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Interview with VideoGamer.com
keithian
Member UncommonPosts: 3,191
Nothing really new here, but it does touch on some of the more recent topics around why they went with subs, 3 faction PVP, target market, etc. I thought it was a pretty good interview.
There Is Always Hope!
Comments
I just tried the link again and it works, but I copied that part of the interview for you anyway. :-)
VG: So would you say your main audience is going to be The Elder Scrolls fans or people that already play MMORPGs?
NK: We absolutely want both. All the way along the development process we’ve been very aware of the fact that there are these two groups. And of course there are also people that play both, but there are a set of people that have only played single-player Elder Scrolls games and this might be their first MMO experience.
VG: So you know how to lure in the singleplayer guys. You can say Elder Scrolls with friends and you’ll have their attention. What about those people that have only played MMOs within the same genre. What convinces them that TESO is worthwhile?
NK: It’s interesting to hear that switch. For such a long time we were actually a little bit more worried about the opposite. Like, are we doing enough to support The Elder Scrolls players? But I think it’s safe to say that during the last year, we’ve made some pretty significant pushes to ensuring that there are more Elder Scrolls things included. Things like adding the compass, putting in the first-person mode. Important parts of the franchise. As we’ve done that, the game has felt more and more like Elder Scrolls. That being said, it’s not like we’ve abandoned all the original goals: providing a social experience, providing a significant amount of end-game for every style of play - solo, group PvE, PvP. Those all a part of the game.
There Is Always Hope!
Was amused by the comment from the original interview site.....
"The more I see of this game it just seems to be a bland MMO with the elder scrolls name attached."
While trying to appeal to everyone they will water down each aspect to the point of being lackluster. So sad.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
Thank you kindly for the excerpt, keithian. The net can be a strange place and for some reason no pages for VideoGamer.com will load for me.
Reading about their target audience being for both TES players and MMO players reminded me that this game might be the first MMO experience for some folks. I'm looking forward to seeing how this grand experiment turns out.
Yes, adding a compass to the UI, and first person mode makes it a TES game. ::rolls eyes::
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe this type of PVP is their focus for launch. Their focus is more 3 faction open AVA PVP in Cyrodill.
Here is what I found. Source is Tamriel Foundry
Campaigns
There Is Always Hope!
exactly my thought
Thanks alot for the link. Konkle always gives us the good stuff. I am very happy with several pieces of information that came out of this interview:
First and foremost- Unrestricted (non-member) guild trading is confirmed. This is a HUGE relief for me. I was really worried I'd have to join guilds every time I had to trade. Now we know public guild stores are possible.
Second- Thieves guild, Dark Brotherhood, Stealing/Justice system are all confirmed as updates. We kind of knew this already but it's comforting to know they're working on it.
Next- Dueling is likely to be added in the future. I'm extremely pleased to hear this since sometimes I may be in the mood for PvPing 1 vs 1 with my buddy, or just want to avoid large-scale battles.
Then- I like the way filled soul gems are needed to revive. That totally fits with Elder scrolls.
The only major feature from TES they haven’t done, and which was already explained by them in the past, was pickpocketing. I still do hope they consider at least adding pickpocketing of NPCs at some point- that's always fun.
So overall It looks like several things are going in the right direction. My largest criterion is still "Does it feel like I'm playing Skyrim/ Elder Scrolls?" which only time will tell. But nice to know they've been addressing that very question.
That's a legitimate concern I hold as well but it's not necessarily true-- we won't know until we see the game the action.
Typically when they start sounding less like game developers and more like door to door vacuum salesmen is when you really really need to worry. I always got the feeling during the TOR interviews that they were trying to sell me life insurance.
VG: You’ve recently announced a subscription model for TESO. Why did you opt to go with that model, rather than a free-to-play setup?
NK: I think it comes down to the fact that it’s what felt right for the IP. With free-to-play your always thinking about gates to different content. Like okay, now we’ve got to hit this situation where players will want to pay more, because they didn’t need to pay initially. Elder Scrolls is very much about open-world exploration, doing and finding things. If you’re constantly getting into situations where you’ve say, found a cool item and then you need to pay $0.50 to unlock it or whatever, it just wouldn’t feel right. Instead we wanted to the player to be able to pay up front and now you can do anything you want to do with unlimited restrictions. The subscription made sense.
I 100% agree with their answer to why they went the sub model.
With not having structured pvp I am concerned the pvp will be a nasty zerg fest like gw2 rvr. I really look forward to the 1v1 1v2 2v2 3v3 type set ups. I feel it takes more skill. I really do wonder if my needs in terms of pvp will be fulfilled.
They should have chopped it up differently. RVR would not be so bad if they made border zones between each faction as well as the central area rather than phasing the other factions out which sounds like a cost cutting lazy move to me. For pvp to survive you need competitive matches arena style or something like that, some type of at least restricted world pvp zones where you can hunt down other players or neutral non safe towns. RVR is honeslty a piece you dont need to be successful that they concentrated on that. You can get everything you need from an RVR zone just by doing a instanced battleground type of thing.
The RVR style is more of a niche mini game for pvp but nothing serious, it makes no sense to do it this way since when they could have just done an instance for it, have world pvp and sieges and PVE servers for the pvp haters then just do the siege battleground missions on your PVE server if thats what you want.
I think they tried to copy the GW2 model and misread the market and now they are stuck selling a product they know will bomb.
lol thats such a ridiculous last sentence regarding "they know will bomb". First, you can read their mind how? I want to know that trick. I want to be an Xman too lol.
2nd, for every whiner that wants Battlegrounds, you will have an equal amount that claim battlegrounds is what has destroyed real PVP to cater to casuals and ultimately destroyed games like Warhammer which is all I used to hear when I was playing that game.
Finally, they never said they won't do battegrounds, its just not their focus at launch..thank god...so hopefully they can focus on more important aspects.
There Is Always Hope!
if you like open world pvp and not just newb ganking, i think this game's pvp could deliver.
there is more to cyrodiil than just zerging keeps thankfully.
They should have chopped it up differently. RVR would not be so bad if they made border zones between each faction as well as the central area rather than phasing the other factions out which sounds like a cost cutting lazy move to me. For pvp to survive you need competitive matches arena style or something like that, some type of at least restricted world pvp zones where you can hunt down other players or neutral non safe towns. RVR is honeslty a piece you dont need to be successful that they concentrated on that. You can get everything you need from an RVR zone just by doing a instanced battleground type of thing.
The RVR style is more of a niche mini game for pvp but nothing serious, it makes no sense to do it this way since when they could have just done an instance for it, have world pvp and sieges and PVE servers for the pvp haters then just do the siege battleground missions on your PVE server if thats what you want.
I think they tried to copy the GW2 model and misread the market and now they are stuck selling a product they know will bomb.
first of all, TESO will not bomb lol
if you actually think that you are pretty delusional as this game will sell like hot cakes just by name alone and the fact its on the consoles.
i have never played it but i will go out on a limb and say it will have more overall sales than any other mmo post wow
secondly, hell no there doesn't need to be arena or structured pvp, that is the wow player talking lol
i assure you that pvp can and has survived in mmo's without structured pvp content lol what a ridiculous and inaccurate statement to make.
cyrodiil will be a huge open world pvp area with pve content as well. it remains to be seen how fun it will be but just for he fact that there will be pve content will give it a more open feel than GW2's wvwvw ever could.
people assume that all there will be is keep zerging. if that's what you think i don't blame you for believing it will not work.
try and do some research though, there is clearly much more to do in cyrodiil than zerg, unlike GW2's wvwvw
There would be no point in battlegrounds they already have the RVR which is essentially just a battleground. But you missed the entire point of what I was trying to say anyway.
As for my last statement the proof will be in the sub number retention which I imagine won't be high as is ESO cannot even compete with the hype some free games are getting.
IP alone wont make a game either two failed Star Wars mmorpgs and a LOTR and Warhammer, Agee of Conan. I wouldnt smoke that pipe dream you may end up being disappointed.
I 100% don't agree, but I didn't think the game was going to be f2p anyways. Its game model suggest it would go the B2P route.
Also his idea/model of f2p is the model for a terrible terrible terrible game and why there are still few truly good f2p games.
wait, what? ESO cannot compete with the hype some other games are getting? are you kidding me?
i think you got it backwards. no mmo will be able to compete with the IP that is ES, not even EQN.
being F2P may in the long run keep a lot of players playing it but unless it has monumental success, i don't see it having more people playing it than ESO at any point really.
then again, by the time EQN comes out ESO would have been out for quite some time, so i don't think they are competing against each other in sales regardless.
especially when you consider that they are two completely different games catering to two completely different type of gamers.
i think you are getting caught up in the hype of this website and other mmo sites. that is not and never does reflect the views of the overall mmo player base.
its all about the IP and the fact that ESO is catering to their fans, another reason EQN may not even be that successful IMO.
How many times down this road have we traveled in the past, and the one thing we've all learned, at least most of us - is that wishful thinking - is just wishful. And here you claim someone is delusional for thinking ESO will bomb, and then turn around and make a claim like you did - really?
I would have thought that it was obvious that they were both guessing. And like all guesses, some are more plausible than others.
Elder Scrolls franchise... PC + Mac + PS4 + XB1... my guess is that Baphamets guess is a much better informed guess than the "gonna bomb" one.
You did notice that neither was talking about retention didn't you? Initial sales in the millions is a pretty good guess. What happens after that is a different guess.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
They should have chopped it up differently. RVR would not be so bad if they made border zones between each faction as well as the central area rather than phasing the other factions out which sounds like a cost cutting lazy move to me. For pvp to survive you need competitive matches arena style or something like that, some type of at least restricted world pvp zones where you can hunt down other players or neutral non safe towns. RVR is honeslty a piece you dont need to be successful that they concentrated on that. You can get everything you need from an RVR zone just by doing a instanced battleground type of thing. The RVR style is more of a niche mini game for pvp but nothing serious, it makes no sense to do it this way since when they could have just done an instance for it, have world pvp and sieges and PVE servers for the pvp haters then just do the siege battleground missions on your PVE server if thats what you want. I think they tried to copy the GW2 model and misread the market and now they are stuck selling a product they know will bomb.
first of all, TESO will not bomb lol if you actually think that you are pretty delusional as this game will sell like hot cakes just by name alone and the fact its on the consoles. i have never played it but i will go out on a limb and say it will have more overall sales than any other mmo post wow secondly, hell no there doesn't need to be arena or structured pvp, that is the wow player talking lol i assure you that pvp can and has survived in mmo's without structured pvp content lol what a ridiculous and inaccurate statement to make. cyrodiil will be a huge open world pvp area with pve content as well. it remains to be seen how fun it will be but just for he fact that there will be pve content will give it a more open feel than GW2's wvwvw ever could. people assume that all there will be is keep zerging. if that's what you think i don't blame you for believing it will not work. try and do some research though, there is clearly much more to do in cyrodiil than zerg, unlike GW2's wvwvw
How many times down this road have we traveled in the past, and the one thing we've all learned, at least most of us - is that wishful thinking - is just wishful. And here you claim someone is delusional for thinking ESO will bomb, and then turn around and make a claim like you did - really?
oh i am sorry, was my post not negative enough for you? lets see, this game will likely sell millions (yes plural) of copies on name alone, especially considering its on the consoles as well.
do you agree or disagree? if you agree then how exactly is that bombing? if you disagree i would love for your reasons as to why. ES games just don't bomb. its not wishful thinking, its called being realistic.
will the game be successful in the long run, will it be a good game? that is yet to be seen....
They should have chopped it up differently. RVR would not be so bad if they made border zones between each faction as well as the central area rather than phasing the other factions out which sounds like a cost cutting lazy move to me. For pvp to survive you need competitive matches arena style or something like that, some type of at least restricted world pvp zones where you can hunt down other players or neutral non safe towns. RVR is honeslty a piece you dont need to be successful that they concentrated on that. You can get everything you need from an RVR zone just by doing a instanced battleground type of thing. The RVR style is more of a niche mini game for pvp but nothing serious, it makes no sense to do it this way since when they could have just done an instance for it, have world pvp and sieges and PVE servers for the pvp haters then just do the siege battleground missions on your PVE server if thats what you want. I think they tried to copy the GW2 model and misread the market and now they are stuck selling a product they know will bomb.
first of all, TESO will not bomb lol if you actually think that you are pretty delusional as this game will sell like hot cakes just by name alone and the fact its on the consoles. i have never played it but i will go out on a limb and say it will have more overall sales than any other mmo post wow secondly, hell no there doesn't need to be arena or structured pvp, that is the wow player talking lol i assure you that pvp can and has survived in mmo's without structured pvp content lol what a ridiculous and inaccurate statement to make. cyrodiil will be a huge open world pvp area with pve content as well. it remains to be seen how fun it will be but just for he fact that there will be pve content will give it a more open feel than GW2's wvwvw ever could. people assume that all there will be is keep zerging. if that's what you think i don't blame you for believing it will not work. try and do some research though, there is clearly much more to do in cyrodiil than zerg, unlike GW2's wvwvw
How many times down this road have we traveled in the past, and the one thing we've all learned, at least most of us - is that wishful thinking - is just wishful. And here you claim someone is delusional for thinking ESO will bomb, and then turn around and make a claim like you did - really?
I would have thought that it was obvious that they were both guessing. And like all guesses, some are more plausible than others.
Elder Scrolls franchise... PC + Mac + PS4 + XB1... my guess is that Baphamets guess is a much better informed guess than the "gonna bomb" one.
You did notice that neither was talking about retention didn't you? Initial sales in the millions is a pretty good guess. What happens after that is a different guess.
this.