The Elder Scrolls Online

[Nevermore]

Or just wait a month for 75% of the people to quit. 

[Chimpy]

Or just wait a month for 75% of the people to quit. 

Or wait 3 months and pay half price (or less.)

[koro]

It seems like there is a generic bug where if too many people do the same quest (it can happen to any quest) important mobs, items or interactables just stop respawning.  People who played Friday were fine, Saturday there were problems, if you started playing Sunday a good one third of the quests couldn't be done.  They need to fix this shit by launch or implement server restarts every six hours.

Funny enough, TOR had the exact same problem in its beta as it ramped up and got more people in it.

Are they still using the Hero Engine, or did they swap to something completely different? If it's still Hero Engine, it could possibly be a common flaw in the thing.

[Signe]

I see the point of early access for something like Landmark because if you want to play from the launch you need to find a good claim.  But most of the rest?  You might have a chance of getting your favourite name and maybe you'll beat the questy level rush in the early stages but then half those people (in my case, all those people) will be up your butt in no time flat.  I change my character at least three or four times before I decide on the one I want as my main character anyway.  I just don't see the allure of early access in the vast majority of games.

[LC]

I see the point of early access for something like Landmark because if you want to play from the launch you need to find a good claim.  But most of the rest?  You might have a chance of getting your favourite name and maybe you'll beat the questy level rush in the early stages but then half those people (in my case, all those people) will be up your butt in no time flat.  I change my character at least three or four times before I decide on the one I want as my main character anyway.  I just don't see the allure of early access in the vast majority of games.

It's for the Raistlin and Drizzt lottery.

[Draegan]

I see the point of early access for something like Landmark because if you want to play from the launch you need to find a good claim.  But most of the rest?  You might have a chance of getting your favourite name and maybe you'll beat the questy level rush in the early stages but then half those people (in my case, all those people) will be up your butt in no time flat.  I change my character at least three or four times before I decide on the one I want as my main character anyway.  I just don't see the allure of early access in the vast majority of games.

For me personally, I don't have time for new game rushes anymore because I have a 11 month old daughter now. But for the "I change my character at least three or four times", I do that in beta weekends/close betas so by the time release rolls around I have that out of my system.

In any case, if you don't care about the initial rush/race, then the head start just means you get to play the game sooner.

[Nija]

Recently (in the past 5 years or more) people get early access to try to get to the max level before the game is officially released.

[Count Nerfedalot]

Sometimes it can give you a chance to play a class you like before all the fun gets nerfed out.

Or some folks like to play the economy game with the advantage of higher level characters thus easier access to resources than the bulk of the herd. And make some money before even the rarest resouces become commodities.

And of course there's always those who have more cents than sense. :)

[Modern Angel]

I like the early rush because of a) the enthusiasm and most especially b) the game before the nerds ring all joy and fun out of it by spreadsheeting everything to death. Not that I'm opposed to figuring out systems, but MMOs take it to another level of autistic unfun. And, if there's any game which that will kill, it's this one. The only way it's fun now is to take it kind of slowly rather than do the rush/grind/grats mentality.

[Ingmar]

Uh, they ripped out the starter zones other than Coldharbour apparently? Did we see this?

http://elderscrollsonline.com/en/news/post/2014/03/14/eso-road-ahead

EDIT: I guess you can still go there, it just doesn't force you.

[Lucas]

I realize those zones are still there but... in a way, sounds like hours and hours of work (from concept artists to level designers) basically wasted even before the service goes live 

[Miasma]

Yeah the last beta weekend had you go straight to your faction's starting city.  I went back and explored the old zone and had more fun playing it that way.  People will visit the zones to get the skyshards at the very least.

I like being part of the headstart so that I can help out other people when they start by giving items, advice and answering questions.  On a more selfish note I prefer it when the zones aren't crammed full of people too, although since this game is doing the megaserver/instance thing it is less of an issue.  So long as they fix that mob/critical_item spawn bug...

I might even take a couple days of vacation, it's been a while since I've done that.

[Sobelius]

The game has tried to do one thing I appreciate: making change visible in the world based on whatever I've completed.  Storywise it adds quite a bit -- especially noticed it in the Aldmer queen story where you're under suspicion until you take care of the true villain. Not perfectly handled, but I appreciate the effort and effect. Also like the way the NPCs move around during the story -- they aren't rooted to one location.

Also like the crafting system, especially the "set piece" crafting workstations (of which I only ever found one).  For those interested, be sure to research traits and to unlock enchantments. Best way to craft weapons and armor tailored to your skill/playstyle focus.

Liked how effective it is to run as a duo. Friend and I both ran Dragonknights and took different skills -- he'd pull them in with the chain skill and I'd knock 'em down with stonefist, then use dark talons so he could fire off the Impale synergy. We were level 8 and taking out level 13-15 stuff with some careful play.

Solo-wise I'm going Templar. The combo of healing, plus ranged dps skills and either 2-H or dual wield for melee was great fun.

[Hawkbit]

I realize those zones are still there but... in a way, sounds like hours and hours of work (from concept artists to level designers) basically wasted even before the service goes live 

It's not wasted if it improves retention.  I personally did not make it past these starter islands.  When the game is $20 a box or f2p, I'll try it again to see how the new player experience is better. 

[Nebu]

When the game is $20 a box or f2p, I'll try it again to see how the new player experience is better. 

It won't be.  When the designers basically say "We've added the ability to skip the new player area" that suggests that they have no interest in fixing it in any way.

[KallDrexx]

It won't be.  When the designers basically say "We've added the ability to skip the new player area" that suggests that they have no interest in fixing it in any way.

Eh that's not true.  That's more of an admittance that the problems with the new player area are very deep and not trivial to fix (which is the truth).  It will take a lot of time and resources to redo the new player area to not suck, and no game has that kind of resources this close to release.

[Nebu]

Eh that's not true.  That's more of an admittance that the problems with the new player area are very deep and not trivial to fix (which is the truth).  It will take a lot of time and resources to redo the new player area to not suck, and no game has that kind of resources this close to release.

They really should find the resources.  If a game is fun immediately, that helps with retention... a lot.

[Modern Angel]

The main problem wasn't so much content as it was scope. Every TES game, you get out of the prison, you see sunlight, and the world is vast and open. The prison is the noobie experience. TESO said "okay, prison is noobie experience but have another noobie experience on top of that!"

Things are still gated by level, of course, which automatically makes it smaller than TES, but it's still substantially bigger and more open the second you hit the main continent than it is on those fucking islands. This is an okay decision.

[Nebu]

This is an okay decision.

We'll see 6 months after release if you're right.

[Modern Angel]

Well, the only two realistic options at this point are leave it in or make it optional. They're not going to redo it. At least there's some indication that they're flexible with this decision.

[Riggswolfe]

Recently (in the past 5 years or more) people get early access to try to get to the max level before the game is officially released.

And then immediately go "Whah!!!! We have nothing to do!"

[Sobelius]

They kind of half-assed the skipping of the starter area.

Friend created a new toon on only his second beta weekend. He said the opening sequence just dumped him in Daggerfall with a few items and that was that. No "next quest" to do and nothing in Daggerfall offered him quests.  They didn't indicate in-game that he had the option to return to the starting islands or how to do so.

I'm an explorer-type, so I would have just thought to go explore or find a ship to take me to the islands. But he's not an explorer, more an achiever, and he thought offering no indication of what to do next, or even where to head, was bewildering.

Shrug. I'm also tired of the prisoner/shipwrecked refugee/returned-from-the-dead tropes so many games use as starting points. (Despite all of SWTOR's shortcomings, at least it put you in the game right away.)

It might have been much more interesting to throw us into the middle of the struggle in Cyrodil instead, and forcing us to pick our side/alliance that way.

[Modern Angel]

That's kind of weird because I did a new character at the tail end for Daggerfall and it was cool. I woke up, it bumped me to level 3, ghost dude talked to me and told me to either go to the Harborage or to go to the wharf if I wanted to go back to the island. Could get quests no problem.

[Ingmar]

They tell you inside the ghost dude's conversation quest text so if you don't read that, you'll be confused.

[Modern Angel]

Surely you're not suggesting that people should read the quest text?

[Nebu]

Surely you're not suggesting that people should read the quest text?

 

[Threash]

Well, the only two realistic options at this point are leave it in or make it optional. They're not going to redo it. At least there's some indication that they're flexible with this decision.

The grand majority of people who tested the game did not make it out of those horrible newbie islands, the ones who did make it out mostly had a much improved perception of the game.  It wasn't a very hard choice really.

[Miasma]

Patch notes.  They claim to have figured out the widespread item/mob/npc not respawning once there are too many people playing bug.  There is some ama where they also said it will be more clear where to go after the tutorial and that you will have more weapon choices during the tutorial.

[Modern Angel]

The grand majority of people who tested the game did not make it out of those horrible newbie islands, the ones who did make it out mostly had a much improved perception of the game.  It wasn't a very hard choice really.

Yep. I was totally on the "fuck this" tip until I got further in. So many people I know didn't even make it out of the tutorial islands.

[Ingmar]

I think what bugged me was once I got out of one... I landed in another one.

[Rendakor]

I think what bugged me was once I got out of one... I landed in another one.

This. There's the "lolzurded" tutorial, followed by another awful noobie experience. I lost interest very quickly and uninstalled.

[Modern Angel]

No doubt. The prison being shit followed by the island being shit was absolutely insane.

[Ingmar]

Wasn't there also a THIRD newbie zone?

[Bhazrak]

There was for Daggerfall and Ebonheart if you include Coldharbour's prison escape. Dominion's were combined into one larger island.

[Modern Angel]

Wasn't there also a THIRD newbie zone?

I don't think so? When I say newbie zone in this instance I mean the prison and then the "I have been shipwrecked on a tiny island until level 3" bit, not the extended first mainland zone.