Why No Ability to Directly Swap to Another Character?

FlopsyPrince · April 2019

Logging out just to go to the character screen to log back in wastes a lot of time. Why can't I just select the other character right away and go directly to whatever needs to be loaded for that character? Go through the loading, but skip the stop to the character screen.

I suspect this might also speed things up if they were in close locations, such as the riding trainer in Alinor, my goto place these days. Though I could live with a full load without the wasted time for the trip to the character list, along with the "oops I got distracted so I now have to log back in completely" time.

Browiseth · April 2019

yes, please zenizos

this is just another inconvenience that discourages playing mutliple characters. please add a quickswap soon.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · April 2019

Because the doesn't work like that?

Siohwenoeht · April 2019

I imagine that it's due to how you chars are instanced in the game. There are separate instances even for overland so your first log may put you in one, then the second log a different instance.

mairwen85 · April 2019

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

It probably could for 5000 crowns

Browiseth · April 2019

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

ok...

soooo...

what do you do when something doesn't work?

...

you fix/change it, right?

spartaxoxo · April 2019

It does work tho

IzzyStardust · April 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Logging out just to go to the character screen to log back in wastes a lot of time. Why can't I just select the other character right away and go directly to whatever needs to be loaded for that character? Go through the loading, but skip the stop to the character screen.

I suspect this might also speed things up if they were in close locations, such as the riding trainer in Alinor, my goto place these days. Though I could live with a full load without the wasted time for the trip to the character list, along with the "oops I got distracted so I now have to log back in completely" time.

I was just thinking that; this is the most annoying thing - I have literally paid for gear to avoid having to relog it takes too DAMN LONG - and I have a ssd.

I've written 2 posts in the time it takes to log out and back in.

darthgummibear_ESO · April 2019

This wouldn't even be an issue if the loading times weren't so ridiculous.

IzzyStardust · April 2019

darthgummibear_ESO wrote: »

This wouldn't even be an issue if the loading times weren't so ridiculous.

Agree - that's the problem.

Shantu · April 2019

I often wince when I think about all the time I've sat looking at a loading screen. I guess it's an investment of sorts. Still, with all the incredible technology around us, the loading screen lives on...like an old dinosaur that doesn't realize its time has passed.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · April 2019

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

ok...

soooo...

what do you do when something doesn't work?

...

you fix/change it, right?

So you are changing the question from the op? They asked "Why No Ability to Directly Swap to Another Character?". My answer is to that question.

Berenhir · April 2019

That would be too smart for Zenimax to implement. There should be no loading screens for delves as well btw. But the engine is just too old to deliver modern gaming experience.

TheShadowScout · April 2019

Because that cannot possibly work with how the game is set up. Since characters usually log out in completely different locations, have different inventories and other character data... not like this is an adventure game where the "characters" are more like premade combat archetypes with no individually special data of their own, but a "pick this one for that run" selection...

You have to properly log out with one first, then log in with the next.

No MMORPG I ever played had it any different, no matter if spellcraft or starships!

...
...maybe this is not the game you were looking for?

Androconium · April 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Logging out just to go to the character screen to log back in wastes a lot of time. Why can't I just select the other character right away and go directly to whatever needs to be loaded for that character? Go through the loading, but skip the stop to the character screen.

I suspect this might also speed things up if they were in close locations, such as the riding trainer in Alinor, my goto place these days. Though I could live with a full load without the wasted time for the trip to the character list, along with the "oops I got distracted so I now have to log back in completely" time.

Because you don't pay much attention to how this game (technically) works, do you?

Those aren't 'load screens'. They are splash screens that are presented whilst you are queueing for access into whatever channel you are entering.

What you ask for here is the fix to the FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM WITH ESO.

Nerouyn · April 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Logging out just to go to the character screen to log back in wastes a lot of time. Why can't I just select the other character right away and go directly to whatever needs to be loaded for that character? Go through the loading, but skip the stop to the character screen.

It's probably mostly a matter of convention. Login screens where you can see your characters is an MMO thing. Quick swapping directly to other characters is not a feature I've seen in any MMO. Only in MUDs.

darthgummibear_ESO wrote: »

This wouldn't even be an issue if the loading times weren't so ridiculous.

A good chunk of that is addons. I've tested that.

Unfortunately the game is nigh unplayable without them is not like they're actually optional.

More to the point, it wouldn't be an issue if things like horse feeding were account wide instead of character bound, and a big chunk of the game didn't boil down to cycling through alts doing crafting writs / collecting materials from mail every day.

Browiseth · April 2019

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

ok...

soooo...

what do you do when something doesn't work?

...

you fix/change it, right?

So you are changing the question from the op? They asked "Why No Ability to Directly Swap to Another Character?". My answer is to that question.

your answer was inadequate. it was the equivelent of saying "because that's how it is"

obviously thats how the system is right now. op's thread is about asking for it to change. when something is a problem, you change or fix it. it doesn't have to stay the same just because that's how it currently is.

richo262 · April 2019

It sure would be convenient for trial formations.

What annoys me about trial formations is if you join as a DPS but the group is having trouble finding a healer or a tank, so you offer to relog to your tank, you have to find the group again. Grouping should be account wide, not character wide. So I log off my DPS, log on my Tank, and I'm back in the group.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · April 2019

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

ok...

soooo...

what do you do when something doesn't work?

...

you fix/change it, right?

So you are changing the question from the op? They asked "Why No Ability to Directly Swap to Another Character?". My answer is to that question.

your answer was inadequate. it was the equivelent of saying "because that's how it is"

obviously thats how the system is right now. op's thread is about asking for it to change. when something is a problem, you change or fix it. it doesn't have to stay the same just because that's how it currently is.

I am fully aware of the way my answer comes off and my answer is fully adequate to the question posted in the title. If the op was asking that question, they ought to asked a different question. IE, please ZOS, let me swap toons without going to the log in screen.

DLM · April 2019

Something I'd like to understand is why, when I am asking to log out (to switch characters), am I presented with a 10s countdown that cannot be skipped and is most often followed by another 5s of game hanging out?

If I want to quit the game I can bypass this countdown. Can we get this option when switching characters too?!

Browiseth · April 2019

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

ok...

soooo...

what do you do when something doesn't work?

...

you fix/change it, right?

So you are changing the question from the op? They asked "Why No Ability to Directly Swap to Another Character?". My answer is to that question.

your answer was inadequate. it was the equivelent of saying "because that's how it is"

obviously thats how the system is right now. op's thread is about asking for it to change. when something is a problem, you change or fix it. it doesn't have to stay the same just because that's how it currently is.

Explain how I am wrong? If the op was asking a that question, they ought to asked a different question.

i'm not sure you understand what i'm saying, so let's take a step back. the OP asked, "can we make it so changing characters is faster, the current system is so slow."

your response was, as far as i can gather or understand, "no because this is just how things are and it shouldn't change because that's just how it is"

that's not a contribution to the thread. that's the purest example of being a contrarian for the sake of it.

Androconium · April 2019

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Browiseth wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

ok...

soooo...

what do you do when something doesn't work?

...

you fix/change it, right?

So you are changing the question from the op? They asked "Why No Ability to Directly Swap to Another Character?". My answer is to that question.

your answer was inadequate. it was the equivelent of saying "because that's how it is"

obviously thats how the system is right now. op's thread is about asking for it to change. when something is a problem, you change or fix it. it doesn't have to stay the same just because that's how it currently is.

Explain how I am wrong? If the op was asking a that question, they ought to asked a different question.

i'm not sure you understand what i'm saying, so let's take a step back. the OP asked, "can we make it so changing changing characters is faster, the current system is so slow."

your response was, as far as i can gather or understand, "no because this is just how things are and it shouldn't change because that's just how it is"

that's not a contribution to the thread. that's the purest example of being a contrarian for the sake of it.

Read my response then.

barney2525 · April 2019

Even if you had a switch character option on your screen, the system still has to close the current character and go to the character log-in so you can select the new one. And even if somehow they managed to have a button on the screen that had a drop down so you select the next character from your present screen, you are not going to save all that much time. The system still has to do the job of saving everything about the current character accurately, logging that character off, accessing the data for the next character that you selected, and log that character in.

FlopsyPrince · April 2019

barney2525 wrote: »

Even if you had a switch character option on your screen, the system still has to close the current character and go to the character log-in so you can select the new one. And even if somehow they managed to have a button on the screen that had a drop down so you select the next character from your present screen, you are not going to save all that much time. The system still has to do the job of saving everything about the current character accurately, logging that character off, accessing the data for the next character that you selected, and log that character in.

I would save half the time I do now, and that adds up. I might not get it swapping between the NA and EU servers, but it would save significant time even doing riding or crafting on my 6 characters on the NA server.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

Because the doesn't work like that?

Of course it doesn't, but it could. I can't remember if it was Tera or another game, but they allow you to select the next character to load when on a different one. You still have to load the character of course, but at least you avoid the trip to the character selection screen, cutting the time at least in half (or so) since loading the character selection screen takes similar time to loading the character. (It would save a significant amount of time whatever the exact stats, including not needed to reload from scratch because I didn't get back to the character loading screen quickly enough if I got distracted while it was loading.

Merlight · April 2019

Androconium wrote: »

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Logging out just to go to the character screen to log back in wastes a lot of time. Why can't I just select the other character right away and go directly to whatever needs to be loaded for that character? Go through the loading, but skip the stop to the character screen.

I suspect this might also speed things up if they were in close locations, such as the riding trainer in Alinor, my goto place these days. Though I could live with a full load without the wasted time for the trip to the character list, along with the "oops I got distracted so I now have to log back in completely" time.

Because you don't pay much attention to how this game (technically) works, do you?

Those aren't 'load screens'. They are splash screens that are presented whilst you are queueing for access into whatever channel you are entering.

What you ask for here is the fix to the FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM WITH ESO.

Load screen, splash screen, same thing different name. Server-side the character is being loaded up onto whichever server/zone/instance it will materialize in, while graphics and sound assets are being loaded client-side. Switching to another character is not much different from going through wayshrine, you'd only need to additionally send new character properties and inventory to the client.

Ohtimbar · April 2019

The world state can differ greatly from toon to toon, and that's only one of a million considerations. Quick swap could be done but it would likely be a major project.

AlnilamE · April 2019

The only game I know that does this is BDO (switching directly from one character to another). Do you play other games that do this?

It would be nice. Even if it takes the same amount of time to switch as it does now. It gives me time to go grab another coffee.

richo262 wrote: »

It sure would be convenient for trial formations.

What annoys me about trial formations is if you join as a DPS but the group is having trouble finding a healer or a tank, so you offer to relog to your tank, you have to find the group again. Grouping should be account wide, not character wide. So I log off my DPS, log on my Tank, and I'm back in the group.

Yeah, that would be nice. Guild Wars 2 does this, and BDO just started doing it recently.

Though on the other hand, I still want to one day get all my characters in the same group and take a screenshot. :-P

idk · April 2019

Because Zos chose to have it work as it is. The answer is that simple.

Xerikten · April 2019

in the beginning mmos had a 30 sec wait to log out. you could go ahead quit anyways but your toon would still be in the world for 30 secs open to attacks to all that can. you still had to wait until your other toon had logged off to log one back in.

in this game 10secs isn't too bad. if you are in a town it is instant. not really sure what all of the fuss is about.

Starlock · April 2019

It would be a nice thing to add, but it's not really a big deal. Then again, I'm not a particularly impatient person. If I am loading into an area with a high density of players, I know I have time to get up from my chair and stretch. It's good for my body, and I can grab a cuppa tea while I'm at it!

FlopsyPrince · April 2019

Did many of you even read the OP? I was not asking for "quick swap". I was just asking to be able to directly login to another character instead of having to go back to the character selection screen.

The same loading would happen (unfortunately), but it would avoid a needless step.