Doctorium wrote: »

When I first started playing ESO two years ago, I was really happy about how positive the community is, in-game and on these forums. I was also pleasantly surprised about the extent of communication between the Devs and the community. It felt like the Devs were listening and communicating actively. Maybe I had low standards from the MMO that I played before ESO, which had poor Dev communication and a very toxic community. Lately though it seems that the relationship between the Devs and the community has soured. I wouldn’t say it’s toxic, but its not as up-beat. I think the performance issues have taken a toll on a lot of people, and it doesn’t help that the Dev’s are radio silent about it, which only exasterbates the community’s frustration. The game’s outlook does not seem as positive as it once was. Am I accurate in this assessment our just out of touch? Share your thoughts.

You aren't wrong in terms of the forums. How representative they are of the community as a whole is another issue. I've been here for four and a half years. There was some ugliness over the spareness, generic-ness, and buginess of the game at launch, especially as it was still sub-only then, but there was also some optimism about what the game could be and lots of enthusiasm for where the game might go next.

The cash shop, champion system, combat system decisions, loot boxes, and hoped for features/content that never materialized soured many people. Not to mention, lots of people have gone and other people have arrived. The new people bring their expectations from other games and attitudes from other communities, including their way of behaving on forums.

MMOs always go through phases over time, and many who loved one phase of content and combat direction/emphasis will not like another, but they hang on hoping things will get turned back or maybe move on to something new or better. Some end up getting extremely frustrated and even toxic. I say (to such folks), just go play something else and check back from time to time on whether the game is right (again) for you rather than hang around and get bitter. I've mostly skipped 2018, dropping in to try new zones or grab a feather, and I still think positively overall of the game even if I'm not into it at the moment. Some people need a break.

I mean years of the same issues persisting as communication takes a downfall as we suffer these issues first hand.... yeah frustration was bound to happen.

For what it's worth, I was a beta tester and subscriber from launch up until around October 2016, so around two and a half years. I stopped playing for a number of reasons - basically I wasn't happy with where the game was and where it seemed to be going. I came back some 2 months ago and found a much more toxic community than when I left.

Even without the complications of a dungeon-centric event, most people won't speak in dungeons - as in, not even to reply to someone's "Hi". They queue for roles they won't fill, they assume everyone wants whatever it is they want themselves - quick run, boss skip, etc. Players treat others as instrumental in getting them something, not as other people who at the very least are also giving their time and deserve basic respect and decency. The current event makes this abundantly clear - just look at what people are saying to justify queuing as wrong roles, vote-kicking players or jumping to other dungeons (hint: it's always about what *they* want, not about what a group might want, which is kind of odd considering they're queuing for group content).

I have no hope ZOS will address any of the toxicity issues - they've proved again and again they will let cheaters, exploiters and basically sad excuses for human beings get away with anything. In many ways, the game is designed to encourage it. Just as long as someone, somewhere keeps buying their overpriced costumes and pets, it will be business as usual. I only keep playing for lack of alternatives and because my boyfriend plays as well. If that weren't the case, I'm pretty sure I would have left again by now.

I can't remember a single time when I was satisfied with ZOS's communication and policy.

The game has suffered from a long series of cheats and exploits (I most vividly remember the banker/survey exploit, the ulti-spam debacle in summer 2016 on the NA server, the keep-flipping AP feasts, etc.) that ZOS have only reluctantly and belatedly addressed.

Whistle-blowers get nuked, offenders finger-slapped.

Some broken mechanics (e.g. CCs) and inefficient netcodes have never been, and never will be, fixed - not to mention acknowledged.

I'm almost certain that this incompetent negligence and carelessness plays a role in how cynical and disillusioned some players are.

It's so frustrating to see how good this game is - and at the same time how easily it could be taken on a totally superior mind-blowing level.

This forum has always been super negative, honestly. Game was buggy as all get-out at the beginning, and man, did the players let ZOS have it here. And then, after the lighting patch came out and Cyrodiil lag got out-of control (two totally-unrelated events, as ZOS has continued to swear), things got really hostile around here.

Overpowered DKs, radically-OP vampires, switch to B2P, scaling all the dungeons, etc. all were met with a lot of hostility from this forum.

However, the gameplay/combat team, over the last year-and-a-half, has escalated things, honestly. When presented with factual and reasoned arguments about why the change they're pushing through is foolish by players who inevitably turn out to have been right, their response has ranged from obstinance to silence.

As a result, I've lost my ability to see them as good-faith actors.

Music, art design, storytelling? Those teams I trust to do great work, and if they fail to do so, I never doubt they intended to do so.

Gameplay/combat? Those teams I trust to put their egos ahead of their reason. They've shown they lack the humility to take feedback and learn from mistakes. That's my opinion based entirely on their behavior, my own posts on this forum probably reflect that lack of faith I feel.

Doctorium wrote: »

Maybe I had low standards from the MMO that I played before ESO, which had poor Dev communication and a very toxic community.

Sounds like Age of Conan

I felt like there was a change when Zos installed spyware and put the crown store ad on full blast. Those weren't the best choices imo.

Maybe people just want to be heard and are tired of the same old recycled garbage zeni seem to be pooing out every 3 months

The attitudes of the in-game community is vastly different than the forum community...

I don´t think ppl have changed much. Ofc ppl come and go but this community is from different countries and platforms. Its a very representative sample. And i don´t think the world changed that much in the last 2 years so that the majority of ppl is negative now.
I first played the game 2016 for a short while, went away and came back this year where i rly started to play the game. In 2016 i had a feeling of the game like: you are free to do what you want, just have fun. Crown shop prices were fair. Game had some bugs like every game but felt very stable. And it felt like the grinding part was not so big. The game provided you smth like a safe environment where you can be happy. This feeling is gone for me, partly.
And now... Well while the game doesnt feel so stable anymore, Crown Store got a lot of weight and there are a lot of things that "force" you to do this to get that, also gold grinding is much more of an issue.. and even little things like farming for mats changed... its a terrible idea for example to make platinum dust spawn in rubedite ore nodes. This makes ppl hell of a lot more aggressive while farming.. But to sum it up: it feels like the game became much more stress and ppl are less cared for. And thats why ppl cry: pls care. And ofc the question comes up in a house full of problems where ppl feel less cared for and have on the other side much more to do: what comes next? How will this go on? Will it end?
A lot of ppl assume already that ESO will end soon. And that Zenimax just wants to sell more in cash shop before it ends. Events like the undaunted celebration only strengthen such impressions. It feels like nobody cares. It feels like it is not made for the players. It feels like it is only made to reach smth. And this makes ppl feel sad & helpless because they love their game, they want to be and feel as a part of it and they want it to go on.

Ofc this is only my onesided viewpoint and i may be totally wrong.

Rezzing this old thread I created because I couldn’t help but notice how much MORE negative the forums have become even since creating this thread. It is really demoralizing to see. ZOS has lost its way and I hope they can find it again. The constant bugs and performance issues is poison.