From what I've read on the news and in quite a few threads, it seems that a lot of people are disappointed with the direction the Elder Scrolls Online is going, as we all know. It seems to me that the most complaints are focused on the open-world exploration and the third-person view. Here is what Matt Firor said: "...The Elder Scrolls Online will be played in a third-person perspective and is attempting to be a "modern" MMO, blending The Elder Scrolls features into this new genre. Not all Elder Scrolls fans are happy with the new title's angle, but Firor said that's just fine." I don't think it's fine. I think it's a recipe for disaster because when companies ignore the majority of players' feedback on popular demands, then the MMO will not succeed even if they fix it after the players nerdrage on them. It happened with FFXIV. WoW-Clone recipes are never really a success, even SWTOR and RIFT tried the same thing with few "new" features apart from other MMORPGs. If Elder Scrolls Online persist with going in the WoW style, it will fail just like the other big-named MMORPGs. Sure, it would make money, but it won't last long. I'm sure it'll be a love-hate MMORPG for everyone.

Personally, I think it's fine that they're going with the "stylized" look instead of the polished "photorealism" look, as long as they make it much more original to the TES franchises with the first-person view and making it open-world, just like EVE Online, Darkfall, Fallen Earth, and a few others. I don't think they need to change directions, they can just add/expand the options and it's not too late to do it. Shouldn't ZeniMax Online listen to us fans?

None of us can see the future.

I was skeptical but the abundance of interviews and info made me very optimistic about TESO.

You can play in the first person if you want. Verified in this http://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2012/05/31/special-edition-podcast-the-elder-scrolls-online.aspx at 9:05.
However you are at a disadvantage because you can only see what is in front of you and mobs can block your line of sight.

They confirmed you can zoom into first person. Also, this thread has been done before and everything you have said has already been addressed. Try to find one of those threads.

Hey guess what. They confirmed you can zoom into first person view if you want. Of course playing that way is not very optimal gameplay because idk, IT'S AN MMO. Third person view is just common sense. It allows you to view what's going on around you. But the option is there.

Another thing: this is not going to be your SPRPG Elder Scrolls. It's an MMO. because of that, certain aspects will be fundamentally different. I think from what we have heard so far though Zenimax is doing a pretty good job taking the ES IP to MMO format. If you don't like it as we hear more information or when it comes out, just keep playing the single player games; and in a few years Bethesda will release TES VI.

No, they're not making it based on a WoW clone recipe.

Yes, they ignore our feedback because, really, there is little information released.

Yes, I like the stylized look - Did you know that the more a robot looks like a human the less a human likes it?

No, apparently there will be first-person option as well - Correct me on this one if need be. - I stand corrected.

No, Zenimax Online listens to us fans well enough - Why would they even have released that one article to calm down the angry fans?

No, TESO will not fail if the team knows their job - Which they, by all accounts, do!

Well to be honest can you think of how to make a different formula for an mmo? I would like first-person also and actually I'd rather have the art-style like single-player too, but I think they're not trying to prove anything here, maybe they're just seeing how this goes? Anyways I know this is gonna come back on me, but my saying is "If you don't have a fix for the problem, then don't complain about it."

If Elder Scrolls Online fails it will not be purely because it has the core, necessary elements of any other MMORPG. It has to be third person, I promise you first person does not work with the type of gameplay. When you're raiding, when you're doing PvP, when you're grouping with people there's simply too much to be aware to limit your viewing perspective.

If the game has raids, groups, guilds, battleground pvp, third person view, and a protracted leveling process leading to a hard level cap that is the gateway to meanginful endgame content then that just means that ESO is part of the MMO genre, not an intrinsic failure. It is how the game packages, improves, and adds on to the elements I just listed which will ultimately decide whether or not it succeeds or fails.

You can zoom into first person but you are going to be at a severe disadvantage.

it will not fail and most of you concerns are not based on reality (According to hat has already been said in this thread), and every one hats photorealistic looks, it is just a matter of how much you can stand (ever heard of the http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UncannyValley?)

edit: added link to tvtropes, click at your own risk

An MMO is not defined as a race-based-faction-war with all the limitations that entails (from who you can align with to where you can travel), eternal and unexplained (in the game world) spawns of mobs/bosses (for required grinding), limitless and un-penaltied and/or unexplained player ressurections, rigid class systems, etc...

What defines an MMORPG is that it is massively multiplayer, is online, and is a role playing game. That actually allows a great deal of freedom in how to design the game. It does NOT have to fit the easily recognizable, and over-done formula of the reigning champs and their less successful clones.

Unlike some others that have been posting, I'm not rooting for this game to fail. I want it to succeed. That is WHY I am making an impassioned plea for the developers to do something very different with this by sticking closer to the elements of the Elder Scrolls series that have made it a success over time...and the key element of that is the freedom a player of this game series has always enjoyed (you can do the main quest, you can do side quests, or you can just explore the whole blessed map) and to design their character to suit their own tastes and play style.

No one says an MMO as to be a race-based-faction-war, or at least I didn't say it.

But what does define an MMORPG are the elements I talked about. It's the genre, pure and simple. If ESO wants to be successful it needs more than the Elder Scrolls community. People will come to ESO expecting raid groups, end game content, and the same basic formula that has existed in every MMORPG of recent memory. To change that is alienate a gigantic player-base looking for the stuff I talked about in my previous post, and it simply won't work.

This MMO however IS being made that way. Like it or not is your choice but its not going to change. Its also you're own opinion as to it being limited, while experience and history shows otherwise.


Actually the formula for THIS game has only been done once to my knowledge and quite successfully for its time I might add. You seem confused as to the basis for this game (Hint: its not your evil boogeyman WoW)


You will be able to do all of which you claim here. Albeit in different ways depending on the situation. However as been said countless times already this being an MMO for it to work and keep players happy it MUST have certain constraints. A free form sandbox MMO that you seem to want jut isn't possible or feasible or even viable in todays MMO market.

No...to change the formula is to give them a reason to leave behind their huge investment of time (and lets face it money) in their characters in another game that plays essentially the same. The reason rifts wasn't the wow-killer is because it was too similar in too many ways. Why walk away from characters you've already grinded up to level cap, gotten amazing gear for, achievements for, have in good guilds (for raiding, rated bgs, arena etc) just to start all over with a game that is in formula not that much different?

To succeed they must (A) change the formula enough to catch people's attention and give them something new and different to experience and ( make sure that their built in fan-base is on board and promoting them.

That last bit was an important thing WOW had going for it when facing off with its competitors in the beginning. Warcraft evolved from a RTS game but it did so in steps, brought its fanbase along for the ride by being responsive to them, and was able to use that core fan base as free advertising/practically guaranteed minimum number of players.

Well, honestly said, I wouldn't be so disappointed if it really failed. I am not one of those who like playing with so many people at the same time. It wouldn't be even possible for me to try it - I prefer gaming at my XBox 360. Must be quite unfair to those who want to play the game but prefer consoles... But I don't think TESO will be so good either. The Elder Scrolls series isn't meant to be a MMO, I believe. Wrong concept for one anyway.

Those are good points, but at the same time when World of Warcraft was announced I'm sure they were very up front... "No we aren't making Warcraft 4...we're going to make World of Warcraft. It's an MMORPG, you know what to expect from that type of game. That said we'll take pains to make sure it is a Warcraft game too," and then they took the genre, made an MMORPG, improved and built upon the existing model, and made sure to include new blood and be a home for players of all stripes. ESO needs to try and manage to do the same thing, and there is no better time to do so than now, as World of Warcraft is on the decline and increasing amounts of MMO players are 'up for grabs' and looking for a new, permanent home. There are a ton of players out there who are 'tourist' players, going from MMO to MMO, trying to find that one special place.

Well, but I also do not like WOW. I don't pay so much money for such a bad graphic design and system. And as far as I know, there was never a Warcraft game for consoles. So there surely was not that... Let's call it effect of disappointment. The Elder Scrolls series do have much more console gamer fans than Warcraft.

TESO will be a niche game, it's already a generic WoW clone with elements of DAoC and Guild Wars 2, but it'll still be niche. It would have been a bigger niche if they had made it an actual Elder Scrolls game, but meh. Cheap money grab is cheap money grab.

Anyway, I am looking forward to The Elder Scrolls 6 and I really hope it will not become some online stuff.

if you read all the articles and watch the interviews and podcasts you would know this shares no similarities to WoW whatsoever , and a handful of threads doesnt constitute as a majority , most people are looking forward to it now , when it was first announced it was nothing but pure unfiltered hatred and now alot of people are looking forward to it and there hasn't been too much info released on it yet , i do agree that the fact you cant explore everywhere with one char is a bummer but were all gonna make alts anyway besides they took one feature away , they are obviously doing that for a reason , to facilitate some other mechanic or idea so until we know what that is hold your judgement

Don't normally do this but... TL;DR.
Not that it was too long, but when you've read as many "why this MMO will fail" threads as I have, you start to see it's just the same old crap.
"I don't. Like x y and z about said game, thus it will fail." Move along folks, nothing to see here.

I cant wait till the game comes out, hopefully it isnt p2p though.

I honestly don't see why they couldn't just take the gameplay from Skyrim and put it into an MMO environment. The standard MMO gameplay style that this game looks to be emulating is exactly why I don't play MMOs. It's boring. I hope I'm wrong and when there are some updates that this game looks cool, but right now, I'm not interested whatsoever.

Although, it's not like I have time for an MMO these days anyway, so I don't see why I even care.

It will be. Even if it's not the traditional P2P, you're still going to pay with a F2P model.