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[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: Zenimax - A Good Guy Developer

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

A lot of people gave Zenimax a hard time when they first announced The Elder Scrolls Online. They were a new company that had no experience developing a game on the scale that ESO (with the exception of the team members' pedigree, of course)I have to admit, even I was a bit skeptical as well at the start. Even though Zenimax Online Studios is a sister company to Bethesda, it is a grand undertaking to take such a beloved series and convert it into a MMO. I’ve been playing these games for years and this series is one that has some of the most dedicated, involved fan base I’ve ever seen (some truly take the term fanatic to the extreme). In this week’s article we’re going to ask a bold question, could Zenimax be the perfect company to develop ESO after all?

Read more of Ryan Getchell's Elder Scrolls Online: Zenimax - A Good Guy Developer.

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Comments

  • JJ82JJ82 Member UncommonPosts: 1,258

    wow...seriously? Are things so bad that something like this needs to be written?

    "So I ask you, is Zenimax one of the best companies that has developed an MMO? I think so"

    Literally made my jaw DROP. Its like something off of Infowars.

    "People who tell you you’re awesome are useless. No, dangerous.

    They are worse than useless because you want to believe them. They will defend you against critiques that are valid. They will seduce you into believing you are done learning, or into thinking that your work is better than it actually is." ~Raph Koster
    http://www.raphkoster.com/2013/10/14/on-getting-criticism/

  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,838
    So far, so good. Fast reaction time and competent development. 
     
    edit - for the record OP,  I've been thinking about this too.
    "We see fundamentals and we ape in"
  • raiders95raiders95 Member Posts: 19

    Personally I think they did and are doing a great job.

    I just don't care anout people opening new thread about the why they won't buy or play the game.. "don't want to pay a monthly fee, can"t swim under water, can,'t this or can't that" .. nobody care !

    If you don't like the game just move on.. feel free to return to your previous mmo or any FTP !!

    so many people will play ESO anyway.

    Dev reacted pretty fast and I'm sure they still react fast in needed after April 4th thanks to the monthly fee.

  • CazNeergCazNeerg Member Posts: 2,198
    Certainly better than having Bethesda do it in house, they have been going downhill for years.  They should farm out all future Fallout games to Obsidian, and try to hire some of the dev team from ZOS to take over development on the main ES series.

    Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
    Through passion, I gain strength.
    Through strength, I gain power.
    Through power, I gain victory.
    Through victory, my chains are broken.
    The Force shall free me.

  • maddog15amaddog15a Member UncommonPosts: 83

    There a company nether good or bad.  They're not your friend, they just want your money, like any other company.  Keep in mind only select few have tested the current version of the game.  The beta version is 3 months old(which makes no sense stress testing it but whatever).  So we have no idea how the current version will due with a the launch load.  Then there is the frequency of updates, we have no data on that, no history even.

    So calling Zenimax one of the best companies the has developed an mmo is silly.

  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956

    Quality game reflects the company.

     

  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956

    "You’ve spent years designing the game, building it the way you want, feeling it is ready for release. Launch is less than two months away and you’ve produced a top quality game. You’d be feeling pretty good about yourself. Now let players review the game you’ve dumped your heart and soul into.

    They tell you the game is boring at the start, it isn’t as good as it can be. Those are pretty harsh words and some other developers might have looked the other way,"

     

    well said, the mmo community are really oblivious to this.

     

    ive only experience this kind of dev  commitment with CCP eveonline.

     
  • DaxamarDaxamar Member UncommonPosts: 593

    Im glad they are making these changes. I found the starting isle OK, but Id like to swing right into it after Coldharbour. Only reason to go back to KR is to gather mats for the early levels.

    I like there commitment to a better game. This is why Im paying a monthly fee. I hope they can keep up the good job they are doing so far. My faith in MMOs has been renewed!

     

  • Righteous_RockRighteous_Rock Member RarePosts: 1,234
    This is the mmorpg.com covers thier ass save face article. If this isn't icing on the cake before launch, then I might as well be playing mmorpgs with a bunch of dead dogs.
  • MintberryCrunchMintberryCrunch Member Posts: 3

    The starter islands had some interesting quests, but it's true, once you get past them the game really opens up and begins to feel more like an Elder Scrolls game where you can head off in any direction and do whatever you want. This was a bold choice to do this so close to launch, I was impressed!

    Originally posted by CazNeerg
    Certainly better than having Bethesda do it in house, they have been going downhill for years.  They should farm out all future Fallout games to Obsidian, and try to hire some of the dev team from ZOS to take over development on the main ES series.

     

    Yep they really went downhill with that little Skyrim game that sold over 20 million copies.

  • CeldrynCeldryn Member Posts: 84
    Originally posted by Righteous_Rock
    This is the mmorpg.com covers thier ass save face article. If this isn't icing on the cake before launch, then I might as well be playing mmorpgs with a bunch of dead dogs.

     

    MMORPG.com really hasn't been (overly) critical of the game as a whole. There have been plenty of sites that have been. Sorry if that makes me less than a dead dog... :-|

  • RemyVorenderRemyVorender Member RarePosts: 3,991
    First person in ES games is probably the most important thing for me as far as combat goes. I'm one of those in the very small minority that LOVES mandatory first person while in combat.
     

    Joined - July 2004

  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956
    Originally posted by Righteous_Rock
    This is the mmorpg.com covers thier ass save face article. If this isn't icing on the cake before launch, then I might as well be playing mmorpgs with a bunch of dead dogs.

  • evilizedevilized Member UncommonPosts: 576
    You should have no pity for anyone in a creative field that can't take criticism. Zenimax doesn't need an ego stroking article, they need to take all of the negative feedback they have been getting and start working towards addressing the issues presented. Zenimax has listened to some degree but there are still major problems that they need to acknowledge and tackle.

    Give Zenimax and every other developer as much criticism as you can, otherwise there will never be any change from the status quo. There's a reason addicts are separated from enablers, because if they only ever hear good things they wont change their behavior.
  • Saxx0nSaxx0n PR/Brand Manager BitBox Ltd.Member UncommonPosts: 999
    all about the dollas
  • EndoRobotoEndoRoboto Member Posts: 275
    If you played Morrowind (or bless you, Daggerfall or Arena) then yeah Skyrim may have sold a lot, but it's considered the easiest and most casual game of the series. Sure, Skyrim is beautiful and huge, but lacks the storytelling and character of previous games, at least in personal opinion.

    Back to the topic, this Zenimax love is stupid: their only game hasn't even released yet and we're getting all warm for them already? Seriously they've done well so far for what they were given, but reading this reminds me this site is paid for by the newest MMO flavor of the month.
  • CazNeergCazNeerg Member Posts: 2,198
    Originally posted by MintberryCrunch

    Yep they really went downhill with that little Skyrim game that sold over 20 million copies.

    Yeah, and man, look at all the customers McDonald's has every day.  They must make the highest quality, best tasting food in the world!  Or those Twilight movies, those must be great art, look at how many tickets they sold!  And that Dancing with the Stars, it's definitely the best show on tv.

    Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
    Through passion, I gain strength.
    Through strength, I gain power.
    Through power, I gain victory.
    Through victory, my chains are broken.
    The Force shall free me.

  • JJ82JJ82 Member UncommonPosts: 1,258
    Originally posted by orbitxo

    That photo should be for the Zenimax is the best company to ever make an MMO comment in the article.

    There is no defense for such a comment and really makes the entire site look like it now has no credibility at all. Such articles should be for blogs and propaganda sites like Infowars.

    Seriously to even THINK that a company that hasn't even RELEASED an MMO yet is the best ever.......my god. This is the saddest thing I have ever seen on an actual gaming site before. If there was a hall of shame for gaming articles, this would be the centerpiece.

    "People who tell you you’re awesome are useless. No, dangerous.

    They are worse than useless because you want to believe them. They will defend you against critiques that are valid. They will seduce you into believing you are done learning, or into thinking that your work is better than it actually is." ~Raph Koster
    http://www.raphkoster.com/2013/10/14/on-getting-criticism/

  • IlayaIlaya Member UncommonPosts: 661

    Muahahaha.......

    So Funny. So much ppl say; "Starter Island is boring" so they changed that. And now? All the ppl which said that, will run back to these "boring" Islands to get the Skyshards.

    LOL. Changed for nothing.

    I feel sry for the Zenimax ppl.

    Communitys can be so dumb.

  • BadSpockBadSpock Member UncommonPosts: 7,979
    Originally posted by CazNeerg
    Originally posted by MintberryCrunch

    Yep they really went downhill with that little Skyrim game that sold over 20 million copies.

    Yeah, and man, look at all the customers McDonald's has every day.  They must make the highest quality, best tasting food in the world!  Or those Twilight movies, those must be great art, look at how many tickets they sold!  And that Dancing with the Stars, it's definitely the best show on tv.

    I absolutely hate this argument. 

    Pointless. So pointless. Logically fallible as well. So easy to break down and invalidate.

  • dadowndadown Member UncommonPosts: 210

    I've had some fun in the beta, but even last weekend's beta event still had a lot of significant bugs that prevented quest completions. With the release coming next month, the bugs should have already been fixed, especially the one where the UI gets stuck after a dialog so you can't move.

    If it was f2p, I'd be there on release day, but I'm not paying for a box + sub when it still needs work.

  • blazzen67blazzen67 Member Posts: 65
    Originally posted by maddog15a

    There a company nether good or bad.  They're not your friend, they just want your money, like any other company.  Keep in mind only select few have tested the current version of the game.  The beta version is 3 months old(which makes no sense stress testing it but whatever).  So we have no idea how the current version will due with a the launch load.  Then there is the frequency of updates, we have no data on that, no history even.

    So calling Zenimax one of the best companies the has developed an mmo is silly.

    i cant think of many developers that would change their game this close to launch, can you??, try hundreds that have been testing the current build of the game, not "a select few". google the .180 patch notes to ESO and you will see they have changed and fixed a ton of things in game..they have stated they will have meaningful updates added to the game every 4 weeks, they have already finished with 4 updates for after launch and they continue to work on more. If they arent one of the best companies now, they are headed in the right direction in my opinion. and by the way, they will have one more beta test with the current build of the game before early access on the 30th of this month. If you actually did some research and asked the right people you would find all the data you want on this game.

  • CazNeergCazNeerg Member Posts: 2,198
    Originally posted by BadSpock
    Originally posted by CazNeerg

    Yeah, and man, look at all the customers McDonald's has every day.  They must make the highest quality, best tasting food in the world!  Or those Twilight movies, those must be great art, look at how many tickets they sold!  And that Dancing with the Stars, it's definitely the best show on tv.

    I absolutely hate this argument. 

    Pointless. So pointless. Logically fallible as well. So easy to break down and invalidate.

    Then why didn't you?  Please, explain to us how the mere fact of something being more popular proves that it has higher quality.

    Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
    Through passion, I gain strength.
    Through strength, I gain power.
    Through power, I gain victory.
    Through victory, my chains are broken.
    The Force shall free me.

  • TelondarielTelondariel Member Posts: 1,001
    Originally posted by JJ82
    Originally posted by orbitxo

    That photo should be for the Zenimax is the best company to ever make an MMO comment in the article.

    There is no defense for such a comment and really makes the entire site look like it now has no credibility at all. Such articles should be for blogs and propaganda sites like Infowars.

    Seriously to even THINK that a company that hasn't even RELEASED an MMO yet is the best ever.......my god. This is the saddest thing I have ever seen on an actual gaming site before. If there was a hall of shame for gaming articles, this would be the centerpiece.

    "..is Zenimax one of the best companies that has developed an MMO? I think so, strictly because they are concerned about their player experience"

     

    I think if you are going to criticize someone's article, you should at least get the quote and context right.  Otherwise, you just end up with egg on your face.

     

    Ryan posed a question:  "IS Zenimax ONE of the best companies.."    <---- notice the stressors there.

     

    You translated that into him saying that "Zenimax is the best company ever", and proceeded to rant.  Nice try though.

     

    image
  • SetEssentialSetEssential Member UncommonPosts: 28
    I don't really think that change was needed or praiseworthy. Most Elder Scrolls games are slow leveling at the start which may seem boring for some people. It seems like no one has any patience anymore.
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