What's beyond the beyond? When you climb the highest mountain, what do you find?

wilsonirayb16_ESO · May 2015

I got around to the edges of the zone, as I always like to explore nooks and crannies. Sadly this game doesn't reward you as you find less and less objects, no chests, and no mobs in these tucked away areas. As I looked around over a mountain top, I noticed that the area was also barren of any plant life or grass.
I then ran across a couple of inescapable pits in the ground, with stretched textures. And then there was the waterfall that had water going down it, but not coming from anywhere except dry rock bed.

However I was willing to chalk that up to just little over sights, until I came across this -

Maybe news to every one else, but yikes who is handling their QA?

I don't know how far this stretches. I'll just run until I can't run any more.

Nestor · May 2015

Why fill in the map in areas people are not supposed to play in?

Turelus · May 2015

I still want to reach the Imperial Island in Cyrodiil before Imperial City is released, but I don't know how to reach it.

wilsonirayb16_ESO · May 2015

It spells out "Ruins of the Carnelian King"

"X" really does mark the spot :

Ah the puzzle square mountain kingdom:

Nestor wrote: »

Why fill in the map in areas people are not supposed to play in?

Why build land mass and world geometry where people won't go? Why let them get there?
I was speaking more to the normal edges of a zone, where you have objects/items/mobs and then suddenly for the next hundred yards they leave the outer portion barren.

The above pictures are the extremes, where obviously they don't want people to go.
From this point I can access four zones. I am literally at the top.

Nestor · May 2015

Turelus wrote: »

I still want to reach the Imperial Island in Cyrodiil before Imperial City is released, but I don't know how to reach it.

Back in the early days when people were getting disconnected from the server, you could make it over there. There is even a thread with a video of this from back in April or May of last year. The only reason they made it over there is the disconnect made them immune to Slaughterfish. Otherwise no go.

Turelus · May 2015

Nestor wrote: »

Turelus wrote: »

I still want to reach the Imperial Island in Cyrodiil before Imperial City is released, but I don't know how to reach it.

Back in the early days when people were getting disconnected from the server, you could make it over there. There is even a thread with a video of this from back in April or May of last year. The only reason they made it over there is the disconnect made them immune to Slaughterfish. Otherwise no go.

I had seen another way where people stacked masses of speed buffs and could clear the smaller gaps before the fish could kill them.
I have been wanting to climb some of the mountains and explore if possible as well, however with all the screaming of exploiting/cheating in PVP I'm also worried about being seen messing about outside the map and being reported.
PVE zones I don't think people are as report happy however.

Danikat · May 2015

I've been climbing/falling out of maps since Doom 2 and the edges always look something like that. The colour and texture changes (and some have water around the edges) but the basic idea is the same.

That's how maps work. You have the skybox, which is the actual edge of the map (it's completely impossible to get outside of this because there is nothing beyond it), and within that there's the actual map. Since the skybox has to be finite (unless you have an infinitely powerful computer to run an infinite map) the map is too and you have 3 options for the edge:
1) You run the map right up to the edge and when players get there they hit an impassable invisible wall. Straight forward but ruins immersion. Especially since you can't put anything outside the skybox so all you can have is a visible edge or a fixed texture.
2) Put an invisible wall (or an actual wall) inside the edge so players can't reach it. It looks a bit better, but still ruins immersion when you hit it.
3) Use a combination of realistic looking objects and landscaping and subtler invisible walls to disguise the edge so it seems like natural, realistic boundaries. It's a lot better for immersion and means most players will never even be aware of where the actual edge is. But it's a lot harder to make it 100% fool proof. It's much more likely that objects that were supposed to be part of the barrier, approached in just the right way, will provide a path up and over the intended edge to the area that was supposed to be hidden behind it.

As soon as you get to an out of the way area that's barren of plants, animals and other objects it's a hint that you're outside of the area you're supposed to be able to reach (especially if it's near the map edge) and if you keep going you'll either find an impassable barrier or that will happen.

The problem isn't with the barren area or even the blank bit beyond it, it's before then, with some (probably tiny) part of the landscaping that allowed you to get up there. Technically it is a bug but it's extremely hard to find all these spots. I've actually done QA like this for 3rd party maps, I was completely sure I'd checked everything and then later on either me or someone else finds that if you go just the right way you can still get out.

But personally I actually like finding bits like that (when I wasn't responsible for the QA anyway). I know it is a bug but I find it kind of fun and I like seeing the different ways the edges are handled in games.

Nestor · May 2015

Danikat wrote: »

It's a lot better for immersion and means most players will never even be aware of where the actual edge is. But it's a lot harder to make it 100% fool proof. It's much more likely that objects that were supposed to be part of the barrier, approached in just the right way, will provide a path up and over the intended edge to the area that was supposed to be hidden behind it.

Put a few hundred thousand gamers on a map, and some of them will find the path that no one else could see....

Of course if we had more content, then we might not have as many looking for things like this. Oh, who am I kidding, even with limitless content, people will still find the holes in the map.

Gidorick · May 2015

There are areas where you can escape the zone and visit "ghost towns" in other zones. It makes me hold out hope that some day they will be able to open the world up and make ESO truly open world.

wilsonirayb16_ESO · May 2015

Danikat wrote: »

The problem isn't with the barren area or even the blank bit beyond it, it's before then, with some (probably tiny) part of the landscaping that allowed you to get up there. Technically it is a bug but it's extremely hard to find all these spots. I've actually done QA like this for 3rd party maps, I was completely sure I'd checked everything and then later on either me or someone else finds that if you go just the right way you can still get out.

But personally I actually like finding bits like that (when I wasn't responsible for the QA anyway). I know it is a bug but I find it kind of fun and I like seeing the different ways the edges are handled in games.

I also like finding these areas. It just a shame that as you get near what are obviously going to be the edges of the zone, that there's a complete dropoff in any objects or content interaction. I know games are made differently now days, but even the old EverQuest zones had mobs pathing right up to the zone walls and in particular some things were hidden deep out of the way, specifically because it was out of the way.

wilsonirayb16_ESO · May 2015

Updated second post with something interesting about Carnelian King.

Danikat · May 2015

Nestor wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

It's a lot better for immersion and means most players will never even be aware of where the actual edge is. But it's a lot harder to make it 100% fool proof. It's much more likely that objects that were supposed to be part of the barrier, approached in just the right way, will provide a path up and over the intended edge to the area that was supposed to be hidden behind it.

Put a few hundred thousand gamers on a map, and some of them will find the path that no one else could see....

Of course if we had more content, then we might not have as many looking for things like this. Oh, who am I kidding, even with limitless content, people will still find the holes in the map.

That's why I said 'most players' won't find it, not all. There's always going to be at least 1 who goes looking. Usually me.

But if you compare the number of people who get outside of maps, or even spend time climbing around the edges, in modern games like ESO to the number of people who hit invisible walls in early 3D games it's a lot lower. For example it was hard NOT to hit invisible walls while flying in Super Mario 64.

And I think you're right that even with limitless content some people would go looking. When I got to the desert Oasis map in Dragon Age: Inquisition I was very interested in the area's main quest, but one of the first things I did was to head out into the seemingly endless desert to see what happened when I hit the edge of the map. It turns out there getting out of the map was as simple as walking in a straight line until the ground vanished and you were walking on the sky.

I didn't even really think about it, it's just one of those things I always do in games. I know infinite maps aren't possible so there has to be an edge somewhere (or a wrap around but even in 2D games that's surprisingly difficult to do) and knowing that makes me want to know where it is, what it looks like and how it's hidden.

ProfessorKittyhawk · May 2015

I found one of those "outer zones" in the Rift. Streaked over to a cliff by the vamp shrine and ended up stuck behind invisible walls. All I could do was continue on until I was outside the zones map. I wanted to see how far I could get but the weird textures and everything freaked me out. From what I could tell looking at maps, if I could have continued onward I may have reached the approximate location of the city of Blacklight. Interested to see if there was anything there or just checkers and empty space.

wilsonirayb16_ESO · May 2015

A few other threads already exist on this - good to know.
One of particular interest was

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/162772/the-forbidden-zone-of-grathwood

Apparently if you crouch, you won't float to the surface of the water and therefore do not get eaten/attacked.
I will check that out this weekend and see how far around I can go.

fancyleggs · May 2015

yea I love exploring in the game but so many unnecessary invisible walls

wilsonirayb16_ESO · May 2015

fancyleggs wrote: »

yea I love exploring in the game but so many unnecessary invisible walls

You don't get too many seamless worlds any more. EQOA and LOTRO are two of the best I can think of.

Sentinel · May 2015

Gidorick wrote: »

There are areas where you can escape the zone and visit "ghost towns" in other zones. It makes me hold out hope that some day they will be able to open the world up and make ESO truly open world.

I've just the same opinion. I've had my fair share of exploration of these ghost zones (especially in the Illiac bay region), and I even sent in a suggestion to cut all zone borders and merge zones together. Seeing as much of the data would be deleted in the process (Of the maps that each zone holds of each other), it could be possible. If this and underwater exploration were to be implemented, we would be just this much closer to having a sandbox world

It also might be time to add the possibility of exploring the mountainous regions of Tamriel as well. *Cough* Craglorn's off-map *Cough*....

In any case these extra parts of a zone beyond the explorable part seem to usually serve a few purposes. 1. to map out other zones in relation to the zone at hand (The example of the plans for the Colovian Highlands with Skingrad put in Malabal Tor). 2. to show other zones while in your own (While you really only see a ghost zone). There are probably some more reasons, but these are just the ones I've seen firsthand.

If you look for them (and know how to), these ghost zones can actually be very easily accessible.

BookShots · May 2015

When I climb the highest mountain, I found Paarthurnax

Yolokin_Swagonborn · May 2015

BookShots wrote: »

When I climb the highest mountain, I found Paarthurnax

You find cool things when you explore well designed games.

When you explore in ESO, you find invisible walls and blank textures. I have never played a "TES" game that has felt so fake, lifeless and dead.

Even the text promps in Oblivion telling you that "You cannot go that way" felt more alive because you saw a path fading in the distance and your mind pretended that there was another city over there, beyond that rise.

Not so in this cardboard themepark.