Elder Scrolls Online

Lutherf · Jan 26, 2015

I have a couple of questions for those of you that play MMO's.

1. I've been playing this game on and off since the beta and totally enjoying it. It's been a subscription game but will soon be going "B2P". I assume that means "buy to play" but I'm not familiar with the lingo and I really don't understand what that means. If someone can spell this out in laymans terms for me I'd appreciate it.

2. I've noticed in game activity ramping up in the last week or so. Where I'd wander around and not see anybody for an hour or more I'm now seeing a few more people engaged in all kinds of activities. I'm happy with this as more people make getting through some of the quests a good bit easier but when the game first came out it was a damned madhouse. Am I going to see all the "bots" again? Is there any way to tell?

3. What happens to my subscription when the game transitions? I understand that I'll get the new version for free and, I believe, the DLC as well as some other perks but does my subscription change to where I just get more in game currency after the switch?

4. Will any of you be playing now that it's going to be free (or whatever)? I've been sticking to PvE play as I really don't understand the whole guild and multiplayer stuff but if someone I knew was playing I'd probably be more inclined to get into that aspect as well.

Redress · Jan 26, 2015

Lutherf said:
I have a couple of questions for those of you that play MMO's.

1. I've been playing this game on and off since the beta and totally enjoying it. It's been a subscription game but will soon be going "B2P". I assume that means "buy to play" but I'm not familiar with the lingo and I really don't understand what that means. If someone can spell this out in laymans terms for me I'd appreciate it.

It means no monthly subscription, but you have to buy the game itself to play. If you own a copy of the game, you are good to go.

2. I've noticed in game activity ramping up in the last week or so. Where I'd wander around and not see anybody for an hour or more I'm now seeing a few more people engaged in all kinds of activities. I'm happy with this as more people make getting through some of the quests a good bit easier but when the game first came out it was a damned madhouse. Am I going to see all the "bots" again? Is there any way to tell?

More people means more bots. There are ways, but without having played the game I can't tell you for sure for that game.

3. What happens to my subscription when the game transitions? I understand that I'll get the new version for free and, I believe, the DLC as well as some other perks but does my subscription change to where I just get more in game currency after the switch?

You basically got it right. If you keep paying a monthly fee, you get a few bonuses like free "crowns" each month and the DLCs. It will be up to you if it is worth it.

4. Will any of you be playing now that it's going to be free (or whatever)? I've been sticking to PvE play as I really don't understand the whole guild and multiplayer stuff but if someone I knew was playing I'd probably be more inclined to get into that aspect as well.

I doubt I will, but the idea behind doing this is to draw more players, so some may.

OrphanSlug · Jan 26, 2015

1. Buy to Play just means initial cost to play but no subscription costs, also additional contend also comes with a cost. Think more modern FPS games. Initial fee and additional content have new costs (Map packs or weapons packs have additional costs.)

2. Bots in MMOs are nothing new, odds are that will fluctuate no matter what the status of the game. Alpha, beta, late QC steps, general release, or update fixes. Usually bots in alpha or beta steps are there to stress test the system, but I have seen bots on some MMOs to test problems.

3. Odds are the subscription will come to an end. The maker of the game my reward that with special content but that will be hard to determine in advance. Downloaded or additional content also may be different from beta to general release.

4. Unsure on that either, there is no guarantee that what was see in beta will still exist in the same manner as general release. This is true of any gaming, not just MMOs. And buy to play odds are will not come with much free mechanisms to play the game. That would be "F2P" or Free to Play, and those types of game generally are all about the free part just being the basic game and all additional content comes with fees.

Glen Contrarian · Jan 26, 2015

Lutherf said:
I have a couple of questions for those of you that play MMO's.

1. I've been playing this game on and off since the beta and totally enjoying it. It's been a subscription game but will soon be going "B2P". I assume that means "buy to play" but I'm not familiar with the lingo and I really don't understand what that means. If someone can spell this out in laymans terms for me I'd appreciate it.

2. I've noticed in game activity ramping up in the last week or so. Where I'd wander around and not see anybody for an hour or more I'm now seeing a few more people engaged in all kinds of activities. I'm happy with this as more people make getting through some of the quests a good bit easier but when the game first came out it was a damned madhouse. Am I going to see all the "bots" again? Is there any way to tell?

3. What happens to my subscription when the game transitions? I understand that I'll get the new version for free and, I believe, the DLC as well as some other perks but does my subscription change to where I just get more in game currency after the switch?

4. Will any of you be playing now that it's going to be free (or whatever)? I've been sticking to PvE play as I really don't understand the whole guild and multiplayer stuff but if someone I knew was playing I'd probably be more inclined to get into that aspect as well.

I'm just sticking with Skyrim - I don't have the time to do ESO. But I do indulge every once in a while in Call of Duty Advanced Warfare on the PS4. It is a bit of a thrill when a retired Navy over-fifty guy like me winds up with the best record against the supposedly-faster-reflex teens and twenty-somethings....

iliveonramen · Jan 26, 2015

Lutherf said:
4. Will any of you be playing now that it's going to be free (or whatever)? I've been sticking to PvE play as I really don't understand the whole guild and multiplayer stuff but if someone I knew was playing I'd probably be more inclined to get into that aspect as well.

Redress answered all of your questions...but I personally am not a fan of free to play games. In my view that business model is generally centered around creating major obstacles that creates a very high incentive for people to spend their money to clear the obstacle.

You really should get in a guild. To me the social aspect of MMO's is the biggest draw. The best parts of MMO's center around people working together as a group

Redress · Jan 26, 2015

iliveonramen said:
Redress answered all of your questions...but I personally am not a fan of free to play games. In my view that business model is generally centered around creating major obstacles that creates a very high incentive for people to spend their money to clear the obstacle.

You really should get in a guild. To me the social aspect of MMO's is the biggest draw. The best parts of MMO's center around people working together as a group

I have been back playing EQ lately, and while I think some of the limitations for those who do not subscribe are too great, if you subscribe, the game is pretty decent. Wanting a free to play game to be, well, free is not really going to work out well. The business needs you to give them money, if just to recoup their costs.

Edit for clarity: what I do not like is those games which charge a subscription or offer "premium" gameplay, but also want you to microtransaction items to have a real chance of getting anywhere in the game.

iliveonramen · Jan 26, 2015

Redress said:
I have been back playing EQ lately, and while I think some of the limitations for those who do not subscribe are too great, if you subscribe, the game is pretty decent. Wanting a free to play game to be, well, free is not really going to work out well. The business needs you to give them money, if just to recoup their costs.

Edit for clarity: what I do not like is those games which charge a subscription or offer "premium" gameplay, but also want you to microtransaction items to have a real chance of getting anywhere in the game.

I agree...those are the worst.

Reformedfindlay · Jan 26, 2015

Glen Contrarian said:
I'm just sticking with Skyrim - I don't have the time to do ESO. But I do indulge every once in a while in Call of Duty Advanced Warfare on the PS4. It is a bit of a thrill when a retired Navy over-fifty guy like me winds up with the best record against the supposedly-faster-reflex teens and twenty-somethings....

CS GO unless you're a noob 8)

The teens are migrating to harder to play games, being good at COD means nothing now >:3

Gathomas88 · Jan 27, 2015

Lutherf said:
I have a couple of questions for those of you that play MMO's.

1. I've been playing this game on and off since the beta and totally enjoying it. It's been a subscription game but will soon be going "B2P". I assume that means "buy to play" but I'm not familiar with the lingo and I really don't understand what that means. If someone can spell this out in laymans terms for me I'd appreciate it.

2. I've noticed in game activity ramping up in the last week or so. Where I'd wander around and not see anybody for an hour or more I'm now seeing a few more people engaged in all kinds of activities. I'm happy with this as more people make getting through some of the quests a good bit easier but when the game first came out it was a damned madhouse. Am I going to see all the "bots" again? Is there any way to tell?

3. What happens to my subscription when the game transitions? I understand that I'll get the new version for free and, I believe, the DLC as well as some other perks but does my subscription change to where I just get more in game currency after the switch?

4. Will any of you be playing now that it's going to be free (or whatever)? I've been sticking to PvE play as I really don't understand the whole guild and multiplayer stuff but if someone I knew was playing I'd probably be more inclined to get into that aspect as well.

I'll probably give it a shot once it goes free to play.

I don't have a lot of patience for MMOs, so it's better if I don't feel obligated to play through a subscription. That way I can just pick it up and mess around a little when I feel like it.

Lutherf · Jan 27, 2015

Gathomas88 said:
I'll probably give it a shot once it goes free to play.

I don't have a lot of patience for MMOs, so it's better if I don't feel obligated to play through a subscription. That way I can just pick it up and mess around a little when I feel like it.

I haven't delved into any of the MMO specific stuff other than grouping from time to time. I've simply been playing it like a really, really big RPG and now, after damned near a year, I still haven't played through half of the content.

In a lot of ways the game is very much an Elder Scrolls game. I can't even begin to tell you how much time I've spent wandering around harvesting various ores, plants and food items. Now they just released a major patch and I can finally steal stuff so off I go to my new life of crime!

beerftw · Jan 31, 2015

Lutherf said:
I have a couple of questions for those of you that play MMO's.

1. I've been playing this game on and off since the beta and totally enjoying it. It's been a subscription game but will soon be going "B2P". I assume that means "buy to play" but I'm not familiar with the lingo and I really don't understand what that means. If someone can spell this out in laymans terms for me I'd appreciate it.

2. I've noticed in game activity ramping up in the last week or so. Where I'd wander around and not see anybody for an hour or more I'm now seeing a few more people engaged in all kinds of activities. I'm happy with this as more people make getting through some of the quests a good bit easier but when the game first came out it was a damned madhouse. Am I going to see all the "bots" again? Is there any way to tell?

3. What happens to my subscription when the game transitions? I understand that I'll get the new version for free and, I believe, the DLC as well as some other perks but does my subscription change to where I just get more in game currency after the switch?

4. Will any of you be playing now that it's going to be free (or whatever)? I've been sticking to PvE play as I really don't understand the whole guild and multiplayer stuff but if someone I knew was playing I'd probably be more inclined to get into that aspect as well.

i dont think id like a b2p game if it follows the f2p games model.

i stopped playing that game months ago,because its grind was similiar to vanila wow in terms of leveling,and i dint have that much time to devote to games.however the game does have alot of content,but changing the model would be good or bad depending on how they handle it.

for example blizzard does with diablo 3,they allow people to purchase cosmetic upgrades,wow allows cosmetic upgrades for a cost even though its subscription.games like diablo 2 werent too costly for servers,but writing new updates was unfeasable,and ultima online practically the longest running mmo was sub based,not sure if its still running,but people have made free servers for it.

freemium mmo's however mzke the game free,but make it an epic hassle to play unless you spend money,things like top level mats take hundreds of hours to farm,while someone with a credit card can get them right away,or buying items to uadrupel xp gains.

Lutherf · Feb 8, 2015

beerftw said:
i dont think id like a b2p game if it follows the f2p games model.

i stopped playing that game months ago,because its grind was similiar to vanila wow in terms of leveling,and i dint have that much time to devote to games.however the game does have alot of content,but changing the model would be good or bad depending on how they handle it.

for example blizzard does with diablo 3,they allow people to purchase cosmetic upgrades,wow allows cosmetic upgrades for a cost even though its subscription.games like diablo 2 werent too costly for servers,but writing new updates was unfeasable,and ultima online practically the longest running mmo was sub based,not sure if its still running,but people have made free servers for it.

freemium mmo's however mzke the game free,but make it an epic hassle to play unless you spend money,things like top level mats take hundreds of hours to farm,while someone with a credit card can get them right away,or buying items to uadrupel xp gains.

I've been playing the new patch version on a test server. Theoretically this is what the B2P version will be and there are some nice changes.

1. They just opened the "Crown Store" on the test server and it doesn't look like you'll be able to buy your way to a high level character. Pretty much everything available looks like it will be cosmetic or DLC. They aren't selling buffed up weapons or armor or anything and the potions you can buy aren't anything that you can't craft yourself withing a couple of hours of playing.

2. They finally added a "Justice System" which means that you can steal and murder to your hearts content as long as you don't mind getting busted. From what I've seen you can even do pretty well making a living (in game currency) through thievery if you're so inclined.

3. They are phasing out the level grind for higher level players and instituting a "Champion" system where you can earn points toward some pretty nifty buffs.

4. They have adjusted some of the crafting requirements so you no longer need to use 100 inventory slots to stash various supplies. Along with this they also made hunting various fauna worthwhile (and necessary is you want to do certain crafting).

It's my opinion that overall there are some big improvements to the original game (which was pretty damned good to begin with) and if they keep making improvements along these lines the game will continue to be VERY playable over a long period.

Paschendale · Feb 8, 2015

iliveonramen said:
Redress answered all of your questions...but I personally am not a fan of free to play games. In my view that business model is generally centered around creating major obstacles that creates a very high incentive for people to spend their money to clear the obstacle.

I've seen some good and some bad. Turbine's free to play system for Lotro and DDO were top notch. The Secret World's buy to play system is just fine. Meanwhile, Star Wars and DC Universe Online had really shoddy free to play systems. Allods Online lost half of its players during beta tests when it rolled out its pricing system. Generally, if you're fine subscribing for a game now, keep subscribing when it goes free to play. Usually nothing or very little will change.

You really should get in a guild. To me the social aspect of MMO's is the biggest draw. The best parts of MMO's center around people working together as a group

100% true.

On the other hand, I just haven't heard good things about this game in general. Friends of mine who played it when it was new now call it trash.

Renae · Feb 8, 2015

Wifey and I played ESO, it was... a painful grind. It didn't do anything new, or original and the Elderscrolls "single player greatness" just didn't translate into an MMO for us. I prefer Wildstar, but the wifey don't so I don't play. Kinda back to the single player games for now, just no desire to be drawn into a game where I feel I "Have to log in for friends".

Ergo, guilds. I hate guilds.

Goshin · Feb 8, 2015

Lutherf said:
I haven't delved into any of the MMO specific stuff other than grouping from time to time. I've simply been playing it like a really, really big RPG and now, after damned near a year, I still haven't played through half of the content.

In a lot of ways the game is very much an Elder Scrolls game. I can't even begin to tell you how much time I've spent wandering around harvesting various ores, plants and food items. Now they just released a major patch and I can finally steal stuff so off I go to my new life of crime!

I'd be more interested in playing it that way. I'd really like more Elder Scrolls/Skyrim content, but my limited experience with MMOs has largely turned me off to them.

Lutherf · Feb 8, 2015

Goshin said:
I'd be more interested in playing it that way. I'd really like more Elder Scrolls/Skyrim content, but my limited experience with MMOs has largely turned me off to them.

Well, it can definitely be played that way. I've been pretty much flying solo all along without much trouble. There are a few cases where having someone else with you is necessary (world bosses, etc) but it's definitely playable (and a lot of fun!) as a straight up RPG.

Reformedfindlay · Feb 8, 2015

Goshin said:
I'd be more interested in playing it that way. I'd really like more Elder Scrolls/Skyrim content, but my limited experience with MMOs has largely turned me off to them.

I liked World of Warcraft but jesus christ the prices.

****ers try to suck you dry.

For me personally, I'd rather pay 15 dollars once and get a kick ass game like CS GO which destroys all these games.

That's me personally. I hate the prices for these things.

Lutherf · Mar 24, 2015

The new update is out and seems to be running just fine.

This game is why I like RPGs so much. You get some hairball quest that damned near kills you and right after you get your reward they hand you another quest that's more deadly than the first one. Of course now that they have the "Justice System" up and running I can usually mitigate some of my frustration at being sent off into another den of evil by picking my benefactors pockets and/or stealing the loot out of his desk.

Mr Person · Nov 5, 2015

Luftwaffe said:
I liked World of Warcraft but jesus christ the prices.
.

I unsubscribed after playing for about 7 years. They've dumbed it down so much, and are putting out less content for more money.

Meanwhile Diablo III is dull as all hell.

Activision ruined Blizzard. Only remaining Blizz game I'll play is Starcraft II....and even then I much preferred the older Warcraft III:FT. Wonder if I still have the disk lying around.

Reformedfindlay · Nov 5, 2015

Mr Person said:
I unsubscribed after playing for about 7 years. They've dumbed it down so much, and are putting out less content for more money.

Meanwhile Diablo III is dull as all hell.

Activision ruined Blizzard. Only remaining Blizz game I'll play is Starcraft II....and even then I much preferred the older Warcraft III:FT. Wonder if I still have the disk lying around.

We need a savior.

Fallout 4 hype...

Redress · Nov 5, 2015

Mr Person said:
I unsubscribed after playing for about 7 years. They've dumbed it down so much, and are putting out less content for more money.

Meanwhile Diablo III is dull as all hell.

Activision ruined Blizzard. Only remaining Blizz game I'll play is Starcraft II....and even then I much preferred the older Warcraft III:FT. Wonder if I still have the disk lying around.

How do you dumb down World of Warcraft? It started as a dumbed down Everquest...

Mr Person · Nov 5, 2015

Redress said:
How do you dumb down World of Warcraft? It started as a dumbed down Everquest...

For example.... for their next expansion, they decided there will be some quest where you get a "legendary" weapon, but with different skins. Everyone will be running around with the exact same weapons.

In the last expo, all armor at the same tier had the same stats. The only exception was the chance for slightly better ilvl roll on the gear, and random "tertiary" (generally pointless) stats.

Professions were all through buildings in a player's "garrison". There was a mine, and herb garden, etc., all in your own little mini-zone. There was no variation in anything, really.

I could go on and on, but I'd just annoy myself.

Lutherf · Nov 5, 2015

Luftwaffe said:
We need a savior.

Fallout 4 hype...

Have you seen any of the screenshots that are getting posted? It looks really, really good.

David_N · Nov 5, 2015

Lutherf said:
Have you seen any of the screenshots that are getting posted? It looks really, really good.

The only reason I still play fallout 3/NV and skyrim are the mods.. I hope they release adequate modding tools for FO4. Best part of the game.

Reformedfindlay · Nov 5, 2015

Lutherf said:
Have you seen any of the screenshots that are getting posted? It looks really, really good.

Yea, pre-ordered that bad boy over the summer.

Starting next week, RIP GPA :lol:

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