How The Elder Scrolls Online Plans to Improve MMOs

PC Gamer has published another article as part of their ongoing coverage of The Elder Scrolls Online, which touches on the title's UI and combat difficulty. Here's a snip:
Lead gameplay designer Nick Konkle explains. (I think a lot of the previous generations of MMOs a lot of the game is looking at that UI and playing it. Technical restrictions were such that we couldn't have that sort of fully immersive battle experience because people weren't where they were, where you would see them, they were somewhere else.

(But we wanted to create an immersive experience because that's the modern game, that's the modern RPG,) he says. (One in which I look at the world, not at my hotbar. Not at numbers that are flying up.)

That'll be the only way to see some of the massive fights that will feature in The Elder Scrolls Online. (If you're looking at your UI when there's 200 people on your screen fighting each other you're kind of missing out on one of the big things that we're trying to do which is these huge battles,) says PvP designer Brian Wheeler. (If you're looking at the UI then you're missing all the fun of just seeing people jumping in and beating the crap out of each other. It's really cool.)

Even beyond The Elder Scrolls Online's big PvP plans, the reduced UI is intended to help players confront Tamriel's monsters. Zenimax suggest they'll be tougher than your typical MMO trash mobs. (We want monsters to be a challenge to the player every single time you fight them, not a speedbump for the player. We don't want fighting monsters to be boring or you can eat a sandwich or do five other things while fighting a monster,) says gameplay designer Maria Aliprando.