Heimskr’s High Horse – Beta and Omega

There was no beta information this week – move along – nothing to see here. Ha! I lied; there actually was beta information this week. Keep reading for the low-down on the beta that starts at the end of this month! This week’s Heimskr’s is much shorter than usual because there really isn’t anything worth reporting outside the massive drop about beta. Sit tight, because with PAX coming around the corner, I suspect there will be more information than Heimskr can preach at.

Development – What you need to know!

Beta Questions Answered – March!

The biggest piece of news we’ve had in a long time hit the ground running this past week. We got an article posted by Zenimax answering questions on everything ESO beta! The first and most important piece of information is that beta invites will be going out at the end of this month. Please keep in mind that the beta invites are going out at the end of the month, not that the beta itself is starting at the end of March. We will probably see the beta starting 1-2 weeks after invites go live. What is also at the end of this month? PAX East. I am sure we will see invites going out the week after PAX, so keep your eyes on your inboxes!

Now if you are chosen to participate in the early stages of beta, you will only be given access during the weekend and will be focused on testing specific features of the game. At least at the start, this is not a free demo. You are there to test, so test properly. Testing will be done in phases which will host a few events per month. If you are chosen for one beta event, you are not guaranteed to be chosen for another. The first test groups will be small, but they will steadily increase the amount of people brought into the beta as time goes on.

If you are wondering how ZOS is choosing their testers, it’s quite simple. In the questionnaire you filled out, they will sort players based on their preferences (PvE, PvP, Crafting) and schedule you for a specific event that caters to the focus of that test. Likewise, top-of-the-line PC’s are not going to have a special advantage:

We’re not only looking for one type of tester or only for testers with top-of-the-line PCs; a broad range will be selected.

The beta invites that will be sent out are going to be announced via ZOS’s social media channels including their home page, Facebook, and Twitter pages. If you are concerned about phishing scams, always check their website first to see if it was announced. If you have yet to sign up for beta, I have no idea why you’re reading a fan site news round-up. If you have not though, go here to sign up!

Community Round up – It’s alive!

The Rubicon #3 – We Require More Plants

This week in the Rubicon, Byronyk and Fizzle look at two major topics – combat and the trinity system. Following an in-depth discussion on both, they answer fan emails on the topic of crafting. To be honest, crafting could/should be an entire episode all by itself!

Elder Scrolls Off The Record # 57 – Endless Quest

The hosts of Elder Scrolls Off The Record take a look a wide variety of topics ranging from the Dawnguard release to PSN, the Ask Us Anything from Zenimax, and an email Q/A session! Make sure to catch their next week’s episode which I’m sure will be on the beta Q/A!

After Hours Club

The After Hours Club is a special section in Heimskr’s High Horse to look over the most popular, the most controversial, and the most insightful community topics of the week. This week we have three threads that are sure to satisfy your curiosity or feed the fires of internet barbarism.

1. The popular thread of the week goes to @CharlesJT with his ‘Blood, Gore, and Nudity for ESO thread. In this thread, people are debating what level of maturity the game should have. Personally, I’m all for a game that is as mature as possible, but I’m also realistic on how ESO can reach a wider audience.
2. This week’s insightful post of the week goes to @Cormaiyn and his post on Leveling Through PvP. The title is pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll go ahead and say that while you may gain exp through PvPing, I doubt it will be a primary method to level. ZOS wants their story and quests to shine so I doubt their focus will be on PvP (for leveling).
3. The infamous controversial post of the week goes to @Erlex. His thread is on the topic of Fast Travel and the mechanics behind how it will work. Fast travel is a two edged sword – do we decrease immersion for the sake of convenience or adhere to strict immersion practices? I don’t really care about immersion, so I’m perfectly fine with it.

Round-up

I hope you enjoyed Heimskr’s High Horse. Next week already has some great information waiting to be posted, so come back, stay awhile, and listen.