Impressions of ESO By New Players, The Good, the Awesome, the Bad - your opinions. Options

[mALX]

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This thread is for everyone to post their impressions after playing ESO; what they liked, anything that might be improved, etc.

These first posts are being transferred from the "What I am Playing" thread; so bear with the first posts please, lol.



My son started in on ESO tonight. So far it is looking Awesome! A bit confusing, because I was having trouble figuring out who was a Player and who was an NPC - well, some were working so I knew they were NPC's; and some were running around madly, so I knew they were Players; but the ones walking or milling around - those I couldn't tell.

And some character came up and attacked my son's pet imp and then attacked my son for no reason - in the middle of a town. Neither my son or I could figure out if it was an NPC or some crazed player. My son finally killed him because the guy wouldn't leave him alone; and there was nothing on his body to indicate if it was Player or NPC! (So still don't know, lol).

Right now he is still just trying to figure out what the/his objectives are.

All the conversations are run in a small box on the left of the screen, and the print on the conversations is so tiny I can't read it - my son can't read it either, it is that small.

But the game itself - the graphics and sheer size of it is AWESOME! The characters are lifesized, the ships really look like ships and not small replicas. It is an amazing game so far!

My son has played online a LOT before, so he will orient himself a lot quicker than I will be able to - but for right now he is playing solo.

I am seriously considering sneaking on while he is at work and starting a character in the Ebonheart just to try it out, .



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You can't get to Cyrodiil till you reach a very high level, it is blocked completely before then. And yes, Cyrodiil is the only Player VS Player (from what I heard it is a massive battleground there, Alliance VS Alliance - which means I'll never want to go there, lol).


Never having played online before - I wanted to go solo. My allies don't fare well in melee with my characters, I hit the wrong people with both weapons and healing magic.

My son said that online game is all about creating a small group of friends who each have a needed skill set to ensure the group survives and prospers. "Tanks" take the damage for the group (Orcs/heavy armor); the healer keeps everyone fighting; etc. As a group you strategically plan the battles and how best to defeat the enemies.

The enemies are leveled to be powerful enough to be a challenge for a group of players; and I don't know if their level drops based on the numbers in the attack. If it does, then playing solo would work very well; but I don't know if it does or not.

My son said that even the best multiplayer game in the world is only half as good if you try to play it solo, for him the group adds tremendously to the experience.

But for me, I want to play it solo till I feel very comfortable with the game - then maybe just one or two close friends, no group of strangers.




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Well, I played the whole first section of - the tutorial dungeon. There were several really tough fights that I have yet to figure out what I did right to win.

The tough enemies dropped excellent loot such as enchanted weapons and armor - I just need to figure out how to equip it now, and find my inventory!

I made the stupid mistake of creating my character with no gear! I was looking at her body in the bikini and forgot to redress her! So I'm doubly relieved that I made it out of Coldharbour alive - and beat Molag Bal's minion in a boss battle to do it!

Unfortunately, I walked into the firepit in Indoril Manor and can't figure out how to jump out; so I exited the game to find out.

My impression of the game so far = it reminds me VERY strongly of the game "Fate" except with tremendous graphics and other people running around.

(I think the game "Fate" is a quasi version of the game "Fable;" but I haven't ever played Fable so don't know for sure if that is accurate). Fate is usually found prepackaged in the games folder of new computers with Windows OS's.


The feel of it is much closer to Morrowind than any other TES game I've played. When you escape the dungeon and reach the town you can go around and talk to NPC's who have a white arrow over their heads - they have quests to give the player.

Oh, and if someone loots before you and an item is empty - wait a few seconds and try again, this place restocks VERY quickly.

If you are going to loot bodies, do it fast because they will disappear quickly as well. This place cleans itself up and resets very fast compared to World of Warcraft!

I accepted two quests, one is part of the main questline for my area (Ebonheart Pact, so whatever town that is - can't think of it right now).

Also, almost every key on your keyboard has a function, so I need to make myself a key to remember them all - but I think "M" is for Map.

If you walk up to another Player and hit "E" (which is the "Activate" key) - it opens up the option to Chat with them, trade with them, join their group, invite them to join your group.

(I found that out by accident while trying to get out of the fire pit).

It was really exciting, and if it turns out to be like Fate - I got so addicted to that game that the company called me on the phone and told me to get off the game because my free trial had ended and they were reluctant to shut me down in the middle of gameplay, lol.

So far all my impressions are good. Everyone I know that plays it has become very addicted to it, and has said it is everything Skyrim should have been - so far I'm really impressed.

The dungeon Coldharbor was huge and amazingly done. I am quite sure I left a bunch of loot behind in it.



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They have a tremendous range of ways to personalize your character: Age, hair style and color, height and weight, all the usual facegen we are used to in TES, face and body painting/tattoos, there are over 20 eye colors and shapes - very nice eyes. Even the neck/leg/arm/and hand sizes can be tweaked. And they have very decent hair that is clean and combed, unlike vanilla Skyrim.


A few things I found clunky:


Keys for certain functions are not where i am used to them being; like activate is E and spacebar is jump. That is exactly opposite of what I am used to.

And I am afraid to rekey the keyboard for this game like I did for other games because so many keys are used for something particular (I for inventory, M for Maps, O opens up your profile page showing your friends, for quick access to message them - etc)

Also messaging/using the chat box - since players can have up to 8 different characters, if you want to message a friend they ask you to name which character of theirs you want to get the message.

Well, the character's name has to be spelled exactly correct, and these are TES Lore names (get my drift? Lol). I was trying to message someone last night with a very long two part name, with my left hand not working and in game - couldn't do it.



OH! Another plus I discovered last night: no need for pose and animation mods, they are built in! Your character can do over 300 animations and poses right from the start just by keying them into the chat box = instant pose or animation!

There are numerous dances, numerous sits, sleeping, eating, drinking, drunk, playing musical instruments with varied songs, digging with a shovel, raking, waving, motioning to come here, etc, etc, etc - hundreds of them! AWESOME !!!!


And they also have all the craftings from Skyrim including smithing/alchemy/enchanting/cooking/etc.




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[mALX]

I am reading this thread, since I am proudly a noob now.

For me, first impressions were months of frustration, followed by a couple of hours of INSTANT addiction. I had to force myself to go to bed last night; otherwise I could have easily played until 3 in the morning.

But my first impression ever since May was frustration / ragequitting. Because I use Xbox controllers and they have to be set up a certain way, otherwise I'll never get used to playing any game. I've used the same buttons (attack / jump / sheathe / crouch, etc.) ever since the first Tomb Raider, which I played long ago in 2000. ESO gives the option for three standard templates which configure controllers to have some mouse/key functions, but me personally, I need everything customized.

So basically, if anybody else out there has trouble with controllers PM me. I've seen it all.

Last night my first impressions were exhilleration (however it's spelled) but also confusion. There's a LOT going on with all the menus and functions. That'll take awhile to get used to.

My game runs on High settings at best. My memory card (GTX 760, which was state-of-the-art back in 2013 but now it's ancient) was cooking along at 75 degrees C with this setting, so that's as high as I want to go! By default the game put me on Low settings though.

Lopov has told me he doesn't really roleplay (or at least in the same way as in SP games) but for me, I can't help but instantly start falling into old habits. My character runs a lot because of the opening quests, but also walks along here and there too. She sits down. She ponders her new world.

For now, Halloween is tonight and so it's going to take some Willpower to NOT play this game tonight!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT !!!!!!!!!! Renee is in the game !!!!! WOO HOO !!!!!!!!!

Yes, because it is real time in game and the game goes on whether you are doing something in it or not; it does cut out the NEED to sleep; however I still have my characters lay down and "sleep" when I'm logging off the game sometimes using the "sleep" emote (type /sleep into the Chat Box while standing in the middle of a bed facing to the right = it takes just a few times to figure out exactly where to stand just like it did with that emote in Oblivion Pose mods)

Roleplay is really easy in this game if you play solo; it just takes a little while to get used to the differences of multiplayer. Acadian found the Chat Box intrusive; but you can turn it off and advise friends to just PM you = that helps if you need to eliminate that from your vision; or you can just shut off all chatter in it except Whispers and Chorrolite Guild chat = that cuts down A LOT of its distractions.

Also: I think you can still hot key your emotes; but you can also just remember the ones you want to use a lot = you don't have to see the Chat Box to use it; because the instant you type in that forward slash ( / ) the game automatically does whatever you say next whether your Chat Box is showing or not. (And the emotes are fantastic for roleplay! )






This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 31 2019, 05:58 PM

[Renee]

Ha yeah, you're right Acadian. Tomorrow is my birthday. Oops. Either way I'll have to catch the next meeting.

Thing is I need to get used to this game anyway. If you saw my character walking around now it wouldn't make much sense because I keep having to pause and configure. Pause and read up. Pause and comprehend something which is new for me. I played Everquest long ago (like 12 or 13 years ago) but since then I haven't touched an MMO.

Hope your meeting goes well though.

EDIT: yes mALX, FINALLY I am in the game! Well, Ana Khanda is in the game. I'm merely sitting in bed as I play.

This post has been edited by Renee: Oct 31 2019, 05:57 PM

[mALX]

Ha yeah, you're right Acadian. Tomorrow is my birthday. Oops. Either way I'll have to catch the next meeting.

Thing is I need to get used to this game anyway. If you saw my character walking around now it wouldn't make much sense because I keep having to pause and configure. Pause and read up. Pause and comprehend something which is new for me. I played Everquest long ago (like 12 or 13 years ago) but since then I haven't touched an MMO.

Hope your meeting goes well though.

EDIT: yes mALX, FINALLY I am in the game! Well, Ana Khanda is in the game. I'm merely sitting in bed as I play.

I had to do that at first too; had to learn how everything worked and get used to what did what; etc. It just takes some getting used to at first.

[Renee]

however I still have my characters lay down and "sleep" when I'm logging off the game sometimes using the "sleep" emote (type /sleep into the Chat Box while standing in the middle of a bed facing to the right = it takes just a few times to figure out exactly where to stand just like it did with that emote in Oblivion Pose mods)

Ha Lopov does this too. In fact I figured a lot of RPers do this!

Acadian found the Chat Box intrusive; but you can turn it off and advise friends to just PM you

Yes I already got this configured. Basically if I hold down my right joystick it turns off the entire HUD. Which I LOVE. I Love being able to just turn it on and off, and without mods.

A lot of the stuff with the Chat box makes no sense to me, but it'll just take time.

[mALX]

however I still have my characters lay down and "sleep" when I'm logging off the game sometimes using the "sleep" emote (type /sleep into the Chat Box while standing in the middle of a bed facing to the right = it takes just a few times to figure out exactly where to stand just like it did with that emote in Oblivion Pose mods)

Ha Lopov does this too. In fact I figured a lot of RPers do this!

Acadian found the Chat Box intrusive; but you can turn it off and advise friends to just PM you

Yes I already got this configured. Basically if I hold down my right joystick it turns off the entire HUD. Which I LOVE. I Love being able to just turn it on and off, and without mods.

A lot of the stuff with the Chat box makes no sense to me, but it'll just take time.

The Chat Box is a combination of social (talking to friends; asking for help from those around you, etc) = and also it is exactly like using "Console Commands" in the single player games by hitting the "Tilde" key. (except instead of hitting the "Tilde" key to access the Console Commands; you type in the "Forward Slash," = /

So just a different key stroke to do the exact same thing.

You can perform emotes using it by typing the Forward Slash and then the emote you want (like /sleep ; /eat
etc).

Other commands you might use would be like:

/camp - (logs this character out and brings you to your character screen)

/whisper = if you want to talk in the Chat Box to just one person and don't want anyone else to see what you are saying; or:

/g - to talk in the Chat Box to everyone in the group you are in (we use this one during Guild Meets so everyone can see what the other group members are saying) etc.






This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 31 2019, 06:16 PM

[Renee]

Awesome, thanks, Miss Alienware.

Now just gotta wait for the weekend to get here...

[mALX]

Awesome, thanks, Miss Alienware.

Now just gotta wait for the weekend to get here...

I'm so excited that you and Lopov are playing now!

[ghastley]

Yes I already got this configured. Basically if I hold down my right joystick it turns off the entire HUD. Which I LOVE. I Love being able to just turn it on and off, and without mods.

Need that for decent screenshots. I have no idea why it isn't bound o a key by default.

[Lopov]

Welcome, Renee!

Maybe it helped that, in the last month, you constantly had to listen to my adventures from Tamriel.

I did a lot of pausing and opening menus at the beginning too, it's normal, if I only remember how much time I spent getting used to Baldur's Gate menus 20 years ago.

I had some issues regarding roleplaying in the beginning, but I overcame them as I became more familiar with the game, so my Argonian often sits, dances, claps at bards or at other players if they do something funny, "sleeps", eats etc.