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Miscellaneous => The Sallyport => Topic started by: Sir Edward on 2013-06-05, 15:37:10
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Beta applications are open for Elder Scrolls Online. I never played the previous games, except for a little bit of Skyrim (didn't get far before getting distracted by other shiny objects), but I always enjoy a good MMO.
http://elderscrollsonline.com/en (http://elderscrollsonline.com/en)
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They're the best modern RPG's this side of Baldur's Gate / Planescape Torment / Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale. Signing up for the beta as we speak!
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I love the ES games...well, the console version. I'm assuming this is for the PC crowd- you gotta let me know how that goes!
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I love the ES games...well, the console version. I'm assuming this is for the PC crowd- you gotta let me know how that goes!
Seriously! I love Skyrim. I'm more a fan of Bioware's storylines though, I care more about the characters in DragonAge and Mass Effect. But, Elder Scrolls is amazing, and a great universe too. Let me know how it goes! My knight is already trying to convince me to build me a computer because of The Old Republic and EVE, if Elder Scrolls is any good, I might just have to give in.
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Dragon Age was a great game, albeit wayyyy too much reading, loved DA2 because all of the dialog was spoken. I think I played that game thru at least 4 times, while DAO I played thru twice.
I think I fell more for Skyrim's world than anything else...there was so much to explore and it was starkly beautiful. I think one of my favorite areas was Blackreach...talk about an alien sub-world.
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So has anyone had a chance to try out the beta? They just opened pre-orders, and I'm curious if it's worth it. I assume it is, since they have a great lineage of games, from what I understand.
http://elderscrollsonline.com/en/preorder (http://elderscrollsonline.com/en/preorder)
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Yes. Huge Elder Scrolls fan here... not impressed with the beta of ESO. Too MMO, not enough ES.
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YES!! Getting it for playstation 4! Alright guys, lets start forming a group. I'll be the sword and shield since that is my favourite combo for all elder scrolls games, preferably heavy armor. Sir Edward, you must play elderscrolls! You all are looking at a child who played Oblivion 6 hours a day every day and never once did I get bored. I have 59/60 achievements in that game! The last one was become head of the theives guild and i screwed it up. Part of my bucket list is to beat it! My god I am having a complete nerdgasm...
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Elder scrolls are an awful game series.
If you keep reading you see that I was lying.
I love Elder scrolls. Can't wait for this game!
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Yes. Huge Elder Scrolls fan here... not impressed with the beta of ESO. Too MMO, not enough ES.
Like Neverwinter?
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Yes. Huge Elder Scrolls fan here... not impressed with the beta of ESO. Too MMO, not enough ES.
Like Neverwinter?
I actually liked the Neverwinter beta better. I played it a lot longer that's for sure. ESO feels like it's trying to force classes and class based skills into Elder Scrolls, which was one of the cool things about ES, you could do what you wanted and get better at those things. I felt like my character was just like everyone else's character, chasing the same quests etc, just like every other MMO.
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I actually liked the Neverwinter beta better. I played it a lot longer that's for sure. ESO feels like it's trying to force classes and class based skills into Elder Scrolls, which was one of the cool things about ES, you could do what you wanted and get better at those things. I felt like my character was just like everyone else's character, chasing the same quests etc, just like every other MMO.
That is disappointing. Maybe I'll sit this one out. I played the Neverwinter beta for a while, but didn't proceed with it after launch. I was really hoping ESO would be more like Skyrim. I'd love a good classless MMO, with a more sandboxy or free-form character progression.
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Huh...that's a shame. It looks like it could be interesting, but I don't know. Even from what little I've seen about it, something just seems off. I'm a big fan of the Elder Scrolls series and lore, and the idea of having (eventually, tentatively) all of Tamriel open to explore is really appealing to me. But at the same time, I'm not really big on MMOs or multiplayer in general. LotRO's about the only MMO I've ever really been able to get into, and even then I spend most of my time adventuring alone.
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I've played a lot of MMOs over the years, and often circle back on some of them when they have expansions. I play all of the WoW expansions, for example, but once I use up the new quests and hit the new level cap, I unsubscribe again.
I looked at the ESO classes a little, and it's interesting that they're saying it sets a few of the skill trees for you, but there are many others that are open to everyone, and the gear is not class specific either. So it looks like they're still aiming for more customization than many other MMOs.
This video is old, so it's probably a bit out of date:
★ Elder Scrolls Online : Classes and Character Advancement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWaq6Pc8drM#ws)
Anyway, part of me is still tempted. I haven't played through any of the other Elder Scrolls games, so I'd be coming in fresh.
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General character progression overview:
Character Progression: Be Who You Want to Be (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU07krDtruw#ws)
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Sir Edward...the closest I got to a fun (EVE Online was a bit too tedious and nerve-wracking to be called fun) sandbox MMO in recent years is Darkfall...you might want to check it out...the BETA was awesome...release was great...then they broke the game...now they release clean servers under Unholy Wars and lots of my friends like it...I dont have time for MMO's anymore unfortunately...
http://www.darkfallonline.com/ (http://www.darkfallonline.com/)
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Probably one of the few things I dislike about the new ESO is that depending on your class, you can't be friends with someone who is a certain race. For example, my friend loves Khajits, and I love Imperials and Nords. But, because one is Aldmeri Diminion and the others are a different alliance, we can't play together until (from what I heard) level 50ish. Thats a bit disapointing :'(
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Probably one of the few things I dislike about the new ESO is that depending on your class, you can't be friends with someone who is a certain race. For example, my friend loves Khajits, and I love Imperials and Nords. But, because one is Aldmeri Diminion and the others are a different alliance, we can't play together until (from what I heard) level 50ish. Thats a bit disapointing :'(
Yeah, that's a big problem, if you can't play what you want and still play with your friends. Although, it looks like that isn't a limitation with the digital pre-order, as one of the perks is you can play any race in any alliance:
http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en/preorder (http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en/preorder)
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One of the huge draws of the Elder Scrolls universe, is that as the only playable character in the game, you had a dramatic effect on the world. You completed quests that you felt like, you could totally ignore the storyline if you so pleased. As you accomplished things in the world, and revisited old locales, people knew of your deeds and you could see the change that you affected.
This is all not something that can be replicated in an MMO. There are 10,000 other 'unique' heroes all trying to affect the world at the same time, and really we all know MMO's cater to the end-game. This doesn't jive with the Elder Scrolls formula. The 'End Game' in a single player Elder Scrolls game was the entire journey, the open sandbox fantasy world that you lived in. An MMO doesn't work that way. You can't be special in an MMO through completing quests and adventuring. The only way to break you out as special in an mmo is usually by gear and other garbage like that, reflecting how much time you spend in the game, not by the story you carved for yourself in the world.
What I loved about Oblivion and Skyrim was that I basically got to create my own epic tale of adventure and do what I want and see how even the smallest action of mine had a real effect on a living world. This is far and away a very different thing than what an MMO can accomplish. From what I experienced with the beta, it's just another MMO, it's not what made Elder Scrolls fantastic. I genuinely hope that they can figure out the feel of the game before its release, because it would be awesome if they could bring the Elder Scrolls experience to an MMO, but when you think about it long and hard, MMO's and single player fantasy RPGs have different objectives that just don't overlap enough.
Most of the feedback I saw from the beta came down to this: MMO fans think it's not MMO enough, and ES fans think it's not ES enough. They picked two divergent gaming experiences and tried to please everyone... That's usually not a recipe for success.
I hope I'm totally wrong and they blow it out of the water when it comes out though! If not, I can still play Skyrim forever! :)
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One of the huge draws of the Elder Scrolls universe, is that as the only playable character in the game, you had a dramatic effect on the world. You completed quests that you felt like, you could totally ignore the storyline if you so pleased. As you accomplished things in the world, and revisited old locales, people knew of your deeds and you could see the change that you affected.
This is all not something that can be replicated in an MMO. There are 10,000 other 'unique' heroes all trying to affect the world at the same time, and really we all know MMO's cater to the end-game. This doesn't jive with the Elder Scrolls formula. The 'End Game' in a single player Elder Scrolls game was the entire journey, the open sandbox fantasy world that you lived in. An MMO doesn't work that way. You can't be special in an MMO through completing quests and adventuring. The only way to break you out as special in an mmo is usually by gear and other garbage like that, reflecting how much time you spend in the game, not by the story you carved for yourself in the world.
What I loved about Oblivion and Skyrim was that I basically got to create my own epic tale of adventure and do what I want and see how even the smallest action of mine had a real effect on a living world. This is far and away a very different thing than what an MMO can accomplish. From what I experienced with the beta, it's just another MMO, it's not what made Elder Scrolls fantastic. I genuinely hope that they can figure out the feel of the game before its release, because it would be awesome if they could bring the Elder Scrolls experience to an MMO, but when you think about it long and hard, MMO's and single player fantasy RPGs have different objectives that just don't overlap enough.
Most of the feedback I saw from the beta came down to this: MMO fans think it's not MMO enough, and ES fans think it's not ES enough. They picked two divergent gaming experiences and tried to please everyone... That's usually not a recipe for success.
I hope I'm totally wrong and they blow it out of the water when it comes out though! If not, I can still play Skyrim forever! :)
Well, like many games like this, a major quet you do will allow you to see and do things other players can't do. So YOUR world as you see it changes, and people that complete the same things as you eventually see what you see. There is actually a point in the game where every group and faction fights in a war to claim the crown/title of Emperor of Tamriel. But this is a new Elder Scroll where Molag Bal basically wishes to turn Tamriel into one of his daedric realms. Im playing just to see the world of Tamriel and all of its myths and legends come together into one large game. Explore the continent, also they will release a new part of Tamriel every year, kind of like they do in WoW. They may even release a whole new continent! Like the one where Nords came from! Probably even the island where high elves come from. It may even be like WoW where you can do a single player game. I am more excited than not for this game. Actually, what sucks is that you have to pay a monthly fee even though you are already paying for, say, XBOX live or ps4 online.
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Most of the feedback I saw from the beta came down to this: MMO fans think it's not MMO enough, and ES fans think it's not ES enough. They picked two divergent gaming experiences and tried to please everyone... That's usually not a recipe for success.
This is the part that really worries me. :(
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SKYRIM baby!!!! :)
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Most of the feedback I saw from the beta came down to this: MMO fans think it's not MMO enough, and ES fans think it's not ES enough. They picked two divergent gaming experiences and tried to please everyone... That's usually not a recipe for success.
This is the part that really worries me. :(
I'm sure the true fans will stay true.
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It looks like ESO is doing a wide-beta stress test this weekend. I think that will be a good opportunity to see how the game is turning out.
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It looks like ESO is doing a wide-beta stress test this weekend. I think that will be a good opportunity to see how the game is turning out.
Yes, I got a notification to log in this weekend. We'll see how it goes!
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This is a good article / video on the pros/cons of ESO. It addresses the MMO vs ES dilemma well.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-trapped-between-worlds/1100-6417556/ (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-trapped-between-worlds/1100-6417556/)
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This reminds me, I need to check if there's a workaround to the glitch in that cavern in Skyrim when I tried to claim Vaermina's staff or something and it kept freezing before I could exit.
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I got to play a little in ESO tonight, before the server went down for maintenance. I don't hate it so far, but I can see what the criticisms are. It might be fun for a while, but I don't know how well it'll hold my attention in the long run yet. For the time being, I'm having some fun with it.
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I think I'm getting it anyway. I don't even care if its bad. I am a die hard Elder Scrolls fan. Sir Edward, i think you would like the game better if you played the other games. This new Elder Scrolls game is highly highly comprised of myths and stories from the Elder Scrolls series. Plus when your whole child hood is grown up around these games it is kinda hard not to buy. Especially Oblivion.
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I got to play a little in ESO tonight, before the server went down for maintenance. I don't hate it so far, but I can see what the criticisms are. It might be fun for a while, but I don't know how well it'll hold my attention in the long run yet. For the time being, I'm having some fun with it.
You know what would get peoples attention. Oblivion remastered.
Without that game, I may not be on these forums right now.
The story, the heroism, the amount of hours of figuring out ways to kill the adoring fan!
The confusing Armor! Every town is like a different freakin century. I love it!
Who thinks Oblivion was the best elder scrolls game?
(Saw an ESO trailer with daedra, scamps, and a gatekeeper!)
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I patched ESO yesterday, logged in, saw the clunky dated look of the game again, lost all desire to play and logged out.
Combat is just so boring compared to oblivion and skyrim. It graphically looks worse than both, it runs worse than both. I guess I just really wanted an elder scrolls game as good as skyrim and oblivion with a touch of online features and felt like I got the same old mmo with a tiny bit of an elder scrolls theme and no ingenuity. The more I think about it, the more I'd rather just have a new elder scrolls game than another crappy mmo.
I love elder scrolls, but ESO is not it.
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Yeah, the more I think about it, something really feels "missing". I don't hate it, it would be fun for a little while... and yet. Usually I'm dying to get my hands on a new MMO, and I will get sucked in hard, and play as much as I can for the first week or two. After playing last night, it was like "OK, that was cool. Now what."
The thing I have to remind myself, is that I'm sometimes slow to get into RPGs in general. I had to just get through the first couple of hours in the Dragon Age games as well, and then I was hooked. I don't get hooked easily when I have no equipment and only one attack.
They've done some interesting things in ESO. I like the first person perspective, and the fact that they only bring up HUD elements when they're needed, to aid in immersion. But something is still missing.
EDIT: I thought the graphics looked OK for an MMO (they're always going to be slightly behind the curve compared to single player games). Which aspect felt dated? The interface design?
Something I'm hating though are the stupidly long login/loading times. They'll have to fix that, or it will kill their game. This is of course a stress-test weekend, but even at 9am it's spinning for minutes at a time?
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Something I'm hating though are the stupidly long login/loading times. They'll have to fix that, or it will kill their game. This is of course a stress-test weekend, but even at 9am it's spinning for minutes at a time?
Case in point: I finally got logged in, after it was "logging in" for about 10 minutes or so.
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Have you guys been playing solo or with groups. Cuz this game is more of a group effort. Plus i think after playing Skyrim where you start off fleeing from a dragon and slaying dragons this game might feel slow. I think regardless of the game play I may just play it just because. But so far this game sounds like Guild Wars 2 to me. At first i found it like "ok" but then it just got really slow because I felt like the quests were getting harder and I wasnt finding enough quests for my level. This game might be slow because the beginning gets you to the actual "main quest". Unlike in skyrim and oblivion the main quest starts when you start the game. Idk thats what it sounds like to me so far. I'll have to play the game first. And if Im correct its provably really slow to log on due to the faxt that its a "mega world". No servers just one world.
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Yeah, I wish they had a stronger "hook" at the beginning of the game. They're taking the typical MMO approach of giving you so little to work with at the beginning, that they're assuming that you're completely new to this sort of game. I don't find it fun having only one attack at first. Once you get past that, it starts to get better.
I'm starting to see some of the light-hearted and fun writing style in the Khajiit area.
I'm still on the fence as to whether it will hold my attention, but I'm tempted to buy it anyway and give it a chance at launch.
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Sir Aiden, you mentioned GW2. I had wayyyyy more fun in GW2 than I'm having in ESO.
You also asked about group vs solo. The problem with ESO is there's no reason to join up with other people or even acknowledge that there's other players, other than getting annoyed when you're all doing the same quest and it's totally ruining your immersion. The on-the-fly group questing and dynamic events of GW2 were a LOT more engaging and encouraging of group play than anything I've encountered in ESO.
I'll still probably play at release, just because it says Elder Scrolls in the title, but I'm definitely underwhelmed. GW2 felt cool, fresh and inventive. ESO feels stale and clunky.
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Sir Aiden, you mentioned GW2. I had wayyyyy more fun in GW2 than I'm having in ESO.
You also asked about group vs solo. The problem with ESO is there's no reason to join up with other people or even acknowledge that there's other players, other than getting annoyed when you're all doing the same quest and it's totally ruining your immersion. The on-the-fly group questing and dynamic events of GW2 were a LOT more engaging and encouraging of group play than anything I've encountered in ESO.
I'll still probably play at release, just because it says Elder Scrolls in the title, but I'm definitely underwhelmed. GW2 felt cool, fresh and inventive. ESO feels stale and clunky.
Agreed. GW2 was one of the first MMOs to truly address a lot of the problems that plague typical MMOs. While not perfect, it had some creative and unique solutions, and the dynamic grouping by location was fluid and easy to work with. I had a lot of fun with that one. I need to go back in at some point. I hit the level cap and then stopped.
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ESO like GW2 has the feature where two players can combine moves together. Say a rogue throws oil on the ground a mage can light it on fire. Or say like in most ES games if you start attacking a bandit and the other bandits in the area are in view they will come to the aid of their comrads. Unlike in WoW when you attack an enemy the sureounding enemies don't do anything. I agree I found GW2 really fun. But at level 23 I stopped playing because I was busy with school and forgot about it. But when I got back on I found it incredibly boring because I was to weak to do any of the quests and I had already completed all of the quests I could do. Also my bro moved out wih the computer lol. Speaking of group quests or the "any one can part take" quest like the ones that pop up in GW2. DESTINY!!! That open world shooter has those.
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I agree I found GW2 really fun. But at level 23 I stopped playing because I was busy with school and forgot about it. But when I got back on I found it incredibly boring because I was to weak to do any of the quests and I had already completed all of the quests I could do.
The good thing about GW2 is that it scales your level to content around you (if you outlevel it), which means you can go to another lower-level area and quest there for a while (like one of the other starting zones), and you'll still gain experience.
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I agree I found GW2 really fun. But at level 23 I stopped playing because I was busy with school and forgot about it. But when I got back on I found it incredibly boring because I was to weak to do any of the quests and I had already completed all of the quests I could do.
The good thing about GW2 is that it scales your level to content around you (if you outlevel it), which means you can go to another lower-level area and quest there for a while (like one of the other starting zones), and you'll still gain experience.
Now you tell me! I would have done that before my brother moved out with it :(
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Im start playing oblivion again
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PC Gamer's closed beta impressions (the impressions seem pretty consistent across the board):
linear, bottle-necked, not really open-world, and it's missing the soul and feel of what makes ES great.
PC Gamer Impressions: The Elder Scrolls Online Beta (Max Settings @ 2560x1440) on LPC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9E_V24RuCc#ws)
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PC Gamer's closed beta impressions (the impressions seem pretty consistent across the board):
linear, bottle-necked, not really open-world, and it's missing the soul and feel of what makes ES great.
That's really a shame. I'll play it a little, but clearly the expectation at this point is that I won't stick with it for a long time.
I'd probably be a lot more disappointed if I had played the more open-ended single-player games in the franchise. Maybe I should take the hint and really dive into Skyrim at some point. ;)
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I generally don't do the online versions of games...not since Counterstrike (was a lot of bs going on, I got tired of it) which was a shame because that was "Testosterone Thursdays" game of the night more often than not. Then some friends got me involved with Call of Duty which was a lot of fun but it got old after a while...once you realize its just a bunch of idiots running around and blasting eachother in different environments with interchangeable loadouts, it gets old. GTA Online is much the same, except the world's a lot bigger than a 9v9 pvp map...but any of these online games are much more fun with like-minded friends than alone, or with strangers.
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I agree, Sir William. I really have a hard time getting into any kind of multiplayer game, not just MMOs. They're fun every once in a while -- I like the occasional TF2 match, and LotRO is my one major MMO exception -- but I get much more satisfaction from playing alone. It lets me play the game how I want to play. If I'm playing an RPG like The Elder Scrolls, sometimes I like to play it realistically. Walking instead of running everywhere, eating food, sleeping at night: roleplaying. It kind of breaks the immersion when some goofball runs up to you, starts jumping around all over the place, and generally acts silly. Other times, I like being that goofball, and it's a lot easier to do that when you don't have those super-serious spreadsheet gamers calling you a n00b.
I grew up playing games mostly alone, so I just prefer single-player games. I don't like how so many games are starting to favor the social features over a solid single-player experience. Maybe I'm just grumpy and anti-social. ;)
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I agree, Sir William. I really have a hard time getting into any kind of multiplayer game, not just MMOs. They're fun every once in a while -- I like the occasional TF2 match, and LotRO is my one major MMO exception -- but I get much more satisfaction from playing alone. It lets me play the game how I want to play. If I'm playing an RPG like The Elder Scrolls, sometimes I like to play it realistically. Walking instead of running everywhere, eating food, sleeping at night: roleplaying. It kind of breaks the immersion when some goofball runs up to you, starts jumping around all over the place, and generally acts silly. Other times, I like being that goofball, and it's a lot easier to do that when you don't have those super-serious spreadsheet gamers calling you a n00b.
I grew up playing games mostly alone, so I just prefer single-player games. I don't like how so many games are starting to favor the social features over a solid single-player experience. Maybe I'm just grumpy and anti-social. ;)
I grew up with 3 games, Halo 3, Cod 3 & 4, and Oblivion. I definitely love the single player experience. If you're like me, i name my main character after me in ES. I played Oblivion 5 years, 6 hours a day (literally why my grades in school sucked) and you know what, i never got tired of that game. Halo is the only game I play online. Everyone having the same weapons, red vs blue. Its the simple things about that game that i found so fun.
Sir Edward, play Oblivion or Morrowind first. I am dead serious. Then you may play skyrim. Douglas, you can support that statement.
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It looks like ESO has sent out a beta survey. Hopefully people will point out some of the shortcomings, and they may make some tweaks.
The problem is, the game is about to come out in about 2 months. They're in bug-fixing mode now, so it's unlikely there will be any significant improvements to gameplay, style, art, animation, etc before launch. But, being an MMO, it'll have time to fix those things later.
Sadly, we've come to accept and expect that in the MMO market. The games are nearly always launched before they're ready, and need a solid year after launch to mature.
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That's pretty much how I approach games of that type, Douglas- I'm a solo gamer at heart and the immersive experience is supposed to be tailored to me; I've had some fun with online games like the ones I mentioned (I only mentioned them because they are, to date, the only games I've ever played online) and I can see how having some online elements to a single player game might be cool but I do so enjoy the single over the multiplayer experience.
The one caveat that I don't roll with is that I usually run everywhere instead of walk- but I figure, they did it in LOTR so why can't I? Granted, I can't run like that for real- so I enjoy doing it in a game; eventually, they'll make it so you don't have unlimited stamina but until they do....
Aiden, Oblivion was a good suggestion as a precursor to Skyrim, but I wouldn't go any further back. I tried playing Morrowind before I got Oblivion, just to get into it a little, delve a bit into the lore- it was horrible to the eyes; everything- the character models, the stilted way they moved, all the damn reading...lol
I'm sure it was a fantastic game, in fact, I've heard nothing but good things about it...but it needs to stay in the old-gen library.
Truth be told, he needn't play any of the previous ones...even if Skyrim is his first introduction into the single player side of Elder Scrolls...it is that good, wouldn't you agree?
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It looks like ESO has sent out a beta survey. Hopefully people will point out some of the shortcomings, and they may make some tweaks.
I filled out a very extensive beta survey when I did my first closed beta session months ago, and there was no response, no improvements, no nothing.... I had the same experience every time I played. My concerns were not unique either, so I don't have my hopes up.
It was just too tall of an order to expect the open world experience of ES in an MMO.
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The one caveat that I don't roll with is that I usually run everywhere instead of walk- but I figure, they did it in LOTR so why can't I? Granted, I can't run like that for real- so I enjoy doing it in a game; eventually, they'll make it so you don't have unlimited stamina but until they do....
Lol, this is true. I admit, though, that I don't always follow my own rule. Sometimes I walk just to take in the scenery, but then I get bored and book it to my next location. ;)
I don't really know which game I would recommend as an introduction to TES. I started with Oblivion and it really wowed me. Then I think I did Skyrim next, then Morrowind. I've also played Arena and Daggerfall, though they're a bit different of an experience than the later games and would probably only really appeal to old-school or retro gamers.
They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Morrowind has more diverse RPG mechanics, but it is rather ugly and clunky. I had a hard time getting into it at first; it was a struggle getting through the first few character levels because it felt like my character couldn't do anything right. Once I got some graphical improvement mods and leveled up a bit more, I started enjoying it a lot more.
I'd say Oblivion is sort of the middle-ground between Morrowind and Skyrim. It's not quite as RPGish as Morrowind, but it has a little more to offer in terms of skills and abilities than Skyrim. It's kind of awesome to be able to enchant a pair of pants so that it applies burn damage to whoever's wearing them, then reverse-pickppoket them onto an unsuspecting citizen.
Skyrim is arguably the nicest-looking of the three. The character models are a huge improvement over Oblivion's (where some of the Orcs looked a wee bit too much like Shrek), and the environment is just beautiful. Not quite as alien as Morrowind's, but not as run-of-the-mill European fantasy as Oblivion's. Skyrim's dungeons are a lot more unique as well, and some of them are very ingenious. It's a little more simplified in terms of RPG mechanics than its predecessors, but it also adds some things its predecessors didn't have, especially so if you get all three DLC along with it.
It was just too tall of an order to expect the open world experience of ES in an MMO.
So based just on what you've seen and experienced so far, what do you think will happen after launch? Think it will survive, flop, have to go f2p, or pass into quaint Elder Scrolls history like Redguard and Battlespire?
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Skyrim is arguably the nicest-looking of the three. The character models are a huge improvement over Oblivion's (where some of the Orcs looked a wee bit too much like Shrek), and the environment is just beautiful. Not quite as alien as Morrowind's, but not as run-of-the-mill European fantasy as Oblivion's. Skyrim's dungeons are a lot more unique as well, and some of them are very ingenious. It's a little more simplified in terms of RPG mechanics than its predecessors, but it also adds some things its predecessors didn't have, especially so if you get all three DLC along with it.
I agree; and while Oblivion was awesome, especially for its time (as well as how much of my time I put into it, something close to 300 hours all told; but I more than doubled that w/Skyrim. I should feel ashamed, right? lol), Skyrim is the better game, in my humble opinion. There were definitely some wow moments, especially when I realized that after having hit up 5 dungeons/caverns and not a one of them had the same layout, they were all different.
Not to mention when I first found Blackreach. HOLY COW.
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Oblivion definitly had more depth to the wuests in my opinion. Thry wern't as simple. I played Oblivion first, ten when I heard about Skyrim I figured I'd knock out Morrowind. Ha, that was clearly impossible. There was no difficulty level in Morrowind. On top of that you couldn't tell if you were hitting something or not. But after awhile I really got a grab on it. Morrowind definitly had HUGE armor selection and you could where the armor how ever you liked. There were more weapons like spears. Combat and running, ew. Oblivion reused parts to much. All churches looked the same, they used parts from other dungeons in other dungeons. Though I must admit, oblivion was waaaayyyy ahead of it's time as far as gaming goes. Graphics were incredible, the open world. Skyrim definitly had a more fantasy feel to it like morrowind used to have. Seeing an island from blood moon in skyrim was killer. But Morrowind had a cooler werewolf system than skyrim. First person werewolf. I think each game has its "superiors". I didn't enjoy Skyrim as much as Oblivion. Oblivion just had more to it I suppose. Idk, maybe its from spending half of my gaming career playing it. A nice part about ESO is that they will release a new part of the world like every year. It has a fairly decent story behind it to. In my opinion. It also has a good reason behind resurrection.
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So based just on what you've seen and experienced so far, what do you think will happen after launch? Think it will survive, flop, have to go f2p, or pass into quaint Elder Scrolls history like Redguard and Battlespire?
My prediction is that ESO will float a bit on subscriptions for a while, because there are some very rabid folks out there who are deeply emotionally invested in liking this game no matter how good it actually is, and they will carry it for a bit. I'm guessing it will go the way of SWTOR. Tons of folks will play through the leveling experience, and then it will fizzle out and go f2p. Although I really enjoyed the SWTOR leveling process a bunch more than I enjoyed the ESO closed beta.
There's no way they can return the soul of ES to the game this late in the beta. It's just another mmo in my opinion with a facade of Elder Scrolls.
As far as the single player ES games, I liked Skyrim the best mainly because I love the lore and atmosphere of Skyrim more than the environment of Oblivion. Gameplay wise they're both excellent.
But my favorite recent CRPG is Witcher 2, although it's not open world, I just fell in love with that game. Really looking forward to Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
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I have actually never played Red Dead or Witcher. I want to play ESO but idk if I want to spend the 15 a month. I hope the game picks up, and doesn't end up like Rift (the two having very similar ideas).
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I've never played Witcher but it sounds like my type of game.
Aiden, if you like Westerns, Red Dead Redemption is the consummate experience.
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I've never played Witcher but it sounds like my type of game.
Aiden, if you like Westerns, Red Dead Redemption is the consummate experience.
I know, I REALLY want to play it, but I don't have the time or the money. I probably will though next time I visit (yes I visit) gamestop or Game Junkie(greatest store ever). I havn't even played AC or Bio Shock... Uh oh secrets out...
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I've never played any of the AC or BioShock games, either. Shhh, don't tell anyone. ;) I'd like to get the first Assassin's Creed eventually, though.
I also think I'd like Red Dead Redemption. I watch a lot of old Western shows (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, etc.) so I think I'd get a kick out of it.
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I have a free beta key for ESO for this weekend's test if anyone wants it. First come first served. **PC ONLY**
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armor and video games... until I have a job its sadly one or the other
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I've never played any of the AC or BioShock games, either. Shhh, don't tell anyone. ;) I'd like to get the first Assassin's Creed eventually, though.
I also think I'd like Red Dead Redemption. I watch a lot of old Western shows (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, etc.) so I think I'd get a kick out of it.
For me, AC1 was the best- if only because its set during the 3rd Crusade and you (eventually) get to rub elbows with the likes of William of Montferrat and the Lionheart himself (among other historical figures from that period); as it is a video game expect certain video game tropes but they did make an effort to appear more or less historically influenced (I hesitate to use accurate, but that's just being cautionary, its actually quite good looking- no one's wearing plate, except for what appear to be armored ailettes, and that could be due to the developers not understanding what they were seeing) and some have decried the mission structures to be somewhat simplified and repetitive, I found it to be quite the enjoyable experience overall. The production values are incredible and the game boasts some of the most realistic renderings of Jerusalem, Damascus, Acre and Masyaf that have ever been seen (in a game anyways). Riding on horseback- the mechanics are some of the best I've ever come across in a game (RDR being the only one that bests it), fighting from horseback isn't as intense as it could've been (I imagine the code needed to get the horse to bite, buck and lash out with front or hind hooves would be too much to ask considering nothing major occurs while on horseback, other than picking fights with patrolling guardsmen- eventually you might find yourself taking on an entire squadron, oh great fun, great fun) it is still viable and there's nothing like charging said squadron with sword raised and just crashing into them to see them scatter, while doling out a few judicious cuts...until they cut the legs out from under you, so to speak. Horses don't die though...after a fight (provided you survived) you can usually find them quietly cropping grass nearby. Oh, and you get to hunt Templars. Heh.
I'm actually hooked into AC IV: Black Flag...who would've thought, I have a taste for piracy! As large as the world is, as well built as the sandbox is, the first one is still my favorite. Although it is great fun to sail the open seas and have a go at any ship you see, be it nearby or on the horizon. It's gotten so that I've basically shelved the main story in favor of exploring the different ports you can call in; I am at the point now, or rather, my ship is, where taking on two or three larger vessels is no real cause for concern. I have upgraded pretty much everything on board my ship- not to max levels of course, but she's beefed up considerably...I'm bringing down large frigates with relative ease, but I haven't successfully taken on a man-o-war yet. Those things are HUGE and I came across one that was in a convoy with three or four other gun ships; this was early on so I got smoked pretty quickly and have been avoiding them since.
There's a buttload of things to get into outside of the story...I went shark hunting last night; let me tell you- if you've not upgraded the damage of your harpoons or the armor on your vessel, it ain't gonna go well.
Douglas, you like Westerns...there are only two games I'd suggest, and one of them is too brief to bother with (GUN) but I liked it because Thomas Jane voiced the main character and he's a bad ass so it was pretty cool, a RDR knock off if you will. RDR is the consummate Western experience- they even get the music right but that's no surprise, Rockstar's really good at writing and acquiring just the right music to set the mood. Its incredible, really.
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ESO just went into early release yesterday. The official release is later this week, and anyone who grabs the 'pre-order' this week can get in right away.
I bought it, so I'm in. But I probably won't play it for a while. I'll let it mature first, since almost every MMORPG out there has needed a year or two to mature.
I logged in yesterday just to get a character started, and the main thing I noticed is that the starting zones have been changed. As in, you don't start in the same zones as in the beta. Now everyone starts at the faction capitol cities, and the previous starting zones have been turned into regular questing zones. People complained in the beta that the beginning of the game felt too linear, so they changed it.
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ESO just went into early release yesterday. The official release is later this week, and anyone who grabs the 'pre-order' this week can get in right away.
I bought it, so I'm in. But I probably won't play it for a while. I'll let it mature first, since almost every MMORPG out there has needed a year or two to mature.
I logged in yesterday just to get a character started, and the main thing I noticed is that the starting zones have been changed. As in, you don't start in the same zones as in the beta. Now everyone starts at the faction capitol cities, and the previous starting zones have been turned into regular questing zones. People complained in the beta that the beginning of the game felt too linear, so they changed it.
So they changed it a bit for fans, that's a good sign. What comes with the pre order anyway?