The Gold Road Chapter – which includes the Scribing system – and Update 42 is now available to test on the PTS! You can read the latest patch notes here: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/656454/
Good direction on communication
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Blinkin8r✭✭✭✭✭vamp_emily wrote: »I don't see the communication improvement. I see a pinned thread that seems to be active only by users.
I really don't care if zeni is active in communication unless the servers are down and we need to know when they come back up. However, I think it would be nice to have a place where players can go and see what tasks/bug fixes are being worked on. Seems like the current communication is flooded by players gibberish comments. If communication has improved, I haven't noticed it.
There's a section of the forums called "Dev Tracker." When you click on it it shows you what the Devs have been saying/replying to threads. It's almost as if it were tracking what they were saying. Crazy stuff.II Blinkin II
Xbox 1 NA
"A man without the sauce is lost, but the same man can become lost in the sauce."1 -
Dragonnord✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭You need to separate the message from the overall picture.
This time ZOS appear to have got it right. In contrast to previous years.
They have accepted there was an issue.
They have set up a clear route of communication (a pinned thread in the forum)
They have announced a timetable for responses
They have stuck to the timetable even when the messages were simply “we are still working on this. Next update in x days”.
That is communication at its best.
You point at ONE issue out of hundreds unanswered, with zero communication from ZOS.
Just because they now put a thread for the Undaunted Event that is enough?
Why there were no answers to ALL the other issues before the Undaunted Event was an issue? Why they haven't provided any answers to those issues yesterday? And the day before yesterday? And today? What about tomorrow? Will they provide updates or responses about ALL those issues tomorrow? Or communicating about the Undaunted Event makes all the other issues go away?
Would you like a list of every single issue, some of them game-breaking, that have ZOS muted and people VERY frustrated because there are no updates, not even a single word, from ZOS about them?
Oh! Wait! But there's a thread about the Undaunted Event...
SERVER: NA | PLATFORM: PC | OS: Windows 10 | CLIENT: Steam | ESO PLUS: Yes1 -
vamp_emily✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭vamp_emily wrote: »I don't see the communication improvement. I see a pinned thread that seems to be active only by users.
I really don't care if zeni is active in communication unless the servers are down and we need to know when they come back up. However, I think it would be nice to have a place where players can go and see what tasks/bug fixes are being worked on. Seems like the current communication is flooded by players gibberish comments. If communication has improved, I haven't noticed it.
There's a section of the forums called "Dev Tracker." When you click on it it shows you what the Devs have been saying/replying to threads. It's almost as if it were tracking what they were saying. Crazy stuff.
Wow.. thanks. I was looking in the wrong spot ( bug reports and 'patch notes and hot fixes').
Not sure how anyone could be upset with ESO communication, I learned a lot in the "Dev Tracker" in just a few clicks. So now, I have to agree ESO communication is good.
If you want a friend, get a dog.
AW Rank: Grand Warlord 1 ( level 49)1 -
Tandor✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭They have certainly improved their level of communication recently, which is what most of those dismissing it are likely to have been asking for.1 -
MajBludd✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭There was a post from back in August about a player that lost their progress on alliance skill lines.
Several of us tagged zos employees to try and get the player help. As of last week the thread popped back up and zos never had a response to the issue.
Thats awesome communication right there3 -
FierceSam✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭There was a post from back in August about a player that lost their progress on alliance skill lines.
Several of us tagged zos employees to try and get the player help. As of last week the thread popped back up and zos never had a response to the issue.
Thats awesome communication right there
That sounds more like poor support, which isn’t the same thing. And doesn’t sound very acceptable.
Being good at communications doesn’t mean immediately answering every question. That’s an unrealistic demand.
It does mean that when there is a serious issue, like say PC EU falling over, you develop a clear communication of information. This is about how ZOS communicate information from them to us, not about having a dialogue or conversation.
And given PC EU fell over last year as well as this year, we can directly compare ZOS’s responses to see whether they have got better at communication.
My impression is they have. Again, you/I might not like what they are saying. What I appreciate is that this time they have a much more coherent method of communicating with us.
Good communication won’t solve any of the issues that plague the game, but it will help us understand how they are being addressed.1 -
Jaraal✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Increased communication from ZOS means we are learning nothing at a much faster rate.RIP Bosmer Nation. 4/4/14 - 2/25/19.2 -
randomkeyhits✭✭✭✭✭Always room for improvement for pretty much any company. Doesn't matter that ZOS start from such a low starting point though it is sad.
What is important is that they do improve communication, they do improve consistency and they do improve clarity.
Just knowing that the undaunted event issues are forefront in their mind even if its a daily working on it/getting there type message helps a lot. As I've said in the past, leave a void and the community will fill it with their current emotive state which for this kind of thing is always negative.
Looking forwards to the end of November update posting for the performance improvements, then the December one, then....
Of course alongside communication they need to deliver whatever is being communicated.
For now I'll just wait and see.
EU PS40 -
Tandor✭✭✭✭✭
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That works both ways. They have been communicating more, which is what people have wanted. Why they bother, when this is the outcome, is another question altogether. They may not have addressed let alone resolved the particular issues that concern you, but when they do communicate that should be encouraged, not simply dismissed.Edited by Tandor on November 21, 2019 6:16PM2 -
Rescue78✭✭✭
That works both ways. They have been communicating more, which is what people have wanted. Why they bother, when this is the outcome, is another question altogether. They may not have addressed let alone resolved the particular issues that concern you, but when they do communicate that should be encouraged, not simply dismissed.
You're right it does go both ways. But just because they finally did something right for once doesn't mean they deserve praise for it. We've seen this before where they will communicate about a certain issue very well and then go right back to ignoring the 100's of threads about other issues.2 -
Ydrisselle✭✭✭✭✭VaranisArano wrote: »I appreciate getting the smaller, more frequent updates. Yes, it kinda sucks to keep hearing "No, its not ready yet, sorry" but on the other hand, the feeling of the unknown and wondering if ZOS is even working on an issue at all also really sucks.
In my experience, the discussions that take place in the absence of any updates tend to be a lot nastier than the ones about the updates. Absence of feedback tends to feed our fears and anger worse than getting periodic, if somewhat disappointing updates. I think the Undaunted Events updates and the monthly Performance Plan article are excellent examples of ZOS doing this better. Obviously we'd rather have better news, but I'll take bad news over ignorance.
I've also noticed the very recent extra effort at communication from some of the mods, notably ZOS_Nith to offer comments on posts they've read and to pass on issues when needed. That's a recent answer to a longstanding complaint on the forums that the mods mostly engage to moderate or close threads - and I hope that more mods and devs will join in by responding on threads they've read. This helps by giving us tangible evidence that our feedback is at least read and listened to, even though it may not be implemented.
This is all a new change for ZOS. I like it. Keep it up, and as we get more used to receiving regular updates, it can serve as a groundwork for better communication. ZOS, please don't go back to not updating us and leaving us ignorant.
Some ways I think ZOS can improve this communication moving forward:
The Devs and Community Managers seem to rely on players using the Dev Tracker and Recent Discussions to find updates like the Undaunted Event and the password reset issue from last weekend.
Now, you'll never get around the issue of players who just rush to the forums and post their problem without checking for similar threads or Dev info, but...
1. Unless I'm missing something, Mobile Users can't easily access the Dev Tracker through the menus. I mostly use mobile so I actually have the Dev Tracker saved as a bookmark and access it from a different tab than regularly browsing the forums. That's a workaround, but inferior to being able to access Dev Tracker through the regular forum menus. (If I'm missing something besides "use the full site", please let me know!)
2. The Official Website and in-game announcements seemed pretty slow to update compared to the Forums when it came to the Undaunted Event. I've done enough with website management to know that it's probably not as simple as it seems to update with a cancellation notice, but that's definitely an area to highlight for improvements as future events are likely to need changes and extensions unless PC/EU is fixed for real.
Again, I like the improvements to communication. I'd rather have more frequent, if somewhat disappointing updates than be left in ignorance to fear the worst. Keep it up, ZOS!
Nice to see that someone else is noticing this as well. As you say, I've never seen this kind of communication before from ZOS, I I hope they'll keep it up.
I have, and I'm not tracking the forums for 2 years yet. It didn't last more than a couple of weeks, then radio silence again.2 -
MajBludd✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭@FierceSam thread was made Aug 29th.
For 2 months zos employees were linked to the thread and in those 2 months not one zos employee responded.
That's *** poor communication, imo.2 -
Vildebill✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭And there we have another update on the performance issues. It's great to see that they keep up the communication, and hopefully will some naysayers stay a bit more positive
EU PC0 -
Zypheran✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Personally I think ZOS communication goes up and down. Over the years there have been months when they get really engaged and start responding to issues and communicating about plans to address issues. Then there are other times when they just don't talk to us at all. I suspect it has a lot to do with resources. I've always had the feeling that ZOS devs have a high workload to try accomplish within their annual timelines and when they under pressure, they really don't have the time to stop and explain to us what they are doing. Then at other times of the year, or when the company image takes a battering due to multiple failings, they are forced to re-prioritise and that's when we get communication.
So I don't see the current trend as anything particularly new or as an indication of better things to come. In a months time we could be back to staring at the Wall of Silence!All my housing builds are available on YouTube
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TeamSeinfeld✭✭✭I definitely appreciate any improved attempts at communication. However, what happened during the last event cannot happen. I logged on to play, couldn’t even find the Impressario, and had to rely on zone chat to say the event was being postponed. Should’ve been on main announcements page when logging in. Basic explanation would have sufficed.2
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vesselwiththepestle✭✭✭✭✭
✭The new post by Rich Lambert on the Activity Group Finder issues (https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/503224/activity-finder-server-performance-update) is another example of how communication has improved indeed.Edited by vesselwiththepestle on November 25, 2019 6:36PM1000+ CP
PC/EU Ravenwatch Daggerfall Covenant
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Araneae6537✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I agree with OP and appreciate having more communication. Sometimes it is not as soon as we the players would like, but then it makes sense that they need to identify the issue(s) and work out how to fix, etc., and what can they really say until that is done besides that they are aware of the problem and working on it? Knowing that there will be an informative update and fix gives me more confidence and patience when there are problems.
I hope this trend will continue and I would greatly appreciate some communication regarding other player requests and concerns — what is planned or if something can’t/isn’t going to be done and why. I especially have housing in mind in that regard as there have been several long requested things that seem like they would be relatively easy and profitable to address. I know it is impossible to make everyone happy and it would be neither possible nor desirable to address every single complaint or suggestion, but those things brought up by many people over time...
Anyway, I am not meaning to be negative, but again, agree with OP and hope this trend continues! Edited by Araneae6537 on November 25, 2019 8:55PM0 -
NBrookus✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭The level of candor from a staff member empowered to actually say substantial things is good... after 5 years of pretending problems don't happen and generic "we're investigating" and "well do better" posts. But it's only a start. This has to continue, and more importantly, has to be followed up on with action.0 -
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Blinkin8r✭✭✭✭✭
IMO the communication has improved very much. Too little too late for a lot of people.II Blinkin II
Xbox 1 NA
"A man without the sauce is lost, but the same man can become lost in the sauce."0 -
SweepsAllClowns✭✭✭✭I don't think the communication has changed much, Zenimax reacts very fast when some issues affect the majority of the playerbase or players get something for free while not intended, for example the free necromancer case. Most of the time the solution is to give the troubleshoot list, which might work, but in many cases not much effect. The moderators don't get personal, but sometimes threads are closed even there's clear and constructive questions about some issues. Also when I see the Z on some interesting thread, I already know it's most likely because of some comments have been removed and no information on topic, this annoys me sometimes very much when I'd like to have some clear information on topic.
Now my main Xbox EU account has been completely stuck for almost 9 months, I've had multiple support tickets and it really feels like it's not even any serious problem. In the last ticket I asked once again for some plan and about some missed stuff so I could still keep on playing and paying on Xbox NA server even my EU is stuck. The ticket expired after I was asked about the ports, I've asked about the ports about 3 times and never got any clear answer, the information about ports is for ESO in general and not EU and NA server separately, my NA account works so I assume EU should work also and the ports are the same for both servers. At this point my losses are monumental on EU account, all the missed events and daily rewards for example. I have 1575 cp on EU and 818 cp on NA now, most of my houses are on EU and completely useless now, so clearly this is very serious problem, or at least it should be.
I have very little motivation to once again open the last ticket or create a new one explaining the whole situation, I've thought about contacting Microsoft, but they will probably advice me to contact Zenimax support. I've also thought about sending some mail for some community manager or moderator who might actually care, that will probably just get me back to the support again. I've spent too much time and money on this game to just leave it like this, also this is still my favorite game even with all the problems. However if this situation won't get some clear solution and it's not been taken seriously, then I guarantee my constructive critisism will be taken seriously at some point, it will most likely result as my forum ban, I think I've been patient enough when the EU account has been unplayable for a full year, then it's time for some serious feedback.0 -
FierceSam✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭@FierceSam thread was made Aug 29th.
For 2 months zos employees were linked to the thread and in those 2 months not one zos employee responded.
That's *** poor communication, imo.
It's poor communication if they had specifically said they would communicate on individual threads... Your expectation is that they will respond to every thread in which they are tagged no matter how irrelevant.
That, to my mind is unrealistic. You could have people doing that all day and it wouldn't satisfy demand and would be hugely unproductive. It would accomplish nothing. The forums are not, whatever we might want, an ongoing dialogue with ZOS.
Much more effective and honest to have a single, clear, regular point of communication that allows ZOS to lay out the regularity and content of the communication and then stick to it. That way they can spend their time actually doing stuff rather than simply flyswatting whatever issue happens to be flavour of the hour for the gratification of the minuscule proportion of the game population that actually follows the forum.
Last year they produced poor communications that failed to address issues and didn't lay down a schedule that people could rely on.
This time, they pinned a post to the forum, providing a single, clear point of information; specified when they would next respond and actually stuck to the schedule. That's a communications strategy.
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