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[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: How to Rebound
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
A recent column on this site argued that the critical reception for Destiny wasn’t relevant since the game’s sales were high. Yet, developers want to foster a reputation for quality as well. So how does this all relate to The Elder Scrolls Online? ZeniMax, too, suffered from mixed critical feedback before ESO was released, and in the weeks after launch. Yet ZeniMax embraced the feedback of its community, and now, with a big update set for the live server, is at six months and thriving out there.
Read more of Christina Gonzalez's Elder Scrolls Online: How to Rebound.
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Comments
I wouldn't quite say ESO has 'rebound' from the launch disaster and overall launch disappointments yet, however if they deliver the champion system and new content (new zones, dark brotherhood/thieves guild quest lines, justice system) properly then I'd say they have a good shot at pulling an 'ESO come-back'.
The fact they even have that chance now was not predictable when it launched, it looked like a done deal back then. I suppose ZOS earns a pat on the back for being persistent with fixing and updating the game.
This was a good article. In my humble opinion, this game is yet another example of the disconnect between the average ESO player and the professional reviews and even the community here at this site. Did the game go FTP as many thought it would after 6 months? No. Does it look like it will anytime soon? No. Was it a WOW killer? No, it never intended it to be. Did it put out of business competing games like SWTOR, GW2, LOTRO, Rift, WIldstar, etc? No, it doesn't need to. Everyone has lots of choices now depending on their play style. Is the game profitable? VERY. Does it have a healthy online and offline community? Yes. Even on this site it consistently gets the most traffic or 2nd most traffic. Do they listen to the player base? Yes and release updates faster than any other MMO I have played. Will the game continue to grow? Yes. Will they grow the subscriber base? Who knows, but all directions point to yes, especially when some of the features like the Justice system and phase 4 of the Vet revamp are complete.
The most important question answered is....Did ESO make the Forbes skeptic look like an idiot? Yes, his past predictions are looking more and more ludicrous each month that passes.
Does this game still need some major improvements? Absolutely, however I enjoy it more than any other themepark available and its the first one since LOTRO that kept me for 6 months. I don't see quitting any time soon.
There Is Always Hope!
The only thing ESO needed to rebound from was the obsessions reviewers have with a perfect launch. Things like the copying bug sent gaming media into a frenzy, this in a game where there was no auction house so the impact of such abuse was minimal.
Then and this came as a total surprise to the us all a lot of player left after the first month or two. That was a world first for MMOs, such a complete shock that the content locusts moved on to their next MMO Wildstar. Where are they now, Archage? Where will they be next month, I don't know.
We used to just have the hype on the way to launch. Now we get media created drama after launch. Get used to it gaming fans.
I started a thread which relates to this about a month ago in that I'd just played ESO for the first time. I'd avoided it because of the bad press it had at launch, and nobody I knew was playing it. Things have turned around for sure. Although I came 4-5 months after launch, the game was extremely surprising, far better than I thought it'd be.
There certainly is a rebound. Press is positive, players are positive, we're seeing not much but positivity. ZOS isn't adding a couple of bug fixes and tweaks, they're adding enormous things to the game and it's clear that they're investing a lot into it.
So far in game I've never seen a bot, never seen any spam, never any racist/sexist/homophobic stuff in chat, and never experienced any bugs or crashes. And without a cash shop, I don't feel in any way exploited. I'm really looking forward to the facial animation in U5, as that was one of my biggest gripes with the game. The justice system sounds great.
Its weird how the little things make such a difference, the facial animations will be one of them. The dye system was something I thought was trivial, but I have found that I was wrong. It's fun to see everyone create new looks and I like how it was tied to the achievement system. I end up looking forward to running over to the dye station to create a look I'm happy with :-).
There Is Always Hope!
There was really no reason to wait that long IMO. The bad press after launch was not unfounded (there were most certainly problems and missteps and poor design decisions) but they were frequently overblown. Don't get me wrong..I played since early beta and I was very frustrated with the quest bugs, bots and other problems but the game was not unplayable and still had a positive experience to offer beyond the issues. Much of this rabid MMO post-launch hate is going to be present in EVERY single MMO launch from now on (especially when it involves popular IP) so everyone should get used to it.
I don't even get the point of this article. It doesn't really provide any new info and the changes coming to ESO have not yet arrived for the most part so this article sort of feels like it's dangling out there in limbo. Is it predicting this "rebound" will happen in the future based on changes that have not even been seen yet or is it saying the game has already rebounded because people know about the changes coming?
In all honesty I don't even agree with the term "rebound". Nobody knows the accurate sub numbers but it's been estimated 700k+ for a while now. I wouldn't call that a failure and (if they are even accurate) will likely grow in the post 1.5 era so I don't think the term "rebound" is an accurate term because it implies the game is sub-par or failing.
The player base seems quite solid so any growth will just be an expansion of an already healthy foundation. I recall prior to the Wildstar launch everyone was predicting doom and gloom for ESO and how WS was going to be so great and crush ESO and all kinds of nonsense..now look at the two games. ESO's future looks quite strong in comparison and WS is the one teetering on the brink of failure.
Once they...
A) Put in proper huge public dungeons that can fit multiple groups, not linear instanced dungeons with the instanced part turned off...
and
C) Ban people from switching campaigns so easily
All the game's real issues will be solved. It will become 100% more social, the PvE and dungeons will be fun without having to grind stupid quests, and people won't just quit campaigns when their side loses.
Also, add in a Darkness Falls.
I didn't wait really to see how things turned out x months after launch. I hadn't any real intention to try the game until recently. I'd heard bits and pieces about it, mostly negative. I was mostly put off by the high retail price, and what got me to try it was simply I found it for £10 ($15) including the explorer's pack, which is a pet, a few items and race restrictions removed on factions.
The article is probably just reflecting the general sentiment towards the game. I'd say it's already rebounded, as attitudes overall have turned positive from negative. Not many games achieve that, and it's worth coverage.
I can agree with a lot of what you said, but not everything. I'd like to see your source for how profitable ESO is and how you reached the conclusion that it is "VERY" profitable. If someone said they are working hard to pull the fat out of the fire, I might agree with that too. But how much profit has the game actually returned?
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Dragons are gone in TES lore at this time, Skyrim ushered in their resurgence.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
This is exactly what happened to me, thus far I have been pleasantly surprised. No labor pots in ESO!
Well its not easy to get a second chance to make a first impression.
Zenimax has a lot of not so satisfied customers out there.
In my book is ESO a single game made for consoles and not worth coming back to, but I wish them the best of luck.
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I agree. Big fan of the game (taking a short break at the moment) but I don't think there are any factual numbers out. ESO certainly appears to be doing well, but unless there are some official numbers. everything is speculation...some of it probably accurate, but until we know it's a little early.
But if it is indeed rebounding, I think that's great.
Great growing game, not much to say.
I'm happy to be playing with a nice guild !
I tried :
-AA and it was just...too...Korean-ish xD.
-Wildfail that is dead.
-Gw2 living part2 that is terrible and lasts for 2 days.
I know devs and fanbois hate this but: You basically can never rebound.
Yes, FFXIV managed it by Herculean steps, and if ESO did similar steps (losing money on things for over a year) they might be able to as well.
But as a practical matter, first impressions are final impressions.
If devs refuse to understand this, they will keep getting people quitting their games. C'est la vie.
No amount of spin is going to take away form the fact it didn't even sell 1 million copies.The decision to take a TES game and make it based on the Daoc design was foolish and no amount of monthly updates is going to change that. The IP was placed in the wrong hands. Its the Windows 8 of MMOs, countless testers cried out, were ignored and the final product was rejected by the masses. (yes, the masses since the TES series has 5+ million fans and less than 1 million bought the game, then factor in the MMORPG fanbase).
Saying things like "People run around playing at all times of the day and night." means little because the same can be said about Asherons Call with its less than 5000 players.
Its a done deal, TESO is mediocre from the ground up, they can only hope to retain the few that actually enjoy it outside of going F2P to bring in a larger audience to try to pick up a small amount those that sat on the fence.
"People who tell you youre 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/
I'm not sure I'd even notice a rebound if it whizzed by my head.
Fifteen minutes in ESO and I'm half asleep.
When I said i had "time", i meant virtual time, i got no RL "time" for you.
They announce a new big update and reviewers and players focus on that. It without fail comes out buggy. People complain and they are very slow to do bug fixes. Then they announce the next big thing and the focus shifts again from the current bugs to the next big thing that was announced.
Glad the game is doing so well. According to the review Zeni doesn't have a thing to worry about now. As the game is thriving and Zeni is now responding to their player base. And a lot of great updates are scheduled.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
I took a break this past 25 days or so, I needed. I played ESO like no other for 6 months. They are shaking up the build/Cyrodiil meta for patch 1.5. It should be fun.