What did new feature did ESO bring to the MMORPG table?

joshisanonymous · June 2014

Unique character building system, focused on mixing equipment and various skill lines as opposed to the usually very restrictive class systems in other games. You may be able to argue that something similar has been done in skill-based sandbox MMOs, but the only one I can think of that has been worth playing is UO.

I very much like the competing economy idea, essentially setting up guilds to work as overlapping independent economies. There have been games without auction houses, but they tend to still focus on some other method of selling wares to the entirety of the playerbase at once. The current system is very robust, protects crafting from becoming a worthless activity, and keeps gold farmers in check.

Involved quests with strong story-telling. I've yet to do a basic "go kill 10 wolves and return to me for a reward" quest. Sure, there are collection components, but they're always tied into a much larger story arc and set of objectives that creates a very different feel for questing.

Megaserver technology. It has its downsides, but this allows the world to scale to the needs of the playerbase. Zones can never be too flooded and can only be too empty in extreme circumstances. There will never be a need to merge servers or anything like that.

A large scale persistent factional PvP system. This isn't new, but it's arguably the first time it's been done well since DAoC. Sure, there are still kinks to work out, but the basic structure is intact and very well done.

vyal · June 2014

The answer you're looking for is: nothing.

The answer it should (could) have been?

Persistent (but temporary) dynamic world adjustment.
This means players get to adjust the world, and it remains adjusted for varying periods of time, but without resource input, returns to the way it was originally. applies to farming, guild houses, mines, ponds, hives, caves, hideouts, PC created, populated, itemized and maintained dungeons +more.

Procedurally generated pocket dimensions and dungeons, never the same content twice, unique per player/group.

Complete skill customization. Every aspect of skills should be customizable by players, within certain hard caps and trade-offs. Includes damage type, range, targeting, # of targets, casting time, recast time, consumables required, etc.

Dynamic difficulty adjustment for all combat, regardless of content. Allows content to be easy, challenging, or insanely difficult regardless of location or number of players. Selectable by each player when solo, or group leader when grouped. Adjustable per encounter, on-the-fly.

Unique consumables required per player. Applies to combat, crafting/recipes, skill customization, and quests.

Unique solo story, told by procedural quests. (already done in other games, yep)

Unique personal loot/resources based on custom player skills, difficulty of content, and specialization.

PvP and PvE attack and defense of all guild/alliance structures. Everyone gets involved, solves time-zone related pvp issues.

There. Make a game with a/some/all of those, and you'll have real innovation.

brandon.coker101_ESO · June 2014

*End game zones vs just dungeons
*Elder Scrolls combat manual blocking/swing weapon
*A true play anything you like...no borders here at all...any weapon/spec/armor type
*Mega server
*Option to join as many as 5 guilds
*True 1st person

My question is why does a game have to reinvent the wheel to be a good game?

Sindala · June 2014

Oh wait I got one!!!

ESO is the 1st game that makes you 're-do' levels 1-50 in a different faction calling it End-game content

Sindala · June 2014

Renuo wrote: »

dennissomb16_ESO wrote: »

No mention of Secret World. Pretty sure this was first where one toon could learn and use every single ability in the game, and then set up builds from there

UO did it first by a mile.

Even Horizons let you learn every skill from every class and make a build using any Mastered skill.

hk11 · June 2014

Rift had some interesting things going on and is still fully populated as far as I can tell. I got bored after leveling all the classes.

The only games that have held my attention for a long time are UO, EQ, DAoC, and WoW. The first three I think had more to do with the new genre, and WoW is just really good at adding little things to keep you in the game.

I am sort of struggling to think of what ESO has brought that is new. The skill based thing has been done before a few times, the questing is of course a WoW derivative, the crafting is sort of unique and enjoyable. I guess maybe the most voice acting in an MMO?

Nymirah · June 2014

I don't feel as though any medium of story telling be it a game, movie, book or play has to bring anything new to the table in order to be entertaining and enjoyable. Classic things are classic because they are always good and never get old.

Sometimes it's nice to be able to play on different maps or in different dungeons with different characters, but with mechanics and methods you are accustomed to and comfortable with.

Being new for the sake of being new, and not because what's new is necessarily better is a failing point on a lot of the past attempts at getting triple A MMO's successfully launched these past few years. For example TERA was extraordinarily hyped because of it's (at the time mostly "new" for it's genre) action based combat system which on the whole contributed absolutely nothing toward making the game itself a complete package.

It's not really the fault of those making the games. They struggle with pleasing fan who make demands while not really genuinely knowing what will actually make them happy in the end.

Most of the time, shiny, new things are like a fancy vacation... in the end you always start to miss your mom's home cooking and your comfy old bed. At least that's how I feel but I'm a bit of a home body.

Zorrashi · June 2014

I'm certainly no MMO-vet, but I think I can safely say that ESO has a unique perk system.

Class doesn't really restrict you apart from a few class-exclusive skill lines. Apart from those you can pretty much get skills in any armor and/or weapon type you want.

Vis · June 2014

ESO - No CDs and Resource Based Combat = AMAZING and ORIGINAL

Fleymark · June 2014

Shaun98ca2 wrote: »

Lost Dungeons of Norrath introduces broad-based instanced dungeons to Norrath, revolving around tales of the Wayfarers—an NPC adventuring organization.

Players complete adventures for the Wayfarers in one of five different dungeon themes. Each dungeon theme has about ten different variations of the zone, and players can also chose the type and difficulty of their adventure.

When the adventure is finished successfully, players are awarded Adventure Points which can be spent on items, spells, and "augments" at the Wayfarer camps.

Aye, but I think the other guy was right and AO had it first. Could be wrong tho. That was like 11 years ago. I dug LDoN. DoN was a lot better tho IMO.

AngryNord · June 2014

dennissomb16_ESO wrote: »

No mention of Secret World. Pretty sure this was first where one toon could learn and use every single ability in the game, and then set up builds from there

I was gonna mention forcing you to solo overpowered bosses in order to advance to the game's "endgame" content, but then I remembered TSW beat ESO there too...

kelly.medleyb14_ESO · June 2014

LordEcks wrote: »

Playing graphical MMORPGs since there inception has shown me that almost all of them have some unique cool feature (which is often overlooked) they bring to the table.

Since MMOs are constantly updated some games will incorporate these features into their own games. Blizzard was pretty notorious for this.

So I'm curious what you guys think ESO brings thats new and innovative. I'll give some examples to start off:

Ultimate Online -- Non instanced housing.
EverQuest -- Birth of the massive player raid.
DAoC -- Three way PVP system.
WoW -- Questing over grinding for xp (until then almost all games were a grind to max lvl).
Final Fantasy XI -- Unique class system (Job/SubJob) / First cross-platform (consoles&PC) MMORPG.
RIFT -- Another unique class system and of course.. RIFTS (basically non-static Dolomens)
SWTOR -- Unique armor system (Gear upgraded via *plates* inside of static items - allowing you to wear whatever you wanted for the looks)

etc, etc...

What do you feel ESO brings?

Crime system and store fronts/player housing.

Oh wait, the game was release months to early so they are busy playing catch up and we will never see said unique features. nm.

Raash · June 2014

Hmm, really a tough one. Dont think ESO added anything not seen before, not so far anyway.

The only thing I can think of that atlest I have not encountered before:
*A quest system that actually fight players that want to group up or help lower level friends that got stuck somewhere, aka Phasing.
I dont think it has been done to this extent anyway? first guild wars maybe?
I dont know.

Mablung · June 2014

Vis wrote: »

ESO - No CDs and Resource Based Combat = AMAZING and ORIGINAL

Resource based combat was done in Shadowbane.

Mordria · June 2014

AKSb16_ESO2 wrote: »

I never played RIFT, but when I heard about that dolmens in ESO, I never thought they would be static...
Would be great if they appeared randomly everywhere. ^^

That would be awesome. Would be a great addition.

I did play Rift before it went ftp and a Rift opening up above you while you were out casually gathering crafting materials was pretty cool.

One moment it's bright and sunny then all a sudden everything is in chaos. Great random element for an mmo.

For ESO.. No real set class system. This I like very much about the game.

Elember · June 2014

Basically ESO is somewhat fun at first and can be fun while leveling, however I find as soon as any of my characters reach the level cap that the stuff after that becomes somewhat boring and pointless which also when you think about it makes everything boring an pointless because there seems to be nothing to look forward to at end game at the moment.

I have not really tried much of Cyrodiil at all yet so I guess I should at least try that part of the game before giving up completely and cancelling my sub to ESO.

As far as ESO bringing anything NEW to the MMO genre I would say it has nothing new at all, it tells a good story but that has been done before with SWTOR so it is not the first to do that...

Noisivid · June 2014

Mablung wrote: »

Unfulfilled Promises and Broken Dreams.

Those are hardly new MMO features.
I can't think of anything off hand but I still enjoy the game. Even at VR levels.

mitch.nolan5_ESO · June 2014

Everyone can stealth...well other sandbox style games did it but ESO does it best imho. Gotta love the full group stealth in pvp and bait a group in with one out of stealth.

brandon.coker101_ESO · June 2014

again

*End game zones vs just dungeons
*Elder Scrolls combat manual blocking/swing weapon
*A true play anything you like...no borders here at all...any weapon/spec/armor type
*Mega server
*Option to join as many as 5 guilds
*True 1st person

Vis · June 2014

Mablung wrote: »

Unfulfilled Promises and Broken Dreams.

That comes standard in most MMOs.

Mablung · June 2014

Vis wrote: »

Mablung wrote: »

Unfulfilled Promises and Broken Dreams.

That comes standard in most MMOs.

Not on this scale.

Fleymark · June 2014

Mablung wrote: »

Vis wrote: »

ESO - No CDs and Resource Based Combat = AMAZING and ORIGINAL

Resource based combat was done in Shadowbane.

EQ and DAoC too. Actually has a game ever not? I didn't play UO so maybe there?

AreoHotah · June 2014

thinking..... thinking..... god damit i can't think of anything..... oh wait...... nope

BBSooner · June 2014

Evolving optional character progression - vampire and werewolf gives the player the option to progress their character and hold the positives and negatives with that choice. Ideally (for me)necromancy and Aedra/Daedra worship makes it's way down this path. As well as the thieves guild and dark brotherhood.

Megaserver

The proposed justice system

Skillpoint delivery via discovering objects (skyshards) and storylines, as opposed to being given directly by leveling, with the potential to constantly be gaining more skill points for horizontal progression due to new world skill trees.

Those seemed new, or at least not done in a while, to me. I feel like the entire question has ' SIMPSONS DID IT ' as the under tone though.

Soloeus · June 2014

LordEcks wrote: »

Playing graphical MMORPGs since there inception has shown me that almost all of them have some unique cool feature (which is often overlooked) they bring to the table.

Since MMOs are constantly updated some games will incorporate these features into their own games. Blizzard was pretty notorious for this.

So I'm curious what you guys think ESO brings thats new and innovative. I'll give some examples to start off:

Ultimate Online -- Non instanced housing.

Champion Spawns (like Dolmens), Zone Bosses. Item Insurance, Open Hardcore PVP, Red/Blue PK system. We owe a lot to UO, really. However non-instanced housing was awful. The map is a big empty garbage pit full of trailer parks. The houses were usually owned by Gold Sellers.

Tibia also had non-instanced houses which were pre-placed all over the map. Both pre-placed and place-anywhere housing are failed models. The best way is instanced housing.

EverQuest -- Birth of the massive player raid.

Massive raids like this actually came first in Tibia (Orshabaal, and other world bosses, certain high level content zones). They were also common in Ultima Online (Doom, The Harrower). EQ unlike UO, really did it right. But that game had a lot of its own issues too.

DAoC -- Three way PVP system.

PVP system restricted to 3-way alliances. Were they really first? UO had alliance PVP systems from Order/Chaos to Guild Wars and PVP Factions. 2 guilds could agree to a "War" and nobody got "PK Flag" (red) for it.

WoW -- Questing over grinding for xp (until then almost all games were a grind to max lvl).

Was this really good? Many people loved farming and enjoying themselves. Yet while farming can be boring at times, questing just feels like work, and constant mouse runs to get minimal reward.

Final Fantasy XI -- Unique class system (Job/SubJob) / First cross-platform (consoles&PC) MMORPG.

And bosses that take hundreds of hours to kill between thousands of players.

What do you feel ESO brings?

1. The limit of 1-5 on skill bar. Ultima Online also had weapon swap and almost every game since Diablo allow 1-9. This is the worst feature, period.

2. The use of a Swag Shop with more focus than the in-game cash shop.

3. Lack of auction house. Ultima Online let you place vendors at your house (and other peoples houses). Even the old Tibia learned how to do Auction House. ESO is pretty much alone in being a modern MMO that restricts commerce to Trade Guilds and chat spamming.

4. Vet Zones. A large area where all monsters are the same level is really nice. Likewise, evolving from Faction Nationalism into Saving The World is a nice change of storyline focus. A real main story that is immersive instead of cookie-cutting tropes at every angle.

5. Healers are rewarded for performance in battle. No other MMO really rewards the healer role like this one does.

6. Crafting system is available to anyone. Many MMO's hide their best crafting mats behind raid-walls, pvp-walls, pay-walls or other barriers that prevent "Crafter" from being a relevant playstyle. While many MMO's allow already great characters to craft anything "under the top bar" they don't really let non-pvper, non-raider, etc. Just normal crafter types can't prosper in most MMO's because of all the things you are forced to do for mats, and in ESO that was really done right.

To be honest, I don't think it invented anything new. It didn't add anything but it doesn't need to. It does need to do right in what it does do.

mladvey · June 2014

Now if they had three mega servers... or even servers you could move too and from, that would be more revolutionary.

Oh, gosh. Three servers would be perfect - PvP, PvE and RP. And to move through them freely? Without paying? That would be perfection. Alas...

Makarion · June 2014

What do you feel ESO brings?

5. Healers are rewarded for performance in battle. No other MMO really rewards the healer role like this one does.

[/quote]

AKA Tanks are punished for their role, since performance is measured by heals and dps. A Tank is not going to top charts in either.

Fleymark · June 2014

There were two open world PvP servers under a different ruleset than the regular realm war servers in DAoC, just as an fyi. There was also an all pve crossrealm co-op server too. Still is I think.

Shaun98ca2 · June 2014

Makarion wrote: »

What do you feel ESO brings?

5. Healers are rewarded for performance in battle. No other MMO really rewards the healer role like this one does.

AKA Tanks are punished for their role, since performance is measured by heals and dps. A Tank is not going to top charts in either. [/quote]

But a good tank does stand out.

GnatB · June 2014

KhajitFurTrader wrote: »

Immersive storytelling of the highest quality.

Sorry, doesn't hold a candle to SWTOR, and SWTOR even managed to pull it off while being ridiculously group friendly.

Hmm. Non RNG based crafting research & set construction using "hidden" crafting locations. Just about the only things I can think of. (admittedly, possibly done elsewhere. SWTOR had the research, but it was strictly RNG based, which my dad *hated* due to his poor luck.)