ESO Forum Improvement Survey

VaranisArano · October 2023

Jaraal wrote: »

ESO_Nightingale wrote: »

Jaraal wrote: »

ESO_Nightingale wrote: »

I would really like specific forums for classes in addition to a vampire/werewolf one.

That would be a disaster.

Example: forum moderators would likely move the Grim Focus Permaglow discussions into the Nightblade section, where only Nightblade mains would see what's going on. So, someone who mains a Templar might spend a lot of real money on a cosmetic arms pack without realizing that once they log in their Nightblade alt, the effect would be ruined because of a ZOS design decision beyond the player's control.

Something that affects the player's general immersion and pocketbook should be in the General Discussion section, where they can see the total impact, rather than just the individual class impact.

my reason for having a specific forum for classes allows it to be much easier for people playing that class to congregate, share information and for the developers to get feedback and bugs from said classes. currently the only places you can go for that on the forums are sifting through loads of posts completely unrelated to what you're looking for. your example seems pretty niche.

I completely understand, and in a perfect world that would be useful. Unfortunately, adding even more categories for forum moderators to shuffle threads around to would only compound the frustration caused by the current modus operandi. There are too many sections as it is now.

Having half of the threads in the main forum people go to for information locked and with no links to where they have been moved is unsightly and confusing. And if that's the way they plan on conducting it going forward, then having less, not more, categories to try and find where threads you posted or are interested in have been relocated to is better.

Huh? If I click on the "Moved" thread notification, it takes me to the new location.

Or if you're on the Desktop site, you can use the Participated Tab to easily find any thread you commented on. (Side Note: it turns out that if you type in the link to the participated tab on Mobile, you can access it, so I'm not sure why there's no button for it on the Mobile Site.) https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussions/participated

Unless you mean you're struggling to find them again after the "Moved" thread is off the front page of General.

Which is why I use Recent Discussions on Mobile and Participated on Desktop, but that might not be a solution that works for you.

Jaraal · October 2023

VaranisArano wrote: »

Huh? If I click on the "Moved" thread notification, it takes me to the new location.

Looks like they fixed it, then. Before today, clicking on a moved thread brought up a "Page not found" notification.

TaSheen · October 2023

Jaraal wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Huh? If I click on the "Moved" thread notification, it takes me to the new location.

Looks like they fixed it, then. Before today, clicking on a moved thread brought up a "Page not found" notification.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

TaSheen wrote: »

*sigh* @ZOS_Kevin - this is seriously compromising the usability of the forum - perhaps you need to set off fireworks under the vanilla devs' desks?

Just following up on this. We heard back from Vanilla this afternoon. This bug should now be resolved.

From this thread: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/644105/why-are-so-many-posts-being-moved-closed

Soraka · October 2023

I'm excited that we may get some updates and qol improvement for the forums sometime in the future. It's nice to see something like this where we have input.

Four_Fingers · October 2023

Thread moving to the wrong category is out of control.
Yesterday I posted a PSA that the Telvanni award was available and of course it got moved to the crown store forum
to die just because it mentioned the crown store is where you find it.

wilykcat · October 2023

I want less toxicity on the forums too. I agree with you on that one. On the other hand I don't really have an issue with the amount of moderation on the forums.

Here's why there is moderation on the forums: In order for there to be less toxicity on the forums there has to be moderators, rules, and moderation. 👍

The moderators are here not only to enforce the rules but to also help others. They make the forums are a safe environment and also they do their best to keep the forums enjoyable too. 😉

Wolfkeks · October 2023

One topic that I'd like to be added (and forgot to add in the survey of course) is a trading as a sub topic

wilykcat · October 2023

@BigMakatak

Thanks for wanting to talk to me, but I feel unconfortable doing that.

BigMakatak · October 2023

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno We should really be able to "ignore" more people, at least 500.

Freilauftomate · October 2023

I would like and option to report white knights, toxic positivity and victim blaming. There is no option for it in the menu. It's not always clear if it's "trolling" or "spam" or something else entirely, but it sure makes me angry.

joergino · October 2023

BigMakatak wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno We should really be able to "ignore" more people, at least 500.

Definitely. The current number is ridiculously low.

ZOS_Kevin · October 2023

BigMakatak wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno We should really be able to "ignore" more people, at least 500.

So this is more so a limitation of the forum software, so not sure to what extent we can change this. But we'll take a look.

wilykcat · October 2023

500 is a huge amount. The current amount is 12. I would be fine if it gets doubled to 24.

Amethyst_Unearthed · October 2023

Id like to see the forum advertised and explained how to join on the console somewhere. Very few people acctually know about it sadly.

blktauna · October 2023

I would love that the Moderators would get some better training on post editing. Honestly the things they choose to ding people for are ludricous for an 18+ forum.

wilykcat · October 2023

blktauna wrote: »

I would love that the Moderators would get some better training on post editing. Honestly the things they choose to ding people for are ludricous for an 18+ forum.

Not everything that's rated 18+ contains/allows inappropriate content and language.

The ESO game is rated 18+. This is mostly because of the in-game Justice System and violence (destroying random innocent npcs, stealing items, and that kind of stuff), but not really for anything else.

The moderators are already very well trained and they know what they are doing. It states in the code of conduct and other policies to keep the ESO websites (including the forums) clean, safe, and enjoyable for everyone. They strictly enforce the rules to ensure positive experiences. Anyone online can view these forums.

Suggesting to change Zenimax's policies are very unrealistic and unproductive. If you don't like the policies, then I would recommend contacting customer support for any questions or concerns. They are willing to explain it for a better understanding.

valenwood_vegan · October 2023

wilykcat wrote: »

Suggesting to change Zenimax's policies are very unrealistic and unproductive. If you don't like the policies, then I would recommend contacting customer support for any questions or concerns. They are willing to explain it for a better understanding.

Actually it's quite normal for a customer to suggest that a company change its policies. The entire point of this thread / survey is for people to give feedback about the forums. That would include feedback such as "I believe the forums are, at times, over-moderated" (I do). It's totally up to ZoS whether they want to take that feedback and discuss it internally, or keep things as they are.

BigMakatak · October 2023

BigMakatak wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno We should really be able to "ignore" more people, at least 500.

Off-topic, but I also meant in-game. Very few people share all of my views and opinions, thus I'd rather not interact with them.

Which brings me to another point: we should really be put into shards/instances for each zone/dungeon/delve/etc. that those whom we've ignored are NOT in. I have chat turned off anyway (too many spammers), so being in separate instances from those on my ignore-list is far more useful to me than not seeing/receiving messages from ignored users.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

BigMakatak wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno We should really be able to "ignore" more people, at least 500.

So this is more so a limitation of the forum software, so not sure to what extent we can change this. But we'll take a look.

Then I think it's time for new software.

blktauna wrote: »

I would love that the Moderators would get some better training on post editing. Honestly the things they choose to ding people for are ludricous for an 18+ forum.

Actually, in its native America, TESO is rated 17+, thus adult content isn't going to be allowed anyway, even if all of the aspects of both the main website and the forums can only be accessed by those who input a birth-date that's at least 18 years old from the current date.

blktauna · October 2023

BigMakatak wrote: »

blktauna wrote: »

I would love that the Moderators would get some better training on post editing. Honestly the things they choose to ding people for are ludricous for an 18+ forum.

Actually, in its native America, TESO is rated 17+, thus adult content isn't going to be allowed anyway, even if all of the aspects of both the main website and the forums can only be accessed by those who input a birth-date that's at least 18 years old from the current date.

By 18+ I'm referring to their silly profanity bypass, not actual adult content.
Just to clarify.

virtus753 · October 2023

blktauna wrote: »

BigMakatak wrote: »

blktauna wrote: »

I would love that the Moderators would get some better training on post editing. Honestly the things they choose to ding people for are ludricous for an 18+ forum.

Actually, in its native America, TESO is rated 17+, thus adult content isn't going to be allowed anyway, even if all of the aspects of both the main website and the forums can only be accessed by those who input a birth-date that's at least 18 years old from the current date.

By 18+ I'm referring to their silly profanity bypass, not actual adult content.
Just to clarify.

The forums are effectively rated lower (PG-13) per the mods due to the fact they’re visible to the public:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/290018/forum-mods-are-the-only-thing-that-actually-works-at-zos

blktauna · October 2023

virtus753 wrote: »

blktauna wrote: »

BigMakatak wrote: »

blktauna wrote: »

I would love that the Moderators would get some better training on post editing. Honestly the things they choose to ding people for are ludricous for an 18+ forum.

Actually, in its native America, TESO is rated 17+, thus adult content isn't going to be allowed anyway, even if all of the aspects of both the main website and the forums can only be accessed by those who input a birth-date that's at least 18 years old from the current date.

By 18+ I'm referring to their silly profanity bypass, not actual adult content.
Just to clarify.

The forums are effectively rated lower (PG-13) per the mods due to the fact they’re visible to the public:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/290018/forum-mods-are-the-only-thing-that-actually-works-at-zos

Getting dinged for using 'effin' instead of the actual word is draconian and a waste of time. Not unlike the excessive thread movement. They are pretty good at stopping baiting, which I'm thankful for, but they need some more work on alerting TPTB when the complaints about not being able to login, or vast lines of being booted from game, or other technical issues arrive. That's not them really, ZOS seems not to have an off hours emergency alert system set up but its really aggravating and as they have eyes on all the time, you'd expect them to be have the proper tool to deal with emergencies.

wilykcat · October 2023

There are different teams that handle different issues.

There are the quality assurance team that makes sure bugs are getting fixed and to make sure that other bugs don't come up.

There's a technical support/it team which handles more technical issues such as for networking, hardware, and software.

There's a customer service team that actively helps players with general problems. There are also moderators who make sure that the rules are enforced, to keep the environment safe and friendly.

There are developer teams that design, create, generate ideas, and apply updates.

There are also seperate teams (such as community managers and others) that read suggestions, ideas, and feedback from the players.

My point is that there are many employees in many variety of teams working behind the scenes on the forums. Each team has their own specialized tasks and duties they need to do.

It's not really a waste of time to snip posts as it is a very quick and easy edit. The post snipping is actually part the moderators' job.

Soarora · October 2023

Adding that it'd be nice to be able to block people who have their profile set to private.

Wolfkeks · October 2023

Soarora wrote: »

Adding that it'd be nice to be able to block people who have their profile set to private.

If you go to "edit your profile" and then to ignore list you can add people there by adding their name.
Not the best soultion but it works ^^

Hoghorn · October 2023

Wolfkeks wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

Adding that it'd be nice to be able to block people who have their profile set to private.

If you go to "edit your profile" and then to ignore list you can add people there by adding their name.
Not the best soultion but it works ^^

thank you very much for this, it should be a banner at the top of each forum

Danikat · October 2023

This is what I'd do with the forum if it was up to me.

So News & Updates, Customer Support and Guild Recruitment are unchanged (I think it's important to keep support and recruitment seperated by platform and server, because that's important info), but the 'main' sections are reduced from 22 sections to 15 and re-organised so 'general' ones are all together and ones about a specific part of the game are together, importantly I think I've done this without losing anything - every thread would still have a home and they'd still be sorted by topic.

I think that would make it easier to find things and stop so many people seeing 'players helping players' as some kind of cursed black hole where threads are sent to die just because it's further down the page.

Here's the full list of changes:

Keep Official News & Updates
Move Players Helping Players into General (next to General Discussion for greater visibility)
Delete Player Guides - guides can now go in whichever section is most relevant (e.g. build guides in Combat & Character Mechanics, dungeon guides in Dungeons, Trials & Arenas etc.)
Merge Community Creations, Fiction & Roleplaying and Events & Contests
Move the Merged Community Creations and Addons & UI Mods sections into General
Delete Quests & Exploration (topics can go in General, Lore, Players Helping Players or Dungeons, Trials & Arenas depending on what it's about)
Delete PvP Combat & Skills (topics go into Combat & Character Mechanics)
Merge Alliance War & Imperial City with Campaigns
Move Dungeons, Trials & Arenas, LFG, Alliance War & Imperial City, BattleGrounds, Crafting, Tales of Tribute and Housing into a new 'Activity Types' section (not sure on the name)
Keep Customer Support and Guild Recruitment as-is

Also I'd look for a way to make the 'recent' tab more obvious so people who just want to see everything in one giant list can do that without worrying about which section it's in.

ZOS_Kevin · October 2023

Hey All, just a reminder here. This is the last weekend to fill out the forum improvement survey. We will close it down on Monday, Oct. 30th. So if you want to share your input, please make sure to do so this weekend. Thanks all!

SimonThesis · October 2023

I forgot to add this when completing the survey, but something else to think about is how to get more people on the forums.

Right now the main motivation for making a forum account is to rant when they do something you think is detrimental to the game, which means people coming in the door are not in a happy mood to begin with. Then those same people get moderated for bashing the Devs.

Not to mention to get a forum account you have to go through customer support, which is a headache, further bringing people in a bad mood in.

Might not be a bad idea to have ingame rewards for logging into the forums. Or have like an ingame forum membership drive bypassing customer support. Maybe invite a friend to the forums campaign for some Endeavors or something.

ZOS_Kevin · October 2023

SimonThesis wrote: »

Might not be a bad idea to have ingame rewards for logging into the forums. Or have like an ingame forum membership drive bypassing customer support. Maybe invite a friend to the forums campaign for some Endeavors or something.

Just for some context on this point. We did look into this awhile ago. The unfortune answer is we just don't have the proper tech right now to make this work. Specifically the linking the game to the forum in a way to get rewards. It's something we will continue to look into, but that in particular is quite a ways off.

But to the earlier part of the question, we are looking at more ways for people to come to the forums and to meet players where they currently are. This is always in discussion and this survey will help in getting us to the next step.

Freilauftomate · October 2023

Seems strange that you can do it with twitch and amazon prime, but not with the forums.