I am just wondering what everyone thought of the Elder Scrolls series having an MMO game.

Personally, I'm kind of in the middle. I have seen E3 this year, and that didn't help my opinions about it (or harm them).

To me, it's kind of a gamble for them, making this. It could go wrong so easily, with a franchise everyone loves so much, with a company everyone is very loyal and trusting towards.

I would give it a shot if I ever had the chance. I mean... come on! It's Bethesda!


So... What are your opinions? Worries? Love? Rage of it?


(Edit: I've been corrected that Zenimax is making the game, so I know that now. The more you know, I guess!)

M
I disagree single-playing Elder Scroll is going to sell like mad until they get real competitor. Bethesda should build own engine exclusively for ES type of games. More fantasy MMO's the better. Played Rift almost year, going to play this at least that. Neverwinter Nights MMO later this year looks awesome too.

Btw, this is made by Zenimax. Think it more like they're branching the brand.

You're right about the single player thing. Eventually, someone is going to make a game that can rival The Elder Scrolls, and they need to be ready for that when that day comes (though I don't think they need to worry too much. They are already awesome to me).

With the MMO... I'm even more worried now that I know Bethesda didn't make it.

Though my worries could end up being for nothing. Maybe this will be the WoW killer we have all been waiting for? Maybe this will be one of the best games ever made?

We'll see one day. I can't wait to see how it does!

What do you think BethGS has been doing since Morrowind?

I doubt. but Im going to be surprised if this doesnt do at least as well as Rift. 1.5 mill sold at launch is really minimum. I think they should consider adding somekind of shop/thing for extra revenue, thats what we tried to tell EA too, milk them while there is lots of them and they're playing because chances are huge theres empty servers after first couple month.

To put it bluntly I dont see anykind of gamble in this.

I'm just so glad that it isn't actually Bethesda making this game, if they made an MMO instead of working on real Elder Scrolls games i would lose all faith in them.

can't w8 to see some game play trailers

I think it looks interesting, I would like to see the UI and stuff and get some proper answers answered and not just the stupid ones they ask on E3.
After having seen the artstyle and more of the different areas I have to say that it isn't as bad as I thought it would be, however that über-buff orc scares me a little, I hope they will stick to more realistic anatomy for the races. The combat sounds interesting, though I wonder if we will bet heat-seeking arrows, I hope we won't. And they still haven't aswered wether or not they will have a subscription fee.

So far this looks like a game that I will try, but I'm not sure it's a game I will play over an extended period of time.

I like what I have seen and heard so far except some of the character models; mostly the Orc; but with sliders I am sure that there will be many ways to customize the characters. The world looks nice but until I actually see some combat footage I can't realy tell much else about it. I am looking forward to it.

Im looking forward on TESO. Its a refreshing way to play in the Elder Scrolls world. I′ve been playing TES from 12 years, and I like the idea of role play with other people, not just "heart-less" npc′s.

In theory I agree, but my experience with MMOs has been that there's no RP value in the standard formula (WoW, TOR, GW, Rift) and these guys have done little to assuage my fears. They bring up 'exploration' a bit, but in a world where anyone can shout out on chat "treasure chest over here" that sense of finding something truly surprising is minimal. I'd like it if, in their interviews, they'd give some sense that varied activities (other than just standard PvE and PvP with a bit of crafting) actually exists in the game - alternatively, they'll need to turn up the notch on story well beyond what I've seen in any MMOs - including TOR - to pull me in. That's why I'd hugely support player-driven mechanics such as factions gaining authentic, world-changing political control, rather than purely superficial changes that last a week and then are reset. It doesn't matter if things become a bit unfair, or unpredictable - in fact, that'd be the best part, watching how things dynamically evolve as a result of player interaction. That's what an MMO - especially a TES MMO - should be all about, to me.

I just want to shove a sack over my head and forget about it, i like TES but not MMO TES.

It could be totally awesome, it could be terrible.
if you can loot other players from game in caves and ruins and stuff like that it will be really good.
i always wanted an online version of the game

For that I hope there is a moderated RP server. If we mix it up in an RP context, it should be superb (accounting that the RP community is big here)

What I've heard about it, I don't like for the most part, but I'm remaining optimistic until I get the chance to sit down and play it. ^^

Best news I've heard in awhile. I'm a huge ES fan and avid MMO player so will get the best of both worlds. Its too early to tell on most fronts on the status of the game and how its going to turn out so Im just going to have faith in Bethesda and the guys over at Zenimax im sure wont let me down from what I know of them and their history.

If we take in account the interviews, it feels really good to see how dedicated are the developers in the game. Even with the lore they learned to make it. It gives to me some sort of confidence and pleasure.

On one hand I am really, really excited. i've never played an MMO before and running around Tamriel with my friends sounds unbelievable.
On the other hand, I am really disappointed. ESO has incredible potential, but nothing so far (except for the size of the world) has convinced me they are even close to making the awesome title that Elder Scrolls deserves.

The combat sounds highly questionable, and the many Paul Sage interviews did nothing to boost my confidence. He kept repeating the same 1-2 liners in each interview ("you can block", "you can twirl fire balls", "enemies drop slick oil"). And weak combat aside, there are a host of other factors that are helping turn my excitement into doubt and disappointment:

No player housing (a crushing blow for me-- housing might just be my favorite part of Elder Scrolls)

Limited province exploration This one feels like a kick in the nuts. Isn't exploration what TES is all about? Yeah, I know, devs are "unapologetic because this is TESO not TES"--- well they should be apologetic because an Elder Scrolls where you can't enter 2/3rds of the gameworld is torturous and cruel. Somehow I am almost offended by that decision. I feel betrayed. Why!!!??????!!!

Generic, cartoon-like player models (The ES universe is defined by that unique gritty art style. Skyrim for example is not photo-realistic, but it's even better-- it's like living in a beautiful painting! I'm very happy they seem to be putting a lot of care into a detailed game-world, but one reviewer compared the player model/environment contrast to Dragonball Z.... YIKES.
What good is a beautiful, detailed game environment if the cheesy player-models snap you out of the immersion?

Overall, the most disappointing thing was the interviews. I ended up getting the vibe that Zenimax is like a student going for a C paper-- fulfill the basic requirements, repeat the same minor things over and over but using different language, and add some fluff and polish here and there, despite writing nothing innovative or interesting in the paper. During Skyrim production, the interviews with Todd Howard and others made me GIDDY. He instilled a real sense of trust, and I was very very glad the project was in his hands. With Elder Scrolls Online, I couldn't help but wonder, "why these guys?"---- but hey, i've never played an MMO in my life, so for all I know this could turn out to be the most epic, genius, FUN game to ever exist. But it also might make us weep for what could have been...

I'll make this short since most everyone here has heard me say this ad infinitum, but for the sake of the OP, here goes.

I always wanted a TES MMO and thought if there was one franchise that could truly advance AAA MMORPGs into a truly amazing, immersive experience, it was The Elder Scrolls. It could bring everything I have always wanted from small-budget MMO titles like Darkfall, Mortal Online, and the single-player TES games into a rich lore-filled world that I've known and loved for two decades now. On top of that, it could be commercially successful and show the market that those mechanics are still viable when paired with such a storied franchise. Above all it would be appropriate, since the type of gameplay that we see in games like Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, could be slightly tweaked and translated to an MMO environment, blowing the competition to pieces in the process.

I am disappointed that, from what I've seen they have simply pasted the Elder Scrolls lore onto a fairly typical MMO formula that breaks no new ground in this arena. It makes me very sad and I think the game will not be the type of success it has the potential to be without breaking the mold. I am also ever-so-slightly worried that ESO's potential failure might negatively affect the way the Zenimax shareholders look at the TES franchise as a whole. On the same note, if it does succeed with these "typical MMO mechanics" will Zenimax demand that Bethesda inject some of that gameplay into TES VI? Crazier things have happened but those are absolutely worst-case scenarios in my view.

I think it's the best idea I've heard in several years, and I'm curious where this will go.

I would say I'm cautiously optimistic at the least. I'd like to see where they go with this, and how they improve based upon reviewers' feedback from things like E3.

From the interviews it sounds like they're making a really solid and fun MMO (so long as you like theme park MMOs, and don't want a sandbox style), and you can tell they're really passionate about it.

I also gathered that it isn't going to play like TES at all. It's very much a WoW-style MMO (they say so themselves). Some people are fine with that, some aren't. I guess it comes down to what defines TES for you. If it's just the setting, this game is right up you're street. If it's the gameplay that defines a TES game for you, this probably won't be your cup of tea.

I'll be interested to see what the reaction is at launch. Right now it's widely considered a huge disappointment (outside of this forum, away from the zealots), but I put that down to the shock of the game playing and looking nothing like traditional TES games. Actually playing the game might well change people's minds. Time will tell!

Making an MMORPG after TES isn't an issue to me at all. I've been an MMORPG player, tester and reviewer over the last 12 years.

While I know TESO has some interesting qualities; I do not think I'll be buying it at full price on release.

They're using an outdated model for the game, along with a graphic style that was dated 3 years ago.

The next gen market, that will keep an MMO running years after it releases, simply doesn't want another game that only borrows the best from it's predecessors. It isn't offering anything completely new to the market. There's no stellar new graphic engine; no astounding new game mechanic, that could propel the market forward; no genuine targeted market (aside from us TES Fans that play a game like WoW).

Games like Warcraft, LoTRO, Guild Wars and even Everquest 2 came out when an industry needed their specific pull. Each one offered something different; and each one enjoyed a time in their life where they had great growth.

TESO is coming out in a time where there's a flood of MMORPG's. I can't believe Zenimax didn't plan the timing, design and market direction out better.

TLDR: I know the game will do better than stuff like SWTOR. And it will give the WoW/RIFT/TERA refugee's a new game to invest in; but it's not going to draw in a major pool of the TES crowd.

A lot of people had great points from both sides so far, and I agree mainly with the disappointed side.


The reason is that it just doesn't... feel like an TES game, or look like one. I would understand the graphics not being the best, since it would have to be on lower grade computers for some players...

But the combat is my big worry. They haven't really revealed much at E3, which makes me worried.

Then again, my worrying could be for nothing, since they haven't revealed anything really solid, so I still have some hope.

As for worrying what the people would think in these fourms, I would think they would take it as criticism that can help them become a better company. We should be able to speak our minds and tell them what we want, no matter what it may be. How else could they become better?


For the chance they may include some playstyles from ESO into TES: VI... I highly doubt that would ever happen. The single player game is fine just the way it is. It could always use a few tweeks, of course, every game could, but I doubt they would ever change the game that much. The only way they would would be if nearly all of the fans demanded it, and... well, I just don't see that ever happening. Still... I suppose one would have to worry still.


I've been reading some great points from both sides! Keep them coming please! If a dev sees it, it could actually help them! (You never know!)

That's the one thing I DON'T understand. It's a PC game. We have a 'graphics' tab in our Options Menu. If the game doesn't play well maxed out, then we can turn our texture detail, draw distance, shadow detail, anti-aliasing etc down.

Heck, I remember playing Crysis when it was released on my friend's ancient computer. We just stuck the graphics down to the lowest settings and still had a blast. It didn't look great, but we weren't expecting it to. It was on old PC. It baffles me that Western MMO developers seem to think that if some players aren't able to play a game with gorgeous graphics, then NO-ONE should be able to, and just build the game to look outdated deliberately. Doesn't make any sense.