Environmental Immersion Features that should be added to future zones

Gidorick · February 2015

As the release of ESO:TU is upon us and we appear to be approaching a dry period of content release it may be a good time for ZOS to implement some of the more subtle immersion aspects that are currently missing from ESO. These aspects do not have to be implemented immediately into the existing zones, but upcoming zones shouldn’t be released without these features.

Sit-able chairs/benches/stools/etc
Functional beds
Functional Ladders
Racial Skeletons (added with Wrothgar DLC)
More Cluttered Environments
Children
FEWER invisible Walls

The more zones that are released that do not incorporate these features, the more daunting the job of including these features at a later date will become, and the less likely they will ever happen.

ZOS should make it easier on themselves by including these aspects in the next zones, ironing out the issues, and then, over time, update the existing zones.

What are some other features you feel need to be added to the world functionality in upcoming Zones?

SG_Celerrimus · February 2015

Interactable furniture in the world would be pretty cool, especially chairs.

I, however, think that ZOS should also add more instanced dungeons, trials, and more things like DSA into the game.

vrine · February 2015

Agreed, it would make things so much nicer for RPers.

Gidorick · February 2015

@SG_Celerrimus I'm specifically talking about environmental immersion type things that, if they decide change or improve later, will be MORE work for them if they don't change or improve them n upcoming zones.

For example, chairs. Lets say each zone has 400 chairs. Now, to have those chairs intractable, each chair needs to be deleted and replaced with a 'functional' version of the chair. If there are 20 Zones, that would be 8000 chairs that need replaced. Furthermore, every zone that they add, they add 400 non-interactive chairs on top of that total number of chairs that would need to be replaced.

Instead of taking the time and energy to place those non-interactive chairs, ZOS should just create an interactive chair and have the content creators use THAT chair instead. This way ESO would have 8000 chairs non-interactive and 400 interactive. with the same amount of content creation effort.

If they DON'T do this and decide later to remove all the non-interactive chairs and replace them with interactive ones, the content creators would then have to REMOVE the non-interactive chairs and replace them with the interactive chairs. This is over twice the work they would have had to do if they had just used the interactive chairs to begin with.

Digiman · February 2015

Gidorick wrote: »

As the release of ESO:TU is upon us and we appear to be approaching a dry period of content release it may be a good time for ZOS to implement some of the more subtle immersion aspects that are currently missing from ESO. These aspects do not have to be implemented immediately into the existing zones, but upcoming zones shouldn’t be released without these features.
Sit-able chairs/benches/stools/etc

Functional beds

Functional Ladders

More Cluttered Environments

Children

FEWER invisible Walls

The more zones that are released that do not incorporate these features, the more daunting the job of including these features at a later date will become, and the less likely they will ever happen.

ZOS should make it easier on themselves by including these aspects in the next zones, ironing out the issues, and then, over time, update the existing zones.

What are some other features you feel need to be added to the world functionality in upcoming Zones?

Weird I expected a flood of people saying we can't have that because they would be killable, despite them being in WoW, SWTOR, etc.

phairdon · February 2015

Chairs are available through the emotes option?

Gidorick · February 2015

Yea /sitchair

It's more about world fidelity than seeing our characters sitting in the chairs. Interacting with the surroundings and being "part" of the environment.

TheShadowScout · February 2015

I agree with the OP.

Yes, there are chairsit emotes, but these don't help much when nthere are actual chairs around a table, but we can't sit in them.

Beds would be great as well, and other assorted furniture to interact with for playing animations (from getting locked in the stocks to washing dishes)

Ladders, yes. Also other climbable stuff, the occasional rope or cliff face with handhelds... and with a climbing animation, not just a fadeout and teleport to the new location!

Clutter is always good, but I'm generally happy enough with most places. That stated, there are a few rooms here and there in off the beaten track places that look painfully empty...

Yes, children in the cities are sorely missed. Don't care if they make them uninjurable by grace of almalexia or killable for double murder penalty, but not having at least some around makes the game feel less immersive... (and all the quests where the plot demands a npc is a child, and then the "kid" looks more like their parents sibling then offspring... meh.)

Invisible walls... I hate them. I can understand that sometimes the developers want to make extra sure players don't go here or there, but... why not simply plop a visible cliff face, brick wall, thorn hedge, iron grate, landslide, etc. there?

Other things I miss...

- Outhouses. Just because our characters do their bio breaks in their offline time doesn't mean they should always have to find a bush, its part of civilization, and makes the world feel more alive when there are medieval toilets tucked away in some town corners and around buildings for the players to stumble over. I know... useless flavor... but it does add to make the world seem more alive. So would the occasional bathtubs, dishwashing pots, wells (maybe providing the loweest class of alchemy water in every zone) and so on...

- logical resources, it always vexed me when I go into a "mine" dungeon, and find no ore in there. I mean... mine? As long as its not a kwama mine, I'd expect it to have -more- ore then one can find out in the open. Otherwise, why dig anyhow?

- And I would also like to be able to find the occasional provisioning plant to harvest in the wilds too, and not just from crates and sacks... I mean, there got to be some berry bushes to make drinks from growing in the regions, right? And perheps even the occasional tomato plant in cyrodil, perhaps...
- Also, when exploring long-forgotten ruins, its always a bit immersion breaking when one finds fresh alchemy or provisioning ingredients. Though ought to have long since rotted... would be nice to have an alternate loot table for dwemer and aylied ruins giving no water or perishables, but instead more durable drops like style materials, runes, trait materials, lockpicks, gear, etc.

Shaminar · February 2015

I would love music that is unique for each area, and especially for each factions areas.

Seraphyel · February 2015

HUGE public dungeons. And when I say huge, that's what I meant.

Make them maybe ten times bigger than the current ones, with outposts to rest in there and portals. That would be great. And for sure, MORE BOSSES!!!

arqe · February 2015

Camp sites for players to interact. Like stage for singing etc. Some roleplay elements.

NadiusMaximus · February 2015

All this should be done.
Only after fixing bugs that have been around for a year already.
If empire tower in Cyrodil is still undiscovered in 1.6 I'll be mad. The spiders disappearing underground, and certain exploits need focused on first.

Gidorick · February 2015

Thought I'd put this thread here... because it's about putting children in the game.

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/153613/add-npc-children

Gidorick · March 2015

While I didn't expect this to be implemented in the new patch the Thieves Dens seem like they would have been the PERFECT place to start this kind if initiative. They're smaller spaces, they are new spaces....

The clutter in these spaces is spectacular! Whoever made the thieves dens did a wonderful job! There aren't many chairs or beds that would have to be replaced so upgrading the thieves dens would be a good place to start the initiative. I

f we are never going to get Sit-able chairs/benches/stools/etc, Functional beds, or Functional Ladders it would be nice to know that now so I can stop hoping!

Gidorick · May 2015

Since ZOS is still working on some zones that have yet to be released I wanted to urge everyone who wants these types of features added to use /feedback in game to suggest them!

golfer.dub17_ESO · May 2015

Please change the title to "immersion features" or something along those lines.
Was about to come in here discussing random encounters, arenas and such but then I saw that the thread was about...chairs.

Anyways, too much work, and would just lead to people questioning why the older zones don't work the same.

Ser Lobo · May 2015

I want to see a new type of 'cave/dungeon' added to new and old zones alike. These are exploration pieces, confusing, and what's best, randomly generated as players explore them.

Elder Scrolls as a whole is a master of 'set piece architecture', whereas some art team carefully crafts and works every nook and cranny of a delve, dungeon or structure (or even the world itself) to be realistic and unique. What this lacks, however, is exploration capabilities.

Not every cave needs a boss at the end. And there's plenty of space for ancient falmer dwellings, dwemer structures, and beautiful underworld experiences.

Another halmark would be no lighting (/torch animation is a must), rare and random monster spawns, more than a few rare treasures, and possibly connections which connect one zone to another!

After a player generates a cave section, that section is 'concrete' and other players coming behind will experience what that character experienced, so caves could be mapped. But initial passes would be randomized, and would have a very high chance of creating exits to other sections.

Gidorick · May 2015

golfer.dub17_ESO wrote: »

Please change the title to "immersion features" or something along those lines.
Was about to come in here discussing random encounters, arenas and such but then I saw that the thread was about...chairs.

Anyways, too much work, and would just lead to people questioning why the older zones don't work the same.

Well, the goal would be to eventually update the old zones as well.

Gidorick · May 2015

I love your idea @ruze84b14_ESO. You should make a dedicated thread for it... and the point about GTA housing in your signature is spot on.

newtinmpls · May 2015

TheShadowScout wrote: »

- Also, when exploring long-forgotten ruins, its always a bit immersion breaking when one finds fresh alchemy or provisioning ingredients.

Yup.... I've been known to cry out to my husband (we usually game together) 'dammit those should be RAISINS by now' (when finding Surlie grapes).

Gidorick · November 2015

So ZOS has added beast skeletons! YAY!...

Sentinel wrote: »

Found this on the PTS. I don't believe I've actually seen one in game before so this was a nice surprise!

I was quite bummed that sitable chairs were not added... Maybe for the next DLC? eh ZOS... c'mon... We know you can do it! We have faith in you!