[Niisha]

Because MMO's are not about Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc.

MMO's are about interaction, combat, loot etc. to appeal to a mass public. Compare paying per month like $ 15 to a one time amount of $ 50. I have bought MW in 2004 and i still play it.

[Matt Bee]

Pretty much nailed it: The Elder Scrolls are completely non-MMO material. The two don't mesh at all. You can make sure a game, but it's going to break the spirit of one or the other.

This is lame. I HATE MMORPGs. They've ruined EVERY SINGLE franchise they've appeared in because the developers get so wrapped up in trying to improve it. If this is true, and they're pouring millions of dollars into this, Bethesda's glory days as a game developer may come to a close. Examples:

World of Warcraft. Killed the strategy game from which is was born.
Final Fantasy XI. The series was never the same after that and is experiencing massive fan defects.
Ultima Online. The first. Annihilated it's legendary single player games.

This svcks, guys. No way I'm supporting this with my money. To each their own, though. I do not want to be writing the following in ten years:

The Elder Scrolls. Most modded RPGs in the world with rich lore and immersive offline play. Destroyed when it went online and lost it's roots.

EDIT - This obviously assumes that indeed the rumor is true. If not, I shall breathe a big sigh of relief and hopefully forget all about this mess.

I don't know if I would go so far as to say MMOs ruin any franchise.

World of Waracft did not kill the strategy game from which it was born. Blizzard could develop another Warcraft RTS no problem, they just aren't. The MMO didn't kill the game, nor the spirit of the game; the lore continues to grow and expand through the MMO and at any time they could insert another strategy game into the series.

The Final Fantasy series was a "series" only in name. The games tended to take place on different worlds and involved different characters, adding an MMO into that franchise does nothing to degrade the quality of the previous games, break the non-existant lore, nor prevent the creation of more games following it's release. They were party based games anyhow, so adding more people doesn't really change much. What is causing the massive "fan defects" is the plummeting quality of subsequent releases, not the MMO.

Ultima, too, was basicly designed to eventually be an MMO. The original games were based on party combat, only you controlled all the party members. Releasing an MMO just gave control of the party to multiple players and made it more dynamic. UO was an improvement for the Ultima franchise.

Elder Scrolls, on the other hand, is based on concepts which the others are not. . . firstly they are single player games usually centered around a hero who will do wonderous things as written in the "Elder Scrolls" (a dur) not everyone can be said hero. . . so an MMO breaks that basic tenent. The seocnd of course, and I cannot stress this enough, is freedom of playstyle, and MMOs, by their very nature, have to restrict this in order to keep their customer base happy.

Elder Scrolls is not MMO material unless Bethesda wants to completely gut the spirit of their franchise.

[Anne marie]

I think an Elder Scrolls MMO is inevitable, according to those VG247 articles, but it makes absolutely no sense for Bethesda Game Studios to be working on it. It must be Zenimax Online.

[R.I.p MOmmy]

Pretty much nailed it: The Elder Scrolls are completely non-MMO material. The two don't mesh at all. You can make sure a game, but it's going to break the spirit of one or the other.

This is lame. I HATE MMORPGs. They've ruined EVERY SINGLE franchise they've appeared in because the developers get so wrapped up in trying to improve it. If this is true, and they're pouring millions of dollars into this, Bethesda's glory days as a game developer may come to a close. Examples:

World of Warcraft. Killed the strategy game from which is was born.
Final Fantasy XI. The series was never the same after that and is experiencing massive fan defects.
Ultima Online. The first. Annihilated it's legendary single player games.

This svcks, guys. No way I'm supporting this with my money. To each their own, though. I do not want to be writing the following in ten years:

The Elder Scrolls. Most modded RPGs in the world with rich lore and immersive offline play. Destroyed when it went online and lost it's roots.

EDIT - This obviously assumes that indeed the rumor is true. If not, I shall breathe a big sigh of relief and hopefully forget all about this mess.

Just so you know, Blizzard has stated that they more than want to do another Warcraft RTS. But it's postponed because they have so much on their plate right now. (WoW, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2.)

[meghan lock]

Except it isn't Bethesda developing it, it's Zenimax Online.

Actually Zenimax Online own Bethesda and have done for ... well read below. Basically they are one in the same

ZeniMax was founded in 1999 by Bethesda Softworks founder Chris Weaver and Robert A. Altman. Weaver's vision was to use Bethesda Softworks as a hybrid-media company which would create cross-media properties for a diverse range of different platforms. Weaver brought Robert Altman on board as CEO, contributing his stock in Bethesda Softworks so that the new shell company (Zenimax) would be able to obtain funding. Weaver moved to a non-operational role in 2002.
Under ZeniMax, Bethesda developed and published The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda is also the publisher of three new Star Trek games, Star Trek: Legacy (For PC/Xbox 360), Star Trek: Tactical Assault (for Nintendo DS/PlayStation Portable), and Star Trek: Encounters (PlayStation 2).[1]

Because MMO's are not about Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc.

MMO's are about interaction, combat, loot etc. to appeal to a mass public. Compare paying per month like $ 15 to a one time amount of $ 50. I have bought MW in 2004 and i still play it.

True, traditionally Elder Scrolls has been about "Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc." but why always. Why not let a kick ass company like Bethesda, who we clearly all love here, and let them have a wack at it and see what comes out. I mean, if the rumours are true that 10's of Millions over 4 years with a crew of 100 aprox ppl working on it.... well I want to see it at least.

TBH MMO's have been a passion of mine. I have Alpha'd, Beta'd and so on countless games over the year. I currently Mod for 2 games companies as a volunteer and in my past I have worked as a QA for a large games company and yes, like many of us I would assume I have been hugely disappointed my almost all of them. Very few games have kept my attention (among some, UO, LOM, EVE) but I have yet to be disappointed by anything that has come out of Bethesda and I have my fingers crossed for this one.

I mean, can you imagine a real good Sandbox MMO with, as Quantez put it, all the Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc. of an Elder Scrolls game ..... can we all say heaven?

[Glu Glu]

I mean, can you imagine a real good Sandbox MMO with, as Quantez put it, all the Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc. of an Elder Scrolls game ..... can we all say heaven?

Give me your five favorite things you love about the Elder Scrolls games and i will explain to you how an MMO ruins then.

[Jennifer May]

Actually Zenimax Online own Bethesda and have done for ... well read below. Basically they are one in the same

No... Zenimax Online is a sister company. Zenimax Media is not Zenimax Online.

[Claire Lynham]

I mean, can you imagine a real good Sandbox MMO with, as Quantez put it, all the Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc. of an Elder Scrolls game ..... can we all say heaven?

And that assumption that Zenimax Online have the rights to use TES, or even consider using TES as a frame for their game to begin with. Remember people, just because a MMO game is going to be made by Zenimax Online does not automatically mean its the use of the TES Series.

Like I said before, if I remember correctly, Bethesda got the "rights" for an Online TES and they are holding on to it so no one else does it.

[Nancy RIP]

IF their next TES game will be an MMO, the series has ended for me. Sorry, but my time is too precious to waste hours and hours doing quest that will never be able to change the world I am playing in, because thousands of other ppl are doing the same quests as me over and over again.

[Ian White]

Pretty much nailed it: The Elder Scrolls are completely non-MMO material. The two don't mesh at all. You can make sure a game, but it's going to break the spirit of one or the other.

This is lame. I HATE MMORPGs. They've ruined EVERY SINGLE franchise they've appeared in because the developers get so wrapped up in trying to improve it. If this is true, and they're pouring millions of dollars into this, Bethesda's glory days as a game developer may come to a close. Examples:

World of Warcraft. Killed the strategy game from which is was born.
Final Fantasy XI. The series was never the same after that and is experiencing massive fan defects.
Ultima Online. The first. Annihilated it's legendary single player games.

This svcks, guys. No way I'm supporting this with my money. To each their own, though. I do not want to be writing the following in ten years:

The Elder Scrolls. Most modded RPGs in the world with rich lore and immersive offline play. Destroyed when it went online and lost it's roots.

EDIT - This obviously assumes that indeed the rumor is true. If not, I shall breathe a big sigh of relief and hopefully forget all about this mess.

I have to completely disagree with some of that and completely agree with other parts.

Personally, yes I agree that MMO's have, in part, ruined Single player games. No where near as much effort is being put into Single player games. However, MMO's have a small part to play there. Technology and the internet have a much larger part to play there. It would have happened sooner or later but money grabbing fkers have then ruined our beloved franchises.

However, MMO's as a concept do not svck. Most of the MMO's that have come out in the last 5-6 years do svck and thats because they have been way way too ambishus and have released way way too early with no where near enough testing and way way too many massive problems, glitches and bugs.
Personally I love MMO's. Look at Eve online, look at UO and LOM. SWG before they caved to the whiners and so many other games like them. There have been a few gems in a very very crappy pile but here is to hoping for another gem. And if the rumour is true I will be in line to test the [censored] out of it to make sure when it does come out it will be all it can be.

[John Moore]

Most of the MMO's that have come out in the last 5-6 years do svck and thats because they have been way way too ambishus

I'd just like to point out that you're asking for an Elder Scrolls MMO, and then citing the reason others svck is because they are too ambitious.

In other words, you want a game that has all the "Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc. of an Elder Scrolls game;" and then saying that making an MMO too intricate/expansive/ambitious makes it bad.

you realize that an Elder Scrolls MMO, done properly, would be the most ambitious MMO release to date.

[Tracy Byworth]

Give me your five favorite things you love about the Elder Scrolls games and i will explain to you how an MMO ruins then.

Yes, your right in a lot of what your getting at. No point in me listing what I love because I know what you mean. I have seen companies mess up things that I love about a Single player when they place them into a MMO. But ..... "I am dreaming of a White Christmas"

I'd just like to point out that you're asking for an Elder Scrolls MMO, and then citing the reason others svck is because they are too ambitious.

In other words, you want a game that has all the "Lore, politics, background story, compicated chargen/development, story etc. of an Elder Scrolls game;" and then saying that making an MMO too intricate/expansive/ambitious makes it bad.

you realize that an Elder Scrolls MMO, done properly, would be the most ambitious MMO release to date.

Yip, totally. And I get the irony of it all lol

But seriously, cant I just stick with .... "I am dreaming of a White Christmas"

No... Zenimax Online is a sister company. Zenimax Media is not Zenimax Online.

Yip, your totally right, looking closer I see my google foo let me down. But as I understand it Zenimax Media created and owns Zenimax Online

[Sarah Evason]

Maybe someone who actually knows the law can explain it to the contrary, but Zeni Online and Bethesda are two separate departments. Ergo Bethesda would be in no position to release Zeni online projects in court. They wouldn't have the need, they clearly didn't want to, and they wouldn't have the authority. If the source is to be believed at all, I don't see how it could be a Zeni online project. Zeni Max made Zeni online, so Bethesda would have a "friendly" publisher for the project, and that's where I see the collaboration.

[Sarah Bishop]

Is it possible to mod a MMO? The modding community has always been the backbone of the TES games.

[Elisabete Gaspar]

jackfrost, its a bit of a hairy one there. Depends on the country, type of contract and how owns who and under what circumstances. But seeing as Zenimax Media created and owns Bethesda and Zenimax Online I'm confident there would be no major conflicts there if all this is actually true

Is it possible to mod a MMO? The modding community has always been the backbone of the TES games.

Yes, depends on the code but yet. Look at Neverwinter nights (I know not an actual MMO but same principal) but at the end of the day it would have to be controlled and monitored as for you to play in content I have designed you would have to download content etc. How it would work I am not sure but it could if they tried I am sure.

I mean look at CCP. They are creating dust which is a console FPS game where ppl can play and interact with Eve Online and affect things in a large Sandbox MMO. Anything is possible if you try hard enough

[Clea Jamerson]

@Quantez
I'm sure it is. It's a game, isn't it?

[Jessica Phoenix]

Is it possible to mod a MMO? The modding community has always been the backbone of the TES games.

Even though I detest mod's with a bottomless pit of hate, yes they are. WoW has, these are popular ones I know of, atlas loot, quest helper, and info reader.
Atlas loot lets you look at any piece of armor in game.
Info reader is like a more advanced version of the basic combat log in the game.
Quest helper is exactly what it was in oblivion. A little arrow to tell you were to go. Though since so many people were using it, blizzard just implemented it in one of their patches so it's standard stuff.

No you can't mod things like armor, weapons, and areas into the game. Because then it something only you have and normally companies don't like that in multiplayer games.

[lolly13]

Let's hope ZeniMax Online is making an ES MMO while Bethesda is making ES V.

[Smokey]

Is it possible to mod a MMO? The modding community has always been the backbone of the TES games.

I know there is a "multi-player" mod out there for Morrowind. . .
Basicly, what it did was connect to another computer and copy that player's character and inserted it into your game as an NPC that moved around and acted roughly the same as the other player. It was pretty buggy and I don't know if it was ever finished, but it worked alright the few times I messed with it even though it was pretty limited.

Like if they droped an item it wouldn't appear on your screen. Or if they looted a corpse, it would still have loot on it for you. . .

Edit: Oh, i misunderstood the question. Thought you were asking if one could make the game into an MMO through modding.

[Rowena]

jackfrost, its a bit of a hairy one there. Depends on the country, type of contract and how owns who and under what circumstances. But seeing as Zenimax Media created and owns Bethesda and Zenimax Online I'm confident there would be no major conflicts there if all this is actually true


Yes, depends on the code but yet. Look at Neverwinter nights (I know not an actual MMO but same principal) but at the end of the day it would have to be controlled and monitored as for you to play in content I have designed you would have to download content etc. How it would work I am not sure but it could if they tried I am sure.

I mean look at CCP. They are creating dust which is a console FPS game where ppl can play and interact with Eve Online and affect things in a large Sandbox MMO. Anything is possible if you try hard enough

OK, so modding is possible, but not in the scale that it is now.

[Benji]

OK, so modding is possible, but not in the scale that it is now.

Generally, you can mod the interface, but nothing involving the mechanics or the world.

[Jade Muggeridge]

Yes, I would agree. MMO's are complicated enough though. Not sure it would work.

But yes, Modding is a huge part of our game so far and MMO's and modding so far as far as we have seen is not a good idea. I mean they normally have enough problems as it is.

But look at it this way.
Eldar Scrolls has been going on for so long that there is a world, a culture, societies, politics and much much more and they have been written about so extensively that if we look at the MMO as a separate entity it might work. We might just get a great MMO and Bethedsa might just be working on another single player for us at the same time. We could end up with the best of both worlds

[Quick Draw]

I like the idea of an Elder scrolls MMO, being able to actually RP in a universe and game world I actually enjoy is all I want from an Elder scrolls MMO.

Well... Cryptic are not making this, so thats a good sign right?

[Meghan Terry]

But look at it this way.
Eldar Scrolls has been going on for so long that there is a world, a culture, societies, politics and much much more and they have been written about so extensively that if we look at the MMO as a separate entity it might work. We might just get a great MMO and Bethedsa might just be working on another single player for us at the same time. We could end up with the best of both worlds

I hope you're right, but why is Bethesda doing the paperwork and not Zenimax Online?

[Lori Joe]

I hope you're right, but why is Bethesda doing the paperwork and not Zenimax Online?

Maybe they want to try something different? Until bethesda comes out and says "Hey, we aren't doing single player games anymore." I don't see much reason to get all angry at this possible mmo.