Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

Chorrol.com _ The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited _ Impressions of ESO By New Players

Posted by: mALX May 29 2015, 02:17 AM

*

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, laugh.gif.



*



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.




*



*

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.



*



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.




*


Posted by: Acadian May 29 2015, 03:22 AM

What a great summary of what you've learned so far! I look forward to learning more about ESO from your adventures and observations. smile.gif

Posted by: mALX May 31 2015, 04:26 PM

*

Thanks Acadian!


*


Last night was a lot of learning how to do things in the game. Example, I was carrying too much stuff to pick up anymore, so the man from TESAlliance showed me how to put inventory items (I wouldn't be using right away) into a Bank.

All the major cities have Banks. If you place something in the Bank in one city, the Banks in all the cities will be able to access your items for you, you can retrieve them anytime.

I don't know how to tell if your equipment has been damaged yet, but I noticed while I was talking to a vendor - at the bottom of the screen it said "Repair all items - 14 gold."

Well, I sold off some of the items that needed repair I guess, because it only cost me 5 gold to repair all my items.

I don't know if there is a difference in the quality/percentage of repair based on who you deal with (like in the Fallout games there were certain NPC's who repaired better than others).

Your horse that comes with the Imperial Edition (or any horse you buy) can be used for storage too. Anytime you want to you can go to any stables and pay the stable hand to "train" your horse (250 gold, I don't have enough yet) - and they can teach the horse to carry more for you (a huge help if you are going to be away from a city for a while) - or to increase their speed, or one other attribute I can't remember.


When you dismount the horse shimmers and disappears - goes to a safe place to wait for the Player. When you want them again you press H (for horse) and your character whistles. Your horse instantly appears at your side and you mount it.

And you can name your horse whatever you want. The game gives you a chance to name it when you first access it.

Also, for random quests - every town has a notice board where you can pick up random quests.

If there is nothing on the notice board, you can go around to any of the crafting businesses and tell the owner you are interested in learning more about their craft; and after that you will always find notices from that vendor on the notice board.

Those quests are always to gather materials they need for their craft, so you can fill them while you are doing other quests (find those items in your travels).

I am so loving this game! It is so like Morrowind or Fate, but so much better graphics and the actions of the NPC's is so much more realistic than Skyrim's.

OH, and if you see a Player character in town digging in a satchel - that means they are looking in their inventory; and if you see them looking at a map - that means they are accessing their map.

You can't see yourself doing it, but your character does that too! Very cool; I absolutely LOVED that!

Last night a lot of the Players were roleplaying in the city I was in - drinking; dancing; and one big older character got drunk and was beating up NPC's - brawling drunk. It was Saturday night in Davon's Watch, rollinglaugh.gif

But I learned something from it = he didn't know if I was an NPC or a Player, so he tried to attack me, and his fists went right through me - so you can't accidentally injure your Player allies, or any other Player - only NPC's.

So I can't remember who suggested it, but they were right - you actually can't hurt another Player even if you try unless you and they are both set up to allow Player vs Player.





*

Posted by: Grits May 31 2015, 04:34 PM

That sounds really neat! Thank you for sharing your adventures. This sounds like a fun game.

Posted by: Acadian May 31 2015, 04:41 PM

MALX, that's all good news.

I like the 'bank' idea.

The horse stuff sounds wonderful for keeping the horse safe when not actually in use. In fact, what you describe is quite similar to what Buffy does (mods) in both Oblivion and Skyrim. What can you do in the saddle? Melee? Archery? Any spell casting? Talk to NPCs? Pick things up?

The unwanted PVP provisions sound fine as well.

Posted by: Grits May 31 2015, 04:52 PM

The bank solves my concern about losing stuff when you delete a character, if the bank is account-specific. Is that how it works? I wonder if mounts are shared between characters? It would be worth getting the Imperial edition if all of your characters could share an immortal horse.

Posted by: mALX May 31 2015, 05:05 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ May 31 2015, 11:52 AM) *

The bank solves my concern about losing stuff when you delete a character, if the bank is account-specific. Is that how it works? I wonder if mounts are shared between characters? It would be worth getting the Imperial edition if all of your characters could share an immortal horse.



No, the banks are Character specific. When you delete a character, all their inventory and bank accounts go with them.


EDIT:

Only the Imperial mount that comes if you buy the Imperial Edition can be used by all characters - but it is the only one (unless you buy a mount through the Crown store - everything bought through the Crown store is for all your characters too).

The other characters have to each buy their own mount - and it doesn't have to be a horse if you are buying it, I saw people riding tigers, wargs, etc. (You get those using crown points at the crown store - which means all your characters can use them).




Posted by: SubRosa May 31 2015, 05:08 PM

The bank with its safety deposit box for your stuff is something that the Bethesda ES games could use. I think we all often end up buying/modding in a house somewhere just to have someplace to keep our stuff, if for no other reason.

It is great that your horse disappears when you do not need it as well. I was wondering if the landscape was filled with a horde of riderless mounts. It also protects them from being killed or stolen while you are busy in a dungeon. Again, something the Beth games could take note of.

Posted by: mALX May 31 2015, 05:15 PM

QUOTE(SubRosa @ May 31 2015, 12:08 PM) *

The bank with its safety deposit box for your stuff is something that the Bethesda ES games could use. I think we all often end up buying/modding in a house somewhere just to have someplace to keep our stuff, if for no other reason.

It is great that your horse disappears when you do not need it as well. I was wondering if the landscape was filled with a horde of riderless mounts. It also protects them from being killed or stolen while you are busy in a dungeon. Again, something the Beth games could take note of.



I thought just like you did on that, what a great mod that Bank would make in Skyrim or Oblivion (or Fallout games!)

It is very cool too, you go in the bank and there are lines up to the counters and filling out accounts in one area, - really liked going into the bank!


Posted by: Grits May 31 2015, 05:24 PM

Am I right in thinking that there is no individual player housing? I’m glad there’s a bank for storage, but I’d rather have even just a shack somewhere that made me feel like my character actually lived in the world.

The mount system sounds very encouraging. The best things about Convenient Horses built right in. smile.gif

Posted by: mALX May 31 2015, 05:40 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ May 31 2015, 12:24 PM) *

Am I right in thinking that there is no individual player housing? I’m glad there’s a bank for storage, but I’d rather have even just a shack somewhere that made me feel like my character actually lived in the world.

The mount system sounds very encouraging. The best things about Convenient Horses built right in. smile.gif



I don't know about the housing, and I wondered that too! Oh, but Jerric can both eat, drink, and sleep - and you can watch him do it, lol. I thought of him right away when I saw how easy it was to do that, lol.

You just type /eat ; /drink ; /drunk ; / sleep - and your character does whatever you say till you move him or give him a new command.

(or he can drunk dance /dancedrunk ; or entertain the crowds with a song /lute )


I plan to find out about the houses, I did see in passing a conversation about them that seemed to indicate to me that it wasn't available, but I don't want to say that till I have researched it a bit.


Oh, I forgot to add this on my post above:


I didn't really want to talk to anyone, but now I'm glad I did. I learned so much! The person helping me helped me join a Trader's Guild so I will always have someone to trade with.

The members of that Trader's guild will be marked on my map as I come into areas so I'll always be able to find a trader wherever I am, and they have access to better equipment than the vendors.

One thing about equipment - you can't use equipment higher than your level. If you get some, you can keep it till you reach that level, but it is marked in red and you are blocked from using it till you have earned that level.

I had three greatswords; a level 1, 2, and 3. Now all of them show the same amount of damage rating - so I don't know what the level on them means or how it affects anything. But I changed up to the level 3 one anyway as soon as I could; figuring there had to be a reason the levels were added to the stat.

If anyone finds out what the different levels indicate (other than just some psychological way to get you to think one is more desirable, lol) - can you post it?

I plan to hunt down that info too.





Posted by: mALX May 31 2015, 05:56 PM

*

Oh - on the banks - your bank account/safety deposit box allows you to store something like 70 items. If you want to store more, you can purchase more space at the bank (not sure if that is done through the Crown store or through the bank itself).

But Guilds you join may also have bank accounts in your name that you can use. When you first talk to the banker, they will give you options of different bank accounts available to you. Mine said Bank, Guild Bank, and another bank - can't remember what it was.

But my friend advised me to fill up my original Bank first.


Also, when you reach a certain level (like level 5 or 10) - you can split up your skills into two different groups and switch back and forth between them on the fly in combat.

Example: In the beginning of the game you have 5 "hot keys" that you can add any spells that need activating (like destruction, conjuration, healing, shield, stealth enhancing spells, etc.

Well, when you reach that level (5 or 10 when they add more) - they give you a row of another 5 hot keys to add items to, and you can switch between them on the fly - so you can add all your destruction on one and healing on the other; or all your mage skills on one and all your archery or melee skills on the other; etc.




*

Posted by: mALX Jun 4 2015, 12:45 AM

*

So far the only thing I've found anti in ESO is that I haven't found a way to save it, the game saves everything itself - so in other words, if I make a mistake, I can't reload a save and go back; I have to live with my choices.

I sold my greatsword because I picked up an enchanted axe; well the enchanted axe had much higher stats and level than my greatsword - but didn't work as well in battle.

Then I put all my points into morphing my powerful spells that go into my hot bar; and they didn't seem to be doing as much or be as effective after that.

Well, either I messed up in trading equipment and morphing my spells, or it is because I'm getting into much stronger enemies.

Well actually, I know I'm getting into much stronger enemies because my friend that gave me the more powerful equipment told me so. But WOW, I mean they are really powerful, and I am just in the early dungeon area.

So I backed off - dropped back 5 yards to punt. Maybe I need to buy my greatsword back; or next time I get points put them into my armor or weapon skills.

I think I messed up on my choices, but can't go back now. The only choice I have is to play on, gain experience with the game with this character, and when I get the game on my own PC I'll start a new character and base it on my knowledge gathered in this first (test) character.






Posted by: Renee Jun 4 2015, 02:34 AM

Interesting how fastidious it sounds like you have to be. Consequences from choices, and all that. Do you find yourself really connecting with your character and her world? It seems like this would be so because you're really putting a lot of energy and also some growing pains as you figure things out.

Sounds like a cool experience, is what I mean to say


Posted by: mALX Jun 4 2015, 02:53 AM

QUOTE(Renee @ Jun 3 2015, 09:34 PM) *

Interesting how fastidious it sounds like you have to be. Consequences from choices, and all that. Do you find yourself really connecting with your character and her world? It seems like this would be so because you're really putting a lot of energy and also some growing pains as you figure things out.

Sounds like a cool experience, is what I mean to say



Yes, but this is most def not a game anyone would want to play "dead is dead."

But I have a friend who has been traveling with me and giving me hints; saved me several times when the fight was too tough for my character to handle; and his character is hilarious!

He plays a girl sorceress conjurer who dances or plays the drum when she is bored; and has several conjured familiars that go everywhere with her (and the conjured familiars have also saved my butt a few times when I was outnumbered by a pack of wolves).

When you die you can choose to be resurrected where you are and keep fighting, or at a shrine if the fight is too tough and you want to run to safety.

So far I've stayed to keep fighting and eventually won the fight - and that is really satisfying, if you know what I mean.







Posted by: Renee Jun 4 2015, 01:29 PM

I agree, there is no way I'd play that game dead-is-dead. For one thing, you've got all the blunders and foibles which could happen which aren't your fault. For another thing, it just sounds much tougher than TES 4 or 5.

Your friend's sorceress sounds hilarious, especially playing that drum and dancing around. Sounds like a fun game.


Posted by: mALX Jun 4 2015, 03:32 PM

QUOTE(Renee @ Jun 4 2015, 08:29 AM) *

I agree, there is no way I'd play that game dead-is-dead. For one thing, you've got all the blunders and foibles which could happen which aren't your fault. For another thing, it just sounds much tougher than TES 4 or 5.

Your friend's sorceress sounds hilarious, especially playing that drum and dancing around. Sounds like a fun game.



I was in hysterics, because if i was taking too long she would start conjuring familiars, then tap her foot, then pull out a drum and start playing - by then I'd be laughing too hard to concentrate on playing. And the dancing was hilarious, like some kind of jig, lol.

I met a female Player last night with a Nord female character (only hers was blonde, mine has red hair) - she was doing the same quests I was doing and just as new a player as me - it was nice to talk to someone struggling with the same questions I was, lol.





Posted by: mirocu Jun 4 2015, 05:03 PM

Sounds like you´re having a blast, mALX smile.gif Your words painted a vivid image of drunken people in the bar who started fights while music was playing and others were talking. It gave me such a LotR feel! biggrin.gif

Posted by: SubRosa Jun 4 2015, 05:15 PM

It gave me a Detroit on Saturday night feel! laugh.gif

Posted by: mirocu Jun 4 2015, 05:18 PM

QUOTE(SubRosa @ Jun 4 2015, 06:15 PM) *

It gave a Detroit on Saturday night feel! laugh.gif

Detroit merged with Middle Earth confirmed! rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif

Posted by: Grits Jun 4 2015, 05:50 PM

The drunken dancing stuff gives me an idea who my first character will be. laugh.gif Sounds like a lot of fun.

Posted by: mALX Jun 5 2015, 12:13 AM



It really is a ton of fun, but the combat is a LOT harder than Oblivion/Skyrim. I am getting a little better at casting spells and that has helped a LOT - and I just found an enchanted Bow that I was given early in the game and didn't find till playing last night (because when you leave Coldharbour you are given your soul in an urn; and it comes with enchanted clothing and bow; and all this time I never looked in the urn to get my soul back, rollinglaugh.gif )

So I am hoping the bow will keep me alive a lot better since I'll be fighting ranged.

OH - and I only died twice last night, but both times it wouldn't let me resurrect there - had to go to a wayshrine to be resurrected. There was a red mark over the option to resurrect "Here" and it said "Filled." I have no idea what that means, but I saw numerous dead players there, and they all said that.

So it was something about the area of that dungeon that kept everyone from resurrecting there - I also could not summon my horse till I got away from that dungeon; so it was something about the dungeon itself.







Posted by: Grits Jun 5 2015, 02:08 AM

When you die does it cost you anything to resurrect? Like does gold or experience points or looted stuff get taken from your inventory, or some other penalty? Sorry, I am a complete n00b with MMOs.

Posted by: mALX Jun 5 2015, 02:33 AM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 4 2015, 09:08 PM) *

When you die does it cost you anything to resurrect? Like does gold or experience points or looted stuff get taken from your inventory, or some other penalty? Sorry, I am a complete n00b with MMOs.



You can resurrect where you are for the cost of a soul gem, or elect to be resurrected at a shrine. I don't know if going to the shrine costs you anything or not; but if you don't have the soul gem you have no choice but to go to the shrine.

Darn it all, I just learned this! I wasted a fortune in soul gems choosing "Here!" Urk.






Posted by: Grits Jun 9 2015, 02:12 PM

First couple of hours: It got fun as soon as I figured out how to turn off the random player chatter and found my inventory. I think the names over the characters’ heads must be player names, unless everyone named their character ‘Asshunter_6757’ and the like. Maybe I can turn those off, too. I’m in the Ebonheart Pact and Jerric is the only one I’ve seen with a shield on his back. I logged in early so his actual name is ‘Jerric.’

So far this has not been a roleplaying experience. I like to look around and plan to explore, but there’s no sense that this is a real world. It’s very game-y. The spells are reflexive button-pushes that you kind of watch happen, but at least the shield bashes feel OK. Hopefully swords will be better and I’ll get used to it. It helps that while Jerric does not look much like himself from the chin up, at least he looks pretty hot. laugh.gif

Also I haven’t figured out how to heal yet. I accidentally ate my only healing potion while hitting the wrong hotkey. Oops.

Posted by: mALX Jun 9 2015, 02:51 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 9 2015, 09:12 AM) *

First couple of hours: It got fun as soon as I figured out how to turn off the random player chatter and found my inventory. I think the names over the characters’ heads must be player names, unless everyone named their character ‘Asshunter_6757’ and the like. Maybe I can turn those off, too. I’m in the Ebonheart Pact and Jerric is the only one I’ve seen with a shield on his back. I logged in early so his actual name is ‘Jerric.’

So far this has not been a roleplaying experience. I like to look around and plan to explore, but there’s no sense that this is a real world. It’s very game-y. The spells are reflexive button-pushes that you kind of watch happen, but at least the shield bashes feel OK. Hopefully swords will be better and I’ll get used to it. It helps that while Jerric does not look much like himself from the chin up, at least he looks pretty hot. laugh.gif

Also I haven’t figured out how to heal yet. I accidentally ate my only healing potion while hitting the wrong hotkey. Oops.



I don't know how to heal either, and invested my points in destruction magic instead of healing magic.

I planned to spend my next two points in armor and healing, but so far the only time I've needed it has been when totally out numbered or outmatched by an enemy way above me; and in those healing won't matter, you die too quickly for it to help.

I was very surprised how fast your health regenerates after battle, so far I've been doing well enough without healing.

On those fights where you are totally outmatched (like those bandits at the mine where the SkyShard is) - you should choose to resurrect at a shrine and don't go back till you have that quest (you have to disguise yourself to get by in that area).


There is a good dodge if you hit one of the arrow keys twice he will roll away from the fight (depending on which you hit, practice it when not in combat first so you know how you want to use it).

Oh, this is so exciting to hear someone talkikng about the game!

In the PC version, only the people in your group have a white box over their head so you know who your party members are. or

If a lot of people around you have the same name "Asshead 67" - That is probably the name of their group/party. And that probably does kill immersion, the PC game doesn't have all that. The white box over your party's head helps you follow them or spot them from a distance, but it isn't intrusive because you might only have one or two other people playing with you (or none) and so most people look normal, and it really helps to have a way to recognize the one or two who may be able to help you in a fix.

There are only five people in the group I joined, and they are all friends from before the game. I only know the one who invited me into the group, and since the others are so far ahead of me in game I have never seen them - I'm in the beginners area. The only reason I've seen the one who invited me is because he came back to that area to help me learn how to play; teach me what ingredients to look for in the woods, etc.

I noticed at night (in game night) there were a lot fewer Players, and I was able to get into the game a bit better because it felt more like a single player game then.

(Plus playing in the dark night made it much easier to see the enchanting essences because they glow, so I was able to enchant my outfit and beginner weapons right away).

Another thing I found really immersive was when I played that Saturday night and was in a big city (Davon's Watch) - and the Players in town were hanging out in the city square; getting drunk, dancing, playing music, and brawling. That was awesome; and really was immersive.

The PC players have learned how to make the game immersive over time, I'm sure the first day they were running around like banshees too - and that is what kills the immersion and keeps Jerric from getting any armor, it is all taken before he gets to it.

On the PC game, whoever strikes the death blow gets to loot the body, everyone else won't even get the option. And I'm not sure how it works on the console if you don't have a chat box; but on the PC game your chat box is also your developer's console and you can put commands in for your character to do (like /read - your character pulls out a book and reads it; or /lute - your character pulls out a lute and plays it, etc. ).


I wonder if/how the console players can get their characters to do animations? I'm sure they can still do them, but how?






Posted by: Grits Jun 9 2015, 03:19 PM

There is a huge menu of animations on the PS4, and apparently you can hotkey a certain number of them. Jerric used one to take a nap. I’m sure a lot of people are running around like crazy because it’s the first day. There were a lot of people riding their horses over the same high wall to take a shortcut around the stairs. I loved walking along the beach without anyone but the dreugh and friendly mudcrabs around after that quest were you burn all of the siege gear, and one of the tombs I went through was sparsely populated so I could take my time. It just feels very empty compared to Oblivion and Skyrim because so many things are just statics, yet still very crowded with players. Even if we hooked up with other characters, it would really be the players on the headset. That goes both ways, of course. I imagine folks would get a surprise to see a burly Nord male in front of them and hear a soft-talking female in their ear. laugh.gif

One thing that has been a lovely surprise is the excellent NPCs. The voice acting is superb and very natural, and it’s a relief to zoom in and talk to someone so you get a break from the other players and can just focus on the NPC. The NPCs make me want to do the quests. Jerric is anxious to go back to where they found him so he can thank the people there.

He’s also given away a bunch of gold to beggars. This is very Jerric and may be a problem. He’s used to making a lot and spending a lot, not having a budget!

Posted by: Grits Jun 9 2015, 03:43 PM

So I checked around and it seems that PSN ids and Xbox gamertags are displayed instead of character names by design. This is a really, really horrible decision in my opinion. I can see where that makes it easier for players to find players, but I’m interested in characters. So hello there, xSwagMastr_666x. Shall we adventure together? Ugh.

Posted by: mALX Jun 9 2015, 04:19 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 9 2015, 10:19 AM) *

There is a huge menu of animations on the PS4, and apparently you can hotkey a certain number of them. Jerric used one to take a nap. I’m sure a lot of people are running around like crazy because it’s the first day. There were a lot of people riding their horses over the same high wall to take a shortcut around the stairs. I loved walking along the beach without anyone but the dreugh and friendly mudcrabs around after that quest were you burn all of the siege gear, and one of the tombs I went through was sparsely populated so I could take my time. It just feels very empty compared to Oblivion and Skyrim because so many things are just statics, yet still very crowded with players. Even if we hooked up with other characters, it would really be the players on the headset. That goes both ways, of course. I imagine folks would get a surprise to see a burly Nord male in front of them and hear a soft-talking female in their ear. laugh.gif

One thing that has been a lovely surprise is the excellent NPCs. The voice acting is superb and very natural, and it’s a relief to zoom in and talk to someone so you get a break from the other players and can just focus on the NPC. The NPCs make me want to do the quests. Jerric is anxious to go back to where they found him so he can thank the people there.

He’s also given away a bunch of gold to beggars. This is very Jerric and may be a problem. He’s used to making a lot and spending a lot, not having a budget!



Yeah, it is all the excitement of a new game and everyone will be running around like crazy till they settle down and start finding ways to make it immersive for them, which is how the PC players are now because they have had over a year of playing to get used to it.

I just learned that you can hot key healing potions on the PC by using the Q, but I haven't learned how to do it yet, planned to read up on it before I played next.

The island where Jerric was first found is where the beginners area is, ("Baby's first dungeons," as they used to say in Oblivion, lol).

That is where I am right now. The quests are a lot simpler there and at Davon's Watch, just to get you used to the game mechanics and learn how to do everything.

I didn't do the siege engines in Davon's Watch yet, I just got that skull and returned it to House Indoril; then my friend advised me to go to that island first and do all the early dungeons because the quests there are leveled for beginners - if you do a level 1 dungeon at level 1-4 you get a LOT of much needed loot because the game is trying to help you grow up in strength. (but if you do the same quest at level 7-10 you won't get near as much because the game doesn't think you need the help as much).

I was already at level 4 when he told me that, and now I'm at level 6-7 and still doing quests on that island, so I caught it just in time to level properly loot-wise.

Oh, if Jerric has a horse, he may want to save some of that gold to buy his horse some feed. Your horse only levels up when you feed it; (which costs 250 gold each time you buy food for it). The food can make it faster, give it better endurance so it can sprint further, or make it carry more.

Well, the horse has no inventory, so what happens is that YOUR inventory allowance grows every time you feed the horse the right food to up his carry weight. They can level up to 50, that is an extra 50 items the Player can carry. (without doing this the Player can only carry 60 items).

You can buy as many horses as you want; if you have the Imperial Edition they only cost 1 gold (without it they are about 17,000 gold).

So what the PC Players have been doing is buying two or more horses, one to ride (which they feed up for speed and stamina); and the others all to sit in the stables and they feed them up for carrying; making their own inventory allowances huge. Then they can also buy up extra storage at the banks to store stuff for crafting armor, etc.

I have only made 250 once and had to spend it down right away to repair my armor, lol.











Posted by: Grits Jun 9 2015, 04:24 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Jun 9 2015, 09:51 AM) *

On those fights where you are totally outmatched (like those bandits at the mine where the SkyShard is) - you should choose to resurrect at a shrine and don't go back till you have that quest (you have to disguise yourself to get by in that area).


There is a good dodge if you hit one of the arrow keys twice he will roll away from the fight (depending on which you hit, practice it when not in combat first so you know how you want to use it).

Oh, this is so exciting to hear someone talkikng about the game!

mALX, thank you for these tips! It’s much more fun for me to have someone to talk to about playing than it would be to just do this alone. That’s why I started the first Jerric as a Templar in the Ebonheart Pact. (Jerric has already picked out his hair for Aldmeri Dominion-Dragonknight-Jerric and Daggerfall Covenant-Sorcerer-Jerric. I probably won’t branch out until someone else starts in those areas.)


Posted by: mALX Jun 9 2015, 04:24 PM



Oh, what you said about the voices made me laugh, lol. Jerric sounding like a girl - rollinglaugh.gif

My friend is a male whose character is a female; he just talks as himself about his character just like we are doing on here; like telling her story not in first person, like a friend of hers telling me about her.

(So it all works out).




Posted by: Grits Jun 9 2015, 04:28 PM

Yeah, the accent is about right but not the voice!! laugh.gif

I’m struggling to think in third person with this game. It’s still ‘my’ potions and ‘I’ went here and there. I’m sure I’ll adjust.

Posted by: mALX Jun 9 2015, 04:31 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 9 2015, 11:24 AM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Jun 9 2015, 09:51 AM) *

On those fights where you are totally outmatched (like those bandits at the mine where the SkyShard is) - you should choose to resurrect at a shrine and don't go back till you have that quest (you have to disguise yourself to get by in that area).


There is a good dodge if you hit one of the arrow keys twice he will roll away from the fight (depending on which you hit, practice it when not in combat first so you know how you want to use it).

Oh, this is so exciting to hear someone talkikng about the game!

mALX, thank you for these tips! It’s much more fun for me to have someone to talk to about playing than it would be to just do this alone. That’s why I started the first Jerric as a Templar in the Ebonheart Pact. (Jerric has already picked out his hair for Aldmeri Dominion-Dragonknight-Jerric and Daggerfall Covenant-Sorcerer-Jerric. I probably won’t branch out until someone else starts in those areas.)



Yes, it is so exciting for me to hear someone else talking about playing it, who is in the same places I am, etc laugh.gif





QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 9 2015, 11:28 AM) *

Yeah, the accent is about right but not the voice!! laugh.gif

I’m struggling to think in third person with this game. It’s still ‘my’ potions and ‘I’ went here and there. I’m sure I’ll adjust.



I do that too when I'm talking to him about Misa, I ask how to look in my inventory, etc. It is fine, they know what you mean.



Posted by: mALX Jun 9 2015, 07:23 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 9 2015, 10:43 AM) *

So I checked around and it seems that PSN ids and Xbox gamertags are displayed instead of character names by design. This is a really, really horrible decision in my opinion. I can see where that makes it easier for players to find players, but I’m interested in characters. So hello there, xSwagMastr_666x. Shall we adventure together? Ugh.



I wonder if there is a way to block them from showing all the time? I think "settings" might have a way to adjust that, but really don't know. Yeah, if the Player name is weird like my son's is then it would really be awkward to remember who is who.
But like if I saw "SubRosa," or "Grits," or "Acadian," I would be like, "WOO HOO!" So, I guess it works both ways depending on if it is a name you would recognize, I think on my son's they used his Steam ID name or something, it is really weird.


Posted by: Grits Jun 9 2015, 08:30 PM

I’m going to check very thoroughly the next time I’m on. I have to go into that menu area anyway to turn off the audio from other players every time I log on. There were a lot of options.

Posted by: SubRosa Jun 9 2015, 10:25 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Jun 9 2015, 02:23 PM) *

[But like if I saw "SubRosa," or "Grits," or "Acadian," I would be like, "WOO HOO!" So, I guess it works both ways depending on if it is a name you would recognize, I think on my son's they used his Steam ID name or something, it is really weird.

That brings up a question. Is ESO a Steam-Only game? At least for PC users? Do you log on to Steam and play on their servers? Or are ESO's servers separate from Steam?

Edit: I just did a little reading about their http://elderscrollsonline.info/mega-server system. That makes me guess that Steam/Valve is not actually hosting the game. It does seem weird to me though, since Steam is all about online DRM. How does that play with ESO's own network? I did a little reading of a forum post that really made my head spin about how you buy the game from one, get your cd-key from the other, install the game from one, uninstall from the other, etc...

I also wonder what kind of server architecture they are using for their Megaservers. The article I linked to implies multiple physical servers per Megaserver. So that makes me think VMWare, or maybe a Cisco UCS? Or perhaps they really do have one physical box. I imagine an IBM P795 would fit the bill for a single Megaserver. We have a few of those at work, and they are beasts. But I prefer VMWare and the UCS for their flexibility.

The IBM route would explain why an entire megaserver might be down for hours at a time. I saw a mention of one being down for 13 hours at some point. That sounds like a P795. While it can have hundreds of Logical Partitions (basically virtual servers inside), to do hardware maintenance, you have to shut down the entire box, and all those Lpars with it at once. What I love about VMWare is that it is modular. You can move all the VM Clients off a physical host in real time, take that host out of the farm, do your maintenance, put it back in, and move the clients back, and it is all completely seamless to the end user. There is zero outage. Anyway, I am blabbing geek talk, nevermind.

Posted by: ghastley Jun 10 2015, 12:18 AM

IBM don't make anything using the Intel processors (or compatibles like AMD) any more. The P series and Z series each use different CPU's - which might even be the same ones, since the z boxes are soft machines like all the S/360, S/370 and S/390's before them, loading a microcode that acts as virtual hardware. They've migrated from discrete transistors up to the current chips without changing the "hardware" op-codes (except that keep adding more).

Id expect this all to be on Intel/AMD x64 processors, and using Linux to keep license fees down. They'd still have to take a whole rack of them down at once for some changes. The reason I'd expect Intel compatible is the ability to just reuse things from the PC/Xbox code lines, as well as assets made there.

Posted by: mALX Jun 10 2015, 06:24 AM

QUOTE(SubRosa @ Jun 9 2015, 05:25 PM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Jun 9 2015, 02:23 PM) *

[But like if I saw "SubRosa," or "Grits," or "Acadian," I would be like, "WOO HOO!" So, I guess it works both ways depending on if it is a name you would recognize, I think on my son's they used his Steam ID name or something, it is really weird.

That brings up a question. Is ESO a Steam-Only game? At least for PC users? Do you log on to Steam and play on their servers? Or are ESO's servers separate from Steam?

Edit: I just did a little reading about their http://elderscrollsonline.info/mega-server system. That makes me guess that Steam/Valve is not actually hosting the game. It does seem weird to me though, since Steam is all about online DRM. How does that play with ESO's own network? I did a little reading of a forum post that really made my head spin about how you buy the game from one, get your cd-key from the other, install the game from one, uninstall from the other, etc...

I also wonder what kind of server architecture they are using for their Megaservers. The article I linked to implies multiple physical servers per Megaserver. So that makes me think VMWare, or maybe a Cisco UCS? Or perhaps they really do have one physical box. I imagine an IBM P795 would fit the bill for a single Megaserver. We have a few of those at work, and they are beasts. But I prefer VMWare and the UCS for their flexibility.

The IBM route would explain why an entire megaserver might be down for hours at a time. I saw a mention of one being down for 13 hours at some point. That sounds like a P795. While it can have hundreds of Logical Partitions (basically virtual servers inside), to do hardware maintenance, you have to shut down the entire box, and all those Lpars with it at once. What I love about VMWare is that it is modular. You can move all the VM Clients off a physical host in real time, take that host out of the farm, do your maintenance, put it back in, and move the clients back, and it is all completely seamless to the end user. There is zero outage. Anyway, I am blabbing geek talk, nevermind.



IPB Image






QUOTE(ghastley @ Jun 9 2015, 07:18 PM) *

IBM don't make anything using the Intel processors (or compatibles like AMD) any more. The P series and Z series each use different CPU's - which might even be the same ones, since the z boxes are soft machines like all the S/360, S/370 and S/390's before them, loading a microcode that acts as virtual hardware. They've migrated from discrete transistors up to the current chips without changing the "hardware" op-codes (except that keep adding more).

Id expect this all to be on Intel/AMD x64 processors, and using Linux to keep license fees down. They'd still have to take a whole rack of them down at once for some changes. The reason I'd expect Intel compatible is the ability to just reuse things from the PC/Xbox code lines, as well as assets made there.





IPB Image





Posted by: hazmick Jun 11 2015, 01:26 AM

Ok so first impressions.

It's a pretty solid MMO, and they've managed to balance that with the single player ES experience that everyone wants. That said, if you haven't played many MMO's then it might be a lot to get used to.

Visually, it looks great. The characters are really nice, especially the Argonians - we they look beautiful. The only locations I've seen so far are Morrowind and a little Skyrim-type island and it's all good, looks exactly how it should.

The combat and loot systems seem good, though I only play solo so i'm not sure how that might change in a party situation if you're all trying to work together. Haa-Rei's using a bow and summoning magic - the latter has saved his life countless times already.

The crafting system is good. Haa-Rei's focusing on woodwork and clothing so he can make bows and medium armour for himself, but there's also blacksmithing, provisioning (food), alchemy and enchanting. Pretty easy and simple to get the hang of.

There's a pretty cool 'style' system for weapons and armour which means that anything you make or equip looks different depending on what race you are. When you craft things you have to use a style ingredient which changes the race style of the outfit - at first you can only create in the style of your race, but later on I'm told you can learn to craft other race styles too. (of course you can use real-world currency to speed this process up)

As with all Elder Scrolls games, the lore and story all seems really tight and helps to bring the world alive. All the NPC's wander around and do their own thing, and the voice acting is superb (had a little fanboy moment when I spoke to a character voiced by John Cleese).

Poked my head into the PvP bit but didn't take part in any battles. Got obliterated by a higher level wispmother on my way to the Imperial City. It sounds interesting though so I'll level up and go back some time to check it out.

The only complaints are that I can't turn Xbox voice chat off (so I have to manually exit the area chat every time I fast travel and someone starts jabbering away on their mic) and that player gamertags are displayed rather than character names. Only little nits, but there we go.

As I mentioned, there is an in-game store where you can exchange real-world money for in game items. However these are pretty much all aesthetic things such as outifts and mounts and there isn't much of a selection. It doesn't feel like I'm missing out by not purchasing these things.

overall - I'm really enjoying it. Really Really enjoying it. Really really real- yeah you get the idea.

Posted by: Acadian Jun 11 2015, 01:44 AM

Thanks, hazmick. I've so enjoyed hearing mALX's impressions but it is great to hear yet another opinion. Glad you're enjoying it!

Posted by: mALX Jun 11 2015, 02:06 AM



Wow, Hazmick! You went into Cyrodiil? You must be level 10 already! Holy Cow! There are at least 15 SkyShards in Cyrodiil that I was hoping to get one day, lol.




Posted by: hazmick Jun 11 2015, 02:25 AM

Yep biggrin.gif but even though you're allowed into Cyrodiil at level 10 the wildlife is level 12. It made for a very short and painful trip.

Posted by: mALX Jun 11 2015, 02:30 AM

QUOTE(hazmick @ Jun 10 2015, 09:25 PM) *

Yep biggrin.gif but even though you're allowed into Cyrodiil at level 10 the wildlife is level 12. It made for a very short and painful trip.



Lol, I have heard it was a place to go if you wanted to die, lol. But 15 SkyShards !!!! laugh.gif




Posted by: mALX Jun 17 2015, 05:33 AM



Oh - I don't know how it works on the console, but on the PC every Monday is update day for ESO. The updates take time to download depending on your internet provider service; so it is best to get on your ESO account early and just start the download (unfortunately it will not start without you activating it).

Activate it, then go off and do something else for about 15-30 minutes depending on how slow or fast your internet is. Then you can play. It will not let you play till the update is downloaded, but as soon as it is finished it is ready to play - nothing more needs to be done.




Posted by: Darkness Eternal Jun 19 2015, 02:54 PM

Buying a PS4 next month! Ill see you guys in Tamriel!

Posted by: Grits Jun 19 2015, 07:22 PM

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jun 19 2015, 09:54 AM) *

Buying a PS4 next month! Ill see you guys in Tamriel!

Yay! I thought of you yesterday. Jerric teamed up with a werewolf. laugh.gif

Posted by: mALX Jun 19 2015, 07:30 PM

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jun 19 2015, 09:54 AM) *

Buying a PS4 next month! Ill see you guys in Tamriel!



WOO HOOO !!!!!! I can't wait !!!!!




Posted by: Grits Jun 19 2015, 07:59 PM

I forgot to mention how much I like the PS4’s UI. The hot bar is actually a good idea, and it can be completely hidden if you like. Attribute bars can also be hidden. Talking to someone zooms in like Oblivion, but the world keeps going on in the background like Skyrim. Combat tells and the like can be disabled. I only wish the compass was positioned across the bottom instead of the top.

The thing I like the most is the two radial menus. One for hotkeyed items and one for emotes. Since console users don’t (at this time) have a chat window, using an animation means going into the menu. Instead you can assign eight to your radial menu and use them very naturally.

Posted by: mALX Jun 19 2015, 09:12 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 19 2015, 02:59 PM) *

The thing I like the most is the two radial menus. One for hotkeyed items and one for emotes. Since console users don’t (at this time) have a chat window, using an animation means going into the menu. Instead you can assign eight to your radial menu and use them very naturally.



That sounds really convenient! On the PC, you can move stuff around on the screen in the "Settings" menu - can't remember how, but Peregrine walked me through moving my map to the upper right instead of lower left. I came back to play and my son had moved it to the upper left, urk. Since it is his game, I have to leave it there, lol.



Posted by: Darkness Eternal Jun 19 2015, 10:01 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 19 2015, 07:22 PM) *

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jun 19 2015, 09:54 AM) *

Buying a PS4 next month! Ill see you guys in Tamriel!

Yay! I thought of you yesterday. Jerric teamed up with a werewolf. laugh.gif

Awesome. We can go on adventures together. Is Jerric Daggerfall Covenant?


Posted by: Grits Jun 19 2015, 10:04 PM

He’s Ebonheart Pact, but I can make a new him in Daggerfall if you want to play. I got the Imperial Edition so he could be a Nord anywhere.

Posted by: Darkness Eternal Jun 19 2015, 10:06 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 9 2015, 03:43 PM) *

So I checked around and it seems that PSN ids and Xbox gamertags are displayed instead of character names by design. This is a really, really horrible decision in my opinion. I can see where that makes it easier for players to find players, but I’m interested in characters. So hello there, xSwagMastr_666x. Shall we adventure together? Ugh.

That's a horrible design. So instead of Sandor Castius they'll get my PSN?


Meh.

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 19 2015, 10:04 PM) *

He’s Ebonheart Pact, but I can make a new him in Daggerfall if you want to play. I got the Imperial Edition so he could be a Nord anywhere.

Hmm. That's fine. I plan on making a khajiit, too. I'll join the Ebonheart pack with him.

Posted by: Grits Jun 19 2015, 10:12 PM

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jun 19 2015, 05:06 PM) *

That's a horrible design. So instead of Sandor Castius they'll get my PSN?


Meh.

Yes. It’s pretty bad. And sometimes very funny. Not at all roleplay enhancing.

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jun 19 2015, 05:06 PM) *

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 19 2015, 10:04 PM) *

He’s Ebonheart Pact, but I can make a new him in Daggerfall if you want to play. I got the Imperial Edition so he could be a Nord anywhere.

Hmm. That's fine. I plan on making a khajiit, too. I'll join the Ebonheart pack with him.

Awesome. I love how the Khajiit look. Some of the guys look very badass with their big manes. biggrin.gif

Posted by: mALX Jun 19 2015, 10:35 PM

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jun 19 2015, 05:06 PM) *

That's a horrible design. So instead of Sandor Castius they'll get my PSN?


Meh.

QUOTE(Grits @ Jun 19 2015, 10:04 PM) *

He’s Ebonheart Pact, but I can make a new him in Daggerfall if you want to play. I got the Imperial Edition so he could be a Nord anywhere.

Hmm. That's fine. I plan on making a khajiit, too. I'll join the Ebonheart pack with him.



I wish the PC game could see the console players too! I'd love to meet up and game play with everyone here!



Posted by: Acadian Aug 14 2016, 05:56 PM

First impressions after taking Buffy to level 5 as a no-melee nightblade, then starting her over as a no-melee conjure sorc. Bow and stealth big time of course.

The game is beautiful and has a wonderful feel. I adore the music as it flow freely from Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim. Combat feels very neat but Buffy's slow skirmish thinking/tendency to panic up close combine with my old slow fingers to make the inability to pause challenging - a manageable challenge though. I am struck (after Skyrim) that ranged combat is restricted to such a tiny distance of what seems like not much more than 100 feet or so and that shooting from stealth gets you instantly detected 100% of the time.

Buffy has always relied on illusion and/or conjuration to back up her bow. The nightblade magicks seem somewhat similar to illusion and, given the short combat ranges and quick reflexes required were both challenging and not fun. Summons (from the sorc class) are working ever so much better in this short range/quick paced environment. Max bow range makes a joke out of the concept of sniping so Buffy is having to become a skirmish archer. A summon gives her the flexibility to do that, allowing her to maneuver to keep the summon engaged while shooting continuously and resummoning or casting support spells as needed. So far so good.

I've had zero concerns (playing solo) about other players. I also am finding no problems leaving the game when I need to by logging out. The lack of ability to save or pause takes some adjustment but even that is proving workable. I love that the game belongs on the server and is not reliant upon me trying to maintain a carefully cobbled together collection of support utilities and mods.

Overall, this game is quickly passing muster and I'm delighted with it.

Posted by: mALX Aug 14 2016, 07:02 PM



WOO HOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO glad you like it !!!!!



Posted by: mirocu Aug 15 2016, 02:47 PM

Another world for Buffy; the ultimate world! biggrin.gif

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 15 2016, 10:52 PM

I am not sure where to put this, so I figured this was as good a place as any.

Is The Crypt of Hearts in ESO? I mean as a place you can go into and explore? If so, I am curious about what it is like. I mean like the architecture, layout, if there is anything unique about it, and so on...

Posted by: mALX Aug 15 2016, 11:33 PM

QUOTE(SubRosa @ Aug 15 2016, 05:52 PM) *

I am not sure where to put this, so I figured this was as good a place as any.

Is The Crypt of Hearts in ESO? I mean as a place you can go into and explore? If so, I am curious about what it is like. I mean like the architecture, layout, if there is anything unique about it, and so on...



HOLY COW !!!!!! I want to know too!!!!




Posted by: hazmick Aug 16 2016, 12:26 AM

It's a group dungeon I believe.

EDIT: Here http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Crypt_of_Hearts
I'll have Haa-Rei poke his head in and see if we can grab some screenies the next time I'm online.

Posted by: mALX Aug 16 2016, 12:37 AM

QUOTE(SubRosa @ Aug 15 2016, 05:52 PM) *

I am not sure where to put this, so I figured this was as good a place as any.

Is The Crypt of Hearts in ESO? I mean as a place you can go into and explore? If so, I am curious about what it is like. I mean like the architecture, layout, if there is anything unique about it, and so on...



http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Crypt+of+Hearts



http://images.mmorpg.com/images/galleries/full/482014/4068469f-d157-430f-9ba5-46740408dbc0.jpg


Here is a vid (if you don't mind spoilers)

The player is turning into lightning to fight - not sure which class that is, either Sorcerer or Templar that can do that. They also have a combat add-on causing the hitpoints to float up after each hit (I don't like that, to me it ruins the vid.)

But since this is a group dungeon and this guy goes through it solo - pretty darn awesome!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKoTzy9PqJw


Went back and looked it up, he is a sorcerer like Buffy!


When you see that circle the player lays down in yellow or white = that is a rune. It takes like 2 seconds to arm; but whoever is in that circle when it goes off is hit bad. I've got one from the undaunted that takes a few seconds to arm like that, and have never been able to get the enemy to stay in the trap zone yet. From watching this vid, it looks pretty awesome when it works.

I also saw him use a trap against a few of the enemies - they can't move for a few seconds and are kind of being tortured while he took down some others in the room. You can usually only trap one enemy at a time, and the bigger enemies are immune to traps.

That red circle the enemy spreads - that kills the player in seconds if you can't roll out of it. Those are the enemies you HAVE to fight ranged or die.

The chains that pop up out of the ground with a green circle around them are also the enemy's - that thing at the top of the chain explodes and kills anyone inside that green circle.

I'd sure like to know what kind of staff he was using and what enchantment it had on it! That thing was wicked!






Posted by: SubRosa Aug 16 2016, 01:23 AM

Very cool! Thanks!

Posted by: mALX Aug 16 2016, 01:38 AM

QUOTE(SubRosa @ Aug 15 2016, 08:23 PM) *

Very cool! Thanks!


I looked for the Crystal Tower, but so far they haven't done the big island - some say they are going to put it out in a DLC; but it has also been rumored that the next TES game VI is going to be in the Summerset Isles; so it is possible they won't do it so as not to step on Bethesda toes before their big project is launched.


Posted by: hazmick Aug 16 2016, 04:19 AM

ESO will do Crystal Tower eventually. Their long term goal is to fill in the whole map - lots of people are saying that Vvardenfell is next, maybe as early as next summer. The next ES game is also waaaaaaaaay off so anything's possible.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 4 2016, 11:30 PM

Hey, is anyone playing the Daggerfall Covenant on the PC/Mac?

Level 13 Redguard Nightblade in Desert Storm fatigues (well, the color scheme I picked for the armor looks like Desert Storm BDUs) still trying to figure out the whole chat/group/dungeon thing and kind of stuck until she reaches Level 15 . . .

Posted by: mALX Sep 4 2016, 11:39 PM

QUOTE(haute ecole rider @ Sep 4 2016, 06:30 PM) *

Hey, is anyone playing the Daggerfall Covenant on the PC/Mac?

Level 13 Redguard Nightblade in Desert Storm fatigues (well, the color scheme I picked for the armor looks like Desert Storm BDUs) still trying to figure out the whole chat/group/dungeon thing and kind of stuck until she reaches Level 15 . . .


WOO HOO! Another one joins us !!!!!!! I have two in Daggerfall, but both are mules (just holding items for the playing character).

WOO HOO, Welcome aboard !!!!!





Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 4 2016, 11:53 PM

Thanks, mALX. Do you have to be in the same zone to become friends in the game?

First MMO evah. Totally new to the entire group/multiplayer thing. Would like to check it out at least once before I decide.

First impressions is wow, is Daggerfall busy! It's the first place I've reached where my ancient Mac started lagging. Up until then it is running great.

And that chaotic busy-ness is the biggest detraction for me. It's difficult to keep up with everything. I'm trying to figure out chat so I can filter out the zone chat - it's just too much going on there, and a lot of it is, well, crap.

Posted by: hazmick Sep 5 2016, 12:03 AM

You can be friends with people regardless of their alliance, but you can't adventure with them unless you're both in the same alliance.

The One Tamriel update is coming soon though, which will allow cross-alliance adventuring.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 5 2016, 12:06 AM

Well that's good news, because I don't like the idea of asking questions of the zone, given some of the comments I've seen on here. So I'd rather ping friends and ask them, regardless of whether they're in the same zone as me. At this point I don't feel quite ready to adventure in a group dungeon - I can barely manage combat on my own!

Posted by: Acadian Sep 5 2016, 12:21 AM

In game you can access help from up top of any of the menus (like character, skills, inventory, journal etc) or its default key is F1. The in game help ability is not bad but not terribly in depth. What is nice though is that in a constantly changing world, it is always accurate/up to date.

I hear you about the confusion. ESO is my first online game evah also.

You have to be on the same platform/server as your friends. I'm betting you (like me) are on the PC North America server.

Post your user name and character name here. That way I can try to send you a friend request.

My user name is AcadianPaladin and the active version of Buffy is Buffy the Small. tongue.gif

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 5 2016, 12:25 AM

Thanks, Acadian!

Yes, I'm on the PC/Mac North American server here.

Hauteecole.Rider2016 is my handle, and Julian of Anvil is my Desert Storm character. From behind she looks like she is wearing the desert BDUs worn in the first Desert Storm . . . Figures!

I'll try sending you one, too. We ought to connect somehow . . .

I'm in Daggerfall right now but not finding any crafting squirrels . . .

Posted by: mALX Sep 5 2016, 12:50 AM

QUOTE(haute ecole rider @ Sep 4 2016, 06:53 PM) *

Thanks, mALX. Do you have to be in the same zone to become friends in the game?

First MMO evah. Totally new to the entire group/multiplayer thing. Would like to check it out at least once before I decide.

First impressions is wow, is Daggerfall busy! It's the first place I've reached where my ancient Mac started lagging. Up until then it is running great.

And that chaotic busy-ness is the biggest detraction for me. It's difficult to keep up with everything. I'm trying to figure out chat so I can filter out the zone chat - it's just too much going on there, and a lot of it is, well, crap.


Time zones don't make a difference except whether the other person may or may not be online at the same time. (example: I play with a girl who lives in Australia; another woman in Oregon; and a guy who lives up by Treydoggie. We have worked it out that the best time for all of us was to begin at what (to me in Eastern Standard Time is just before Midnight). As people get tired or having to go to bed in the US; we are dropping off about the time the girl in Australia is getting off to make her tea.

So it is a workaround for different time zones, but doable.

I'm a bit lost on the zone thing, but group chat when clearing a dungeon with friends you are grouped with:

Type the "Forward Slash;" "G" (for group); (Space) ( / ) - that sets you into the group chat for the group you have joined. Your type will turn orange; and only those in your group will see those posts on the chat box. After your chat box offers the orange color, you no longer put the "Forward Slash" ( / ) in, just bring up the chat box and click in the typing area.

To talk to just one person and no one else see what you are saying, you have to "Whisper" to them. The type turns blue for whispers; and they just go between you and that one person - no one else can see them. There are numerous ways to whisper to someone. If they are in the chatbox talking; just double-clicking on their name (in front of one of their posts) will set you to whispering to them.

To whisper to someone nearby you can mouse over their character or get close to them and press "F" to bring up a wheel of choices in how you want to interact with them. (Whisper; Trade With; Invite to Group; Report Player; etc)

If you want to whisper to a friend on your friends list, just bring up your friends list (I click on "I" for Inventory; then click on the "Friends" Icon at the top of the screen). Right click on the name of the friend you want to whisper to. A drop down list will appear (Send Mail; Send Whisper; Invite to Group; Travel to Player; etc) = just click on the one you want.

To talk to everyone out there in your current Alliance area (like if you are needing help in a dungeon) - Click on "Forward Slash;" type in the word "Say;" (space) then just type what you want to say. ( /say )

If you get stuck wedged between rocks or something, type in /stuck

The game will move your character to the nearest wayshrine and charge you for it. If you haven't got enough money the game will take it from your bank.

If you want to get unstuck for free = find a friend in your Alliance or if you are a member of any guilds - anyone in your Alliance from any of the Guilds you are the member = Right click on the Players name (that is in your Alliance territory at the time); choose "Travel to Player" = the game will move you for free to the nearest wayshrine to them! Then you can just activate the wayshrine and go wherever you want to from there.

Also; you can get your character to play out animations using your chatbox. Type the "Forward Slash" and the command you want your character to do; enter.

/sit
/eat
/sleep
/wave
/drink
/cry

(etc) = there are like 285 emotes your character can do!



** Oh = there is no way to filter out the BS on your chatbox; but what you can do is to find in "Escape;" l "Settings;" "Social;" - somewhere in there is a way to get your chatbox to disappear until you hit some key to toggle it up. I use that; and it stays off till I hit any command key for the display. (in other words; it doesn't show up for walking; horse; etc; but does show up if I hit "I" (for Inventory); or "C" (for Character); etc.





Posted by: Acadian Sep 5 2016, 12:50 AM

Very good! I did get your friend request in the game and accepted so it should be easier to talk in game now. Buffy's L22 and deep in Valenwood. She's a no melee Bosmer bow sorceress and doing pretty well.

Posted by: mALX Sep 5 2016, 01:16 AM

QUOTE(haute ecole rider @ Sep 4 2016, 06:53 PM) *

First MMO evah. Totally new to the entire group/multiplayer thing.



Same here, I never played one before either - I am loving this game, though; pretty much hooked on the fun of meeting friends in game and playing with them; and this game is awesome enough for solo play to be fun too!

In Daggerfall I've got two Nightblades; one is a male Redguard named Bubba Khan; the other is a female Imperial named Calia of Daggerfall. Both live in the bank and only appear long enough to withdraw/deposit/or research items.

I have characters in all the Alliances that I brought up to level 11-15; then retired them to become mules in the bank. The only two I've continued to play is Misa of Ebonheart (and Calia Lia of the Aldmeri just came out of retirement to play with Buffy!!!)




QUOTE(haute ecole rider @ Sep 4 2016, 07:25 PM) *

I'm in Daggerfall right now but not finding any crafting squirrels . . .



I can make you armor and weapons at lower levels; just spent skill points to up my knowledge to make Buffy's latest armor (so can now craft up to level 26).

Just tell me what you prefer to use and I'll make it (light; medium; heavy; swords; axes; bows; greatswords; etc).

When it is done I'll send it to you via PM in game or we can meet and "Trade" (Trading is free; mailing takes several posts and costs money per each post).




Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 5 2016, 01:37 AM

@mALX: thanks for the tips regarding chat. I wish I had seen this sooner, it took me a while to figure out how to make the emotes work. Then I had to figure out how to go back to regular chat.

I did turn off zone chat, so now things are a lot quieter in the chat box. I'm not yet sure how to make it slide out of the way, so it comes out only when I need it. I noticed sometimes it does not show the text chat, just the icons for mail, friends, and notifications, and that's what I'm working on right now.

@Acadian: I see you in my Contacts now! And tell Buffy the Small I said thanks for the lockpicks! Picking locks, which was always easy in Oblivion and Skyrim, is driving us nuts here in ESO! Slow fingers, slow reflexes! Ugh! I haven't yet to pick an easy lock, so the picks will come in handy for sure.

@all: thanks for the encouragement. Julian is playing as a Nightblade because she is always so cautious and favors to sneak up on things rather than charging through dungeons. One thing that was tough for us to get used to is to KEEP MOVING! We can't stop and watch the scenery - enemies tend to re spawn right behind us and we have to fight them all over again. That is one thing that is tough getting used to. On the other hand, to go along with the reduced range of the bow (yes, Acadian, we noticed that too), the enemies have a greatly reduced detection range. It's quite ridiculous, really.

We have figured out how to fish! Now we need a Fishy Stick recipe to make Fishy Sticks!

@mALX: I just saw your last post - you must have replied while I was composing my response to your earlier post.

I've been playing the game later at night, up until 1 am before I tear myself away. Not good for my sleep (as most days I have to be up by 7 am) and I'm feeling the effects now. OTOH, I am enjoying learning new ways to play, as this game is challenging on so many levels. Not just learning new ways to do the same old, but trying out new strategies as well.

I do find roleplaying more difficult here, but as I'm still feeling my way, I might retire Julian eventually and start again with a more lore-friendly character. I already have a few names picked out that follow the same theme as Julian's - only more Second-Era appropriate.

Right now I'm pretty good - currently I have medium armor in the Level 8-9 range, though my Rawhide Helmet is Level 12 (I'm at 13). I have a sword and axe at Level 14 that I want to use once I level up. The only thing I can think of is a shield, but I currently have a Bastion of the Dragon at level 10, so it's not too bad. Currently Julian is exploring with a two-handed level 9 axe (Lion Guard's Pride), but wants to go back to sword and board.

As I don't know your account name, I'm not sure how to send you a friend request. Send me one when you get a chance and we'll talk about meeting up to trade in Daggerfall!

Posted by: Grits Sep 5 2016, 02:14 AM

Hi, hautee! I’m on the PS4 NA server all alone, lol. Glad you’re enjoying the game! smile.gif

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 5 2016, 04:13 PM

Thank you, Grits!

I'm happy to report that my ESO character has two new friends!

Julian was accosted (in a nice way!) by Bubba, mALX's Redguard mule, in the Daggerfall Bank last night while she was trying to figure out what to deposit and what to withdraw. The storage restrictions are driving us nuts, and we were trying to decide whether or not to purchase more bank space, or a bag upgrade. Thanks to mALX's generosity, not only were we able to resolve that issue, but we also got a full suit of Level 14 enchanted armor that should help Julian work on her other skills.

As a Nightblade, she's been using her Siphoning skills pretty extensively - the drain Health at range is sometimes all she needs to take down enemies. She is not the melee-focused character she was in Oblvion, and her sneak skills are pretty good, too. It helps that the enemies' detect range is so ridiculously short.

Julian got complimented on her Desert Storm Redguard armor - it's just a basic medium Rawhide armor set, unenchanted (as we haven't figured that one out yet), dyed in desert colors (think sand and dirt). From behind, it really does look like the coolgrin.gifU's worn by the US military in Desert Storm. Anyway, she was still Level 13 when mALX gave her the armor, but shortly after that, she leveled up and was able to try on mALX's gear. It's Breton style, not Redguard, but we don't care. She looks good either way! We did dye it in Desert Storm colors, as Julian and I decided that was definitely her style.

I've got to hurry and head off to work today. But I have a short day, so should be able to post some screenies later tonight!

Posted by: hazmick Sep 5 2016, 04:57 PM

Great to see more people playing the game - and playing together at that!

Bag and bank space can be a hassle at first, and it's worth getting a few upgrades for it. The only thing you need to store in your bank is crafting items. The way the game gives out loot as quest rewards and random drops) means that you also don't need to carry too much extra gear with you, unless it's something you really want to wear.

Posted by: Grits Sep 6 2016, 11:59 AM

Oh how fun to meet Bubba in the bank! It sounds like Julian is off to a great start. The inventory crunch gets better as you earn more gold and can upgrade your bank, pack, and even train your riding skills at any stable once a day for increased pack space if you choose.

Posted by: mirocu Sep 6 2016, 12:10 PM

QUOTE(hazmick @ Sep 5 2016, 05:57 PM) *

Great to see more people playing the game - and playing together at that!

Although I´m a single player kind of raven, admittedly it´s kinda cool to imagine playing directly together with people from these boards biggrin.gif



But no, won´t happen anytime soon from my end wink.gif

Posted by: Acadian Sep 6 2016, 12:19 PM

But. . . but 'rocu. . . you don't need Steam to play it!

Actually what I like the most is that the sandbox is ever so much bigger than any single TES game and always changing. Oh, and having a whole staff of game techs to keep it running instead of trying to build and maintain a precarious mod/tweak/load order.

Posted by: mirocu Sep 6 2016, 02:02 PM

Don´t really have any kind of problems with the mods or anything, but I see your point smile.gif


The thing is, I only want one game to be my main game, preferrably anyway. In the olden days it was Star Wars: Rebellion, then it became Deus Ex for a few years. And after a brief playthrough of Doom 3 I found Oblivion which was like finding the Holy Grail and not only is that feeling still in me, it´s a neverending game and thus I can´t really ever see myself putting it down voluntarily. I don´t want to abandon Lothran´s game and I can´t re-create him in another game because that simply wouldn´t be him. That is why I have Karl in Morrowind and not Lothran.

Besides Oblivion I also keep Fallout 3 on an endless journey with Morrowind and Arena thrown in here and there. And there is also the matter of being off the grid. I love it when I´m here with all you guys but my need to be alone is still there and that means I want to game alone with me as the only real one in the game. It´s hard to explain.


Oh, come on. You all knew I was a weirdo when I signed up wink.gif

Posted by: mALX Sep 6 2016, 04:59 PM

QUOTE(hazmick @ Sep 5 2016, 11:57 AM) *

Great to see more people playing the game - and playing together at that!

Bag and bank space can be a hassle at first, and it's worth getting a few upgrades for it. The only thing you need to store in your bank is crafting items. The way the game gives out loot as quest rewards and random drops) means that you also don't need to carry too much extra gear with you, unless it's something you really want to wear.



I have looked for Haa-Rei, but he shot past Misa in levels so fast that he ended up in areas very quickly that she couldn't get to. verysad.gif


Are you on the PC?






Posted by: Grits Sep 6 2016, 05:34 PM

Acadian, the staggering size of this game is what drew me in. When I zoomed out on Jerric’s map and saw http://i.imgur.com/q3ygAMX.jpg?1, I knew he’d never let me leave until he’d walked over all of it. (That’s Coldharbour at 10 o’clock.)

I love that we have a group here who can meet in game. It’s a shame that my laptop is so creaky and fragile, I’d get ESO on PC just to hang out with you guys once in a while! Hug_emoticon.gif

Posted by: mALX Sep 6 2016, 05:46 PM

QUOTE(mirocu @ Sep 6 2016, 07:10 AM) *

QUOTE(hazmick @ Sep 5 2016, 05:57 PM) *

Great to see more people playing the game - and playing together at that!

Although I´m a single player kind of raven, admittedly it´s kinda cool to imagine playing directly together with people from these boards biggrin.gif



But no, won´t happen anytime soon from my end wink.gif



verysad.gif







QUOTE(Grits @ Sep 6 2016, 12:34 PM) *

Acadian, the staggering size of this game is what drew me in. When I zoomed out on Jerric’s map and saw http://i.imgur.com/q3ygAMX.jpg?1, I knew he’d never let me leave until he’d walked over all of it. (That’s Coldharbour at 10 o’clock.)

I love that we have a group here who can meet in game. It’s a shame that my laptop is so creaky and fragile, I’d get ESO on PC just to hang out with you guys once in a while! Hug_emoticon.gif



Now that you have played for a while - take another screenshot of that Tamriel map to see how much of that Jerric has seen so far! Misa's has the left and right filled up with Wayshrines; but the center is still open (possibly due to Cyrodiil only having two wayshrines she can access)

I so wish I could see Jerric fishing in game - I did look for him this past year, every time I saw a Nord guy fishing I went up and scanned for his name. It wasn't till just recently that I learned we couldn't play together from PC to console (or if I learned it before this, it didn't stick).






Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 6 2016, 05:49 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Sep 6 2016, 11:34 AM) *

Acadian, the staggering size of this game is what drew me in. When I zoomed out on Jerric’s map and saw http://i.imgur.com/q3ygAMX.jpg?1, I knew he’d never let me leave until he’d walked over all of it. (That’s Coldharbour at 10 o’clock.)

I love that we have a group here who can meet in game. It’s a shame that my laptop is so creaky and fragile, I’d get ESO on PC just to hang out with you guys once in a while! Hug_emoticon.gif


Come talk to me about Macs. ESO runs on Mac too, and though I haven't taken it out for a spin on the OS X side (my 2008 desktop Pro is currently in Win7 mode), I know that a good Mac lasts a long time.

Course, if you want a cheap mac, you won't be able to game on it. Gaming caliber laptops (the 15" MacBook Pro) starts at $2500, and the iMac version (27" Retina 5K) starts at $1800. My Mac Pro was 4K for the system back in 2008, and it's still the same today for the modern version. sad.gif

So, yes, they're expensive. That's the only problem with them. Sometimes it's just cheaper to build your own gaming rig, but then it's a Win box. indifferent.gif

Posted by: Grits Sep 6 2016, 06:01 PM

I’m afraid I have a very small budget for my own computer due to kid expenses. We’re staring down the barrel of the college years. It will be as long as possible before I replace my laptop, and by then I will hopefully be able to run SSE on whatever machine I get. Until then I just enjoy the screenshots with awesome mods and ultra settings from you guys! smile.gif

Posted by: Acadian Sep 6 2016, 06:35 PM

Well, Buffy's Skyrim puter broke a few weeks ago and the attempt to clone over Skyrim's precarious and tempermental mod-tweaked installation to a new gaming rig did not work. So. . . faced with the tedium of trying rebuild our mod load, replete with utilities and painstaking tweaks, ini settings etc I just couldn't muster the interest in doing that. Having been watching ESO for some time, I decided it was a great opportunity to give that a try and fell hard and fast in love. The bad news is no mods (except interface ones). The good news is the devs put so darn much thought into things that mods are arguably not required. Also even better news is that I now have a whole team at Zenimax dedicated to keeping my game running.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 6 2016, 06:37 PM

Ouch! I've been talking to parents a lot lately about college expenses - back in the day I thought 10 grand/year was outrageous. And that was for a private college!

I hear you about being on a tight budget. I bought my Mac Pro back when I had the $$ - if it fails today, I doubt I could even afford to replace it.

We'll just have to post a lot of screenies for you, then, Grits!

Posted by: Grits Sep 6 2016, 09:29 PM

Yikes, Acadian! That is real incentive to dive in and not look back. I’m so glad you and Buffy love this new version of Tamriel.

haute, thanks! I would love to see screenies when you guys get together. wub.gif

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 8 2016, 08:12 PM

Mazul is moseying around Daggerfall, working on her crafting, and completing her certs and writs in blacksmithing, woodworking and clothiering. She's already found a couple of Skyshards around Daggerfall, and is working on gathering maple and iron ore.

Recently she gained the ore/wood seeker perk, which causes the maple and the iron ores to glow when she comes close to them. It's especially helpful with the maple, which is hard to see in Glenumbra.

She and Julian have met up in the bank and started using the vault to transfer items. Julian has decided to work on provisioning, and Mazul will focus on blacksmithing and woodworking for now. Julian may also want to take on Alchemy, but at this point neither of them have started using potions much (come to think of it, I've never used potions all that much in all my games).

Julian found herself one of the Undaunted, but is wondering if that is a better fit for Mazul. At this point neither of them are ready for group dungeons, so the FG mission in Spindleclutch is on hold at the moment. She is part of the FG and the MG, and it looks like she is leaning more toward the MG quest line at this point.

Mazul has already had a couple of surprising interactions with other players. Acadian knows of the one on Stros M'Kai, where Mazul is strolling along Bzthark looking for the second focus crystal. Another player runs up, comes to a stop, then does kind of a herky-jerky dance around her. Then we get a blue message in the chat window. Took Mazul and me a few seconds to realize that this PC that is moving around so oddly in front of her is the one trying to talk to us. And the message was "How do you walk like that?"

Mazul bit back a sarcastic remark "You put one foot in front of the other, that's how." when I realized the other player was trying to figure out how to make his PC walk like Mazul. Mazul told him how I mapped a key to the Walk/Run toggle, and that I use the CAPS LOCK key for that. He (the PC) was like "Gee, thanks!" then just kind of stood there. I suspect the player was trying to figure out how to get to the controls. I noticed he was Level 17, while Mazul was still Level 3. Anyway, Mazul walked away, and I sent a final whisper "Have a nice day, sir."

And today Mazul was exploring the countryside around Daggerfall when an Elf whispered to us on the chat "Another RP'r?" Mazul nearly shook her head and muttered "Elves." But I said "no, not really. First time playing an Orc char, that's all." The Elf said "Cool, the name is pretty lore-friendly." Both Mazul and I were pleased by the compliment, Mazul because she has a real Orc name, ("Gods' Goolies!") and me that I could almost pass for a member of a certain group of players. Both of us said "thanks!"

So already I'm getting the feel for the chat and whispering and experiencing a couple of unexpected encounters with other folks. Pretty cool, huh?

Posted by: Grits Sep 8 2016, 09:45 PM

That’s neat, haute! I have had so few negative interactions with players that I can’t even think of one right now. Sounds like Julian’s team is coming along nicely. I’m glad you’re having fun in Stros M’Kai! Jerric travels there on fishing trips pretty regularly.

There’s a way to use a keyboard with the PS4, but I don’t have one. I’ve seen characters with talk bubbles above their heads roleplaying in Davon’s Watch. That would work better for me than having my lady voice coming out of Jerric’s mouth over the mic, lol.

Posted by: Lopov Oct 17 2019, 10:46 PM

I enjoyed reading through this thread, delving through your thoughts, impressions and occasional problems.

I've started playing ESO before 10 days and for now I clocked in 25 hours. I have a feeling that after every game session is over, I'm liking this game more and more.

As I told Renee the other day, I like it that you need to accept the game, for what it is. No mods whatsoever. This bothered me on the first and second day, because being used to mods, I wanted to change some things, but later on I was actually glad that I need to play the game as such and not preoccupy myself with mods.

Leveling up seemed overwhelming at first, but now I already like all the "numbers", because it's an approach more similar to my first DnD games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale.

Of course, the graphics are great, and the quests are interesting as well. Most quests for now seem very linear and ready for good-aligned characters only, which is okay for now, but it might make things difficult, if I wanted to roleplay someone evil - but I don't intend to do it anytime soon.

My biggest fear was that other players would bother me, but in fact they don't bother me at all. There are some places where I feel like I'm soloing and others, when there are so many of them around that the area feels crowded because of them, and it's a nice feel. Sometimes it slightly bothers me if there are too many of them in the same dungeon, but sometimes I wish more of them were around, especially if fighting some powerful foe. I only interacted with two gamers - one of them on the Bleakrock Isle asked me about sky shards and I revealed him their locations. Later on he asked me some more questions, but by now he already seems seasoned enough and doesn't ask me anything anymore. smile.gif The second interaction was when I got a message that I automatically declined a duel with some guy on the Bleakrock Isle. Oh, there was another, a silent interaction. Some guy and me teamed up together in a mine. We didn't talk or anything but it was obvious that we were doing it 'together' - he'd wait for me and I'd wait for him if any of us stayed behind. After we beat the boss and took some quest-related item, necessary to progress the quests, I played the "clap" animation on him, but he was already sprinting away, so I don't think he saw it.

My only 'down' moment was when my character got beaten over and over by the giant mudcrab at Stonefalls but then I didn't know that it's a boss-like creature and so I thought that I suck at fighting. An unpleasant thought, especially after being used to almost not dying in TES or Fallout. Apart from that mudcrab, my character died only three times. The first time on Bleakrock Isle, after I sent him against a group of bandits, feeling way too confident. The second time it was my wife's fault - she came in the living room and started talking just when I was in a middle of combat against some Convenant soldiers. I alt-tabbed out of the game, convinced that I stopped the game, and when I later alt-tabbed back in the game, I saw that we were beaten for good. The third time it was my fault, because I didn't yet understand how hotkeys work so my character got killed by some powerful ghost. Once revived, I knew how to use hotkeys, the ghost stood no chance. I had some close-to-death moments and there will be plenty more for sure.

Today it happened for the first time that I noticed that my character was in the same area as another player's character - Acadian's Buffy. It felt special, not knowing if we're very close or very apart. All in all, Grahtwood wasn't full of players, but I checked all which passed us, in case one of them would be Buffy.

The last thing - I have yet to meet another player beside me that's walking. I'm not walking always and everywhere, but I always walk inside towns and sometimes inside dungeons too. When on a horse, I sometimes let it walk or run, it depends. But I haven't yet met anyone else that'd walk.

I can see myself staying in the world of ESO for a long time.

Posted by: Acadian Oct 18 2019, 12:02 AM

Lopov, so glad you are enjoying ESO. You've been playing long enough now I think to get a feel for whether you like it or not and it's great that you do. I agree that there is a great deal to many aspects of it, including all the factors that go into cranking out solid damage while sustaining your resources and healthbar.

Buffy runs when on foot way more than walking but she quite often rides Superian at a walk.

Some of the quests have decision points that you have to choose. The choice you make usually does not have significant impact beyond roleplaying. Often it is when you capture the bad guy and your quest giver wants to kill them. You will often get a chance to basically say, 'Go for it!' or 'Nah, let's take him to the magistrate for justice instead of vengeance'.

Regarding world bosses (WB) (like that big mudcrab in Stonefalls), most of them have 1.8 million hitpoints. You should have your options set to show enemy healhbars to include how many hp they have - that is very helpful in knowing what you are facing. DLC WB tend to be notably harder than alliance zone WB. With time, practice and study, a fair number of high level experienced characters (like Buffy) can solo most of the alliance zone WBs but that took her a couple years, a couple thousand hours and many hundreds of champion points (CP), gold gear, etc to get there.

Posted by: mALX Oct 18 2019, 12:21 AM

QUOTE(Lopov @ Oct 17 2019, 05:46 PM) *

I enjoyed reading through this thread, delving through your thoughts, impressions and occasional problems.

I've started playing ESO before 10 days and for now I clocked in 25 hours. I have a feeling that after every game session is over, I'm liking this game more and more.

As I told Renee the other day, I like it that you need to accept the game, for what it is. No mods whatsoever. This bothered me on the first and second day, because being used to mods, I wanted to change some things, but later on I was actually glad that I need to play the game as such and not preoccupy myself with mods.

Leveling up seemed overwhelming at first, but now I already like all the "numbers", because it's an approach more similar to my first DnD games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale.

Of course, the graphics are great, and the quests are interesting as well. Most quests for now seem very linear and ready for good-aligned characters only, which is okay for now, but it might make things difficult, if I wanted to roleplay someone evil - but I don't intend to do it anytime soon.

My biggest fear was that other players would bother me, but in fact they don't bother me at all. There are some places where I feel like I'm soloing and others, when there are so many of them around that the area feels crowded because of them, and it's a nice feel. Sometimes it slightly bothers me if there are too many of them in the same dungeon, but sometimes I wish more of them were around, especially if fighting some powerful foe. I only interacted with two gamers - one of them on the Bleakrock Isle asked me about sky shards and I revealed him their locations. Later on he asked me some more questions, but by now he already seems seasoned enough and doesn't ask me anything anymore. smile.gif The second interaction was when I got a message that I automatically declined a duel with some guy on the Bleakrock Isle. Oh, there was another, a silent interaction. Some guy and me teamed up together in a mine. We didn't talk or anything but it was obvious that we were doing it 'together' - he'd wait for me and I'd wait for him if any of us stayed behind. After we beat the boss and took some quest-related item, necessary to progress the quests, I played the "clap" animation on him, but he was already sprinting away, so I don't think he saw it.

My only 'down' moment was when my character got beaten over and over by the giant mudcrab at Stonefalls but then I didn't know that it's a boss-like creature and so I thought that I suck at fighting. An unpleasant thought, especially after being used to almost not dying in TES or Fallout. Apart from that mudcrab, my character died only three times. The first time on Bleakrock Isle, after I sent him against a group of bandits, feeling way too confident. The second time it was my wife's fault - she came in the living room and started talking just when I was in a middle of combat against some Convenant soldiers. I alt-tabbed out of the game, convinced that I stopped the game, and when I later alt-tabbed back in the game, I saw that we were beaten for good. The third time it was my fault, because I didn't yet understand how hotkeys work so my character got killed by some powerful ghost. Once revived, I knew how to use hotkeys, the ghost stood no chance. I had some close-to-death moments and there will be plenty more for sure.

Today it happened for the first time that I noticed that my character was in the same area as another player's character - Acadian's Buffy. It felt special, not knowing if we're very close or very apart. All in all, Grahtwood wasn't full of players, but I checked all which passed us, in case one of them would be Buffy.

The last thing - I have yet to meet another player beside me that's walking. I'm not walking always and everywhere, but I always walk inside towns and sometimes inside dungeons too. When on a horse, I sometimes let it walk or run, it depends. But I haven't yet met anyone else that'd walk.

I can see myself staying in the world of ESO for a long time.


The walking in this game is usually done when someone is roleplaying the game. I have my "walk" toggled to the number 7 key so I can run when busy or in a group (to keep up with them) - or walk when relaxing and just immersing myself into the game; the quest I'm on, (etc).

QUOTE

Oh, there was another, a silent interaction. Some guy and me teamed up together in a mine. We didn't talk or anything but it was obvious that we were doing it 'together' - he'd wait for me and I'd wait for him if any of us stayed behind.


This happens A LOT in this game; two people just helping each other through a dungeon. Usually an older and more experienced Player who sees a younger Player will stick with them to keep them healed; shield them; or help them beat the bosses; etc. That right there is what made me love this game when I first started playing it.

I usually do the /cheer emote after beating a boss; but I'm usually not fast enough typing it for the others to hear it, lol.

Another thing I loved that you mentioned was knowing a friend was in the same Province as you; and wondering if you might see them. It was so surprising to me that I actually recognized Grits's Jerric on sight one day when we were both crafting in Davon's Watch; and once I was in the Bank in Daggerfall and saw Haute's Julian walk in = and recognized her right away! I guess we have known each other's characters so long that they really are familiar to us!

If you ever want to play an evil character; what a lot of people do is to raise them up without the questing; just adventuring to get all the locations on their map and build up their skills. They can put skill points into "Ledgerdomain" to increase their thieving and pick-pocketing skills. They can hang out in the "Outlaw's Refuges" in every major town = places that abound with thieving/murdering types.

You can become a Vampire or a Werewolf if you want; or if you just want to be a drunken bum you can use an add-on (mod) to make your character act drunk; walk drunk; dance drunk; belch and puke a lot; etc.

Also; later on if you get the Plus membership or buy these DLC = you can join the Dark Brotherhood and get the "Blade of Woe," or join the Thieves Guild, or become a Necromancer with Elsweyr.

It is good to go through the game first and see what parts of it you will want to embrace for the type of character you want to make.

Also; don't ever discount the idea that a "good character" can get discouraged (or some other reason) and "turn bad." = that way they are already built up; and you know more about what you want out of them or what they are capable of.






Posted by: Lopov Oct 18 2019, 07:36 AM

QUOTE(Acadian @ Oct 18 2019, 01:02 AM) *
Some of the quests have decision points that you have to choose. The choice you make usually does not have significant impact beyond roleplaying. Often it is when you capture the bad guy and your quest giver wants to kill them. You will often get a chance to basically say, 'Go for it!' or 'Nah, let's take him to the magistrate for justice instead of vengeance'.


Just after I made this post, I logged in to finish some quest and I was given a choice, whether to destroy some item or keep it.

QUOTE(mALX @ Oct 18 2019, 01:21 AM) *
Another thing I loved that you mentioned was knowing a friend was in the same Province as you; and wondering if you might see them. It was so surprising to me that I actually recognized Grits's Jerric on sight one day when we were both crafting in Davon's Watch; and once I was in the Bank in Daggerfall and saw Haute's Julian walk in = and recognized her right away! I guess we have known each other's characters so long that they really are familiar to us!


It'll happen to me in the future, I'm sure of it. I wouldn't recognize all of them by looks, but by name definitely.

Posted by: Renee Oct 31 2019, 01:40 PM

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

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. blink.gif

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. santaclaus.gif

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. panic.gif 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. nono.gif

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. smile.gif 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!


Posted by: RaderOfTheLostArk Oct 31 2019, 03:17 PM

Renee, you're in the game now??? Although it sounds like you actually have tried it before, but I was under the impression you had never played it before. Did I just forget?

In any case, welcome! You should join our guild meeting tomorrow if you can make it.

Posted by: Renee Oct 31 2019, 04:57 PM

QUOTE(RaderOfTheLostArk @ Oct 31 2019, 10:17 AM) *

Renee, you're in the game now???


Yes! I bought the game back in April or May. But only got stuff configured (finally) yesterday, though believe me I've been trying to get my controller set up all summer, here and there. smile.gif

Tomorrow is Halloween and so that means I'll be busy with that. My child is 16 now. She no longer gets dressed up, but I still have to participate with the neighborhood watch and so on. emot-ninja1.gif But believe me, I'm wanting to play tomorrow, hardcore! Maybe if y'all are still in your meeting after 10 pm or so...

Posted by: Acadian Oct 31 2019, 05:25 PM

By my clock, today is Halloween - Thursday, October 31. Perhaps you and your daughter are celebrating tomorrow (Fri) so it is not a school night?) Guild meeting is tomorrow at 5PM CST (Maryland time, lol). More info about the guild and such in the Guild Discussion thread in this same subforum.

Posted by: mALX Oct 31 2019, 05:52 PM

QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 31 2019, 08:40 AM) *

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

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. blink.gif

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. santaclaus.gif

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. panic.gif 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. nono.gif

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. smile.gif 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! )





Posted by: Renee Oct 31 2019, 05:55 PM

Ha yeah, you're right Acadian. Tomorrow is my birthday. cake.gif 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. smile.gif

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.

Posted by: mALX Oct 31 2019, 06:01 PM

QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 31 2019, 12:55 PM) *

Ha yeah, you're right Acadian. Tomorrow is my birthday. cake.gif 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. smile.gif

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.




Posted by: Renee Oct 31 2019, 06:03 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Oct 31 2019, 12:52 PM) *

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. laugh.gif In fact I figured a lot of RPers do this!

QUOTE
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. smile.gif 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.


Posted by: mALX Oct 31 2019, 06:14 PM

QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 31 2019, 01:03 PM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Oct 31 2019, 12:52 PM) *

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. laugh.gif In fact I figured a lot of RPers do this!

QUOTE
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. smile.gif 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.





Posted by: Renee Oct 31 2019, 06:48 PM

Awesome, thanks, Miss Alienware. smile.gif

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


Posted by: mALX Oct 31 2019, 06:56 PM

QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 31 2019, 01:48 PM) *

Awesome, thanks, Miss Alienware. smile.gif

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



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





Posted by: ghastley Oct 31 2019, 07:11 PM

QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 31 2019, 01:03 PM) *

Yes I already got this configured. Basically if I hold down my right joystick it turns off the entire HUD. smile.gif 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.

Posted by: Lopov Nov 1 2019, 10:58 AM

Welcome, Renee! goodjob.gif

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

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.

Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)