Searched, didn't find anything, but lock if old.
Just saw this video over on Massively, and it gives some interesting insight into TESO, figured it was worth a share for anyone interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GqRfyfaY-Tg#!
For anyone interested but who doesn't want to sit through 10 minutes of (pleasant) b-roll game footage with voiceover, here's a rundown of what's said:
- "Immersive" story with lore continuity from TES console games
- Real time combat that gets rid of rotations
- Focus on making it a premium service, aka there's probably gonna be a subscription
- Exploration based content - tasks can be solved in a variety of ways and have choices
- 16 launch zones, each with a 4-player dungeon, and each dungeon having a max-level alternate version
- Enemies use synergies - e.g. one enemy lays down a tar that slows you, another can light it on fire
- Players also have synergies - e.g. one player uses the Nova skill, another player can interact with it to turn it into the Supernova skill
- Combat is similar to single player TES games - tap left mouse for a light attack, hold it for a heavy attack, hold right mouse to block.
- Also has double tap to dodge, a 5 slot skill bar, 1 slot for a consumable, and 1 slot for an ultimate skill
- Leveling up allows you to improve health, stamina, or magicka, like Skyrim
- Stat points can be respecced
- Abilities don't have cooldowns, but each ability uses a resource (martial abilities use stamina, magical use magicka)
- You can select skills from skill trees when you level up.
- Each tree has active and passive abilities
- Active abilities can be slotted in your skill bar, but you only have 5 slots so you have to make decisions as you accrue more and more abilities
- Initially, you'll only have 3 trees: Class, weapon, and armor.
- Each skill tree has subsections, for instance, the sorcerer class tree has dark magic, daedric summoning, and stormcalling skill lines.
- While you only start with 3 trees, around 15 total will be available at launch, including world (which has a vampire line), guild (as in mages/fighters/thieves), racial, alliance vs. alliance, etc.
- Skill points cannot be respecced, but players will have enough points to fill every tree.
- Items called Skyshards will be placed around the world, collecting 3 of them will grant you a skill point.
- Using skills ranks them up, and at rank 4 you get a morph choice that alters the way the skill works. The example given was a fireball that could either add AOE or sacrifice initial damage for increased damage over time.
- Morph choices can be respecced
- "Finesse" is a way of getting players to pay attention to the game.
- In combat, finesse will be rewarded based on well-timed blocks, accurate attacking, and skillful dodging.
- Finesse adds a positive modifier to experience and loot drops.
- Swinging your sword wildly means you won't get any finesse.
- There will be mounts in the game but they're not ready to talk about them.
- No player housing currently planned.
- Eliminating the holy trinity is not one of their goals.
- Healing spells are AOE/conal.
- Some skills may cause guards to attack you (vampirism?), but the devs won't discuss that because they want players to find out themselves.
- Mac OS supported at launch.
- Racial crafting styles exist.
- No dyeing system.
- No official controller support, but the game works well with a pad and free software.
- Full add-on support.
- Disguises are dropped by enemies and allow you to avoid being attack by certain enemy types.
I bolded the stuff that renewed my interest in the game a little bit. Real time combat should be standard in MMOs nowadays, and something I think will definitely be really enjoyable. I'm also in love with their class system. Not just the fact that you have so many choices between 15 different skill trees, but that they make you choose only 5 actives out of all of those trees. I hate playing an MMO, seeing another player, and knowing exactly what skills they have except for 3-4. With this, you'll never know what the other player is bringing to the fight, especially because there are no armor/skill restrictions.
No housing is a bummer, they haven't talked about PvP (although I'm sure it'll be a major component of the game) or crafting, and there hasn't been any real gameplay footage, but having a better idea of the uniqueish things they're trying to do class and combat-wise has definitely backed me off from saying this game is DOA, if only a little bit.
Edit: Just realized there was a companion interview for this video, gonna edit in some quotes:
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/19/the-elder-scrolls-online-interview-paul-sage/
There's a hands-on too, but it didn't really have anything unknown, other than some tidbits on questing and first person perspective being available at launch and looking really good in action.
Just saw this video over on Massively, and it gives some interesting insight into TESO, figured it was worth a share for anyone interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GqRfyfaY-Tg#!
For anyone interested but who doesn't want to sit through 10 minutes of (pleasant) b-roll game footage with voiceover, here's a rundown of what's said:
- "Immersive" story with lore continuity from TES console games
- Real time combat that gets rid of rotations
- Focus on making it a premium service, aka there's probably gonna be a subscription
- Exploration based content - tasks can be solved in a variety of ways and have choices
- 16 launch zones, each with a 4-player dungeon, and each dungeon having a max-level alternate version
- Enemies use synergies - e.g. one enemy lays down a tar that slows you, another can light it on fire
- Players also have synergies - e.g. one player uses the Nova skill, another player can interact with it to turn it into the Supernova skill
- Combat is similar to single player TES games - tap left mouse for a light attack, hold it for a heavy attack, hold right mouse to block.
- Also has double tap to dodge, a 5 slot skill bar, 1 slot for a consumable, and 1 slot for an ultimate skill
- Leveling up allows you to improve health, stamina, or magicka, like Skyrim
- Stat points can be respecced
- Abilities don't have cooldowns, but each ability uses a resource (martial abilities use stamina, magical use magicka)
- You can select skills from skill trees when you level up.
- Each tree has active and passive abilities
- Active abilities can be slotted in your skill bar, but you only have 5 slots so you have to make decisions as you accrue more and more abilities
- Initially, you'll only have 3 trees: Class, weapon, and armor.
- Each skill tree has subsections, for instance, the sorcerer class tree has dark magic, daedric summoning, and stormcalling skill lines.
- While you only start with 3 trees, around 15 total will be available at launch, including world (which has a vampire line), guild (as in mages/fighters/thieves), racial, alliance vs. alliance, etc.
- Skill points cannot be respecced, but players will have enough points to fill every tree.
- Items called Skyshards will be placed around the world, collecting 3 of them will grant you a skill point.
- Using skills ranks them up, and at rank 4 you get a morph choice that alters the way the skill works. The example given was a fireball that could either add AOE or sacrifice initial damage for increased damage over time.
- Morph choices can be respecced
- "Finesse" is a way of getting players to pay attention to the game.
- In combat, finesse will be rewarded based on well-timed blocks, accurate attacking, and skillful dodging.
- Finesse adds a positive modifier to experience and loot drops.
- Swinging your sword wildly means you won't get any finesse.
- There will be mounts in the game but they're not ready to talk about them.
- No player housing currently planned.
- Eliminating the holy trinity is not one of their goals.
- Healing spells are AOE/conal.
- Some skills may cause guards to attack you (vampirism?), but the devs won't discuss that because they want players to find out themselves.
- Mac OS supported at launch.
- Racial crafting styles exist.
- No dyeing system.
- No official controller support, but the game works well with a pad and free software.
- Full add-on support.
- Disguises are dropped by enemies and allow you to avoid being attack by certain enemy types.
I bolded the stuff that renewed my interest in the game a little bit. Real time combat should be standard in MMOs nowadays, and something I think will definitely be really enjoyable. I'm also in love with their class system. Not just the fact that you have so many choices between 15 different skill trees, but that they make you choose only 5 actives out of all of those trees. I hate playing an MMO, seeing another player, and knowing exactly what skills they have except for 3-4. With this, you'll never know what the other player is bringing to the fight, especially because there are no armor/skill restrictions.
No housing is a bummer, they haven't talked about PvP (although I'm sure it'll be a major component of the game) or crafting, and there hasn't been any real gameplay footage, but having a better idea of the uniqueish things they're trying to do class and combat-wise has definitely backed me off from saying this game is DOA, if only a little bit.
Edit: Just realized there was a companion interview for this video, gonna edit in some quotes:
I asked Sage to describe ZeniMax's strategy for keeping players occupied once they hit the level cap at 50. His reply included four main activities: questing in enemy alliance zones, four-player dungeons, adventure zones, and the PvP alliance war in Cyrodiil.
The last pillar in ESO's endgame is the Alliance War, which is designed with the PvP player in mind. Players of all three factions will meet in Cyrodiil (a zone roughly nine times the size of a normal map) to wrestle over keeps, resources, and bragging rights.
I was able to witness a live demonstration of a keep assault in Cyrodiil, and it looked incredible. Trebuchets launched huge boulders at the fortress while defenders scurried along its walls in an attempt to pour boiling oil down upon the manned battering rams. The Q&A team was engaged in a 30v30 skirmish that ran with smooth frame rates, and we got to see the carnage that ensues once a keep wall is breached.
While keep sieges can involve hundreds of players, Sage stressed that there were also activities in the Alliance War geared toward small groups or even solo players. Smaller parties can snipe any enemies that lag behind or wander too far from larger battles. There are also small goals like overtaking enemy farms and mines to secure resources for your alliance.
Sage emphasized that ZeniMax built ESO with the goal to have 200 players on the screen at once without performance issues or culling. He told me that testing on minimum spec machines has proven that it can be done and that ZeniMax is extremely focused on metrics and getting this right. Given studio head Matt Firor's Dark Age of Camelot pedigree, it's easy to see the source of that confidence.
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/19/the-elder-scrolls-online-interview-paul-sage/
There's a hands-on too, but it didn't really have anything unknown, other than some tidbits on questing and first person perspective being available at launch and looking really good in action.