is still a lot of fun despite these shortcomings.
But yes, I think the article is fair.daneyulebub17_ESO wrote: »Scathing???
That word, I don't think it means what you think it does.
Basically acknowledged it still has a ways to go, and offered some (pretty good) suggestions. Not scathing at all.
Unless I've used it in the wrong context I thought it to mean 'Harsh, mean, maybe even spitefull'
(may be wrong tho...lol)
0 -
PharmaChief✭✭✭michaelpatrickjonesnub18_ESO wrote: »Crafting: He's only level 12. He mentioned he has no desire to craft. However, he's correct in saying that crafting would be much more interesting if we actually had somewhere to sell our stuff. Besides the frickin' chat box. Which is performing multiple roles right now, due to poor game design.
I have sold many items either self made or found in guild stores. Those need improvement but that has allready been announced. Many things said in reviews are far from accurate.0 -
AlexDougherty✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭
Review isn't harsh, very critical, and biased (but what review isn't), but I've heard harsher comments from David Walliams.Unless I've used it in the wrong context I thought it to mean 'Harsh, mean, maybe even spitefull'
(may be wrong tho...lol)
People believe what they either want to be true or what they are afraid is true!
Wizard's first rule
Passion rules reason
Wizard's third rule
Mind what people Do, not what they say, for actions betray a lie.
Wizard's fifth rule
Willfully turning aside from the truth is treason to one's self
Wizard's tenth rule1 -
Saerydoth✭✭✭✭I agree that the Dark Anchor events could use some expansion to them to make them a bit more interesting. The plot makes them out to be a HUGE threat, but if you take 4 competent players to one you can faceroll it easily. I'm not saying they need to be made mind-numbingly difficult, but maybe just some variety to make them more interesting. Maybe if they could affect the world in some way other than at the anchor point.
I *somewhat* agree about the day/night cycle. I played WOW for 8 years...in the beginning WOW had a nice day/night cycle. But they removed nighttime over the course of the last expansion. Day/night doesn't affect the landscape at all anymore, only the sky. Now, ESO isn't *nearly* that bad, it does have day and night that look different, but I agree that it in some areas (especially when it's cloudy), there isn't as much difference between day and night as there should be. I think night could stand to be made a little darker. Also, the moons aren't as promiment as they could be. In Skyrim they looked larger and even looked like they had some depth to them. It looked like they were looming above you. In ESO, they just look like...well flat circles in the sky. Yes, this is more like what the real moon looks like, but this is a fantasy world, and Masser/Secunda aren't "normal" moons. I would like to see the whole sky have some more depth to it, and really play up the "alien sky" elements like Skyrim did. The sky isn't actually a solar system in the ES world anyway, and the whole thing is a big case of "You cannot grasp the true form". I'd just like to see it looks a little more...well alien, like Skyrim did.
Is it possible that they deliberately have the night brighter right now, to compensate for /torch being removed, and nights will be made darker after 1.1, when /torch is restored? I REALLY want ESO to have a nice looking nighttime. That is extremely important for immersion, immersion in WOW was destroyed after they removed night, and I don't want that to happen here.Edited by Saerydoth on May 4, 2014 9:41PM1 -
zeuseason✭✭✭I just kinda skimmed....but this statement:I write this as my level 11 Dragonknight sits on the verge of level 12
Brought out the roflcopter. Nothing else is valid in this 'review' after reading this.0 -
GreySix✭✭✭✭✭
✭Group-Friendly Questing
The Elder Scrolls Online’s biggest issue--and it’s a doozy--is how its single-player storytelling and multiplayer structure are constantly at odds. Should you and a groupmate be at different stages within a set of missions, or if your groupmate has already concluded that particularly story, you may not be able to adventure together. Giving players the opportunity to join teammates even when they are in a different story layer would help rectify that issue, and would be no more damaging to the game’s sense of immersion than its current reluctance to let players remain together.
What a lovely group of adventurers! Too bad The Elder Scrolls Online tries so hard to split them up. And that needs to change. Even better, why not allow groupmates to tackle decisions together? The oft-maligned Star Wars: The Old Republic actually did a creditable job of letting players make choices as a unit. A similar system in ESO wouldn’t just keep grouping from being such a hassle--it would encourage people to come together.
This, times a thousand.Crotchety Old Man Guild
"Hey you, get off my lawn!"1 -
7788b14_ESO✭✭✭I just kinda skimmed....but this statement:I write this as my level 11 Dragonknight sits on the verge of level 12
Brought out the roflcopter. Nothing else is valid in this 'review' after reading this.
I was reminded that at a higher level I did come across things like a dead thief with a note that said this is what happens to thieves who steal from us.
0 -
Valethar✭✭✭✭Anchors are so lackluster that most people do them once for the achievement, and never go back. There's really no point.
Crafting is actually pretty useful. The only reason he doesn't feel the need as a DK is because most of the quests in the game give heavy armor rewards. If you're playing a Nightblade or Sorcerer, you're going to be crafting your own armor, because you won't be getting it from quests most of the time. Even the drops out in the wild favor heavy over everything else.Resistance is not futile! Say no to the Greed Collective™. Boycott Crown Crates.0 -
Vodkaphile✭✭✭I just kinda skimmed....but this statement:I write this as my level 11 Dragonknight sits on the verge of level 12
Brought out the roflcopter. Nothing else is valid in this 'review' after reading this.
Pretty much this. How anyone takes reviews seriously that preface with something like "yeah I've played about 5% of the game" is beyond my capacity to think about.0
