14 DAY TRIAL // The Elder Scrolls Online is currently in playable state, but a number of those who have tried it out have complained about missing the organic nature that characterized the single-player titles in the series, especially Skyrim.
Peter Sage, the creative director at ZeniMax Online, says that his team wants to stick to the separation between players and NPCs that’s traditional in the MMO world, but that it might expand gamer roles after the title is out.
The developer tells Rock, Paper, Shotgun that, “there have been a couple of times where people have said, ‘Oh, it’s a great idea just to have no NPCs in the world and let it all be players.’ It fell flat. So I know better. I’m a little wiser now. I don’t think that’s actually what we want for the game.”
The Elder Scrolls Online will aim to increase the dynamic element of the MMO by creating an engine that can bring side quests for characters based on their past experiences and the state of the game world.
At the same time, the team makes situations where gamers have choices based on their interests and their general approach to the character they are role playing.
Sage adds, “Yes, they’re scripted in the sense that we created them, but they feel very dynamic in the world. You’ll just run across the world and see someone getting mugged or committing a ritual, and somebody else may not see it at all depending on how you handle the outcome.”
The Elder Scrolls Online takes all those interested one thousand years before the events of Skyrim and allows them to choose from three factions and a variety of races before heading out into a world where monsters and players are equally dangerous.
The MMO will be launched on the PC during this year.