My sincere apologies for a looong text incoming (add generation not supported), and to the Developer team if what follows seems as negative a posting. I have said i think this is a GREAT game and i stand by it, preordered my Imperial Edition, subbed, bought your palomino just so i can support you further, intend to stay no matter what! That however does not entail my being unable to judge some things objectively..so..

Many of the points to follow will be based on this very central principle, so i will start with this, even though i am sure you are aware. Staying power. You need to retain players, you need a steady income so as to be able to organise expenses in development and maintenance cost. This product for good or for worse, was hyped as an MMO. Despite the PR department efforts to later on label it as its own thing with online elements, its brand stayed, it has already been received, and reviewed, as an MMO. Now an MMO can have segments of various different types of players, but if it is one that has cost as much as i don't even dare imagine this one has, then said MMO needs a huge chunk of a dedicated player base. Huge chunk means the themepark player-base. RPers, hardcore PvPers, solo/casual groups are nice, but with your production values (and respectively, the numbers i am estimating you need as steady subscribers), you are talking about a themepark targetted audience. They are the predominant base, incomes-wise, i think we can agree on that much. Let us now move on to ESO and its relation to said base:

.1. Direction.

Where is the game going to? We just analysed the main chunk of your player base. Unless of course wonders occur and the niches end up adding up to more than those that would hypothetically fill your coffers. You make an ad about an incoming adventure zone, grand. Only you then proceed in doing an Ask Anything where you state players shouldn't expect every zone to be an adventure one? What kind of a message does that give? Is what is being planned aimed at everyone? Little bit for the PvPers, little bit for the PvErs? Does that mean you are -still- considering this game as an "all in, everyone can fit" type of product? Because if so, i am afraid that if i judge by your performance thus far, you will have a hell of a hard time convincing -anyone- to stay subbed.
How will you produce enough for everyone when your level of progressing is such that there are beta state bugs still on, there are four hour maint modes only just to patch a few Megs patches, there are neglects resulting in bots and account hacking being an everyday thing and still unsolved? It is a crowd that despite its age has matured quickly, they can and will judge your current performance to project the rate with which you will be able to move onwards. It so far does not look promising. So add to that the above 'confusion' about what they can expect post-Craglorn, and make your own remarks.

.2. Economy.

a) You went on and on about how ESO shouldn't have an Auction House, it shouldn't be centralised..and then proceed to making a forum post recommending an external Auction House service??? Recommending? But i thought you said...Again, what does this show, in terms of concepts set in stone, in terms of a solid vision?

b) Above standing, if an Auction House would have been potentially such a detriment, what is one to think about the bots running around farming nodes and e-selling money? What is one to think if verified botters are allowed to roam still, two full days after they have been reported? They know you are 'working on it', they do. Just do not think they will excuse you for it

c) Above standing, all these years of alpha and beta, did no one, no one think to allow for some sorting opions in Guild Stores? After years of trial and error? It is not about this being important, this third part is minor; It is about what it -states-, in regards to your foreseeing eventualities, in regards to your grasp of an online economy's everyday implications.


.3. Classes/Builds

a) Variety. With the exception of stamina-based ranger and stamina-based dual weild melees, all other builds are magicka based ones. Viable ones anyway. Emphasis on that. This means that despite current phenomena such as players running around in robes and huge two handed axes (why baby, did you even read your passives?), we will eventually 'mature' into magicka builds entailing -only- a resto staff (10% dmg bonus), or a destro staff (% penetration for PvP). No other weapons, unless we are talking about the two exceptions listed prior.
Apart from this being a very skewed way to visually represent """variety""", (everyone weilding staves except rangers, rogues and the odd tank), it is definitely a rather one sided way of handling things in a balanced and fair manner. You need to offset this by offering more stamina based -viable- builds, and better melee -non- dualweild weapons passives (to bring them on a par with dual weilders). TTK comes to mind.. Is the Thieves Guild stamina based? Do not know, but it better be. Way it is now, you are way, way off maintaining any semblance of balance.


b) Viability. MMO players dont like feeling they got the shaft. When offered X amount of possible builds, they pick one of their liking and expect to eventually be able to do something etxra with it. Offering builds that cannot be maintained for the entirety of their play is a sure way to get people disappointed. See Rift, see EQ2, see dps Warriors in vanilla wow. Choice is well and good, and i applaud the philosophy behind your current system. Said choice however needs be maintained and be of equal a worth to all others.
We do not have that here. Take 2H stamina based dps builds in ESO. Not viable. Either for PvP or PvE. One is obvious in its reasoning, for the other see above and do your extra thinking on your own. What is going to happen to all the people i see currently running around with 2Handers when they reach a point of what most deem as endgame? When realisation creeps in that again, just as for 10 years down the road now, only x builds are """viable""", so one better like one of them?

.4. Phasing/ Questing

Way it is right now, ESO makes WoW look civil. One hundred people wacking away at thin air in the hopes of getting a hit on that boss so that their quest will progress to the next step? Bad. Very bad. Either you bring the now abandoned but previously OVERHYPED choose your on instance megaserver future technology, or you split the instances further, so as to have lesser people per 'realm'. I will not suggest the third option, it being sort out your phasing, because if you phase this game any further, we won't even need people anymore. Which is not what an MMO should be about. Something however does need to be done about this. (bots are also a problem in regards to this, though problem wil persist even without them)


.5. Communication.

a) Your forums are (i dare think purposefully), structured thus so that many types of conversations and posts are simply discouraged. Takes this post..where would i put it? There is no Feedback option, i select game discussion? It splits me into crafting or PvP.. where is the feedback? Where is the Off topic? Yes, you got a lot of people so moderating it all is hard. well you also have a lot of millions poured down on you. One kinda goes with the other, so poor excuse to be honest. Someone upstairs should possibly begin considering hiring an extra few mods.

b) PR department. Many, many of the announcements, emails and ads going around remind me (in a negative manner) those of other huge brands, SWTOR coming to mind. Raving??? Who was raving exactly? And was it in 2013 perhaps, when showed a limited demo, hand picked for the journalist staff? How much are you paying them, for them to come up with this? Go have a look at the fun being made of that particular email in many forums. Please do.
On a different matter, how abreast are they of the issues at hand? Because i would have thought that before Craglorn was announced, a smart ad about bots (there's your PR damage control at work) would have been issued (remember how smartly Aion dealt with it? They made an ad, rather than pretend it wasn't happening). I would have thought that again prior to Craglorn, an ad about the incoming thieves guild could have been issued, game having balance issues as it is.


You will think i am being hard, but do consider..the clock is not ticking, ie we just launched so ease off, no, the clock HAD been ticking. Had been since the minute the first beta images and (leaked) videos came out. It is a hard genre to be in, filled with customers that have zero patience, zero intent on understanding, let alone excusing. And most often zero brains, let us be honest.
So while i once again apologise for what may seem harsh, i really do think this all need be stated. It is being stated elsewhere, repeatedly. Myself, i consider me a minority, can live with many of the above. As already stated, i find this a great game, flaws nonwithstanding. But at these production levels, it never is about the minotities, is it? Sadly
Hence this; I hope you will excuse me.