ESO: The Problem with Update 25
ZeniMax are allegedly addressing some major performance issues with the forthcoming Update 25 for The Elder Scrolls Online. If this latest patch improves loading times, the game’s overall performance and makes updating the client faster, then it will be well received by players. However, Update 25 requires players to reinstall the entire game client due to technical reasons. Furthermore, the patch is not going to be available prior to release on Monday February 24th, so player’s cannot download the necessary files in advance. Unfortunately, as soon as the patch server comes online, all players will have to reinstall the full ESO client and wait accordingly. Considering the disparity between internet connections in the US and Europe, player experience will vary greatly. Some will download the client in hours where others will have to simply leave their PC running and wait all day. Considering the popularity of ESO and the estimated size of its player base, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are queues or connectivity issues.
5 of My Favourite Quality-of-Life Mechanics in MMOs
Over the years I’ve played numerous MMOs (to varying degrees of success). As a genre there are certain game mechanics that are standard and common to most games. Initially during the “golden age” of the MMORPG, there was a focus on collaborative team player. This meant that successfully undertaking group content required a spectrum of players in specific roles. This particular mechanic has diminished over the years but the genre still has numerous common tropes. Quest hubs, reputation factions, gear grinds and vertical levelling are just some that spring to mind. However, many developers in this field attempt to polish and refine these “default” systems, often with interesting results. So I thought I’d cite some specific examples of what I call “quality-of-life mechanics”. Frequently these are bog standard facets common to the MMO genre, that have been polished and refined in a particular game. Small things that just make a game more manageable and provoke a positive reaction as well.
A Year in Gaming
Life is often cyclical, if you don’t believe me go watch The Lion King. I started 2018 playing The Lord of the Rings Online and by writing a post about how gamers collectively seem to repeat the same mistakes. And as the year and indeed the decade ends, I find myself once again playing the Yule Festival in LOTRO and reflecting upon how some games that garnered criticism over their egregious business models, have ended up as huge hits. It would appear that gamers are their own worst enemy. I shall leave the psychological analysis of paradox to others. From my perspective, irrespective of the iniquities of the video game industry and certain quarters of the gaming community, it has been a good year, gaming wise. I have enjoyed my time playing MMOs such as Star Trek Online, The Elder Scrolls Online and the aforementioned LOTRO. These and other titles have entertained me, provided me with an opportunity to unwind as well as affording me some much-needed social interaction. I particularly enjoy Wednesday evenings when I log into my Discord server and then chat and play collaboratively with longstanding gaming friends.
Login Incentives in MMORPGS
A major challenge for any MMO is to keep players logging in to the game. Obviously, regularly adding content and ensuring that there are sufficient quests, activities and tasks for players to undertake is essential. However, experience has shown that no matter how much content developers add to an MMORPG, players will always veraciously consume it and want more. Hence you need an additional “carrot on a stick”. Something that get’s player sufficiently interested to log into a game, even when they don’t have anything especially compelling to do. Login incentives are designed to do exactly that. They offer of some bauble or trinket that motivates you to log into a game once a day. Hopefully once you login, you may then find something to occupy yourself, either on your own or with fellow guild members. And of course the player who is actively playing may well even purchase something from the in-game store. At the very least, a successful login incentive contributes towards active player statistics. If those figures are presented in the right fashion on paper, they can bolster a declining population.
The Esoteric Nature of Crafting in MMORPGs
I was initially going to call this post “crafting can fuck right off” but I felt that was a somewhat bellicose opening gambit and a little hyperbolic. So I’ve toned it down to “the esoteric nature of crafting in MMORPGS”. Now to begin with, I tend not to craft when playing MMORPGs. The effort to reward ratio is often insufficient and I have yet to find a crafting system that is engaging and fun. However, for me the biggest sin that crafting can commit is being deliberately arcane and obtuse “with malice of forethought”, if I may invoke legal analogy. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with game systems and mechanics being complicated. Intricacy can be both intriguing and rewarding if presented correctly. However, all too often game developers cross over the line, stepping from “complexity” to “fucking annoying”. For example some card games such as Poker can have complex rules but mastering them transforms the proceedings from random chance into a game of skill. But at the other end of the spectrum there’s Fizzbin, which was invented purely to be frustrating due to its arcane nature. I frequently find that crafting in MMOs is just like Fizzbin. Except they’re not amusing or ironic, just tedious and irritating.
International Picture Posting Month: The Elder Scrolls Online
As my first post for International Picture Posting Month, I have decided to share some pictures and thoughts on the MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online. Out of the three games from this genre that I currently play, it’s the one that I’m currently enjoying the most. It has plenty of content to play through, the virtual world is immersive and the stories, characters and lore are very detailed and satisfying. As a more recent MMO, the game engine is robust and the visuals are far from dated. The game mechanics are multi-layered but combat is straightforward. There is no obvious skills bloat as you choose what you want on your hotbar. I also greatly enjoy the ambient music and recurring themes that play throughout the game. ESO is both solo and group friendly. You can also greatly augment your UI and the way you interact with the various systems, through the use of addons if you like. Alternatively, if you feel bold enough, then you can go with the default layout. From my perspective, ESO offers a great deal and ticks many of the boxes I favour. Yes it can have its foibles but name me an MMO that doesn’t?
ESO: The Imperial City Storyline
I raised the question in a previous post as to what’s the best way to follow the various stories in The Elder Scrolls Online in an orderly, coherent fashion. After some further research, it would appear that the most practical solution is to play through all the games DLC and chapters in release order. Hence, after finishing the main and faction storylines (in my case the Daggerfall Covenant), the next place to go is The Imperial City. Now I was under the impression that Cyrodiil was just a pure PVP zone but it would appear that there are 8 PVE quests that have a narrative arc. I was most pleased to learn this as I don’t like to miss out on content, especially if it sheds light on the lore and advances existing plot and themes. However, the problem with this series of quests is that despite being PVE content that requires you to kill Daedra mobs, you are still operating within an PVP zone. So you’re at risk of getting picked off by other players of differing factions while undertaking these quests.
Progressing in an Orderly Fashion in ESO
Whenever I start a new MMO I tend to research the various classes and make an informed decision about which one to choose as my primary character. This policy has worked out well over the years and therefore compared to other players, I don’t have multiple alts across numerous games. That’s not to say that I’m averse to creating a new character, I simply need a good reason to do so. When I do, its usually because there’s an option to experience a different story. Hence, I currently have three alts in The Elder Scrolls Online. Last night I reached the current level cap of 50 with my Imperial Dragonknight, having recently completed the Daggerfall Covenant storyline. I have now experienced all three faction stories (which I have enjoyed) and more importantly, have learned what is the best way for me to progress through the game. ESO offers players the chance to play the MMO in a manner that suits them. If you want to simply travel Tamriel and do things as you go along, then you may. It’s a very flexible in this respect. But if you want to play in a more structured way, it can be a little confusing navigating a linear path. So here are a few tips I’ve learned the hard way.
Skills Rotation
While conducting some general housekeeping in The Lord of the Rings Online, I decided upon streamlining my “quickslots” as developers Standing Stone Games refers to them. Being an MMORPG from well over a decade ago, the game has a multitude of skills. By the time your character reaches level cap of 120, it is entirely possible to have filled all 72 of the available slots. If you have a combat pet, then you’ll receive another 11 buttons to “mash”. Now this situation got me thinking. I recollect a conversation I had about a year ago, when I was doing some group content in LOTRO. It wasn’t going especially well so there was a discussion about tactics and what specific skills to use. To cut a long story short, it became apparent that many players (including myself) did not know the exact name of all the skills that adorned their quickslots. Furthermore not everyone was au fait with the nature and purpose of each skill and how one could trigger another. Similarly not all were aware that some skills could be augmented by the use of another.
Dragon Farming, Black Dots and Continuity
I logged into The Elder Scrolls Online today to do some Dragon farming. The Dragon Rise event includes both an XP and gold acquisition boost throughout Northern Elsweyr. Broadly, speaking this is a similar activity to Dolmen farming in the Alik’r Desert, although it is time sensitive as the event ends on Monday October 14th. There are three locations around the zone where Dragons regularly spawn and attack. Although it is possible to travel between these locations using the Star Haven, The Stitches and Scar’s End Wayshrines, it is not easy to do so. You need a fast mount and to be well acquainted with the topographical foibles of the region. I prefer to stay at one location and remain part of the loitering zerg. The Dragons arrive at approximately ten-minute intervals and if there are more than twenty or so players, dies very quickly. If there is less of you, then it can be quite tricky. Situational awareness is the key to success. Keep an eye on the Dragon and where you’re standing. It’s certainly safer if you used ranged attacks.
The Problem with MMO Economies Part 2
A few years ago, STO developers Cryptic, added a new system to the game that allowed players to re-engineer gear and alter the various modifiers associated with each item. One of the reasons behind this move was to reduce the hyperinflation associated with high end gear that has the most desirable statistics. If players could re-engineer the items that they desired it would undermine the trade in such items on the exchange. Needless to say this plan didn’t succeed and the market did not radically alter. The overall cost of the resources required to successfully re-engineer a piece of equipment ended up being comparable or even more than the price of a similar item being sold on the exchange. Similarly, the legendary progression servers in LOTRO had a brief period of economic stability and fiscal prudence when they were launched. Initially, no one section of the playerbase had more resources than others. A year on and now the same issues of inflation and excessive prices have happened with a tedious sense of inevitability. Can anything be done to stabilise MMO economies?
The Problem with MMO Economies Part 1
I have a very mixed relationship with MMO economies. In The Lord of the Rings Online I have adequate supplies of in-game gold but most of the items I seek to buy on Auction House are insanely overpriced. In Star Trek Online, earning energy credits is so problematic, the developers have had to add them as part of the daily personal endeavour rewards. Again, there is runaway inflation and the most desirable items such as Tier 6 ships are ridiculously priced. And in The Elder Scrolls Online, the gold slowly builds up over time but the lack of a server wide auction system means that finding and purchasing quality gear at credible prices is an arcane undertaking. There was a point a few years ago when I use to play the LOTRO economy and as a result, I had sufficient means to buy what I wanted. But maintaining that level of wealth and financial leverage is time consuming and requires adhering to a strategy. As I do not play the game, or indeed any other MMO, to that level anymore, my personal wealth in all of them has declined accordingly.
Do MMOs Have a Specific Window of Opportunity?
World of Warcraft was the MMO that broke the mould. The reasons for its success are too numerous and complex for this blog post, so let it suffice to say that it rode a perfect storm of factors and has maintained a strong presence for fifteen years. And as a result, subsequent developers have often sought to duplicate its success. Yet frequently the opposite has happened. In fact several MMOs have launched and experienced a brief time “in the sun” only for things to come crashing down thereafter. Perhaps the most well-known example of this was SWTOR which experienced a triumphant launch in December 2011, yet within three months the majority of players had left for pastures new. It took the game going F2P and a lot of hard work by BioWare to claw back the playerbase. It has also been argued that many MMOs have grown too big for their own good? It is true that a new player starting a game such as LOTRO today has a long slog ahead of them and some may simply find that too daunting.
Quest Bestowal in MMOs
When playing a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, such as The Lord of the Rings Online, acquiring quests is a very straightforward process. Key locations such as towns, villages or anywhere with a stable are usually quest hubs. Non-playable characters denote that they have quest(s) available by having a glowing ring icon above their heads. It’s not subtle but you’d have to have a bag over your head to miss such an obvious clue. Most MMOs have some version of this bestowal system. A clearly visible means to show that an NPC or object is the starting point for a quest. It’s a rather unsophisticated system but it gets the job done. Hence it has been around for quite a while in the genre (silence, dissenting old school gamers, blathering on about how in the good old days, MMOs didn’t have quests).
The Changing Face of MMOs
The above promotional video for Guild Wars 2 (dated July 19th, 2011) came up in an online discussion recently. The game as it exists today is radically different to this eight-year-old marketing presentation. It got me thinking about MMOs, how they evolve and those that have fallen from grace. Naturally the spectre of World of Warcraft looms large in such a discussion, because for many years this was the game to beat. Subsequently the market was awash with clones, which proved to be an unwise business tactic. The tumultuous life of Star Wars: The Old Republic along with the closure of Warhammer: Online, Vanguard and recently WildStar indicates that more of the same is not necessarily what players want or at the least, insufficient to keep them engaged. Guild Wars 2 initially deviated noticeably from the perceived wisdom but then contradicted its own ideology out of necessity to remain financially viable. Subsequent expansions have proven far more “traditional”. A decade on from the MMO boom, the genre has had to become far more niche to survive. MMOs exist and make money, but the are no longer seen as cash cows.
Addons, Dependencies and Libraries in ESO
Once again, I’m writing a post not out of technical enthusiasm but to try and spare someone else the tiresome bullshit I’ve just had to endure this evening. I wrote earlier this year about the duality of addons in The Elder Scrolls Online. They can be a great boon to the player but they can also be fiddly to configure and frequently break when the game is updated. You’re dependent on the good will of a third party to maintain them. Naturally the recent addition of Elsweyr to ESO meant that a bunch of addons were broken by the expansion. Oddly enough I didn’t initially notice that several of mine had stopped working because I’ve been away from the game for a while, plus I was busy trying to transfer various settings from my previous character to my new alt. However, once I actually got down to the business of traversing Tamriel and questing, it came to my attention that lots of details were missing from my map. Hence, I discovered that all was not well in “Addonsville”.
Creating Alts and Copying Settings in ESO
If you are a veteran player of The Elder Scrolls Online, this post will simply be a statement of the “bleedin’ obvious”. However I have written this article for the benefit of those relatively new to ESO as well as the occasional or casual player who are not au fait with all the subtleties and nuances of the MMORPG. If I can spare someone the hassle that I’ve had over the past 48 hours trying to figure this shit out, then I consider that a valuable social service. Because unlike other MMOs, creating a new alt in ESO causes some additional problems to arise. If you know about them in advance, they are a lot easier to manage. If, like me you were not aware of them, then it can be frustrating attempting to trouble shoot them on the fly.
The Elder Scrolls Online and Action Combat
I was recently gifted a copy of Summerset in The Elder Scrolls online by a friend. Naturally this act of generosity lead to me returning to the game. Although I participated in the beta test, I only seriously started playing ESO from January to July last year. I created a High Elf Sorcerer and levelled to the current cap of 50 and then started working on gaining Champion Points, which currently stand at 187. Although I enjoyed the experience, especially from a narrative perspective, I did struggle to a degree with the action combat. It can be a quite a culture shock playing ESO after years of traditional, older MMOs that have a more static combat system. There is a tendency to default to old habits and ways that frequently leads to mistakes. Older MMOs often share common key mappings and system methodologies. ESO often flies in the face of that, so you find yourself having to “unlearn what you have learned” to coin a phrase. It can be done and you can adapt. I managed last year but now, due to the time elapsed, I am now having to do so again.
Death in MMOs
There was a post today over at Keen and Graev’s Gaming Blog, which raised the subject of “corpse runs” in old school MMOS such as Ultima Online. In-game death came with penalties back then and there was the prospect of XP loss or that your corpse could be looted, and you could potentially lose rare gear. It got me thinking because I’ve never played an MMO that has had, to my mind, such harsh sanctions. In fact game mechanics such as permadeath, corpse runs, and the loss of equipment will put me off playing any such game that has them. I suspect that unless you’re a player who is particularly motivated by achievement, competitiveness and challenge, then such systems are seen mainly as an inconvenience and impediment.
The Elder Scrolls Online and Addons
After recently watching several friends stream The Elder Scrolls Online, I have re-installed the game (funny how that often happens). I played quite consistently last spring and the game finally “clicked” for me. The narrative driven structure is something I enjoy, and I also like way you can pick and choose the content you undertake. So after letting the 70.9 GB game client download overnight, I fired up the game yesterday and found my level 50 High Elf Sorcerer in Auridon, where I left them last Easter. The first thing that immediately stood out was the plain vanilla default UI, which is minimalist to say the least. After a heavy sigh, I realised that if I wanted to continue efficiently playing ESO I would have to install a bunch of addons via Minion. The only minor problem was that after replacing my Hard Drive last November, despite backing up most data, I had not made a note of which addons I was using. Luckily, a friend who still had the game installed went through their current installation, so I was able to collate a suitable list.