I'm playing GW2 since yesterday. From my point of view, this game is the best MMO themepark I've seen.
I suggest to ESO's dev team to take a look to the games mechanics and the quality of the finition. Also the dynamics events and public quests are a great addition to the game. But I think GW2 is missing sandbox elements.

In short for ESO :
Take the themepark elements for leveling and add sandbox features for endgame + tiers (level 10, 20, 30, 40, ....), and you'll have a hit Mr. Firor.

Or perhaps just focus on developing their own game with no special inspiration from any other game?

Yes. Perfect plan!

It's too late I think.

To revive your optimism, perhaps.

Dont ask impossibles, some people are soul trapped.
And for yout other post, yes, they should just create their own game, no need to take inspiration from another.

They are looking at launching next year. If they were to try to redo their entire design to appease people who will just stick with GW2 anyways, the game will be in development for another few years. No thanks.

I have been playing Guild Wars 2 myself and I have to say I'm a bit underwhelmed by what it has to offer. All the PvE really is are the Dynamic Events, which were interesting the first couple of times, but become rather redundant. As far as the PvP is concerned the structured is decent for an MMO and the WvW is entertaining, although without factions your only sense of identity is with your guild, so it's somewhat shallow again.

I digress though. ESO needs to be its own game and certainly it needs to feel like a TES game. As long as I have the ability to explore and do what I want in a large area finding interesting and strange things, like in the single player games, that will be a big step in the right direction. The lack of a quest hub, the combat, the AI, as well as other elements are a step in the right direction for the game so far.

PvE is pretty much just a big zerg running from event to event. And even though you are playing with a whole lot of players sometimes, it feels awkwardly anonymous. I miss the "world changing" aspect of it. To me it's just a decision of changing the phase or not. So I'd rather have TESO take another approach.

I don't really think that its plausible anymore to think a new game can be made that doesn't have things taken from other games.

If it makes some more comfortable (because somehow mentioning other games has become taboo) then lets say it should take inspiration from that TYPE of MMO.

I'm trying to be positive, but I think its a little too late for them to be 100 percent original......

The idea's not for them to be original, any more than it is for them to be a clone. They've made it pretty clear that they're out to make a good game, first and foremost. So it's as simple as the question, "is this a good feature", without reference to what other games that may have used it. It's kinda like the attitude that humans should have towards race. Judge a person by their merits, not by any stereotypes you may have connected to their particular skin colour.

Of course. the powder was already invented.
What I mean, they may follow their own rules and their own way of implement them.
With powder you can build a bomb or a firework.

Been playing GW2 since yesterday and I do think it is very fun but I don't really like the random match-up of servers for the PVP. I much prefer to have Factions so TESO has that covered. I also don't like the technology with the guns and flame-throwers and TESO has that covered as well. The Events are a bit frantic and maybe they could be toned down a bit but other than these three things I hope that TESO is fairly similar to GW2.

I also started playing GW2 yesterday and the main reason I am trying it besides just plain curiosity is for the simple reason to get used to the whole dodge mechanic that will maybe get me ready for TESO combat. I am not a big fan of the painting style graphics of GW2 and like the above poster said the changing worlds to fight is kind of like a large scale battleground. I dont know enough about TESO yet to make an opinion but I do know a few things:
1) I have only been playing MMOs since 2004 with DAOC for over 6 years and since that game nothing has captured me PVP wise or really game lore wise since. I for one trust Matt Firor's vision and am really looking forward to what he and his team put together for both the Elder Scrolls fans and us DAOC vets that have been searching for the last 5 or so years for our next great addiction. The man knows what he is doing so just let him do his thang.
2) I have never bought or played a single player pc game for myself. All the games I have played since DAOC have been MMOs and I have tried a few to try to find that magic I had playing DAOC, but even before TESO was announced I had seen TES-Skyrim and was thinking of buying it as it looked really cool. Since TESO was announced I know at some point I WILL buy Skyrim so I can try to learn the lore and the world some before TESO launches. TES has a large fan base and I can guarantee with Matt Firor working on this project Zynimax probably will be selling many more Skyrim copies to DAOC vets for the same reason I will be buying it. They will be making that fan base even bigger.
3) I like PVE in MMOs dont get me wrong, but first and foremost I am a PVP fan. If I am not doing PVP in a game I am playing it is because the PVP is not interesting enough for me. What I miss most about DAOC is the skill that was needed to play and win a fight. There was none of this timing cooldowns, spamming macros and such. I miss the positional styles, the situational awareness you needed, the adrenaline pumping as you were fighting. I am personally excited about the realtime combat mechanics TESO team talks about having in the game. GW2 has some of it but I think Matt and his team are gonna take it to a whole new level and I cant wait.
4) For now I will continue to PVE raid in RIFT and do their mass scale PVP conquest, but even that is starting to get old, there just isnt enough depth for me, maybe Storm Legion will change that, maybe not. I will spend time tweeking my combat skills in GW2 in PVP until TESO gets ready to launch or I get into the beta and work to help make TESO the game I believe it has the potential to be. I am not talking WOW killer or anything like that. I am talking the next great game to go strong for years to come and be historic in its own right.
5) Last but not least....late 2013 cant get here fast enough for me..... But a message to Matt Firor and his team, you guys do your thing and let the haters hate....I for one have alot of faith you guys can pull this off and shut all of them up with a great game that will have them all so enthralled they will lose track of what day it is. I sooo cant wait. Just wish I could decide what faction I will be playing.

PS- Just one request...Please PLEASE no cross faction in your game. That was the single biggest thing that killed DAOC for me and alot of others. It ruins the faction pride and without that there is no real reason to fight and makes PVP worthless.

Other than that GAME ON!!

Nice opinion sir.
Im glad to hear a vet from another Frior′s game. The way you write it makes me want to play TESO right now!!
We all hope the game to be a great thing!