Where are the In-game GMs?
RageKing
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In my 6 years playing the game (or maybe 7 now) i have yet to see a GM ingame. early on there were a few streams of some ESO devs playing the game but I have yet to see any in game.
Are they all hiding, afraid to say anything in chat because they know they will be bombarded with complaints? I would like to see some devs live stream them plaing pvp, especially after a update they are so confident on releasing or testing.
Just about every other game ive played ive seen some sort of GMs in chat, there is even a load screen that lets you know that only characters with special "Z" next to their name are actual staff. Well prove to us you actually exist and start being more active in the actual game and not hide behind your desks.
Are they all hiding, afraid to say anything in chat because they know they will be bombarded with complaints? I would like to see some devs live stream them plaing pvp, especially after a update they are so confident on releasing or testing.
Just about every other game ive played ive seen some sort of GMs in chat, there is even a load screen that lets you know that only characters with special "Z" next to their name are actual staff. Well prove to us you actually exist and start being more active in the actual game and not hide behind your desks.
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Akisohida✭✭✭✭Most GMs in the game stay behind the scenes to monitor chats, look for cheaters in populated areas, and see how the game runs.
If they ran around announcing they were GMs, a few things would happen:
1. Fakes would know it's okay to announce they are GMs, because GMs now do that.
2. They would get flooded with complaints, from the legit (I had an item disappear on me) to flat-out whining about small things a player personally dislikes.
So they stay quiet until needed. It's what I've done, and everyone I've worked with has done, as an admin for many clans and games.2 -
Akisohida✭✭✭✭I can't seem to edit my post so I will add:
You never see a GM until there's a problem. This lets them get more work done.0 -
PizzaCat82✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I'm just going to reinforce the OP.
You never see a GM, at least on consoles. Even if there's a problem. I guess we don't have the issues that PC-NA have, so there's not as much of a need.0 -
Starlock✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭PizzaCat82 wrote: »I'm just going to reinforce the OP.
You never see a GM, at least on consoles. Even if there's a problem. I guess we don't have the issues that PC-NA have, so there's not as much of a need.
The bot groups I've seen would seem to indicate otherwise. I don't play this game that much anymore, but bots were a serious problem in certain zones and never seemed to get any better.2 -
Thechuckage✭✭✭✭✭When there were GMs active in the early days, they would directly respond to help tickets- in my case, broken quest.
The did not announce themselves to the zone, and the GMs chat always had the zenimax logo. So not so easy to fake by some rando in zone.
The most likely reason we don't see them anymore? Wasn't cost effective enough to have em. Would have been nice to have them when I got stuck inside a bookcase when using the blade of woe for about 4 days, but eh....3 -
Scottfree2✭✭✭Ive been playing for years, and never once have i seen any trace of a GM .. its my belief they are extinct or at best critically endangered.5
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Ghanima_Atreides✭✭✭✭✭
✭I have seen only one, long ago when the game was just released and there was a huge bot problem (trains of them farming, or camping delve bosses which at the time dropped good loot.) The GM obliterated them and was on their merry way. I think normally, even if they're around, they're invisible, but I have seen no evidence of their presence in a very long time.[The Beauty of Tamriel] My collection of ESO screenshots
Show me a completely smooth operation and I'll show you someone who's covering mistakes. Real boats rock.3 -
Tandor✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭It's common in many games these days to have game-wide GMs who log in to whichever server has the problem they're dealing with. Most tickets can be dealt with without logging in, and when they are investigating an issue such as bot reports they need to be invisible.
In past games I've played where there were GMs allocated to specific servers it tended to end up unpleasantly with accusations flying around of the GMs bending the rules for their favoured guilds. I've known disciplinary action taken in such circumstances including GMs losing their jobs over it.
As a specific point at the moment, bear in mind also that GMs are working from home these days, and developers will be reluctant to give them full access to their ingame tools when they're not in the studio.3 -
Belegnole✭✭✭✭✭I haven't seen one since beta. Of course it doesn't mean that they are not there unannounced. Even if they are not in game it wouldn't take long to jump into the game to check something out if needed.
When I used to police servers that I ran would monitor events in a god mode like invisible cameras that could go anywhere and view things in numerous ways.
Edited by Belegnole on January 14, 2021 11:53PM2 -
Lumenn✭✭✭✭✭
✭I've played for years on Xbox. I've never seen one. I honestly didn't think they had them(i vaguely remember a post years ago regarding this same subject in reference to bots). I know EQ had them back when I used to play, but I quit that after 10 years or so and by the time I started ESO i thought that was just something MMO's had dropped0 -
Faiza✭✭✭✭✭Most GMs in the game stay behind the scenes to monitor chats, look for cheaters in populated areas, and see how the game runs.
If they ran around announcing they were GMs, a few things would happen:
1. Fakes would know it's okay to announce they are GMs, because GMs now do that.
2. They would get flooded with complaints, from the legit (I had an item disappear on me) to flat-out whining about small things a player personally dislikes.
So they stay quiet until needed. It's what I've done, and everyone I've worked with has done, as an admin for many clans and games.
You absolutely cannot convince me that ZOS monitors in game chat actively. It just doesn't happen.4 -
Sergykid✭✭✭✭✭
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then the (useless) loading screen that says Real Gamemasters have [Z] icon at their name, is just fake.1. Fakes would know it's okay to announce they are GMs, because GMs now do that.
also, game is 18+, if you really get fooled in year 2021 by an admin requiring your password ...
then it's the game faults, there is no reason for players to be punished by this silence. The game should not have so many sources for complains in the first place, so there would not be a flood of complains.2. They would get flooded with complaints, from the legit (I had an item disappear on me) to flat-out whining about small things a player personally dislikes.
in WoW when you make a ticket in game, sometimes a GM even responds directly to you and solves your problem on the spot. Here not only you are ignored and bugs last forever, you also get the automatic robotic answer that doesn't help you.
just imagine what nice events would be if things would happen in zones other than just loot fests.
.Edited by Sergykid on January 15, 2021 12:13AM-PC EU- / battlegrounds on my youtube2 -
kargen27✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Very very early in the game I saw one or at least a post from one. It was a post in zone chat about keeping chat civil. It was immediately followed by players questioning if they really were a GM and the conversation degraded from there in all kinds of different directions.
and then the parrot said, "must be the water mines green too."0 -
NyassaV✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭They are either not around or seldom seen as they are in the background.Flawless Conqueror ~ Grand OverlordShe/Her ~ PC/NA | I record things for fun and for info0 -
VaranisArano✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I've seen one, once, a couple of years ago nuking bots in Silverhoof Vale, Rivenspire. I told him he missed a bot and he went back and nuked that one too.
Mind you, this was after a somewhat protracted series of complaint threads on the forums about the plague of bots that had descended on multiple instances of frequent farming spots. So ZOS may have told the guy to make a show of doing his job publicly. I dunno. In any case, public action by a Gamemaster seems pretty rare and it's impossible to tell how much they do or don't do behind the scenes.0 -
Jaraal✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I know EQ had them back when I used to play, but I quit that after 10 years or so and by the time I started ESO i thought that was just something MMO's had dropped
EQ GMs were awesome! They would regularly interact with players, throw spontaneous events, give guided tours, etc. Every year they had a GM character, an ogre named Santa Clugg, who would dress up in red and green and go from zone to zone handing out milk and cookies to everyone. Or they would become some boss character with massive HP and fight hoards of players, lol.
It was a great way to bond with the player base, and created a favorable image of management..... they showed that they were just like us and that they really cared about our gaming experience. It's a shame more gaming companies don't try to relate to their customers in similarly effective ways.
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Stridig✭✭✭✭✭
✭If I remember correctly, the last time I saw in game chat from one of them was when 1T was getting ready to kick off. We were supposed to all meet someplace or something. There were announcements made about where and when. Cant remember what the event was but I feel like it was 1T.Enemy to many
Friend to all0 -
MKintr✭✭✭They don't play it because they don't want to get tricked into the addiction spiral, they designed for us.^^0 -
adriant1978✭✭✭✭✭
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Some people enjoy their work, to the point where it can overlap with their hobbies. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the staff actually enjoy playing the game sometimes, but I doubt they are hardcore players because it's also nice to switch off and disconnect from your job.2 -
MasterSpatula✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭You saw GMs quite frequently in Star Wars: Galaxies. They'd gladly interact with players, intercede if a quest glitched and kept you from progressing, and instantly intervene in cases of abusive behavior.
It was better than what ZOS does by any sane measure."A probable impossibility is preferable to an improbable possibility." - Aristotle1 -
MsGurrl✭✭since we seem to have to GM here, is there a way to obtain the history of all items/gold sent to any particular player? if not... I'd been saying for years that all transaction from player bank/guild bank and mail should be recorded in some way
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Blacknight841✭✭✭✭✭since we seem to have to GM here, is there a way to obtain the history of all items/gold sent to any particular player? if not... I'd been saying for years that all transaction from player bank/guild bank and mail should be recorded in some way
Some other MMOs do that, like Black Desert Online.
... as far as in game gms go, there hasn't been a sighting since the Great Pig Scrap Farm
I agree that more interaction would be healthy for the community and to deal with issues like the bots on a more regular basis. For instance on Black Desert online, gms can be regularly seen during events, giving out stuff to players that show up to certain areas, or even just for being present during the event. Things like would work in favor of having a more engaging community.Edited by Blacknight841 on January 31, 2021 6:23PM1 -
Jacozilla✭✭✭✭✭GMs appearing in game disappeared right around time of the paid subscription only model being changed to FTP w/ ESO+ paid options.
Least that was my experience in the guilds I am in. (meaning I don't need to personally see a GM to count their appearance in game, long as someone I know and trust in guilds, friend list, etc spots one and lets ppl know).0 -
eso_lags✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I can't seem to edit my post so I will add:
You never see a GM.
I fixed that for you. The answer is there are no in game gms or game masters. Maybe in other games but not this one. I havent even seen the load screen about zos GMs in a long time, maybe they finally gave up the ruse.0
