shoddy-cast
Latest
Tamriel Infinium: Selling your wares in The Elder Scrolls Online
When it comes to the economy of MMOs, I usually run the other way. I admit that I'm not an economist, nor would I consider myself a crafter by any stretch. But I'm not completely ignorant of how important in-game trading is for the overall health of an MMO. If the auction house or player stores are consistently stocked, then there is an organic element to the larger game. I find that exciting, and despite my aversion to crafting, I do enough material-gathering and playing the trading game to appreciate the finer details of a healthy, growing game economy. Until recently, we have heard only bits and pieces of how the Elder Scrolls Online economy will work. Developers claim to have a robust crafting system, and given the history of the single-player Elder Scrolls games, I can accept that. But how do I get my wares into the hands of other players? Gameplay Designer Nick Konkle spoke to Shoddy Cast about that very thing. Surprisingly, he revealed quite a bit, and although it's a very interesting listen, I don't think any MMO has tried anything like it. I'm scared and very intrigued.
ESO interview dives deep into combat, rare weapons, and arenas
The folks over at ShoddyCast recently sat down with Nick Konkle, lead gameplay designer for The Elder Scrolls Online, and spent about an hour peppering him with questions about features, mechanics, and other cool stuff. Among the topics discussed? Why combat in ESO feels "floatier" than it does in other Elder Scrolls games, whether the game will see an arena or dueling system, and whether devout players can expect to see exceptionally rare and unique items. Also: horse armor. Konkle noted that the team at ZeniMax Online has been working on making combat feel more forceful and that the criticisms of the system were mostly aimed at earlier builds of the game. He was cagey on the subject of arenas, explaining that while an arena system may come via DLC or post-launch content, players shouldn't expect to see it on day one. As for rare items, Konkle explained endgame adventuring will present opportunities to claim very unique and rare items. The full video is worth the watch if you're excited or curious about ESO. Check it out after the break.
Tamriel Infinium: Audience expectations, Elder Scrolls Online, and EverQuest Next
Last week was a huge week for MMO fans. We were expecting some cool news from Sony Online Entertainment about EverQuest Next from SOE Live. Despite not being a huge EQ follower, I was enormously interested in what SOE (one of my personal favorite game developers and publishers) planned on doing with its staple franchise. Then Bethesda announced that for the first time ever the ZeniMax team would show in-game footage of the Elder Scrolls Online on Twitch TV. Specifically, players wanted to see the first-person view not seen at previous conventions. ZeniMax delivered, and the crowd went wild. I believe both presentations were wonderful, and I would be lying if I said that both presentations didn't pique my interest. I would also be lying if I said that I had no concerns about how each of the games will be received. I talked about it with my guild, Nefarious Intent. We have some hardcore Elder Scrolls fans and some MMOers who have been playing EQ games since the '90s. During the course of the debate, we came to the conclusion that the audience of each game expects something completely different and that pitting these two titles together is completely unfair. So of course that's why I have to do just that in today's column. Why are there different expectations between ESO and EQN? How is it going to be completely possible for both games to be highly successful?
