Elder Scrolls Online (Beta)
grum84
Posts: 428 Member
Anyone play the ESO beta? I played this weekend as I received a beta invite as they were trying to stress their servers.
What do you think of it? Goods and bads?
What do you think of it? Goods and bads?
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This weekend was my third ESO beta weekend, and I barely played. I'm pretty disappointed with the game in general, and unless it changes significantly before release, this might be the first MMO in a long time that I pass on.
To me, it's biggest problem is that it feels like a single player game where other people just happen to be inhabiting the same world, which is something a lot of recent MMOs suffer from. I also HATE the controls. I hated them in Skyrim and I really, really hate them ported into a MMO setting. I shouldn't have to buy a game controller to play a PC game, and ESO feels clunky on a keyboard.0 -
I'll be interested to see how successful this game will be. Bethesda can't even get the bugs out of its single-player games years after launch. How on earth will they be able to make a working MMO?0
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I feel the same as lindzalexis. I have had beta for months, played it once, and never again. The graphics are ugly (fitting with their theme of course), but the controls are clunky and impossible to me. No thank you.0
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The main complaints I have had are that the chat functions are not quite functional, the 'ALT' key for everything, and the actual class system they said they wouldn't have. I have hopes but they are gradually morphing towards the generic. Odds are I will still play it. I have friends who are frothing at the mouth to play and I haven't found anything else of interest at the moment.0
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I wasn't having too much issue with the controls themselves. Other than the fact that I have to look all over my keyboard to open whatever interface I want, but usually always just typed the closest letter then navigated with the mouse. Having to go out to the system menu to scroll thru the chat was annoying.
I will definitely agree in regards to seeming like a 1 player game that many people are just playing simultaneously. Seemed like many times where there would be multiple people including myself all talking to the same NPC, yet it didn't feel like I should be partied with any of these people. All it was was walking through the quest line, much like in the single player games.0 -
I've been keeping an eye on this myself, and I appreciate your reviews. If it really could use a controller to play, well, that shoots it for me. I'm a PC gamer, not a console player. I don't like console controls, especially in an MMO. I've been really wondering how this game would port over as an MMO, from what I've been reading everywhere, it's not doing it so well.0
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I was in the last one and this one as well. It consumed my weekend and all I'm looking forward to.
The controls are hard to get used to, but I'm a mouse-walker not a WASD FPS walker.. so it takes some adjusting (LOTS). I think an xbox controller would be WAY easier (seeing how communication with the chatbox is a pain in the *kitten* without a free-floating mouse). I'm getting much better though and even though it isn't a traditional MMORPG (I've been playing them since EverQuest), nor quite Skyrim.. it's very nice and somewhere in between!
Again, I think the game is most hard for old school MMORPG players who aren't used to playing this way and those who played easy MMOs like WoW with 50 million hotbars all over the place will have a REALLY HARD time. The chat functionality is pretty crap, the game content is very good. Can't say much more though NDA and all and I might even have said too much.0 -
A friend of mine graced me with a key so I played for a few hours over the weekend. The game itself is pretty huge (weighing in at just shy of 30G once it's all installed.) I'm assuming a lot of this is likely dialog, as virtually all conversations are voice-acted.
On the plus side, it seemed quite stable for a beta. I didn't run into any crashes, and only encountered some very minor graphics hiccups. The character creator was pretty robust; perhaps not quite on par with their single-player titles, but still pretty varied to enable you to make a unique character. Combat will be familiar enough to both MMO players as well as those who have played previous Elder Scrolls offerings.
As far as downside items, their insistence on the use of the ALT key as the default (and as near as I can tell, unmappable) action key is a bit troublesome. Their quest tracker also seemed a bit wonky to me, and I was constantly opening the map to get my bearings (there is currently no mini-map on-screen, which is likely to keep it in line with older ES games.)
I didn't find anything so totally objectionable as to not recommend the game, but at the same time didn't find anything that set it apart from its peers to warrant paying the $15/month subscription they are currently proposing. In an environment where FTP and micro-transactions have taken over the landscape, going back to a subscription model seems like a big risk in the long run (I'm looking at you, SW:TOR.) I'll keep an eye on it in case they change their mind, but otherwise will likely stick to the free games for my MMO fix.0 -
I thought it was a decent offering in of itself, and certainly I enjoyed my limited play time more than Guild Wars 2, but pricing it at $15/mo puts it right in line with WoW, and it's not up to standard for that to end well.0
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In an environment where FTP and micro-transactions have taken over the landscape..
THAT is EXACTLY why I want a subscription style payment system.
Micro transactions have ruined games and gaming and I blame a lot of it on things like Facebook games and new casual players of those games who made it profitable. Yes, you people who were addicted to your stupid farmville or candy crush saga etc.
In most FTP (free-to-play) games (EverQuest being the one I played 13 years ago with a subscription and recently played FTP so I can compare) you can PAY real world money for some form of advantage over the other players who don't. You can also pay for vanity items etc. In the cases of a lot of mobile/facebook games you can basically pay money to beat the game (The My Little Pony game I got for my daughter comes to mind).
THIS IS NOT WHAT GAMING IS ABOUT. Gaming is about getting things yourself and starting on equal footing with other players. What is the interest in a game where I do nothing and buy my way through everything? What is the interest in playing something that is going to keep the interesting pretty things away from me because I don't pay extra to have it? Now the guy who has money to throw around gets better things than someone who might be better at playing the game. Nonsense.
A subscription payment is annoying on some level (one more bill). However, in the end it is cheaper than a night for two with snacks at the movies. It also covers/supports CONTINUAL development and maintenance of that game.
Micro-transactions are getting out of hand. I would rather pay one low monthly rate and get everything than be forced to fork out what usually equates to MORE than a monthly fee in the end (example: Gameloft: My Little Pony costs over 100 USD to beat because you need gems that you can only buy with real currency) for every little interesting thing in a game.0 -
In an environment where FTP and micro-transactions have taken over the landscape..
THAT is EXACTLY why I want a subscription style payment system.
Micro transactions have ruined games and gaming and I blame a lot of it on things like Facebook games and new casual players of those games who made it profitable. Yes, you people who were addicted to your stupid farmville or candy crush saga etc.
In most FTP (free-to-play) games (EverQuest being the one I played 13 years ago with a subscription and recently played FTP so I can compare) you can PAY real world money for some form of advantage over the other players who don't. You can also pay for vanity items etc. In the cases of a lot of mobile/facebook games you can basically pay money to beat the game (The My Little Pony game I got for my daughter comes to mind).
THIS IS NOT WHAT GAMING IS ABOUT. Gaming is about getting things yourself and starting on equal footing with other players. What is the interest in a game where I do nothing and buy my way through everything? What is the interest in playing something that is going to keep the interesting pretty things away from me because I don't pay extra to have it? Now the guy who has money to throw around gets better things than someone who might be better at playing the game. Nonsense.
A subscription payment is annoying on some level (one more bill). However, in the end it is cheaper than a night for two with snacks at the movies. It also covers/supports CONTINUAL development and maintenance of that game.
Micro-transactions are getting out of hand. I would rather pay one low monthly rate and get everything than be forced to fork out what usually equates to MORE than a monthly fee in the end (example: Gameloft: My Little Pony costs over 100 USD to beat because you need gems that you can only buy with real currency) for every little interesting thing in a game.
Totally agree with you Anexa. I hate that just b/c I don't want to spend a ton of extra money on in-game crap, that I am left in the dust.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for money being used for special things, like skins in League of Legends. Things that allow for further customization and such, but nothing that should allow one person to be able to beat down another without having to do the work. Unfortunately, that is where the money seems to be, and thus that is the direction that so many games are going.
So I would be happy to pay a monthly fee for a subscription and put my time in grinding to be better than other players. Of course as of the beta I played, I am not sure if ESO is worth $15 a month in it's current state.0 -
Allow me to address the concerns from the last two posts. I am most certainly NOT in favor of a "pay-to-win" model. Not in the least. Nor am I in favor of being nickel-and-dimed to death by paying for every little thing. For example, when Star Wars: The Old Republic first when FTP, they actually tried charging for quickbars. Although I was a beta tester for them, and also an active subscriber for the first 6-7 months of the game, that one bit of gouging so turned me off that I immediately logged off and uninstalled the game.
Not all FTP games are created equal. Sure, there are the ones like those Anexa mentioned that are clearly there to separate a fool from his money. The handful that I play on a regular basis are indeed free to play, but offer conveniences and "fluff" for those willing to pay for them. These typically take the form of taking some of the grind out of the game or access to cosmetic items that have no real impact on actual gameplay. In truth, many of these "free" games have actually made more money from me than if they had been a sub. But here's the difference: I go into it KNOWING that if a game is worth it to me, I will support them with by spending cash on their game. As soon as they stop providing a quality experience, I quietly move on to something else.
I am also not dead-set against subscriptions, and would seriously consider paying a sub for a game today... IF I felt (in my own subjective judgement) it was worth the $15/month to play. And as much as I have enjoyed single-player Elder Scrolls games in the past, I do not feel that ESO in its current form is quite up to snuff for a subscription. Of course, others may be of a different opinion, and that's alright too.0 -
As of 2.15.14 the #ElderScrollsOnline #esobeta NDA has been lifted. Here are some screenshots I took.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.626055604116515.1073741831.100001362423332&type=1&l=b9bf45a9810 -
Nice screenshots. I guess I hadn't even thought about taking some of my toon and such. Especially after spending probably 30 mins to an hour customizing him to look as close me as possible, lol (beard, shaved head and gut included).0
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I am soo dumb, I had an invite and didn't realize it! DL client now! So excited.0
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I feel the same as lindzalexis. I have had beta for months, played it once, and never again. The graphics are ugly (fitting with their theme of course), but the controls are clunky and impossible to me. No thank you.
Yep-- same here. I played for something like 30 minutes before it felt like a complete chore. The game looks and feels like something that would've been released 10 years ago.
The worst thing for me was that its supposed hook, the single-player style combat, wasn't just underwhelming-- it was seriously annoying. More like Carpal Tunnel Online.0 -
A mate and I played over the weekend to test out playing as a team, and I actually enjoyed it very much.
I have played Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, EOS was mostly similar.
Chat was a bit annoying, but we just jumped on a teamspeak server and was all good
Not sure why you guys didn't like the graphics, after exploring for a bit, I came across some quite nice vistas.
We actually plan to start a trading guild, hit me up if you're interested in joining (EOS allows 5 guild memberships), @ITBloke ingame.0 -
I am so excited to play the pre-release. I didn't get the chance to play this round of beta, but I've played in the others. Already pre-ordered the physical Imperial Special Edition whatever because ES is one of my favorite series. :x0
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So played through a few of the Beta weekends to really get a feel for if I want to let this game consume my life like WoW did for a while. Well, I just can't do it. I understand the Beta was just that, an early, un-polished copy of the game, but honestly I was just getting bored. I found that outside of some group instances or PVP, I was just bored with the questing.
The PVP almost did it for me, tho definitely seemed to have some major flaws. My archer was awesome in PVP, and I was able to do a lot of damage and take down a lot of people. It was easy to take down squishy mages and melee that couldn't get close to me. My mage was slaughtered, mostly by archers. My melee would be pretty much dead by the time I could get in range to hit all the archers/mages.
So while i loved the aspect of the PVP and epic zergs and take-overs, I just don't foresee that alone being enough to keep me around. Maybe I will give it a full try later if I am bored.0 -
This was almost exactly my experience. This was my 3rd beta weekend too.
Before 1st Beta - So stoked really want this game to come out.
After first Beta - Still really stoked, I wanna see this story progress
After 2nd Beta - This combat isn't really very good, and this game world really isn't all that interesting, and this bugged quest is getting on my nerves...
After 3rd Beta - Meh, this thing isn't really even as fun as WoW or GW2. The world here doesn't have much personality to it.
The Saturday of the most recent beta I actually re-subbed WoW for a month. I instantly was having more fun. Oh well. I loved Skyrim, but ESO is far from Skyrim with multiplayer and it is definitely not worth the Sub they want to charge.0 -
To me, it's biggest problem is that it feels like a single player game where other people just happen to be inhabiting the same world
You just made me excited.
My biggest frustration with gaming now is that everything is going online. I love single player games with RPG elements like KotOR, Elder Scrolls, Fable, Mass Effect. When SW:TOR was announced, my heart sank. Instead of making another all time great game Old Republic series, Bioware decides to join the MMO fray. Then Bethesda does the same with Elder Scrolls. Yuck.
But if it feels like a single player game, I may have to get it.0 -
On the topic of graphics, I really don't understand why everyone is complaining. No, the graphics aren't Skyrim-level gorgeous, but you can't have your cake and eat it too. (Especially in this sort of company). You either have an online game, or you have stunning graphics. If we had both, it would require ridiculous amounts of processing power and only the very rich and tech savvy would be able to play. Technology is just not there yet. To me, it look slightly prettier than Oblivion, but nowhere near as gorgeous as Skyrim. And I'm okay with that. Because it definitely still feels like an Elder Scrolls game.
And, as stated above, it feels like a single player game. Which I love. I'm sure when the full game is released they will incorporate more co-op missions and the like, but the beauty of The Elder Scrolls series, and all Bethesda games, is that it's your adventure. You are the adventurer. Which is why giving the game a single player feel was such a good call on their part.
On the controls, I agree they're clunky. I have a small hope in the back of my mind that they'll make it controller compatible, and I think that would help streamline it. I know that isn't likely but with all of the people who game on laptops, it would be nice. I've always played TES on a laptop with a controller so that's probably just me being silly, though.0 -
This is a bummer. (note: I don't care what you think about IGN)
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/12/exploring-skyrim-in-the-elder-scrolls-online
"Even in its best moments, Elder Scrolls Online only makes me homesick."
The entire reason I play Elder Scrolls games is exploration. I think I had over 300 hours in one Morrowind save, and had some friends with 600+. Same for Skyrim. ESO doesn't look like it will have that sort of longevity. I guess it was unfair to expect that, since it's an MMO.
I just keep asking myself why they had to do an MMO Elder scrolls. I know, money, but it's not like Skyrim didn't make boatloads of money.0
