Well, more information is slowly coming out about TESO, so I
am wondering if I should start writing this more as a blog towards TESO.
Probably not, for now, since just posting random speculation is pointless as it
serves no real purpose other than making conjecture and non-sense about
something we know exceptionally little about other than personal accounts of a
private screening several months ago. However, there is probably one thing I
think that should be touched on with this blog concerning the expectations and
the divisionary line between a normal, single player gamer and an MMO player,
and the obvious lines of difference between the games.
Why I am writing this is more or less aimed at the crowd of
people that undoubtedly have a certain expectation of what they think TESO will
be like, and quite frankly, some of those expectations are a tad ludicrous.
This is not to say that I don’t have certain expectations of my own as well, I
most certainly do, but there are certain things that just won’t translate well
into a field where many people will be playing in the same area. Certain
things, for instance, just won’t be acceptable, no matter how it is attempted
to be justified in the grand scheme of an MMO.
One of the biggest hot topic debates is, of course, the
first person view debate. Now, first person view is a great little thing… for
single player title games where it works at. Why? Because a game built around
single player is designed and constructed where the player only has to deal
with those elements immediately near them and most often within their field of
view and control. Some may argue to the contrary but even things at range are
carefully designed so that players can still see them. In an MMO this is not
the case, especially with big complex boss battles. Things are happening that
the player needs to be aware of to keep ahead of the curve on because things
that happen don’t always just happen with the boss themselves. Sometimes it
might actually be the environment that you need to be aware of, and first
person perspective just doesn’t offer this. Furthermore, first person is just
plain inferior for basic surveillance. Yea, the argument is for immersion but
really, first person has its place, and it can help with immersion, but it
certainly doesn’t make feeling a part of the game any stronger since the hands
you see are still not your own.
Another thing that’s come up is pick pocketing. This was a
debate in MMOs since the days of UO when pick pocketing was allowed, but suffice
it to say, regardless of player intent, eventually everyone is pretty much a
thief by the end of their game play session in a TES game. You could have started
out with the idea of being a noble knight, but by the end of the game you’re
probably a skilled larcenist with at least several high profile assassinations
under your belt as well. Needless to say, there is just no way to balance this
in a multiplayer stage setting. Most people that think taking from other
players think it would be cool and fun, but fail to realize that they can have
their stuff taken in turn. And most of the times, when people think of pick
pocketing, they do not think of it happening to them, only them doing it to
others. And pick pocketing from monsters
would either end up being useless and underwhelming or so lucrative that it’s
all people will do so there is no real way to balance it reliably within the
scope of an MMO.
That brings up another thought in general, something single
player gamers never really think about anyways; balance. Single player gamers
have options, a lot of them. In fact, you would probably be hard pressed to find
a single player gamer who hasn’t used a mod, console command or altered save
files to better suit their play style. Hell, even quick save and quick load are
things that single player gamers take for granted to remove unfavorable things
that happen to restore lost items. In an MMO these options won’t exist. When
you die, any items you used will be lost and any progress you made will have to
be redone to a point. You won’t be able to call up a console command, alter
save states, or install a mod that changes things to suit your play style. And
there is no quick save or quick load. What happened, happened, and the
consequences of your action are more readily apparent.
Finally, another thing that single player gamers, a major
thing, that they might have to contend with is the fact that when things happen
in an MMO, it’s usually with other players. This means that bad blood you form
won’t be forgotten because you left town like is so often the case in Skyrim.
If a player hates you, they will remember you and probably hate you for a
while. Furthermore, you have a chance to lose in an MMO. Single player games
just make things rather simplistic, defeat is just a quick load away from
correction while defeat in an MMO has more tangible effects. This can range
from death penalties, repair costs, to just respawn points at a distance away
from where you were.
There are way more things of course but I think those are
the major things to look at. I know this was sort of a random, jumbled mess,
and somewhat incoherent, but I figured I would try to put two cents in on each
of those topics. Next blog I think I will make a part two to my last blog post
because after I wrote that I realized there was a hell of a lot more objects
that would actually make me completely interested in TESO and a staunch player
of it if it happened.
Leave a comment below, have fun, and until next time.
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