Progress on the Elder Scrolls Online got a big update the other day, albeit from a less than an official source. Players have been buzzing about a recently leaked video with almost 20 minutes of gameplay footage.
Although the video has since been taken down, players have been very interested to learn more about what they saw in it. Elder Scrolls Online game director Matt Firor answered some of these ongoing questions in an interview with ZAM.
In it, he states that the game's closed beta is moving along "very smoothly so far." He says that initially, most betas require the developers to test the mechanics of the game, logging in, downloading the game, creating accounts, etc, but now "we're past that point in the beta."
He elaborated that the team is now narrowing in "on the gameplay experience" itself as they receive "valuable feedback from beta testers."
Firor continued by saying that the team's focus was now on "moment-to-moment gameplay," which for this game "means questing and combat and, to some extent, the leveling system. As part of this, we're analyzing how to make combat flow better/look more connected, make sure that enemy AI is consistent and that combat just feels fun and rewarding."
Now, the Elder Scrolls Online team is moving on to the "larger" systems in the game. He states, "We have basics in for combat, economy, character customization, etc. - but these systems need continual work, design, testing, and tweaking to make them balanced and fun."
For those wondering where their beta invitations are, Firor says that the "beta has started small, but we'll be adding users regularly over the coming months, so everyone should check their inbox." He further states that they generally announce when they send out invites on ElderScrollsOnline.com, so that'd be a good place to watch.
The Elder Scrolls Online is currently being targeted for a 2013 release window, but no specific date has been set.
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