"STUDIO DIRECTOR’S LETTER: ESO’S 2022 RETROSPECTIVE & THE FUTURE"

blue_peaceful_Manticore · December 2022

Did you realy read it?!

colossalvoids · December 2022

I don't belive anymore in nothing, so i don't care

I've read it but won't believe a word until it's live and working as intended. Same with "features requested", as they always name every addition as "highly requested".

Kinda show don't tell thingy.

MafiaCat115 · December 2022

Yes

I read it, and I hope that they do as they say. If that is the case, then I look forward to what's to come. If not, then it will be more difficult to be excited for the future. I'm happy that they told us what to expect, though.

Dragonlord573 · December 2022

Yes

Imagine if the feature was ZOS finally throwing us role players a bone and gave us stuff like journals we can write (which others can read) so we can write bios and stories about our characters and stuff. Give us access to more intractable furniture in the world (like all those chairs you can't sit in at taverns and inns).

I want the RP to be put back into my G.

SpacemanSpiff1 · December 2022

Yes

i sure did.

redspecter23 · December 2022

Yes

I read it, but as mentioned above, I believe things when I see them now.

BenTSG · December 2022

Yes

Have to say, I am both hopeful and a tad worried about their change of plans for releasing this years stuff. I am at least a little excited to see what ZOS have up their sleeve.

Soarora · December 2022

Yes

I’m pleasantly surprised and overjoyed to see the return to story arcs. We will see if the writing is good or not, though. Same with bug fixes and additions. We will see…

VictorDragonslayer · December 2022

Yes

Fool me once - shame on you, fool me twise - shame on me.

Judging by how U35 was avoided, ZOS pretend that nothing happened. Well, if you can't accept your mistakes, you are destined to repeat them. Following that simple logic, I'll wait and see what ZOS will do. My yearly open beta membership subscription expires in May, so I'll have enough time to savor U37.

Fenris_Arainai · December 2022

Yes

Yes, and I don't believe less content automatically means it's better, so I'm disappointed. Time will tell.

FluffWit · December 2022

I skim read it.

Sounds lime the games wrapping up next summer and going into maintanence mode. We had a great run!

Jack-0 · December 2022

Yes

Would've been nice to have a more profuse apology for the series of colossal <expletive that rhymes with duck> ups throughout this year.

It sounds as if this might mean only 2 new DLC dungeons a year, which is disappointing if correct. I also don't trust the 'well players have been asking for this, so...' justification. We saw what that meant with AwA and literally no one asked for that to be done in that way.

themaddaedra · December 2022

Yes

The game obviously has many problems but it would be absurd imo to not read a letter where a studio director is telling next year's plans if you are still playing the game.

I'm not saying i believed every word of it or whatsoever, but if i'd reached a point where i don't even bother look at this letter i'd just drop off the ship for good.

VictorDragonslayer · December 2022

Yes

FluffWit wrote: »

I skim read it.

Sounds lime the games wrapping up next summer and going into maintanence mode. We had a great run!

You know, proper maintenance will be actually better than 4 quarterly releases followed by weeks / months of bugfixes.

Natakiro · December 2022

Yes

I really hope that the changes are actually going to fix things and not break them again. I was optimistic still even after U35 but U36 and the block bug really made me reconsider and actually didn't renew my long sub that I got last year.

I found High Isle/Galen the least interesting, story wise (the areas are beautiful though!) so I really hope the next chapter will be better. And I really would like to know what this "most requested new feature" is, as well as the new system. Hopefully it is better than Tales of Tribute; I have zero interest in a card game, I have never even done the tutorial so that the game remains locked away and unavailable lol

Hopefully the slower rollout of content will not mean them not releasing as many dungeon DLC/ those are one of my favorite activities, I always LOVE playing through new dungeons!

I know it isn't gonna be what they introduce, but I am dying for either replayable story quests on the same character (without rewards) or an option for vet overland/delves/pubdungeons. I know it was barren back on the Silver and Gold days, but I would LOVE some actual gameplay when dealing with overland enemies instead of avoiding them all; they are so basic that I get irritated when I actually have to interact with them, since the mobs all die in less than 3 seconds.

I know I am in the minority, but I am one of those people that maxes out the difficulty and installs mods to make the game harder in the single player games, so I would appreciate having the overland stuff (which is pretty much solo content anyway) that is actually engaging to SOME degree. I love ESO, but it's a little disappointing as a mostly-solo player that the only good hard content is group content. I would love some actual story content that isn't braindead difficulty; it is laughable when you are playing a zone story and you get to the main villain, just for them to die so easily and you don't even get to hear their whole speech. it would be great if they actually had mechanics and the potential to die to them. As I said, OPTIONAL so that those that like it as it is can still have fun, but those that want a little more out of it can also enjoy themselves without just hanging around target dummies and sticking solely to Trails and PVP, which means missing the story content. There is so much more variety in the overland stuff but it is sadly unengaging. I would be happy with just a damage/health boost to enemies, since a lot of bosses DO have mechanics but they go unseen since they die too fast. Nerfing myself to have fun just feels counter productive, since then I can't even engage in the game properly, like not using certain skills, or companions/summons.

ANYWAY, I am cautiously optimistic about next year; I have sunk thousands of hours into ESO and hope to enjoy the new content and fixes

Elsonso · December 2022

Yes

colossalvoids wrote: »

I've read it but won't believe a word until it's live and working as intended. Same with "features requested", as they always name every addition as "highly requested".

This actually worries me a little. I don't really trust @ZOS_MattFiror and @ZOS_RichLambert to pick a feature that is "most requested" while also not torpedoing the game for everyone who didn't request it.

rexagamemnon · December 2022

Yes

I read it, my thoughts.

1st before i say anything, over the years ive been conditioned to take much of what is said with a grain of salt.
In regards to the new quarterly content tempo, i think this is good. And i have heard from much of the community on the forum and listened to the opinions of a number of content creators; (not that i weight their opinion in regards to non-combat aspects of the game over the community’s as a whole) , and much of what i have heard has been requests for this for a while. I have read numerous people on the forum state that they would prefer the devs to skip at least 1qrtr every year to focus on bugs and performance and QoL. So good on ZOS for finally listening.

I do think that the 1chapter and done is better than 75% in june and then 25% in october for story content. This seems like a much more stable enviornment for players as they will not need to constantly gear grind every couple of months. Its less stressful and more enjoyable as you can devout more to doing more productive and enjoyable activities in game.

Im am also excited with the eta on server performance and multi-rendering, etc. etc.
im not a tech wiz, so i dont really put much constructive criticism on the devs on the subject matter. I dont think it would be completely fair for me to give anything more than a few mild comments on it. I have expertise in some subject matters, and i certainly dont want people who don’t know jack about my job or field of study try and tell me how to do it. But i will gladly answer constructive questions if they think i exhibit a deficiency in my performance or knowledge or if they want to understand something more. So in short, the only thing i can comfortable give them crap for is, “the servers are from 2012 (or older i cant 100% remember)? And No one thought to replace some of the hardware sooner?”

Admitting U36 was a complete rollout disaster, always own your mistakes. Thats one of the hallmarks of a grown-up. And i am certianly appreciative of free items in game as compensation for lost playtime bad rollouts, poor service/product in general, but a free guar pet which was nothing but a reskin of an existing in-game item; that imo wasn’t really anything special aesthetically, was kinda a slap in the face.

The devs and admin at zos have been poor about comms. And horrendeous with the Public relations. Im sure we are all too familiar with the numerous bad PR/public comments made on social media by the creative director.
Also there was nothing in the letter about the huge backlash of U35, and still no Q&A about it. The devs need to adhere to feedback more often.

Those are the big things that come to mind after reading the letter and trying to type this out on my phone while constantly being interrupted by the kids running on the house and getting into mischief and causing chaos.

On paternity leave atm, kid #3 born 12/9/2022, God is good and blessed me with another child☺️

mocap · December 2022

But one hint: this will be part one of a multi-year story arc and will contain one of the most requested new features

something with... overland difficulty?

ForumBully · December 2022

I don't belive anymore in nothing, so i don't care

The poll needs an "I read it but don't believe it" option...

Everything on the horizon is always so exciting with ZoS, and everything wrong is regrettable and will be corrected. All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.

ForumBully · December 2022

I don't belive anymore in nothing, so i don't care

Before we pop the champagne and celebrate what I'm sure will be the year everything improves like crazy, maybe someone could officially cancel the Q&A....really start the year off right and demonstrate some of that love for the community that I keep reading about.

robwolf666 · December 2022

Yes

I always read them.

acastanza_ESO · December 2022

Yes

This letter is the first thing that's actually given me hope about the state of ESO in some time. If they can follow through it'll be a big step towards getting ESO back on the right track.

Carcamongus · December 2022

Yes

Yes, I really read the letter. It wasn't very long.

Freelancer_ESO · December 2022

Yes

I read it.

I think they'll try to do what they are saying but, I'm not really sure what they are saying is as good as people might think.

If I'm not misinterpreting it they are effectively cutting two dungeons, one landmass, and a bunch of non-repeatable quests from the yearly rotation.

Elsonso · December 2022

Yes

chessalavakia_ESO wrote: »

I read it.

I think they'll try to do what they are saying but, I'm not really sure what they are saying is as good as people might think.

If I'm not misinterpreting it they are effectively cutting two dungeons, one landmass, and a bunch of non-repeatable quests from the yearly rotation.

Yup. Less stuff, same great price.

Tommy_The_Gun · December 2022

Yes

I did, but I did not liked what I have learned.

Less zones & quests + more "systems". And new "systems" are always meta and tend to break the game's balance.

And it would be naive to think that less story content will mean that the new story content will have better quality - which is also the point that many veteran players notice. The quality of writing and questing content in getting worse every year.

I have the impression that they kind um... misunderstood what ESO community wants. When I read the forums and other stuff about ESO, I have never ever seen people saying that we need less zones & story content.

People just want for the quality of the whole new story to stay at least the same level as previous year.

And when it comes to systems & mechanics - people very often say that they should improve existing mechanics instead of introducing new ones.

Quality over quantity. And previous years show us that Devs decided to go for quantity.

Darkstorne · December 2022

chessalavakia_ESO wrote: »

I read it.

I think they'll try to do what they are saying but, I'm not really sure what they are saying is as good as people might think.

If I'm not misinterpreting it they are effectively cutting two dungeons, one landmass, and a bunch of non-repeatable quests from the yearly rotation.

That was my take too. And I get it. They have a big new MMO that's been in the works for years now, and must be at the stage where they need to up the dev count. It's just a little weird seeing Firor tell me it's okay, I don't actually want as much story content in my RPG because that stuff is less desirable "one-and-done" content. What I actually want is fewer content updates each year, with less story and questing focus, and he's listened to that request loud and clear and is now delivering. I wonder if he'll also deliver a half-priced annual subscription model to go alongside half the number of content updates?

Is this what people asked for? I wonder if he's hoping people will latch on to the part where he says "no more year-long story system" and then ignore all the details.

And like... the Q3 update is now a bug fix period? That's not how devs work. You're not choosing between having devs develop more dungeons and more story content OR focus on more bug fixing and performance improvements. Those are all different job roles.

I'll reserve final judgement until we see the results, but... it's a concerning read if I'm being honest.

NotaDaedraWorshipper · December 2022

Yes

Yes? What kind of poll is this.

I read it, but I will remain sceptical to them sticking to those words until I see proof with my own eyes.

jtm1018 · December 2022

I don't belive anymore in nothing, so i don't care

Its a reminder that I will be disappointed again.

Two words, oakensoul ring!

AzuraFan · December 2022

Yes

If the 2023 chapter is on par with Morrowind for content, I'll be fine with there being no Q4 story content. If it's on par with High Isle and Blackwood, then I'll be very disappointed. I'm not one for doing the same quests over and over again, or grinding for the latest mythic or whatever. Unless the new feature he teased is something that will give me a reason to keep playing beyond the chapter story content, I might end up spending most of my 2023 gaming time (and money) elsewhere (especially with the AAA releases coming in 2023 - Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3 finally, The Last of Us on PC, and more).

I've never had the impression that most players want less story content. That part of his letter came across as "this is what we're going to do and we'll spin it so it sounds like it's what you've always wanted."

I'm not a big dungeon fan so I'm okay with only one dungeon DLC.

I'm curious about the "most requested feature." Like all things, I suspect it'll thrill some people and be a letdown to others.

Destai · December 2022

Yes

I gave a pretty thorough read.

Overall, I'm mixed and here's why:

Why I'm excited:
1. Less sweeping changes every 3 months. I really want to settle into my characters and let them grow over time. Not having so many releases is going to help me with that, will let me take a slower and more appreciative approach.
2. One monolithic expansion with a full story. So many of the earlier stories were memorable, so I am hoping a return to that glory. We'll see how that works with a new loremaster and other newer talent.
3. More repeatable systems/activities. There's been demand for better rewards and more activities, so I'm cautiously excited for whatever those are. We have dungeons, arenas, and trials, so it'd be cool to see what activities they cook up.
4. Giving us something that's highly requested. I hope it's a new class or skill line.

What I'm worried about:
1. Is the lighter release cadence in response to less development resources? We all know they're working on a new feature, so my concern here is resources are being shifted over to that.
2. Story alone will not make me pay full price for a Chapter. I see that the chapter will have some new much-requested feature, so that feature has to be rock solid at launch. And there has to be more to do than just skyshards and ~11 quests. I'm not the biggest quester anymore, I'm more focused on feeling the gameplay. So whatever it is, the chapter has to get those fundamentals correct right out of the gate. It's gotta feel like another Summerset or Orsinium for me to get excited about it.
3. Will bug fixes be solely released in Q3? I'm sure they'll do hotfixes, but my only concern is there's going to be one period for QoL adjustments per year. This slows down the game from a maturation perspective, and gives them one chance a year to do right by us. Sometimes they knock it out of the park, other times we get things like the last Skyshards update.

The Elder Scrolls Online

"STUDIO DIRECTOR’S LETTER: ESO’S 2022 RETROSPECTIVE & THE FUTURE"

"STUDIO DIRECTOR’S LETTER: ESO’S 2022 RETROSPECTIVE & THE FUTURE" 263 votes