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The writing for the upcoming story content - some thoughts on the latest news article
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metheglyn✭✭✭✭✭I started playing the game after One Tamriel and the dynamic leveling, so I never experienced the zones having their own levels of crafting materials. But I have played/do play games where there are distinct levels for areas, and that includes the crafting materials, and there are pros and cons for both systems.
Indeed. I've been around back when the level of crafting materials was bound to a specific zone. It was a little impractical when my first character's crafting level was already higher than the zone he was questing in, as that meant a certain shortage of material. But then again, if one played several characters and one had already played through one faction completely, it wasn't a problem anymore, as that character could do the collecting for all other characters. Or more precisely you could collect materials of all levels (regardless of whether you had a character on that specific crafting level at that moment or not) just through one character, by just visiting the corresponding zones - and I often did so along the way when my main was going for achievements or collecting treasures from treasure maps and similar.
Since the update, if you don't have a character on a specific crafting level, there's no way to collect materials of that level anymore, which is also not ideal (at least not if one's someone who likes to create alt charactes once in a while - there's no way to pile up different material levels beforehand for that character now; apart from buying them through guild merchants, of course). Another thing, though I'm not sure if most people remember that anymore, is that changing the system also impaired the visuals a bit. It's a minor thing, sure, but I had the impression that the materials were often visually designed so they fit well into the zone/landscape they'd show up in.
You do get a smattering of lower-level materials in the daily crafting boxes, so there is at least a method of getting them. I have so many materials of all levels stockpiled in my crafting bag, I don't pay much attention to what comes out of those boxes every day, so I can't say how helpful that actually is for people.When it comes to provisioning and alchemy, which are the two biggest culprits of "it can be found anywhere," I somehow doubt that having regional specific ingredients would go over well with crafters. It would make the world seem more realistic, yes, but I don't think that's enough of a trade-off for limiting people's ability to craft more freely.
Would it make a big difference if characters can now travel anywhere freely? I don't know. Honestly, by now I have more cooking ingredients in my crafting bag than I'll ever need anyway.
While a character can travel anywhere freely, if someone is trying to complete a provisioning daily quest in Stonefalls, and they need a provisioning item that can only be found in the southern half of Bangkorai, it would be a bit of an inconvenience to travel all the way there just to find it. Not impossible, but probably not worth the time. I'm in the same situation as you: so many stacks of all ingredients (well, except for mudcrab chitin!) that I never have to think about gathering specific ones.Clockwork parts showing up outside of Clockwork is a bit messier, but I suppose I would just assume it was down to player characters taking the stuff and selling it on the outside, since we can clearly travel to and fro.
The thing is that narration-wise, all those other player characters showing up in CWC shouldn't even exist. It's still supposed to be a very rare opportunity to visit the city - and our player character, the great hero, is of course one of these exceptions - , but not a normal thing for random people to just visit CWC how ever they like. Sure, other player characters are seen by us in the game, because it's an MMO, but the story officially also says there's just one Vestige, for example, not thousands of them. "Realistically" we shouldn't even see other people being able to use wayshrines for travel, because we are the Vestige, and there's only one - but, well, it happens because it's a multiplayer game.
Which makes me wonder now if there was any way to make the player character's "special hero" status feel more unique, despite it being a multiplayer game? Be it through specific writing, or perhaps visuals that are limited to the player character (that everyone might see for their own Vestige, but not on player characters of other people), or any other means? Something that emphasizes that one's character is The Hero, and not just one of thousands of player characters that are also playing the very same story.
I know our characters are meant to be the only Vestige in the story, but since quest givers for world bosses, dungeons, and raids often tell us to "gather friends" and various lore accounts reference "a group of heroes" I figured that canonically more people than just our characters got in to, and back out of, Clockwork.
I'm not sure I'd want more attention called to the fact that my character is The Hero. Some of my characters aren't heroes at all, and it'd be strange for them to be lauded as such more so than npcs already do. But could they come up with something to do that? Probably. Would people like it? Mixed bag, I'm sure. Maybe they could give characters a special glow effect that only the player would see, so other players wouldn't see it on your character, but you would, and npcs would. Then they could sell customizable glow colors, even glitter, and...yes, I'm joking about the glow.Well, I don't know from experience, but I thought that if they saw you murder an npc, they came after you. Or that if you get caught stealing near a guard, they start attacking. I see them attacking players regularly enough, but not having been there when it started, I can't say for certain what the inciting incident might be. Regardless, they aren't there for our benefit.
Well, okay, they do aid npcs who fall victim to a crime committed by the player character, but that's the only exception. They never aid the player character when the player character gets attacked, and I'm not sure what they'd do if an npc would be attacked by an enemy npc (I think them intervening if a player character attacks an innocent npc could be directly linked to the player character being involved - as a programmed part of the game's justice system - instead of reacting to the npc receiving damage).
However they're programmed or whatever gets them to trigger their defenses, they clearly aren't there to help us. The guards are not our friends. That's why I never feel guilt for pickpocketing from them.
It's not so much that I care for that island as that I don't want filthy Worm Cultists despoiling Nirn. You know how the old saying goes: Give 'em an island, and then they'll want a continent. Besides, haven't the Argonian tribes who live there already suffered enough from colonizers?
In Death, finally everyone will be equal Everyone will dance, without exception.
Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basler_Totentanz
Well, except for the dog - the dog will remain alive
I love that image! Especially the detail of the skeleton cutting the dog free. The dog seems to be reacting like a dog would: friendly and curious, not very concerned. "Hey, Mr. Skeleton!"
Oh, that's rich, that is: claiming he's got no pride. Don't believe him! He's just trying to con you!Eh, but maybe Wormblood's brain didn't have all the words stored in it that Mannimarco was accustomed to, so he had to make do with what he had.
Maybe Wormblood was a lich after all, and his brain was already half-rotten! (Now imagine a necromantic corpse restauration ritual failing and the brought-back soul getting stuck in a body suffering from brainrot - it's a real risk, considering how many idiot cultists there are! Then again, that misfortunate individual could probably integrate into society just fine.)
But honestly, that leads to other interesting questions. If Wormblood was a lich, and Mannimarco's soul was banished back to Coldharbor, what would happen to Wormblood's body then? Would it be dead? Would it be physically restored/resurrected by the typical lich powers and Wormblood's soul could return to it? Or would it remain an empty, soul- and mindless, but living vessel? Sounds like an interesting thing to keep, and I don't mean only for a curiosity collection, but as something a Telvanni might want to study
Is there anyting a Telvanni wouldn't want to study? On the question of Wormblood being a lich already, we never did get an answer to that, did we? It was hinted at in his 'meet the character' article, I think, and then of course he could insta-rez in game, which seems to point to lich. So why couldn't his soul come back to whatever was left of his body after Mannimarco was knocked out of it? Well, let me know the results of your study on it! If that, is, you're even allowed to share such knowledge with a non-Telvanni.Gameplay trailers like that always do include bits of the playable story in them, unlike the CGI trailers we used to get for the chapters. The High Isle trailer, for example, had that showdown between the three heroes and the Ascendant Lord, but the actual in-game confrontation with him was nothing like that. So we'd know we were heading for a confrontation with the guy, but not exactly how it would play out. Those trailers were more about the gist of the story than showing actual elements of it.
Even the gameplay trailers often show things rearranged - think of the Mannimarco resurrection ritual. Though I do think this might really sometimes come down to changes of concept while developing the story. Who knows.
In any way, I think it's a pity there are no cgi trailers anymore, since I know many people really enjoyed them. I, personally, wasn't a big fan of them (never liked how the elves looked nothing like TES mer mostly, and I found many of them too action-focused with too little substance in terms of narrative content), but I think they did interest and hype a lot of people, and that had a value by itself.
In general trailers do show things out of sequence (thinking mostly of movie trailers here), so the cgi trailers weren't trailers in that sense. Well, I think they aren't even called trailers, really: cinematics, more like. Anyway, I do like the cgi trailers for what they are. Although I'm aware people don't like the way the elves look in them, I think overall the cinematics are visually quite stunning. The ones for Vvardenfell and Summerset had voiceover to them, giving them a little more narrative punch, but after that I think they did away with any voiceover. I wonder if we ever will get any of those types of trailers again.Agreed! I wonder if the author is to be found anywhere in game. Hopefully not hanging out in the IC sewers with those other two rival authors!
I read those new mount lorebooks now. I appreciate that they were added, and also found them entertaining to read (though of course I personally would have enjoyed even more in-depth explanations for these creatures and their genesis, and generally longer texts with more info; but that's just me). The number was a little lower than I had expected, but, okay, it makes sense, considering how many of those mounts fall into the feline category, so those all got the same lorebook, logically.
More information and longer lore books are always a treat, but I think the length of these fit with what they were meant to be: a short synopsis on the various mounts of the world, written by someone whose overarching life goal is to ride each type of mount at least once. I did like the one where he was chatting up a Telvanni about the kagouti and guar, but then the Telvanni got real close-lipped when he started asking about Vvardvarks and such. Oh, you Telvanni!0 -
Syldras✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭You do get a smattering of lower-level materials in the daily crafting boxes, so there is at least a method of getting them. I have so many materials of all levels stockpiled in my crafting bag, I don't pay much attention to what comes out of those boxes every day, so I can't say how helpful that actually is for people.
Ah, right. Only stacks of 10, though, I think, and they're random, so you can't get a specific type for an alt character.While a character can travel anywhere freely, if someone is trying to complete a provisioning daily quest in Stonefalls, and they need a provisioning item that can only be found in the southern half of Bangkorai, it would be a bit of an inconvenience to travel all the way there just to find it. Not impossible, but probably not worth the time.
I didn't think of that specific locations, more like making a difference between different climate zones. No bananas in Skyrim, for example. But, as I said, they would have needed to set up the game completely differently then (with all climate zones even being available for every faction), and it's much too late for that. Wouldn't make sense to redesign it now, either.
There's one normal crafting material I'm a little short on, by the way: Some low-level enchanting runes. Since those really only drop for characters who have that crafting level, and not even that often, because they share the drop chance with non-level-specific runes.I'm in the same situation as you: so many stacks of all ingredients (well, except for mudcrab chitin!) that I never have to think about gathering specific ones.
Yes, mudcrab chitin was also a little low usually, but it has gotten better since Solstice. I honestly had the feeling, several times, that rare materials were intentionally added in a bigger quantities to some new zones, to balance it out a bit. High Isle had lot of lootable giant clams, for example, dropping clam gall and mother of pearl, which formerly only dropped on Summerset, and were much rarer.I know our characters are meant to be the only Vestige in the story, but since quest givers for world bosses, dungeons, and raids often tell us to "gather friends" and various lore accounts reference "a group of heroes" I figured that canonically more people than just our characters got in to, and back out of, Clockwork.
I know that I didn't bring friends to CWCI'm not sure I'd want more attention called to the fact that my character is The Hero. Some of my characters aren't heroes at all, and it'd be strange for them to be lauded as such more so than npcs already do. But could they come up with something to do that? Probably. Would people like it? Mixed bag, I'm sure.
I didn't think of npc adressing us as "hero" all the time (I personally don't like that word much, either, as it doesn't really fit most of my characters). More like recognizing our special status or bringing it up in dialogue somehow, when it makes sense story-wise. Whether we like it, or not, our character is a special being according to the story, but strangely, it barely plays a role in many situations.Maybe they could give characters a special glow effect that only the player would see, so other players wouldn't see it on your character, but you would, and npcs would. Then they could sell customizable glow colors, even glitter, and...yes, I'm joking about the glow.
It would make sense the other way round: Removing glitter and glow from everyone else, since they're only commonersHowever they're programmed or whatever gets them to trigger their defenses, they clearly aren't there to help us. The guards are not our friends. That's why I never feel guilt for pickpocketing from them.
But what to do with all those bounty sheet furnishings?Oh, that's rich, that is: claiming he's got no pride. Don't believe him! He's just trying to con you!
I'm not sure if anyone believed him, but... he was charming, so I gave him the Totem nonetheless. If there's ever a Daggerfall remake, can it be modernized to include romance, please? Who would not love to romance this lich, or the other lich, or an Orc noble, or perhaps Emperor Uriel Septim VII (somehow he must have fathered his illegitimate son, no?)Is there anyting a Telvanni wouldn't want to study?
I don't think so.On the question of Wormblood being a lich already, we never did get an answer to that, did we? It was hinted at in his 'meet the character' article, I think, and then of course he could insta-rez in game, which seems to point to lich.
Another possible hint are those glowy eyes he sometimes has, which also look like there's some flow of necrotic energy going on, but it's also unclear if that actually has a meaning, or if it's only employed because someone thought it looks "cool".So why couldn't his soul come back to whatever was left of his body after Mannimarco was knocked out of it? Well, let me know the results of your study on it! If that, is, you're even allowed to share such knowledge with a non-Telvanni.
Maybe a soul once expelled can't return into its former body? We don't even know where it ended up, or if it was completely destroyed (not sure if that's even possible). I would have wished to see some lore on that! Well, ideally I'd like to see Wormblood return somehow (be it as a disembodied spirit or soul lingering somewhere), just to learn a bit more on the metaphysics of the Mundus. Also, introducing him as a one-time character who barely says or does a thing feels like a waste.In general trailers do show things out of sequence (thinking mostly of movie trailers here), so the cgi trailers weren't trailers in that sense. Well, I think they aren't even called trailers, really: cinematics, more like. Anyway, I do like the cgi trailers for what they are. Although I'm aware people don't like the way the elves look in them, I think overall the cinematics are visually quite stunning. The ones for Vvardenfell and Summerset had voiceover to them, giving them a little more narrative punch, but after that I think they did away with any voiceover. I wonder if we ever will get any of those types of trailers again.
I honestly don't think so. Even if we ever get a chapter (or chapter-like content) again, it's not a selling point anymore, so why advertise it?
Then again, of course, what to even advertise ESO with now? If there's an interest to attract new players, what to attract them with? People don't join a game just for the promise to be able to buy some fancy cosmetics, do they?More information and longer lore books are always a treat, but I think the length of these fit with what they were meant to be: a short synopsis on the various mounts of the world, written by someone whose overarching life goal is to ride each type of mount at least once. I did like the one where he was chatting up a Telvanni about the kagouti and guar, but then the Telvanni got real close-lipped when he started asking about Vvardvarks and such. Oh, you Telvanni!
I told you that riding Vvardvarks are a very valuable secret @Syldras | PC | EU
The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
Soris Rethandus, a Sleeper not yet awake1 -
metheglyn✭✭✭✭✭I know our characters are meant to be the only Vestige in the story, but since quest givers for world bosses, dungeons, and raids often tell us to "gather friends" and various lore accounts reference "a group of heroes" I figured that canonically more people than just our characters got in to, and back out of, Clockwork.
I know that I didn't bring friends to CWC
I did! That is, my husband and I both took our characters in at the same time the first time I ever went there. Everyone else went in solo. I just figured Divayth Fyr was busy ferrying people over. He probably was working on the idea that since he couldn't be sure a single person would succeed, he may as well bring in a hundred or more.I'm not sure I'd want more attention called to the fact that my character is The Hero. Some of my characters aren't heroes at all, and it'd be strange for them to be lauded as such more so than npcs already do. But could they come up with something to do that? Probably. Would people like it? Mixed bag, I'm sure.
I didn't think of npc adressing us as "hero" all the time (I personally don't like that word much, either, as it doesn't really fit most of my characters). More like recognizing our special status or bringing it up in dialogue somehow, when it makes sense story-wise. Whether we like it, or not, our character is a special being according to the story, but strangely, it barely plays a role in many situations.
Oh, I agree there could be more done to recognize our characters for their status. It's like how no one on Solstice seemed to know we were with the Stirk Fellowship, to the point where I actually began to doubt I even was. Same with being an Eye of the Queen. You are officially made one in the base game Aldmeri Dominion main quest, but then at some point people stop remembering that--I mean other Eyes of the Queen, since I doubt the common populace is meant to know. So if, in dialogue options, it was mentioned where it made sense, that would be nice. Same goes for other parts of our character's journey that would be known. I think that would also enhance alt gameplay, especially if you don't do all the same things on every character. Like for my main guy, who has done everything, the dialogue could be written to show that his reputation precedes him and the npc has no doubt he can get the job done. For some of my alts, who have barely scratched the surface of being heroes, the dialogue could be written to show that the quest giver has some doubts, and wouldn't ask except they really need some help, and might even wonder if the character is even up to the task. Often times npcs will say, "You look like you can handle yourself in a fight," and for some of my characters I think, "Based on what? The fact that I have a staff? That could be a walking stick, for all you know!"
Or...was that not the kind of thing you were thinking about? Also, I have no idea how easy or not it might be to write npc dialogue like that--the technical aspect of it, that is, where they recognize your character's previous accomplishments.Maybe they could give characters a special glow effect that only the player would see, so other players wouldn't see it on your character, but you would, and npcs would. Then they could sell customizable glow colors, even glitter, and...yes, I'm joking about the glow.
It would make sense the other way round: Removing glitter and glow from everyone else, since they're only commoners
Haha, true! Well, maybe someday, after ZOS implements each and every toggle people ask for.
Set up your own mercenary contract-killing business, of course!Oh, that's rich, that is: claiming he's got no pride. Don't believe him! He's just trying to con you!
I'm not sure if anyone believed him, but... he was charming, so I gave him the Totem nonetheless. If there's ever a Daggerfall remake, can it be modernized to include romance, please? Who would not love to romance this lich, or the other lich, or an Orc noble, or perhaps Emperor Uriel Septim VII (somehow he must have fathered his illegitimate son, no?)
Syldras and Mannimarco, sitting in a tree... (actually, don't know if you're familiar with that childhood rhyme/taunt). As to the quest you reference, I do think it's funny he stuck the message in your mouth. Probably to keep you from screaming at the sight of him. Or his minion--I don't imagine he delivered it personally.
I can't recall any rpg I've ever played where you could romance "the villain." (I know Mannimarco wasn't "the villain" in Daggerfall--not referring specifically to him here.) That would be different, wouldn't it? Unless it wouldn't, and it was done long ago in a game I never played. But honestly, I do enjoy romance in the single player rpgs I've played, and I think the only drawback is the choices are often too limited. So I hope you one day do get your lich romance story!On the question of Wormblood being a lich already, we never did get an answer to that, did we? It was hinted at in his 'meet the character' article, I think, and then of course he could insta-rez in game, which seems to point to lich.
Another possible hint are those glowy eyes he sometimes has, which also look like there's some flow of necrotic energy going on, but it's also unclear if that actually has a meaning, or if it's only employed because someone thought it looks "cool".
Perhaps it was that old, tired "rule of cool" getting in the way of lore again. I would hope not, though.So why couldn't his soul come back to whatever was left of his body after Mannimarco was knocked out of it? Well, let me know the results of your study on it! If that, is, you're even allowed to share such knowledge with a non-Telvanni.
Maybe a soul once expelled can't return into its former body? We don't even know where it ended up, or if it was completely destroyed (not sure if that's even possible). I would have wished to see some lore on that! Well, ideally I'd like to see Wormblood return somehow (be it as a disembodied spirit or soul lingering somewhere), just to learn a bit more on the metaphysics of the Mundus. Also, introducing him as a one-time character who barely says or does a thing feels like a waste.
It really does feel like a waste. I thought there was a lot of interesting character potential there, and also family lore for Mannimarco, which is a thing I have often wondered about. Then the lore about lichdom, or necromancy, or the way souls work. So much I would love to know about! I know Raz was pretty confident that Wormblood was destroyed but, come on, what does Raz really know about such things? As much as I like him, he's not the character I would really go to for answers about such subject matter. So...maybe Wormblood does still exist somewhere and waits in the character vaults at ZOS, to perhaps be brought back someday.In general trailers do show things out of sequence (thinking mostly of movie trailers here), so the cgi trailers weren't trailers in that sense. Well, I think they aren't even called trailers, really: cinematics, more like. Anyway, I do like the cgi trailers for what they are. Although I'm aware people don't like the way the elves look in them, I think overall the cinematics are visually quite stunning. The ones for Vvardenfell and Summerset had voiceover to them, giving them a little more narrative punch, but after that I think they did away with any voiceover. I wonder if we ever will get any of those types of trailers again.
I honestly don't think so. Even if we ever get a chapter (or chapter-like content) again, it's not a selling point anymore, so why advertise it?
Then again, of course, what to even advertise ESO with now? If there's an interest to attract new players, what to attract them with? People don't join a game just for the promise to be able to buy some fancy cosmetics, do they?
I wouldn't think so, but cosmetics are a huge draw for people already in the game. I think to advertise ESO to new players, they would emphasize the amount of content already existing as well as that new content is free going forward. Or they could put out more things like the "you belong" style of trailer, or those commercials they made showing regular people getting pulled into the fantasy of Nirn. Then when those people get hooked, they start showing them the fancy clothes and mounts.More information and longer lore books are always a treat, but I think the length of these fit with what they were meant to be: a short synopsis on the various mounts of the world, written by someone whose overarching life goal is to ride each type of mount at least once. I did like the one where he was chatting up a Telvanni about the kagouti and guar, but then the Telvanni got real close-lipped when he started asking about Vvardvarks and such. Oh, you Telvanni!
I told you that riding Vvardvarks are a very valuable secret
Everything you Telvanni know falls under the category of "very valuable secret." You're all just really very bad at sharing. 1 -
Syldras✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I just figured Divayth Fyr was busy ferrying people over. He probably was working on the idea that since he couldn't be sure a single person would succeed, he may as well bring in a hundred or more.
They could have included that into the story through dialogue, I think. Though of course that would lead to logic problems if there's no one around anymore (though I actually have the impression that CWC isn't that deserted as some other zones, for some reason)...
Then again, in the Solstice chapter we have a whole army following us through East Solstice (mentioned in dialogue all the time) that no one ever sees. Which did feel jarring to me.Oh, I agree there could be more done to recognize our characters for their status. It's like how no one on Solstice seemed to know we were with the Stirk Fellowship, to the point where I actually began to doubt I even was. Same with being an Eye of the Queen. You are officially made one in the base game Aldmeri Dominion main quest, but then at some point people stop remembering that--I mean other Eyes of the Queen, since I doubt the common populace is meant to know. So if, in dialogue options, it was mentioned where it made sense, that would be nice. Same goes for other parts of our character's journey that would be known.
I'm not only thinking about dialogue that "only" serves immersion, but actually employing our status as the Vestige - with all that means in lore, including special abilities or corporal aspects - as part of a story. We're playing a character that has a body remade from daedric matter, we can travel through way shrines, we have no soul or had our soul removed once (which might also have altered something permanently, even if we got it back) - why not employ such aspects into storytelling more often? The Vestige might be a perfect candidate for some tasks because of some Vestige-specific factors, for example. Or might be able to do things the average mortal absolutely can't do at all.I think that would also enhance alt gameplay, especially if you don't do all the same things on every character. Like for my main guy, who has done everything, the dialogue could be written to show that his reputation precedes him and the npc has no doubt he can get the job done. For some of my alts, who have barely scratched the surface of being heroes, the dialogue could be written to show that the quest giver has some doubts, and wouldn't ask except they really need some help, and might even wonder if the character is even up to the task.
I wonder if that would be still technically possible. What tracks our progress? Is it even still fully trackable per character after AwA? I think many aspects got muddled with that update.Often times npcs will say, "You look like you can handle yourself in a fight," and for some of my characters I think, "Based on what? The fact that I have a staff? That could be a walking stick, for all you know!"
Even funnier to me are dialogues that refer to physical strength. If anything, my main looks dainty and underweight - he's a powerful mage, he doesn't need physical strength to get things done. It's part of who he is and he's perfect like that. But then I come across questgivers shouting "Hey there! You look strong!" (at least in the German translation; not sure how the original is worded)... Considering there are all types of player characters, wording it differently might have fit better. (I'm aware, of course, that "strong" can also refer to non-physical aspects, but honestly, how probable is that if a stranger is shouting that at you?)Set up your own mercenary contract-killing business, of course!
With dozens of the same bounty sheets? Thinking more about it, they could add a few new ones to the collection once in a while. And instead of generic pictures they could also have done a few for antagonists of the zone stories? Only if they're known as "evil" and the guards would be seeking for them, of course.Syldras and Mannimarco, sitting in a tree... (actually, don't know if you're familiar with that childhood rhyme/taunt).
There will be no trees left once the Coldharborization of Nirn is completed! (But that doesn't matter; we'll marry in front of the Shrine of the Heart's Day Lich anyway.)As to the quest you reference, I do think it's funny he stuck the message in your mouth. Probably to keep you from screaming at the sight of him. Or his minion--I don't imagine he delivered it personally.
Yes, he usually sends minions, skeletons, zombies, all that. Though he's quite charming if you meet him in person. Not stuffing any letters into your mouth, either.I can't recall any rpg I've ever played where you could romance "the villain." (I know Mannimarco wasn't "the villain" in Daggerfall--not referring specifically to him here.) That would be different, wouldn't it? Unless it wouldn't, and it was done long ago in a game I never played.
It sounds like a fun concept (given the "villain" is an elven lich), though it needs a certain talent in writing to make it work out well. It wouldn't be the typical straightforward narration, good vs evil, etc.But honestly, I do enjoy romance in the single player rpgs I've played, and I think the only drawback is the choices are often too limited. So I hope you one day do get your lich romance story!
I'm sure a game about romancing a lich would be a huge success and sell very wellPerhaps it was that old, tired "rule of cool" getting in the way of lore again. I would hope not, though.
Well, you know I'm personally someone who cares for meaning most of all. The tendency that it's unclear if some depiction has meaning or is just some flashy, cool visual shenanigans, does bother me, increasingly.It really does feel like a waste. I thought there was a lot of interesting character potential there, and also family lore for Mannimarco, which is a thing I have often wondered about. Then the lore about lichdom, or necromancy, or the way souls work. So much I would love to know about! I know Raz was pretty confident that Wormblood was destroyed but, come on, what does Raz really know about such things? As much as I like him, he's not the character I would really go to for answers about such subject matter. So...maybe Wormblood does still exist somewhere and waits in the character vaults at ZOS, to perhaps be brought back someday.
It's another thing I'd really like to make a petition about, if petitions were allowed hereI wouldn't think so, but cosmetics are a huge draw for people already in the game. I think to advertise ESO to new players, they would emphasize the amount of content already existing as well as that new content is free going forward. Or they could put out more things like the "you belong" style of trailer, or those commercials they made showing regular people getting pulled into the fantasy of Nirn. Then when those people get hooked, they start showing them the fancy clothes and mounts.
I have been wondering how a new ESO ad would look like now. They'd probably show different facets of Tamriel (and possibly the daedric realms available in game)? Would that already suffice to attract people? Or would more be needed? But what beyond that? Random story bits of different stories don't make much sense, probably (also, I'm not sure how much one would even manage to fit into a short ad video), but I somehow can't see them advertise old chapters, either. I can't imagine a new ad for Morrowind, for example, or for Greymoor, showing up again years later. Not even if they kept showing the old ones again, with some slightly changed text (something indicating that this is one of the many stories available in ESO, instead of presenting it as the newest addition, like they did that before, when they still had the chapter model). But I know they will need to do something; how else would one attract new players?Everything you Telvanni know falls under the category of "very valuable secret." You're all just really very bad at sharing.
We've already shared the Vvardvark with the world, that's enough for the next few eras
@Syldras | PC | EU
The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
Soris Rethandus, a Sleeper not yet awake0 -
metheglyn✭✭✭✭✭I just figured Divayth Fyr was busy ferrying people over. He probably was working on the idea that since he couldn't be sure a single person would succeed, he may as well bring in a hundred or more.
They could have included that into the story through dialogue, I think. Though of course that would lead to logic problems if there's no one around anymore (though I actually have the impression that CWC isn't that deserted as some other zones, for some reason)...
Then again, in the Solstice chapter we have a whole army following us through East Solstice (mentioned in dialogue all the time) that no one ever sees. Which did feel jarring to me.
Azah did mention a couple of times that he was holding off on calling the army in because of the reapers. Well, first it was scouting reasons, then it was the reapers. However, in the end, when they're supposedly finally called in, they don't appear, which is weird. Though I think ZOS fixed the visuals of the Fellowship camp by Mor Naril, and now it actually has people in it instead of being empty like it was when I did the quest. I haven't checked that in-game; just read something about it in patch notes.Oh, I agree there could be more done to recognize our characters for their status. It's like how no one on Solstice seemed to know we were with the Stirk Fellowship, to the point where I actually began to doubt I even was. Same with being an Eye of the Queen. You are officially made one in the base game Aldmeri Dominion main quest, but then at some point people stop remembering that--I mean other Eyes of the Queen, since I doubt the common populace is meant to know. So if, in dialogue options, it was mentioned where it made sense, that would be nice. Same goes for other parts of our character's journey that would be known.
I'm not only thinking about dialogue that "only" serves immersion, but actually employing our status as the Vestige - with all that means in lore, including special abilities or corporal aspects - as part of a story. We're playing a character that has a body remade from daedric matter, we can travel through way shrines, we have no soul or had our soul removed once (which might also have altered something permanently, even if we got it back) - why not employ such aspects into storytelling more often? The Vestige might be a perfect candidate for some tasks because of some Vestige-specific factors, for example. Or might be able to do things the average mortal absolutely can't do at all.
To the wayshrine point I say that was a meaningless bit of lore being shoehorned in to explain a game mechanic that didn't need explanation. It also doesn't matter if your character has had their soul ripped out or not--they can use the wayshrines regardless of soul/Vestige status. I've skipped the Coldharbour tutorial on new characters and sent them on their way in the world without bothering with the main quest--intact soul, original body, can still use wayshrine.
But with that petty gripe out of the way, I agree that our unique status could be brought into the story more often, but in a weird way that limits people's abilities to define their character. Only my main character is The Vestige in my mind--he's the singular one who had that experience in my own lore--all my other characters exist in the world without that designation. Although technically most of them have done the main quest (because it's impossible to drop it and I want that thing out of my log!) in my mind they aren't vestiges. I understand that when one signs up to play ESO, one is tacitly agreeing to become The Vestige--that's the story being told here, after all--but that doesn't stop me from considering my other characters to not be such and I don't know how well I would like it if it was made even more core to the gameplay. That's just me, though: I do think your idea of incorporating the Vestige status more into gameply is an interesting one and could work out well.I think that would also enhance alt gameplay, especially if you don't do all the same things on every character. Like for my main guy, who has done everything, the dialogue could be written to show that his reputation precedes him and the npc has no doubt he can get the job done. For some of my alts, who have barely scratched the surface of being heroes, the dialogue could be written to show that the quest giver has some doubts, and wouldn't ask except they really need some help, and might even wonder if the character is even up to the task.
I wonder if that would be still technically possible. What tracks our progress? Is it even still fully trackable per character after AwA? I think many aspects got muddled with that update.
Some things did get muddled--though I believe they tried to correct that as far as npcs recognizing characters and ambient dialogue lines went. Quests are still per character, and I think quest completion is the main factor when npcs recognize a character, or when extra dialogue options are available (though sometimes other options come up, like proficiency with a craft, or a race-linked line).Often times npcs will say, "You look like you can handle yourself in a fight," and for some of my characters I think, "Based on what? The fact that I have a staff? That could be a walking stick, for all you know!"
Even funnier to me are dialogues that refer to physical strength. If anything, my main looks dainty and underweight - he's a powerful mage, he doesn't need physical strength to get things done. It's part of who he is and he's perfect like that. But then I come across questgivers shouting "Hey there! You look strong!" (at least in the German translation; not sure how the original is worded)... Considering there are all types of player characters, wording it differently might have fit better. (I'm aware, of course, that "strong" can also refer to non-physical aspects, but honestly, how probable is that if a stranger is shouting that at you?)
I believe it's the same in English--the 'you look strong' comment. And yeah, if a stranger is shouting that at you, it's high odds they're referring to the physical definition of strength. Unless they somehow possess the ability to see into your soul and so know of your mental and emotional fortitude.Set up your own mercenary contract-killing business, of course!
With dozens of the same bounty sheets? Thinking more about it, they could add a few new ones to the collection once in a while. And instead of generic pictures they could also have done a few for antagonists of the zone stories? Only if they're known as "evil" and the guards would be seeking for them, of course.
Look, you need to cast a wide net to get a job done right. If all the guards have the same bounty sheet, seems clear no one has been able to take out the criminal yet, which means it's probably some super-villain, which means you need to get The Vestige to take care of it, but you are the Vestige, and you're tired of contract killings, so you're hiring out to the next best person, only you haven't found them yet, so you keep posting the same ad for the same bounty sheet. There. Explained.
Seriously, some more detailed bounty posters would be fun to collect. Could have one of Estre. Naemon (one for each form). Thallik Wormfather. Angof the Gravesinger. All the various evil Tharns. Even one of our character, because it's likely someone's put a bounty on our heads!Syldras and Mannimarco, sitting in a tree... (actually, don't know if you're familiar with that childhood rhyme/taunt).
There will be no trees left once the Coldharborization of Nirn is completed! (But that doesn't matter; we'll marry in front of the Shrine of the Heart's Day Lich anyway.)
Lol...sounds like you have it all planned!I can't recall any rpg I've ever played where you could romance "the villain." (I know Mannimarco wasn't "the villain" in Daggerfall--not referring specifically to him here.) That would be different, wouldn't it? Unless it wouldn't, and it was done long ago in a game I never played.
It sounds like a fun concept (given the "villain" is an elven lich), though it needs a certain talent in writing to make it work out well. It wouldn't be the typical straightforward narration, good vs evil, etc.
Yeah, it would be interesting to see how something like that worked out. At least it would be interesting to me.
Ha, I didn't mean an entire game revolving around romancing a lich; just that it could be worked into a game where it made sense...assuming it ever makes sense!Perhaps it was that old, tired "rule of cool" getting in the way of lore again. I would hope not, though.
Well, you know I'm personally someone who cares for meaning most of all. The tendency that it's unclear if some depiction has meaning or is just some flashy, cool visual shenanigans, does bother me, increasingly.
It tends to make me think I'm not the intended audience for the material.It really does feel like a waste. I thought there was a lot of interesting character potential there, and also family lore for Mannimarco, which is a thing I have often wondered about. Then the lore about lichdom, or necromancy, or the way souls work. So much I would love to know about! I know Raz was pretty confident that Wormblood was destroyed but, come on, what does Raz really know about such things? As much as I like him, he's not the character I would really go to for answers about such subject matter. So...maybe Wormblood does still exist somewhere and waits in the character vaults at ZOS, to perhaps be brought back someday.
It's another thing I'd really like to make a petition about, if petitions were allowed here
/signed!I wouldn't think so, but cosmetics are a huge draw for people already in the game. I think to advertise ESO to new players, they would emphasize the amount of content already existing as well as that new content is free going forward. Or they could put out more things like the "you belong" style of trailer, or those commercials they made showing regular people getting pulled into the fantasy of Nirn. Then when those people get hooked, they start showing them the fancy clothes and mounts.
I have been wondering how a new ESO ad would look like now. They'd probably show different facets of Tamriel (and possibly the daedric realms available in game)? Would that already suffice to attract people? Or would more be needed? But what beyond that? Random story bits of different stories don't make much sense, probably (also, I'm not sure how much one would even manage to fit into a short ad video), but I somehow can't see them advertise old chapters, either. I can't imagine a new ad for Morrowind, for example, or for Greymoor, showing up again years later. Not even if they kept showing the old ones again, with some slightly changed text (something indicating that this is one of the many stories available in ESO, instead of presenting it as the newest addition, like they did that before, when they still had the chapter model). But I know they will need to do something; how else would one attract new players?
I really don't know what a new ad for ESO might look like, with the new seasons model. When I first learned there was going to be an ESO MMO, I said to my husband, "Really? I can't see that working out very well." He started playing it immediately (but soon gave up because of inventory management) and went back to it after One Tamriel and optional sub and that's when he dragged me in to playing it. Without his influence I never would have touched this game, because of my preconceived notions, so I'm the last person to know what kind of ad would draw in new people.
I actually don't see a whole lot of game ads anywhere. I do remember an old Rift ad where the tag line, "You're not in Azeroth anymore." That was a video game promoting that, whatever they were, it wasn't WoW, which I thought was a strange choice.
Oh yes, of course! My mistake! How generous and open-handed you all are!0 -
Syldras✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Azah did mention a couple of times that he was holding off on calling the army in because of the reapers. Well, first it was scouting reasons, then it was the reapers. However, in the end, when they're supposedly finally called in, they don't appear, which is weird. Though I think ZOS fixed the visuals of the Fellowship camp by Mor Naril, and now it actually has people in it instead of being empty like it was when I did the quest. I haven't checked that in-game; just read something about it in patch notes.
Really? Was that a bug? I thought it was just a strange design decision. Well, I wanted to replay the whole thing on another character some day, anyway, also for the ending dialogues with those allies at Mor Naril, which were also extremely bugged the first time (they were only repeating their last side quest dialogue part).
I generally find the number of bugs concerning. We already discussed how bad the Wall event last year went, but Heart's Day also had lots of bugs with animations not playing (plus choices making no difference at all left the impression that everything was unfinished somehow), and what I've read about the latest crown crates also sounded rather sad. There's a whole thread about all bugged items, and it's over a dozen, really. It had not been like that before, had it?To the wayshrine point I say that was a meaningless bit of lore being shoehorned in to explain a game mechanic that didn't need explanation. It also doesn't matter if your character has had their soul ripped out or not--they can use the wayshrines regardless of soul/Vestige status. I've skipped the Coldharbour tutorial on new characters and sent them on their way in the world without bothering with the main quest--intact soul, original body, can still use wayshrine.
It actually makes me wonder why they bound the usage of wayshrines to Vestige status in ESO, lorewise. Other TES games had teleportation shrines that could be used by normal mortals. Maybe they wanted some explanation why random npcs couldn't just travel by shrine but other means were necessary in stories? Then again, everyone seems to just teleport now, anyway.But with that petty gripe out of the way, I agree that our unique status could be brought into the story more often, but in a weird way that limits people's abilities to define their character. Only my main character is The Vestige in my mind--he's the singular one who had that experience in my own lore--all my other characters exist in the world without that designation. Although technically most of them have done the main quest (because it's impossible to drop it and I want that thing out of my log!) in my mind they aren't vestiges. I understand that when one signs up to play ESO, one is tacitly agreeing to become The Vestige--that's the story being told here, after all--but that doesn't stop me from considering my other characters to not be such and I don't know how well I would like it if it was made even more core to the gameplay. That's just me, though: I do think your idea of incorporating the Vestige status more into gameply is an interesting one and could work out well.
It's just strange that this is the one basic point that ESO defines for our character's background for the story (whether one likes it or not), but it doesn't really seem to have any meaning beyond the base game main quest, and even there, it mostly just matters during the end fight.
Is it still possible to avoid the Coldharbor intro, by the way (and if yes, how does a character start that story later - or, worded differently, is it even still possible for a newly created character right now not to begin the game as the Vestige)? I'm not sure about it since they decided to make in the standard again after trashing Balfiera and the room of portals. Which to me looked like a deliberate choice to clearly set the player character's Vestige background as the starting point of ESO - while having the different chapter tutorials meant you could very easily play a non-Vestige for a long time, or never become the Vestige at all.I believe it's the same in English--the 'you look strong' comment. And yeah, if a stranger is shouting that at you, it's high odds they're referring to the physical definition of strength. Unless they somehow possess the ability to see into your soul and so know of your mental and emotional fortitude.
Or maybe they're so terrified they could anger a Telvanni, so they come up with the first compliment that comes to their mind.Look, you need to cast a wide net to get a job done right. If all the guards have the same bounty sheet, seems clear no one has been able to take out the criminal yet, which means it's probably some super-villain, which means you need to get The Vestige to take care of it, but you are the Vestige, and you're tired of contract killings, so you're hiring out to the next best person, only you haven't found them yet, so you keep posting the same ad for the same bounty sheet. There. Explained.
Maybe these individuals don't even exist and the guards are just trying to look busy.Seriously, some more detailed bounty posters would be fun to collect. Could have one of Estre. Naemon (one for each form). Thallik Wormfather. Angof the Gravesinger. All the various evil Tharns. Even one of our character, because it's likely someone's put a bounty on our heads!
While technically having one for the player character is probably impossible, I'd honestly love to see them add those you mentioned, to guards of the respective zones (or do they all share the same possible inventory for drops?).Lol...sounds like you have it all planned!
Well... not everything. I checked that children's rhyme manual you mentioned, and it mentions "a baby". Where would we get a baby from, there are no children in Tamriel! Could we maybe just kidnap an adult Bosmer? Then again, what would an immortal lich even need a heir for?Yeah, it would be interesting to see how something like that worked out. At least it would be interesting to me.
I'm personally also always interested in unconventional concepts, but I do wonder if a reasonable number of people would share that interest, to make it worthwhile for the writers to come up with something like that.Ha, I didn't mean an entire game revolving around romancing a lich;
Why not?just that it could be worked into a game where it made sense...assuming it ever makes sense!
I mean, why not, for real. "Lich" doesn't necessarily mean it's (still) an evil character (and even if it was, I'm not sure if that's really a problem). We've even already come across non-evil liches in ESO. They could even introduce one as a companion. Not sure how many other players would enjoy that, but I know I would (if well-written and an interesting character)It tends to make me think I'm not the intended audience for the material.
Yes, indeed. Sadly, there is an increasing number of aspects in ESO, especially also about the writing, where I get the feeling that I don't seem to be the intended target group. Of course I understand that a big MMO needs to cater to different interests and provide, at best, content for all kinds of different people, but if the whole direction starts to feel off, it's a problem. For me it's mostly the simplification tendency we've seen over the years. More simple, one-note characters, simpler stories without turns of events or complicated decisions that make you think, simple morals and writing that presents story events as some kind of "lesson", puzzles that aren't really puzzles but just randomly clicking an item, even the speech style seems to have become less complex for many characters, and almost everyone sounds the same anyway.
Actually that example with the character saying "tank" during the Heart's Week quest is also such an example - the story would have worked very well without using a real world word. But that they chose to use that one, and didn't try to paraphrase it in a way that fits the lore and world instead, left the impression they don't believe the average player to have even the slightest abstraction skills, to be able to understand it without it being completely the same as in the real world. And that's rather sad because I think that's a huge underestimation of the playerbase's intellect.
There's actually a term for that (that already exists for a long time; it came up in the movie business in the 1930's): dumbing down. Heavily simplifying an existing work (removing nuance, complexity, difficult situations/questions/themes,...), because of the idea to appeal to a very broad audience, including people of little intelligence and education. A definition that doesn't sound nice, I guess, but the impression these simplifications leave to me also doesn't exactly feel nice, so I guess it fits. I think no one is happy about being treated as much less intelligent than one actually is, which basically comes across like infantilization; even if that might not have been the intention (even if the intention might have actually been a positive one - about being able to appeal to almost everyone).I really don't know what a new ad for ESO might look like, with the new seasons model. When I first learned there was going to be an ESO MMO, I said to my husband, "Really? I can't see that working out very well." He started playing it immediately (but soon gave up because of inventory management) and went back to it after One Tamriel and optional sub and that's when he dragged me in to playing it. Without his influence I never would have touched this game, because of my preconceived notions, so I'm the last person to know what kind of ad would draw in new people.
I was also sceptical at first. I also wondered if there were really enough players interested in a TES MMO. At least I had never seen people suggesting something like that. Sure, there were people who wished for a 2-person coop mode for a singleplayer TES game, but that's a different thing compared to an MMO. I still gave it a try - after almost 2 years. And I liked the stories so much, as well as the fact that I could just play it as a normal rpg, so I stayed. Then we got the wonderful additions to the world that were Morrowind, CWC and Summerset. I also liked the world building of Elsweyr, and Greymoor was also an entertaining story. Honestly, without that good start with the base game and the first few chapters, I'm not sure if I had stayed here. If I imagine my first year would have been High Isle - possibly not. The first impression is an important one.I actually don't see a whole lot of game ads anywhere. I do remember an old Rift ad where the tag line, "You're not in Azeroth anymore." That was a video game promoting that, whatever they were, it wasn't WoW, which I thought was a strange choice.
I do come across video game ads on Youtube and Reddit (if I take a look at the latter, irregularly), but most aren't really interesting, to be honest. It's often some "cool" flashy effects instead of anything meaningful, so of course it doesn't appeal to me. Not saying that to be snobby, but because "cool" visuals without any story background genuinely don't catch my attention/interest. No meaning = boring. That's the simple truth for me.Oh yes, of course! My mistake! How generous and open-handed you all are!
We also gave you the spore horse, that no one knows and no one wants
Edited by Syldras on March 21, 2026 1:14PM@Syldras | PC | EU
The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
Soris Rethandus, a Sleeper not yet awake0 -
metheglyn✭✭✭✭✭Azah did mention a couple of times that he was holding off on calling the army in because of the reapers. Well, first it was scouting reasons, then it was the reapers. However, in the end, when they're supposedly finally called in, they don't appear, which is weird. Though I think ZOS fixed the visuals of the Fellowship camp by Mor Naril, and now it actually has people in it instead of being empty like it was when I did the quest. I haven't checked that in-game; just read something about it in patch notes.
Really? Was that a bug? I thought it was just a strange design decision. Well, I wanted to replay the whole thing on another character some day, anyway, also for the ending dialogues with those allies at Mor Naril, which were also extremely bugged the first time (they were only repeating their last side quest dialogue part).
I generally find the number of bugs concerning. We already discussed how bad the Wall event last year went, but Heart's Day also had lots of bugs with animations not playing (plus choices making no difference at all left the impression that everything was unfinished somehow), and what I've read about the latest crown crates also sounded rather sad. There's a whole thread about all bugged items, and it's over a dozen, really. It had not been like that before, had it?
I don't recall crown crate items being so bugged before; it's really unfortunate that has happened. I'm really hoping ZOS has figured out a release cadence for quests going forward that allows them more time to do quality control checks--or respond to issues brought up on PTS.To the wayshrine point I say that was a meaningless bit of lore being shoehorned in to explain a game mechanic that didn't need explanation. It also doesn't matter if your character has had their soul ripped out or not--they can use the wayshrines regardless of soul/Vestige status. I've skipped the Coldharbour tutorial on new characters and sent them on their way in the world without bothering with the main quest--intact soul, original body, can still use wayshrine.
It actually makes me wonder why they bound the usage of wayshrines to Vestige status in ESO, lorewise. Other TES games had teleportation shrines that could be used by normal mortals. Maybe they wanted some explanation why random npcs couldn't just travel by shrine but other means were necessary in stories? Then again, everyone seems to just teleport now, anyway.
I still think it's something that didn't really need an explanation. People don't seem to wonder why everyone doesn't just travel by mage portal, and we haven't gotten any convoluted reasons for why the average person instead just takes a cart or horse or walks.But with that petty gripe out of the way, I agree that our unique status could be brought into the story more often, but in a weird way that limits people's abilities to define their character. Only my main character is The Vestige in my mind--he's the singular one who had that experience in my own lore--all my other characters exist in the world without that designation. Although technically most of them have done the main quest (because it's impossible to drop it and I want that thing out of my log!) in my mind they aren't vestiges. I understand that when one signs up to play ESO, one is tacitly agreeing to become The Vestige--that's the story being told here, after all--but that doesn't stop me from considering my other characters to not be such and I don't know how well I would like it if it was made even more core to the gameplay. That's just me, though: I do think your idea of incorporating the Vestige status more into gameply is an interesting one and could work out well.
It's just strange that this is the one basic point that ESO defines for our character's background for the story (whether one likes it or not), but it doesn't really seem to have any meaning beyond the base game main quest, and even there, it mostly just matters during the end fight.
Is it still possible to avoid the Coldharbor intro, by the way (and if yes, how does a character start that story later - or, worded differently, is it even still possible for a newly created character right now not to begin the game as the Vestige)? I'm not sure about it since they decided to make in the standard again after trashing Balfiera and the room of portals. Which to me looked like a deliberate choice to clearly set the player character's Vestige background as the starting point of ESO - while having the different chapter tutorials meant you could very easily play a non-Vestige for a long time, or never become the Vestige at all.
You can skip the Coldharbour intro when you first make a character, yes. You can create a character, hit the 'skip tutorial' button, and it'll plop you on whatever starter island belongs to your alliance. Then you can adventure in the starter islands like a normal person (though the whole "you just washed up out of the sea!" story bit is still there) and then the second you get near the first city for your alliance, the main quest gets shoved in your log with the "mysterious benefactor" quest. If you choose to believe the strange hooded cultist who says their benefactor wants to give you gifts, you go to meet this benefactor and are ambushed. Then you get the whole cut-scene with being executed by our pal Mannimarco, and you wake up in Coldharbour with Lyris busting you out of your cell, and then you go through the whole tutorial you skipped in the first place. If you don't choose to believe the strange hooded cultist and you never go meet the benefactor, you don't get your soul stripped from you and you can wander around Tamriel all you please, but that benefactor quest will remain in your quest log until your dying day.
And since the game was set up for you to be soulless, all the references to you being different (or a ghost outright saying you have no soul) are still there, which can make for some awkward (or amusing) moments if one is role-playing their character as fully intact, soul and all.I believe it's the same in English--the 'you look strong' comment. And yeah, if a stranger is shouting that at you, it's high odds they're referring to the physical definition of strength. Unless they somehow possess the ability to see into your soul and so know of your mental and emotional fortitude.
Or maybe they're so terrified they could anger a Telvanni, so they come up with the first compliment that comes to their mind.
That is my guiding philosophy, so I fully understand the motivation.Look, you need to cast a wide net to get a job done right. If all the guards have the same bounty sheet, seems clear no one has been able to take out the criminal yet, which means it's probably some super-villain, which means you need to get The Vestige to take care of it, but you are the Vestige, and you're tired of contract killings, so you're hiring out to the next best person, only you haven't found them yet, so you keep posting the same ad for the same bounty sheet. There. Explained.
Maybe these individuals don't even exist and the guards are just trying to look busy.
Lol, well considering how ineffective they are in general, I think that tracks.Seriously, some more detailed bounty posters would be fun to collect. Could have one of Estre. Naemon (one for each form). Thallik Wormfather. Angof the Gravesinger. All the various evil Tharns. Even one of our character, because it's likely someone's put a bounty on our heads!
While technically having one for the player character is probably impossible, I'd honestly love to see them add those you mentioned, to guards of the respective zones (or do they all share the same possible inventory for drops?).
They probably all have the same drop inventory, true, but it would still be cool to get some different bounty posters.Lol...sounds like you have it all planned!
Well... not everything. I checked that children's rhyme manual you mentioned, and it mentions "a baby". Where would we get a baby from, there are no children in Tamriel! Could we maybe just kidnap an adult Bosmer? Then again, what would an immortal lich even need a heir for?
Don't you already have a Bosmer? Isn't he already set up to be your heir? As for why you'd need one: to stage your glorious comeback, of course! Just don't treat your Bosmer as badly as Mannimarco treated Wormblood; that would just be mean.Yeah, it would be interesting to see how something like that worked out. At least it would be interesting to me.
I'm personally also always interested in unconventional concepts, but I do wonder if a reasonable number of people would share that interest, to make it worthwhile for the writers to come up with something like that.
Well, considering how well the conventional stories have been received, it couldn't be any worse trying for something unconventional, or so it seems to me. I think they did try something a little like that with the Ascendant Lord--morally grey, you could agree with some of the points he was making, and so forth--but in the end they gave us megalomaniacal villain. At any rate, I'm here for unconventional story telling, and even if, in the end, it didn't quite suit me, I'd still be glad to have experienced it.just that it could be worked into a game where it made sense...assuming it ever makes sense!
I mean, why not, for real. "Lich" doesn't necessarily mean it's (still) an evil character (and even if it was, I'm not sure if that's really a problem). We've even already come across non-evil liches in ESO. They could even introduce one as a companion. Not sure how many other players would enjoy that, but I know I would (if well-written and an interesting character)
When I wrote "assuming it ever makes sense," I was referring to the setting and story as a whole, with the knowledge that liches are usually put into a story for a specific reason that doesn't get anywhere near romance. Basically, that was me doubting anyone would ever write a lich that fit into a romance. But considering people love vampire romance, I honestly don't see what's fundamentally different between a lich and a vampire as far as that aspect goes. A lich companion could definitely work in ESO.It tends to make me think I'm not the intended audience for the material.
Yes, indeed. Sadly, there is an increasing number of aspects in ESO, especially also about the writing, where I get the feeling that I don't seem to be the intended target group. Of course I understand that a big MMO needs to cater to different interests and provide, at best, content for all kinds of different people, but if the whole direction starts to feel off, it's a problem. For me it's mostly the simplification tendency we've seen over the years. More simple, one-note characters, simpler stories without turns of events or complicated decisions that make you think, simple morals and writing that presents story events as some kind of "lesson", puzzles that aren't really puzzles but just randomly clicking an item, even the speech style seems to have become less complex for many characters, and almost everyone sounds the same anyway.
Actually that example with the character saying "tank" during the Heart's Week quest is also such an example - the story would have worked very well without using a real world word. But that they chose to use that one, and didn't try to paraphrase it in a way that fits the lore and world instead, left the impression they don't believe the average player to have even the slightest abstraction skills, to be able to understand it without it being completely the same as in the real world. And that's rather sad because I think that's a huge underestimation of the playerbase's intellect.
There's actually a term for that (that already exists for a long time; it came up in the movie business in the 1930's): dumbing down. Heavily simplifying an existing work (removing nuance, complexity, difficult situations/questions/themes,...), because of the idea to appeal to a very broad audience, including people of little intelligence and education. A definition that doesn't sound nice, I guess, but the impression these simplifications leave to me also doesn't exactly feel nice, so I guess it fits. I think no one is happy about being treated as much less intelligent than one actually is, which basically comes across like infantilization; even if that might not have been the intention (even if the intention might have actually been a positive one - about being able to appeal to almost everyone).
Dumbing down is something that sadly does appear too frequently and it's an unfortunate approach. I don't know that I would characterize the use of the word 'tank' as dumbing down, though. I think that quest was meant to be a reference to the players, not necessarily the game world--a sort of tribute to the people who play the game and stick together, even though they sometimes have little snags along the way. Whether or not it should have been in the game like that is a different point of discussion, but I really don't think they used 'tank' because they thought the players wouldn't understand a different word. When I was playing the quest, I honestly didn't even register the use of it as out of place, because to me it was a story about a group of players. I was more concerned about the Sanguine aspect of the festival--there being no perceivable consequences to our choices.
However, when it comes to puzzles not being puzzles, or having npcs shout the answer at me before I even have a chance to look things over--that does come across as dumbing down, and I don't like it. I think they are putting some more puzzle like elements in with the rumors and favors system--at least I think they mentioned that--and wasn't there something about some of the Night Market quests being somewhat puzzle-like or puzzle-adjacent? I also want a return to quests with decision points that make me stop a moment and think about it. Click-through players are going to click-through no matter what's on screen, so why bother writing for them? Write for the people who care about character, story, and immersion--that's my "hot take" on it.I really don't know what a new ad for ESO might look like, with the new seasons model. When I first learned there was going to be an ESO MMO, I said to my husband, "Really? I can't see that working out very well." He started playing it immediately (but soon gave up because of inventory management) and went back to it after One Tamriel and optional sub and that's when he dragged me in to playing it. Without his influence I never would have touched this game, because of my preconceived notions, so I'm the last person to know what kind of ad would draw in new people.
I was also sceptical at first. I also wondered if there were really enough players interested in a TES MMO. At least I had never seen people suggesting something like that. Sure, there were people who wished for a 2-person coop mode for a singleplayer TES game, but that's a different thing compared to an MMO. I still gave it a try - after almost 2 years. And I liked the stories so much, as well as the fact that I could just play it as a normal rpg, so I stayed. Then we got the wonderful additions to the world that were Morrowind, CWC and Summerset. I also liked the world building of Elsweyr, and Greymoor was also an entertaining story. Honestly, without that good start with the base game and the first few chapters, I'm not sure if I had stayed here. If I imagine my first year would have been High Isle - possibly not. The first impression is an important one.
The first impression is an important one, yes. Starting ESO and finding out I was, yet again, a former prisoner with no ties to anyone or anything didn't sit very well with me. I might have even said to my husband, "Why do we always have to be a prisoner?" I also didn't like the Prophet or being called Vestige after I had put a lot of thought into my character name. The only reason I kept playing was so I could play the game with my husband, because I love playing video games with him. It wasn't the main quest that got me hooked; it was the zones and the stories within them. The Harbourage and the Prophet and that whole thing with the Amulet of Kings--those were kind of tiresome chores nagging at me to get them done.
If High Isle had been my first experience with the game, would I have liked it? Hard to say, because I wouldn't have had the previous parts of the game to compare it against. The setting is certainly lovely, and there are some interesting side quests, plus cool companions. Difficult to evaluate the main quest, though, since it kind of depends on people having experienced other chapters first, or at least the full base game, despite the whole 'play in any order you want' idea.I actually don't see a whole lot of game ads anywhere. I do remember an old Rift ad where the tag line, "You're not in Azeroth anymore." That was a video game promoting that, whatever they were, it wasn't WoW, which I thought was a strange choice.
I do come across video game ads on Youtube and Reddit (if I take a look at the latter, irregularly), but most aren't really interesting, to be honest. It's often some "cool" flashy effects instead of anything meaningful, so of course it doesn't appeal to me. Not saying that to be snobby, but because "cool" visuals without any story background genuinely don't catch my attention/interest. No meaning = boring. That's the simple truth for me.
I don't see ads, but I do watch the State of Play presentations with my husband (I think that's playstation, but it might be xbox). They show trailers for upcoming games and then talk about them a bit. A lot of them look very same-y to me, and not what I prefer. Visually very interesting, though.
Pfft, I know the spore horse was the ultimate practical joke the Telvanni pulled on all of Tamriel.0
