Main Story Is Bad...

Robotmafia · May 2015

I like the way its done... every 5 or so lvls u can go do a special quest that develops the overall story a bit... and I thought the end boss fight was pretty cool... atleast after launch wen it was still a challenge...

AhPook_Is_Here · May 2015

I don't think the story is that bad, other than the fact that we learn the lord of lies is a push-over-gimp, who's primary lie is his own shameless self-promotion about him not being bad. He's kind of like the Sheliza of the NPC world in that way.

Seriously though, mmos are a bad delivery vehicle for story and drama. The POVs are bad, the character development is too much tell and too little show, the set design is all copy pasta with color that adds no functionality. Then there are all those metrics always on the screen, the mid-evil HUD of life. How would you like to see Star Wars for the first time with a Disney overlay with Variety real-time box-office stats, revenues/second, retina's-off-screen, sent text messages per show and so on. HUDs just wreck immersion. Finally MMOs, particularly this one, have very little repeatable content. After the main story and the silver and gold all you are really left with are player driven objectives like cyrodiil, and these are just compulsive activities with no sort of meaningful goal. All the end game stuff is like that, killing the serpent 4-5 times a night trying to get that score up, there is no immersion, just repetition.

Pallmor · May 2015

To me, almost all videogames have pretty generic stories. But it's what most players expect and most would be complaining if the developers broke too much with convention. Can you imagine an Elder Scrolls game where you WEREN'T "The-Chosen-One-Who's-Going-To-Save-The-World"?

"Welcome out of you prison cell, mate!"

"Where do I go to find my main mission line?"

"You don't have a main mission. You're just a loser who needs to get a job."

"But I'm going to discover at some point that I'm the Chosen One who has to defeat the big bad guy, right?"

"Nope, you're just another nobody. Prince Fancypants has put together an army to defeat the bad guy."

"Can I join the army?"

"Sure, they're looking for cooks and cannon fodder. Can you do either one of those jobs?"

Raash · May 2015

Robo_Hobo wrote: »

Raash wrote: »

Robo_Hobo wrote: »

Raash wrote: »

Epona222 wrote: »

Razum-dar is not even part of the main quest.
I think some people are getting confused between main quest and faction quest.

Indeed, almost a year has past since i plowed through those quests so I definatly mixed it up. Doesnt matter anyway since the stupid cat died so he wont trouble me again.

Actually he gets out either way, you can find him later on and ask him how he escaped.

In my book he died and that npc you refer to is nothing but a bug.

You sure? Did you do the quest where he dies before or after the finale of the reaper's March quest where you help either Shazah or Kali walk the two moons path in Dune?

It's his spawn there that has that dialogue, beginning with the player saying "Raz, you're alive!' to which he explains how he still got out. Also at one stage in an earlier quest before he returns you had the option of telling queen Ayrenn that he died.

Trust me, in MY very personal story he definatly died. I lured the sucker to get killed thats it. Rest is "lalalalalal", you aint bursting my bubble. He died a horrible death. Yes he did.

Elsonso · May 2015

Lava_Croft wrote: »

PBpsy wrote: »

It is at TES standard story quality.It is kind of lame but not why we are playing them.

"Story in a(n Elder Scrolls game) game is like a story in a *** movie. It's expected to be there, but it's not that important."

I would have preferred if thay had concentrated on a game world filled with things to do, quests at the zone or alliance level, and had skipped the whole Molag Bal thing. Molag Bal should be one of many elaborate side quests that come up as DLC. The Three Banners War is what the base game should be built on.

Having a main quest is very Elder Scrolls, but it is the hallmark of the single player games. What ESO needs is an open world with a lot to do.

Given that the Molag Bal quest seems to be an answer to the question, "how can we make a sequel to Oblivion," and the Alliance War is an expansion of the civil war from Skyrim, I would have preferred that they stick to one and fully develop it across the whole game. The Alliance War is the one that can more easily stand as a base game, leaving development time used by Molag Bal to make it a very long running event that spans the whole game as an epic.

But, if wishes were guars, I'd have a full stable.

Lord_Draevan · May 2015

I guess I'm in the minority of people who enjoyed both the ESO story and the story of the single player TES games

nimander99 · May 2015

The story line is on par with every other Scrolls game, it makes me wonder if you've played Oblivion as the stories are nearly exactly the same...

Mashille · May 2015

I never said that I DON'T like the story. I DO like the story, the lore and what you are doing but the actual quests for 'Saving Tamriel' are bad and have the potential to be WAAAAAAAAAAY better!

theroyalestpythonnub18_ESO · May 2015

keybaud wrote: »

I never said that I DON'T like the story. I DO like the story, the lore and what you are doing but the actual quests for 'Saving Tamriel' are bad and have the potential to be WAAAAAAAAAAY better!

I think I get what your saying, and I agree. The writing may be there, and the setup has a few things going for it, but the presentation isn't quite there imo, and it's an essential component of good storytelling. Since the Main Story is the questline that everyone has to do in order to reach veteran ranks regardless of faction, it may as well be memorable.

Like you said in the OP, the redesigned tutorial improves heavily upon the first quest without radically altering the story behind it. It sets up the atmosphere, give the player a sense of urgency, and generally shows rather than tells. From there on out, the rest of the main questline feels sort of like a tack on. I really hope Zenimax has plans to revisit and improve these quests.

How many times are we told that the Halls of Torment are a place of unimaginable suffering? There's nothing even remotely unsettling about the place. The lack of any other tormented souls makes it feel like wandering through a large and strangely repetitive prop closet.

Earlier the quest designs were somewhat redeemed by some challenging Boss fights, but since then they've all been bludgeoned to death with the nerf bat lol.

jkemmery · May 2015

I don't think the main story is "Bad", and I had a tough time killing Molag Bol with my one toon who has done it. If you've been through it a few times, I'm sure it gets easier, pretty much like anything else in life. Do players expect to play through the content multiple times and have it remain challenging each time through? Just wondering.

Trollwut · May 2015

Yes! Because other TES title we loved so much didn't have the "insane bad guy wants to rule the world" story!

SeptimusDova · May 2015

Well ole Parthunaax could get hungry for bipeds and fly off of High Hrothgar and raise some he11 with us. How about it zen? A week of "what the he11 is that"!!

He has gotta be lonely and cold and hungry. Right now is a good time for him to cash in his frequent flyer miles and see what is about in Cyrodiil.

Epona222 · May 2015

The MQ in ESO has IMO a better story than the MQs in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.

I don't play this game, and I didn't play any of the Bethesda TES games, for the MQ. But I went for 10 years playing Morrowind without completing the MQ, and feel in ESO I should be able to skip it or skim in and out of it as I wish, rather than having Cadwell's Silver/Gold locked out unless I have gone through every stage of the MQ and the final fight.... yet again.

Mashille · May 2015

@Epona222

Yes, I agree, it shouldn't feel as 'Pressured' onto you in such an open game. And also your point links with Cadwel's silver and gold which I think that they should also be changing to a more open system.

newtinmpls · May 2015

Epona222 wrote: »

I went for 10 years playing Morrowind without completing the MQ, and feel in ESO I should be able to skip it or skim in and out of it as I wish, rather than having Cadwell's Silver/Gold locked out unless I have gone through every stage of the MQ and the final fight.... yet again.

I would say that's quite a compliment to Morrowind, that the 'verse was captivating even without the MQ driving you. Of course I have to agree, as I've played it (only intermittently) for ... at least 5-6 years and I have yet to finish the MQ.

I too am waiting for SkyWind

$infraction2008b16_ESO$ · May 2015

The main story isn't as bad as half of the AD quests throughout valenwood.

ViscousSummer88 · May 2015

I find that the story missions seem rather repetitive...

dafox187 · May 2015

compared to skyrim ? skyrim was literally just go kill a dragon by screaming at it this is much better and it fits almost perfectily with mannmarco in the lore

afid · June 2015

Sausage wrote: »

Go ahead try to make 100 hour of compelling story. Gotta say I currently play Witcher 3 and boy, even it start to get boring. Most movie are only 1.5 hour for a reason. movie industry is afraid of making 3+ hour movies, because they think people might leave. I think the main problem is those damn side quests, they should just get rid off them, lots of side quest should be replaced by good action/sex, I really like Witcher 3 sex scenes. Interactivity is MMOs strenght though, too bad so underrated, and no-one does it, like how fun it would be player Bard was singing songs for new players, or some priest is spreading the faith of God, or how about a game of Texas Hold'em, while you're doing stories and killing monsters.

You are called sausage and cannot use participles, and you asked for more boobs, poker, and Jesus in ESO. I'm embarrassed for you, since you obviously have no shame. I do agree that Witcher 3 is so long that by the last few boss fights I could not wait for the game to end. If you do every ? and side quest like I did, by the end of the game you may be angry that it took so long.

GreySix · June 2015

Pallmor wrote: »

To me, almost all videogames have pretty generic stories. But it's what most players expect and most would be complaining if the developers broke too much with convention. Can you imagine an Elder Scrolls game where you WEREN'T "The-Chosen-One-Who's-Going-To-Save-The-World"?

"Welcome out of you prison cell, mate!"

"Where do I go to find my main mission line?"

"You don't have a main mission. You're just a loser who needs to get a job."

I might be the only player who would actually enjoy that. Start out as a worthless scrub who must really work to find his way into relevancy.

Kind of like life.

sadownik · June 2015

keybaud wrote: »

@Epona222

Yes, I agree, it shouldn't feel as 'Pressured' onto you in such an open game. And also your point links with Cadwel's silver and gold which I think that they should also be changing to a more open system.

ESO is not an open game where did you get that idea from?

sadownik · June 2015

GreySix wrote: »

Pallmor wrote: »

To me, almost all videogames have pretty generic stories. But it's what most players expect and most would be complaining if the developers broke too much with convention. Can you imagine an Elder Scrolls game where you WEREN'T "The-Chosen-One-Who's-Going-To-Save-The-World"?

"Welcome out of you prison cell, mate!"

"Where do I go to find my main mission line?"

"You don't have a main mission. You're just a loser who needs to get a job."

I might be the only player who would actually enjoy that. Start out as a worthless scrub who must really work to find his way into relevancy.

Kind of like life.

Agreed. And i wouldnt have to quickly skip through tooltip for first passive in the soul magic line - every time i see it i grind my teeth thinking of some moron who thought this was a good idea.