Is the Goal of the Next Event to Stop Player Loss?

Personofsecrets · July 2017

Hello Everyone,

It occurred to me that the new event coming may be happening to increase player and subscription numbers. Well, of course the goal is to increase subscription counts and I doubt Zenimax is that low on earnings, but is it becoming low on long lasting players?

Ever since the Morrowind update I have seen several guilds struggle. I have seen a similar number of people leaving the game, over the past two months, as when I played before the Imperial City update.

The times were really tough back then. There had been no new content for around a year of time and, though companies rarely admit their errors, many of us believed that the game was in the midst of an upper-level management shake up. Back then, so many of my friends permanently left the game because of the poor state of management.

So what do you think? Of course many players may have started playing with Morrowind, but isn't the product giveaway suspicious of some player loss? Of course the giveaway can be about simply increasing profits and not stymieing a loss, but given the fact that some of our most treasured friends decided ESO is no longer worth playing, isn't the this question worth talking about? Also, do we really trust the higher ups enough to think that they ever aren't up to something?

Would you be happy with another management shake-up? Wouldn't it be nice to get some new people working who aren't overly dedicated to their overly particular vision of exactly how players should be controlled?

We all know that there are some good ideas for the game that are happening, but we also know that some of the very good people, who are working hard and have good ideas, don't have any power or final say to implement those positive changes. Additionally, wouldn't it be nice if the internal cult of personality was rocked around? Aren't you a little tired of inconsiderate insiders, who you wouldn't trust even buttering your toast, as having a say over your personal enjoyment?

Anyhow, I hope that the event is just indicative of positive things rather than some of the possibilities that I outlined above. I also hope that you all have a good event and get some lucky crate pulls. Tell me what you think.

Sincerely,

LT

Turelus · July 2017

I think it's a marketing push to get more people on ESO+, the same way that free access weeks were a marketing push to get more people to join the game.

The crates work in two ways, one as a way to stop subscribers being mad everyone gets a free bunch of ESO+ and also as the taster of crates which might make players buy more.

As for the management it really depends, I don't like their current marketing style so a shake up there (at at least a re-evaluation of how it's handled) would be nice, otherwise I am happy with the development and direction of the game.

Sevalaricgirl · July 2017

I for one appreciate what they're doing. I'm a subscriber but I've shown it to my non subber friends. I had talked one of them into subbing about 15 minutes before I saw the email so I promptly told him about it. I don't think they have problems keeping their subs since they give the most for subs of any game I play. The unlimited craft bag alone is enough for me to stay subbed. I think they are giving incentives to get subs which every MMO should do.

Personofsecrets · July 2017

Turelus wrote: »

I think it's a marketing push to get more people on ESO+, the same way that free access weeks were a marketing push to get more people to join the game.

The crates work in two ways, one as a way to stop subscribers being mad everyone gets a free bunch of ESO+ and also as the taster of crates which might make players buy more.

As for the management it really depends, I don't like their current marketing style so a shake up there (at at least a re-evaluation of how it's handled) would be nice, otherwise I am happy with the development and direction of the game.

Don't forget customer support.

It seems like peoples experiences with the support team are of high variance.

Personofsecrets · July 2017

Sevalaricgirl wrote: »

I for one appreciate what they're doing. I'm a subscriber but I've shown it to my non subber friends. I had talked one of them into subbing about 15 minutes before I saw the email so I promptly told him about it. I don't think they have problems keeping their subs since they give the most for subs of any game I play. The unlimited craft bag alone is enough for me to stay subbed. I think they are giving incentives to get subs which every MMO should do.

Hello and thank you for the thoughtful comments.

One thing that you mentioned and that I hope you can elaborate on is the following.

I don't think they have problems keeping their subs since they give the most for subs of any game I play.

I think that it is possible you are right. Can you elaborate as to why it could be that those who monetize the game have incentives to continue to improve sub benefits if there already isn't an issue keeping subs? (Positive reinforcement maybe?)

STEVIL · July 2017

Its a subber bonus and a maybe a big non-subber draw given craft bag.

No reason to conclude it is omen of trouble, but like elvis on your morning toast, people will see what they want to see.

For some people, reality is perception.

jordthesantaman · July 2017

ESO may be losing players, but don't panic, players always come back or new players come in. I, for one, left for round about a year but I came back because its a fun game.

duckrustlerb16_ESO · July 2017

Its enough to encourage me to pop back into the game for the week if not a month, but how long I actually stay logging in depends on how long it takes them to finally put Morrowind in the crown store which will encourage me to buy ESO+ to get the crowns to buy it.

Personofsecrets · July 2017

One interesting thing about the crafting bag is that players can fill it to the brim with a trial and will still have access to withdraw those materials post-trial period.

Insomnia rex · July 2017

Personofsecrets wrote: »

One interesting thing about the crafting bag is that players can fill it to the brim with a trial and will still have access to withdraw those materials post-trial period.

Works the same for housing. You can remove things, but you need to be half-1 to add something new, after ESO+.

Sevalaricgirl · July 2017

Personofsecrets wrote: »

Sevalaricgirl wrote: »

I for one appreciate what they're doing. I'm a subscriber but I've shown it to my non subber friends. I had talked one of them into subbing about 15 minutes before I saw the email so I promptly told him about it. I don't think they have problems keeping their subs since they give the most for subs of any game I play. The unlimited craft bag alone is enough for me to stay subbed. I think they are giving incentives to get subs which every MMO should do.

Hello and thank you for the thoughtful comments.

One thing that you mentioned and that I hope you can elaborate on is the following.

I don't think they have problems keeping their subs since they give the most for subs of any game I play.

I think that it is possible you are right. Can you elaborate as to why it could be that those who monetize the game have incentives to continue to improve sub benefits if there already isn't an issue keeping subs? (Positive reinforcement maybe?)

Well it's obvious...

INCLUDED WITH ALL MEMBERSHIPS:

Full access to all DLC game packs¹ (Granted, this is done by many games)

1500 Crowns per month (Paid Members Only)² You pay 15.00 for 1500 crowns. SWTOR gives 500CC per month for subscribers. ESO gives you the amount of crowns that you would pay for anyway. So what they are doing is saying that our subs are worth it to them so they are going to give us crowns of the same value.

Access to Craft Bag for the duration of your membership (My gosh, this alone is worth it with unlimited bag space especially for those of us that love the crafting and furniture making)

Costume Dyeing at Dye Stations throughout the world (Hey, I'm into making my characters look great even if they are all wearing black. I own most of the costumes and brown is just damned ugly. Dark Brotherhood members should be wearing black. I have a Dark Brotherhood assassin vampire. This is good for those of us who like to RP (even in our heads) our characters.)

Double the amount of Furnishings and Collectibles you can place in each of your homes (yeah, I'm into MMO housing and I am waiting patiently for a castle. If they don't give me one for my vampire, I'll be getting one of the Orc homes but I'd love my vampy castly.)

Double Bank Space for your account (oh my gosh, I have 6 our of 8 characters and who's to say I won't make two more, I was so happy to see the double bank space.)

10% increase to Experience, Crafting Inspiration, Trait Research, and Gold Acquisition rates (yeah, this is important to me because I love crafting and I love my alts)

ESO is very generous to their non subbers too. Buy the DLC and you get access to the entire game, no limitations from original game. SWTOR, on the other hand, penalized non subbers to the point that it isn't even worth playing the game if you don't sub.

With all the subscriber incentives that ESO gives, it's a no brainer to subscribe, pay 15.00 or less to support a game you love to play. This is a zen game for me. It is gorgeous. The music fits it so well. It reminds me so much why I love the Elder Scrolls game. I was away for about a year, just dropping in every so often, but when I returned, I just knew what I was missing. I don't know. maybe you have to be an Elder Scrolls fan to truly see how beautiful this game is, but the little flaws it has does not compare to how much I truly enjoy it.

One more thing, when I found out that you can put your housing items anywhere in your house, i was giddy. Coming from SWTOR that has hooks, this was so much fun.

TO ZOS, give me a castle for my vampire, somewhere non factional, maybe make it surrounded by gnarly trees, etc. I'd be a happy girl.

I realize that I just gave everyone great reasons as to why they should sub. ZOS really doesn't need to give more incentives than is already given so I consider the crown crates a nice little gift. I've bought a few and got two really nice mounts from them that I didn't own so I'm going to have fun opening them.

sudaki_eso · July 2017

I dont think its as bad as you think, i see it the same way as Turelus.
Take me for example, there was a trial phase last year in december, i tried the game but didnt really had enough time to dig into it. Then came april with another trial for the game and i gave it another try and got hooked. i talked about it at my local ps4 forum and now i have people just waiting for the next trial to take a closer look to the game.
Like every online game there will be people leaving and new people joining, as long as its balanced i dont see any problems with free trials.

AlienSlof · July 2017

It's a great idea, and if it encourages more people to sub, the better. However, if the goal is to plug the crates, then taking a look at the current drop rates in them would be a prudent move. A mountain of rubbish and army of nix hounds will certainly not encourage people to give them another go!

Perhaps if enough people sub, they will do away with crates altogether and just let us buy the stuff direct. Hey, I can wish upon Azura's Star, can't I?

Maff · July 2017

Zos are absolutely capable of fixing the game and keeping it popular with gamers but all I see is them trying to squeeze us for money over making real improvements for the player experience. Right or wrong that's how it feels to me.
I liked Orsinium and 1T, both gave the player a lot and I was happy to spend during those times. Homestead and Morrowind feels like a low effort cash grab though and it's made me lose interest in the game.
I think the game needs an overhaul in some areas. It's complexity creates too many issues with bugs and lag. If CP is causing issues then scrap it and replace it with something that doesn't require so many calculations but still rewards progression. If large numbers in Cyrodiil is causing lag then maybe create campaigns with lower population caps and lower group sizes.
Zos can make these changes but seems to me like they put all that effort into making more profit. Players like me don't respond well to that. I played daily before Morrowind, played twice since the update because it feels like Zos doesn't really care if I'm enjoying myself anymore.

Personofsecrets · July 2017

I think that the developers are doing their best at removing the cp system right now.

They probably feel tight on options.

Zvorgin · July 2017

Based on the server side lag lately, I'd say a lot of players are in game.

DeadlyRecluse · July 2017

Isn't that the goal of every event?

Anhedonie · July 2017

Summer is the season when the guilds die in MMOs. I used to play WoW back then and I had to find a new guild after each summer. Don't get too attached to these jerks.

As for sub event, then it's just marketing move. Nothing out of ordinary.

Personofsecrets · July 2017

@Anhedonie , what qualities of summer time may cause some people to leave?

Reverb · July 2017

Personofsecrets wrote: »

@Anhedonie , what qualities of summer time may cause some people to leave?

Real life.

Moonscythe · July 2017

Given the long load times I keep experiencing on Xbox NA if i play at night I have trouble believing there is a loss of players. As for the promotion, obviously it is to lure players into subbing because the craft bag and the double bank space are very tempting. I confess to opening a new sub account on the Xbox for the promo. I had been considering it so I could dye all my costumes and fill up a craft bag since I get to keep both if i drop my sub. I also can go check out the dlc I haven't bought because I wasn't that interested to see if I might want them. That would appear to be a good reason to have a free promo and the free crates just add a push to buying a sub. I only jumped in for 1 month and doubt I'll extend it right now since I have way too many subscriptions already and need to cancel some.

twev · July 2017

If they're thinking it's going to draw more people into staying, or upgrading to ESO+, I'm going to suggest that they figure out how to cut the lag, and server issues a lot more efficaciously than they are doing now.

You have lag and overloaded servers, as seems to be the case?
Clearly the remedy for that is more players.

AnviOfVai · July 2017

twev wrote: »

If they're thinking it's going to draw more people into staying, or upgrading to ESO+, I'm going to suggest that they figure out how to cut the lag, and server issues a lot more efficaciously than they are doing now.

You have lag and overloaded servers, as seems to be the case?
Clearly the remedy for that is more players.

Juju_beans · July 2017

Since there is no required subscription there has to be another way to generate revenue which is the crown store, the perks with ESO+ and these marketing events.

I don't see any issues with this. The popup about the 5 day event was non intrusive and was a one time only popup when you first came to the forums.

And if there's server lag because so many more people are logging in ....well that's a good issue to have.

ChunkyCat · July 2017

TL;DR

Balgost · July 2017

jordthesantaman wrote: »

ESO may be losing players, but don't panic, players always come back or new players come in. I, for one, left for round about a year but I came back because its a fun game.

I returned about 8 months ago and play PVE exclusively. I've seen more players in the last two weeks than any other span in that time. This myth of losing players is not being proven out.

MarbleQuiche · July 2017

jordthesantaman wrote: »

ESO may be losing players, but don't panic, players always come back or new players come in. I, for one, left for round about a year but I came back because its a fun game.

Players come back for new content. I'm only one opinion/perception, but it appears that long-standing players left when Morrowind came, old players didn't return and we got a splattering of completely new players.

Hopefully this is a two-staged approach. Grab some subs from new players, put a long term plan in place to retain existing players.

Morrowind was disappointing. Another content release that existing players don't even bother with could be devastating. They've played their ace with Morrowind and it wasn't a winning hand.

Sigtric · July 2017

Gods forbid they should market their product. Must be the end of the world!

Also where was there any evidence of such a "management shakeup"?

All things during the content drought pre-IC looked like all hands on deck to make the console release happen.

Xvorg · July 2017

Yup.

I logged again last weekend and even yesterday in PvP. It was fun at the beggining until I saw a group of unkillable guys. There was one that caught my attention: having like 2k health he survived 3 DoT ticks, being the first one 2.5k (the other 2 were like 1k and 800) while being attacked. He was stam and I saw no vigor or rally around... maybe he "weaved " them.

There was another that I saw who BoL himself while stunned. The third one seemed normal. Went to 15% heath quite fast (around 4k) but survied a shatter soul with ticks that crit for 5k without blocking.

I know I should have reported them, but what's the point? I'm no police in this game, I play it to have fun and I pay for that. I know we all should help to keep the game healthy as possible, but help is no synonym to "make others work". ZoS gets paid and and the same time their player base has to do their job.

I don't think I'm logging in today again.

Xvorg · July 2017

Balgost wrote: »

jordthesantaman wrote: »

ESO may be losing players, but don't panic, players always come back or new players come in. I, for one, left for round about a year but I came back because its a fun game.

I returned about 8 months ago and play PVE exclusively. I've seen more players in the last two weeks than any other span in that time. This myth of losing players is not being proven out.

Those are PvPers tired of the status of PvP.

SydneyGrey · July 2017

A marketing drive doesn't mean they're losing players. According to this, they aren't losing any players:
http://steamcharts.com/app/306130
A few people vocally rage-quitting on Youtube, or on this forum, doesn't translate into any significant number of people quitting. It was probably balanced out by the numbers of people who returned to the game because they wanted to play Morrowind.
Now, if the Steam charts did show that people were leaving in droves, I'd agree with you. But it doesn't.