ESO for me is looking empty of players. Are the zone "version" mechanics still working correctly?

Onigar · June 2017

After coming back to full time playing from being ill over the last 3 months I have the impression the player population in zones is much lower than I remember.

Now I do buy and sell a lot in zone and even though some zones are looking from my standpoint to be low population I regularly need to port to a "player in another version" of the zone.

I know there are many people like myself who love to play ESO and I really don't want an in-built game mechanic being responsible for putting off players both old and new by them starting to have thoughts about not so many current ppl playing.

Maybe it is a good time for ZOS to have a look at this zone version mechanic.

I want ESO to LIVE

So I put this to the community, whats your thoughts on this?

Alchemical · June 2017

I honestly can't go anywhere at any hour and not run into SOMEBODY. I see people fighting over nodes out in Shadowfen at the crack of dawn. Plus cities are always swamped with people. Same with delves and pub dungeons, I can't get one to myself if I go to the most remote one in Malabal Tor at 2am.

I don't need, nor want, it to be elbow-to-elbow with other players to feel 'alive'. That's just over crowding.

agegarton · June 2017

Depends where and at what time you play. Certain regions are always a bit empty other than questers completing the zone. Others are jam packed all the time, especially around dolmens, public dungeons, etc.

It's certainly not empty out there.....

Betsararie · June 2017

I agree, you can be doing the most obscure, quest, delve, etc. And you'll always run into at least 1 person.

I'll be at some obscure dolmen on the edge of a zone, hoping it's one I can finally do solo, but a minimum of 2 people undoubtedly show up.

Population seems healthy enough

Magdalina · June 2017

Looooots of people in Vvardenfell now as it's still new. Other always crowded zones are Undaunted hubs(Deshaan, Grahtwood, Stormhaven), Reaper's March(because Rawl'Kha op) and Craglorn(because you give crafting writs in there). I wouldn't call the rest of the zones empty either but they probably are less populated. In my experience there's way too many people there for my liking though

Bonzodog01 · June 2017

The zone version mechanics were introduced with One Tamriel. They aren't so much "versions" as instances with a player limit on them. So once an area goes above a certain number of people in it, the server creates a new instance of the area. It can be strange if you are on at peak, and find yourself almost alone in what you think is normally a very busy area.

The reason they introduced population limits is to limit lag and load on yours and their systems.

Onigar · June 2017

While I agree when you are in the region of a group area activity there will be a concentration of players.

I have been playing this game for over 2 years and know the overall population of a zone was never looking to be high (or full) and this for me was very good.

At the same time you used to see a lot more players when not in a group area of activity like is suggested (dolmens, public dungeons etc).

Maybe the zone version mechanic of keeping players with friends and associations is overriding the zone population control mechanism.

I dont know, I didn't code this.

squinceybones · June 2017

You're never lonely in Riften

asuzab16_ESO · June 2017

Personally, I have the opposite feeling : there are too many players around to my taste.

I usually play when NA people are sleeping (I live in Australia) and I still see crowded areas. Seriously, I can't even do a delve or a public dungeon solo ! Everytime I think "Okay, it seems quiet, it's time to see what you're capable with your class", there's one/two/three other players popping and rolling over the mobs.

I tried to solo Coldharbour's public dungeon and I couldn't be alone for more than a minute. I am pretty sure by now, I have never done a delve without meeting another player in it.

Not entirely related but still, it sometimes kills the immersion for me. Today, I finally started the brotherhood. Super hyped! I'm a fresh new assassin the most secret organization ever and I am heading to their super secret base and there it happens : dozens and dozens of other players sprinting/mounting between the super "secret and isolated" base and the shrine. Felt like I was on the highway during the rush hour.

However, I find the zone chats to be very quiet compared to what it used to be. But if you really want people to talk, you just throw a "Sorcerer should be nerfed" and you'll feel like you're in the liveliest place in Tamriel

JR_Returns · June 2017

Empty!!!
Just do dolmens in the Alik'r.desert. There's a massive group of players going round the circuit all the time, every hour of the day. I don't they ever sleep.

starkerealm · June 2017

JR_Returns wrote: »

Empty!!!
Just do dolmens in the Alik'r.desert. There's a massive group of players going round the circuit all the time, every hour of the day. I don't they ever sleep.

Some of them are bots, so, no, they don't sleep.

But, yeah, the Alik'r and Auridon Dolmen trains run all night.

TheDarkoil · June 2017

The Alik'r desert dolmen has a mega group constantly grinding, there must have been 100+ people doing it the other day was insane to see.

I also came across a random group 30ish people in Craglorn having like a party or something in the middle of nowhere, was also a pretty crazy thing to just stumble upon.

hmsdragonfly · June 2017

@Onigar Don't know about consoles, but here is PC:

http://steamcharts.com/app/306130

Numbers talk. That's just the steam version, and most PC players use the Bethesda launcher so the actual number of players is a few times higher.

Doctordarkspawn · June 2017

People are leaving.

People hated the sustain nerf and the loads of other mismanagement.

We wont ever know the exact number considering we dont have acess to the numbers using the bethesda launcher, or consoles, but the steam page linked in this thread is enlightening.

Balsagna · June 2017

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

People are leaving.

People hated the sustain nerf and the loads of other mismanagement.

Yeah man, that's it. People are leaving in droves because they refuse to make small changes to their build to improve their resource management.

Good riddance.

Doctordarkspawn · June 2017

Balsagna wrote: »

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

People are leaving.

People hated the sustain nerf and the loads of other mismanagement.

Yeah man, that's it. People are leaving in droves because they refuse to make small changes to their build to improve their resource management.

Good riddance.

It's more than your letting on, and you know it.

The block nerf in particular is more than your leting on. Fanboying hurts the game. Leave.

hmsdragonfly · June 2017

Btw you don't want to remove instancing (that's what it's called, instancing) from the game. There was a point where the game was barely playable in certain zones because there were too many people in one instance, causing major lag and people were booted from the game left and right. Never forgetti.

hmsdragonfly · June 2017

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

People are leaving.

People hated the sustain nerf and the loads of other mismanagement.

We wont ever know the exact number considering we dont have acess to the numbers using the bethesda launcher, or consoles, but the steam page linked in this thread is enlightening.

Just wait a few months and check http://steamcharts.com/app/306130 again.

The steam version tripled the playerbase since One Tamriel. It's too early to say if sustain nerf is good or bad call, if the avg number doesn't go below 9k next month, I say it was a good call.

Imhotep71 · June 2017

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

People are leaving.

People hated the sustain nerf and the loads of other mismanagement.

We wont ever know the exact number considering we dont have acess to the numbers using the bethesda launcher, or consoles, but the steam page linked in this thread is enlightening.

Um PS4 NA is packed to the point that its affecting server performance. The CP PVP server is full 24/7 with a queue.

Sooooo not sure what youre talking about Willis

idk · June 2017

ESO seems fairly active. OP doesn't indicate how he has come to the oppinion there is a low population.

If it's due to his wares not selling as fast as he'd like or is used to it could merely be those in his zone aren't so interested in what he is offering.

JWKe · June 2017

It really all comes down to perspective. Some folks see a sprinkle of players on screen as alot and others as too little. This game being it runs on a megaserver doesn't give players the options to choose. But I guess switching zones could solve that...

Cadbury · June 2017

asuzab16_ESO wrote: »

Personally, I have the opposite feeling : there are too many players around to my taste.

I usually play when NA people are sleeping (I live in Australia) and I still see crowded areas. Seriously, I can't even do a delve or a public dungeon solo ! Everytime I think "Okay, it seems quiet, it's time to see what you're capable with your class", there's one/two/three other players popping and rolling over the mobs.

I tried to solo Coldharbour's public dungeon and I couldn't be alone for more than a minute. I am pretty sure by now, I have never done a delve without meeting another player in it.

Not entirely related but still, it sometimes kills the immersion for me. Today, I finally started the brotherhood. Super hyped! I'm a fresh new assassin the most secret organization ever and I am heading to their super secret base and there it happens : dozens and dozens of other players sprinting/mounting between the super "secret and isolated" base and the shrine. Felt like I was on the highway during the rush hour.

However, I find the zone chats to be very quiet compared to what it used to be. But if you really want people to talk, you just throw a "Sorcerer should be nerfed" and you'll feel like you're in the liveliest place in Tamriel

PS4 NA player here, and ^ this pretty much mirrors my experience. I actually have to wait for delve bosses to spawn now.

HalloweenWeed · June 2017

One word: Morrowind (a.k.a. Vvardenfell).
Try playing there, I'm having a hard time getting exp. in dungeons because there are so many other players coming in there killing the baddies before I can hit them twice.
Should be toned down, spread out, in a month or two.

Beardimus · June 2017

Post DLC its always a bit light. But to be honnest i think most hub zones are over crowded!!

Craglorn endless spams about Skyreach, lag making idiots in Mournhold. I hate crossing, prefer some solace!

phileunderx2 · June 2017

Was in Auridon yesterday afternoon running some delves, people everywhere.