14 DAY TRIAL // The Elder Scrolls Online, the new MMO from ZeniMax Online and Bethesda, will take every step to reward players for in-game action and will avoid the current trend in multiplayer games of punishing gamers in subtle ways.
Matt Firor, who is the game director working on The Elder Scrolls Online, says that where other titles in the same genre tend to split the rewards when two gamers engage the same monster, Elder Scrolls will give them both full credit in order to encourage grouping and social interactions.
The development team at ZeniMax Online also wants to introduce new content for gamers without making it clear how they should approach it, creating an air of mystery.
The developer offered a clear example by saying that, “For instance, you go an area of the game and see this ruined tower off to the left and a town ahead of you. With most MMOs, players have been taught to ignore the cool looking tower and instead head to the town where someone will eventually tell you to go to the ruined tower.”
He added, “To me that’s dumb. The Elder Scrolls games, and even TESO, you see see something interesting, you go over there, and you find something interesting to do. In fact, it might even be a long series of quests.”
The idea is to give gamers freedom when it comes to their quest progression and never force them to take a predetermined path, allowing them make their own choices.
The Elder Scrolls Online will take place 1,000 years before the events of the single-player series and will allow gamers to join one of the three factions fighting against the Imperial advance through Tamriel, which includes undead armies and mysterious interactions with the gods.
The Elder Scrolls Online will be launched during 2013 on the PC.