So I'm not overly concerned about the newest MMO rumor that hit the web. If you haven't heard it yet, here's a link to the escapist article on the subject.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116370-Report-Bethesda-Working...
Now while I have suspected before that http://www.zenimaxonline.com/ was up to somethin', but I generally dismiss any rumors, including this one. However the "source" included some interesting to ponder details that I began to think about. Namely, that the game would take place in the second era and that there would be three factions symbolized by three different animals. And that's what this thread is really about.
So, regarding the three factions, two I think are easy:
Dragon = The Empire
Eagle = The Aldmeri Dominion
The Lion is a little harder to identify. It seems a little weird that Elsweyr would have a lion as a symbol, at least to anyone that has some knowledge of Khajiit lore. The other provinces seem even more out of place, although I could see a Lion representing High Rock. Maybe.
Secondly, I would hazard a guess that the game would take place towards the end of the second era, perhaps during or before the rise of Tiber Septim. Why? Well, I don't think it would take place during the second empire, that's why.
Stepping back, perhaps I've read the faction comment wrong. Maybe we're not dealing with nations here.
Any thoughts?
I would normally dismiss it out of hand, but this time, well, go listen to the Fireside Chats video. It's a bit of an odd coincidence, us being told we'd be able to "play" the Arcturian Heresy and then we hear rumblings of a second era MMO.
I knew there was a reason the Devs call it the Common Era.
No..just no. I've sworn off MMOs for life, but I've also sworn to play every ES title.
This is a painful paradox. I hope it never happens.
My thoughts on what race could be in what faction:
Cyrodiilic Empire: Nords, Bretons, Imperials.
Aldmeri Dominion: Altmer, Bosmer, Khajiit.
Lion group: Redguards, Dunmer, and Argonians.
Everyone gets orcs. Not sure how the lion would represent the last group, though. I'd imagine they'd be a lose united group as opposed to the more imperial Empire and Dominion.
I don't really trust this rumor, though.
That's assuming it's going to take a strict Races to Factions measure which while it makes sense, isn't necessarily crucial.
Frankly, if the rumor turns out to be true, then it'd be on the Hero Engine and the only game out right now that utilizes it (that I know of) is TOR and Bioware/Mythic licensed that friggin' *years* ago when it was still in beta and didn't bother to get any updates on it from the developers claiming that they could "figure it out themselves." Which means the engine's prime example isn't/wasn't optimized all that well so we don't really know exactly what the engine is capable of. I've seen a few videos floating around of people working on stuff in the more recent builds of the engine, but I haven't seen anything as to how it handles continent-size landmasses that are streamed.
There's just so many variables in this which is why I'm kinda hoping it does turn out to be true if only to see what they come up with. I'd like to think that the heads at ZeniMax Online are smart enough to realize that sticking to the EQ/WoW model would more than likely be to their detriment. I could see them pulling off some sort of Star Wars Galaxies sandbox mixed with a dash DAoC. I'm not sure a TES MMO would work well with the current trend of theme-park game worlds.
If this is real, Bethesda will only be taking a side role in developing it, so this won't interfere with the main series. Zenimax already prepared a division specifically for MMO's back during the days between the release of the first novel and the announcement of Skyrim.
Bethesda Softworks will probably develop the main series while the 2nd Era MMO bolsters the popularity. If anything, I look forward to it, mostly because they can flesh out areas of the timeline only done in lore books, most of which are very awesome books, if you remember. I hope, however, that the plot of this MMO focuses on the earlier parts of this Era, not Talos' conquerings. Numidium and the Thu'um have been done to death in the main series games, and Skyrim has already given us more Dragonborn info than we could ever need.
After all, the fact that the Mage's Guild, Fighter's Guild, and Dark Brotherhood all formed around the same time period (2E320, which is also around when Potentate Versidue-Shaie was killed) according to lore point towards a definite possibility for very interesting guild quests, most of which would involve giving the guilds foothold.
If this isn't a troll rumor (prob'ly is), then I sort of look forward to it, if only because it will introduce some very interesting lore; and also present the chance to meet a Tsaesci in person.
If worst comes to worst, then we're going to have this set in Talos' time, and we'll be seeing him FUSRODAH and awaken Numidium and all that bullshit that's been done to death and back, and all the generic war scenes and shit like that.
Of course, it's most likely a troll.
Eh, it wouldn't make much sense for a human to fight for the Dominion. They weren't even allowed in Alinor during the rise of the empire.
Then again I'm assuming it takes place during the Septim Empire.
I share Pilaf's sentiment for the most part. However, Red-Rock's post over on the 'Commentary' thread actually makes it sound exciting - We could make a TIL group and prowl the countryside, slaying all and any... just for shits and gigs.
Everyone gets orcs.
Orcs at the time were just a bunch of tribes who everyone was racist against. I imagine that they'd be enemies.
No..just no. I've sworn off MMOs for life, but I've also sworn to play every ES title.
This is a painful paradox. I hope it never happens.
I'm right there with you.
If I played it and there were guilds/whatever then I'd totally want to group up with all y'all. We could be a dangerous horde of freelancing sellswords.
Or a band of impotent wandering scholars, waxing poetic on the implications held in the minutiae of obscure texts.
I hereby apply for the assassination branch.
Yeah, Red-Rock's post got me all excited just on its own. It would be great to attack the game from a lore perspective.
As far as classes go, I would hope that an MMO would take a leaf out of Skyrim's book at just let people develop their own classes as they play.
I share Pilaf's sentiment for the most part. However, Red-Rock's post over on the 'Commentary' thread actually makes it sound exciting - We could make a TIL group and prowl the countryside, slaying all and any... just for shits and gigs.
Well...
Having an actual clan...
I got dibs on Barbarian or Battlemage. Whichever.
I hope we'll see Akaviri...or get to be one.
Oh....Talos....by the....Eight and One I'm freaking out.
I don't know what to think. I don't know what to think!
I'll wait before they release more info before I say anything more than the cautious optimism that since their lead was one of the guys behind DAoC that a lot of a base design from that makes it into TES:O.
Said it once and I'll say it again - TES just doesn't lend itself to the theme-park style MMO's a la WoW/Rift/what-have-you's
THE SKY IS FALLING.
I remain, as always, cautiously optimistic. I was never able to get into MMOs in general, so part of my trepidation is the knowledge that I will almost certainly end up playing this game, no matter what it's like. I really, really hope it's awesome.
With the new info that the game is set about 1000 years before Skyrim, which works out to 531 2E, and when you look for major events around that time since it is obviously a window, do you suppose we are talking about the Akaviri Invasion in 570 2E as the setting? That might make the dragon faction the Akaviri themselves.
I don't know why I bother. You try and be a calm voice of reason and then the intrinsic nature of the internet shits in your face like a Japanese business man standing over a glass table.
I think I need a cigarette to distract from all the stupid I've witnessed in the last few minutes out there in the wilds.
hyperventilating hyperventilating HYPERVENTILATING
So uh, apparently there's already a scan out of the Game Informer cover piece about TES Online. I'll post the link if I people want it and the muckimucks here have nothing against it, but so far... it sounds like they're trying to do with it quite a few things that ArenaNet is doing with Guild Wars 2.
Color me intrigued, I played GW2 during one of the beta events back a couple months ago and I liked what I saw... still; feeling a little iffy with the idea a bit though. Hrm.
So uh, apparently there's already a scan out of the Game Informer cover piece about TES Online. I'll post the link if I people want it and the muckimucks here have nothing against it, but so far... it sounds like they're trying to do with it quite a few things that ArenaNet is doing with Guild Wars 2.
Color me intrigued, I played GW2 during one of the beta events back a couple months ago and I liked what I saw... still; feeling a little iffy with the idea a bit though. Hrm.
Oh, and I should note... There's pictures.
Of Ordinators. Or, maybe just fancy lads wearing Indoril Helms, I can't be sure.
I'd like to see this. I think. Oh god, do I? Well, I have to.
Like I said, it looks like combat and questing wise they're trying to do similar things to GW2, but I gather there's a few touches of DAoC and UO in there as well. All in all, I'm more curious than anything.
Looks like that empty stretch of like 70 years in the 2nd Era is getting filled in.
Hopefully they will do something different (and fun) and not make a grindfest. I think most fans would be satisfied with a multiplayer version of Morrowind. Whether or not it lasts, I'm gonna be happy just with new stuff to look at and read cos omg updated versions of ordinators and kagouti squee
The best thing is that with a precedent like the warp in the west everything can be conveniently be swiped under the rug by BGS.
Ofcourse if some worthwile story elements develop they can just co-opt it. Why not use something interesting? But this kind of mechanism is luckily already built-in to the franchise.
Mournhold! City of light, city of MAGIC!!
If it is more like Guild Wars than WoW, I might actually be kind of excited. I feel like I could have gotten sucked into Guild Wars if the fiction had appealed more to me. There's obviously no problem like that here.
All my curmudgeoning was kind of worn away by those screenshots, and the promise of visiting Morrowind again, even if it is a more limited "theme park" version of it. Maybe there's room in the world (and my heart) for another kind of Elder Scrolls game afterall.
I really hate to judge early. And I swear I've got an open mind about this.
But based on that article I can't help throwing up a little in my mouth.