This may be the patch that should be released on 8.1.6 and not .5, due to recent criticism

WuffyCerulei · July 2022

So the X.X.5 version is usually the one that goes live, like 8.0.5 for High Isle to go live on PC. However, with the rather large amount of criticism and negative feedback this patch has already got, I do think ZoS may want to have an extra week for a patch, rather than taking two weeks between the .4 and .5 patches. I can't say what'll be changed on the 8.1.2 patch next week, and I have no idea if the community will like or dislike what will be done. But there may be more community-sided changes needed in the span of the now to live launch, and I can only say that an extra patch on PTS would help, rather than suddenly dropping them on live with no word for two weeks.

prof_doom · July 2022

My opinion on it is they scrap everything but the new dungeons, and then take all the feedback they've already gotten and do a serious rethink of the combat changes on a new PTS they start up after the dungeons are released.

JustAGoodPlayer · July 2022

If patch will delay but will be good, it will not be a problem. But the problem such patches do apprar shows, that people are not happy with current ingame situation, including me.

I think, that a lot of players do not like direction game goes.

Constant CP rework, dps nerfs, builds lose damage, all becomes standartizad to much and not interesting to play - not top DPS get hit, whyle top DPS not really lose damage.

Not all players like current game model : LA+Skill and they want alternate to it.

I find such thing for myself - it is HA gameplay, but it get nerfs each update, with no real reasons !

So if players will not be happy - such situation will appear again and again.

WuffyCerulei · July 2022

prof_doom wrote: »

My opinion on it is they scrap everything but the new dungeons, and then take all the feedback they've already gotten and do a serious rethink of the combat changes on a new PTS they start up after the dungeons are released.

I'm on the same boat with you on that tbh, EXCEPT the Bound Aegis buff and Atronach giving 6 people its buff on activation. Those were the only two changes I liked.

Cyber10 · July 2022

prof_doom wrote: »

My opinion on it is they scrap everything but the new dungeons, and then take all the feedback they've already gotten and do a serious rethink of the combat changes on a new PTS they start up after the dungeons are released.

This 100%. Sound logic..

Elsonso · July 2022

Actually, I am starting to entertain the idea that maybe the dev team needs to move onto a new project. They aren't fixing a lot of bugs, and seem to be making more of them. They are releasing major ground shaking combat changes, which we all know will be buggy and could require several updates to resolve.

Maybe they are bored and looking for something to do. Maybe it is time they left the game to the Live Services team to run while they go off and do something else.

Just a thought.

redspecter23 · July 2022

Whether you agree with the idea or not, this suggestion raises a valid question. It is often mentioned that we can't be told exact event start dates as things might fluctuate and that date might need to change. They'd rather be vague until they absolutely know the date and that is often between 1 and 2 weeks notice, in some situations, less than 1 week.

However, with this update, they announced the exact length of the pts cycle and the exact release day all up front. ZOS is hopefully aware that the proposed changes would be divisive, but still announced an exact date.

The two stances are very different and I'm not sure why.

MashmalloMan · July 2022

redspecter23 wrote: »

Whether you agree with the idea or not, this suggestion raises a valid question. It is often mentioned that we can't be told exact event start dates as things might fluctuate and that date might need to change. They'd rather be vague until they absolutely know the date and that is often between 1 and 2 weeks notice, in some situations, less than 1 week.

However, with this update, they announced the exact length of the pts cycle and the exact release day all up front. ZOS is hopefully aware that the proposed changes would be divisive, but still announced an exact date.

The two stances are very different and I'm not sure why.

Comes down to the workflow pipeline, what they put time towards and what money goes to what, as well as their marketing.

ZOS doesn't market events as much as they do full content drops via chapters/dlcs. Those dates need to be set in stone weeks in advance for marketing purposes, especially because they need to go through the console validation process that typically takes 2 weeks. This 2 week buffer is most likely why the PTS was extended from the standard 4 weeks to 6 weeks during covid, as well as why console dlc launches are always delayed.

Events are basically hotfixes, I doubt they need to go through the validation process and can be dropped at any time so their release dates are vague because they can be.

redspecter23 · July 2022

MashmalloMan wrote: »

redspecter23 wrote: »

Whether you agree with the idea or not, this suggestion raises a valid question. It is often mentioned that we can't be told exact event start dates as things might fluctuate and that date might need to change. They'd rather be vague until they absolutely know the date and that is often between 1 and 2 weeks notice, in some situations, less than 1 week.

However, with this update, they announced the exact length of the pts cycle and the exact release day all up front. ZOS is hopefully aware that the proposed changes would be divisive, but still announced an exact date.

The two stances are very different and I'm not sure why.

Comes down to the workflow pipeline, what they put time towards and what money goes to what, as well as their marketing.

ZOS doesn't market events as much as they do full content drops via chapters/dlcs. Those dates need to be set in stone weeks in advance for marketing purposes, especially because they need to go through the console validation process that typically takes 2 weeks. This 2 week buffer is most likely why the PTS was extended from the standard 4 weeks to 6 weeks during covid, as well as why console dlc launches are always delayed.

Events are basically hotfixes, I doubt they need to go through the validation process and can be dropped at any time so their release dates are vague because they can be.

That's as good an answer as any other and is likely why it happens. Still, it is disappointing to see one part of the game strictly timelined while other parts are given much less priority. That's part of the job leadership has with limited resources. It must be quite the juggling act.

Mr_Stach · July 2022

You'd have to plan ahead to in order to provide a timetable.

The Roadmap is Vague enough that they can bs up to the wire.

Pevey · July 2022

redspecter23 wrote: »

Whether you agree with the idea or not, this suggestion raises a valid question. It is often mentioned that we can't be told exact event start dates as things might fluctuate and that date might need to change. They'd rather be vague until they absolutely know the date and that is often between 1 and 2 weeks notice, in some situations, less than 1 week.

However, with this update, they announced the exact length of the pts cycle and the exact release day all up front. ZOS is hopefully aware that the proposed changes would be divisive, but still announced an exact date.

The two stances are very different and I'm not sure why.

That is because by the time it hits the PTS, the cake is already baked. They don't need feedback. Testing is just to make sure that things generally work. They fix obvious bugs and occasionally (very occasionally) make a few tweaks here and there. But the patch is a done deal. Activity on these forums has fallen off a cliff since the crescendo of last week, mostly because the small tidbit of communication we got just reinforced this regular cycle and told us it was time to move on.

ZOS occasionally listens to bug reports but infamously does not ever listen to feedback (or at least when they do, they so miss the mark that it is unrecognizable that they listened in the first place).

The one thing that could salvage this situation is the one thing ZOS will never do: Admit they were wrong and go back to the drawing board.

EDIT: And when I say "feedback," I don't mean just a few whiny forum posts from us malcontents. Here is the largest poll on this patch I've seen showing 4500 people (a whopping 80% of respondents) not liking the direction of this patch. They will all be ignored.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUhJo_3IuYBoYPwMMUsz8Ag/community?lb=UgkxsyvvBknd49YC6EpTn2AgulSdA8m9uEob

Lykeion · July 2022

This may be the patch that should never be released

Elsonso · July 2022

Pevey wrote: »

EDIT: And when I say "feedback," I don't mean just a few whiny forum posts from us malcontents. Here is the largest poll on this patch I've seen showing 4500 people (a whopping 80% of respondents) not liking the direction of this patch. They will all be ignored.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUhJo_3IuYBoYPwMMUsz8Ag/community?lb=UgkxsyvvBknd49YC6EpTn2AgulSdA8m9uEob

Just wanted to update saying that, as of this posting, there are 5700 responses and it is still holding at 80%.

Name of the pollster removed to avoid "naming and shaming" charges here, but I think people know who it is.

EDIT: I would be remiss if I did not mention that these polls are inherently biased, since disgruntled players are more likely to come across them than satisfied players.