An open letter to Zenimax

phbell · June 2016

I need to express some discontent with the current state of affairs within this game. I have been playing this game since about a month after it was released from beta and I have 7 VR16 (make that CP593+) characters. That said, I came to this as a Skyrim fan and this is my first MMO, meaning I have no other experience to draw upon.

I purchased the game and continue to pay the subscription, plus I spend a fair chunk of added cash buying the “fluff” offered in the Crown Store. In my opinion this should make me a valued customer who’s opinion matters.

As far as DLC content goes: IC and Orsinium are pretty good, TG is okay but not nearly as good, and DB is a shameful, and blatant rip off of TG. Substitute Murder for Stealing and I cannot tell the two releases apart. If this is the future of DLC content from the developers then I see little reason to continue. Perhaps the single best part of DB is the addition of bottomless crafting bags, which are an ESO Plus benefit; however if the intention of this perk is to keep me subscribing then think again - I did just fine managing inventory before crafting bags and they are hardly worth the $160+/year I spend on subscriptions.

My plea to anyone within ZOS reading this (assuming anyone cares) is to quit expending resources creating increasingly mediocre new content and instead spend it on fixing this game.

Please, please, pretty please —> FIX the lag, FIX the load screens, FIX the crashes, and FIX the ability of cheaters to use CE (and you will probably eliminate 3/4 of nerf complaints in the process). If this means buying more server space then do it. If this means hiring more capable developers, then do it. If it means moving away from the “trusted client” model and buying bigger servers, then do it. Plug the holes - increase everyones experience- gain customers. Leave them unplugged - watch customers leave - and watch this franchise wither.

The Elder Scrolls brand name is involved and if I was Bethesda I would be concerned. It would not surprise me if this becomes a case-study for business classes someday. Whether it is studied as an example of success or failure remains to be seen.

Please....

Jdevil_1018 · June 2016

phbell wrote: »

I need to express some discontent with the current state of affairs within this game. I have been playing this game since about a month after it was released from beta and I have 7 VR16 (make that CP593+) characters. That said, I came to this as a Skyrim fan and this is my first MMO, meaning I have no other experience to draw upon.

I purchased the game and continue to pay the subscription, plus I spend a fair chunk of added cash buying the “fluff” offered in the Crown Store. In my opinion this should make me a valued customer who’s opinion matters.

As far as DLC content goes: IC and Orsinium are pretty good, TG is okay but not nearly as good, and DB is a shameful, and blatant rip off of TG. Substitute Murder for Stealing and I cannot tell the two releases apart. If this is the future of DLC content from the developers then I see little reason to continue. Perhaps the single best part of DB is the addition of bottomless crafting bags, which are an ESO Plus benefit; however if the intention of this perk is to keep me subscribing then think again - I did just fine managing inventory before crafting bags and they are hardly worth the $160+/year I spend on subscriptions.

My plea to anyone within ZOS reading this (assuming anyone cares) is to quit expending resources creating increasingly mediocre new content and instead spend it on fixing this game.

Please, please, pretty please —> FIX the lag, FIX the load screens, FIX the crashes, and FIX the ability of cheaters to use CE (and you will probably eliminate 3/4 of nerf complaints in the process). If this means buying more server space then do it. If this means hiring more capable developers, then do it. If it means moving away from the “trusted client” model and buying bigger servers, then do it. Plug the holes - increase everyones experience- gain customers. Leave them unplugged - watch customers leave - and watch this franchise wither.

The Elder Scrolls brand name is involved and if I was Bethesda I would be concerned. It would not surprise me if this becomes a case-study for business classes someday. Whether it is studied as an example of success or failure remains to be seen.

Please....

PREACH!

Molag_Crow · June 2016

Moglijuana · June 2016

+1

Khajiit_Ri · June 2016

there is a lot that needs to be fixed.

phbell · June 2016

Khajiit_Ri wrote: »

there is a lot that needs to be fixed.

So true. As I read in another thread that those Permabanned have been allowed to return I am left to conclude that there is no desire to fix any of the problems. Pathetic business decisions being made here.

notimetocare · June 2016

Bethesda got no say in the Elder Scrolls IP being used. Their parent company decided it would be used.
You think IC was good? The worst DLC by raw numbers?
There is plenty between TG and DB that is different. Whats the same? The fact they are stealth based DLC storylines, but not they are not just the same.
As a Skyrim kiddie and a new player to MMOs I can see why you do not have a very good grasp of what is going on.

Reevster · June 2016

"I did just fine managing inventory before crafting bags and they are hardly worth the $160+/year I spend on subscriptions."

Well you dont "need" to play, maybe find somewhere else to spend that 50 cents a day if your not pleased, no mmo is perfect.

I dont mind paying 50 cent a day to get hours of entertainment, seems like a good deal even with all the frustrations you posted.

But thats just me, shrug...

Taisynn · June 2016

Honestly, while I agree, if they don't keep releasing content and DLC's they won't keep the influx of revenue, which would kill the game. They also need to keep their investors in the future of the game.

The extra revenue from Crafting Bags, if successful, is hopefully going to let them hire new employees and take time to fix things.

phbell · June 2016

notimetocare wrote: »

Bethesda got no say in the Elder Scrolls IP being used. Their parent company decided it would be used.
You think IC was good? The worst DLC by raw numbers?
There is plenty between TG and DB that is different. Whats the same? The fact they are stealth based DLC storylines, but not they are not just the same.
As a Skyrim kiddie and a new player to MMOs I can see why you do not have a very good grasp of what is going on.

Clearly my grasp of what is going on is far better than yours. But keep at it... It will come to you.

bunnytrix · June 2016

Dark Brotherhood is the buggiest mess they have ever released.
A tiny, laggy, bug-ridden zone with very little to do there. A main quest that would be over and completed in 2 hours if you were not forced to do inane horrible repeatable quests to level up your DB skill line to unlock the next part of the main quest. The laziest kind of game development. Basically a re-skin of everything from Thieves Guild. Even the sacraments are just heists with killing instead of stealing. Nothing original. Nothing new.
The quests are truly awful. Go to a random town or village and kill 3 random innocent people, for no reason. Why? The Dark Brotherhood would never send out it's agents to kill random innocent people for no reason. Or quests to kill a random person somewhere, hand in, and get the exact same quest again immediately afterwards. After about 7 or 8 of these garbage quests I just gave up. What a waste of time. What a let down to one of the most loved and iconic of Elder Scrolls guilds.

The unfixed bugs have been piling up so long now that the bugs have bugs and the pile has reached a critical point. Everything is ignored by ZOS and swept under the rug and it all just gets worse and worse.
Long loading screens getting longer, Cyrodiil getting laggier, group finder in a worse state than it has ever been, cheating rampant and going unpunished. Promises of fixes never materializing and threads mentioning them sunk and deleted.
No communication from ZOS except for forum moderation.

The whole cheating thing on top of terrible Dark Brotherhood is final straw for me. Played and subbed since release, and loved the game, but cancelled sub today. Not giving this company another dime unless there's a massive change and things get fixed and cheating is properly punished.
The management of this game needs a drastic overhaul, and the present managers need to be replaced, because those currently in charge are ruining the game and driving people away.

DjSolJAH · June 2016

+1 fix the lag

Justice31st · June 2016

bunnytrix wrote: »

Dark Brotherhood is the buggiest mess they have ever released.
A tiny, laggy, bug-ridden zone with very little to do there. A main quest that would be over and completed in 2 hours if you were not forced to do inane horrible repeatable quests to level up your DB skill line to unlock the next part of the main quest. The laziest kind of game development. Basically a re-skin of everything from Thieves Guild. Even the sacraments are just heists with killing instead of stealing. Nothing original. Nothing new.
The quests are truly awful. Go to a random town or village and kill 3 random innocent people, for no reason. Why? The Dark Brotherhood would never send out it's agents to kill random innocent people for no reason. Or quests to kill a random person somewhere, hand in, and get the exact same quest again immediately afterwards. After about 7 or 8 of these garbage quests I just gave up. What a waste of time. What a let down to one of the most loved and iconic of Elder Scrolls guilds.

The unfixed bugs have been piling up so long now that the bugs have bugs and the pile has reached a critical point. Everything is ignored by ZOS and swept under the rug and it all just gets worse and worse.
Long loading screens getting longer, Cyrodiil getting laggier, group finder in a worse state than it has ever been, cheating rampant and going unpunished. Promises of fixes never materializing and threads mentioning them sunk and deleted.
No communication from ZOS except for forum moderation.

The whole cheating thing on top of terrible Dark Brotherhood is final straw for me. Played and subbed since release, and loved the game, but cancelled sub today. Not giving this company another dime unless there's a massive change and things get fixed and cheating is properly punished.
The management of this game needs a drastic overhaul, and the present managers need to be replaced, because those currently in charge are ruining the game and driving people away.

Log in for 2 hours, complete the new content, then log out and wait 6 months for the next DLC. HAH, what a bad business model. At least fix the Fin LAG, and get out some end game replay value like updated vDSA or add Arenas.

Silverado · June 2016

If you are all so unhappy with the game maybe it is time to unsubscribe and play something else. Though, Good luck trying to find an mmo that is any better. Every mmo will have its problems no matter how popular it is. Honestly this is my favorite mmo to date....Im just grateful for what it has become.

phbell · June 2016

bunnytrix wrote: »

Dark Brotherhood is the buggiest mess they have ever released.
A tiny, laggy, bug-ridden zone with very little to do there. A main quest that would be over and completed in 2 hours if you were not forced to do inane horrible repeatable quests to level up your DB skill line to unlock the next part of the main quest. The laziest kind of game development. Basically a re-skin of everything from Thieves Guild. Even the sacraments are just heists with killing instead of stealing. Nothing original. Nothing new.
The quests are truly awful. Go to a random town or village and kill 3 random innocent people, for no reason. Why? The Dark Brotherhood would never send out it's agents to kill random innocent people for no reason. Or quests to kill a random person somewhere, hand in, and get the exact same quest again immediately afterwards. After about 7 or 8 of these garbage quests I just gave up. What a waste of time. What a let down to one of the most loved and iconic of Elder Scrolls guilds.

The unfixed bugs have been piling up so long now that the bugs have bugs and the pile has reached a critical point. Everything is ignored by ZOS and swept under the rug and it all just gets worse and worse.
Long loading screens getting longer, Cyrodiil getting laggier, group finder in a worse state than it has ever been, cheating rampant and going unpunished. Promises of fixes never materializing and threads mentioning them sunk and deleted.
No communication from ZOS except for forum moderation.

The whole cheating thing on top of terrible Dark Brotherhood is final straw for me. Played and subbed since release, and loved the game, but cancelled sub today. Not giving this company another dime unless there's a massive change and things get fixed and cheating is properly punished.
The management of this game needs a drastic overhaul, and the present managers need to be replaced, because those currently in charge are ruining the game and driving people away.

^^^^^^Word^^^^^^^^^