ESO Director: ESO not an actual MMO

[Xuphor]

http://www.gamereactor.eu/news/78291/The Elder Scrolls Online - Game Director Interview/
If you didn't know: ESO = The Elder Scrolls Online.

This is more a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game than an MMO. [You'll see] very limited UI, nice and clean, not a lot of bars.. the combat system is very much action-based. It's also soloable... you can solo almost the entire game. We wanted to get Elder Scrolls players who were unfamiliar with online games and MMO terms to get in, play, have fun and get introduced to the multiplayer aspects.

The Director of the game directly says it's more of an online multiplayer game rather than a MMO.

 

[Gahars]

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it isn't a duck. Don't be ridiculous!

 

[exangel]

After watching the first half of the video I can see why he says that though. I think they modeled this game online not just to give this game multiplayer options, but to facilitate server-side content and possibly easier/faster content development. For example, in-game limited-time events have long been a unique content addition that are rarely found outside of online games (I remember Christmas in Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast over 10 years ago), and it could also possibly to make DLC more vital to their customers. I haven't finished the video yet so I'm just speculating.

 

[gloweyjoey]

So it's not an MMO its a MO?

 

[Xuphor]

So it's not an MMO its a MO?

From what I'm hearing, it'll be more like Phantasy Star Online games. Basically, a very very small lobby area where people can meet up, but literally everything else in the game is instanced based.

Guild Wars 1 was also like this.
Some websites call it "Persistent Online Game", rather than MMO.

I might be wrong, I don't know.
For all I know, it's a Single Player game with a "Multiplayer" option at the main menu.

 

[Sterling]

There are very few Non-Instance based MMOs I'll play. I rather like the idea of central hubs, with NPC outlands. It makes gathering a party very easy, and resource hogging impossible.

 

[YayMii]

I thought they said ESO was going to require a subscription to play... I haven't seen any games that require monthly payment that aren't MMOs.

 

[FAST6191]

I thought they said ESO was going to require a subscription to play... I haven't seen any games that require monthly payment that aren't MMOs.

There are a few servers in multiplayer games that are subscription model though this is usually apart from the original game, there are quite a few games that sell you on a package and keep updating (it is quite popular in the phone/tablet world) and general software/site access has been sold on a subscription model for years now. I agree that it would be hard to sell a subscription model to any game that does not have MMO levels of content (though even those do things like the experience bonus for logging out to stop you blowing through everything quickly) but it need not be MMO in the traditional sense to pull it off.

 

[Subtle Demise]

So it's not an MMO just more always-online DRM bullshit like Diablows 3 and SimShitty. But I mean at least this game has some multiplayer element to it.

 

[FAST6191]

So it's not an MMO just more always-online DRM bullshit like Diablows 3 and SimShitty. But I mean at least this game has some multiplayer element to it.

They are certainly examples of how not to do things (maybe aside from Diablo 3) but I would still contend a game does not need to be the traditional mmo to benefit from require online to work in a capacity that is not DRM and actually needs a server to keep track of things.

 

[Subtle Demise]

Well Phantasy Star Online is a good example of an always-online model (used to have a subscription fee too but the latest addition to the series is now F2P) that works. Never tried Diablo 3, it could be good for all I know, but I was mostly just poking fun at it. Anyway, I'm a few beers in, maybe ESO could be fun, who knows, I'll probably never play it unless it goes free2play or buy2play or some shit lol.

 

[pokefloote]

So basically like Borderlands. I'm in.