First off I want to thank our wonderful leader, Foghladha, for getting me into this event!
I’ll talk about the game first and the event later, in case some people just want to know about gameplay.
GAME:
I should start by saying the game played much more closely to the single player games than I expected. From combat to movement to the world, I felt like I was playing skyrim with bite sized quests.
The npcs had great voice acting and the typical dialogue, with the option to fast forward by clicking on the next option or to leave the conversation at any time. The quests were much shorter than the overarching ones found in the single player games, but I was told there will still be the quest arcs just in smaller individual portions. There is a quest tracker via text and map highlighting. With multiple quests, I found that often there were portions that overlapped, so you could venture out to quick action, though respawn was not fast enough to let you finish exclusively through double dipping.
The map also had the familiar black and white discovery icons, giving much more anticipation of getting there than the generic GW2 poi squares. Zones had distinct zone lines, yet there was no loading time! As you approach the border, the details of the world fade away except for what is right in front of you, then the world expands again as you hit the next area. Yet again does it make one feel like they are in skyrim as opposed to an mmo.
The details of the world are as intricate as you’d expect, though there aren’t candlesticks to swipe nor apples to clutter your inventory. The single best graphical detail is that neutral, friendly, kos indication is not done with a nameplate but instead with a colored aura surrounding the npc or enemy. This will allow immersive stereo 3D, especially in pvp!!
There were several different class archetypes to choose from, though skill leveling took place in the same manner. I didn’t gain a level in the time I played, so couldn’t verify if through skill level up or regular experience (and sadly forgot to ask).
Combat is also very similar to single player elder scrolls. You have a normal attack, strong attack, block, bash, and magical abilities / special attacks now on a hotbar. There are still separate magic and stamina bars. Combat is more active than the single player games, with enemies’ power up attacks now indicated with white comic style action lines. These attacks always hit for large damage, even 40% of my health on a character with heavy armor. It is imperative to block, get out of the way, cast a protective spell, or bash / interrupt with an ability. If you interrupt or block correctly, the enemy will be stunned and prone to your attack. Hitting with magic seemed to do extra damage. Hitting with a power up attack of your own knocks the enemy to the ground, prone to further assault.
Compared to Wildstar, which I also demo’d at PAX, this type of mechanic is much stricter in ESO. In Wildstar, standing in a frontal cone fire attack from a tough enemy really didn’t have much penalty as a warrior.
Multiple enemies are possible to confront at once, though it gets exponentially more difficult to manage, with power up attacks quickly depleting your stamina.
Stealth is not permanent, and it drains your stamina. I did not have high enough skill in the demo to tell if you could re enter stealth easily.
From what I played, I can tell that the single player experience in Elder Scrolls Onine will be enjoyable and not feel too different from previous offline versions.
The main questions left are: What will group play be like, in dungeons. Will there be raids? What will end game pve / character progression be like? How will all type of classes balance around the clear advantage of blocking against power up attacks (much easier to block than interrupt)?
EVENT:
Turning the corner on Columbus Avenue in central Boston, after a lovely walk through the commons, or main park, one comes across The Castle Meeting Place at Park Plaza. Towering into the skyline in its stone glory, one could see a line of gamers extending around the corner. Thankfully, with VIP reservation, I was able to skip to check in. Entering, one is not entering a modern meeting place but the ballroom of castle. Vaulted ceiling echoes the rumble of a lively crowd, spread across picnic tables, congregation areas, and a large demo floor of computers. After showing my id and getting my wrist band, the next step was to wait in line to get my currency.
I was handed a pouch of minted metal coins, finished in a dull gold and marked with the sign of an ouroboros on both sides. This currency made a nice clink in one’s pouch but was required for services at the party, including playing the game demo. VIP members were exempt from paying and had a separate area with no time limit to test the game, however. I was given about 20 coins, though I can’t say how many the average partygoer was given, but someone mentioned only getting six later into the party.
Coat and fur check cost 1 coin.
Food cost 2 coins, with a bratwurst, curly fries, and crackerjack popcorn available.
Beer cost 2 coins.
Gameplay demo cost 1 coin, timed for 15 minutes, and you waited in line while watching a tutorial.
Pictures cost 1 coin.
I was also given a free elder scrolls online t shirt with my coins. I then checked my coat and got a complimentary mixed drink for myself and my friend, then headed out to observe the party.
All demo stations were full up and had lines, so I went exploring. Past the picnic tables and beer garden was an open area with a live band playing music very similar to the game’s beautiful score but closer to ye olde party music.
Close to the musicians were hired character actors running a mock casino / gambling tables. There were two types of games : dice blackjack and just rolling winner take all. In dice blackjack you bet against the dealer, taking rolls of two six sided die then choosing to roll again or stay, attempting to get as close to 21 as you could. Every player took turns then the dealer would go, and you won / lost based on if you beat the dealer. At another section of the tables were games against others.. a quick roll of two dice gave the highest roller every other player’s bet of 1-2 coins, first better choosing.
Why bet to get coins? Besides the services, you could purchase merchandise from a shop. There were pewter mugs and lesser collectibles, with the best item being a set of gaming headphones. I didn’t realize such good things were available, and they quickly ran out of merch, from people pooling or hurriedly spending their gambling winnings.
After refilling my drink, I got some food and sat down on the crowded picnic tables with my fellow party goers. There were many playing Magic or other similar cardgames, some playing handheld games against each other, and others yet playing DJ Hero. Everyone else was drinking and talking about the con, the party, or their experience with the game.
After sitting and talking for a while, as more and more gamers waited to play, I headed over the the picture area to get one taken. There were character actors in full costume taking pictures with party goers and a green screen photo section where you could customize your background. The costumed pictures were taken for promotion, and I’ve been unable to locate mine. The green screen ones you were able to upload to facebook for one coin.
I got another drink and waited for my chance to play the demo in the vip section, watching others and talking with the group surrounding the computers. Besides answering basic gameplay questions, Devs were talking about future plans with the game. Although they wouldn’t reveal exactly what type of content, they explained they multi months of content awaiting players after launch. One dev was also saying the goal was to focus more and more on player reaction to enemy combat.
I had my shot and played the game for 20-30 minutes, moving in a straight line on the map from my starting point, besides finishing some quick quests. I looked at my map when I ended and I had only made it about 7% of total linear distance, so the game is going to be as big as GW2 in terms of area at launch.
There were raffles announced every half hour, tickets purchased with 1 coin and prizes being coins or merchandise.
The party remained lively right up until the end, and they had to bounce everyone to get them out the door.
