Unless they are magically created.

Or have your soul linked to them... soul gems are quite common.

But that's not what soul gems do. Perhaps there's some sort of magic stones in this time period, I dunno. It just seems a little far fetched that everyone would have one of these super ultra rare stones. Also, is your avatar from a FF game?

Again, gameplay > lore.

Yes, Ramza from Final Fantasy Tactics.

For me its Lore > Gameplay

This game can't beat the likes of WoW, so it'll just become another generic fantasy MMO. UNLESS! It dares to be different, whether it be to not focus on combat or story. The fact that its shaping up to be just another MMO is saddening. The Elder Scrolls title wont carry much weight with non-fans of the series, and if its just like WoW (or like any other MMO in the market, they're all the same nowadays) why not just play WoW? Its more fleshed out anyways.....

They're better off just focusing on lore and interesting ways to play, like dead is dead, than just another fantasy MMO with the name Elder Scrolls.....It'd please their current fans, therefore giving them sure business.

It doesn't matter what's for you or for me.

Good design, Design 101 in fact, is that gameplay overrides lore, period, all the time, in every case that it possibly has to or fits properly.

For instance, and this is an unfortunate instance that I wish would change, let's look at Skyrim.

Khajiit merchants aren't allowed into towns and cities because of theft and selling skooma, correct?

No where in Skyrim the game is the player restricted from going into a town or city as a Khajiit and walking up to a merchant and selling their goods, no where.

This is an instance of gameplay > lore, because it would not be "fair" to players who roll a Khajiit, because then they couldn't sell anything in towns because guards would not let them into them. It would be a crime for a Khajiit to seel goods to Belethor, and thus to simplify gameplay, the lore is undercut.

It just has to be done in some cases.

I've heard many people complain they can do just that. Also, it isn't really stated if their feelings are toward all Khajiit, or just those in the caravans.

What I'm saying is, if this game wants to be successful it needs to take risks like that. Like not letting Khajiit into certain cities. If this MMO, which it most likely will, just follows the same boring same old same old. What's the point? I can just go play WoW, its more fleshed out and smooth anyways.

So, what must be done is just create a fantastic roleplaying experience. You might not attract the streamlined crowd, but it won't anyways they'll all go to WoW, so go to the group that doesn't feel catered to in the WoW community, or most MMO communities for that matter. Its a risk, but most successes are just that.

Taking risks because of lore will not be done if the risk is going to impede on good gameplay. It just won't. Because you have to remember, not everyone plays TES for the lore. Gameplay is far more important, having a balanced and accessible gameplay experience is far more important than taking a leap, that could flop, just because you wanted to keep to lore.

Its not just about the lore. Its just that if they try and just do another fantasy MMO with nice smooth, clean gameplay, but nothing else to offer why not play WoW? There are more people on WoW, the game is much smoother, much more to do, and is constantly updating. What I'm saying is this, if the Elder Scrolls: Online wants to thrive, it needs to do something bold. Like become, basically, a roleplaying game, just that. With interesting characters, quests, dungeons, tons of opportunities to interact with other people's characters in fun and unique ways or react to the world in fun interesting ways. I would love for this game to thrive, but on the path its taking it'll just be another generic fantasy MMO.

On the path it is taking?

You don't know what direction they are going with it.

If what people are saying is true, it is a lot like WoW. Hotbar combat, cartoony graphics, and just the same old stuff. Just with an Elder Scrolls theme slapped on. I hope I'm wrong, I hope I'm horribly wrong, because the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series are my favorite series of games. I doubt I'm wrong, however =( Also, they claim their information comes from scans of Gameinformer.

Just because it has similarities to WoW doesn't make it WoW.

No, but when it bares very many similarities to WoW, why not just play WoW? It has had more time to perfect the formula and will be more balanced. All I'm saying is, they should've taken a risk, but they didn't. Most MMOs copy the WoW formula and most go F2P. I really, really don't want this for this game. I want it to be a huge success, but if it wants to be a huge success its gotta take a big risk. I mean, most MMOs fail, the likely hood an MMO will fail from the get go is very likely, so why not just risk your money on something that might not steal all of WoW's subscribers but attracts a certain group, probably the main group, that is most dissatisfied with most MMOs....roleplayers.

Most MMOs are horrible roleplaying environments, so why not craft a perfect experience around those group of people. With unique playerto player interaction, unique crafting, npc react depending on what you are (race) or what you've done. If they want to be successful that is the only way, because if a Lord of the Rings MMO can't last with the WoW formula what fantasy game can?

I have an idea that could make DiD work in an MMO without making players blow their brains out.

A living will.

When your character dies, you get to transfer a chunk of their XP, money, and items to your new character. Of course there would be a penalty. For example, all money and items carried on hand at the time of death would be lost permenantly, and you lose about 25% of earned XP.

Your new character would be created from scratch, but would get to start with a bunch of free level-ups and cash.

I think a GREAT idea would be to have a health bar (100% for everyone) and a second stamina bar or just use the stamina bar that exists. When the stamina bar goes down below 0 you get knocked out and npcs will leave you alone and players/npcs can loot you. After a few seconds you would regain consciousness but would be in a weakened state (so that you aren't invincible)

If players choose to attack you while you are unconscious or with "fatal wounds" it would dmg your health (the 100% bar) and if it went to 0% you would then die. Players who actually murder other players would have their soul tainted and they'd be flagged for life and suffer consequences -- you could use in game lore for this. This penalty would make hardcoe pkers think twice but it would still make it realistic in the sense that there are murderers in the world. mugging other players and taking their gear wouldn't cost you to lose your life like in other games, wouldn't be too unrealistic (no need for respawn) and could encourage rivalry (and some inevitable trolling, I know =( ... ) but it would give players an option beside killing everything lives always seem so meaningless in games where you just kill everything.

I know this idea seems complex but morrowind did it (sort of) so why not?