Elder Scrolls Online: The Misconception

Kind of nuts that they needed to make a video like this.

"So you're probably wondering how you're gonna find all your friends on this enormous server but it's actually not that complicated".

You'll find them easily because there'll be no one else playing it. ZING.

@Breadfan said:

Kind of nuts that they needed to make a video like this.

They're a fansite for a game that has only been trickling out information. I imagine they have all sorts of free time.

Yep, it's an MMO, not interested.

@project343 said:

@Breadfan said:

Kind of nuts that they needed to make a video like this.

They're a fansite for a game that has only been trickling out information. I imagine they have all sorts of free time.

Guess I had my own misconception. Totally thought Tamriel Foundry was a studio.

Provinces are going to be their appropriate size, which means that Skyrim in the single player game is going to be the same size as Skyrim in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Wow! The entirety of Tamriel using the same scale as the single player games? That's ambitious!

However not all areas of each province are going to be available at launch. Zenimax has already stated that they're saving specific areas in each province for future content releases.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

So psyched for this to go free to play so I can play it for three hours and then never touch it again!

Misconceptions:

1. It's an Elder Scrolls game.

I'm mad because they're making an MMO based on a franchise I like! Time to tell everyone how much its going to fail!

@bibamatt said:

"So you're probably wondering how you're gonna find all your friends on this enormous server but it's actually not that complicated".

You'll find them easily because there'll be no one else playing it. ZING.

Well you sure did take that line out of context, great job!

I was actually not interested at all in the game originally, but I think I'm coming around on it. I'll give it a shot.

EDIT: Well, after finishing the video, he states at the end that "not everyone can go everywhere"... that doesn't sit well with me.... this is ES, the whole point is to go everywhere...

Every time I try to play an MMO they just seem more boring than the last. I can never get past the 50 hour mark on any of them without burning out completely. I don't think this will be any different. For such a unique franchise this game looks generic as hell, and really really dull.

You know that your game will be a winner when you have to make a video to justify it before launch.

MMORPGs great in theory, horrible in practice.

@bibamatt said:

"So you're probably wondering how you're gonna find all your friends on this enormous server but it's actually not that complicated".

You'll find them easily because there'll be no one else playing it. ZING.

That's brilliant!

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

How do I know if the youtube video I want to make a topic about will be considered spam or not?

• It really depends on two things - the content of the video, and the quality of the written commentary you intend to post with it.
• Any and all content you post, upload or create on the site must always be within our rules and guidelines. These can be found within the forum rules topic.
• Usually one or two well written and decent sized paragraphs to go along with the video should be enough for it to not be considered spam. If you feel you cannot write that reasonable and adequate amount of original commentary on the video to inspire discussion value in your topic, then chances are you shouldn't make the topic.
• If you are an existing member of our community and put together a video about a game and attach it to the correct forum, this is probably fine to share as long as it doesn't get out of hand.

http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion/30/please-read-the-u-toob-spam-stops-now/271975

Misconception : masses of people caring about an MMO in 2012

I'm still willing to try it, I won't expect the same level of quality, but if there are interesting quests and things related to the lore, I'll be happy.

This has been in development for a while right? Like before Star Wars and DCUO came out? Because if I was the head of a studio and someone came to me with an idea for a subscription based MMO, they would be fired on the spot.

That said, once this goes f2p (and it will) I will give it a try.

@musclerider said:

Misconception : masses of people caring about an MMO in 2012

Guild Wars 2 and Pandaria are both huge?

The only hook was the combat and it sounds like it is normal MMO combat but with the chore of left clicking for every attack.

I think the only misconception is that people think this will be a game changer. 
I predict it will be an MMO and do nothing special with the genre 
 
Go ahead and mark my words so you can quote me in a few years.

Seems like if you really wanted to play this MMO you should know most of this by now.

@Jonny_Anonymous: This is bordering on spam but at least it's relevant and in the correct forum. At least edit the first post with some commentary or something...tell us why you're posting the video and why anyone should bother watching it. Otherwise it's just a random video from the internet that didn't need it's own topic.

@KrypticKiller said:

This has been in development for a while right? Like before Star Wars and DCUO came out? Because if I was the head of a studio and someone came to me with an idea for a subscription based MMO, they would be fired on the spot.

That said, once this goes f2p (and it will) I will give it a try.

Do we know if it's subscription based or not? I'm not aware of any official announcements regarding its business model. Seeing how much of its concepts are iterations of what we have with Guild Wars 2, I wouldn't be surprised if they went a similar route - shoot straight for the fullprice game without subscription fee hybrid - which is so much more tasteful than straight forward free 2 play.

Great, a fansite is always full of accurate information. Is there a particular reason why we should take anything in that video any more seriously than fanboys who think their latest fixation is going to be great?

@Seppli: A few months ago I'd have been surprised to be even entertaining the notion of releasing this without a sub. But the "pay once" model makes sense here. With Guild Wars 2 seeming profitable and Secret World following suit I hope they see the value in it. Pay once makes sense because it means the people playing still have some commitment to sticking with it, but don't feel forced by the monthly re-up to keep going.

@Wampa1: B2P + content packs (mini-expansions) are the way of the future for the MMO genre. It doesn't force the user to be in an on/off mentality with monthly fees, it is easy to pick up and play, and the content packs are cheap enough to rake in the impulse spenders.

The only real concern is that they've announced that the entire landmass will be in the game (read: every province), but portions of those provinces will be saved for later content expansions. They should have learned from Cataclysm and Dawnguard: people like a chunky and identifiable landmass to jump into with DLC/expansions.

The more I hear, the less interested I am. Anyone who wants to play this sort of game already plays WoW, right? My sense is that most Elder Scrolls fans are single-player RPG types. The "you can't go everywhere" bit seems like it's going to be a real issue for many people, as having a unified Tamriel seems like the big draw.

@musclerider said:

Misconception : masses of people caring about an MMO in 2012

boom

@Seppli said:

Do we know if it's subscription based or not? I'm not aware of any official announcements regarding its business model. Seeing how much of its concepts are iterations of what we have with Guild Wars 2, I wouldn't be surprised if they went a similar route - shoot straight for the fullprice game without subscription fee hybrid - which is so much more tasteful than straight forward free 2 play.

They haven't said yet. The fact they're being quiet about the pricing is usually suspicious (they want people to get excited before announcing a recurring cost) but yeah, after Old Republic flopped hard, I find it hard to believe another publisher would go that route again, especially when this has been getting just as much negativity as TOR did when it was announced.

@Seppli said:

@KrypticKiller said:

This has been in development for a while right? Like before Star Wars and DCUO came out? Because if I was the head of a studio and someone came to me with an idea for a subscription based MMO, they would be fired on the spot.

That said, once this goes f2p (and it will) I will give it a try.

Do we know if it's subscription based or not? I'm not aware of any official announcements regarding its business model. Seeing how much of its concepts are iterations of what we have with Guild Wars 2, I wouldn't be surprised if they went a similar route - shoot straight for the fullprice game without subscription fee hybrid - which is so much more tasteful than straight forward free 2 play.

Yeah, I'm not sure if they have said anything official yet. I read somewhere a while ago that it would start with a sub. I don't recall who said it though.

I would be happy if they decided to do what Guild Wars did, though I'm not sure why you find it more tasteful.

EDIT: Well, after finishing the video, he states at the end that "not everyone can go everywhere"... that doesn't sit well with me.... this is ES, the whole point is to go everywhere...

@KrypticKiller said:

@Seppli said:

@KrypticKiller said:

This has been in development for a while right? Like before Star Wars and DCUO came out? Because if I was the head of a studio and someone came to me with an idea for a subscription based MMO, they would be fired on the spot.

That said, once this goes f2p (and it will) I will give it a try.

Do we know if it's subscription based or not? I'm not aware of any official announcements regarding its business model. Seeing how much of its concepts are iterations of what we have with Guild Wars 2, I wouldn't be surprised if they went a similar route - shoot straight for the fullprice game without subscription fee hybrid - which is so much more tasteful than straight forward free 2 play.

Yeah, I'm not sure if they have said anything official yet. I read somewhere a while ago that it would start with a sub. I don't recall who said it though.

I would be happy if they decided to do what Guild Wars did, though I'm not sure why you find it more tasteful.

Pure free 2 play games have one source of revenue. Microtransactions. Guild Wars 2 however is not dependent on them. The upside is evident. They don't have to design a game that's inherently broken (to put it bluntly), which forces the customer to unbreak it with microtransactions. GW2 is designed with integrity. It's a fully functinal and cohesive game with proper progression pacing and rewarding mechanics - with all content being equally accessible to everyone. Microtransactions are a reality in Guild Wars 2, but a reality of convenience, and not of necessity.

Hell - since players buy gold from players with gems, and gems are bought with IRL-money from ArenaNet, non-IRL-money-paying players can buy anything in the gemstore without ever spending an additional dime. It's definitely a lot more tasteful design than any free 2 play game I've played.

@Seppli said:

@KrypticKiller said:

@Seppli said:

@KrypticKiller said:

This has been in development for a while right? Like before Star Wars and DCUO came out? Because if I was the head of a studio and someone came to me with an idea for a subscription based MMO, they would be fired on the spot.

That said, once this goes f2p (and it will) I will give it a try.

Do we know if it's subscription based or not? I'm not aware of any official announcements regarding its business model. Seeing how much of its concepts are iterations of what we have with Guild Wars 2, I wouldn't be surprised if they went a similar route - shoot straight for the fullprice game without subscription fee hybrid - which is so much more tasteful than straight forward free 2 play.

Yeah, I'm not sure if they have said anything official yet. I read somewhere a while ago that it would start with a sub. I don't recall who said it though.

I would be happy if they decided to do what Guild Wars did, though I'm not sure why you find it more tasteful.

Pure free 2 play games have one source of revenue. Microtransactions. Guild Wars 2 however is not dependent on them. The upside is evident. They don't have to design a game that's inherently broken (to put it bluntly), which forces the customer to unbreak it with microtransactions. GW2 is designed with integrity. It's a fully functinal and cohesive game with proper progression pacing and rewarding mechanics - with all content being equally accessible to everyone. Microtransactions are a reality in Guild Wars 2, but a reality of convenience, and not of necessity.

Hell - since players buy gold from players with gems, and gems are bought with IRL-money from ArenaNet, non-IRL-money-paying players can buy anything in the gemstore without ever spending an additional dime. It's definitely a lot more tasteful design than any free 2 play game I've played.

Fair enough. Though I guess you could also look at it as the money you spend in other f2p's to unbreak them is the same as just plopping down $60-$70 right off the bat,

Don't get me wrong, I would much rather pay the $70 or whatever and have the game "unbroken" from the start, I'm just saying micro-transactions are one and the same. I feel as long as a game has a balanced system it should not be thought of as less-than. I would also bet all the money in my pockets ($5) that we will see a game that want's you to purchase the disc and still have a fucked up micro market.

I'd rather just have a co-op ES game. This looks fine but it doesn't look like Elder Scrolls. Using assets and setting doesn't cut it here. So much more to that world.

@project343 said:

@musclerider said:

Misconception : masses of people caring about an MMO in 2012

Guild Wars 2 and Pandaria are both huge?

Both are established franchises - one requires you to pay for it just once and the other is the biggest MMO and one of the biggest games in history. It's kind of a different situation here.

I'm no prophet, but The Elder Scrolls Online could be a success if they attempted to transfer what makes people care about Skyrim into a MMO environment. Doing the same shit everyone does, including semi-deformed characters, is not a way to go.

I gotta institute a blanket "no trying MMOs anymore" policy for myself. I recently downloaded Planetside 2 and Old Republic and both looked as boring as can be.

EDIT: Gotta admit though, something about that video got me interest up a little...Dammit, the cycle repeats.

Have never been into MMO's so "not interested" for on this one as well. Granted, this game isn't made by Bethesda-but everything I read about a new MMO I think "wow sounds interesting. Too bad the combat will be terrible and I will never play it. Wish it was a single player game."

eh, if it doesnt have a subscription, ill play t.

It's pretty insane how terribly the hype cycle has affected the industry. This video makes no sense. They are talking in excruciating detail about a game nobody can play *because* the negative reaction to the hype has left them in a position where they need to do this.

It's screwed up. I can't be the only person who thinks it's screwed up.

Here's a shocking notion, though: I'll wait until I can play this, then I'll determine if I am interested in it.

you know what fuck it, i can always go for a new mmo

I might reconsider if there's no subscription fee, but I'm definitely going to have to wait to hear from some people who've actually played it. These videos aren't really telling me what I want to know.

I had hoped that they'd bring up any of the things I've got issues with, but I guess they aren't missconceptions? In other words, it's just another current generation massively multiplayer fantasy third person action-RPG, using similar mechanics to already available competitors. I very much doubt that Skyrim has created enough of a fanbase to suceed where Star Wars failed. But I guess it's too late for Zenimax to refocus the game now...

I'm going to keep being dismissive about third person MMO action-RPG fantasy games until I see something that moves the genre forward... and I'm not going to hold my breath. We seriously need a break from games like this...

@Mnemoidian said:

I had hoped that they'd bring up any of the things I've got issues with, but I guess they aren't missconceptions? In other words, it's just another current generation massively multiplayer fantasy third person action-RPG, using similar mechanics to already available competitors.

Didn't they say combat is in real-time? I'm not an MMO aficionado, but isn't that something?

@Snail: Well, that's one change, but from everything I've seen, it looks and feels exactly like all the other MMOs that have been showcased recently. Changing one tiny feature in such a massive package won't revolutionize anything. An MMO is an extremely complicated beast. there are hundreds of components that are as important as the combat system. (Story, Tutorial, Early game, End game, Balance, PvP, PvE, Social structures, interesting player characters, interesting player progression... and something different.), as well as requiring long term hosting. It's super expensive and they probably need about a million subscribers to be profitable... and you are probably lucky if you get 300k.

I've been playing MMOs for... 15 years? Or something... I used to be excited by MMO launches, but now I'm just bored, because every MMO that launches is just World of Warcraft with a different coat of paint and none of my friends...

... sorry, I'm really trying hard to avoid going into full "Why the current generation MMOs suck"-essay mode here... which I know no one wants, especially as I can't provide any solutions (or I would be off making my own MMO, I guess! :P)

@Mnemoidian: You're right though. As someone who really likes game lore and world-building in general, the mere notion that they are making an ES MMO and that a Star Wars MMO got made should have been the greatest things ever to me, being a huge fan of both series. But like you said, every MMO that comes out now aside from a few like Guild Wars 2 just try to ape WoW so hard that you might as well just be playing WoW.

As someone who has never been into MMO's, it doesn't seem like developers are trying all that hard to make a game that I might be interested in. I don't want hotbar-based, spam left click combat. I don't want to be constrained to a faction. I don't want to be restricted on where I can go. Nothing about ESO seems like it's going to try to bring anyone new in, and just like TOR proved, you can't bank on the fanbase of an established franchise holding you up.

@Mnemoidian said:

@Snail: Well, that's one change, but from everything I've seen, it looks and feels exactly like all the other MMOs that have been showcased recently. Changing one tiny feature in such a massive package won't revolutionize anything. An MMO is an extremely complicated beast. there are hundreds of components that are as important as the combat system. (Story, Tutorial, Early game, End game, Balance, PvP, PvE, Social structures, interesting player characters, interesting player progression... and something different.), as well as requiring long term hosting. It's super expensive and they probably need about a million subscribers to be profitable... and you are probably lucky if you get 300k.

I've been playing MMOs for... 15 years? Or something... I used to be excited by MMO launches, but now I'm just bored, because every MMO that launches is just World of Warcraft with a different coat of paint and none of my friends...

... sorry, I'm really trying hard to avoid going into full "Why the current generation MMOs suck"-essay mode here... which I know no one wants, especially as I can't provide any solutions (or I would be off making my own MMO, I guess! :P)

I get what you mean. I like LOTRO because of all the Lord of the Rings lore, and the fact that I have a friend who's really into that game that I can play with - but even still, MMOs are too time-consuming for me to get deeply involved with them.

Still, the way they're handling servers in this one, the way they're kind of dynamically arranging players together, and the combat mechanics seem to be little details that may be more impactful than SWTOR's dialogue trees and cover mechanics. It doesn't sound like it stand out from the crowd as much as Guild Wars 2 though, right? That's a pretty different MMO from what I gather, or at least as different as it's gotten in the past decade I guess.