I had originally planned to post what I am about to say as a comment under the Solo Player's Guide to Morrowind, but it got a bit too lengthy. Plus, I had hoped to generate some discussion on the topic. Most of you know me as a staunch supporter of ESO. For the most part, that's true. However, my "zealousness" for the game was intended to generate some much needed attention in a group (and game?) that had been long abandoned on the Tamriel Vault. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoy ESO. I play it nearly every night. I am active in several guilds. I have completed every delve and dungeon (on veteran hard-mode) as well as every 12-person trial ("raids" to you MMO fans). I have visited every nook and cranny in Tamriel (some places the single-player gamers could only dream of seeing). I have slaughtered many players on the field of PvP battle in Cyrodiil. So, I do love the game very much. But I am not blind to it's flaws. ESO has it's flaws (many inexcusable flaws, in fact), but I still love it nontheless. That said, I need to be brutally honest and real.
ESO Morrowind is ZOS' chance to rise or fall.
Months ago, I posted on the official ESO forums (and on my guild's BAND channel) that I believed ZOS' decision to have the expansion set in Morrowind was a stroke of genius. What most of you don't know is that ZOS has made some significant changes that will affect the current meta (if you are unfamiliar with this term, "meta" is MMO parlance for the best and strongest strategies for gear and gameplay based on the rulesets handed down by a game developer). It is common for MMO developers to "shake up" the meta by making changes. Well, the meta moving into Morrowind is clearly focused on heavy attacks (an heavy attack is the same thing as a power attack in Skyrim). Concerned about the ever-growing power of our characters (and the subsequent skill and power gap between newer players and veterans), ZOS has changed how fast our characters will drain its resources in combat. Under these changes, sustaining your resources - stamina or magicka - will be a challenge to manage. Heavy attacks allow you to gain back precious resources to the player. Clearly, Morrowind is squarely in a Heavy Attack meta.
Whatever, what's the point?
The hard core TES fanbase is, by and large, a single-player gamer. I know that's a broad brush generalization but I find this to be true from my experience as a long-time TES gamer and as a host here on the Tamriel Vault. It is clear that ZOS tried to appeal to the hard core TES fans from ESO's inception. That the Elder Scrolls franchise would become an MMO was received by the single-player TES gamers ("SP gamers") with skepticism at best or as an anathema at worst. Nevertheless, a small number SP gamers gave ESO a shot. Of that group, some stayed around and still play to this day. I am one of them. However, the majority quit the game, citing multiple reasons (not lore friendly, gameplay and performance issues, MMO-averse, etc. - believe me, I heard all the excuses, ad nauseum, on this site). Since that time, ZOS has struggled with getting those SP gamers back.
Enter consoles. Console release gave ZOS the opportunity to capture not only some multiplayer console gamers, but also the hard-core TES console players. However, history repeated itself (to a lesser degree, I believe). Again, this is largely anecdotal evidence from my experience.
I'm getting to the point, I promise.
Enter the Morrowind "chapter" announcement. In a sea of questionable moves by ZOS, the decision to set the next chapter of ESO in Morrowind was a drop of genius. People who are not hard core TES fans (I know many love the franchise, just not as zealous as a SP gamer) have no idea of the nostalgic value of Morrowind. TES III: Morrowind is considered to be the greatest of all installments in the TES franchise (I tend to agree). SP gamers have been BEGGING Bethesda to remaster Morrowind, but the begging has gone on deaf ears. I believe that ESO Morrowind is ZOS' final attempt to capture the SP gamers who have written off ESO in the past. Here on the Tamriel Vault, I've never seen so much renewed interest in ESO. The common statements I hear are: "I might give ESO another try--I heard a lot has changed," "MMOs suck, but Morrowind will be awesome," "I never tried ESO--maybe I will in June."
Hang on, the point is incoming.
Most importantly for ZOS, if they fail to capture this player base, they will lose them forever. This is like a second (third?) chance for them. Here's what will make-or-break the SP gamers (in order): Story/Setting > Lore-friendly > Gameplay/combat > graphics.
ZOS already has the "story/setting" covered. The "graphics" should be good as they already look amazing and have piqued the interest of the SP gamers. The wildcards are lore-friendly and gameplay/combat. As for being lore-friendly, ZOS could screw it up but since the events of ESO Morrowind take place in a time where we don't have much recorded information, they should be good. I am looking forward to hearing Lawrence Schick talk about Morrowind on the next ESO Live on Friday, May 19th. I am quite sure there will be some little inconsistencies, but let's face it, TES lore is filled with inconsistencies. As for gamplay/combat, what is the single player TES combat system like? For the most part, it's Left click/trigger (block), Right click/trigger (attack - hold for power attack). Is it any surprise that we are entering a heavy attack meta? As the official ESO forums have stated, ad nauseum, there are FAR better ways to deal with the unlimited sustain and power creep issues. Yet, ZOS is purposely forcing us into a heavy attack meta that is reminiscent of a SP TES game and would be most comfortable for SP gamer transitioning to an MMO (which is, obviously, ability-based).
SP gamers will NOT initially be concerned with pledges. Overland content, sure. Delves, sure. They most certainly won't be immediately interested in group content. They will in time, however, if ZOS can manage to keep them. When they do get interested in group content, it will most likely be in time for a patch, which will ease the sustain restrictions. Just you watch.
This also gives Bethesda more time to develop new IPs (their stated goal) and a new TES game. And I think the reason Bethesda has not remastered Morrowind was due to this chapter.
I love Morrowind and the Dunmer people
Morrowind has always been my favorite area. In my opinion, the location and its people are among the most lore-rich cultures on Nirn. They are strange, alien, powerful, and awesome.
ESO Morrowind is ZOS' chance to rise or fall
Make no mistake, If ZOS screws up Morrowind, I will not be defending them. I will, most likely, spending the majortity of my time in Skyrim SE and Fallout. This is their one and only chance to capture the attention of the SP Gamers. It's their one and only chance to keep those of us SP Gamers who still play.
But I am hopeful for a bright future.
Sorry for rambling, I just needed to get that off my chest.
I had originally planned to post what I am about to say as a comment under the Solo Player's Guide to Morrowind, but it got a bit too lengthy. Plus, I had hoped to generate some discussion on the topic. Most of you know me as a staunch supporter of ESO. For the most part, that's true. However, my "zealousness" for the game was intended to generate some much needed attention in a group (and game?) that had been long abandoned on the Tamriel Vault. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoy ESO. I play it nearly every night. I am active in several guilds. I have completed every delve and dungeon (on veteran hard-mode) as well as every 12-person trial ("raids" to you MMO fans). I have visited every nook and cranny in Tamriel (some places the single-player gamers could only dream of seeing). I have slaughtered many players on the field of PvP battle in Cyrodiil. So, I do love the game very much. But I am not blind to it's flaws. ESO has it's flaws (many inexcusable flaws, in fact), but I still love it nontheless. That said, I need to be brutally honest and real.
ESO Morrowind is ZOS' chance to rise or fall.
Months ago, I posted on the official ESO forums (and on my guild's BAND channel) that I believed ZOS' decision to have the expansion set in Morrowind was a stroke of genius. What most of you don't know is that ZOS has made some significant changes that will affect the current meta (if you are unfamiliar with this term, "meta" is MMO parlance for the best and strongest strategies for gear and gameplay based on the rulesets handed down by a game developer). It is common for MMO developers to "shake up" the meta by making changes. Well, the meta moving into Morrowind is clearly focused on heavy attacks (an heavy attack is the same thing as a power attack in Skyrim). Concerned about the ever-growing power of our characters (and the subsequent skill and power gap between newer players and veterans), ZOS has changed how fast our characters will drain its resources in combat. Under these changes, sustaining your resources - stamina or magicka - will be a challenge to manage. Heavy attacks allow you to gain back precious resources to the player. Clearly, Morrowind is squarely in a Heavy Attack meta.
Whatever, what's the point?
The hard core TES fanbase is, by and large, a single-player gamer. I know that's a broad brush generalization but I find this to be true from my experience as a long-time TES gamer and as a host here on the Tamriel Vault. It is clear that ZOS tried to appeal to the hard core TES fans from ESO's inception. That the Elder Scrolls franchise would become an MMO was received by the single-player TES gamers ("SP gamers") with skepticism at best or as an anathema at worst. Nevertheless, a small number SP gamers gave ESO a shot. Of that group, some stayed around and still play to this day. I am one of them. However, the majority quit the game, citing multiple reasons (not lore friendly, gameplay and performance issues, MMO-averse, etc. - believe me, I heard all the excuses, ad nauseum, on this site). Since that time, ZOS has struggled with getting those SP gamers back.
Enter consoles. Console release gave ZOS the opportunity to capture not only some multiplayer console gamers, but also the hard-core TES console players. However, history repeated itself (to a lesser degree, I believe). Again, this is largely anecdotal evidence from my experience.
I'm getting to the point, I promise.
Enter the Morrowind "chapter" announcement. In a sea of questionable moves by ZOS, the decision to set the next chapter of ESO in Morrowind was a drop of genius. People who are not hard core TES fans (I know many love the franchise, just not as zealous as a SP gamer) have no idea of the nostalgic value of Morrowind. TES III: Morrowind is considered to be the greatest of all installments in the TES franchise (I tend to agree). SP gamers have been BEGGING Bethesda to remaster Morrowind, but the begging has gone on deaf ears. I believe that ESO Morrowind is ZOS' final attempt to capture the SP gamers who have written off ESO in the past. Here on the Tamriel Vault, I've never seen so much renewed interest in ESO. The common statements I hear are: "I might give ESO another try--I heard a lot has changed," "MMOs suck, but Morrowind will be awesome," "I never tried ESO--maybe I will in June."
Hang on, the point is incoming.
Most importantly for ZOS, if they fail to capture this player base, they will lose them forever. This is like a second (third?) chance for them. Here's what will make-or-break the SP gamers (in order): Story/Setting > Lore-friendly > Gameplay/combat > graphics.
ZOS already has the "story/setting" covered. The "graphics" should be good as they already look amazing and have piqued the interest of the SP gamers. The wildcards are lore-friendly and gameplay/combat. As for being lore-friendly, ZOS could screw it up but since the events of ESO Morrowind take place in a time where we don't have much recorded information, they should be good. I am looking forward to hearing Lawrence Schick talk about Morrowind on the next ESO Live on Friday, May 19th. I am quite sure there will be some little inconsistencies, but let's face it, TES lore is filled with inconsistencies. As for gamplay/combat, what is the single player TES combat system like? For the most part, it's Left click/trigger (block), Right click/trigger (attack - hold for power attack). Is it any surprise that we are entering a heavy attack meta? As the official ESO forums have stated, ad nauseum, there are FAR better ways to deal with the unlimited sustain and power creep issues. Yet, ZOS is purposely forcing us into a heavy attack meta that is reminiscent of a SP TES game and would be most comfortable for SP gamer transitioning to an MMO (which is, obviously, ability-based).
SP gamers will NOT initially be concerned with pledges. Overland content, sure. Delves, sure. They most certainly won't be immediately interested in group content. They will in time, however, if ZOS can manage to keep them. When they do get interested in group content, it will most likely be in time for a patch, which will ease the sustain restrictions. Just you watch.
This also gives Bethesda more time to develop new IPs (their stated goal) and a new TES game. And I think the reason Bethesda has not remastered Morrowind was due to this chapter.
I love Morrowind and the Dunmer people
Morrowind has always been my favorite area. In my opinion, the location and its people are among the most lore-rich cultures on Nirn. They are strange, alien, powerful, and awesome.
ESO Morrowind is ZOS' chance to rise or fall
Make no mistake, If ZOS screws up Morrowind, I will not be defending them. I will, most likely, spending the majortity of my time in Skyrim SE and Fallout. This is their one and only chance to capture the attention of the SP Gamers. It's their one and only chance to keep those of us SP Gamers who still play.
But I am hopeful for a bright future.
Sorry for rambling, I just needed to get that off my chest.
