Elder Scrolls Online (MMO) on a console, really?

[ShuanW50]

Hey peeps,

So as most of us know at E3 Sony conference they announced that Elder Scrolls Online will be coming to PlayStation console (Not to sure about Xbox). They also announced that the beta was coming first to PlayStation. My first thoughts is that us gamers who play MMO know there are so many controls, how the hell are they going to fit it all on a controller, I think they will have to take some commands out so it fits on the controller, unless you can contact a keyboard to the PlayStation and use that. My other annoying thing is that the beta was coming first to PlayStation like what the hell! I'm so looking forward to Elder Scrolls online and so disappointed about it. If it's like 2 weeks first on PlayStation then that is okay, but if it's like 2 months then that is ****. I just wanted to express my feelings and I want to hear from you guys as well, I also asked today on Linus live stream near the end, @SlickPC advised to put it on forum and he might check this thread. Hoping he does, would love to hear his thought.

[ShuanW50]

@Slick just rememberd his forum name different to twitter.

[911^NEmeSis]

Yep. Well personally I feel that MMORPGs should stick to PCs and not move onto consoles. I mean if you look at FF11, it didn't really manage to go very far on the PS2 and MMOs deserve that PC experience. Talking about FF11 on the PS2 though, it is clear that the controls are rugged and ui system doesn't work to well and this may indeed be mirrored with ESO on the consoles.

 

Things like cross platform online multiplayer would be really, really cool however.

 

All I can really say is how bad can it get?

[jetbuster]

DCUO its getting average customer rates on ps3.

The prospect of cross platform is interesting  but a far cry considering how much it doesn't exist anywhere

[ShuanW50]

I believe only MMO that should be on consoles is shooters for example the game Defiance because they work on a controller. Not games like WoW.

[wkronbaek]

http://help.elderscrollsonline.com/

 

• Will I be able to play with my friends that are playing on different platforms?The megaserver technology featured in The Elder Scrolls Online will allow PC (Windows OS) players and Mac players to play together. Xbox One players will play on a specific megaserver with other players using an Xbox One. PlayStation 4 players will have a specific megaserver dedicated to only those players using a PS4.

But yeah it's kinda meh.

[Canoas]

Well, the elder scrolls series have always been released on consoles as well, so there's no reason for the mmo not to be. It kinda sucks that it's not multi-platform though. If it were I think there would be a lot more people playing on the console.

[mememo]

I just hope they don't dumb the controles down too much for the PC otherwise people are free to play it on whatever they like

[5u1c1d3]

they can't cos the approval process for patches are way longer on xbox/ps  

[Snickerzz]

I think MMOs should stay on PC

 

off topic:

I'm not a peep 

[ShuanW50]

Agree, some MMOs are good on consoles like shooters for example Defiance but I just don't see a MMO like elder scrolls online working with a controller, there are to many commands to do unless they don't have to many commands, but then it wouldn't be a true MMO (;

[rashdanml]

I just hope they don't dumb the controles down too much for the PC otherwise people are free to play it on whatever they like

Well, I don't really consider it dumbed down, but the controls are basically identical to Skyrim. Skyrim's combat system is simple and elegant, and will work for a controller.

 

MMOs are tending towards something much different from WoW. GuildWars and GuildWars 2 were a good start (basically no hotbar, simple controls, lots of customisability). A couple of other MMOs also tried an Action RPG-style combat mechanic (Tera, for example). The way I see ESO, it's a more polished version (based on alpha reviews, etc) of GW2's features. Example: ESO has a WvW game mode similar to GW2 (Factions vs Factions); a key difference is that, when you break down a wall in a fortress in GW2, then the opposing team rebuilds it, it's built back up almost right away, whereas with ESO, the claim so far is that building up a wall actually takes time, and the attacking forces can hinder that progress.

 

I'm looking forward to the beta, and I don't see it as being a problem for Consoles. Console hardware for next-gen isn't that much different from a PC.

[BAPEsta]

Well, the elder scrolls series have always been released on consoles as well, so there's no reason for the mmo not to be. It kinda sucks that it's not multi-platform though. If it were I think there would be a lot more people playing on the console.

Are you trolling or what?

The TES-series was a PC series from the first game in '94 up until Oblivion. Morrowind was initially a PC exclusive title but "ported" to Xbox. 

I for one think that the focus on consoles have completely ruined and dumbed down the TES-series. Oblivion was "ok" but not especially good and it was a bit awkward on PC. Skyrim is just a piece of shit. So now when TESO will be a console title too I've lost all hope.

[beefalo]

The beta is not actually coming first to PlayStation. The PC beta has already started. Sony just has the exclusive for the console beta.

[Canoas]

Are you trolling or what?

The TES-series was a PC series from the first game in '94 up until Oblivion. Morrowind was initially a PC exclusive title but "ported" to Xbox. 

I for one think that the focus on consoles have completely ruined and dumbed down the TES-series. Oblivion was "ok" but not especially good and it was a bit awkward on PC. Skyrim is just a piece of shit. So now when TESO will be a console title too I've lost all hope.

 

No, I'm  not. And just because you didn't like Oblivion or Skyrim doesn't mean the games were bad, it just means you have a shit taste in games. Claiming that the consoles caused the games to be worse on PC is pretty hilarious as well, the gameplay as always improved with each game. If you try to play morrowind now you'll see how horrible the gameplay actually is compared to any modern game.

[BAPEsta]

But you must be trolling when saying "the elder scrolls series have always been released on consoles" since that's clearly not true. Only two of the 5(+2 spin off PC games, 2 Cell phone games and the N-Gage game) games have been made for console from the start of the development.

Morrowind is still a great game, I play it frequently. Oblivion wasn't bad but it wasn't great. And yes Skyrim is really bad in my opinion, especially on a PC, it's clearly made with a console as the main focus. 

[rashdanml]

To be fair, Morrowind is ancient, and launched before the Xbox 360. I'd assume hardware limitations of the first Xbox was the biggest reason it wasn't a console game. 

 

As for the "dumbing down" of Skyrim, which really applies to all games:

 

There's a part 2. 

[Canoas]

I honestly don't think it was dumbed down. So many people claim it is but what was actually removed were the immersion-breaking features. The things that most got to me was when people claiming that morrowind's architecture was extremely varied while skyrim's was the same everywhere... as if countries have different architectures every 2km. And the dialogue in morrowind was dreadful. Every character acted as a lore-book.. why? Why are they all so eager to tell you everything there is to know about the game? Doesn't it make more sense to acxtually have to EXPLORE?? Not to mention if you start asking someone those many questions they'll tell you to sod off pretty soon instead of wanting to help you even more, it's not immersive at all. And the controlls.. oh god, how can you claim the controlls in skyrim are worse than morrowind's? 

 

I loved morrowind, but skyrim is simply better. It's much more immersive and overall more polished.

[ShuanW50]

I agree that elders scrolls series has improved and gotten better over time, but remember this topic is a MMO on a console, I really do believe they have to take stuff out that involves a press of button that is not on a controller. A controller just won't work with a MMO like elder scrolls online. As I said before the only MMOs are shooters I believe that work well with a controller.

[Canoas]

The only limit a console imposes is pretty much the number of buttons, there's no reason for an MMO not to work. Whether it has a targetting system or is action-oriented it can still work pretty well on consoles as long as it doesn't have 50+ skills for each class like WoW. You can change from offensive to support abilities depending on who you're targetting and combining the 4 buttons in the back witht he 4 normal ones in the pad you get easily 16 abilities that require less effort to use on a gamepad than having 16 different hotkeys on a keyboard. I honestly can't see any limitations imposed by a controler on an MMORPG. I can see plenty of limitations a controller imposes on a MMOFPS, but not on an RPG.

[rashdanml]

The only limit a console imposes is pretty much the number of buttons, there's no reason for an MMO not to work. Whether it has a targetting system or is action-oriented it can still work pretty well on consoles as long as it doesn't have 50+ skills for each class like WoW. You can change from offensive to support abilities depending on who you're targetting and combining the 4 buttons in the back witht he 4 normal ones in the pad you get easily 16 abilities that require less effort to use on a gamepad than having 16 different hotkeys on a keyboard. I honestly can't see any limitations imposed by a controler on an MMORPG. I can see plenty of limitations a controller imposes on a MMOFPS, but not on an RPG.

Controllers have more than enough buttons for Skyrim. 4 trigger buttons, 4-8 regular buttons (including D-pad) and the joysticks for camera and movement. The 4-8 buttons can be for quick switch skills.

 

Sure, it's not a hotbar style like WoW. Then again, 50+ skills on a hotbar doesn't make for a good MMO these days. The trend has been moving towards more active combat (GW2, Tera, ESO) with fewer "hotbar'd" skills.

[Canoas]

It does for a normal TES game, but from what I've seen the MMO is more similar to WoW than to Skyrim or Oblivion. I think that the best use of a controller would be:

Left Joystick: movement

D-pad: Targetting

Bottom Trigger buttons: Camera

Top trigger buttons + 4 regular buttons: 12 skills (4 regular buttons, left trigger+buttons, right trigger+buttons) depending on the type of target (enemy or friendly).

 

You would get every single funcionality with ease. Tbh I think it would actually make gameplay easier.. In MMO's the hotkeys always become a huge clusterfuck for me, having to mess with several modifiers just to keep every hotkey within distance without straining my hand.

[rashdanml]

 

The first is based on an alpha test. I see more similarities to Guild Wars 2 in it than WoW, two MMOs that are night and day.

I'm not sure if those are the actual videos I watched earlier, can't verify it right now.

[Canoas]

I know you barely have any "active" abilities, but I'm sure you'll be using food and potions as well which means at least a few more hotkeys. In the single player games you could pause to use those potions but on an MMO you're going to need those extra buttons.

[Dudenstein]

You can always expand the number of buttons by holding the trigger or something which can make the face buttons do another action such as access hot keyed potions when you hold the left trigger. Similar to DMCs battle mechanics. Im just postulating though hahaha I'm definitely getting it in pc