The Elder Scrolls Online

[Ingmar]

My feeling at the time when it came out was that it was the ugliest new game I had ever played. The faces are just awful.

[Tannhauser]

Argonians were far and away the worst.  Didn't improve much in Oblivion.  Look good in Skyrim.  I actually started the TES series with Daggerfall, but it was so buggy on my PC that I didn't get far at all.  Don't remember how they looked there.

Skyrim has spoiled me.

[kildorn]

Quality and polish wise, Skyrim is not the norm for TES games. Skyrim blindsided everyone by being a really good game.

[Lucas]

Damn you infidels! ESO will have something for everyone, as you can read in the following, new article on Game Informer!

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_elder_scrolls_online/b/pc/archive/2012/05/11/what-elder-scrolls-online-offers-skyrim-fans-mmo-players.aspx

[tgr]

So it'll be even more expensive than SWTOR. Promising start.

[Selby]

"Awesomely hideous" wasn't the first thought which entered my mind, actually. In fact, I didn't even think much about the graphics when I did a quick test run just now (just to make sure I didn't just look back all rosey-eyed on it).

Eh, everything was a different shade of brown when I played it.  The models were a little wonky looking at times, but what really sticks in my mind is the brown... everywhere.

[Tannhauser]

"Nonetheless, writing off ESO as “just another MMO” or “WoW with daedra” is doing this ambitious project a grave disservice."

Sure thing buddy. 

[Paelos]

I always like finding the important stuff in these dry hump previews!

-Some things, like player housing, aren’t making the transition to an MMO because of the constraints inherent to an online game, but Zenimax Online is including everything that makes sense. (Housing didn't make sense because you couldn't own houses in the other games)

-ESO’s public dungeons, unless Zenimax Online badly botches the design, should recreate some of what made BRD special...but hopefully without the painful process of finding a group (gotta love when a hump piece reminds you that something was painful and could be botched)

-Take out the server-crashing lag, since the engine can handle up to 200 players onscreen and Zenimax Online has still-under-wraps plans to divert excess population. (SECRET PLANS! That'll solve the unsolveable up to now!)

-ESO has lock-on targeting and a hotbar, but it shakes up quite a bit within that framework. Limiting the number of available skills to a handful (currently six, but that number could change) but making each ability awesome sounds great. (Less stuff = innovation)

-Outside of flashpoints, cooperating with other players in SW:TOR is extremely limited in scope. That hopefully won’t be the case in ESO. (we don't know, but we're HOPING!)

-The baseline solo encounter design has players taking on three enemies at a time, and they work together to bring you down by combining skills like lighting oil patches on fire. (Like Dragon Age circa 3 years ago!)

-Rifts are amazing, and Zenimax Online hopes to recreate the sense of working together with random strangers with the Fighters Guild content as well as public dungeons. (HOPE AND CHANGE!)

-Fans of the franchise have a lot of questions yet to be answered, like how the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood will work in an MMO setting and how Zenimax Online is going to approximate the rich interactions with objects in the world that we’ve gotten used to since Morrowind. (or like, Hey why is the combat completely different?)

[koro]

-The baseline solo encounter design has players taking on three enemies at a time, and they work together to bring you down by combining skills like lighting oil patches on fire. (Like Dragon Age circa 3 years ago!)

Or City of Heroes circa 2005.

[Ironwood]

Sounds like wank.

[Margalis]

Hasn't every MMO in the past 8 years talked about how you take on multiple mobs at once?

In the end 3 mobs with 1/3 the damage and hp is the same anyway...

[Kageru]

-ESO has lock-on targeting and a hotbar, but it shakes up quite a bit within that framework. Limiting the number of available skills to a handful (currently six, but that number could change) but making each ability awesome sounds great. (Less stuff = innovation)

"We have plans for a console release at some point."

[Sheepherder]

In the end 3 mobs with 1/3 the damage and hp is the same anyway...

Your math is off.

[Sir T]

You know, when I was playing Skyrim with a follower I was thinking "you know they could expand this into a co-op game and it could work like this."

This isn't going to work. I stand with the prophets of DOOOOOOM!!

[Cyrrex]

Instead of TES MMO they should just make Skyrim SMO (Somewhat Multiplayer Online-ish).  Change absofuckinglutely zero of the systems, because fuck balance in the earhole.  Skyrim single player is a fucking astonishing game.  Skyrim 2 Co-op would be fantastic.  Skyrim Diku toolbar clicking raiding PvP bullshit is going to fail horrendously.  They will remove absolutely everything that makes Skyrim great.  Including the graphics for some reason I cannot wrap my head around.

Do Not Want.

[Mrbloodworth]

-Art assets? They were built for the Hero Engine, so they look like ass compared to anything TES fans are used to.

One is not connected to the other.

[HaemishM]

I fucking love this paragraph.

ESO has lock-on targeting and a hotbar, but it shakes up quite a bit within that framework. Limiting the number of available skills to a handful (currently six, but that number could change) but making each ability awesome sounds great.

Yes, because most MMO devs set out to make sure at least half of all abilities are the opposite of awesome.

The rest of the article is a bit hard to understand with so much cock in the writer's mouth.

[Draegan]

Tab target/hotbar combat is a huge turn off.  I'm still waiting and see right now until I can see what kind of content they have.  I'm pretty sure it's just more of the same.  Nothing screams different to me.

[Lucas]

The rest of the article is a bit hard to understand with so much cock in the writer's mouth.

Such a cryptic statement.

 
---

Oh, here is a new article on Game Informer related to their intentions with the game music:

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/05/12/talking-about-the-music-of-the-elder-scrolls-online.aspx

After reading a bit more carefully, I realize it's different, but for a moment I thought those guys were actually talking about iMuse like it was a new thing :P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LucasArts#iMUSE

[Daeven]

Instead of TES MMO they should just make Skyrim SMO (Somewhat Multiplayer Online-ish).  Change absofuckinglutely zero of the systems, because fuck balance in the earhole.  Skyrim single player is a fucking astonishing game.  Skyrim 2 Co-op would be fantastic.  Skyrim Diku toolbar clicking raiding PvP bullshit is going to fail horrendously.  They will remove absolutely everything that makes Skyrim great.  Including the graphics for some reason I cannot wrap my head around.

Do Not Want.

Agreed. One of the hallmarks of a marture organization is knowing then you're just churning. Fine, they payed for the Hero Engine so they want to get some return on that investment. Fine, a MMO would help recoup the licensing fees and dev cost with box and subscriptions. If its an innovative product. This is a train wreck. Pull the damn plug, fire some people and have a large assed 'lessons learned' meeting allowing the survivors to start over from square one.

This project is just brain dead - praying that inertia will result in profit.

Zenimax is not fucking GM. Will Not Work.

[Paelos]

I agree, the best case scenario is the scrap the project before they dump another year of development costs, salaries, and fees into a project that will do nothing but damage the brand. I seriously doubt that the game will recoup enough in 2013 to make up for the interval costs associated with the interim.

[Rokal]

Even in the very unlikely event that they do scrap 5 years or work and start over, who knows what the MMO landscape will look like in 2017. A 2012 design from a team that lacks the desire to innovate is likely to look just as tired in 2017 as TESO looks now.

[Paelos]

No, no. Scrap the MMO idea. Roll the team into Elder Scrolls 6: Hammerfell. Make it with a multiplayer co-op element.

Profit.

[Daeven]

What he said.

[Lucas]

One of the 3 playable factions, The Daggerfall Covenant (Bretons, Orcs, Redguards):

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_elder_scrolls_online/b/pc/archive/2012/05/14/elder-scrolls-online-faction-profile-daggerfall-covenant.aspx

[Rokal]

No, no. Scrap the MMO idea. Roll the team into Elder Scrolls 6: Hammerfell. Make it with a multiplayer co-op element.

I don't know, wouldn't network latency be an issue for a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game? 

[Kail]

One of the 3 playable factions, The Daggerfall Covenant (Bretons, Orcs, Redguards):

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_elder_scrolls_online/b/pc/archive/2012/05/14/elder-scrolls-online-faction-profile-daggerfall-covenant.aspx

Hang on, they're doing this by race?  The fuck?  The time period for this game is supposed to be after the unification of the Empire, is it not?  So why are the factions racial?  And Orcs teaming up with Bretons?  Isn't that in contradiction of the timeline?

[Sir T]

This is The Elder Scrolls: the old Repulbic.

[Kail]

This is The Elder Scrolls: the old Repulbic.

Yeah, that's the problem.  This takes place something like halfway through the second era, does it not?  Orsinium has been in rubble for centuries, after being destroyed by Daggerfall, and the entire continent has been united under the empire for hundreds of years, I'm not seeing where this faction makes any sense.

[HaemishM]

DAoC2: The Elder Scrolls: Hammerfell Boogaloo

[Daeven]

I just have this image of the CIO screaming in incoherent rage for 5 minutes once they figure out the state of this thing, his head exploding, and the resulting rage zombie hunting down everyone involved for repeated defensteration.

[blackwulf]

This is The Elder Scrolls: the old Repulbic.

Yeah, that's the problem.  This takes place something like halfway through the second era, does it not?  Orsinium has been in rubble for centuries, after being destroyed by Daggerfall, and the entire continent has been united under the empire for hundreds of years, I'm not seeing where this faction makes any sense.

I'm no TES lore monkey, but there are some serious lore geeks over on the official fourms who have explained, within the lore, how these factions make sense 'just fine.'

If this game is going to suck, I don't think it will be because they butcher the lore.  Sure, there are other concerns, and I will grant that they are valid concerns for now.  I want to see what comes out of E3, though.

[Cyrrex]

I want to see what comes out of E3, though.

What will come out of E3 will be something that:
- Looks far worse than Skyrim
- Has boring ass toolbar/Diku/cooldown combat
- Has some kind of raid mechanic
- Has meaningless PvP
- Will cater to the usual bullshit needs of the MMO crowd
- Has the usual Collect 10 Bandit Anuses quests
- Is no more fun than any current MMO
- Is not Elder Scrolls 6: Co-op (or even just single player)
- Is a complete waste of resources

I mean, come on.  I am not saying there isn't a place for traditional MMOs in this world.  But why take something amazing and water it down like this?  Fuck me.  The worst thing about this project by far is that it will take time, money, resources and effort away from what they should be doing instead. 

[blackwulf]

I want to see what comes out of E3, though.

What will come out of E3 will be something that:
- Looks far worse than Skyrim
Eh, kinda a matter of opinion, no?  I thought Skyrim vistas were great, but look at anything up close and it turned to shit.  Plus it was a pretty damn limited color palette, especially once you got inside any dungeon (basically the same greyish blue/green/brown depending on light.
- Has boring ass toolbar/Diku/cooldown combat
Another matter of opinion.  The most exciting games I've played use a toolbar.  DAOC was toolbar/diku based and still you had to time your positional, reactive and follow-up styles, while managing your endurance.  This game sounds to be similar.  I'm onboard for that.
- Has some kind of raid mechanic
Yes - like you said, though, there's nothing wrong with an MMO being an MMO.
- Has meaningless PvP
You are really shooting in the dark on this one.  I think the PVP will be far more meaningful than any other MMO pvp currently on the market. (other than some tiny audience ones with huge flaws in other gameplay aspects)
- Will cater to the usual bullshit needs of the MMO crowd
Yes - this IS an MMO...
- Has the usual Collect 10 Bandit Anuses quests
Maybe some, but I'm onboard because they offer a hubless quest system.  This won't be like that rediculous Korean game where you have to go from one hub to the next collecting 50 quests to collect bear assess for each person.  Released info stresses the ability to explore and discover content naturally without the need for NPC standing around with a big yellow exclamation point on their head.
- Is no more fun than any current MMO
Doubt you are right here, as far as many of us are concerned.  I'm not really having fun in ANY current MMO, but I probably would if I resubbed to DAOC, as sad as that game has become population-wise.  This game really doesn't have to achieve much to be more fun than the current crop of top MMOs.
- Is not Elder Scrolls 6: Co-op (or even just single player)
No...you can wait for that from Bethesda.  Have fun playing a piece of shit console to PC port with dumbed down RPG stats and boring ass combat where you do this: swing, backstep, swing, backstep, swing, backstep.  OR - if you are caster: fireball, fireball, fireball, fireball.  Woohoo.
- Is a complete waste of resources
I disagree.

I mean, come on.  I am not saying there isn't a place for traditional MMOs in this world.  But why take something amazing and water it down like this?  Fuck me.  The worst thing about this project by far is that it will take time, money, resources and effort away from what they should be doing instead. 

Judging from your post, you aren't the target audience.  I can say that unless they completely botch this game and it performs awfully with constant crashes or something, many of us will be buying for 1 of 3 reasons:
1 - It might be the spiritual successor to DAOC
2 - It's a chance to really explore Tamriel in a social environment
3 - We are not impressed with the current crop of MMO's and don't mind trying something else

I fit all 3 of those categories, so, yeah, I'll probably be there.

[Mrbloodworth]

No one who likes The Elder Scrolls is the target market for this.

So far this makes as much sense as an X-com FPS.