In the fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online , overlapping groups create an ugly problem.
The Elder Scrolls Online relies on large-scale battles with Cyrodiil. The design-philosophical question here is: Should a small team be able to kill a large army? This only works if the small team uses “area abilities” that deal the same damage to all players hit.
However, this is where an “AE Cap” comes into play, which “caps” the damage from area abilities, so that an ability only deals damage to about 6 players, not to all 40.
If such an AE Cap is in play, small teams stand no chance against larger teams. If there is no AE Cap in play, they can win.
Current AE Cap leads to 40 players overlapping
Among the fans, this is a controversial issue. Players in favor of the AE Cap desire “large battles” where tactics and numbers matter. Players against an AE Cap want smaller fights where individuals can make an impact.
The Elder Scrolls Online, as was clear early on, relies on such an AE Cap. The problem that arises: Large groups of players stack on top of each other, thus providing mass protection. When 40 players stand in one spot, it is of course far from the “chaotic dynamic battles” that developers want.
There has been little discussion around the AE Cap for a long time, but now it is back in focus with the “Thieves Guild”, as the entire combat system and balance is set to be fundamentally revised.
The Combat Lead Designer of TESO, Eric Wrobel, spoke about this topic on Friday during ESO Live.
Does the AE Cap fall with the Thieves Guild? No, but it is shaky
They definitely want to prevent the “turtle” tactic. This is where all players stack in one spot to reduce damage with an active AE Cap. This is the method “All to the Crown”; as seen in this video.
The developer team rejects this tactic. However, there would also be problems with performance or PvE if AE Caps were to be completely removed.
- The goal is to introduce more “strategy” into battles. Players should be mindful of their position on the battlefield.
- Healing abilities should always affect a maximum of 6 players. They want groups, but no “oversized clusters.” They have also reduced the AE Cap from 20 to 6 for some support abilities.
- As a measure against “stacking”, they will increase the damage of siege weapons and modify them to hit moving targets more easily. This way, the “rolling” group can also be caught.
- They have also tweaked the ability “Proximity Detonation”, a type of bomb, increasing its damage. Additionally, they have adjusted many other abilities to address the issue of “clumped groups”.
Now, they want to see how everything affects with the Thieves Guild DLC before taking further steps. They definitely want to solve the problem. Changes to the AE Cap are not excluded, but they currently prefer a more individualized solution across various abilities.
For more information about the Thieves Guild DLC and the patch that will come with it, read these articles:
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Thieves Guild – Release Date and Costs for PC, PS4, Xbox One
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Thieves Guild – Here are the 3 new Allies
- The Elder Scrolls Online: These new Item Sets will come with the Thieves Guild to VR16
- The Elder Scrolls Online: These are the 6 new Skills of the Thieves Guild – And here’s how to get them
