Anybody worried about their investment in ESO?

srfrogg23 · February 2017

Nope not worried. Games going strong and I'm not looking to build equity for resale. I'm just playing for entertainment purposes and right now it's going very well compared to other MMOs I have played.

CapnPhoton · February 2017

technohic wrote: »

If you put money into this thinking that it is an investment; you have poor judgement. The game you play is entertainment; not an asset. If you want to invest in the game; I haven't looked. Is ZOS publicly traded? That's where you would want to spend your money to invest.

I don't see any dividends or monetary returns from putting the disc in and running around the game either. That would be great if it happened. Is there a special quest required for it to show up? I hope its repeatable.

If you are talking about and investment in time based on your experience and the things you have purchased to add to the game, this wold depend on your return and what it does for you. Does it fulfill your life and allow you to focus on being successful? If not it is simply for entertainment, which is fine. Everyone needs it once in a while.

DenMoria · February 2017

$300 bucks isn't much of an investment to me so, no, I'm not particularly worried, and, what could I possibly be expecting from an MMO like ESO when there aren't any other MMO's like ESO.

Cadbury · February 2017

As long as it doesn't affect my 401k, we're good.

Tandor · February 2017

I've had a fantastic return on the time and money spent on the game, and continue to run it as my main MMO home while still playing other stuff as well. As for the game's direction, I'm fine with everything done so far and actually have a lot of respect for the team (which I realise is not politically correct on a game forum). Then again, as a solo/co-operative PvE player on the PC since launch with no interest in PvP or competitive PvE and with no addons I simply don't have any of the performance or balancing etc issues that some others clearly suffer from.

Rohaus · February 2017

I too have been playing since beta... there have been good times and bad times... right now, I actually think that because of the nerf to proc sets... I am actually enjoying myself much more so in PvP.

As for the greed factor... I have not nor will not buy any RNG boxes.... I will not buy any houses... I won't even take anything housing related that is free... why? because I don't care about virtual housing... I have a real house that fills that void... honestly, sometimes I wish I didn't have a house in RL because it is a constant thorn in my side... oh how I wish I could be back living in a maintenance free home again... LOL on the flipside, I don't have to deal with noisy neighbors...

If I see something that is over priced... I won't buy it... if I see something that is RNG... I won't buy it...

As for my view on how long this game will last... I do personally think that ZOS has a very good game on their hands and if they continue to put out new content, at the pace they have been, this ship will sail for quite a few years if not more.

clocksstoppe · February 2017

There is no investment. Nobody will ever give you back the time and money wasted on this game. If you quit tomorrow, nobody cares, and nothing changes. Again, there is no investment.

Gedalya · February 2017

ChaosWotan wrote: »

How many have invested so much time and money on ESO that they start to feel just a tiny bit worried that the devs can no longer deliver what's expected from the best MMOs today?

My only concern is for 10 years or 20 years from now when the servers are shut down; what will I do then?! Because yes, I invest a lot of time in this game; but that is because I love it so much. The Devs have done an extraordinary job given what we as players want (some of us are actually pretty fickle). If anything I might like to see an off-line mode. Can't wait for Morrowind!!!!!!

Danikat · February 2017

As a general rule companies don't make expansions for games that are going to be shut down soon.

That alone tells me they're planning to keep ESO going for at least another year.

Evergnar · February 2017

Worried? No. It's a video game. Hope in the direction ESO is headed? No. After 3 years I accept ESO for what it is and know what to expect. Some good, some bad.

I play when I feel like it and when the problems that plague the game ruin the experience I go play something else.

jcaceresw · February 2017

Gedalya wrote: »

ChaosWotan wrote: »

How many have invested so much time and money on ESO that they start to feel just a tiny bit worried that the devs can no longer deliver what's expected from the best MMOs today?

My only concern is for 10 years or 20 years from now when the servers are shut down; what will I do then?! Because yes, I invest a lot of time in this game; but that is because I love it so much. The Devs have done an extraordinary job given what we as players want (some of us are actually pretty fickle). If anything I might like to see an off-line mode. Can't wait for Morrowind!!!!!!

Yeah, what will happen will all the time and effort I have done and will continue to do when ESO servers shutdown in the future. What will be of my achievements? How I can continue to get them? Will ESO developers give us a offline version to continue playing it?

ChaosWotan · February 2017

The worry I'm talking about here is ofc a rather microscopic one, just a bit larger than suffering a democide in Darfur. Because I have always thought that using real money on items in a computer game is insane, so now I got to justify it after having been brutally victimized by the sneaky and clever sales strategy of the ESO crown store.

Joking aside, it's one thing to pay real money in order to enjoy new content in the storyline of ESO, which is real entertainment here and now, and different from using money in the crown store on cosmetic upgrades and pretty items while you wait for new storyline content to be added in the future.

For example, if I buy the ugly Chateau now, hoping that new graphics and added content will improve housing in the future, then that's a financial and emotional investment, because I'm then hoping that I will get rewarded in the future. Or I might buy dyes now in case ESO will sell a costume in the future that looks really cool with a dye I bought a year ago.

And the reason I think this way is because I have earlier refused to buy mounts and items which looked ugly then but got improved when the graphics and design of the game got better.

Yeah, so excuse me for thinking that this is more important than world politics, for instance Trump setting up a wall to protect innocent civilians against narco-terrorists that are as vicious as ISIS. He is the real drama queen, not me...

(A post to be interpreted in an accurate, literal, narrow or any way you want)

jedtb16_ESO · February 2017

Darth_Apache wrote: »

I am never disappointed in investing time into something I have enjoyed doing from age 5.
Gaming.

This MMO is the only one that has really captured my interest and held it for as long as it has.
Including WoW.

I played for about 6 months into the launch of Cataclysm.
Was amazed but quickly lost interest. I am not entirely sure what it was about it but it just wasn't what i was into at the time.
Also played numerous browser based MMO's as well:
Cabal, Perfect World, Star Wars, Fantasy something something etc etc.

So my answer is no, not worried at all.

My wife on the other hand is usually infuriated at my spending but meh.

lol.... when i was 5 gaming was running around the woods with a bit of stick pretending it was a gun.... and making the appropriate noises...

Angus · February 2017

I initially invested time and money into this game.

Then it went B2P. Now others pay so I can play for free. Cool!

Now I only have to invest time, with an expected return of entertainment.

I find it more entertaining now than ever (though I kinda miss pre-1.6 OP PvP loopholes), so quite satisfied.

Point being - if it ever stops being entertaining, my investment already paid off. Win-win zero-risk investment - you don't find many of those.

If you're subbing/paying real money with the expectation the game would become something that it isn't... well, stay away from the stock market.

If you're investing time in, but not enjoying the game, you might need a different hobby.

Darth_Apache · February 2017

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

I am never disappointed in investing time into something I have enjoyed doing from age 5.
Gaming.

This MMO is the only one that has really captured my interest and held it for as long as it has.
Including WoW.

I played for about 6 months into the launch of Cataclysm.
Was amazed but quickly lost interest. I am not entirely sure what it was about it but it just wasn't what i was into at the time.
Also played numerous browser based MMO's as well:
Cabal, Perfect World, Star Wars, Fantasy something something etc etc.

So my answer is no, not worried at all.

My wife on the other hand is usually infuriated at my spending but meh.

lol.... when i was 5 gaming was running around the woods with a bit of stick pretending it was a gun.... and making the appropriate noises...

Don't get me wrong! I was doing the same thing but when mommy and daddy were having their bad days and every room in the house(besides my room) had become a war-zone; my room was filled with the visuals and sounds of my Atari and NES.

Gaming was always an escape for me. Going outside was a reality check of people that were generally "happier" than I was. Haha.

This is why I will never feel disappointed making some in game purchases to give my Bosmer a Lion mount. Haha.

Surragard · February 2017

I don't spend a lot of money on in-game stores personally but I do understand that it has an allure to many people (this game might not exist right now if people were not spending money in the crown store). As far as time goes you always pour a lot of time into an MMO. An investment usually implies you will get something back (hopefully). I can't see either my money or time that goes into ESO as an investment because I'm not expecting any return. It's just mindless entertainment.

jedtb16_ESO · February 2017

Darth_Apache wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

I am never disappointed in investing time into something I have enjoyed doing from age 5.
Gaming.

This MMO is the only one that has really captured my interest and held it for as long as it has.
Including WoW.

I played for about 6 months into the launch of Cataclysm.
Was amazed but quickly lost interest. I am not entirely sure what it was about it but it just wasn't what i was into at the time.
Also played numerous browser based MMO's as well:
Cabal, Perfect World, Star Wars, Fantasy something something etc etc.

So my answer is no, not worried at all.

My wife on the other hand is usually infuriated at my spending but meh.

lol.... when i was 5 gaming was running around the woods with a bit of stick pretending it was a gun.... and making the appropriate noises...

Don't get me wrong! I was doing the same thing but when mommy and daddy were having their bad days and every room in the house(besides my room) had become a war-zone; my room was filled with the visuals and sounds of my Atari and NES.

Gaming was always an escape for me. Going outside was a reality check of people that were generally "happier" than I was. Haha.

This is why I will never feel disappointed making some in game purchases to give my Bosmer a Lion mount. Haha.

no no.... it wasn't a criticism...

when i was 5 there were only a couple of dozen computers in the world. i don't think people were gaming on them.

AlMcFly · February 2017

Gedalya wrote: »

ChaosWotan wrote: »

How many have invested so much time and money on ESO that they start to feel just a tiny bit worried that the devs can no longer deliver what's expected from the best MMOs today?

My only concern is for 10 years or 20 years from now when the servers are shut down; what will I do then?! Because yes, I invest a lot of time in this game; but that is because I love it so much. The Devs have done an extraordinary job given what we as players want (some of us are actually pretty fickle). If anything I might like to see an off-line mode. Can't wait for Morrowind!!!!!!

Life is impermanent. Nothing lasts forever. Unless you've left a significant mark on the world, all of your life's work will likely be remembered by nobody after a few generations, when your grandchildren are dead. Your name will be forgotten anyway. You will likely be better off coming to terms with this sooner rather than later.

Darth_Apache · February 2017

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

I am never disappointed in investing time into something I have enjoyed doing from age 5.
Gaming.

This MMO is the only one that has really captured my interest and held it for as long as it has.
Including WoW.

I played for about 6 months into the launch of Cataclysm.
Was amazed but quickly lost interest. I am not entirely sure what it was about it but it just wasn't what i was into at the time.
Also played numerous browser based MMO's as well:
Cabal, Perfect World, Star Wars, Fantasy something something etc etc.

So my answer is no, not worried at all.

My wife on the other hand is usually infuriated at my spending but meh.

lol.... when i was 5 gaming was running around the woods with a bit of stick pretending it was a gun.... and making the appropriate noises...

Don't get me wrong! I was doing the same thing but when mommy and daddy were having their bad days and every room in the house(besides my room) had become a war-zone; my room was filled with the visuals and sounds of my Atari and NES.

Gaming was always an escape for me. Going outside was a reality check of people that were generally "happier" than I was. Haha.

This is why I will never feel disappointed making some in game purchases to give my Bosmer a Lion mount. Haha.

no no.... it wasn't a criticism...

when i was 5 there were only a couple of dozen computers in the world. i don't think people were gaming on them.

Gotchya! Thanks for clarifying.

I was about to begin researching distance capable voo-doo dolls and begin pointing sticks at it as if they were guns...while making the appropriate noises. LMAO.

I was 5 in 1996 so..I am sure that generational gap contributed haha.

Chadak · February 2017

I regard time as the most precious of commodities one might ever invest. You are literally investing your non-refundable, non-replenishing and unknowably-but-assuredly finite time into everything you do.

Every person you interact with, every game you play, every book you read - every action you take and decision you make is an investment, and your dollars are quite likely amongst the least valuable of the functional assets involved in most of them.

I regard personal entertainment as having a fairly decent value. I don't regard playing a game I enjoy as being a waste of my time, as being entertained and perhaps enriched by engaging gameplay and/or an interesting story can be worth a certain modicum of my time.

The sort of grinding and farming most MMO's expect players to do, I regard as blatantly malicious disrespect, but I don't usually get too concerned over it - its always elective. Never the less, there has been more than one MMO in which I've had a modest interest in Thing A, but Thing A's cost in time alone wasn't even remotely worth it under even the most outlandish and absurd considerations.

It is completely bizarre to me how so many MMO gamers I've known over the years are actively proud of how much time they've spent getting some little pet or super rare mount.

I can't relate. I don't think well of it. It would be fair to say that common tendency in much the same way I would disdain someone's irrational pride for how irresponsible, negligent and foolish they are.

So, at the ned of it all, if its worth it to you, there you have it.

If it isn't, don't do it.

jedtb16_ESO · February 2017

Darth_Apache wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

I am never disappointed in investing time into something I have enjoyed doing from age 5.
Gaming.

This MMO is the only one that has really captured my interest and held it for as long as it has.
Including WoW.

I played for about 6 months into the launch of Cataclysm.
Was amazed but quickly lost interest. I am not entirely sure what it was about it but it just wasn't what i was into at the time.
Also played numerous browser based MMO's as well:
Cabal, Perfect World, Star Wars, Fantasy something something etc etc.

So my answer is no, not worried at all.

My wife on the other hand is usually infuriated at my spending but meh.

lol.... when i was 5 gaming was running around the woods with a bit of stick pretending it was a gun.... and making the appropriate noises...

Don't get me wrong! I was doing the same thing but when mommy and daddy were having their bad days and every room in the house(besides my room) had become a war-zone; my room was filled with the visuals and sounds of my Atari and NES.

Gaming was always an escape for me. Going outside was a reality check of people that were generally "happier" than I was. Haha.

This is why I will never feel disappointed making some in game purchases to give my Bosmer a Lion mount. Haha.

no no.... it wasn't a criticism...

when i was 5 there were only a couple of dozen computers in the world. i don't think people were gaming on them.

Gotchya! Thanks for clarifying.

I was about to begin researching distance capable voo-doo dolls and begin pointing sticks at it as if they were guns...while making the appropriate noises. LMAO.

I was 5 in 1996 so..I am sure that generational gap contributed haha.

i was 5 in 1956....

Egonieser · February 2017

A game is not an investment, it's a hobby, a timewaster, filler. You pay for a bit of enjoyment and when it stops being enjoyable you move on.
Think you are in the wrong place, the stock market is elsewhere...

Elsonso · February 2017

.

Darth_Apache wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Darth_Apache wrote: »

I am never disappointed in investing time into something I have enjoyed doing from age 5.
Gaming.

This MMO is the only one that has really captured my interest and held it for as long as it has.
Including WoW.

I played for about 6 months into the launch of Cataclysm.
Was amazed but quickly lost interest. I am not entirely sure what it was about it but it just wasn't what i was into at the time.
Also played numerous browser based MMO's as well:
Cabal, Perfect World, Star Wars, Fantasy something something etc etc.

So my answer is no, not worried at all.

My wife on the other hand is usually infuriated at my spending but meh.

lol.... when i was 5 gaming was running around the woods with a bit of stick pretending it was a gun.... and making the appropriate noises...

Don't get me wrong! I was doing the same thing but when mommy and daddy were having their bad days and every room in the house(besides my room) had become a war-zone; my room was filled with the visuals and sounds of my Atari and NES.

Gaming was always an escape for me. Going outside was a reality check of people that were generally "happier" than I was. Haha.

This is why I will never feel disappointed making some in game purchases to give my Bosmer a Lion mount. Haha.

no no.... it wasn't a criticism...

when i was 5 there were only a couple of dozen computers in the world. i don't think people were gaming on them.

Gotchya! Thanks for clarifying.

I was about to begin researching distance capable voo-doo dolls and begin pointing sticks at it as if they were guns...while making the appropriate noises. LMAO.

I was 5 in 1996 so..I am sure that generational gap contributed haha.

Definitely. When he was playing, the appropriate noise would have been "bang! bang!" By 1996, the appropriate noise heard would have been "why does a 5 year old have a gun!" I can see why you would have been confused.

DeadlyRecluse · February 2017

linoge63 wrote: »

DeadlyRecluse wrote: »

If the time I invest in a game isn't worth the payoff at the time, I stop.

Investing in a game because you hope it becomes something else is a fool's errand.

Yeah, kinda like marrying someone hoping they will fulfill our version of their potential...

Ha! "I love...the person you might be after several decades of borderline psychological torment. We'll see."

DeadlyRecluse · February 2017

ChaosWotan wrote: »

The worry I'm talking about here is ofc a rather microscopic one, just a bit larger than suffering a democide in Darfur. Because I have always thought that using real money on items in a computer game is insane, so now I got to justify it after having been brutally victimized by the sneaky and clever sales strategy of the ESO crown store.

Joking aside, it's one thing to pay real money in order to enjoy new content in the storyline of ESO, which is real entertainment here and now, and different from using money in the crown store on cosmetic upgrades and pretty items while you wait for new storyline content to be added in the future.

For example, if I buy the ugly Chateau now, hoping that new graphics and added content will improve housing in the future, then that's a financial and emotional investment, because I'm then hoping that I will get rewarded in the future. Or I might buy dyes now in case ESO will sell a costume in the future that looks really cool with a dye I bought a year ago.

And the reason I think this way is because I have earlier refused to buy mounts and items which looked ugly then but got improved when the graphics and design of the game got better.

Yeah, so excuse me for thinking that this is more important than world politics, for instance Trump setting up a wall to protect innocent civilians against narco-terrorists that are as vicious as ISIS. He is the real drama queen, not me...

(A post to be interpreted in an accurate, literal, narrow or any way you want)

I highly recommend not buying the Chateau unless you are happy with it now (or at least happy enough to spend the coin on them).

I personally am happy--just barely--with the current functionality of housing so I spent my gold/crowns. If you are not happy with it at the moment, just wait. Maybe they'll improve it. Maybe they won't.

altemriel · February 2017

Slurg wrote: »

What investment? I play for fun; anything I've spent is an entertainment expense. If it's no longer fun I'll stop playing.

exactly this!!

ADarklore · February 2017

Anyone coming to ANY online game expecting permanency clearly doesn't have a grasp of online gaming. Look around at all the MMOs that have come and gone, some the plug was pulled even when they were still fairly popular. So NO, I don't think of the money I spend here as an 'investment', do people consider when they go out drinking and partying an investment, or going out to a movie theater? No, it's all entertainment.

Sureshawt · February 2017

Slurg wrote: »

What investment? I play for fun; anything I've spent is an entertainment expense. If it's no longer fun I'll stop playing.

^This

bulbousb16_ESO · February 2017

altemriel wrote: »

Slurg wrote: »

What investment? I play for fun; anything I've spent is an entertainment expense. If it's no longer fun I'll stop playing.

exactly this!!

Just because it is an entertainment expense doesn't make it not an investment. Back in the 1980's, we had a thing called BetaMax. Some people invested in those - it didn't work out so well. Some people have invested in 3D or 4K TVs. If these formats don't catch on, then those entertainment dollars may end up being a poor investment.

But again, it's not just the dollars, it's also your time that has value.

salmoncat33 · February 2017

Slurg wrote: »

salmoncat33 wrote: »

You can invest more than money.

I don't see time spent playing a game or watching a movie or reading a book as an "investment" either.

While it's true that you aren't going to make any money back from the game, you are saying that you don't invest time to make the game more fun? You just run around aimlessly never leveling up or getting new items you want?