I had that mindset but it's much harder for me to hold onto it these days. Hope you don't get burnt out like I am right now.

Important to keep in mind that most of the "doom and gloom" posts are from people who also love this game, treasure the excitement and thrills and emotions it's given them, value the friends it's helped them make, adore the artwork and world design, and look forward to exploring new zones and new stories,.

They don't post about ZOS's lack of foresight, seeming desire for change for the sake of change in gameplay, apparent indifference to player feedback, willingness to push content to live with bugs and flaws reported on Day 1 of the PTS, increasing shallowness of the Chapter stories (though the Fall DLCs have been great still), etc. because they hate the game. These are people who love the game and are hoping ZOS will listen. These are people hoping to influence a course correction. These are people who have stuck it out through all the negative they're seeing because the positive still outweighs it.

People who don't love the game don't post doom-and-gloom to the forums. They just leave. The people who are bothering to complain are, like you, people who have stuck it out.

We can all stick with ESO as long as we want, but there's always addicted players that stick around an MMO, even when it is verifiably dead. There's still players that play Ultima Online and it's been official dead for I think decades now.

Even if ESO were to officially stop live service, fans would find a way to keep it going. I don't care what anyone says, the fans will always keep the games alive.

There's lots of fan servers for a lot of "dead" MMOs out there. So it won't ever actually die.

As troubled as ESO's performance has been through the years , it does so many other things very good, so most fans tolerate it.

Sadly, they r losing some Vets and new players. Vets who are so tired of the performance and new players who are trying to play and can't log back in, then delete game and move on.

ESO could have a way more constant players right now. And the 20 million player mile stone was great, that took like 7 or 8 years ? Not bad.

But its sobering when we realize a MMO like Lost Ark achieved 20 million players in only a few days of it's debut. Not years. But in days of it's release.

Despite of any stats ESO has, good or bad. The fans , will ultimately , in the end, keep the game alive.

I'm still here as well, have been from launch with just a few breaks here and there for burn out. Though I'd hardly 'guarantee' anyone that I'll always be here.

Most of the players I knew that have left the game (just from my PoV) were end game raiders and pvpers. Some thought things were a bit stale, but most of them, especially in pvp, left because of performance. I think maybe there was a little extra exodus of those types in addition to the normal lull we see this time of year (a few months before the big new content comes out) so together it might feel like a lot, especially to players like me that have a lot of empty guild lists due to this. But anyone calling it a dead game is going a bit far - I mean, zos would probably have a much easier time with the servers if they were empty.

Fortunately for me, I've always done a variety of things in the game and didn't play for just one aspect of it. And lately I haven't done many trial runs and only pvp occasionally/casually. The rest of the game is still interesting to me, I enjoy doing quests and all that stuff that comes along with new content, I enjoy housing, etc. So even if my trial and pvp friends aren't playing, I still have other stuff to enjoy.

I will say it's frustrating the log in issues they have been having (Hopefully smoothed over soon). Not being able to get into the game is another level from just laggy pvp. And for me, as a player that can find stuff to do in the game going still even with other areas being lackluster, I wouldn't just commit myself to stick with it til the end for the heck of it. It's a company and I'm a customer, they should earn my support, not just get it no matter what because I'm a fan of elder scrolls. Toxic positivity is just as bad as negativity. We should strive to hold them accountable and improve the game, and for some customers that does mean speaking with their wallet. Doesn't mean they won't come back if they can get things together - some of those friends that have left still check in from time to time to ask about performance.

There was also a saying we always had when I worked retail - it's not the customers that are complaining you need to worry about - it's the one's that aren't and just don't come back. If someone is complaining they are at least giving you a chance to fix the problem and save the relationship. That doesn't mean they always have to get their way, but never be upset that someone is passionate enough about a product to actually offer feedback, even if it's not as constructive as it could be. Any info that can help them improve is better than just cheering them on no matter the flaws.

Sidereum wrote: »

Among a sea of "dead game", "I can't login", "ZoS is bad" and "I'm paying for this", I just wanted to express my infinite love for this game and the appreciation that I have for its creators. Thank you. While I understand that in-game issues can be frustrating, I will never forget the emotions and the fun that I experienced playing this game, and I will never ignore the fact that there are human beings working behind the scenes, and not bots. They love the game as much as we do. I will love this game forever and I will stick with it until it actually dies (and not "die" as some certified analysts are saying).

Other perspectives and feelings towards the game and the recent occurrences are legitimate, and with this post I am not implying that people who are complaining these days never in fact loved or appreciated this game or its makers, I hope this is clear, I am just expressing my own approach to ESO and its developers.

I was you once. Well, except for the "infinite love" part...

Elsonso wrote: »

I was in Devon's Watch on the first day that the game opened. If I am not at the closing party in Devon's Watch on the very last day, I am probably dead.

ESO has been a successful, if not average, niche MMO and we will see how long they can keep that ball rolling. However, I think they are having a midlife crisis, of sorts. One way to think of it is that ESO is on the cusp of a multi-year transition to either bigger and better things, or maintenance mode. Which one sort of depends on what changes they have in store for the next couple of years and how well the players respond to them.

ESO has a fairly decent player community, which ZOS feels very distant from and seems to antagonize, and they need to deal with that. They also need to step up game content and stop with the cookie cutter Chapters and DLC. They need to revisit the base game zones and update them. All of this needs to be done right, like they care about the game and the players who are playing the game.

In any case, I will still be there in Devon's Watch at the closing bell.

Still my favorite and I'm still here.

The only game comparable for me would be EQ2

I'm still here. I don't plan to resub or buy new chapter, but after having a year sub and buying all chapters and dlc's, I no longer feel what is produced is worth the money.

If I can't get in or get a login error, or I'm told I don't have a verified version or a valid connection which is 75% of the time, when I'm lagged to death in pvp, when I get dumped because of a time out now when these things happen I won't get so frustrated because I am playing for free.

I honestly never considered playing without a sub till now but it now had a lot of appeal.

Should anything ever get fixed I can reconsider but I am not hopeful after the last month.

just wait until you have a loading screen amidst a pvp fight.

There's nothing wrong with liking something. But I don't intend to support something I don't enjoy. If the OP is enjoying the game, then more power to him. But if he supports a game even though he doesn't enjoy it, well I hope that's not the message he intended.

I'm more or less of the same attitude.

There are times when the developers suggest things that put me off a bit.

I may seem like I angery post a lot in here. But I don't spend my time in the forums, I spend it in ESO (at least when it comes to any time that concerns ESO)

I have two computers that I use to play ESO. The one is a back-up, but also a set up so I can play ESO when I go on trips. I literally spent money on a gaming laptop for the singular purpose to play ESO while visiting family in South Carolina (for instance) - it works beautifully. I'm also using the laptop right now since my main computer is having heat issues. The laptop isn't much cooler in that regard (actually it runs very hot, sometimes over 95C, but the specs are built for that) but I'm hoping it holds me over until my new computer comes out.

That kind of dedication to ESO isn't a sign of someone quitting forever anytime soon. I just love getting lost in the game.

Here is my wish-list for the future:

1. A grand road-way that encircles all of Tamriel. We can already ride from Windhelm to Elden-Root, but to encircle all nine provinces in one single road trip would be amazingly epic. A single Central Skyrim zone would accomplish this, linking The Rift or Windhelm with Western Skyrim, since that is linked to The Reach which can reach Bangkorai - Bangkorai is linked to Craglorn, Wrothgar and Stormhaven so that covers High Rock, Wrothgar and Hammerfell. A Southern Hammerfell and Colovia region would also be good, closing the circle there. Southern Hammerfell could link Alik'r and Bangkorai, and Colovia would border The Gold Coast and Reaper's March in the south and Southern Hammerfell in the north. Eventually, all zones on the entirety of Tamriel are connected through roadways. I want to wander all of them!

2. pet giant praying mantises.

3. petting animation like with the dog, but for a scamp.

My wish list..

1. Please fix performance.

I feel the same about GW (the original one), that I keep playing after all those years... So I can understand OP.

Those people who complain about the game being "broken" have clearly no experience with Elder Scrolls games, Bugs are just a part of TES tradition.

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Yes, I absolutely love ESO too. I love the beautiful, aesthetic world.

I hate all the frustrating experiences. The volatile and disruptive shifts in meta. I hate the poor performance and server instability. I hate that I can't play anything that feels like an Elder Scrolls character.

I don't know crap, and I'm super aware that I'm being one of those armchair analysts right now, but I think the game's rising star is plataeu-ing. I think the Studio has moved onto other things, and while there's still a hard-working crew working very hard on ESO, I can't imagine its inspiring working with an engine that really can't support anything really new or exciting development-wise. A game that's reached the pinnacle of all the cool stuff and innovation it might ever be able to. There isn't any great new possibility, everything is just "no, our game wasn't engineered to ever do anything like that"; everything is just problem-solving, scraping the bottom of the barrel for any scrap of performance we might be able to squeeze out, managing out-of-control PR and a community that was always particularly divided in what they wanted out an Elder Scrolls MMO.

I still can't help but think back to the multiple statements to the tone of "we'll continue to support ESO as long as players are here" because it reflects begrudging obligation, not determination or excitement about the future. The IP probably makes the game still profitable enough not to want to drop entirely, but maybe there's only so much you can do with the game, and only so much will or potential behind it.