amiiegee wrote: »

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/eso-creative-director-says-his-answer-to-crossplay-has-changed-2483443/

Just do it please

I mean they want to, but I guess it will require a lot of work on zos's end for sure
https://www.psu.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road-interview-cross-play/

Cross play would help with this in so many ways.

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sans-culottes wrote: »

KekwLord3000 wrote: »

amiiegee wrote: »

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/eso-creative-director-says-his-answer-to-crossplay-has-changed-2483443/

Just do it please

I mean they want to, but I guess it will require a lot of work on zos's end for sure
https://www.psu.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road-interview-cross-play/

Laughing at a crossplay question and then retreating behind “technical debt” isn’t a serious answer. Final Fantasy XIV began development even earlier and managed it. The issue isn’t difficulty. It’s will. Mocking the question doesn’t hide that.

Hmm. I am recalling that they previously pulled out the "first party" card with this. They would have to get XBox and Sony to agree to allow players to play together. While other games do this, my impression was that it is done by agreement, not just because the studio wants to.

If I am remembering correctly, and they are pulling out the "technical" card first, maybe it means that something has changed on the business side.

And yes, the "technical" is a serious answer. Just because Bob MMO does something does not mean that every MMO can just do it. Decisions are made, and if decisions are made that block something, work has to be done to undo those decisions. It may not be a trivial task.

sans-culottes wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

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sans-culottes wrote: »

KekwLord3000 wrote: »

amiiegee wrote: »

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/eso-creative-director-says-his-answer-to-crossplay-has-changed-2483443/

Just do it please

I mean they want to, but I guess it will require a lot of work on zos's end for sure
https://www.psu.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road-interview-cross-play/

Laughing at a crossplay question and then retreating behind “technical debt” isn’t a serious answer. Final Fantasy XIV began development even earlier and managed it. The issue isn’t difficulty. It’s will. Mocking the question doesn’t hide that.

Hmm. I am recalling that they previously pulled out the "first party" card with this. They would have to get XBox and Sony to agree to allow players to play together. While other games do this, my impression was that it is done by agreement, not just because the studio wants to.

If I am remembering correctly, and they are pulling out the "technical" card first, maybe it means that something has changed on the business side.

And yes, the "technical" is a serious answer. Just because Bob MMO does something does not mean that every MMO can just do it. Decisions are made, and if decisions are made that block something, work has to be done to undo those decisions. It may not be a trivial task.

That’s a clever sleight of hand, but it doesn’t hold.

Yes, technical debt is real. No one’s disputing that. But what’s being questioned is not whether the engine has limitations, but how those limitations are discussed, and why they’re consistently used as shields against player expectation. Laughing at a perfectly reasonable question about crossplay, then retreating behind “technical” challenges, is pure PR triage.

You mention that “just because Bob MMO can do something doesn’t mean every MMO can,” which is true in the most literal sense but is also completely beside the point. FFXIV didn’t inherit a perfectly modular codebase and a green light from Sony. It clawed its way back from a failed launch, rebuilt its architecture, and negotiated cross-platform functionality across PC, PS3, PS4, and PS5. That wasn’t magic. It was willpower and prioritization.

That’s what’s lacking here. Not engineering talent, but direction.

ZOS’s answer isn’t serious because it’s not engaging the question seriously. It’s not about whether something is difficult. It’s about whether it’s deemed worth doing. And when a player asks for crossplay and the creative director’s first impulse is to laugh, that speaks volumes about what sort of questions ZOS actually values, and what sort they’d prefer to mock into silence.

i disagree. the fact youve had so many other things and not cross play tells you actually whether they want it. if they wanted it, youd have it. you dont. this shouldnt be a 40 page discussion. its a done deal

MJallday wrote: »

sans-culottes wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

.

sans-culottes wrote: »

KekwLord3000 wrote: »

amiiegee wrote: »

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/eso-creative-director-says-his-answer-to-crossplay-has-changed-2483443/

Just do it please

I mean they want to, but I guess it will require a lot of work on zos's end for sure
https://www.psu.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-online-gold-road-interview-cross-play/

Laughing at a crossplay question and then retreating behind “technical debt” isn’t a serious answer. Final Fantasy XIV began development even earlier and managed it. The issue isn’t difficulty. It’s will. Mocking the question doesn’t hide that.

Hmm. I am recalling that they previously pulled out the "first party" card with this. They would have to get XBox and Sony to agree to allow players to play together. While other games do this, my impression was that it is done by agreement, not just because the studio wants to.

If I am remembering correctly, and they are pulling out the "technical" card first, maybe it means that something has changed on the business side.

And yes, the "technical" is a serious answer. Just because Bob MMO does something does not mean that every MMO can just do it. Decisions are made, and if decisions are made that block something, work has to be done to undo those decisions. It may not be a trivial task.

That’s a clever sleight of hand, but it doesn’t hold.

Yes, technical debt is real. No one’s disputing that. But what’s being questioned is not whether the engine has limitations, but how those limitations are discussed, and why they’re consistently used as shields against player expectation. Laughing at a perfectly reasonable question about crossplay, then retreating behind “technical” challenges, is pure PR triage.

You mention that “just because Bob MMO can do something doesn’t mean every MMO can,” which is true in the most literal sense but is also completely beside the point. FFXIV didn’t inherit a perfectly modular codebase and a green light from Sony. It clawed its way back from a failed launch, rebuilt its architecture, and negotiated cross-platform functionality across PC, PS3, PS4, and PS5. That wasn’t magic. It was willpower and prioritization.

That’s what’s lacking here. Not engineering talent, but direction.

ZOS’s answer isn’t serious because it’s not engaging the question seriously. It’s not about whether something is difficult. It’s about whether it’s deemed worth doing. And when a player asks for crossplay and the creative director’s first impulse is to laugh, that speaks volumes about what sort of questions ZOS actually values, and what sort they’d prefer to mock into silence.

i disagree. the fact youve had so many other things and not cross play tells you actually whether they want it. if they wanted it, youd have it. you dont. this shouldnt be a 40 page discussion. its a done deal

Its not a done deal, since they keep implementing new systems and even brought new servers, after claiming for years that „it wouldnt be possible and it wasnt the issue“.
You see everything is possible and its about time they start working on it.
Its needed on some servers and a solution

@ZOS_Kevin
some time ago, you mentioned in this thread that ZOS was looking into something related to this topic, but you weren’t able to give a specific statement at the time.

Since that was around six months ago—and considering that ZOS has since announced support for addons on consoles—I was wondering if you could kindly share whether there are currently any plans or considerations regarding crossplay or cross-platform functionality in the future?

Thank you very much in advance!

fizzybeef wrote: »

amiiegee wrote: »

Right so while i was traveling arround i asked myself what i am doing here ngl.
I dont understand why people come arround and wanna defend the shocking state of the population of the game so bad.
What are the benefits of that ? If im right and the population is bad and in the same way ASKING for help by zos to take action, isnt that your benefit aswell?

I play the game since release, i have seen good and bad times. And the population is in a shocking low state.

So since the person above wrote the bars themself are not a proof of anything and the other person above wrote best indicator are the undaunted places

licenturion wrote: »

The best way to measure population currently online at any point is to see how many people are around the undaunted (esp Grathwood). If it is usually very busy there, there are lots of players online.

here we go.

GREENSHADE 8:30 pm EU TIME , 6 players arround including myself



WAYREST 8:31 pm EU TIME 9 players arround including myself (1 not sure if npc or not by outfit)





MOURNHOLD 8:32 pm EU TIME 4 players arround including myself





BELKARTH wich is a hotspot for trials being hosted etc 8.33 pm EU time , 16 players arround including myself




PVP PS EU 8:34 PM


PVP PS NA who are 6-7 hours BEHIND us, so arround 2:34 or 3:34 pm time



Look guys i dont wanna offend anyone. I dont want to talk your game bad, its my favorite game aswell.
Im here because im frustrated and upset and i want the game to continue to be good.

On the server PS EU the population is really low.

If youre on another server i encourage you to compare these hotspots or the pvp bars in the same time. Since i got a PC EU account aswell for PTS sake, i know PC is on a healthy state and the PS NA server seems to be the same.

But XBOX EU and PS EU are suffering. Speaking for myself , i will not level and invest into another account.

If ESO dies on my server its done for me and i dont want that. Please do something @ZOS, take ACTION - eventually bring crossplay.

Only you know the exact numbers, what i sent were only indicators. But the indicators are suggesting the population is really low.

Wow to the effort. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I’ve been playing on PC for a while now, and honestly, it’s pretty active wherever I go.

I checked out some of the spots you mentioned, and there are usually 30+ people around—Craglorn especially is buzzing.

Cyrodiil’s pop-locked most of the time, and even Blackreach and IC are pretty lively too.

Just hoping it helps and wont be ignored 😬

People should keep in mind that eso uses megaserver technology that consolidates players into zone instances so its both possible to see lots and no players in your specific zone but this this doesn't necessarily mean that its booming or dead.

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

Rungar wrote: »

People should keep in mind that eso uses megaserver technology that consolidates players into zone instances so its both possible to see lots and no players in your specific zone but this this doesn't necessarily mean that its booming or dead.

True. But the economy seems dead right now or drastically slowed down. IF there are a ton of people playing, they sure as heck ain't spending gold.

You're just trying to sell things at the wrong price, that are over saturated from events, or have no demand. Columbine sells like hot cakes, newer motifs sell well still, but older than ithelia have dipped a ton from last event. I've sold over 6mil gold in items this week.

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

Rungar wrote: »

People should keep in mind that eso uses megaserver technology that consolidates players into zone instances so its both possible to see lots and no players in your specific zone but this this doesn't necessarily mean that its booming or dead.

True. But the economy seems dead right now or drastically slowed down. IF there are a ton of people playing, they sure as heck ain't spending gold.

In a routine week, after 11 years of playing, I spend on the average of 0 gold at any guild trader. If I play, or don't play, is not reflected in guild trader commerce. I do occasionally buy things, but it is an exception, not the rule.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

On Steam, the player count is back down to what it was in 2018. I think it was a bad idea to make Plus lack so much value by scrapping story zones. The story didn't need to be a year long. They could have told more self-contained things like Thieves Guild and Murkmire.

Is that a bad thing? 2018 was one of the best eras of eso and 2024 being like that when there's so many games out there competing seems amazing lol

As more active people as more buys/sells.

Easy math

Even though ESO is a great game they need to look at games like GW2 and their DLC model because it retains and keeps players much better than this. Instead, ESO is going the 'content pass' route and getting rid of chapters and I think it's a bad idea. Time locked chapters would have been better; or at least naming the content pass something better than '2025 content pass'. The name makes it seem so transactional. Even Destiny 2 named its time-release DLC.

ESO has always been better story and lore wise compared to many MMOs, including GW2 but because GW is an easier game for people to just get up and play, it retains players much better. It's just way more accessible to new players. Which is a shame for ESO, because as I said, this game has way more depth than a lot of mmos and the story system is amazing, and so is the level scaling quest system. But the numbers on mmo sites don't lie; the retainment of this game is low and I think it's getting worse lately.

I was thinking about why and I honestly think the game is too grindy and the barriers at early game are really off-putting. You get a ton of inventory bloat and no space. Even bag upgrades you need to go and find, and having made a new character recently, I don't even remember where bag vendors even are. They should just be purchasable in banks, or at least next to banks and easily accessible. There are so many little things like this; getting around at the start is slow, having to log in every day to get speed boosts etc is annoying. Not having a horse for the first 10 levels and the horse being barely faster than walking. Questing in early game is really an exercise in patience.

But everything is too grindy; simple things are too hard. Even selling to other players and the guild system in general is really difficult, the restrictions on guilds and the merchant bidding system means being a guild leader is basically a full time job with multiple guilds of various selling tiers etc. And so much stuff is locked behind plus or the store. It's also one of the only MMOs I know to have such a barrier to cosmetic and armory slots-- armory slots that should be account wide and are even MORE needed now when subclassing becomes a thing. Changing builds and saving builds should be more accessible than it is. They've got a discount on armory slots right now, but they're still over 10 dollars per character. And what about all the characters people have to make to use subclassing? Will they just get them to 50 and never touch them? The armory slots when purchased, should just be account wide. If I could play around with characters builds more without having to buy slots for each character, I'd make more characters. If I could play around with cosmetics more without spending a fortune I'd make more characters.

I have a feeling that a lot of people in this game have one to two characters they play, and that's it. And that makes sense; when you are forced to unlock armory and cosmetics per character, it's risky to even make a new character. Not to mention that motifs etc are character bound so even accidentally learning the wrong one on an alt can cost you thousands of dollars depending on what it is.

And so much work on ESO is done by modders, things that should be in the game already like TTC or a better barter system are all done by other people. So many qol fixes, like being able to craft efficiently or up until recently, take attachments from your mail all at once. Some of it is niche but some of it should just be in the game already, it shouldn't be people who are doing it for free to fix an aspect of the game.

Speaking of TTC, guilds are not well executed and the guild store system is not great. I can start selling to others in about 10 levels or less in GW, in ESO you need to apply to a guild, be accepted, and even then you have no idea if what you're selling is good or bad without TTC. At this point I don't know if they can fix the system given the game was designed on such a flawed system but at the moment it favors whales and people who can buy/sell and have time to run around to random vendors using TTC and it's hard for the average player to sell and make money, creating another barrier to retainment.

And the party system--grouping in general is not done cohesively-- I have a gaming group of 5 where we play MMOs and I can't play ESO with them because the group content for small groups is so lacking. We play GW2 pretty easily as a group even if, like ESO, the storylines are mostly solo, but we could never get into ESO together. It was either guilds or nothing. And I think because there are so many sub-guilds etc, people don't even chat in the guilds unless they are raiding etc. People barely chat in game at all.

I can go on and on. The inventory bloat is real; honestly the game is very unfun without plus, and I can barely craft without it.

And the store is prohibitively expensive and they don't want to hear it -- I recently got an edit for saying something relatively innocuous about it being avaricious and will probably get this edited too. I think that they made too much money for too long with the store while things were newer, better, and people had more disposable income. Now they don't and so they are scrambling to try and make the money back with stop-gaps like subclassing when the real issue is the game is just not kind to its players nor is it generous at all. People are broke and fed up and don't want to spend like they used to. Loot boxes just aren't fun as they used to be, either.

I used to be happy with this game. I used to play all the time. My SO and I used to duo all the time, he quit long before me. I only recently picked it back up to finish some storylines I was invested in but I will probably stop when my plus is gone, which makes me sad.

If this game was more generous and gave back more, it would retain players more. As it is, between the whole debacle with the STEAM plus discount thing (where I'm pretty sure it charged me twice and over-wrote my existing plus instead of extending it) and not being allowed to speak up on the forums for criticising the store model, I feel unheard and like no one cares about our opinions.

Good luck ESO, you'll need it.

The whole thing is being re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-litigated here: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/641015/any-crossplay-plans-coming-with-the-new-servers-changes#latest

Implementing cross-play after launch -- when it wasn't "baked in" up front -- will require an ENORMOUS investment by ZOS, in terms of development time and infrastructure. Does anyone seriously think the move would bring in enough extra REVENUE (from new players drawn to the game because of the addition) to JUSTIFY that investment?

The simple answer is no. And, in fact, they've been telling us no for 11 years. People just don't want to hear the answer. The economics just don't work. Otherwise, they'd have already done it.

alternatelder wrote: »

amiiegee wrote: »

PS EU 10:40 pm



PS NA 5:40 pm



this is outragous, the game is so dead on PS EU.

Pls @ZOS_Kevin can you give a statement about crossplay plans?

I don't know about EU, but here in the states, people have jobs and are typically in bed at this time during the weekdays. It's Monday...

Yes indeed we people in europe are working too
But it still appeared that the population off the game and cyrodiil was full, since there are many people living in europe and a lot of people used to play this game!

This went down quite a lot and thats what the OP was about