E3 2012: The Elder Scrolls Online preview
Elder Scrolls fans rejoice! The world of Elder Scrolls, the entirety of Tamriel, is coming to the world in a single playable persistent open-world game. It’s doing so in an MMO fashion, but also taking many of the RPG elements that make games like Oblivion and Skyrim so popular. And it does all of this for individual players, small teams, and full raid parties. Welcome to The Elder Scrolls Online. The game has secretly been in development for over five years by ZeniMax Online Studios, and has been formally announced before E3.
The Elder Scrolls Online is set for release in 2013 for PC and Mac. The game takes place 1,000 years prior to the events of Skyrim, during which time there are three major warring factions: The Aldmeri Dominion, which consists of Wood Elves, Dark Elves, and the Khajiit; the Daggerfall Covenant, which consists of Orcs, Redguard, and Bretons; and the Ebonheart Pact, which consists of Nords, Elves, and Argonians. Each faction is fighting for the rule of Tamriel, and to be emperor; players start with a choice of which faction to join.
After making that initial choice, the tale begins with the Daedric Prince Molag Bal stealing the player’s soul, which leads you to take it back and, according to Creative Director Paul Sage, save the world while on a quest to, literally, save your own soul. But remember, this is a fully persistent online world made for potentially millions of players, all seeking to gain their souls back and helping their factions win the crown, all while (in Elder Scrolls tradition) dungeon-hopping and looking for cool stuff.
If you aren’t familiar with Elder Scrolls titles, much of what you just read may sound like gibberish. That’s because Elder Scrolls games are very dense and detailed with lore, and they have been since the very start of the franchise back in 1994. The most recently released title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim shipped over 10 million units worldwide as of December 16 of last year, just over a month after its release. The series takes place on the continent of Tamriel, on the planet Nirn, where magic, dragons, multiple humanoid species, and a persistent medieval theme exist. In these RPG adventures, players are meant to explore the various regions that the games take place, with one common theme among all Elder Scrolls games: searching dungeons.
All of this is available in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO), but on a much larger scale. Skyrim fans who only started with the franchise on Bethesda’s most recent blockbuster success, and who complained about the lack of cooperative play, will be able to have a very similar and improved experience with ESO for three reasons: a very similar combat and character control system, access to many of the same areas of Tamriel available in previous titles, and the option to play with at least up to 200 people at once.
While Sage didn’t discuss controls specifically, he did laugh that ESO is no mouse-only MMO. Far from it, players who went through Skyrim on the PC will feel very comfortable with the simple yet fluid control mechanics, even if there are more options on the screen. Combat has been revamped to include multiple attacks, magic spells, dodging, and it’s all monitored and rewarded based on the level of skill displayed. Called internally the “finesse system", players who are smart during combat will not only level up faster and earn more experience points; they can also gain chests of loot after battles for such fine work.
Tamriel is completely open to players, albeit 1,000 years before the events of Skyrim, so the world will be very different. However, because so much of the Elder Scrolls games rely on ruins and dungeons, many of which have been around for ages, this shouldn’t pose any difficulty for players when it comes to the types of weapons and magic that are available in the game. Undoubtedly some spells from the series won’t be in ESO because they haven’t been made yet. However, with every part of Tamriel open for gameplay (note, this does not include Oblivion, which according to Elder Scrolls lore is in another dimension), there will be literally thousands of dungeons and ruins to explore, hundreds of cities across the nine “countries”, and a potentially unlimited number of quests to undertake.
One important element regarding quests that Sage stressed is that unlike many MMOs, ESO is not for group-only play. In fact the game is devised so that there are three types of dungeons: instant dungeons, raid dungeons, and public dungeons. Instant dungeons are intended for small teams of cooperative players, with at least two people, and they are ever-changing. Every time players go through an instant dungeon, part will be the same, but the second part will change and adapt to a number of different factors, from the number of players to their character levels and even to the time of day.
Raid dungeons are exactly what they sound like, massive and difficult quests made for large groups. These are made for raiding parties with up to 25 people, and are considered the most difficult part of ESO. Finally, public dungeons are dungeons available to anyone and everyone, where even solo players can traverse and explore without feeling overwhelmed.
Speaking of raids, plenty of MMOs have very different character castes, where one race is much better at one thing than another. Not so with ESO; “There are some differences between the different character-classes”, Sage said, “but those differences aren’t great. We want everyone to be able to have a similar experience so they can create one class and stick with it.” It’s unclear what the differences are between, say, a Nord and an Elf, but it does mean that differences between individual players will be more about the types of weapons, magicka, and armor they use instead of race.
Because of the level combat is so high, especially when compared to other MMOs, the developers have created intelligent enemy AI, smart enough to work together even if they aren’t part of a group against a common foe. One instance shown was with a thief, mage, and necromancer; the mage created a shield around the necromancer and himself while the thief immediately attacked with a knife, all while the necromancer fired charged electric bolts from safety. The beauty of the enemy AI is that it’s made to act in the same way as players would, by taking advantage of items or surroundings for combat. Throwing a flammable object and while someone else sets it on fire, or mixing water with electricity, or any sort of arrangement that would traditionally deal more damage…if you can do it, the AI can as well.
Witnessing combat one-on-one or between a single player and AI is just like watching a traditional adventure title. Throw in multiple players and it’s just as fast. After witnessing 200 players battle in all-out war, it’s safe to say that as chaotic as the whole ordeal is, it’s the closest thing to realistic combat in an MMO that I’ve ever seen.
Even with all this – the fully explorable world of Tamriel, hundreds of players on screen, thousands of quests – the entire game is fully voiced. Every character players interact with, every quest undertaken, starts with someone asking or telling players something, and it’s never just text. Additionally, the quests players complete can have an effect on the world, for them, which can change their playable missions or the characters in the game world. Both of these occurring on such a massive scale are impressive. Perhaps even more impressive is how ESO is made to run on 5-year old computers so anyone can play. Considering the high level of fidelity for both Oblivion and Skyrim, there’s no doubt that players will higher-performance computers will have a much richer visual experience with ESO. Then again, even if you’re running on an old beat up laptop from high school, you still won’t want to miss The Elder Scrolls Online just because of a junky old computer.
James Pikover
From E3 for DevilsMMO.com
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