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Why Elder Scrolls Online fails to Deliver (for me)


Uhuru

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What cash shop? You mean the store that sells a horse and an upgrade to the Imperial edition? The store that has only one small square add on the main page to upgrade to the Imperial Edition? 

Yeah really outrageous... 

Oh and there are no free players.

Yeah, the purchase system used by the game for player race, player mount etc. Additionally the game economy is undoubtedly geared toward further expansion. The F2P-type models aren't anything new, but there's a right way and wrong way to go about it, ESO appears to be going more the wrong way. I will back pedal on this, as I don't know first hand how off-putting the ESO model is...because I haven't played. But, as I said in my last post, I have little measurable interest in ESO, which is remarkable considering in gaming history and preferences.

 

Great examples of F2P hybrid games are DDO, Rift, Guild War, Guild Wars 2, TERA, LOTRO...all those games to one degree or another will try to sell you things, but they strike a balance that isn't as jarring right out of the box.

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So you haven't played the game but you already criticise it?  :O_o:

I'm playing the game since release and the store has no appeal to me. I bought my horse myself and the additional race has no advantage over the others beside a really cheaper horse.

There is no pay to win, no experience boost, no content cut from the game (like dungeons, story or object).

 

Don't take me wrong, I do like the game but I'm aware of its flaws (god the UI is bad...) but the business model isn't one of them. There is nothing in the store that will make the game unbalanced (at least for now).

 

Personally I like:

- The quests: all voiced, good stories, a lot less repetitive than all the MMO I played before.

- The crafting: useful from the start, doesn't require you to farm resources for hours, the research, the need to trade with other player to advance more effectively.

- The non static gameplay. You don't just stand there smashing button waiting for your next CD to go off. Still I would loved to have one or more skill slot.

- I like the DA. Some sceneries are really beautiful. It is true that most NPC really lack charisma. But in the other end some looks really great.

- The skill system. You can do mostly whatever you want. Which is not a very good idea sometimes :)

 

I don't like:

- The bugs. Sometimes I feel like a beta tester...

- The UI is an abomination, even from a console point of view. Useless feature, absent feature, broken feature...

- No European mega server. Lag feast at some time of day.

- The poor communication skills of Zenimax. Seriously Zenimax talk to your players if you want them to subscribe at the end of the free month...

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- The poor communication skills of Zenimax. Seriously Zenimax talk to your players if you want them to subscribe at the end of the free month...

Free month? Our definitions of the word free differ then, because last I checked you need to pay 60€ for the first month, with being forced to link your credit card information, whereas something like WoW lets you play for a month (up to level 20) without charging a single cent, and if you decide to buy a subscription, you don't have to pay for the game itself.
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Free month? Our definitions of the word free differ then, because last I checked you need to pay 60€ for the first month, with being forced to link your credit card information, whereas something like WoW lets you play for a month (up to level 20) without charging a single cent, and if you decide to buy a subscription, you don't have to pay for the game itself.

Yes but WoW is a 8 years old game. At launch you had to buy the game and you had to put in your credit card information too.

WoW lets you play to a truncated version of the game with missing content and features and you still have to pay for the addons (at least the last two). So yes I guess our definition of free differs ;)

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Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:Redferne, on 30 Apr 2014 - 12:16 PM, said:

So you haven't played the game but you already criticise it?  :O_o:

Yes, like I said, it hasn't even gained my interest and that's the whole point. I've logged years, actual years of play-time in a plethora of MMO's starting back when I returned to the states with DAoC, even have an NPC named after me in that game. :woot: I've played good MMO's and plenty of bad ones, I'm starting to get a feel for these kind of things after so much money and time has been spent. Shelling out 50 bucks to play a game to see if I like it...no thanks. Usually if I am interested in a game, I'll be in the beta as I have for a fair number of MMO's over the years.

 

The point is, ESO fails because it didn't even garner my interest. There was way too much of the usual dumbing/watering down early on in development that made me realize there was absolutely nothing unique or particularly Elderscroll-esque about it other than the franchise marketing angle. The vibe I got from the ESO development news was compromise in order to appeal to the masses and not the core Elders Scroll gamer.

 

I'd play GW2 or Darkfall Online again over the ESO MMO; I haven't played DFO since they re-released it, compared to ESO, GW2 has so many fairly revolutionary takes (questing, gathering, grouping, class roles) on the standard MMO offerings. ESO released with game systems that were revolutionary...6 years ago.

 

They done effed it up.

Edited by Kuldebar
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I really wish the effort to produce ESO had been used to create "TES6" with online multiplayer like NWN. In other words co-op the single player content with your pen-and-paper gaming group or new friends from the "TES6 forums".

The publisher could earn continuing revenue from said "TES6 forums" match-making features and mini-DLC bonus content. To avoid a zero-sum competition with modders, make any DLC canon expansions to the game, and let modders be modders creating additional enhancements beyond that.

Fans would buy DLC both to enhance their game experience, but also to show their support - which would be earned through the new canon content frequently rolled out. Foster an active community allied with the game creator througha rich and mutually benficial forum - check out Star Citizens RSI forums for an example of how to do this (its still a pre-alpha, but you can see how its growing into an online companion to the full release).

Of course you should take all that with a grain of salt as I'm no fan of MMO-RPG, I am a big fan of TES single player and eager for the next offering, and a Star Citizen fan boy / supporter of how they are attempting to change to game publishing dynamic (as well as a backer).

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