ELDERSCROLLSUPDATE

If you’re the type to commit your early-morning hours to gaming as I am, you’re probably waiting for E3 to open its floodgates. This year’s Expo might be a few weeks away, but the gaming community is getting its fair share of glimpses and leaks thanks to publisher previews, and last week, Bethesda and ZeniMax joined forces for a press event in LA to preview The Elder Scrolls Online.

Mystery and suspicion has surrounded the game so far; it’s the MMO entry in a long series of single-player installments for a beloved IP, so players are anxious to see how the transition from single-player adventuring to massively online gaming will play out. Unfortunately, the build I saw used only a third-person perspective and excluded PvP, but I still got a solid look at the game.

First off, the character customization is robust. Players can fine-tune nearly any characteristic they can imagine, emphasizing individuality. Leveling up is pretty straightforward, allowing the player to focus points on health, magic, and stamina. These aspects need no introduction. Questing comes easily as NPCs toting optional quests have a very obvious yellow aura surrounding them. Taking off into the city of Daggerfall, my character happened to chance across the first quest-giver of the entire demo: Giblets the dog.

ESO features a few creative limitations, such as the ability restriction. Characters can use only six abilities at one time, but the harmony of those effects pays off. Just like its single-player predecessors, the game ensures skill-leveling is use-based, but sadly the acrobatics skill won’t see a return (sorry, no castle-jumping in MMOs).

Here’s the part that intrigued me: At no point did the gameplay experience resemble an MMO. Sure, players weren’t allowed to run rampant through NPC houses to steal everything in sight, and questing was still limited to “gather such item” or “talk to NPC B because NPC A doesn’t feel like walking 10 feet” (those NPCs can be lazy!), but venturing out into the world felt natural, as if I were in any other Elder Scrolls title. The world is still populated with points of interest that actually generate interest. Players will find the nooks, crannies, hidden tunnels and decaying fortresses that dot the Tamriel landscape just as in the earlier games. There’s a higher emphasis on exploration with ESO, and though some MMOs can deliver sub-par exploration opportunities, this demo felt authentic and met my expectations. Houses, taverns, and shops are plunderable too, with an occasional book lying around to let you dig into the vast lore about the game. While the Tamriel server was scarcely populated with a handful of testers in our Razer-themed room, Daggerfall and the surrounding areas were immersive enough to allow me to forget that there were other press folks tackling the same quests I was.

ZeniMax has apparently listened to gamer gripes about previous titles and how an MMO should work as the “odd man out” of a series of games. ZeniMax has already addressed concerns about the lore, hoping to calm fears about how ESO will fit into Tamriel’s overarching tale, and the studio must also focus on ridding the MMO of bugs, since we all know previous Elder Scrolls titles took too many arrows to the knee when it came to loopholes and glitches. Before I left the demo, I spoke with ZeniMax reps to get a few questions answered, and later still, Matt Firor chimed in with a few clarifications.

Massively: ESO is a massive undertaking for any game, not just an MMO. How will the team attack the development issue and bugs that were common to Skyrim and previous games?

ZeniMax: We have a huge onsite QA team that’s going through testing, but we also plan to have a pretty long and comprehensive beta so that we can find a lot of these issues and work on that kind of stuff to make sure that it’s as clean as we can possibly make it. Last week was the most recent [closed beta].

What do you think is ESO’s most outstanding game mechanic compared to those of your biggest MMO rivals on the market right now?

ZeniMax: The character customization. Each class has three unique skill lines, but everybody can use any weapon or armor type. In the full game, you’ll be able to find more skill lines in the world with the Mages Guild, the Fighters Guild, those kinds of things. You have an unbelievable number of options to choose between and create your character.

Will there be a return of the Thieves Guild?

ZeniMax: Not at launch.

(/sadface) Will there be any mobile apps, sort of like an auction house app or something similar?

ZeniMax: That’s something we’ve discussed, but that will be after we have shipped.

What kind of tradeskill training can you do?

ZeniMax: There’s cooking, armorsmith, enchanting, and then alchemy. You can deconstruct things, which is how you gain skill, and you can refine things as well, sort of the same as in Skyrim.

The Elder Scrolls series is certainly a long, successful series of single-player games, but now we’re seeing the next installment morph into an MMO genre. How do you think huge fans of Elder Scrolls might respond to the change in the series, since many of the core mechanics will have to change in order to fit the requirements of an MMO?

Matt Firor: The Elder Scrolls is an IP full of rich lore and the legacy of five games over the last 20 years, but each of those games has brought something different to the table, as they are not all clones of one another. So think of ESO as an Elder Scrolls game set in Tamriel, but not trying to be exactly like the others. We are the “multiplayer” Elder Scrolls, so with that we bring some different dynamics, systems, and of course, the ability to play with (and against) other players.

But of course, to make the game immediately familiar to anyone who played the other games, we’ve kept many of the major systems (combat and questing are great examples) very similar to those systems found in Oblivion and Skyrim. Our goal is that you should feel instantly at home when you sit down the play the game.

Previously we’ve seen some ES titles carry rough development processes, especially on consoles, and I think the community is ready to see a “bug tackling.” How is ZeniMax prepared to tackle potential bugs?

Firor: Even though ZeniMax Online is a relatively new studio, we are made up of online gaming veterans, most of whom have shipped multiple online titles and are familiar with the pitfalls and inherent problems that can arise in a connected online game. Our robust QA team keeps track of all outstanding bugs and works with the dev team to make sure that these bugs are addressed as quickly as possible. The game’s beta program (which has been running for a few months now) is our best defense against bugs, balance, and stability problems. Online games like ESO tend to have long beta tests just to make sure that everything is working as intended.

Gamers are understandably concerned about how ESO fits into the overall lore of the Elder Scrolls universe. Can you spend a bit of time on the lore and where it fits in?

Firor: We are set approximately 1000 years before Skyrim. As we all know (spoiler alert!) at the end of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the last of the Septim Emperors (Martin) is killed, and the Empire goes into a steep decline. That Dynasty, the first modern Empire to control all of Tamriel, was founded by Tiber Septim, who ruled all of the continent (more or less) from the Imperial City.

The Elder Scrolls Online is set just before Tiber Septim’s rise to power in a time when there is much chaos and civil war in Tamriel. It is a perfect setting for an online RPG; the provinces and races are the same as in the other Elder Scrolls titles, but it is a time of no central authority, of alliances and war. It gives developers a setting familar enough to make ESO players comfortable but distant enough for us to be able to tell our own stories and introduce new characters and situations. And if you look closely, you’ll find tons of callouts to events that will happen in the future that you may have experienced in one of the other Elder Scrolls games.

For someone who got a “solid” look at the game, I was expecting a lot more details of the gameplay and personal impressions, not yet another chance for the devs to market their game in an “interview” (assuming there couldn’t have been an embargo otherwise the article wouldn’t have been published yet)

 

We’re expecting big things out of The Elder Scrolls Online during this year’s E3, and to kick things off, Bethesda and ZeniMax have unveiled a new teaser trailer that shows off a small sampling of the characters players can look forward to taking control of when they get their hands on the game. While it’s not exactly gameplay footage, perhaps the new video will assuage fans who are uncertain about the game’s art direction. That, or it will enrage them further.

At any rate, the sample characters run the gamut of what you would expect from The Elder Scrolls: big bearded dude with an axe, sultry elven spellcaster, cloaked assassin — you get the idea. The video’s short and doesn’t serve as much except for eye-candy, but if you’re voracious for new TESO tidbits, it’s definitely worth a look. Just head past the cut for the full trailer, and be sure to check back later this week for a chat with the folks behind the upcoming title.

[Update: We’ve also added another video, this one an interview of TESO’s game director discussing and showing off the game, and the official site has updated with a new look and FAQ. Thanks to Paul for the tips!]

Well, even if this is third person and single player questing, the co-op experience and PvP modes sound like it will be worth it. What he said about gameplay and how you’re not just pushing buttons sounds good. This game could fail just like SWTOR if it’s subscripition based. Hopefully it will be pay once and then free to play.

 

Are you hoping that The Elder Scrolls Online will be part of the classic subscription model rather than go the free-to-play route? According to analyst Nicholas Lovell, founder of Gamesbrief, the odds are good that you’ll get your wish. Lovell notes that since the game began development in 2007, when subscription games were at their apex, Bethesda is likely to launch using the more familiar business model. Whether or not it will remain as a subscription game is another matter.

Of course, the price of play is far from the minds of most fans — the real question is what the game will look like when it’s actually playable. Director Matt Firor recently sat down to discuss the game’s earliest stages of development, the relationship between ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda, and working within the lore of the established IP. It’s an interesting look behind the scenes of development, and if you’re interested in the game, watching the video is certain to be six minutes well spent.

All this anger about expanding the IP. It’s not as if the Elder Scrolls is alone in having a spin off title, or even this is the first time it has been done. Does nobody remember Redguard? … okay bad example. It had a nice theme tune though.

OK, I admit it. I’m not playing many MMOs this week (Heresy! Burn the infidel! Etc.). I’ll log a couple of merc matches in Global Agenda and maybe complete a faction quest or two in Age of Conan, but almost all of my gaming time is going toward Rocksteady’s glorious Batman sequel.

Arkham City is so good, in fact, that it’s made me patch my long-neglected DC Universe Online client just in case I feel like soaking up some more Gotham City atmospherics while I’m away from my Xbox 360. And how sad is that, seriously?

Anyway, since this is the Daily Grind and not the daily-random-game-related-rambling, I’ll cut to the chase in favor of the traditional question: Do single-player games influence your MMO playing?

no not rely single-player games does influence my MMO choices. It is what the MMO delivers that makes me pick the game and how fun it is but so far every MMO I played so far has bored me to death with all the slow combat and slow leveling up and boring quests that repeats them self over and over. I only hope that one day a new mmo will come that is interesting.

See this strapping Dunmer lad? He’s got it all. Youth. Power. Insider status with the Mage’s Guild. And of course his handsome mug plastered all over the official Elder Scrolls Online website. One thing he doesn’t have is a name, and that’s where you come in (provided you’ve got a lore-appropriate imagination, that is).

Yep, ZeniMax wants you to christen this particular NPC so that he can more properly assist adventurers in Tamriel when the fantasy title goes live sometime that isn’t today. The naming contest starts on November 13th and runs through November 21st. Read all the entry details via the links below.

Continuing a tradition of bi-weekly Q&As, the team behind The Elder Scrolls Online has answered another round of questions. This week’s AMA continued to look at the Ebonheart Pact.

Characters that join the Ebonheart Pact will, if they make certain choices, have the chance to run into Joruun the Skaald-King and other prominent figures like the Nord Companions. All members of the Ebonheart Pact will have a chance to visit the Shadowfen and the Argonian city of Stormhold, which likely means running into the huge, reptilian wamasu that lurk in the swamps.

The Great House rivalries that players came to love in Morrowind will figure into TESO, although players won’t (initially, at least) be able to formally join a House. Similarly, players who loved Skyrim will find that while the land is familiar, it’s got substantial differences as a result of being about 1,000 years younger.

Argonian players who’re fond of the extremely reptilian look will be pleased to hear that character customization will allow for “much more variety than [the team has] been able to convey in the screenshots released so far.” To read the full answers, hit up the official Q&A.

 

You have questions about The Elder Scroll Online (probably many questions, yes?), and ZeniMax has a few answers in return. The developers took on a half-dozen queries from the community, many of which were concerned with setting and story, not to mention why typical adversaries are working together all of the sudden.

If you’re concerned that the three factions will offer thinly veiled copies of each other’s quests, the devs have good news: “Each Alliance’s content in TESO is as varied and dynamic as the Alliances themselves are — your adventures an Argonian in the Ebonheart Pact, for example, will be quite different than those of a Bosmer in the Aldmeri Dominion.”

Another player asked how similar places will be that are covered in both the single-player titles and the MMO; the devs replied, “The stories and events that unfold in these areas during The Elder Scrolls Online will be different than those in past Elder Scrolls games. The people living in these familiar places won’t be too different from their brethren in later times; however, they will have different views and tales to tell, based on the current events that are impacting their daily lives.”

So my question is how did Zenimax do its utmost to ensure that TESO looks and plays and storytells like every other mmo in its genre, since that seems to be priority number one. Elves, Humans and Orcs oh my, been down this road a thousand times!

 

The word “Daggerfall” has special significance to the Elder Scrolls community, which is perhaps why the Daggerfall Covenant has received considerable interest among those following the development of The Elder Scrolls Online. ZeniMax has a brand-new player Q&A that covers the lore and history of this faction.

The Daggerfall Covenant encapsulates the Bretons, Redguard, and Orcs, and is symbolized by a lion. A significant question is why the Orcs would join forces with the other two races. The devs responded by saying that the race feels inferior to others and is trying to get established as an Imperial province, although it’s “an alliance of convenience.”

The developers also talked about the variety that’s going into the Alik’r Desert, a plague of werewolves that’s a significant part of the game, what towns we’ll be seeing in the region (Bergama, Camlorn, and Lainlyn), and how the alliance between the races overcomes their religious differences.

 

E3 drives hype and fan hysteria like no other video game event, but there’s no one central thing for PC gamers to really pin their hopes on. There is no PC gaming conference where some stitched-together hybrid of Valve, Blizzard, Nexon, Riot, Wargaming.net, Nvidia, Dell and AMD walks onstage and decrees with forced senior vice-president enthusiasm “This is what you will play and this is how you play it.” PC gaming isn’t about being given one choice, it’s about freedom of choice. If no PC games at E3 look good, PC gamers don’t have to clench their fists in frustration as they wrestle with the squirming disappointment of a future bereft of interesting gaming opportunities – they can just go play one of the thousands of awesome games not represented at the show.

At E3 2012, even though PC gaming isn’t really the focus, there were still some great titles shown off, many of which are multiplatform. We were running around the Los Angeles Convention Center this week trying to find the best ones, and below you’ll find 20 highlights.

Arma III

“You can run across gigantic environments with a gun in hand and search for targets, but you can also jump into land vehicles and scan the ridges of hills for enemies using a white hot infared targeting system or take off in a helicopter and cut through the skies, pummeling land targets with machine gun fire and rockets.”

Assassin’s Creed III

“City life is more dynamic than ever before. The citizens, resentful of the occupying British forces, will actually help you take on your enemies, luring them down alleys while you wait around the corner. The more you help them, the more they’ll favor you.”Borderlands 2

“After eliminating all enemies in sight, you then scour the battlefield for money, new guns and health power ups, then charge into the next area to kick start your next killing spree. It’s gleeful, joyous, nearly nonstop guiltless slaughter.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

“Change is coming to Call of Duty, and Black Ops 2 presents not only an evolution in terms of the technology you’ll be playing with, but also in regards to the franchise’s storytelling and design.”

Dawnguard

“You’ll have a choice to join up with the anti-vampire Dawnguard faction, or side with the bloodsuckers to gain the ability to freely transform back and forth between your human form and that of a Vampire Lord.”

Dead Space 3

“John Carver does not get along with Isaac Clarke. The hardened soldier, a new character for the franchise and the second player in Dead Space 3’s cooperative campaign, has no interest in Isaac’s psychological scarring and personal trauma.”

 

Players will be waiting until next year for The Elder Scrolls Online, but the development team is already looking to the post-launch environment. Creative director Paul Sage has stated that the team wants to have new content coming out for the game on a frequent basis. Sage emphasizes that players should always feel that something new and exciting is just around the corner, considering that many players will be chewing through launch content with lightning speed.

The game’s story will also be expanded post-release. A conclusion for the main story will be present in the game on release, but Sage states that it’s simply a springboard into something bigger and better for the future. When asked about launch dates, Sage stated that the team cannot promise simultaneous release on all platforms, although the current target date for all incarnations of the game is spring of 2014.