But ESOs most interesting feature is 3 faction PvP and frankly have GW2 the same,
...and both of those pale in comparison with Planetside 2 faction pvp.
And PS2 is a FPS in MMO clothing. Very few MMO gamers will be playing PS2 because of that. Why play PS2 when you can play any of the multitude of FPS's like COD or Battlefield. Different stokes for different folks.
Playing: GW2 Waiting on: TESO Next Flop: Planetside 2 Best MMO of all time: Asheron's Call - The first company to recreate AC will be the next greatest MMO.
But ESOs most interesting feature is 3 faction PvP and frankly have GW2 the same,
...and both of those pale in comparison with Planetside 2 faction pvp.
And PS2 is a FPS in MMO clothing. Very few MMO gamers will be playing PS2 because of that. Why play PS2 when you can play any of the multitude of FPS's like COD or Battlefield. Different stokes for different folks.
PS2 is FPSMMO. It is not RPG, if that's what you were trying to say.
As for why choose PS2 over COD/whatever? Get into beta and try it out, then you will know. For now, lets just say I'm done for good with regular FPS games.
I think I must be missing something because I just don't understand the huge difference between the hype for Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2. I get that Guild Wars 2 is almost served up and people can smell and taste it already but are the hype meters are doing justice to both games?
you really need to understand that ArenaNet have worked very hard to deserve the expectations that is for GW2 right now. Call it hype or not, it is one of the most succesfull and best managed prerelease development expectations build in a community yet. The ability to convert sceptics and MMO burnouts to actual have hope for a the genre is NOT achived by adding unreasonable expectations to fans, but by walking the talk, always showing first and talking about it after fans have been able to see for them self.
This has also had the strange impact on the community here until lately (the last 1/2 year) that alot of the misconceptions about GW2 have been dealt with, simply because the fact have been availble to point out. The ability to be able to explain the changes to the genre upfront and in due time, that the developers wants to try with GW2, really earned the fansbase respect. In that respect GW2 is simply alot further down the road than Teso so far.
Finally ArenaNet have already made GW1, an outstanding different take on the MMO genre for its time. GW1 a game you really have to be ignorant not to acknowledge that what it did it did good. (thats not the same as liking it). Simply put it means ArenaNet is a compagny that have earned the reputation on being able to deliver what they promise. And when the promise to change MMO's there is reason to listen.
This is an field where the developers of TESO just stand in a different position, when it comes to enter the MMO scene. Their situations is not that different from Biowares when entering the MMO scene, and after SWTOR , MMO fans are rightfully a little wary when compagnies want to make the jump into the mmo scene- the hardest game genre to master at all.
So if you expect hype about TESO , remember that expectations must be earned.
I think I must be missing something because I just don't understand the huge difference between the hype for Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2. I get that Guild Wars 2 is almost served up and people can smell and taste it already but are the hype meters are doing justice to both games?
Many of the mechanics that made people fall in love with Guild Wars 2 are sounding extremely similar for The Elder Scrolls Online, especially the GW2 fan favourite that is the PVP system and also to a lesser extent the combat which if anything sounds more promising in the Elder Scrolls Online. Than on top of the similarities and the combat synergies (which personally I think sound great) we have a beloved IP filled with popular lore, which is surely more popular than GW2 lore.
Also the game doesn't seem as though it will be a casual leaning MMO like GW (atleast I've heard no mention of things that would make it such) which I thought, atleast on this site and from fans of series would be a positive.
Are people just jaded that their favourite sandbox single player game isn't going to be as sandboxy as they dreamed it would when it came? Or are people just cynical and requiring more information before they allow themselves to get excited?
I ask these questions and write this because I cannot for the life of me understand how an Elder Scrolls MMO isn't hyped up especially when I compare it to the hype of games like GW2.
all i heard about TES:O so far was 3 factions, we do it all better and we do it the cool way.
why should i be hyped about such infos? give us some gameplay vids or maybe even screens, and THEN we can talk about hyping it.
so far, we have a single player game that wants to be part of the bigger mmo business. sounds too familiar to hype it sorry.
guild wars 2 on the other hand had guild wars years before it, a solid game played by several thousands of players. they know what to expect from arenanet. they proved themselves.
"believe me, mike.. i calculated the odds of this working against the odds that i was doing something incredibly stupid and i did it anyway!"
Originally posted by ozmono I think I must be missing something because I just don't understand the huge difference between the hype for Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2. I get that Guild Wars 2 is almost served up and people can smell and taste it already but are the hype meters are doing justice to both games?Many of the mechanics that made people fall in love with Guild Wars 2 are sounding extremely similar for The Elder Scrolls Online, especially the GW2 fan favourite that is the PVP system and also to a lesser extent the combat which if anything sounds more promising in the Elder Scrolls Online. Than on top of the similarities and the combat synergies (which personally I think sound great) we have a beloved IP filled with popular lore, which is surely more popular than GW2 lore.Also the game doesn't seem as though it will be a casual leaning MMO like GW (atleast I've heard no mention of things that would make it such) which I thought, atleast on this site and from fans of series would be a positive.Are people just jaded that their favourite sandbox single player game isn't going to be as sandboxy as they dreamed it would when it came? Or are people just cynical and requiring more information before they allow themselves to get excited?I ask these questions and write this because I cannot for the life of me understand how an Elder Scrolls MMO isn't hyped up especially when I compare it to the hype of games like GW2.
Both of those, though the latter to a lesser extent. However, I would argue that, other than the character/class creation, the game will offer as much 'sandboxiness' as the singleplayer games. I say that because, when you really think about it, there isn't a whole lot of sand to be played with in any ES title, and this one won't be any different.
What angers me is that they're basically just slapping the ES lore on top of a slightly updated themepark model and calling it good. Any attempt to raise logical questions about the design of the game is smacked down with illogical answers and a "we know better than you" additude by the dev team.
The game isn't being marketed at existing ES fans, but instead at MMO fans who may have never played an ES game. Which is why, like you said, the game seems to have many features that MMO players have been asking for, but the only thing that's really ES about it is the lore. Several key ES features, such as the combat, open character design and housing, have just been tossed aside. It's like a giant slap in the face.
Huh? You logic is flawed. TESO is a MMO, not a single player rpg. Why would they aim at what single player rpg fans want in a MMO? Didn't SWTOR just suffer for that same reason? Think about it... That's like saying Blizzard when they made World of Warcraft, should have made it like Warcraft 3 or something... Come on.
After what we've seen and heard from TESO developers so far, it's most likely that TESO will be a SWTOR clone with Elder scrolls skin and 3 faction PVP. It is expected that Elder Scrolls fanbase (and they are the ones who will fuel the hype) will not be pleased with such game design.On the other hand, GW2, although different to GW1, in it's design still loyal to the franchise but with fresh approach at the same time , caters to both GW and non-GW fans. And of course, it delivers on everything that was promised in "manifesto".That's why there's hype disparity between these two games.
How can you say that TESO design is not loyal to the other titles, but GW2 is loyal to GW1? If you remove the Guild Wars IP from GW2, it would be a totally unique game. Nothing about GW2 is related to GW1 gameplay except the IP stuff which goes on top of the gameplay.
I'm a huge ES fan not because of it's lore, but because of it sandbox, first person, style gameplay. I don't want to play a ES mmo that is basically WOW, with LOTRO style graphics and ES lore. I don't give two shits about lore. I want classic Morrowind style gameplay with Skyrims updated combat in a huge persistant world. Not 3rd person, theme parked, kill 10 spiders, press a button and watch a combat animation with floaty damage numbers on the screen. This game is so fail , I don't even have the energy to cry about it.
I think a lot of mmo'ers were disappointed to find out the slated TESO is lacking a lot of the features that the srpgs had, like it's been said. Also, (already said) TESO's creators comments have just kind of deflated any hype they could have built. Don't have direct quotes, but things like they couldn't do housing because it's too hard to implement and even comments like innovation (the interview I think) is pretty much dead in MMOs are just silly.
Maybe when the game is playable and beta phases start people will be hyped about TESO. Right now though it doesn't sound very good IMO.
There have been a LOT of interviews with the developers talking about the game and no actual gameplay footage.
Show us the damn game already, and I'm talking about a solid 15 minutes of actual in-game footage, then we can decide whether or not to be "hyped" about it.
"Loading screens" are not "instances". Your personal efforts to troll any game will not, in fact, impact the success or failure of said game.
GW2 has had 3 beta weekends and releases in a month. GW2 is hyped up because it's already proven that it's a really great game and is close to going live.
ESO may be a great game, but it's nowhere near release and its features could change. There have been a lot of MMOs that make big promises but end up floating turds so it's hard to get excited before seeing proof of concept.
Of course I haven't rated the ESO hype meter. It seems like some ES fans did a #2 on it. That's not GW2's fault.
If ESO is a great game then I'll be sure to check it out when it's closer to release. I truly hope it is a great game because we gamers need more great games.
Are people just jaded that their favourite sandbox single player game isn't going to be as sandboxy as they dreamed it would when it came? Or are people just cynical and requiring more information before they allow themselves to get excited?
Disapointed, angry, even a little confused, yes, but jaded?
Jaded happened years ago when people got sick and tired of gamemakers shoveling the same crap at the MMO community as a whole. Fast forward to today and you have an entire class of gamer frothing at the mouth because of the horrible state of MMOs today. Add a few other items into the mix like a succesion of IP cash grabs, clueless dev/producer tantems trying to make a quick buck off of a copypasta development system that is proven to fail, and the previously mentioned frothing gamer tends to frenzy, throw things, and in general not be a nice person towards everything they hate about gaming today.
I am one of those people, and am not ashamed to admit it.
The above is my personal opinion. Anyone displaying a view contrary to my opinion is obviously WRONG and should STHU. (neener neener)
Guild Wars 2 is very different from Guild Wars 1, they challenged the original MMO genre formula so people are excited for it. Not only that, all the players that bought the game already have played the game, there is no real Hype anymore, everything promised have already been shown that it existed and it played exactly the way that was described. So people are just waiting for the release date to level their mains.
TESO is different, if it had a different name, the game would also be pretty hyped, especially the way they are changing the combat with staminas and defenses and such. But the main reason why its not Hyped to the moon is because everything they had described, doesn't sound or feel like an TES game.
How can you call your game TESO, when it doesn't even have the basics of an TES game. That is the reason why its not as hyped.
Life is a Maze, so make sure you bring your GPS incase you get lost in it.
Many of the mechanics that made people fall in love with Guild Wars 2 are sounding extremely similar for The Elder Scrolls Online, especially the GW2 fan favourite that is the PVP system and also to a lesser extent the combat which if anything sounds more promising in the Elder Scrolls Online. Than on top of the similarities and the combat synergies (which personally I think sound great) we have a beloved IP filled with popular lore, which is surely more popular than GW2 lore.
Are people just jaded that their favourite sandbox single player game isn't going to be as sandboxy as they dreamed it would when it came? Or are people just cynical and requiring more information before they allow themselves to get excited?
I ask these questions and write this because I cannot for the life of me understand how an Elder Scrolls MMO isn't hyped up especially when I compare it to the hype of games like GW2.
Because GW2 is a sequal to GW1 and its a NATRUAL progression from one to the other.
TESO is a bastardization of a beloved SRPG that is going to be NOTHING AT ALL LIKE previous games of the series and is just using its popularity to get mouth breathing MMO players to buy into a game that is going to bring NOTHING new to the genre or to the series. The game is nothing more than DAOC 2 with its name changed to something that they hope will trick enough people to purchase for brand recognition to make a quick profit.
What they are doing is no different than someone making a Lord of the Rings golfing game. It doesnt matter if it has all the same gameplay of Tiger Woods Golf, its still not Lord of the Rings, nor does it justify what they are doing.
For me there are a ton of reasons to be skeptical about TESO. And since you ask why there's such a disparity in hype between TESO and GW2 I guess I'll turn it into a comparison between what Arenanet have been doing right and what Zenimax have been doing wrong in my opinion.
The game is supposed to come out next year, it's been in development for 5 years. We haven't seen any gameplay videos yet. Arenanet showed their game for the first time 2 years ago. Not to mention that what we've seen from GW2 so far and what was promised in 2007 is 95% there. Also during the past two years the development of the game has been very transparent.
Then there comes the communication between the company and the playerbase. Most dev interviews I've seen/read about TESO don't contain any substantial information that is clearly explained and in depth, with plausible reasons given for the decisions made. Instead Zenimax have been acting defensively and making up excuses (Online RPG instead of MMORPG anyone?), which rubs a lot of players in the wrong way. Especially after we've seen similar defensive behaviour from companies like Bioware etc. For example the combat. Did they even try to implement a first person veersion of it in the game? Did they say that they tried to implement the "class" systems that make an ES game an ES game into TESO, but it didn't work well for this and this reason? No, they just stated that it wouldn't work in an MMO. I also remember them saying that they are not catering to the ES fans. (I apologize if they did give good reasons for their decisions somewhere and I've simply missed it. If something like this exists, please point me in the right direction.) It simply gives the impression that they gave up on certain things, without even trying.
And here we come back to GW2. Arenanet gave proper, in-depth explanations with tons of details and examples about both the game mechanics that made it into the game, and those that didn't and thus had to be changed. Also things were removed/changed after being implemented into the game, tested and found unsatisfactory/unneeded. Also thanks to all the communication going between the devs and the playerbase during those 2 years, Arenanet had a lot of time to gauge the fans' reactions and work on systems, which the playerbase had concerns about.
Then there comes the question about spiritual successors. Currently TESO doesn't feel like an ES game. Zenimax themselves said it that those who wanted to see Skyrim Online will be disappointed. Plenty of people might want to argue that GW1 doesn't have anything in common with GW2 beside lore, either, but this is simply not true. The philosophy behind both games is the same. It's as simple as looking at the Key Features here. It could have been written for GW2.
And then we come to my last point. Last year, when Skyrim came out and I started playing it I remember thinking to myself that I'd love to play this as an MMO. You point out that TESO and GW2 have a lot of similar features. Well, that's exactly the problem. I want variety. I'll be already playing GW2. I don't want TESO with GW2 features, I want TESO as a different, innovative game that will be a breath of fresh air when I've become overly familiar with the GW2 mechanics and I want to take a break. So far, this doesn't seem to be the case. Here I feel the same regret that I felt when I was reading articles about SWTOR. A great IP that deserves so much more to be done with it, simply being wasted by developers that don't want to take risks. Being a designer means to be good at problem solving. So far Zenimax seem to be following in the footsteps of other companies, instead of having a clear vision to call their own and finding solutions to the problems they might have come across.
Also that comment about no one from Zenimax having played TESO for 500 hours... Last year there was an interview (conducted through skype by fans) with Izzy (the lead systems designer for Arenanet). When asked how many hours he had spent in the game he said he had over 2000 hours logged in. Actually, as it turned out, he was playing GW2 (farming spiders) from home while answering questions for the interview. It's just a detail that struck me, because I was thinking that those guys really take the time to play their own game and see for themselves whether something works or not, instead of relying only on testers and QA personnel.
They took TES and said, "How can we make an MMORPG like World of Warcraft and then shoehorn in ideas at the last second from good developers?" And so TES Online was born.
As a standalone generic MMO I think we would of seen more positive reviews. I myself have grown to love all the stuff we've been shown so far but a TES spiritual Sucessor it isnt. This is why its gotten such negative previews and hype.
I disagree. When I read abouit a new MMO and hear the devs say it uses "World of Warcraft mechanics", it's pretty much put on my ignore list. Really, this game is a PR disaster. You don't say you're making an MMO that "needs to be comfortable for people who are coming from a typical massively multiplayer game that has the same control mechanisms" in this day and age. It's incredibly stupid and shows how out of touch the studio is with their audience. People don't want a typical MMO anymore.
Then, right after that, the guy says this game won't have player housing, because it's "too hard to implement in an MMO". Oh dear. What about UO? Hell, what about GW2, the devs of which said they're going to implement player housing post-release? Well, the guys at ANet seem to be competent, so I guess it's not "too hard" for them.
Ultimately, I think this game needs some Pete Hines. He'd promise Radiant Combat, player housing, player-built cities, a revolutionary crafting system, a dynamic world with sawmills you can destroy and many other things. None of that would make it into the game, of course, but hey, TES fans seem to be okay with that. Right now, it's a typical MMO that's made by a studio that's not Bethesda and doesn't even look like TES. That's really, really bad.
Comments
Elder scrolls series > elder scroll online
that's why it's getting a lot of bad feedback from players.
"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life."
-------------------------------
And PS2 is a FPS in MMO clothing. Very few MMO gamers will be playing PS2 because of that. Why play PS2 when you can play any of the multitude of FPS's like COD or Battlefield. Different stokes for different folks.
Everything you need to know about Elder Scrolls Online
Playing: GW2
Waiting on: TESO
Next Flop: Planetside 2
Best MMO of all time: Asheron's Call - The first company to recreate AC will be the next greatest MMO.
PS2 is FPSMMO. It is not RPG, if that's what you were trying to say.
As for why choose PS2 over COD/whatever? Get into beta and try it out, then you will know. For now, lets just say I'm done for good with regular FPS games.
you really need to understand that ArenaNet have worked very hard to deserve the expectations that is for GW2 right now. Call it hype or not, it is one of the most succesfull and best managed prerelease development expectations build in a community yet. The ability to convert sceptics and MMO burnouts to actual have hope for a the genre is NOT achived by adding unreasonable expectations to fans, but by walking the talk, always showing first and talking about it after fans have been able to see for them self.
This has also had the strange impact on the community here until lately (the last 1/2 year) that alot of the misconceptions about GW2 have been dealt with, simply because the fact have been availble to point out. The ability to be able to explain the changes to the genre upfront and in due time, that the developers wants to try with GW2, really earned the fansbase respect. In that respect GW2 is simply alot further down the road than Teso so far.
Finally ArenaNet have already made GW1, an outstanding different take on the MMO genre for its time. GW1 a game you really have to be ignorant not to acknowledge that what it did it did good. (thats not the same as liking it). Simply put it means ArenaNet is a compagny that have earned the reputation on being able to deliver what they promise. And when the promise to change MMO's there is reason to listen.
This is an field where the developers of TESO just stand in a different position, when it comes to enter the MMO scene. Their situations is not that different from Biowares when entering the MMO scene, and after SWTOR , MMO fans are rightfully a little wary when compagnies want to make the jump into the mmo scene- the hardest game genre to master at all.
So if you expect hype about TESO , remember that expectations must be earned.
all i heard about TES:O so far was 3 factions, we do it all better and we do it the cool way.
why should i be hyped about such infos? give us some gameplay vids or maybe even screens, and THEN we can talk about hyping it.
so far, we have a single player game that wants to be part of the bigger mmo business. sounds too familiar to hype it sorry.
guild wars 2 on the other hand had guild wars years before it, a solid game played by several thousands of players. they know what to expect from arenanet. they proved themselves.
"believe me, mike.. i calculated the odds of this working against the odds that i was doing something incredibly stupid and i did it anyway!"
Both of those, though the latter to a lesser extent. However, I would argue that, other than the character/class creation, the game will offer as much 'sandboxiness' as the singleplayer games. I say that because, when you really think about it, there isn't a whole lot of sand to be played with in any ES title, and this one won't be any different.
What angers me is that they're basically just slapping the ES lore on top of a slightly updated themepark model and calling it good. Any attempt to raise logical questions about the design of the game is smacked down with illogical answers and a "we know better than you" additude by the dev team.
The game isn't being marketed at existing ES fans, but instead at MMO fans who may have never played an ES game. Which is why, like you said, the game seems to have many features that MMO players have been asking for, but the only thing that's really ES about it is the lore. Several key ES features, such as the combat, open character design and housing, have just been tossed aside. It's like a giant slap in the face.
Huh? You logic is flawed. TESO is a MMO, not a single player rpg. Why would they aim at what single player rpg fans want in a MMO? Didn't SWTOR just suffer for that same reason? Think about it... That's like saying Blizzard when they made World of Warcraft, should have made it like Warcraft 3 or something... Come on.Philosophy of MMO Game Design
How can you say that TESO design is not loyal to the other titles, but GW2 is loyal to GW1? If you remove the Guild Wars IP from GW2, it would be a totally unique game. Nothing about GW2 is related to GW1 gameplay except the IP stuff which goes on top of the gameplay.Philosophy of MMO Game Design
I'm a huge ES fan not because of it's lore, but because of it sandbox, first person, style gameplay. I don't want to play a ES mmo that is basically WOW, with LOTRO style graphics and ES lore. I don't give two shits about lore. I want classic Morrowind style gameplay with Skyrims updated combat in a huge persistant world. Not 3rd person, theme parked, kill 10 spiders, press a button and watch a combat animation with floaty damage numbers on the screen. This game is so fail , I don't even have the energy to cry about it.
I love this picture of TESO...
http://i.imgur.com/3nncW.jpg (sorry too big to fit in the post)
I think a lot of mmo'ers were disappointed to find out the slated TESO is lacking a lot of the features that the srpgs had, like it's been said. Also, (already said) TESO's creators comments have just kind of deflated any hype they could have built. Don't have direct quotes, but things like they couldn't do housing because it's too hard to implement and even comments like innovation (the interview I think) is pretty much dead in MMOs are just silly.
Maybe when the game is playable and beta phases start people will be hyped about TESO. Right now though it doesn't sound very good IMO.
There have been a LOT of interviews with the developers talking about the game and no actual gameplay footage.
Show us the damn game already, and I'm talking about a solid 15 minutes of actual in-game footage, then we can decide whether or not to be "hyped" about it.
"Loading screens" are not "instances".
Your personal efforts to troll any game will not, in fact, impact the success or failure of said game.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me...
GW2 has had 3 beta weekends and releases in a month. GW2 is hyped up because it's already proven that it's a really great game and is close to going live.
ESO may be a great game, but it's nowhere near release and its features could change. There have been a lot of MMOs that make big promises but end up floating turds so it's hard to get excited before seeing proof of concept.
Of course I haven't rated the ESO hype meter. It seems like some ES fans did a #2 on it. That's not GW2's fault.
If ESO is a great game then I'll be sure to check it out when it's closer to release. I truly hope it is a great game because we gamers need more great games.
Disapointed, angry, even a little confused, yes, but jaded?
Jaded happened years ago when people got sick and tired of gamemakers shoveling the same crap at the MMO community as a whole. Fast forward to today and you have an entire class of gamer frothing at the mouth because of the horrible state of MMOs today. Add a few other items into the mix like a succesion of IP cash grabs, clueless dev/producer tantems trying to make a quick buck off of a copypasta development system that is proven to fail, and the previously mentioned frothing gamer tends to frenzy, throw things, and in general not be a nice person towards everything they hate about gaming today.
I am one of those people, and am not ashamed to admit it.
The above is my personal opinion. Anyone displaying a view contrary to my opinion is obviously WRONG and should STHU. (neener neener)
-The MMO Forum Community
Guild Wars 2 is very different from Guild Wars 1, they challenged the original MMO genre formula so people are excited for it. Not only that, all the players that bought the game already have played the game, there is no real Hype anymore, everything promised have already been shown that it existed and it played exactly the way that was described. So people are just waiting for the release date to level their mains.
TESO is different, if it had a different name, the game would also be pretty hyped, especially the way they are changing the combat with staminas and defenses and such. But the main reason why its not Hyped to the moon is because everything they had described, doesn't sound or feel like an TES game.
How can you call your game TESO, when it doesn't even have the basics of an TES game. That is the reason why its not as hyped.
Life is a Maze, so make sure you bring your GPS incase you get lost in it.
Because GW2 is a sequal to GW1 and its a NATRUAL progression from one to the other.
TESO is a bastardization of a beloved SRPG that is going to be NOTHING AT ALL LIKE previous games of the series and is just using its popularity to get mouth breathing MMO players to buy into a game that is going to bring NOTHING new to the genre or to the series. The game is nothing more than DAOC 2 with its name changed to something that they hope will trick enough people to purchase for brand recognition to make a quick profit.
What they are doing is no different than someone making a Lord of the Rings golfing game. It doesnt matter if it has all the same gameplay of Tiger Woods Golf, its still not Lord of the Rings, nor does it justify what they are doing.
For me there are a ton of reasons to be skeptical about TESO. And since you ask why there's such a disparity in hype between TESO and GW2 I guess I'll turn it into a comparison between what Arenanet have been doing right and what Zenimax have been doing wrong in my opinion.
The game is supposed to come out next year, it's been in development for 5 years. We haven't seen any gameplay videos yet. Arenanet showed their game for the first time 2 years ago. Not to mention that what we've seen from GW2 so far and what was promised in 2007 is 95% there. Also during the past two years the development of the game has been very transparent.
Then there comes the communication between the company and the playerbase. Most dev interviews I've seen/read about TESO don't contain any substantial information that is clearly explained and in depth, with plausible reasons given for the decisions made. Instead Zenimax have been acting defensively and making up excuses (Online RPG instead of MMORPG anyone?), which rubs a lot of players in the wrong way. Especially after we've seen similar defensive behaviour from companies like Bioware etc. For example the combat. Did they even try to implement a first person veersion of it in the game? Did they say that they tried to implement the "class" systems that make an ES game an ES game into TESO, but it didn't work well for this and this reason? No, they just stated that it wouldn't work in an MMO. I also remember them saying that they are not catering to the ES fans. (I apologize if they did give good reasons for their decisions somewhere and I've simply missed it. If something like this exists, please point me in the right direction.) It simply gives the impression that they gave up on certain things, without even trying.
And here we come back to GW2. Arenanet gave proper, in-depth explanations with tons of details and examples about both the game mechanics that made it into the game, and those that didn't and thus had to be changed. Also things were removed/changed after being implemented into the game, tested and found unsatisfactory/unneeded. Also thanks to all the communication going between the devs and the playerbase during those 2 years, Arenanet had a lot of time to gauge the fans' reactions and work on systems, which the playerbase had concerns about.
Then there comes the question about spiritual successors. Currently TESO doesn't feel like an ES game. Zenimax themselves said it that those who wanted to see Skyrim Online will be disappointed. Plenty of people might want to argue that GW1 doesn't have anything in common with GW2 beside lore, either, but this is simply not true. The philosophy behind both games is the same. It's as simple as looking at the Key Features here. It could have been written for GW2.
And then we come to my last point. Last year, when Skyrim came out and I started playing it I remember thinking to myself that I'd love to play this as an MMO. You point out that TESO and GW2 have a lot of similar features. Well, that's exactly the problem. I want variety. I'll be already playing GW2. I don't want TESO with GW2 features, I want TESO as a different, innovative game that will be a breath of fresh air when I've become overly familiar with the GW2 mechanics and I want to take a break. So far, this doesn't seem to be the case. Here I feel the same regret that I felt when I was reading articles about SWTOR. A great IP that deserves so much more to be done with it, simply being wasted by developers that don't want to take risks. Being a designer means to be good at problem solving. So far Zenimax seem to be following in the footsteps of other companies, instead of having a clear vision to call their own and finding solutions to the problems they might have come across.
Also that comment about no one from Zenimax having played TESO for 500 hours... Last year there was an interview (conducted through skype by fans) with Izzy (the lead systems designer for Arenanet). When asked how many hours he had spent in the game he said he had over 2000 hours logged in. Actually, as it turned out, he was playing GW2 (farming spiders) from home while answering questions for the interview. It's just a detail that struck me, because I was thinking that those guys really take the time to play their own game and see for themselves whether something works or not, instead of relying only on testers and QA personnel.
Think TESO has a bad rating because it's not what a lot of TES fans wanted from an MMORPG based on that franchise. I'm one of them.
My theme song.
If I was betting I'd bet on TESO for more long term appeal.
plus I heard vamps and wolves may be in the future
I disagree. When I read abouit a new MMO and hear the devs say it uses "World of Warcraft mechanics", it's pretty much put on my ignore list. Really, this game is a PR disaster. You don't say you're making an MMO that "needs to be comfortable for people who are coming from a typical massively multiplayer game that has the same control mechanisms" in this day and age. It's incredibly stupid and shows how out of touch the studio is with their audience. People don't want a typical MMO anymore.
Then, right after that, the guy says this game won't have player housing, because it's "too hard to implement in an MMO". Oh dear. What about UO? Hell, what about GW2, the devs of which said they're going to implement player housing post-release? Well, the guys at ANet seem to be competent, so I guess it's not "too hard" for them.
Ultimately, I think this game needs some Pete Hines. He'd promise Radiant Combat, player housing, player-built cities, a revolutionary crafting system, a dynamic world with sawmills you can destroy and many other things. None of that would make it into the game, of course, but hey, TES fans seem to be okay with that. Right now, it's a typical MMO that's made by a studio that's not Bethesda and doesn't even look like TES. That's really, really bad.