HEXENWOLF wrote: »

Before I start in with criticism of Elder Scrolls Online (ESO), I want to be clear that I understand there are challenges present in bringing a MMO to PS4 and XBOX that simply don’t exist for PC. I am thankful that Zenimax continues to ensure console players have access to the newest content in the Elder Scrolls universe in the face of such of difficulties. MMOs are still in their infancy on console and you’re helping pave the way for more experiences within the genre for years to come. I am grateful.

That said, I feel there are many problems that exist on console that Zenimax needs to address because these issues create a significant disparity in how players interact with Tamriel and, at times, directly undermine Zenimax’s stated goals for in-game systems. If you are a PC player and reading this, please understand the intent of this message is not to present an argument for the removal of features which affect your gameplay. Rather, this message is a request for Zenimax to take steps to modify base gameplay annoyances which are solved by third-party addons for PC.

Addons: The Community Is Always Right

I’ve played dozens of MMOs over the last twenty-years and I believe addons grow communities, allow players to enjoy experiences they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, and challenge developers to continue creating new content which affords players a more satisfying experience. “Satisfying.” I’m not talking about immersion or combat mechanics. I’m talking specifically about how much fun it it is to play a game when using the HUD, menus, and map. Quality-of-life features. Is it tedious? Is the game clearly telling me what my objectives are and how to achieve those things? Blizzard learned early-on that the Warcraft addon community had insight into these questions that the development team did not. Consequently, as the game has aged, they have continued to integrate some of the more popular community addon “fixes” into the game. Why has Zenimax failed to follow suit?

My personal belief is that when an addon becomes widespread, regardless of a company’s vision for a game or game systems, the community is right. Addon popularity almost always coincides/correlates to flaws in design or unpopular/unfun design choices that stretch players further than they’re willing to go for enjoyment. My contention is that Zenimax has often, and to its own detriment, stubbornly held onto original design goals that clash with what the playerbase wants. For example, gamers want so little to do with map markers and collect-a-thons that most developers have attempted to ease the pain of finding them, often by giving players the ability to purchase maps which pinpoint areas of interest. But, with ESO, we’ve been tasked with relying on the community for addons such as Lorebooks, Skyshards, HarvestMap, and Destinations. Why isn’t the ability to toggle these things available at a base level?

Now, I could argue the experience on console is incomplete without access to the entire suite of addons that PC players have access to, but I’m not going to do that. It would just be silly. I believe, just as the many players that use addons do, that some modifications to gameplay are less necessary than others. When you have addons like Master Merchant or external websites like Tamriel Trade Center altering a primary component of gameplay - forcing the company’s vision on the rest of your community feels disingenuous. Zenimax cannot simultaneously believe that decentralized trading is paramount to ESO when it allows addons and has the knowledge players have worked-around the guild trader system for ages. The players you’re hurting are those that choose to play on console - those for which your game is already more tedious to play. You’ve created an uneven gameplay experience that simply should not exist.

(Before PC players insist that console players should just switch platforms, I’d ask you to consider that for many people this simply isn’t a possibility. Whether its finances, disabilities, or other factors that keep players logging into ESO from their couch, we shouldn’t be pushing people to PC to enjoy the game. We should be holding Zenimax to the standard that what is available on PC, as relevant to primary game systems, is available on console.)

So, to this end, I am bringing three addons/systems to your attention that I firmly believe need to be addressed for console play. Why three? Because this is already very lengthy for a forum post and I truly believe Zenimax needs to prioritize.

#1. MasterMerchant / AwesomeGuildStore / Tamriel Trade Center vs Decentralized Marketplace
This is the most obvious choice for number one. The marketplace on PC already exists in a form Zenimax did not intend and there is no reason to force it upon your console market. The guild trader system needs an overhaul on console. A search feature desperately needs to be added.

#2. Lorebooks / Skyshards / Destinations vs Exploration
The chief argument against map markers is that they discourage overland exploration. The simple solution is to make lorebook and skyshard locations purchasable information for in-game gold or to simply make the markers present and provide an optional toggle. It makes no sense to require console players to have their phone or tablet present to find these items when a PC player can do it without leaving the game. And many PC players have dual-screens. Take the tediousness out of what is already a grindy system and let people enjoy exploring the world without fear that they’ve missed something essential to leveling Mage’s Guild or earning skill points.

#3. Wykkyd Outfitter vs Specialization Investment
If you’re not going to allow dual-specialization or triple-specialization, then make it easier for players to change roles. PC players already have the ability to easily switch skills and champion points and gear. Meanwhile, you’re asking console players to do these same things in what feels like the Dark Ages. The difference between optimal PVE and PVP specializations can be drastic and I struggle to think of a modern MMO which does not make it easy for players to enjoy the type of gameplay they love on-the-fly.

While I’d like for Zenimax to focus on these three quality-of-life improvements to the base game, I’d also ask that they be more console friendly in their approach. It’s frustrating that many prizes, such as those for Bethesda’s E3 presentation, aren’t offered to console players. I pay for ESO+ and occasional crowns just like I know many of my friends do. I have also purchased many of the DLCs as collector’s edition pre-orders. As far as I know, my money is just as good as a PC players. Its insulting when an entire population of people is ignored simply because it exists on an alternate platform. That’s why I’m here now and writing.

Just because many of my peers don’t make it to these forums to post doesn’t mean they don’t care. And Zenimax, your outreach to this community needs to improve. You’re listening to one segment of your population and judging that good enough. Create polls for the console. Institute questionnaires. Don’t just wait for disgruntled console players to pop up on your forums when their complaints are largely overshadowed by your PC population. Its just as much your responsibility to make this game better as it is ours.

TLDR: Zenimax needs to do a better job making base game quality-of-life improvements. Three suggestions for this are provided. If you want to know what they are, they're numbered and bolded. Zenimax also needs to do a better job treating its console players as valued customers and reaching out to learn more from its console community.

Cpt_Teemo wrote: »

White wabbit wrote: »

Bam_Bam wrote: »

Honestly, I don't care about consoles. In fact, I blame them for everything that's wrong with the game.

Coming MONTHS after release on the PC, the move to consoles was just an opportunistic money grab by ZoS and I feel that all the resources spent on pandering to consoles could have been spent on fixing the PC version of the game.

Instead, we have a game that in its 4.5-year existence has very rarely felt like the finished article and are left with the unsavoury paradox of a game that has to be funded by a necessary evil - a ridiculously overpriced, money grabbing, crown store.

So when people kick off about the state of the game on consoles - remember that consoles were an afterthought, turning up late and half-dressed to the console cash party.

After thought, I always thought the plan was to release on all platforms at the same time

Consoles launched like 1 1/2 years later after PC came out I believe?