BretonMage wrote: »

YandereGirlfriend wrote: »

licenturion wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

You do realize that just because they stopped Chapters doesn't mean they stopped with the new stories, right?

Some new quests in old environments we visited hundreds of times is not enough for me.

I want new zones, with new assets, new music, new stories and side stuff to discover.

I stopped playing in January because there is nothing to do. I am not into alts (and that is pointless since subclassing exists). I have 100 percent zone completion (even the PvP zones which I loathe), did all the quests, have all companion keepsakes, all skill lines and subclass skill lines are maxed out and my stickerbook is nearly complete.

So for me there is basically nothing to do because this year there is not any content that I enjoy: no new zone, no new dungeons. Thankfully there are games like Crimson Desert out because I feel I 'finished ESO' for now. And the trial is something to look forward to and will keep me busy for a few evenings this year.

We will see what the future brings, but because all gameplay content is free from now on, I expect only minor live service tidbits like all the other games I played that went on this path. I have seen this before.

This is... the story of literally every MMO in existence. You finish with an expansion and then you wait for the next.

Or you are into an end-game activity like raiding, PvP or housing.

If you are into those things then you have evergreen content basically all year 'round.

But if you play it like a casual theme park then, yeah, you will run out. There is nothing unexpected or new under the sun.

That's why I've suggested a zone quest reset token a few times. That would literally make the world new again for those of us with just one character.

I'd pay for it. Everyone wins: one-character players get to re-experience the game, base game zones get repopulated with a few more players, and ZOS gets a bit more revenue.

I think that is an excellent idea.

Erickson9610 wrote: »

We still have years of existing stories available in the game, so I'd argue that there's still what makes ESO an Elder Scrolls game here. Just because we have The Fox from the Scribing questline doesn't mean we no longer have our characters being ritualistically sacrificed to Molag Bal in the main questline.
I'd be concerned if the older stories in this game started being rewritten to change their tone. There's something for everyone, TES fans included, in this game.

And how often is a player supposed to repeat these old stories? Letting aside the question of the quality and lore-accuracy of upcoming stories, since we don't know yet.

BretonMage wrote: »

I sometimes wonder if all this comes across as a bit condescending to the younger generation. Surely you don't have to be so obviously juvenile to try to reach them. These aren't 8 year olds, they're very savvy, very connected teenagers. You don't have to talk like a smurf, or have rainbow confetti-exploding horses to get their attention.

It's a question I often wonder about when it comes to ESO: How much of what we see - in writing, in cosmetics design - is actually what appeals to people, and how much of it is what someone thinks appeals to people? Of course we don't know. I just see the increasing numbers of people being dissatisfied with the writing, for example, and all those polls where people say the early chapters are their favorites, and how people call those the "glory days" of ESO, and it makes me wonder. Same goes for the graphics and effects: More and more threads show up where people complain about explosions and flashes - which is the very reason the devs are working on options to turn these effects off now. And there's other things that had been implemented into the game and then turned out not to be the expected success. Of course it leads to the question: How correctly are the things the audience enjoys, wants, likes and dislikes, estimated? Or might there be an actual gap between the idea what the audience likes and what it actually likes?

In any way, I see a certain - how to call it? - well, it feels like they aim for what they might believe appeals to a younger audience? More colorful and flashy designs in cosmetics, easier stories with moral lessons in writing. Does that appeal to the intended audience? I don't know.

twisttop138 wrote: »

But, despite what people keep saying about the ES tone and the setting, Zos is going to try to appeal to the largest audience. This will make some of us unhappy. Maybe keeping everything like it was in 2014 would be a real hit or maybe it wouldn't. Probably wouldn't. We'll never know.

I personally also wonder if appealing to most people is the best strategy, as trying to appeal to everyone might in the end lead to some discordant mishmash that no one truly enjoys.

tomofhyrule wrote: »

But yes, the world is also becoming more flashy. That was one of my feedbacks for the new 2H weapons when they were on PTS, but the team seems to be going bigger. I may not like it, but I understand it. As someone in education, I am seeing how much more overexposed children are now compared to how they were 10 years ago, and I'm sure anyone who deals with anyone in general has noticed how mentalities have changed. Times are changing, whether we like it or not, and sometimes the best thing that businesses can do is to keep up with the times.

If, let's say, some people today have developed problems to keep their concentration for one minute, then media should just adjust accordingly? And when people get used to that, in 10 years they might have problems keeping their concentration for half a minute, and the next generation that grows up with that won't be able to follow a dialogue for 10 seconds? I know there might be difficulties - and there's a reason I call it difficulties/problems, since not being able to keep one's focus for longer than a minute, or children not having any interest in their environment unless everything explodes, is neither natural or healthy for the human brain, and leads to problems. How shall a child learn through exploring their environment if they show no interest for anything "non-flashy"? How are students supposed to learn if they can't focus for longer than a few seconds? How are adults supposed to work in fields where concentration is crucial? People not being able to keep their attention on one thing, or not being reponsive to things that don't explode right into their face, is not just some arbitrary change of cultural habits or mentality, it's a problem people should worry about.

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Life changes. We don’t have to like the direction it changed to, but we should be able to adapt. And if it gets untenable, we always have the option of removing ourselves from the situation.

If an increasing number of players removes themselves from ESO, it might be helpful ZOS learns why that happens.

tomofhyrule wrote: »

And where does that line get drawn then?
I was told that I was the only Vestige because I alone went with Lyris through the Wailing Prison to save the Prophet. That means that it is not lore appropriate for me to see any other characters interact with skyshards out in the world, and I do see them animate and glow during that. Should I therefore demand that no other players may collect Skyshards around me?

There is a big difference between necessary game functions that are more or less unavoidable (though of course we could also discuss why every player can see other players collecting skyshards, but sees no animation for them picking up crafting surveys, for example - but that'a a different topic) and things that are purely cosmetic.

On top of that, there's also a difference between functions that have already been there since the beginning and things that get added after a decade. Sure, we all can leave as soon as we don't find the game appealing anymore. But if everyone leaves, this will surely not help the game.

tomofhyrule wrote: »

You're leaning on other players existing and playing the game as them being unconscionably rude for using anything other than the default cosmetics.

So, did I? You might want to re-read:

Syldras wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

I fully agree with ESO's "play the way you want" mantra. What I don't agree with is the people who are coming out to the forums to complain "you aren't allowed to play the way you want because that goes against the way I want."

No player is to blame for just using what ZOS includes into the game. But it's possible to be critical about what is included into ESO in the first place, and to question if "selling everything enough people would buy" is the best design decision.