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Elder Scrolls MMOG In Development?
Gamespot reports on the rumours swirling around the possibility of an Elder Scrolls Massively Multiplayer Online Game. They began when ZeniMax formed their very own Massive development company, ZeniMax Online. The company subsequently hired Matt Firor, formerly of EA Mythic, as its head. Now, the discussion online is centering on the registration of a URL that hints at big things to come for Bethesda's world. Pete Hines, spokesman for Bethesda, has a perfectly rational explanation: '"We are tired of people squatting on domains related to our games or simply not being able to get them if we needed them (note oblivion.com, fallout.com, and many others) and decided a while back we'd get these to keep it from happening again ... People are grabbing domains like these and trying to extract money from us for them, or using them for some other purpose.' Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus that the URL registration confirms the existence of an Elder Scrolls MMORPG. However, with others holding the Fallout and Star Trek MMORPG rights, the RPG franchise--famous for having MMORPG-size open worlds--is the only truly proven property in Bethesda's catalog."
I have played Morrowind and Oblivion as much as possible, doing every guild's quest, etc. etc. It'd definitely be cool to have more life in the Elder Scrolls games, and to have lots of people participating. On the other hand, it'd be a bit odd if every adventurer in the tavern has an unknown past, and was a prisoner set free for mysterious reasons on a one-person quest to save the world from evil. That's the back story to all these games, and I suppose that would have to change, because 20,000 people on a quest to rid the world from evil is a different dynamic, though it is certainly possible, especially if it involves a war with 2 sides, and plenty of co-mingling, as well as soldiering (think Imperial Legion quests with big parties). The idea definitely has potential as well as possible pitfalls.
...if they could pull it off correctly. TES games tend to have much more freedom than most MMOs. In MMOs you basically have a few choices no matter what class you are: grind, instance, quest, PvP, GvG, Raid, etc. In TES games you can do pretty much anything. A TES MMO would be perfect if you could: become a thief/bandit, a pickpocket, break into people's houses, buy/operate a shop, become a noble/politician, etc.
OTOH, TES games are good because they have more freedom than an MMO without all of the 12-year olds to piss you off, and without the need to find a guild to adventure with, and things like that.
Basically, I'd be interested in a TES MMO if it were pulled off with more of a TES spirit than YAWoWC (yet another world of warcraft clone).
Anyone else think the comments just weren't rendering right before they turned off ABP and saw ads?
"others holding the Fallout and Star Trek MMORPG rights, the [Elder Scrolls] is the only truly proven property in Bethesda's catalog."
This is just shoddy reporting. Bethesda is making Fallout 3. They have the rights. They are making the game. Why would you even say this?
Point 2: Grammar Nazism
"Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus that the URL registration confirms the existence of an Elder Scrolls MMORPG."
Is this really the level of editorial craftsmanship I have to look forward to when I check Slashdot? Zonk, I thank you for taking on your thankless role. I think you get too much shit from a community here that doesn't bother to appreciate your performance of a task most here would just as soon skip. Nevertheless, considering the volume of your readership, I don't think it's unreasonable for me or anyone else to expect some degree of technical competence in the copy when I check the site.
Even under the most liberal rules of English construction, I think it's fair to say that a colon following a question mark serves no point, is lazy, and its use will jar the reader. I am not harping on formal English. e.e. cummings and Cormac McCarthy got mad skillz, yo. I'm saying that for clarity of expression and the successful conveyance of ideas, this is an instance where adherence to traditional rules of punctuation would make sense. In the future, just use a question mark. You asked a question. The next sentence answers that question. No colon is required. Yay!
I'd like to take a stab at the bizarre non-sentence following your punctuational orgy, but the above paragraph made me tired. I'll be brief: a sentence consists of a subject and a verb. Again, this is not so that you can pay fealty to some draconian grammar overlord. It is for clarity of expression.
I'm funny. If you come see me perform, I will make you laugh.
Chaos..
If the MMORPG stays true to the actual Elder Scrolls games it's gonna be nothing but mass looting and murdering (that's assuming everybody plays the game the same as me though...)
Why buy that 1000 hp armor when you can just pick it up and make a run for it? If the shop keeper calls the guards you just bring up your friends list and get them to help you out.
I imagine though the Elder Scrolls folks will castrate those game play elements that made the game so much fun. So it'll be basically the same as every other MMORPG out there, just one big cash grab. I really didn't care too much about any of the characters in the game. It was more the element of YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO. Like if you wanted to go kill the king with you bare hands, knock yourself out. I just don't see that happening in any sort of online game. EVER.
I have nothing compelling to say
Given the littered battlefield of failed MMO's why do people keep dipping into this pool. I know WoW makes a ton of jack but has anyone else really made another winner like that recently? Isn't it possible that all the MMO geeks are full up and that the rest of the world isn't waiting for another MMO to jump into because the MMO experience doesn't appeal to them. Frankly they can keep tweaking the formula until Hades freezes over but the problem in MMO's is the first (M) because I don't want to play with the masses.
They really shine at single-player. Stick to what you do best!
There is NO economy, you can steal to your hearts content and amass a fortune without ever having to spend a dime. This is barely acceptable for a single player game, but in multiplayer it would simply be unworkable.
They would have to do a lot of work to turn say Oblivion into an MMO. For one thing, just how long it took them to develop it, huge land? My ass, it is tiny by MMO standards.
The thing about thinking of cool things for an MMO is to then try to fit them in the game, this includes thinking on how they affect the economy, how they can be exploited, and wether they are still fun to do after six months.
Take pickpocketing, how much loot should be dropped. If you are really good should be you be able to pickpocket the king? Instantly turning you superrich? Then how do we provide you with a money drain. Once you pickpocketed everyone, what do you do next? Won't this be out of balance with other players who have to form huge armies to storm the castle to get the same loot?
LOTRO has pickpocketing for burglars, one of the things they did was to give burglars a seperate loot table, so they would NOT be stealing the loot you get from the kill. Subtle detail, but can you imagine how other players would feel if all the mobs had been picked clean?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
If they, as everyone else has said, pull it off correctly. I somehow doubt it will be Oblivion-wit-other-peoplez, and that's probably a good thing. Bethesda has earned my respect, so I don't see why not, y'know?
Tell me something...it's still "We, the people"... right?
Where's a Mechwarrior mmog? Where's a Wing Commander MMO? How about a global conflict in which players have to choose sides and *stick* with it (or go the mercenary route)? How about tactical combat in lieu of "I clicked faster than you!"? How about masses of players working in unison to effect a global war?
Bethesda does not (currently) have the MMOG rights to the Fallout property--when they acquired the Fallout IP they licensed back MMOG rights to Interplay: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1057232/000117091807000324/0001170918-07-000324.txt.
Even under the most liberal rules of English construction, I think it's fair to say that a colon following a question mark serves no point, is lazy, and its use will jar the reader.Take it up with the individual who posted the blog entry that the summary was excerpting: http://www.gamespot.com/users/thorsen-ink/. The '?:' construct originated there. If you must have a reason to attack the summary, attack it for poorly structuring the excerpt of the blog entry such that the "Bogus or not bogus?" item seems to be part of the preceding quote from Pete Hines.
The graphics of Oblivion are so amazing it can make the game lag from now and then despite the fact it isn't even online.
Maybe your computer just sucks.
Oblivian was an MMO in size all on its own. From the skill tree, classes, races, Instances, pure size of zones. The biggest things i have all ways loved. Houses ! the ability to pick up an item for said place and put it any place you want in your own house is down right awesome. In morrowind i took over a small house in one of the starting cities and placed every candle i found in the house. Of all the MMO's i have played not one of them gave that kind of freedom. The ability to steal from NPC's and get busted for it made for great story line. Would be awesome if a fellow player had to bail you out if you did some thing really bad. The arena in oblivion was also a great idea but against an NPC was kinda short lived. If there was a actual champion that moved on and you was actually able to fight for cash would be great. There tends to be a slew of MMO's coming out right now. i have played most of them i could honestly say that if some one was looking for a true RPG style game play they would find it here and leave their cartoon world behind
As in Multplayer Online RPG, i.e. not Massive. The one thing I hated about TES:O was that the world felt so dead after playing years of various MMOs and just couldn't get into it (yes, yes, cast your stones this way), but I do realize that going massive would *destroy* TES as it currently stands. But why not a more limited, less massive, online RPG (more than 1 player but less than thousands)? That way you can preserve much (if not all) of what makes TES, well, TES but also allow a small army of players to complete some raid-style content and, when not doing that, go about their merry business doing the usual TES stuff. Your friends can also help you complete the regular quests and it'll give those that choose to be vampires someone 'living' to actually prey upon :)
I think Elder Scrolls is special for the nice it has found. If they do it a MMO, they'll just be tucked into the crowd of dozens and dozens of high fantasy MMO's. :-( I don't see what would make this game unique in that case. Surely not the setting anyway.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Horrible creatures.
Look, it's the hero of Kvatch!