Yolokin_Swagonborn wrote: »

I think ZOS needs to answer a few questions here as the streamers are bound and gagged under the NDA.

Questions for @ZOS_GinaBruno

• How many people were asked to come to ZOS and by what criteria were they chosen?
• How long till they NDA will be COMPLETELY lifted so they can talk about their experiences?
• It parts or all of it will NEVER be lifted please state so.
• Is there anything they can talk about before the NDA is lifted? See @usmcjdking questions above, if so please specify.

I feel the ESO community should be given a date on which the NDA can be lifted so we can discuss the protocol of this meeting and how much actual influence this group had on gameplay and design.

runagate wrote: »

Thanks to @LadyLavina we can show you Fengrush wrestling Gina:
-snip-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CS93CdMv_E

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hi guys,

First, just to clarify, the event last week wasn't exclusively for streamers. Yes, there were some streamers present, but there were also other content creators, and some that only post on the forums and never show their face. In general, we were looking for theorycrafters, players who know the game inside and out, and those who really get into the math and numbers. We also wanted a good mix of PvP and PvE players, and make sure all platforms were accounted for. All in all, we felt we met these goals.

We invited these players to give us some early feedback specifically on the Warden and battlegrounds. We also had a larger open Q&A about the game in general for a couple hours on their last day. While it's true they are currently under an NDA, they will be able to talk more about their experiences at the studio in just a couple weeks.

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Surprised they invited Fengrush. Surprised he even went. Last vids I watched of him he was giving them harsh, constructive criticism. Maybe it's a love hate relationship...

Not everyone who was invited give us nothing but glowing reviews. But, like you said, Fengrush does give us constructive criticism, and that's ok. He is extremely knowledgable and passionate about the game, which was what we were looking for.

Malamar1229 wrote: »

Paulington wrote: »

runagate wrote: »

paulsimonps wrote: »

As one of the people that went to Zenimax I just want to remind you and others that we that went are under a strict NDA (a non-disclosure agreement), we can't say anything. So any new info about the game that might have come out of this will be from the devs here on the forums, the main website or on ESO Live.

About everything discussed or about Morrowind?

I'm actually much more interested in your feedback and their responses than anything about Morrowind.

Everything we spoke about is under NDA.

When you guys flew into Maryland, was there a long loading screen?

willlienellson wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Food for thought: Why should players who stream the game be excluded if they are just as knowledgable and passionate as someone who doesn't stream? We included both.

I'm glad you asked.

Some of these guys are running websites where they charge individual players up to $400 to be taught how to master the game and become "elite" powerful players.

If you were making money directly from helping players bridge a power gap, would it be in your interest to increase the gap or to make it more narrow?

It's a lot like Tax Preparing companies (Turbo Tax, etc) that lobby for the tax code to remain complex because it creates demand for their services.

This game is one of the most complex MMOs in terms of the sheer number of variables that go into determining the output of an ability. @Zos has officially stated as much when they described why lag in Cyrodiil is due to all the calculations that are taking place on a single attack that a player makes.

These variables can and are manipulated to find powerful synergies that generate exponentially more powerful players than average players that don't understand them. And I don't think that's a problem. But I do think it's a problem when people who profit from explaining these variables and profit from training people to exploit these variables have more opportunity than others to influence those variables.

To be fair, I acknowledged that they were experts in the post to which you replied, and also stated why they should be excluded from the pool of experts helping to balance the game because of the appearance of impropriety when they profit from training players how to maximize the power from the mechanics they have more influence in balancing than most players.

I mean, I know very few are going to agree with me, and a Zos employee probably least of all, but I believe if this model were applied to another industry it would lead to more broad rebuke.

I personally find it absurd that people who's primary goal isn't to play the game for enjoyment but to profit from the game are given priority for feedback and access to early information.

This game has a constantly increasing power gap problem, where average and max DPS that used to be 15k vs 30k has spread to being 20k vs 70k. And the very people who are charging people (sometimes hundreds of dollars individually) to bridge that gap are influencing the mechanics that cause that gap and getting early access to information so their performance can be even further above average when the next patch drops.

And that's just specifically DPS, to say nothing of all the other factors that come into play even more in a PVP setting.

After all that special feedback and extra info, maybe the "Master Training" course will increase from $400 to $600 for the next update. And why shouldn't it? It may make you so much more powerful than the average player, it may be worth every penny. Why should these lobbyists be worth any less than other lobbyists with special access?

I could be wrong. I could be wrong about every single thing. But the appearance of impropriety itself is a big enough problem (or would be in almost any other circumstances).