Play It Hard!!!!

ESO is, no matter what flack you hear, actually a pretty good game. It's playable, it's fun, sure it's different from earlier TES games, but earlier TES games were different from each other. So, devs, you actually made a decent game. Congratulation. You've don't everything you needed in order to reach level1 one as an MMO dev.

[michalwillson]

[michalwillson]

My ESO Decision

 I haven't bought ESO yet. I've been watching news of the game for over a year now. Tracked the beta game, and tried to get a beta key myself (no luck). I was never able to get into Morrowind, but ...

[michalwillson]

Elder Scrolls Online: Proof That Good Game Mechanics Do Not A Good Game Make

Elder Scrolls online has gotten a fair amount of press over the past several months, and I have to say I am not impressed. I mean, congrats to ZeniMax for even managing to make a recognizable TES game as an MMO. That kind of cross genre game dev isn't easy. And love it or hate it, Elder Scrolls online clearly is a TES game. But that doesn't mean it's good game. The problems I have with the game aren't the kind of thing you are going to see watching YouTube videos of how the gameplay works or reading articles about what ZeniMax put into the game. This isn't the kind of thing were you need a walk-through or detailed Elder Scrolls online leveling guide to get you past the first level because it's just that badly done. Actually,for the most part it isn't done badly at all. But well designed game mechanics don't make a good game either. See, Elder Scrolls online is largely playable, aside from the annoying glitches that, face it, every new MMO has. No the real problem is that the devs spent too much time making sure the game was well designed, and as much as actually building the game. Beginning Quests Matter I mean, new types of gameplay are neat and all, but don't mean much when the stories are bland an uninteresting. Who cares if the combat system is new and inspired if you spend the first five levels never seeing combat because you are too busy running around the city and carrying messages--often carrying messages to people right in front of the quest giver. The quest giver could just call the message across the square and save me the trouble of searching the entire city for some guys I don't know who were right there all along. So Does 'Acting' Then there is the NPCs. TES has never had the best NPC acting, but Elder Scrolls online takes it to a whole new level of disappointment. Look, I'm not expecting Lord of the Rings style CGI here, but is it too much to ask that an NPC who has lost her kids seems like she is actually upset? Apparently it is. So not only am I running around a city doing nothing more interesting than carrying messages that don't need to be carried in the first place, I'm doing all this stuff for NPCs who are more annoying than engaging, and make me wonder why I would want to help them in the first place. I may pick up an Elder Scrolls online leveling guide just to get me to the higher levels where (hopefully) there is more interesting stuff. Of I may just stop playing entirely and renew my WoW subscription. I haven't decided yet. What do you think? Is Elder Scrolls online as good as you expected? Why or why not?

Blog Source: Click Here!

[michalwillson]

Why I Don't Like ESO Motifs

I've always been a big fan of crafting in MMOs. In fact, crafting is one of my favorite parts of MMOs. The way ESO handles crafting made it even better. I love discovering recipes, deconstructing equipment for knowledge and materials, and just about every other part of it. I especially love not needing to deal with annoying NPC "teachers" making me craft the same stupid stuff dozens of times in order to earn the right to get a recipe for more stupid shit. Seriously, just how many stacks of hide can you tan before tearing your hair out?

The one thing I don't like about crafting in ESO is the motifs. ESO motifs are supposed to be another way to customize your stuff by allowing you to create armor and weapons in the "styles" of the different races. Which sounds okay in theory. And I do like that the different cultures have different armor styles, gives the game a depth that wouldn't be there if everyone was wearing the same damn thing.

It's just...damn it, I want to craft stuff, not be a fashion designer. Okay, okay, it's silly of me. You just throw some extra material into the recipe and boom you have your ESO motif of choice. But still. ●    Motif materials take up slots in an already small inventory ●    Most motifs are just ugly ●    I miss the option to dye my stuff different colors ●    What if I don't like my races motif?

I think the last one is what really gets to me. I don't want to be stuck wearing armor that I don't like until I stumble on a hidden book that might let me make something better. With most of the ESO motifs being ugly as hell, I find myself tempted to pick my race based on their armor motif rather than, ya know, their abilities and the way it fits the character I want to build.

Why couldn't they just give us decent looking generic armor? Why add this additional complication to the crafting process that does nothing but make the armor look like shit?

Learning from Books The books for ESO motifs are almost enough to make my miss crafting teachers. Almost. See, in order to made decent looking armor, I need to learn a decent looking motif. Which means delving through people's rooms looking for motif books that might have spawned on their nightstands or dressers. Then I read the book to learn the motif. I am not a reader. I don't like books. Gaming is my escape from books, and school, and reading. So why do I have to spend my game time searching for books I don't want to read just so my armor doesn't look horrible?

Is there anyone out there who actually likes the ESO motifs? What is so great about them? I really don't get it. And to be honest, I'm not sure I want to.

[michalwillson]

How to Build a Great ESO Sorcerer

Sorcerer is the only mage-style character class in ESO. However ESO doesn't have a strict fighter/mage division, so the magical side of the sorcerer is only one part of this extremely versatile cla...

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What I Look for in an ESO Leveling Guide

You can find a lot of stuff online about what makes the best game guide, what you need in a good leveling guide, yada, yada, yada. Look, every player is different, we all approach gaming differently. There is no such thing as a perfect game guide and what makes a great leveling guide for me may make you cringe. So I'm not going to try to tell you that what I look for in a leveling guide is what you should look for to. I will tell you why I look for what I do, and if makes sense to you, then you can look for it to. Specific focus The idea of having a leveling guide that can cover every character of every class in every faction is a nice one. One of those works-in-theory type things. In reality, it's way to easy for those guides to spread themselves too thin. So when I'm checking out leveling guides I'm looking for ones that are specific. Leveling guide for Ebonheart Pact, leveling guide for DragonKnight, that kind of thing. Yeah, it means if I decide to make a Daggerfall Covenant character next I need to get a new guide. It's worth it to know that the guide I'm getting now is focused on telling me what I need to know for this character. Not too focused on leveling ESO is different from most MMOs. If you are looking into getting a leveling guide you've probably heard that way to often by now. But it matters. See, in most MMOs a leveling guide can be all about, you know, leveling. If an ESO leveling guide focuses exclusively on leveling, and the best way to get XP and all, it's not going to tell me half of what I need to know to reach level 50 with a really bad-ass character. Half of powering up in ESO is done outside of the leveling mechanic, through gathering skill points, leveling up skills (which is completely separate from leveling up your character), and picking morph abilities. If a leveling guide doesn't cover this stuff, but spends pages on which quest lines will give me the most XP to level fastest...it's kind of wasting my time. Spends time on more than solo play Everyone who is familiar with MMOs knows that soloing quests is, hands down, the fastest way to level up. But PvP and dungeons and group play are all part of the fun of an MMO. So I want my ESO leveling guide to at take a few pages to tell me what I can do while I'm not soloing to speed my leveling. Sure, soloing is more effective, but there are still things I can do to level faster while hitting the dungeons, so don't just ignore half the game. That's it, the three things (aside from generally knowing what it's talking about) that I look for in an ESO leveling guide. Why don't you leave a comment with the kind of stuff you look for?

[michalwillson]

[michalwillson]

So You Want to Write an Elder Scrolls Online Guide

Writing game guides is a popular activity, especially right after a new MMO is released. But before you jump into the guide writing frenzy, there are a few things you should consider.

 Why do you want to write a game guide?

Creating a game guide is a big project, before you get started, you should know why you are doing it and what you hope to get out of it. If you think that writing a game guide is a quick way to make some money, you are likely in for a big disappointment--effectively selling a game guide requires a long term commitment to marketing and constant rewrites. If you want to write a game guide because you want to share with friends what you've learned about the game, or just really love Elder Scrolls online and think writing a guide about it would be fun, go for it! I'm not saying you can't make money writing a game guide--just that if that is your only reason for writing it, you are likely to be disappointed.

What Type of Guide do you want to write? By now there are at least a half dozen types of Elder Scrolls online guides circulating the internet. Play guides, leveling guides, class guides, crafting guides, PvP guides, the list goes on. While in theory you could cram absolutely everything into a single guide, realistically there isn't much reason to. So before you start writing, figure out what kind of game guide you what to write, and try to stay on topics.

Do you know enough to write it? Just playing a game doesn't make you an expert. Do you know the hidden quest line? the Sky Shard locations? Which combination of DragonKnight skills makes the best DPS fighter? Even if you are writing a basic game guide for new players, you are going to want to include more than the information every player learned within a few weeks of joining the game.     

What makes your game guide different? There are, seriously dozens of game guides out on the internet. Some of them cost money, some are free. Some of them are epic, some are lame. But one things you can nearly guarantee is that if you think you have an original and awesome idea, someone else has probably already done it. So stop and think about what will make your game guide different. Take a look at all the Elder Scrolls online guides that are already out there. Figure out who they are written for, what their focus is, their style, their level of expertise. If your game guide won't be any different than those already on the market, save your time. Players will have no reason to get a new game guide when they already have one just like it. If after answering all of these questions you still want to write an Elder Scrolls online guide, go for it! Writing a game guide can be an awesome experience.

[michalwillson]

5 Things to Look for in a Good ESO Leveling Guide

ESO leveling guides are game guides that give specific instructions for how to level as quickly as possible, so you can get past the early slogging levels and into the good stuff. Leveling guides are particularly useful for players who've made a few characters already and don't feel like spending days repeating the same quests until they can get to new material. Besides, no MMO player wants to be without a mount for any longer than absolutely necessary!

As useful as leveling guides are, there are also dozens of them floating around the web, and not all of them are equally useful. Some were put together while the game was still in beta, others don't have enough detail or pay sufficient attention to the ways ESO is different from other MMOs, and needs a different leveling strategy. So to help you find the best ESO leveling guide for you, here are ** things to look for in a good leveling guide.

  1) Skill Point Locations--ESO skills are handled differently than many other MMOs. Among other things you can get extra skill points by finding them hidden throughout Tamriel. If you level as fast as possible, without taking the time to gain extra skill points, you will end up with a high level character that doesn't have enough skills to be truly effective. A good leveling guide will have information on where and how to find skill points, as well as suggestions about how many skill points you should find at each level.

  2) Class Specifics--a leveling guide isn't a class guide. It doesn't have room for full details on each class and how they are different and how best to play each class, etc., etc. However different classes will have different experiences leveling, and a good leveling guide will point out where a certain class might have trouble with a specific quest line, and be better off taking an alternate route.

  3) Hidden Quest Lines and Other Bonuses--ESO is a world where most of the good stuff is off the beaten track. Everyone from special quest lines to crafting sites that give unique bonuses can be found by exploring the wider world. Where these things can give your leveling a boost, a good ESO leveling guide will tell you bout them, and where to find them.

  4) The Fastest Ways to Level for All Types of Game Play--this should go without saying, but a good leveling guide shouldn't be geared just for questing. Yes, questing is hands down the best way to level quickly, but some players want to level up while running dungeons and having fun in PvP. A good leveling guide will include information on how they can level effectively in all areas of the game.

  5) Gear and Equipment Suggestions--Different quest lines and different game areas will require different tools. A good leveling guide will include information on the gear you should have at each level, what equipment to carry, and suggestions weapons and armor levels.

[michalwillson]

Elder Scrolls Online vs World of Warcraft

I've been a WoW player from way back, and never much got into The Elder Scrolls series, for all my partner practically obsesses about it. Still, I heard about ESO way back (largely because my partn...

[michalwillson]

Elder Scrolls Online Leveling Guide for the Casual Player

An Elder Scrolls online leveling guide for casual players, with general information on how to level without obsessing about the 'perfect' quest lines or character builds.

[michalwillson]

[michalwillson]

Elder Scrolls Online Gameplay: Dodge, Block and Interrupt

How much you enjoy  the change Elder Scrolls online made in MMO combat is largely going to depend on whether you prefer button mashing or tactics. Sorry, but if you like button mashing, you're rather out of luck. See the devs behind Elder Scrolls online took a look at the usual MMO defense mechanic and went 'That's silly. You can't just wale away at the other guy trusting your magic defense skill to keep your skin whole! You have to--you know--do stuff!" Hence was born Dodge, Block and Interrupt, they combat mechanics that all ESO players need to be familiar with if they intend to keep their skins whole

. In traditional MMO combat, there is an automatic mechanic that determines whether or not an enemies attack lands. It might be called "Dodge" or "Defense" or something similar. The better you rating in this mechanic the less likely you were to be hit (A well built Rogue in WoW can get up to over 100% in this mechanic--that is their chance of not being hit is over 100%. Who doesn't like that number?) This is great for simplified gameplay and automating stuff your character would have learned but the player hasn't. Let's face it, if we had to handle most of what happens in a game ourselves, we'd be lost (how many of us can really notch and draw a bow and arrow, much less hit what we aim at, hm?). At the same time, a lot of players like games to have at least some skill component, and not just be a matter of who has the highest percentage and does best when the combat algorithm activates.

Elder Scrolls online gameplay introduces that skill aspect to defense. Sure you aren’t actually dodging and blocking and what not. But you need to use knowledge of the game and timing to act, and if you don't know what you are doing or screw up your timing, you are going to get hurt. Defense in Elder Scrolls online is an active thing. Well, sort of. See, Elder Scrolls still had passive abilities that allow you to automatically dodge attacks or however the automatic stuff is explained in the world fluff. But that passive mechanic is only part of your defense. It's enough to keep you alive while you learn to defend yourself, but if you don't want to take a lot of damage (and do a lot of dying) you'd better learn to defend yourself.

Dodge (specifically for getting out of the range of AoE attacks), Block (stopping a melee attack) and Interrupt (stopping a magical attack) put your defense in your hands. I'm sure there are some button mashers out there whining about how unfair it all is that they can't just hit attack over and over again and need to actually pay attention to what the enemy is doing so they can counter it. Me? I don't have much sympathy. I like my games to have at least a bit of skill. Which is probably why so far Elder Scrolls online is doing pretty well for me.

[michalwillson]

The Three Best Parts of ESO Gameplay

Anyone who has played MMOs for a while quickly learns that they can be a bit repetitive. Even such wildly different games as City of Heroes and WoW had a lot of similarities in how gameplay worked....

[michalwillson]

One Month Later: Elder Scrolls Online

          It's been a month since the release of Elder Scrolls online, and not exactly a quiet one. While out of game players were horrified to find ZeniMax cutting them off from gameplay if they couldn't pay the monthly fee three months early,…

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[michalwillson]