This past week, The Quest Gaming Network had the awesome pleasure of being able to send Joe and Evarwyn to an invitation-only media preview of The Elder Scrolls Online. Set between Wednesday the 17th through the morning of Friday the 19th, the guys had a chance to meet with the developers, the community staff, and be among the first ever to sit down and play this highly anticipated MMO title.
The event encompassed the three days and included various meet and greets, presentations and the highly anticipated “first-look” at actual gameplay. The presentation included various notes and philosophies regarding the creation and development of the game, as well as a PVP video showing the amazing capabilities of the game’s combat. All of the major team members were on hand at this event including Paul Sage the game’s Creative Director, Matt Firor the Game Director, Nick Konkle the team’s Gameplay Lead and Matt
In the presentations the design team laid out pertained to the overall direction they were trying to point towards. Matt Firor pointed out the major gameplay elements and design philosophies in the creation of this game:
Design Elements
- First and foremost – The team wants this to be an Elder Scrolls game with an engaging social experience.
- Want ESO to be a “Best in Class” RPG
- Want it to be a premium service with great customer service and regular content updates.
Gameplay Elements
- An immersive world
- Strategic, reactive combat that’s like we see in Skyrim
- Unique character progression
- Modern Social Experience – integrating Social Media such as Twitter, Facebook and Google + into the game. An example of this is being able to pull your friends list from FB into the game.
One of the major points the team made was that they “built an Elder Scrolls and it happens to be a MMO.” One of the biggest questions about what this game will be like was always whether this will feel like a normal Elder Scrolls game. Well we can say definitively that the designers have accomplished this goal.
This conundrum is another piece of the puzzle the Devs had in mind when developing the game. In a presentation from Paul Sage, the teams Creative Designer detailed how fans of this game can be classified into two groups: MMO fans and Elder Scrolls fans. The differences in what those fans want out of this game are noted by the development team:
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MMO Fans |
Elder Scrolls Fans |
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Story immersion |
Living, immersive world |
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Exploration-based content |
Beautiful landscapes |
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Removing “rotation-based” combat |
Continuity with established lore |
|
Adding a variety of gameplay |
Familiar combat controls |
|
Choices that matter |
Variety of ways to complete tasks |
|
Next Gen Social Experience – i.e. Twitter/Facebook/Google + Integration |
Creating a game that is the traditional Elder Scrolls experience, but with your friends. |
|
Meaningful PVP |
Highly customizable characters |
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All of the above with the idea to add something “new and fresh” to the MMO genre |
Being able to “Play the world the way you want to play it.” |
Additionally, the team also got a glimpse at the PVP in the game with a technical demo of a battle in action. Stay tuned for our PVP-themed article later today with information about the demo, as well as additional details regarding this game mechanic.
Throughout the day our team was given the awesome privilege of being able to sit down and interview Paul Sage, Matt Firor and Nick Konkle. These interviews can be heard on our special “ESO Coverage Episode” debuting this morning in conjunction with our coverage today.
At the end of the event, we walked away with a mountain of information to push out to our viewers and listeners, a recharged, renewed hope that this game will in fact push the boundaries of the conventional MMO, as well as a lot of new relationships and friends. Stay tuned to The Elder Scrolls: Off the Record throughout the day as we will be releasing articles detailing different aspects of the game. Also make sure to check our iTunes page as our special ESO podcast will be going live later this afternoon. In that podcast you will hear the interviews with the game developers mentioned above, as well as the first ever descriptions of actual gameplay.
I’m sorry but no MMO fan wants or cares for “Next Gen Social Experience – i.e. Twitter/Facebook/Google + Integration”
Other then that, you were spot on.
But here’s a new one “I want it to actually run on my computer.”
Excited for this game, but I agree the social media thing is beyond retarded. You can’t be that dumb to think mmo players want that right? I don’t know a single mmo player, over a decade of playing mmo’s that would even remotely want that feature and that would instead partially have angst or dislike the game just for that feature. Social media is the exact opposite of open world/immersive mmos.
Facebook and Twitter haven’t even been around for a decade, so your point is moot. Times are-a-changin’!
I think your right, It’ll be a huge mistake if they try to use FB and Twitter. If ESO has their own private social website connected to the game. that would be groundbreaking. and I’ve been playing online games for a long time and I want this.
Is this feature going to be like Farmville ? “Share with you friends” lol
Haha I think social media integration is dumb. I just want to socialize in game. If the whole world can see that I’m a gamer I’ll never get laid again hahah.
Personally, I’m excited to see how they implemented the social media features. Some of the greatest guilds have facebook groups and do real life get togethers/mini conventions.
You might not want the social media integration, but you won’t *have* to use it, just as you won’t *have* to join a guild, etc.
As long as not taking part this Social Media thing doesn’t restrict my access to the meat of the game, I could care less. If they make it a requirement to progress in stuff like guilds and what not, I’ll be a bit upset though.
I would love to be a tester for this game. Just so I can learn from the design of the world to the design and mechanics of the players.
I disagree with those of you saying the social aspect does not matter. What makes MMO’s unique and enjoyable experience is the social aspect of the game. Incorporating facebook and the like, and the ability to reach out to people you know but maybe don’t talk to every day, will greatly increase ones enjoyment. It is almost always more fun to play an mmo with friends than by yourself.
Totally agree with you.
I would like to use a Logitec controller to play this game intead of the keyboard if possible so it can be adaptable to console gamers on the PC I use a keyboard for work only not play , Elder scrolls 3,4 & 5 are playable with this periferal , if it cant be done so be but will put some at a disadvantage during PVP.
I don’t like social network integration. I can get on facebook whenever I want, I get on MMO’s to talk to and play with complete strangers I never have to interact with in real life. I like it better that way. It feels like another world, which I thought, was the point.
Try to imagine your own profile accessible on the web without having this game installed. where you could have a password and update it without being in the game… via your mobile phone device. being able to chat with people in the game while your on the subway train…? you think that’s a mistake?
You are right… FB and Twitter are huge mistakes.. but on their own…?
Very enticing.
I would fully imagine that the main reason for integrating social media is that they are paying a hefty subsidy to be affiliated with the game. We live in a world where everything is brought to you by a sponsor, and now even the worlds we don’t live in will be trying to sell you something at every click of the mouse. Don’t be too surprised if in-game weapons and armor have trade mark logos on them…..”congratulations on completing that quest, you have been awarded the McDonald’s happy meal Warhammer”.