Thursday, May 30, 2013

Saturday, May 25, 2013

One month after our last journey, we lick one's wounds and took another contract. We should go to much safer place, far from any borders and alliances, just to meet innkeeper and take a bottle of special wine. The reason to hire a group of mercenaries was dictated by a small chance of bandit's assault along the way. We arrived to inn in time and without any troubles but innkeeper said that the wine was taken by another group day before us so there is no work for us anymore. A bit frustrated and surprised, we asked him is there any duties for mercenaries around this place. He pointed his finger to close hill and said that there is giant's cave there and if we will kill some of them, he will be very pleased. As soon as we got to place we saw a bunch of mercenaries like us, wandering around and seems looking for same giants. Was a pity to hear that all giants are killed long ago by some one else. But there was a gossips around that in cave far to east was a goblin's settlement and that they collected gold from robbed caravans for decades. Disappointed by two fail missions, we headed to cave in hope to get some gold coins from weak goblins. Shame but we spent about 4 days just to pass the guards. Settlement was surrounded by a border with watchmen, equipped with long bows, and goblin mages. Our last attempt was to make a some kind of catapult out from fallen tree to send me over the gates so I can kill the guards and we infiltrate the settlement. The landing was a bit hard but I succeed and open gates. We decided to pass some goblins and headed right to the treasury deep inside the cave. It was the fifth day since we heard of that place and seems there was no trace of other mercenaries inside. But to our regret all we found in strong steel chest was yellow mammoth tusk and steel blade.
Wasted week.

Well, what this all about? The main idea is that real life system will not work for MMO games. When we making something in real life, it's special things that can be done only by us: no one can go to school instead of us, no one can go to shop, to work, and wash our dishes. In MMO there is no such duties so all players can make all things. That's why quest places always overflooded by players, quest mobs killed as soon as possible and all of this looking quite unpleasant to lore part. In ES we have another situation. There is number of locations that can be explored, also in Skyrim there is random quests from inkeepers to kill something around and get gold. But to be honest, this false randomize and tonn of same-looking dangeons have same level of borinness as farm/grind quests in all MMORPG games. I bet that ESO will take a lot from Skyrim since it's last game that loved by all the players of school age (the main part of players). But tell me how many times you was excited in Skyrim? Yes, there was such places and events: first fight with dragon, Winterhold colledge and Blackreach. But what next? Goblins, bandits, caves, caves and caves, that can be passed within 10 min. Same quests, same duties. I have only one question: if all of this is boring, why not introduce something similar to real life? Why not to make duties available only for you? Why not make a professions like tailor or trader or something, and so players can become a professional, making useful thing for other players on professional base. I mean, for example, I'm armor crafter. Another players can ask in some kind of world chat to buy armor they need, or I can tell that want to sell armor that I made. Why not to make quests between players? One player come to me and ask to make him armor, so I receive quest, must collect some ingredients, make armor, get reward. Looking like more interesting and more "live". Or I can be trader, own my personal shop somewhere in Balmora, just sit there whenever I want and sell some goods for travelers, instead of boring and lifeless auction house. Also I'm pretty sure, that if players will be allowed to suggest their personal quests to game, amount of quests will be enormous and they will be much interesting than created by devs.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Tamriel Chronicle, Issue #8
Inflation in MMO games produced in 99% cases by expansions and increasing unbalance between player and NPC monsters. In example, we have end-level player with basic gear. He can pull up to 3 monsters at the time and kill them but after getting end-game gear he can pull up to 10 monsters that increasing gold income from killing for example 3.33 times. Also almost all expansions bring new content and farm activity in game which increase inflation too. By the way you must know that there is in human psychology to gather more money that he needs so inflation will always be happen, even if there will be a lot of "spending" activity. And about developers: it is their duty to make inflation bigger just to keep players in game to farm or increase money income to game. About Empreror's gear and so. I think amount of players that will race for the top places in game not that big enough to push inflation too high. 
As for me there is exist a lot of events or activities that can help inflation to stay low. First of all, 'wasting events' as I called them. Every random amount of days (20-40) in game starts fair that offer useful items of all kinds to players. This will low amount of gold in game and inflation plot will looks like saw, with slow increase areas and sharp fall regions. As system analyst I can say a lot about it but the main options here is to analyze average income of players of different categories and develop offers according to their demands based on average farm rate. A lot of work with databases.

Gathering and exploration breakdown
"Wow. How can so much goodness be contained in one 1:30 long video?"
Yeah, I was excited too to see such a many crap things without any useful notices in one video. Collectible items exist in all TES series so why they will be removed here? Yes, this is not common for MMORPG but this is ESO so why you excited? 
Fishing was in WoW. Cooking was in WoW. I don't know about you but in my guild with about 100 or smth (7 years left since that moment) I was only one who leveled both professions to max level. No one use that shit because the profit is too low. Still I don't know about TES but I never use cooking in any game because soup that gives you 1 Stamina regeneration point in comparison with any other sources of stamina is nothing. And I don't like to use things that gives nothing. Crafting...Again crafting. I hope they will make more potions useful since in Skyrim only useful potion was healing one, sometimes poison and that's all. All this resist lowering potions and other drain magica and so from enemies just useless because enemies died from one hit. Bonus resistance seems to be not working since dragon killing me in 4 sec if I stand under his breath - with or without potion +70% fire resistance. 
And finally tell more about gearing and spending-time activity. How many hour must we grind to find skyshards? How many hours we must farm to get end-game armor? Will be there any benefits (aka unbalance) for crafters (bound armor)? How you going to regulate inflation with all this respawn collectable items? And a lot more questions much more important.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The Tamriel Chronicle, Issue #7

Second poll results. Aldmeri Dominion. I'm really wonder why so many people going to play altmers. They are freaking ugly in all games in series -  yellow, high and arrogant and looking like Mongolians
It's the last race to play I will ever choose. From the other hand, in video like cinematic trailer, boobs of altmer girl made good boost for this race.
 Daggerfall Covenant. Redguards. Why so low percent? Because they not normal human race, they are...black. I have nothing against African but seems not all people thinks like me. And about race\class breakdown. Have your ever see 150 kg orc rogue or black mage? Yo bro! Ima fire pro! 

Ebonheart Pact. Well what to say? I will be argonian templar, rushing with two-hand sword in solo PvP, trying to reach Emperor throne and get a wife and own house. If you understand what I mean. Something like that 
Drakkenfan's Skyrim Art - Chorrol.com
About the rest of results. I don't think that standard deviation is small enough to say that there is some difference between alliances in PvE and PvP activity. Even more, activity are dynamic quantity so if less people interest in crafting - more people will become craftsmen, than again less people become craftsmen and so on. This theory know all about our world

Another interesting post was about gearing system. I sent question for developers about it but I think it will be left without answer. So WoW is WoW but the dynamically generated stats is so common that i saw it even in first Sacred or first Allod game in early 1999 or even earlier. So as for me there is no difference between statical stats and dynamical since in both cases you will go to forest, find strongest mob and grind it till you got the best drop you can ever get. More, it's fucking boring, much fucking boring, grinding one mob, hoping that he will drop that best of the best dps sword. Much better when you know for sure, which weapon and with which drop rate you can get from enemy. Another opportunity is to upgrade gear. It's like you got base armor and add some nice fancy things to it, making it more powerful. I can speak a lot about it, since i saw a lot of things, but in result we came to same thing - all got top armor/weapon and become bored because gearing is the CORE of any MMO. It's first wrong move of any developer. There must be same situation in ESO as it was in TES series when after 2 days of playing you can find daedric set and that's mean finish your gearing and focus on GAMEPLAY, focus on your skills, on world, on relations, on whatever but not on stupid grinding of mobs, killing, obtaining ingredients to upgrade items. Last time I launched Morrowind I found daedric dagger in canalisation within 5 min after start game. So make just 3 types of armor, make customised appearance and this enough, let people play not grind for new helmet for months.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Tamriel Chronicle, Issue #6

About the Emperor role. Did you think that ordinary man that just become the Emperor can have any significant abilities like fire rain or tactic improvements? It is just same man as it was, it's not Emperor in 7rd generation blessed with dragon blood or whatever, it's same man as you and me. So for me emperor must be just a buff-giver like +5% to gold obtained by alliance or something. No one developer will never give any significant power to a dumb player which are 99% of total amount of end-game hardcore players. Do not forget how easy to kill emperors in TES4 or TES5 - they are wearing cloth!!11 

About business system. Told so many things, so many polls. Will anything change from your polls, users? Don't be stupid! Business system will be such as to provide maximum income of money to developers. Only question is - will be there any things, available only for money, that will affect game process in huge manner? That the only question.


And the most interesting post with a lot of polls. The most useful post from all issues. So what we see here. Still about half of our community is dumb school boys, who like to lie. How that can be that almost all have experience in MMO games but two-handed weapons, restorations stuffs and tank class with heal (Templar) got lowest poll results from all? Are you fucking nuts? In PvP you will not be able to shoot with bow like in skyrim or dominate with your dual-wield weapons. There is no such game, only two hand axe can smash the enemies, only tanks and healers always valuable in games in parties (tank&healer is even better). 
The average amount of good players in game will be about 10%. This is that people who not decided race which they will play. Why? Because it's fucking doesn't matter which race to play, good players play the race that have best race skills and buffs.
Guilds and alliance preference. Bullshit same as before. Amount of players will be the same in all alliances, average deviation will be 5-10%. And strongest people will be in strongest guild. Just take it as it is.
Small/large group activity. Nothing new. No one like world PvP, no one like raids. The gold mean in "a bit of dungeons, a bit of zerging enemy with your guild, a bit of slacking in the forest". Most of people don't know anything but doing quests and failing dungeons. Just a loosers.
About interest poll. Why all talking about crafting? Is it so important? Is it only me who never craft anything in TES series because there is so many stuff around to put on you?  Exploration for fucks sake. Who this people whom not interesting in roleplay but interesting in exploration? What will you do in game? Printscreen trees on your way? Only thing I'm wonder is that why so little amount interested in achievements? No one wants to become emperor? What a shame, that means that large PvP areas will be empty. Sadness.

And a bit about that new video about Coldharbour. It's only closed beta but still why you making video using Morrovind textures and tree, and this mushrooms, and all the rest? This looks ugly as fuck!

Monday, May 6, 2013


Ask Us Anything: Variety Pack 4

So here another portion of stupid questions from some one who thinks that the multi player games created for lore-lovers. Bullshit! If you want to stare at the boobs of your beloved elf girl, go fap to single-player game. In the same place you can discuss about armor styles, housing, aged elfs and how will slavery works. What the same place? Rhinoceros ass! There is no place for such dumbasses in MMO who spending hours in activity that will not bring him to top of lists. This is kind of people who moan everydays in main city of the game, moan about how weak they are and try to buy new fucking outfit for their warrior troll. Will we see Tribunal - wanna fap on Almalexia boobs, sucker? Is there Dragonborn thuums in game - wanna compensate family violence in game by showing how strong is your cry? Only one fucking worth to ask question is about CC since it's very important part of PvP. No fucking questions about more profitable leveling quest lines, about gearing and armor improving, about why the fuck half of people wanna play assassin not the damn tankhealers class. How long will take PvP battles, will I be able to quit them without losing progress? And so many other questions, that are 10 times more important for gameplay than how the fuck looking your character. Enemy archer wouldn't looking how beautiful are you, he just blow up your stupid head with arrow.