Gaming The Elder Scrolls Online

And to think how great of a single-player game they could have made with the resources spent on this steaming pile of.

 

I might, just might, come back to it in 6 or 12 months time but I think I will see how things settle in the mean time, as I think a lot of other potential investors may do as well.

 

The review mostly reads to me as from someone who had lofty expectations that weren't met, or someone who set out to not like the game, not to mention (as others have said) barely scratching the surface.

I came to TESO essentially looking for TES that I could play with friends (I'm mainly a PvE player when it come to MMOs), and so far the only disappointing part has been how few of my friends have picked it up.

To touch on the MMO points first, yes, there are others running around completing the same quests, killing the same mobs as you. And for a TES game, that is a bit jarring... at first. I've come to realise though that they've done a fairly good job of instancing/phasing certain parts. In a battlefield where there is a lot of fighting between mob and NPCs going on, it makes to see players other than yourself doing the fighting. Conversely, there are parts of quests that make more sense being solo, and the developers have instanced off those sections so that only you experience it. When you have to kill/collect stuff for a quest, it's entwined in the story much better than other MMOs, and nowhere near as grindy (have to collect x things from mob in a certain area? one will drop with almost every kill; at most, you might have to make 1-4 extra kills if at all). Combat, to me at least, doesn't feel like you're just slapping with a foam hand. Unlike other MMOs, you're not simply just attacking at a set rate with abilities on top. As the basics you can swing (left mouse button), block (hold right mouse button), bash (lmb while holding rmb), power attack (hold, then release lmb) and dodge (double-tap direction key) (you also have combat abilities from skill trees). The basic combat actions become important to combat, allowing you to mitigate damage (blocking, dodging), and knocking mobs down (interrupt a mob's power attack by blocking/bashing and they'll become stunned, follow up with a power attack while they're stunned and they get knocked to the ground). The mob do appear to animate from hits (including the final blow) correctly and at the right time and way (if you final blow is from the right, they crumple along with the force), and the ragdoll effect from Skyrim has been dialled way down.

The battlefield parts are also where I've tended to notice random people grouping up (aside from instanced dungeons and anchor drops, people tend to fight alongside without being in a group in the public dungeons (like mines and caves)), and forming a group is easy both for the initiator and receivers. There's no shared loot, everyone gets their own loot from kills, however chests and other containers in the game world are shared (if someone gets to one before you, there will only be items left in it if the player left it there). The other containers will show when they're empty, just so your not wasting your time trying to look.

Once you reach level 10 you can enter Cyrodiil, which is where the PvP content takes place. As I said, I'm a PvE player so I haven't checked out the PvP yet, but I understand it to be a Cyrodiil-wide battlezone between the three factions (Ebonheart Pact, Daggerfall Covenant and Aldmeri Dominion) for control of forts/keeps and ultimately Imperial City. The Fighters and Mages Guilds both have quests to be completed in Cyrodiil too.

There are sort of two kinds of guild in the game. First off, there's the set ones like the Fighters Guild and the Mages Guild (among others... Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood are apparently coming a bit later). Players can be members of any number of these they want, and in return get a quest chain (that carries on alongside the main story) and a skill tree (more on these in a bit) unique to that guild. Then there are the player guilds, of which you can be a member of at most 5 (but only the founder of one). Guilds have a Guild Bank that is unlocked once the guild has 10 members, and a Guild Store (aka shop) once it reaches 50 members. The player guild system also feeds back into the PvP... when a keep is captured, it is claimed for a guild, and each guild can only have one keep captured at a time.

The skill trees are quite a bit different from other MMOs, being more a blend of those found in the two styles of games. Each class has a set of three unique skill trees (tailored to the class), but there are also skill trees for the aforementioned permanent guilds, each weapon class (two-handed, one hand and shield, bow, destruction, restoration etc), another for soul magic, a distinct tree for your race and another tree for each crafting type (provisioning (aka cooking), blacksmithing, clothing (combines both leatherworking and tailoring), woodworking, alchemy, and enchanting). Each skill tree has its own level (that increases the more you use that skill), and abilities (of which there are active and passive) are available to purchase with a skill point once the requisite skill level is reached. Some active abilities also have their own experience bar, which when full, allows you to morph the ability to one of two choices (eg. increased duration of an effect, or make the effect more powerful).

This is the start of where the game differs from other TES games. A skill point is rewarded after each player level, but also after major points in certain quest chains, and for every 3 Skyshards collected (they lie scattered around each map, and there are clues to their location in the Achievement list). The other most obvious ways it differs from other TES games are: sneaking consumes stamina; lockpicking isn't a skill (though it does exist in the game, and the actual lockpicking mechanic may be the best yet, having to depress and lock each tumbler correctly within the time limit to pick the lock successfully); no pickpocketing; NPCs can't be murdered; no bounties/jail; inventory just has a number of slots (which can be upgraded, for a fee) rather than being weight-based; due to the change in inventory, there is no overencumberance (a shame and a blessing, imagining how hilarious/frustrating it would be to be overencumbered and trying to run across the PvP zone); quick travel costs gold unless done from a wayshrine; you can't pick up anything and everything you find laying around.

Despite the list of typical ESO features that are now missing, it still feels to me like a TES game in a number of ways. Exploration is still plentiful and encouraged, by way of the skyshards, each zone having treasure maps that can be found in the world (the collectors edition gifts you a map for each zone unique to the CE) full of loot (usually green and blue rarity weapons and armour), mines/caves and quests to discover off the beaten path, and lots of books filled with TES lore (some that give you a skill level increase, some that are collectable towards achievements).
Dialog and the voice overs are typical TES fare (you'll recognise many voices themselves as being in the previous games), along with a few high profile names (Michael Gambon, who (excellently) voices the Prophet the reviewer complained so much about, John Cleese, Kate Beckingsale, among others).
One other thing that feels very much TES-like is the undertones of classism and racism among some of the NPCs. Slavery had only recently been abolished in the timeline and, at least in the Ebonheart Pact, there is a lot of tension between the Argonians and the Dwemer (Dark Elves), even having some quests designed around this tension (and in some cases, allowing your morality to guide a decision, which is typically flung back in your face by having an unexpected consequence).

The game is mostly living up to everything I was looking for in it: Elder Scrolls I can play with other people. It undoubtedly feels to me like it's set in the TES universe: the quest is fairly epic in scale, and there is plenty to distract you from the main quest (though, not quite as much as previous TES games), and the lore and other distinguishing features are there in some form. The MMO elements are there too, though not quite as all-out as WoW and other mainstays. Zenimax should be commended for the game, and also for the post-launch support so far (downtime and patches have been regular and controlled, and we should soon start seeing the extra content that was being promised by going with the subscription model).

If you like the Elder Scrolls universe, and enjoy playing campaigns with friends, then I'd certainly recommend this game. Right now, the AU$180/year subscription seems steep, but we've yet to see how much value the regular content updates will add. Myself and others are hoping all of Tamriel will eventually be unlocked, which will simply be amazing for TES geeks.

 

I've been playing it since launch and overall I'm enjoying it.

 

wow. lotsa butthurt Skyrim player here.

i kid, i kid.

but im enjoying it and decided to take the plunge and spent real money on monthly subscription. so far ive been leveling slowly and enjoying the scenery. very worthwhile in my opinion.

then again, im originally an MMO player that thinks Skyrim was... "meh". i'll take Assasin's Creed Black Flag over it any day.

PS: i did enjoy Morrowind and Oblivion.

 

To add on Sebbo post.

The world is alive also. The NPCs are not static, phasing is great, especially when you take one quest at the time to solve the entertainment is great. Indeed has no "grind".

Especially for AD, the quests involving Khajiit, are superb and funny.

There are a lot of random events in the world are you explore, many surreal and funny. eg You meet a Bosmer chasing with a cleave a Khajiit who picked a flower to smell it. If you are on TES lore and followed the quests until then, you know about the Green Pact. Sames goes when 3 Altmer are pointing to a Bosmer the Elder Root, and saying that they should make it timber to build a fleet, while a stone city will be better as capital for the AD. (The Bosmer reply is hilarious).

Or the Khajiit who's belongings are supposedly stolen by bandits.

And lets not forget Melukah. Who has given voice to most female bards, and you can sit there in the inns for hours listening to her.

 

I agree with this. The review is a overly whiney hatchet job, written by someone who probably simply dislikes MMOs, period. Roger Ebert had a good policy when reviewing films, which the reviewer should have used: He said when reviewing a film you should not just give your view, but also tell the target audience if this is the kind of film they might enjoy. For instance, someone who does not like horror films is unlikely to like the finest examples the genre has to offer. Why? Because they don't like horror. It's not their cup of tea. Now that's fine, but a serious reviewer should give a rounded picture, and not launch into cheap jibes and a teenage hissy-fit, as this review of TESO does in the very first paragraph. This kind of prejudiced, superficial review fits poorly with the often excellent hardware reviews offered on this site.

 

Shock news: some people like this game, other people do not like this game. This must be the first time this has ever happened on the internet - a truly historical moment!

 

Should move this to a new thread and call it TESO Marmite thread.....

 

The problem I have with many of the comments of praise for TESO above is that they predominantly come from people who have a lot of previous MMO experience and so none of the opinions above represent me, an MMO newbie. Opinions are always subjective and good ones are often divisive and controversial.

Skyrim was my first real experience of TES and RPG games as a whole as I have much more experience of RTS, FPS and a few sports games (racers and football). I found Skyrim's opening sequence engaging and more importantly, involving with the story line developing right from the off and controls were intuitive but not simplistic. By the time I had made my way to Riverwood (yes, I chose Stormcloak) I had a clear direction of where to start in the new world before me and a sense of much more to come. I felt guided but not restricted to that guidance. The last time I felt like that was when playing Battlefield 2142 where because of the large maps you could find your way straight to the chaotic action where the main plan seemed to be 'kill one or two before getting yourself killed, respawing and doing it all over again' or you could find your way to the edge of the action and play a completely different way involving squad tactics. Future Battlefield games ruined it for me because as the maps got smaller and the player count increased, the chaotic actions intensified and any tactical, distance play seemed to completely disappear.
TESO failed to engage me from the off as I was forced to create a character with not even a word of the differences my choices would make to their future attributes nor was there any explanation of what the guilds and factions were nor how they worked. It was just a random choice with no clue as to the consequences. It didn't improve once the game started with ghosts spawing all around me and running off like everyone instantly knew where they were going and what they had to do when they got there. There were dozens of Spriggans just standing there mere feet away from you waiting for you to almost bump in to them before attacking and when they did the action seemed extremely clumsy, simplistic and almost childish. The introducing story is weak at best and does nothing to engage you. Once I had escaped Coldharbour I found myself within a city not knowing where I was or why. I looked around and saw chaos as people and horses literally appear out of nowhere or fell out of the sky by the dozen. There was a vague dot on my map but the story had been so poor that I had no memory of where it was or why I should go there. This is really where the controls failed as I walked around the city I found no way to engage with other characters, NPCs or real players. Instructions were poor and I just felt overwhelmed by the silliness around me and the lack of clear direction and after several hours of play I still felt lost and clueless.

I admitted earlier that I only played the final BETA test weekend but as that was only a week or so before launch you can't tell me that the game changed all that much. As I've also said I may give it a try in a 6-12 months maybe when things settle down... but I like to learn the game as I play the game, not by having to read through guides before I even start it.

 

"PingCrosby, go forth and bring me the Blade Of Badasses, you will need the blood from a virgin winkle and the shoe from a dead rabbit called Colin the Unwise", " Aw why me?, I was just gonna get me tea." " Foolish mortal, I am Garry the Hairdresser and command you or I will smite thee down with my Mighty Comb of Dandruff". " Alright, alright keep yer hair on........what did you want again?".

 

Skyrim...with co-op....and without every player being some super-world-saving-snowflake.....and I'd have been very happy.

Explore with a friend or two in a small party, on horseback. Find trouble. Loot. Take on quests (even mundane quests!) together. Enjoy. A huge world to explore. You wouldn't even need a damn story...just plonk us in the world and let us do our thing. Killing. Trading. Fishing. Whatever.

Was that really too much to ask? :/

 

What you describe is exactly how TESO is. Each alliance is huge. Total landmass currently per alliance, is two Skyrim maps almost. And if you are 50, you can go to the other alliance areas without the need to create a new char. Also those areas are adjusted to level 50+.


Btw the screenshots below are heavily compressed to less than 2mb of the original size (8.1mb @ 1080p). However indeed very "cartoon graphics" (lol).

 

Made me laugh.

 

As someone who bought Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim in the Steam sales, and has never got around to installing them even once - and as someone who had two of my closest and oldest friends recommend ESO to me a week ago - I am enjoying it. In fact I did a sales pitch to our fourth friend today and I would guess he bought it as he said he would.

I'm not saying the review is wrong offering 40%, and I wouldn't recommend any of you buy it. I'm just stating my own opinion.