» Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:47 am The Tamriel Handbook
-- A Guide to The Elder Scrolls Online--
∞∞Massive Gameworld∞∞?
---Each province of Tamriel rich in detail and scenery, complete with detailed versions of each town/city listed on the official Bethesda http://imgur.com/QAg9u.?
---Varied environments/climates with corresponding architecture/items/weaponry/traditions?
---Large map with emphasis on exploration, aesthetic beauty, and realistic geography (i.e. melted snow turns into stream, stream flows into lake)
---Freedom to roam:Freedom to roam anywhere creates realistic populations in urban and rural areas. Cities are highly populated and to some extent represent
“safe” zones with little threat of combat. Conversely, traveling solo in the scarcely populated wilderness poses great risks, while traveling in groups provides
protection/support. Players may be killed by enemy players, traitors from their own faction, NPC’s, traps, and wild animals-- Tamriel truly is a dangerous place.
∞∞Player Housing∞∞?
Instanced residences offer players a place to decorate, sleep, eat, and store loot. Player housing connects the player to the world and increases the sense of community and town pride in different areas. It enhances immersion and gives players a peaceful retreat in between activities. The inclusion of housing also provides players the exciting opportunity to choose their region and home, while also increasing incentive to acquire wealth, which contributes to the flow of the Tamriel economy. ? ?
---housing/architecture style is artistically relevant to each area (for instance: mammoth rugs near Whiterun, clay homes in the desert, wood structures in Bruma
etc.) ? ?
---customizable properties (balcony's, gardens, ponds, vegetation, patios, general decor etc.)??
---houses or dormitory rooms can be purchased and are instanced.
Players without purchased homes can sleep at Inns, Guild Houses, or in portable tents (for rural areas). In order to prevent "clumping", there are dozens of
purchasable homes across Tamriel, as well as numerous "dormitory style" instanced housing options including an instanced massive underground residential
area in the town of Wayrest, an instanced dormitory hall in Windhelm, and a large forest-canopy residential village in Valenwood. Players are limited to two
residences at a time, and homes are instanced and therefore insusceptible to break-ins. Visitors are allowed to enter if specifically invited, so players can have
guests over for supper. ?
∞∞Politics∞∞?
Political events/conflicts occur from a hybrid of scripted events and conflicts that arise naturally. Their may be faction disputes over ideological issues or tangible resource issues, or there may be specific incidents that trigger discussion and possible warfare. In total, there are a host of unique events that require decision-making and leadership from players, and often require adventurous missions in foreign territory and possible retaliation.??
Consider the following scenario:??
~~~~The Daggerfall Tribune~~~~?
7/16-- Yesterday evening a small group of highly-trained Argonian assassins from the Ebonheart Pact raided a cave outside of Daggerfall and hijacked the Daggerfall Covenant’s primary source of Corundum Ore. Covenean leaders have convened to discuss the next move:?
1. demand back the corundum ore with threat of military attack ?
2. accept losses and attempt to buy back the Ebonheart Pact corundum supply?
3. cut losses and establish stronger defense systems around the cave
?4. create a bounty for the leader of the corundum ore heist
?5. take no immediate action, play the long game-- the corundum theft is not of immediate importance???
ESO Politics (continued)?
---dynamic government systems (voting, taxes, lawmaking)?
---potential for sabotage or deceit?
---non-violent negotiations with other provinces (trade, alliances etc.)?
---in-game elected leaders forced to make actual in-game political decisions (inactivity/absence will result in prompt impeachment).? Each decision or action
affects the fate of Tamriel. Will your home province evolve into a unified democracy or a fascist dictatorship? Perhaps an unstable bloodbath of chaos and
anarchy? The destiny of each province, each faction, each guild, each village is in the hands of the players.
∞∞Law/Crime/Bounty∞∞
?The Elder Scrolls is a game about freedom of choice, and ESO does not limit the player to a noble, lawful path. Criminal activity- while highly discouraged-- is a harsh reality of life in Tamriel. But those who live by their own laws may find themselves sufferers of a cruel fate.
---criminals are punished according to the laws of each region
---criminal acts with witnesses increase the players "criminal rating". the more severe the act, the higher the rating.
---paintings/descriptions of most unlawful criminals in newspapers, stapled to tree trunks etc.
---public hangings/beheadings/tomato-throwings?
---non-instanced jails (want to go taunt that Aldemiri bosmer who tried to mug you? well he will be in jail for
the next 20 game minutes. have at ‘em.)?
---in addition to written law, the bounty system also reduces/punishes criminal activity. players can offer and take
on contracts. The bounty system not only
curbs the amount of immoral Player Killers, but it creates a whole new breed of player: bounty hunters.
---in order to discourage wrongdoing, criminals may also be subjected to public shaming/humiliation. Players are not only able to kill criminals, but also ‘catch’
them (think enemies kneeling in Skyrim).
---Violence is not limited to Cyrodiil, but criminals must face either the local law, or the wrath of other players. For instance, a serial killer named Lucas
Balboa might be ambushing players near Lake Ilinalta. In response, a group of residents in Riverwood might grab their battleaxes and head south to the lake
and threaten, possibly hack up, Mr. Balboa. Or the player-assigned sheriff can attempt to arrest Lucas and put him in jail.?
∞∞Trade/Commerce∞∞
Just like their NPC counterparts, players have the opportunity to take on jobs and responsibilities for in-game currency. The player-ran shops and inns and restaurants not only gives players a sense of duty and belonging in their faction or area of residence, it also contributes to ESO being a vibrant, flowing, interactive virtual world. (duties can be shared by multiple players and NPC's in order to not be reliant on players being logged in)
---purchasable merchant carts/stations/booths/restaurants/inns?
---public trade (farmers markets, weaponry/alchemy fairs)?
---government mandated taxes (if chosen by current government). taxes go toward restoring damaged forts/keeps/castles, keeping waterways clean, paying
guards salaries etc. (guards are a combination of NPC’s and recruited/enrolled players).?
---city banks (banks offer players a safe or vault to store goods/valuables. vaults are sold at a weekly rate.)? ---city auction houses (auction or trade your items/
bid for new ones)
---player-operated stores and restaurants
Restaurant success is dependent on the supply of wheat, vegetables, mead etc. and therefore restaurant owners must be acquainted with a farmer or be
a farmer themselves (when players are offline, stores are either closed or operated by faction mates or NPC clerks. Restaurants close when ingredients
run out or it is closing time
The Elder Scrolls Online exists as an independent, fully functional virtual world with politics, laws, and a player-driven economy. Wealth can be acquired by treasure hunting (loot), selling goods (players can set up shops at marketplace), performing errands, winning arena battles/bets, playing music (pub bard), crafting weapons/armor, or, should your heart grow cold, pickpocketing, murder (w/ looting), or banditry. Those who break the law, however, will not go unpunished. Pickpockets will be penalized according to the laws of the area, and for a significant period of time criminals will be marked with an identifier that notifies other players of their wrongdoing (and potential for more).??The economy is driven by natural resources in the area (obsidian in Morrowind, for example) and by player/nation trade. All items can be exchanged or bought player-to-player at any time, so for example, a wilderness adventurer/hunter can sell a pelt if he runs into someone in the backwoods. Or he can exchange a pelt or two for something else, perhaps a different kind of pelt. Or if being a hunter isn’t your cup of mead, you can always test your skills in the skooma trade.
-Faction leaders can arrange to trade resources and send individual players to deliver goods (and be subject to ambush/piracy by a third party). Players can also sign up as a courier to deliver important messages. For instance, a courier in the Aldemiri Dominion might deliver a message to the Ebonheart leaders in Solitude (elected capitol) that proposes a trade of resources. The two factions might agree to trade 100 ounces of Elves Ear for 15 pounds of a resource Skyrim is wealthy in... like Iron Ore. Players tasked with delivering resources would then have an important objective: bring the goods to the destination without getting killed or robbed. This gameplay mechanic creates the scenario of traveling groups of players not unlike Frodo and his gang traveling while guarding the ring.
Work/Earnings
-Mining is just one of many forms of work available. Other jobs include picking crops, collecting wild resources, delivering weapons/resources, peddling goods at the market, guard duty etc.. Volunteer work is common, but players can also pay each other to complete specific tasks. For example, if I am an alchemist low on nirnroot, I can pay another player x gold or x item in exchange for some nirnroot. There is strong incentive to earn gold. Wealthy players will be able to afford rare items in stores (the rarest one-of-a-kind items reserved for the wealthiest), and coins will also buy players mountable animals like horses and camels. Additionally, players will be able to buy specialized weapons from neighborhood crafters and welders. Crafting will play a crucial role in weaponry, as only the finest crafters are capable of crafting the rarest speciality items.
This isn't to say that earning a living or acquiring wealth will be easy. It takes time and effort and experience to be financially successful (although there are exceptions for players who get rich quick by betting on arena or finding rare treasure etc.)
∞∞Create Your Destiny∞∞
Diversity is commonplace throughout Tamriel: difference races, different political allegiances, different financial earnings, and of course, different motives, goals, and hobbies. The Elder Scrolls Online lets players be whomever they please, and do whatever they please.
If you want to train night and day at the Companions Guild and become the greatest warrior Tamriel has ever known, you can. If you want to harvest wild ingredients, brew potions, and sell your potions in the market square, you can. If you want to drink all day at the pub and flirt with bards, you can. If you want to run away into the woods near Falkreath and build a small cabin and hunt wildlife, then travel from town to town selling pelts, never giving two craps about the war, you can. If you want to be known as Anvil's best smither and crafter, you can. If you want to be a wheat farmer, and tend to your crops and live a simple life with your family, you can. If you want to stock enemies strolling through the woods, then snipe them with an Ebony Bow one by one, you can. If you want to be an all-powerful, jack-of-all-trades super warrior, you can. And if you want to want to live life on the dark side, and murder and steal and cheat, you can, but the law just might rear its steel fist. And you just might find your mugshot nailed to tree that says:
--WANTED: Jimmy "Snarltooth" Ramsay--
Guilty of first degree murder
or perhaps
"Citizen: the use of magic has been reported in this area. Please refrain from using magic within the city walls." ?
?∞∞Battle/Warfare∞∞?
Players have the opportunity to join any three sides of the war, but the war is not the central purpose of ESO.
Factions are divided by ideology, not by race/region. A player may roam the lands as he pleases, and choose to join the faction with which he aligns idealistically. The player may also choose not to join the war at all, or join the war as a rogue warrior/assasin.
The tension of factional war is spread throughout most of Tamriel, but the epicenter of battle is Cyrodiil. The old emporer has been slain, and the political power structure of Tamriel is muddled and in shambles. The three factions each aim to instill their ideals and political philosophies, which are unique to each faction.
Of course, if Cyrodiil were a barren wasteland it would not hold much appeal. But Cyrodiil- as it is- is a province worth fighting for:
It is geographically large, it has good weather, it is home to the great Imperial City, and it is teeming with sublimely beautiful countryside.
While inter-faction battle is permitted in every region, warriors/immigrants/travelers have strong incentive to immigrate to Cyrodiil. While many people view the violence and chaos in Cyrodiil as a red flag, others view it as an opportunity to settle new land and make a better life.
As aforementioned, there is strong motivation for factions to control Cyrodiil. The faction who obtains control of the Imperial City will truly see the results of their victory in day-to-day life. Players will have the opportunity to set up shops and homes, while war heroes are awarded the finest manors while the "regular" faction members sleep in instanced dormitories. Player slots open at various shops and players on the hometown faction can fill the roles and earn coin by peddling weapons, food, pelts etc.
Ultimate control of Cyrodiil is determined by which faction runs the Imperial City, but other factions still have the opportunity to simultaneously occupy other cities/towns in Cyrodiil. (The victorious faction seizes control for enough time to make the battle worthwhile, and enough time to display banners and merchandise. If the victorious faction cycled and changed continuously it would eliminate the motivation to acquire the territory, and hence, victory over a major city leads to long periods of faction prosperity.)
~Battle/Warfare cont.~?
---realistic justifications for war (i.e. fight for control of newly discovered silver deposits/ disagreement in how to respond to oppressive Thalmor doctrines/
religious disputes/ racial disputes/ retaliation for foul-play or mass theft) ?
---"Grand Battles": Grand Battles are politically driven, highly organized battles. These are the largest battles in the game, and do not arise spontaneously,
but instead through days of conflict and tension. Grand Battles are preceded by government-initiated "official declarations of war". For instance, a Grand
Battle may ensue after rumor spreads that a large rogue cabal within the Daggerfall Covenant has lost its wits and massacred many innocent civilians in the
town of Morthal. The current emperor of the Ebonheart Pact sends a courier to Daggerfall to officially declare war, and everyone in either the Ebonheart
Pact and the Daggerfall Covenant would get a memo that “on Turdas at 4:30 we will fight in The Battle of Morthal")?
---large-scale battles. 120 v. 120, spanning across large terrain: i.e. from the gates of Whiterun half way to Rorickstead (In this specific battle, the most of the
warfare would probably take place in the plains, but players could covertly infiltrate the Whiterun area through the surrounding mountains)?
---smaller fort-based battles (15-15 clan v. clan)?
---military titles/ranks (based on performance history) ?
---war horns (assign players to keep lookout for enemy advancements. For instance, say that the soldiers in Windhelm just got word that the enemy was in
pursuit of their city-- they can assign one player to stand on the mountain peak that overlooks Windhelm and keep watch south and west for enemy
soldiers. If, hypothetically, the players sees the silhouettes of troops advancing down the White River in the distance, he would blow the war horn, and
everyone near Windhelm would "hide the children!" and prepare to defend their city.)?
---players are drawn to Cyrodiil to overtake cities and towns. They cannot overtake cities in enemy territories, only in Cyrodiil. Other territories are in
non-warzones in order to give players a sense of home and peace, and space while questing. However, this does not eliminate the possibility of skirmishes or
murders or battles, but there are no visible perks to overtaking a city as in Cyrodiil. In total, there is never a time when the game stops the player from using a
weapon. You can swing the Dwarven war axe as often as you like, but if you do it in a crowd in Solitude square, you are going to pay a price.
---Natural Consequences--
Elder Scrolls Online prevents chaos with natural consequences; if you act out of line of disobey the law, you will pay the price either by force or by law, and
depending on the region, the law may also involve force. Another example of natural consequences dictating player actions is the way specific forts or keeps
or estates are targeted for takeover in order to cut off trade routes. Trade is a very prominent factor in ESO, but trades are not an automatic transaction and
require a physical delivery. Therefore factions must truly earn the gold they earn in exchange for natural resources, and in doing so they risk ambush. This
sets up stealth missions involving delivery men and mobile guards stealthily walking through the forest at night or creeping along coastal beaches, trying to
reach the destination without interruption. Stealth missions, or missions involving travel into foreign territory will be common. Not only will players deliver
goods, they will perform assassinations, steal resources, and deliver messages. ?
---Varied, Balanced Combat---
-no limits on R1 L1 combinations (a player may dual-wield a flame spell with an Elven War Axe)?
-body-part-specific damage (i.e. archery headshots)
?∞∞Geographics/Area Restrictions∞∞?
The race you choose determines your starting zone, and from there players are given the freedom to roam wherever they choose. A Dunmer who aligns idealistically with the Aldemiri Dominion can immigrate from Morrowind to Elsweyr and fight for the Aldemiri Dominion.??
Three factions are determined to gain control of Cyrodiil. Factions are geographically based, and have distinct qualities. You will know that X city is patrolled/run by the Aldemiri Dominion or X city is anti-Breton or X town has a serial killer. Players will never be restricted from entering a zone, so if you want to hang out in Riften as a foreign race with ties to a foreign allegiance, by all means go ahead, but expect to be hassled, expect hostile locals, and prepare to defend yourself should a racist, Talos-thumping Nord try to pummel your scaly Argonian ass out of Skyrim and back to Black Marsh. Players are able to wander wherever they want at their own peril. Cities will naturally act as safer zones while isolated countrysides will invite outlaws and bandits. Questing will be more heavily centered in the players home region (Argonian in Black Marsh, for example), but quests will send players to various parts of Tamriel. Entering enemy territory will not be like a weekend at the Four Seasons, but it won't be like a grey, vertical, 3000-foot high mountain keeping you out of High Rock.?“Awww [censored], so that's why it's called High Rock.....”
?∞∞Realistic Travel∞∞?
Conventional fast travel weakens immersion and creates imbalance amongst town/city/rural populations.
No Fast Travel:?
---supports flow of gamers in both cities and wilderness?
---emphasis on realistic populations. if you could fast travel everywhere, central ”hubs” ala Whiterun would lose their appeal.
---??increases the satisfaction of both a.) exploration/adventure and b.) completing quests.
Gamers aren’t eternally limited to foot or horseback. They may also travel via:?
a.) Horse carriage (i.e. Turdas at 5:30 pm: coach from Solitude to Whiterun)?
b.) Sailing expedition (i.e. leaves Dawnstar- departure date/time marked at inn)?
c.) Dragons. In the current Tamriel era there exist two known dragons, both mountable, each possessed by one owner at a time (two riders). Each dragon sits
atop a sacred peak guarded by beasts of the most ferocious kind. The player strong enough and brave enough to ascend the mountain and ward off the
guardian monsters gets to mount the dragon and proudly soar over Skyrim in all of his (or her) glory. Claiming ownership of one of the two dragons is
incredibly difficult, as they are both incredibly fierce and incredibly powerful. Outside of rising to be emperor, riding a dragon is one of the ultimate symbols
of power and status in The Elder Scrolls Online.
travel cont.
---1st person view. Creates scenarios for sneak attacks (possibility of stalkers-- increases risk of travel)?
---A significant percentage of quests are close to a players 'home' region. Quests to distant regions are more rare (and hence, feel more exciting and exotic
when they occur).
∞∞Faction-Independent Groups∞∞
(guilds, clans, cults, brotherhoods etc.)?
The Elder Scrolls Online is a living, breathing virtual world with councils and laws and faction leaders who are determined by a combination of warfare prowess, community involvement, and positive quest results. A designated meeting area may be arranged for faction leaders to determine the direction of each faction. Also, faction-members can cast ballots and vote on issues like jail sentences for thievery/murder, faction emblem, faction capitol city/town, and faction demeanor (hostilies/alliances/neutralities).
At the beginning of the game, the player has one key choice to make: select race. After selecting and editing their character, players will be planted into the territory of their race (i.e. Khajiit in Elsweyr, Bosmer in Valenwood). The only restriction is the starting territory. Where the player goes from there is entirely up to him. Factions and guilds are optional, and players may choose to go rogue, or not be involved in battle or the war at all. A player may seek peace in his homeland and ignore the battle for Cyrodiil and just enjoy the brotherhood of a guild. Some guilds, like the infamous Mages Guild, have long and storied histories and traditions, while many guilds are player-created, with customizable names, banners, flags, armor, and tents. Guilds can establish territory by occupying an area for a designated amount of time.
details of player-made guilds:?
---ability to overtake enemy forts (fort possixr signified by clan attire)?
---limit x number of people per clan, 1 created clan per person etc. (implement other rules to prevent over-clanning)?
---customizable banners, emblems, flags, shields, gates? ???
∞∞Side Activities∞∞?
---mining?
---harvesting?
---alchemy?
---peddling?
---smithing?
---gardening?
---woodchopping?
---fishing?
---cooking?
---music
??∞∞Photography System∞∞?
---snapshot button?
---album creator?
---basic photo editor?
---photos convert into paintings for player housing
∞∞Weather/Time∞∞
?The date and time are kept according to standard Tamriel culture, and lighting and atmospheric conditions are constantly changing as the day transitions from morning to afternoon to night. The climate is heavily influenced by the current season, and seasons vary from location to location (for instance, Skyrim is mostly cold while Valenwood is humid and warm). Season-affected details include: amount of snowfall, amount of water in streams, bloom-stage of flowers, types of animals (i.e. bears hibernate in winter, butterflies in spring), time of sunrise/sunset etc.
