One Big easily fixed annoyance to ESO for those who enjoy the single-player games.

Wildberryjack · November 2018

It isn't actually "your" space, others have a right to be there too. That aside, they can't make all quests of this nature instances. Really it's a bit of an absurd notion for a MMO, not to mention the strain on the servers that it would cause.

EvilAutoTech · November 2018

I think the OP just invented a new genre: the MSO or massively single-player online game. Who'd a thunk it?

Facefister · November 2018

You want phasing, and phasing is bad.

zaria · November 2018

idk wrote: »

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

idk wrote: »

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

So my question is WHY?

Because they are not. It is really that simple that Zos chose to design the quests as they are.

Super helpful and insightful. Ha!

I hope your Level 10 isn't from lots of posts like this.

You can be as snarky as you choose to be with your replies, but it does not change the fact that my post was totally correct.

Zos chose to design the quests, and the world. as open as possible. It is a choice. They did not want quests that flow through narrowly defined paths. Probably also wanted to feel more like the exploration we have in the TES single player games.

it is a good design. Granted, no design is perfect, but heck, if quests on rails in private instances are your cup of tea there are probably many games to choose from.

One fun feature in ESO is that the world changes, many towns with wars in them become active towns after you done the quest. Downside I has to do this on alts farming skillponts or its wrong

GLP323b14_ESO · November 2018

Seems we have a couple people here who have failed to comprehend my original post.

As noted in that post, I'm not complaining about having other people around in what is admittedly a massively multiplayer online game. In spaces where it makes sense for you to be with, seeing, dealing with, and otherwise interacting with other players, including your just observing them going about their own business.

My gripe is with quests, situations, and areas where the story suggests that you are, or ought to be there, by yourself (or with a private group), inside places that you reach via a loading screen (putting you inside an instanced space), and rather than your being in there carrying out the quest and dealing with the trash and named mobs by yourself, other players are allowed into that space to carry out the very same unique objectives that your character is supposed to be doing by themselves.

For example, if an NPC sent me to find a specific item, and impresses upon me that I'm the 'special guy' doing this for them, it's pretty lame that apparently he told a dozen other people to go get this unique item for him and while I'm there getting it, they randomly barge in and get it as well.

Meanwhile trash mobs, named mobs, and even the boss are re-spawning while you're in there. When it would be much more immersive if they would just stay dead. Again, not open world spaces, or spaces where it makes sense for other players to be there. I'm specifically speaking of situations and places where this isn't at all necessary as the game could put you inside of your own private instance for them.

The game already does this, so far to the point I've gotten, with most encounters and quests involving the Prophet. I'm now going into The Harborage near Daggerfall to do quests for the Prophet, and these are all private instances. Thankfully, because it would be even more supremely lame if there were a dozen other players standing around the Prophet getting quests from him, and running through the instanced spaces you are sent to. "Vestiges... I call you all vestiges because there's far too many of you to learn each of your names... I have a request for all of you... "

As suggested earlier, if it's a resources issue, they could have a specified number of private instance spaces that you could queue up for if they were all filled, or choose to not wait and go into the public instances of those spaces where you may run into other players (for those who couldn't care less about the story and immersion and are just trying to power level their 5th alt).

It was ZOS who originally touted their goal of making ESO appealing to both the MMO fan and the single-player Elder Scrolls fan. This is one area where they can make that goal of theirs better realized.

heaven13 · November 2018

Don't play the sacrements in the Dark Brotherhood then. They're solo-instanced but mobs still respawn anyway.

I don't mind grouping up and running around with people in certain instances. But others, like you said, make so little sense to have at least a dozen players tripping over each other to do the top-secret mission that no one else can be trusted with. If solitary questing can't be committed to because of reasonable limitations, the quests and writing should reflect it rather than try to force us to believe we're the singular chosen hero all while we've got five different twilights flapping in our faces and a warden bear clipping through our legs.

jainiadral · November 2018

EvilAutoTech wrote: »

I think the OP just invented a new genre: the MSO or massively single-player online game. Who'd a thunk it?

More like Elder Scrolls: The Old Republic

MartiniDaniels · November 2018

You may try to give a shot to AC:Odyssey, it’s like a single-player MMORPG.

myskyrim26 · November 2018

I would have paid a lot for some kind of ESO SOLO subscription.
And no, I don't want to play Skyrim, or Odyssey or whatever else - I want to play ESO. I want to play it SOLO.

kargen27 · November 2018

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

As I'm yet again trying to get back in to ESO and identifying the things that just irritate me to no end while playing, I have to point out one of the biggest annoyances for me.

And that is, OTHER PLAYERS in my space.

Ha! Okay, well this IS an MMO after all. And while I'm fine having other players running hither-and-tither in public spaces, looking all sorts of crazy ways and doing all sorts of crazy things, I absolutely HATE it when I'm doing some quest for an NPC and I'm in a place that requires going through a loading screen, where it would be sensible that I'm the only person that would reasonably be there, and other random players come running through.

This has happened to me in numerous quests and locations.

For one example.... I'm sent in to someone's home to search for some clues. Of course I'm reasonably sure (knowing how these things go) I'll find it in the furthest reaches of the house. Still I want to enjoy the experience. So I'm methodically going through the house searching. Find some bad-guys hanging about and dispatch with them. Make my way up to the 2nd floor. Dispatch with some more bad guys while I search in crates, sacks, desks, wardrobes.

I get through the final henchmen before the main bad guy, and right before I get to him, some other player has now entered the house, runs to where he knows the main guy is, kills him, grabs the objective and runs off. Now, having witnessed this, already ruining my experience and immersion, I have to wait for the guy to respawn. Well I don't really need to wait, because the objective is to get the clue. Still part of the experience is supposed to be taking out this bad guy, even if its not required for the quest.

Anyhow I wait, because I do want to kill this guy. And meanwhile I'm hearing someone ELSE coming through the house. This time the earlier mobs have respawned and so I'm listening to battling as he makes his way up. He gets to and kills the last set before the main guy, which is when he finally respawns. In fact, it appears killing those 2nd to last guys is what triggers his spawning.

Well... I WANT to be the only other person in here on this secret breaking and entering to find some clues, and kill the bad guy by myself. So I let him run up battle and kill the main guy, get the objective and run off. Ugh. So I wait again for the respawns. Finally get to kill the 2nd to last and last guy myself, and grab the objective. By the time I'm making my way back out, the earliest NPCs have respawned and I have to fight them again. So dumb.

So my question is WHY? Why can't these types of quests, where you have to go someplace, where you ought to be the only player there, which sends you through a loading screen anyway, can't these be private instances? So you can do them solo or a group if you're in a group. And not only that, once you kill NPCs as you go along, they don't ridiculously respawn for other players to kill when it makes no sense.

ZOS could so easily improve this game for those who enjoy the single-player Elder Scrolls games by just making this one change. Give us more private spaces when questing, particularly in places and situations where we ought not be seeing other players doing the exact same thing WE are doing for some other NPC that sent us on a quest.

I've noticed they already do this for encounters with the Prophet. I was sent in to the Harborage and it said it was 'Solo'. You go in there and THANKFULLY there are not six other players standing there talking with the Prophet. Or worse, opening portals to Coldharbour for each person as well. Ha.

Please ZOS make this so. These sorts of quests, where you ought not be encountering random players just rushing through to the objective, should always allow you to be in a private instance for just you and your group.

Thanks!

Ya must be hallucinating. According to 4,362 threads in the last three months this game is dead and even if you want to group with someone you won't find a player anywhere around with which to do group activity.

Snide remarks aside yeah things like that are slight annoyances but every quest can't be an instance only you are in. Another slight annoyance was/is when you are in a group but can't see each other because you are at different points of a quest line. The one that seemed particularly odd is when you have an NPC helping you and you see four or five other players with the same NPC tagging along with them. It's a bit annoying but with a bit of effort you can simply ignore and go about your way. I think ZoS has done a decent job of striking a balance between solo instances and those that are shared.

MaxJrFTW · November 2018

What i hate the most is when i get these quests at the end of the quest line that require me to kill X bad guy. As i'm approaching the location, the NPC gets killed and i somehow end up getting credit for the kill even though i wasn't even in the same room. Guess what? The NPC doesn't respawn because according to the quest i killed him already. That has happened a handful of times so far. Not cool, not cool at all.

D0PAMINE · November 2018

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

Ah gaming forums.

Some are better than others, but you still always find the same kinds of people.

You know I've often wondered why it is that some people can't seem to help but scoff at (or worse) the ideas put forth by other players for improvements to the game which are largely no skin of their nose.

My suspicion is this.... They have their own desires which they want the developers to focus on and are impatient or otherwise concerned that any other things the developers might work on will take away resources from doing what THEY want the developers to be doing for them.

For my part, I've never had this reaction to the suggestions of other players, even when it's not something I'm remotely interested in or concerned about. All ideas are welcome and the developers can decide if they are worthwhile or doable.

But then again, I'm a liberal, and we tend to take into consideration and empathize with the needs and desires of those other than ourselves. Except of course where those desires are for discriminating against or otherwise harming others. (e.g. Sorry you're a business of public accommodation, your imaginary friend doesn't take precedence over real people, bake the damn cake. )

This game has been out for 4 years. It's extremely unlikely to change how quests are instanced. Also, your proposed fix has been poping up every few months since the game launched. I don't know what else to say, it's an MMO.

NoTimeToWait · November 2018

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

As I'm yet again trying to get back in to ESO and identifying the things that just irritate me to no end while playing, I have to point out one of the biggest annoyances for me.
And that is, OTHER PLAYERS in my space.

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

Why so salty?

In any case you obviously didn't comprehend what I was saying.

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

You know I've often wondered why it is that some people can't seem to help but scoff at (or worse) the ideas put forth by other players for improvements to the game which are largely no skin of their nose.

Well, maybe you have to reread the stuff you wrote too and redact it before posting? I mean that your idea is quite hidden behind the first two sentences, which in CAPS point out, that other people are a potential annoyance to you (including me and every poster in this forum). That's not what I think, but that's what I get first from reading your post. Do you think I would be agreeable to somehow answer your post after that?

Of course, you then continue to describe what exactly your problem (which is not other people at all, but the way ZOS handles personal tasks in quest system), but well...

I was taught in school that you need to show your main idea in the introduction. Exactly the place where you failed. I think that your failure to properly convey your thoughts shouldn't be described as a lack of understanding from others instead.

Dots are a powerful things. As well as paragraphs. They indicate finished ideas, so I regard your first two paragraphs as such. Btw, I agree with your idea about quests.

Claudman · November 2018

Oh no...
The MMO is an MMO.

Honestly, I don't know why you want to fight the bosses considering they're cakewalks anyways and will die in three consecutive hits. It's really anticlimatic, but it's clear that it was geared towards new players. I play the quests for the story/world-building, if you want challenging big-boy boss fight you can do by yourself (or with friends)...I recommend Veteran Dungeons (non-DLC or Normal Dungeons ones if you're SOLO), especially Ruins of Mazzatun.

I love that dungeon.

yodased · November 2018

Even if its behind a loading screen, having unique instances for every player in the game would melt the server.

Also, just because you want something doesn't mean it "should" or "ought to" be anything. You are taking your personal feelings and projecting them on the text of an MMO NPC to rationalize what you want.

As you have stated, they have the ability to separate players into instances if they feel it is warranted, yet, they do not use this ability except in cases where people in different shards interacting with your shard would cause problems.

In a single player game, there is no server recording and interacting with your character, everything is centered on you.

In an online multi-player game, the server records and interacts with every single thing every single player is doing. To break that up in to 10,000,000+ mini servers within the server is what you are in a 30,000 foot view, asking them to do.

DaveMoeDee · November 2018

Sorry OP, but this is not the game you want. There are already people who complain about all the solo instances and want everything to be possible in a group. Personally, I would prefer more solo, but that isn't this game. I would imagine that solo instances of everything would require a lot more resources that predominately shared instances with a few solo instances.

I am all for making your feelings know. That is the right of the consumer. But, in the end, you will likely have to just get over it. Eventually TES VI will come out.

DanteYoda · November 2018

AcadianPaladin wrote: »

I agree completely with the OP. The game was marketed to both single player elder scrolls types and the MMO crowd. It is big enough for all and can certainly adjust to accommodate. Enter a delve and choice comes up: Solo or public? I generally would choose solo because I would like to take my time, kill all foes, look in all containers etc and don't really want to stroll through an empty dungeon behind race-aheads, have mobs spawning on my head because I'm looking into corners and containers. All so I can reach the boss in time to get a glimpse of his demise from others. . . .

As far as the oft-heard 'If you don't like MMO, go play Skyrim'. . . been there, done that. I came to ESO 2 years ago after 4000 hours in Skyrim preceded by 4000 hours in Oblivion. Yes, I love those games but they are too small if you play them a long time. The reason I play ESO is for the massive scale; the fact that it is multiplayer is a drawback I put up with.

I am anxious for recommendations regarding a game that is: single player, massive scale, open world, medieval fantasy, rpg.

That said, I would advise caution in inviting soloists to leave ESO. There are an awful lot of soloists - just like there are a lot of group enthusiasts and PvP players. If you lose any of those three constituencies, I doubt the game could continue to self-sustain.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning fits your description.

Way way better combat than ESO as well.

GLP323b14_ESO · November 2018

OMU*, some of you people are hilarious. "Get over it!" "It's an MMO" and other various exclamations indicating they didn't read beyond the first couple lines of the original post.

In any event it's a good thing good game developers don't share your attitudes and beliefs, otherwise we'd never have any innovation and progress in game development.

But hey I'm a veteran of dealing with these sorts of forum posters. I also play and regularly post in the suggestion forums of Eve Online. And let me tell you I'm am an expert in having a deluge of other posters whose entire existence within those forums seem to be to poo-poo the suggestions of others players, tell you how it can't be done and shouldn't be done. Yet not really having any legitimate arguments against the idea, let alone experience in the game development industry to definitively exclaim what can or can't be done.

Nevertheless, I'd have to say that the majority of things I'd offered as suggestions within the Eve Player Ideas forums have eventually made it into the game in one form or another.

The bottom line is... would this idea make the ESO gaming experience better for most players? Yes.

I've not heard many, if any, here say they LIKE encountering numerous other players on their "you're the sole hero / helpful person going after this unique objective, in remote / dangerous / unusual / little trafficked location. " In open world locations that can't be helped. But in instanced areas it's clearly a possibility to make it unique to the player.

Unless you are a current mmo game developer, how about leaving it to ZOS to determine what is or isn't doable based on the merits of the idea and their technological capabilities.

Seriously all that ought to be discussed here is, do you like this idea based on its merits or not? Why or why not? That's what ought to be debated, if there is a debate to be had. Sure you can give your opinion on whether it's doable or ZOS will do it regardless of whether it is or not, but at least couple that with your opinion on whether you would like this change or not and why.

If you couldn't care less whether this change is made, then there's probably no point in commenting. Unless you want to say "Sure. I don't really care, but I can see how that would make the game more appealing to many current and potential players."

*Oh My Universe

yodased · November 2018

It's irrelevant who likes or dislikes the idea.

The fact is, the current server architecture could not handle what you are asking for. That is simply too many variables.

You may not have experienced this yet, since you don't seem to group often, but if you did you would see several times where you join a group and the person is in a different phase of a quest than you, which then puts them "under the ground" and you can only see the marker of that person.

The reason this happens is because of what you are asking for, the two people are out of sync within the shard and they have different variable sets reporting to the client from the server.

It could be a NPC that has to spawn or a door that unlocks or any number of variants.

If every quest that you or anyone deems needs to be singular in nature, this would not only tax the server beyond its limits, it would make those who WANT to group unable to do so.

So instead of insulting people that are trying to explain why your idea is technically impossible and bickering about what you want, how about you invest your time learning how server architecture works, especially in this game which does not have multiple server banks, but instead has one large server for the western and eastern hemisphere.

"I want it this way, so it should be possible" is not a logical statement.

GLP323b14_ESO · November 2018

yodased wrote: »

It's irrelevant who likes or dislikes the idea.

Is't not irrelevant. That's what suggestion posts / forums are for. Hopefully the developers can get a sense of what players would like to see in the game.

yodased wrote: »

So instead of insulting people that are trying to explain why your idea is technically impossible and bickering about what you want, how about you invest your time learning how server architecture works, especially in this game which does not have multiple server banks, but instead has one large server for the western and eastern hemisphere.

Unless they work for ZOS or are otherwise employed in the game / MMO development industry there's little point in making definitive statements as to what can or can't be done. The best any layman could say is that "this isn't likely currently possible or viable due to this, that, or the other." In any event at least include your opinion of the idea, otherwise it's kind of pointless, as per the first sentence of this paragraph.

yodased wrote: »

"I want it this way, so it should be possible" is not a logical statement.

Yeah I never said this. Strawman Fallacy

DeadlyRecluse · November 2018

I suspect (but can't prove this any more than anyone can prove me wrong) that more instances=more server load, and making quest instances all solo would increase the total number of instances dramatically.

Rain_Greyraven · November 2018

the issue with public delves and dungeons is they present them in quest as these ancient abandoned places where no one has stepped foot in for millennia....yet you get there and there are 150 douchenozzles bunny hopping a dude at the entrance selling T-shirts and a Starbucks.

Not the most well thought out questing system....

GLP323b14_ESO · November 2018

DeadlyRecluse wrote: »

I suspect (but can't prove this any more than anyone can prove me wrong) that more instances=more server load, and making quest instances all solo would increase the total number of instances dramatically.

Quite possibly.

Which is why I'd offered a way that I know that at least one other MMO deals with this, by making a limited number of private instances which can be run for particular encounters. You are then required to wait in a queue to do that instance (though you can do other things while waiting and are notified when it's available).

There has been no queue waiting for a LONG time in that game though. Either because of the server upgrades they've been through, twice already, or perhaps the population isn't large enough to require queuing.

In ESO, they could have an option where you could wait in a queue (if necessary) to do the instance privately (solo or in a private group), or you could immediately go into one of the public instances of that encounter.

yodased · November 2018

DeadlyRecluse wrote: »

I suspect (but can't prove this any more than anyone can prove me wrong) that more instances=more server load, and making quest instances all solo would increase the total number of instances dramatically.

This isn't an assumption, this is literally how the model works.

A little light reading, for the uninformed

https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/5956/how-is-load-balancing-achieved-in-mmos

o_0 · November 2018

No matter what players want there is one fact that will never change. If any requests for "improvements" are made, they wont even be considered if their is overhead cost or a need to expand current operation or development costs. So unless the requested change can be done with a simple coding change it wont happen. ZOS has very much shown there is wiggle room in this as the only "urgent" fixes or priority work is crown store related instead of server stability or long outstanding bugs.

Another area that highlights this, is releasing content that was originally being worked on years ago by, at the time, a different dev team using code for the game that was current at that time. Then you have the current dev team attempting to polish/dust it off and launch it as completely new in the current environment of new and updated game code. What happens next? Bugs that haven't been seen in years resurface. This happens time and time again and the only logical explanation for repeat coding issues is using content originally designed for a different environment and game code that had the original bug.

idk · November 2018

GLP323b14_ESO wrote: »

Seems we have a couple people here who have failed to comprehend my original post.

As noted in that post, I'm not complaining about having other people around in what is admittedly a massively multiplayer online game. In spaces where it makes sense for you to be with, seeing, dealing with, and otherwise interacting with other players, including your just observing them going about their own business.

My gripe is with quests, situations, and areas where the story suggests that you are, or ought to be there, by yourself (or with a private group), inside places that you reach via a loading screen (putting you inside an instanced space), and rather than your being in there carrying out the quest and dealing with the trash and named mobs by yourself, other players are allowed into that space to carry out the very same unique objectives that your character is supposed to be doing by themselves.

For example, if an NPC sent me to find a specific item, and impresses upon me that I'm the 'special guy' doing this for them, it's pretty lame that apparently he told a dozen other people to go get this unique item for him and while I'm there getting it, they randomly barge in and get it as well.

Meanwhile trash mobs, named mobs, and even the boss are re-spawning while you're in there. When it would be much more immersive if they would just stay dead. Again, not open world spaces, or spaces where it makes sense for other players to be there. I'm specifically speaking of situations and places where this isn't at all necessary as the game could put you inside of your own private instance for them.

The game already does this, so far to the point I've gotten, with most encounters and quests involving the Prophet. I'm now going into The Harborage near Daggerfall to do quests for the Prophet, and these are all private instances. Thankfully, because it would be even more supremely lame if there were a dozen other players standing around the Prophet getting quests from him, and running through the instanced spaces you are sent to. "Vestiges... I call you all vestiges because there's far too many of you to learn each of your names... I have a request for all of you... "

As suggested earlier, if it's a resources issue, they could have a specified number of private instance spaces that you could queue up for if they were all filled, or choose to not wait and go into the public instances of those spaces where you may run into other players (for those who couldn't care less about the story and immersion and are just trying to power level their 5th alt).

It was ZOS who originally touted their goal of making ESO appealing to both the MMO fan and the single-player Elder Scrolls fan. This is one area where they can make that goal of theirs better realized.

I am aware you are probably not speaking to me with this post, but I have explained Zos chose to avoid instances as much as possible. I will post it here below, just in case.

Zos chose to design the quests, and the world. as open as possible. It is a choice. They did not want quests that flow through narrowly defined paths. Probably also wanted to feel more like the exploration we have in the TES single player games.

It is a good design. Granted, no design is perfect, but heck, if quests on rails in private instances are your cup of tea there are probably many games to choose from.

Adding to that,

Regardless, your title errs in stating what you take issue with can be easily fixed, yet you offer nothing to support that making it appear more of an assumption and leading me to think you know little of how Zos has chosen to organize code for the game nor have any idea what it would take to make your wish, as stated, come to realization.

While you have chosen to be snarky I many of your responses here, merely because others disagree with you, that does not give weight to your argument. Probably takes away from it more than anything else.

dpr999 · November 2018

I am a computer programmer. Whenever a non-programmer wants me to do something and tells me it's easy or easily fixed, it never is.

Everybody says "I want blah blah. That should be easy." Nobody ever says "I want blah blah. That should be hard."

rabidmyers · November 2018

lol

leeux · November 2018

In my case, it has never bothered me at all, even when I was a SPer, and just recently out of the womb doing my first steps on the MMO world in the early days of ESO

OTOH, I have felt bad for other people then they have asked for help in dealing with some of those solo instances in the past, and I couldn't help them.

EDIT: And even now, I'm not afraid to admit that I was just a sliver away of giving up when I was ~L40 on my templar and I simply couldn't beat the Mannimarco fight for the main quest (the one with the skellies) around Aug/Set 2014... took me around 12 attempts until I finally beat him

fierackas · November 2018

One of the most tedious things in MMO's is queuing for groups. If you had to queue for quests as well I would just jack it in. Stupid idea.