How should the next Elder Scrolls Game be handled?

[demoman_chaos]

For those that don't know, using a hand axe isn't that different than using a sword. There are quite a few overlaps between using a greatsword and using a dane axe. So the 1-Handed and 2-Handed setup is more true to life than using a 1 handed swords also letting you use a 2 handed one easier.

The combat NEEDS overhauled. I would LOVE a system more like Mount&Blade in the sense that fighting skill can overcome statistical skill. The only melee style that requires any amount of real skill is good old sword and board, but even then it is limited to using shield bashes. The others are just using power attacks on the right goons and flailing on the left ones.

Sneaking needs a lot of work. With low stats, sneaking slowly through the shadows often doesn't work. With high stats, you can be crouched in broad daylight nose-to-dick with someone and they won't notice even after you slap their willy with a giant warhammer.

Dragons could fit into other games, but preferably only as a big boss of some sort. Having them pop up randomly to annoy the piss out of you is not fun. After 4 or 5 dragons, I was bored with it and spent most of the time saying, "Okay, hurry up and land so I can get this over with."

 

[SajuukKhar]

Dragons could fit into other games, but preferably only as a big boss of some sort. Having them pop up randomly to annoy the piss out of you is not fun. After 4 or 5 dragons, I was bored with it and spent most of the time saying, "Okay, hurry up and land so I can get this over with."

With the Death of Alduin Epoch-Eater the dragons lost the one way they can come back to life after being killed.

Now anyone can kill a Dragon and it will stay dead, I expect the Dragon population to thin back out over time.

 

[randomsix]

It should be more handcrafted. In morrowind there was a daedra ruin with no entrance. Nearby there was a burial tomb. You go inside and see that atronarchs have tunneled through the walls from the daedric ruin. You go in, through some caves, and finally get to a ruin which has begun to flood. You traverse the ruin until you finally come upon a room with a pool of lava with a structure built around it. You climb the skeleton of the structure to find a chest floating above the lava. Inside the chest is a legendary hammer, one of the items in the book of Tamrielic Lore.

And you just stumble upon this ish.

Actually you are told to go there for a quest.

True. I actually looked this up for that post. Nonetheless, I had done three playthroughs before I even touched the Imperial Legion. Even then, I never went so far (as to even want go look more like) as to get this quest.

 

[SajuukKhar]

True. I actually looked this up for that post. Nonetheless, I had done three playthroughs before I even touched the Imperial Legion. Even then, I never went so far (as to even want go look more like) as to get this quest.

I've found plenty of caves/ruins in Skyrim that have similar experiences of finding some item in an odd place you would never expect to.

I remember the Lairs retreat, a place in the middle of nowhere that has the door of a keep built into a mountainside and when you get in there it turns out to be a bar run by bandits but the bandits have been overrun by Falmer from a cave passage that existed behind one of the walls, and after fighting through the Falmer, and reaching the deepest part of the cave you find the barkeep Rahd and his unique weapon, the Longhammer, on an alter at the very end.

Or the maze in Labrythian where, once completed, causes you to teleport to this odd realm and fight a Dremora who has a unique circlet.

 

[The_Lost_King]

The next Elder Scrolls game will be the Elder Scrolls MMO.
I would handle it by cancelling it.

Hopefully it won't be an MMO.

*gets caught up on semi-recent news*

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Ahem.

There will be more TES games other than the mmo(can't say that much about KotOR :_( ). Plus Bethesda aren't even doing the MMO. They are only helping with the lore and that is it. Oh and it isn't even close to being semi-recent. We learned about this months ago.

OT: I don't care about shouts. They were just fancy spells. Now what I want is to get spell creation back. I don't understand why they didn't have it in the first place. That is what ruined destruction magic. Also I want spears because spear men were the most common soldiers in medieval times so why should they not even be somewhat common in Tamriel. Also theey need to bring back whoever did Oblivion's quests back because they were much better than Skyrim's quests, well they were more varied and interesting. Oh and I like the idea of having skill limits on guild ranks. Why would a warrior who uses no spells what-so-ever be the archmage. Oh and make it so you aren't always the leader. It didn't even make sense in Companions or the College of Winterhold! I mean what qualified me to be Harbinger?! Vilkas should have been Harbinger! What did I do in the College that qualified me to be archmage?! Sure I saved the world but that deserves a slap on the back and a metal, not an archmage position. If a hero helps save the realm you give him a lordship you do not make him king.

 

[SajuukKhar]

OT: I don't care about shouts. They were just fancy spells. Now what I want is to get spell creation back. I don't understand why they didn't have it in the first place.

Because all people did with it in Morrowind and Oblivion was create terribly high damage/low cost spells that broke the game. It was the singular most unbalanced feature of the game, and they removed it to impose even the slighest bit of balance back into the game.

Oh and I like the idea of having skill limits on guild ranks.

those were removed because people in Morrowind found ways to get tons of cash and just paid trainers to raise up their levels, they didn't know any spells, nor did they ever use their magical skills.

Skill levels requirements on guilds were removed because they did absolutely nothing, and didn't prevent warriors from become the leader of the Mages Guild or the thieves guild, and vice versa.

Putting up arbitrary barriers like that only causes people to find ways around them and break them, its pointless to spend time making a feature no one will ever use properly and just exploit around.

Oh and make it so you aren't always the leader. It didn't even make sense in Companions or the College of Winterhold! I mean what qualified me to be Harbinger?! Vilkas should have been Harbinger! What did I do in the College that qualified me to be archmage?! Sure I saved the world but that deserves a slap on the back and a metal, not an archmage position. If a hero helps save the realm you give him a lordship you do not make him king.

Actually many real life Kings became so because they conquered some army or drove off some invader, saving the day did cause someone to become King in many cases throughout recorded history.

 

[The_Lost_King]

OT: I don't care about shouts. They were just fancy spells. Now what I want is to get spell creation back. I don't understand why they didn't have it in the first place.

Because all people did with it in Morrowind and Oblivion was create terribly high damage/low cost spells that broke the game. It was the singular most unbalanced feature of the game, and they removed it to impose even the slighest bit of balance back into the game.

What does it matter if someone breaks their game? If they want to break their game they are going to do that. That is a stupid reason to get rid of something in a single player game. Especially because there is no balance in Skyrim what so fucking ever

Oh and I like the idea of having skill limits on guild ranks.

those were removed because people in Morrowind found ways to get tons of cash and just paid trainers to raise up their levels, they didn't know any spells, nor did they ever use their magical skills.


Skill levels requirements on guilds were removed because they did absolutely nothing, and didn't prevent warriors from become the leader of the Mages Guild or the thieves guild, and vice versa.


Putting up arbitrary barriers like that only causes people to find ways around them and break them, its pointless to spend time making a feature no one will ever use properly and just exploit around.

Once again people will break the game and find workarounds if they want to. It at least put a deterent for players that wanted some semblance of realism.

Oh and make it so you aren't always the leader. It didn't even make sense in Companions or the College of Winterhold! I mean what qualified me to be Harbinger?! Vilkas should have been Harbinger! What did I do in the College that qualified me to be archmage?! Sure I saved the world but that deserves a slap on the back and a metal, not an archmage position. If a hero helps save the realm you give him a lordship you do not make him king.

Actually many real life Kings became so because they conquered some army or drove off some invader, saving the day did cause someone to become King in many cases throughout recorded history.

[/quote]
Ok my example sucked. Helping save a nation can show that you actually care for your country and have the ability to rule it. All you showed by saving the world in the College is that you are a brave and valiant person, it does not show that you are the best mage in the College. Say a dumb brute warrior saves an academy of smartness. You thank him give him some medals but you do not make him in charge because there are people who are much more capable.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

What I'd really want is a really small tweak. I'm no locksmith, but I do know that lockpicks aren't designed to just flat-out break when you mess up. I'd rather risk breaking the lock than my tools. It feels more appropriate than having my sneak-thief carry some sort of humongous key ring around that has, like, sixty lockpicks tied to it.

The vanilla mechanic worked for Fallout 3 and New Vegas, seeing as we're talking about modern locks being tampered with by a bobby pin and a screwdriver.

I'd also like social interactions to be more meaningful. It wouldn't mean much, overall. Give me the option to hug my spouse in third-person or a tasteful fade to black when, Speech check pending, he or she agrees to get it on. Give me a sense that these people actually do love me.

The AI does need a rework, though. Rawne definitely has a point.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Morrowind's protagonist was the Nerevarine. Elder Scroll protagonists are one-off flavors, you won't see it again.

And I just hope the next Elder Scrolls is more exotic. Battling wolves in Norway Skyrim and Mudcrabs in England Cyrodiil was not exactly creative stuff. Morrowind was about as alien as we're going to get, but I hope they do Sumerset Isles, Black Marsh or Valenwood next, not Elsweyr. I especially want to fight the Sload on Sumerset Isles.

.
Valenwood's Jungles will make you cringe and throw up while Elsweyr's cats will make you schizophrenic - SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF CATS.

 

[jamesbrown]

True dat, but still; it was shown in skyrim; esp. if you played through the winterhold arc you learn some surprising things about magic in the elder scrolls. First is that a large number of people distrust magic (unless thier reiligon has anything to do with it), and most people can't do magic (there are less and less people doing magic in every successive game), which is partically why (in my opinon) that the wizards guild fell and they had to become more inclusive of all wizards. Plus most people are upset with thier lives; so what if someone actually made something amazing; and people started to see that as a way out. If an really powerful being; or someone rose to be incribly powerful (Protagnaist anyone?); suddenly took hold of that tension and used it against the Aedra. You could have an civil war of gods on your hands, with some coming to your side of course. And you would be the one at the forefront of this massive war. Talk about using modern day graphics to your advantage, That would be an epic worth 60$.

Actually Nords distrust magic, most other people don't.

The reason why there are less people doing magic every game is because of where the games are set.

-Morrowind is often consdiered THE most magical place on Tamriel and thus has a high level of magic users.
-Cyrodiil is less magical, though the head branch of the mage college being thee does keep a higher level of magic users around.
-Skyrim is full of Nords who hate magic because of their ancestral hatred of elves.
The diminishing appearance of magic is solely based on geography of the the games, and not an overall trend of people in Tamriel.

Also where the Mage's College fell two other organizations, the College of Whispers, and the Synod, took its place, both of which are quite powerful.

furthermore you cant start a war against the gods because the main characters of every game are avatars of Lorkhan/akatosh, you ARE a god incarnate.

Thanks for the clarification; but still why not, doesn't being a god make you more able to start a war

 

[Zenn3k]

The only thing Skyrim really needs to do is make more skills have more interesting effects on the game. Speech checks would be very welcome.

Oh, and more interesting quests which more branching story arcs.

Skyrim's quests are SOOOO BORING.

 

[Jaeke]

Well, in the words of Todd Howard (holy be thy name), each Elder Scrolls game is made in mind as a completely seperate piece from its predecessors.

Also, Skyrim was sort of hinted as the last Elder Scrolls game. At least for this generation.
Next-gen??

I don't know but if it doesn't rhyme with "lack-of-ear" I'm not sure of an alternative route to expand beyond where the series is now.

 

[Jaeke]

I don't want to see them dumb the skills and spells back down to Oblivion/Morrowind levels though...

Are you joking? Is this a clever jest?

Skyrim's spells are dumbed down as compared to the other games.

The good:
You can dual wield spells and/or combine the same spell.
If same spells combined, impact is a useful perk.

Mixed:
Runes are new and can be used a traps for Mages who are patient enough to wait out the MP recharge time (or quaff a potion). It's pointless to cast them unless you dual wield/combine them for more power as they are pretty weak. Unfortunately, the MP consumption is atrociously high. Essentially, not really getting the bang for your buck.

The bad:
The lack of spell creation (a big one)
The removal of an entire school
No touch spells for lesser cost
Even more effects removed from predessecor (MP/Stat/Skill absorbtion, Damage reflection, cure poison (!?), cure disease (!!), dispel (!?), bound armor)
Basically useless wards that cost too much MP and take too long to cast. Dodging is easier.
Basically useless elemental of ice. Almost everything is resistant to it. The go to element is fire.
[sub]Situationally, sometimes lightning is better, but fire is the mainstay.[/sub]
Did I mention, no spell creation...

As for skills:
Dumbed down, in your world, is:
- having unarmed combat as a viable option
- having major and minor skills
- Acrobatics and Athletics are included (run faster, jump higher)
- seperating general skills (like one-handed) into weapon categories.

I rather think that an expert with a sword, may not be an expert with a mace. Skyrim begs to differ...
Did you also notice that the available weapon types has been decreasing since Morrowind? I guess more weapons is dumbed down though...

Also, where the fuck did attributes go?

Moral of the story: Skyrim is the one dumbed down one.

Edit:
Imagine though:
A well placed Rune Spell that causes Paralyze, damages MP and delivers a burst of high lightning damage, as well as 10 seconds of low fire damage. You can almost make that in Oblivion. If you take out the rune part, you definitely can.

Skyrim, not so much.

Creating Spells kind of broke the game
I mean they were fun and all but running around being invisible for 1000 seconds and shooting a lightning/fire/ice cloud from the gods that wiped anything out for 1000 damage for 1000 seconds kind of got a bit boring.

Did anyone actually care for Mysticism?? I mean other than telekenisis (which is still in Skyrim) there really wasn't anything cool about it that wasn't put in some other school.

So because Skyrim doesn't have spears or a distinguished shortsword it's whole combat dumbed down? EDIT: And also in the weapon Perk-Tree's you could distinguish between mace/axe/sword with different perks. Like having an axe deal bleeding damage or a perk that causes maces to ignore armor.

Or instead of drinking mana potions you could just wear a robe and take the perk that removes %50+ of the cost.

Instead of limiting your character to certain pre-determined classes through chosen Major/Minor skills, Skyrim let's you be completely flexible so you don't need to rerole an entire character just because you choose Blunt instead of Blade or Destruction instead of Illusion.

captcha: know thyself
Indeed.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Well, in the words of Todd Howard (holy be thy name), each Elder Scrolls game is made in mind as a completely seperate piece from its predecessors.

Also, Skyrim was sort of hinted as the last Elder Scrolls game. At least for this generation.
Next-gen??

I don't know but if it doesn't rhyme with "lack-of-ear" I'm not sure of an alternative route to expand beyond where the series is now.

Well, according to several people at Bethesda, mind you this comes way back from Morrowind days, Bethesda has had the entire story-arc planned out until Elder scrolls 6 or 7, so we got another game or two before they are done with their planned story.

And they will never go to Akavir, Akavir is like the Dwemer, its cool because you never actually see it, putting it in the game would ruin it because it removes the one thing it has going for it.... the mystery, and yes I do know there was one Dwemer in Morrowind, he doesn't count.

Also the slithering of a snake is a ***** to animate, that's why Bethesda made all the Akaviri in Oblivion's Pale Pass humans, because its a royal pain to get snake slithering working right and not look like shit.

 

[Jaeke]

Well, in the words of Todd Howard (holy be thy name), each Elder Scrolls game is made in mind as a completely seperate piece from its predecessors.

Also, Skyrim was sort of hinted as the last Elder Scrolls game. At least for this generation.
Next-gen??

I don't know but if it doesn't rhyme with "lack-of-ear" I'm not sure of an alternative route to expand beyond where the series is now.

Well, according to several people at Bethesda, mind you this comes way back from Morrowind days, Bethesda has had the entire story-arc planned out until Elder scrolls 6 or 7, so we got another game or two before they are done with their planned story.

And they will never go to Akavir, Akavir is like the Dwemer, its cool because you never actually see it, putting it in the game would ruin it because it removes the one thing it has going for it.... the mystery, and yes I do know there was one Dwemer in Morrowind, he doesn't count.

Also the slithering of a snake is a ***** to animate, that's why Bethesda made all the Akaviri in Oblivion's Pale Pass humans, because its a royal pain to get snake slithering working right and not look like shit.

Ah my old enemy

Have you noticed the size of scale throughout the Elder Scrolls?? They've gotten bigger and bigger. From control of an empire (Arena), to control of a region (Daggerfall), to saving a whole province (well for the most part; Morrowind), to saving the continent of Tamriel (Oblivion), to the entirety of Nirn (Skyrim)??

I can only imagine what would go beyond Mundus being swallowed whole.

EDIT: I was saying it was the last ES game of this generation (ESO doesn't count) not the last Elder Scrolls entirely... hopefully.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Ah my old enemy

Have you noticed the size of scale throughout the Elder Scrolls?? They've gotten bigger and bigger. From control of an empire (Arena), to control of a region (Daggerfall), to saving a whole province (well for the most part; Morrowind), to saving the continent of Tamriel (Oblivion), to the entirety of Nirn (Skyrim)??

I can only imagine what would go beyond Mundus being swallowed whole.

EDIT: I was saying it was the last ES game of this generation (ESO doesn't count) not the last Elder Scrolls entirely... hopefully.

Well the Thalmor plan to unmake Mundus itself, so if the next game deals with fighting them, we would have a game were we protect the largest thing yet, the entirety of the mortal realm.

 

[Jaeke]

Ah my old enemy

Have you noticed the size of scale throughout the Elder Scrolls?? They've gotten bigger and bigger. From control of an empire (Arena), to control of a region (Daggerfall), to saving a whole province (well for the most part; Morrowind), to saving the continent of Tamriel (Oblivion), to the entirety of Nirn (Skyrim)??

I can only imagine what would go beyond Mundus being swallowed whole.

EDIT: I was saying it was the last ES game of this generation (ESO doesn't count) not the last Elder Scrolls entirely... hopefully.

Well the Thalmor plan to unmake Mundus itself, so if the next game deals with fighting them, we would have a game were we protect the largest thing yet, the entirety of the mortal realm.

Well we kinda already did that with Alduin but still...
Damn elves. [sub]Even though I role Dunmer[/sub]

 

[Jaeke]

Each Elder Scrolls game casts the player into a unique role within the world. Starting as a prisoner with nothing to eventually become a hero. In Morrowind, we played the Nerevearine, the reborn Nerevar. In Oblivion we were the Champion of Cyrodil/Hero of Kvatch. This time the Dovahkiin. Next time should be something else.

Obviously the dragons are back in Tamriel now, so they won't be going away. I'd like to see the next game, a couple of years from now, take us to High Rock, Black Marsh or Elsewyr. I'd *love* to see Elsewyr next but I fear it might be a hard act to follow. Still, after the cold and snow of the north, it would be great to have some desert and jungle.


My biggest want for a future game would be to give NPCs real character, like BioWare manage in their games. Even possibly making it akin to a party experience. Trekking through the land with a handful of fellow adventurers, each with a personality (and a manageable inventory).

Two things that would make for a great theme:
The return/rebirth/awakening of the Dwemer and *Major Dawnguard Spoiler

Spoiler

With the Orsimer back as of Dawnguard that could lead to something interesting too

.

... You mean the

Spoiler

Falmer??

Orsimer are the orcs.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Well we kinda already did that with Alduin but still...
Damn elves. [sub]Even though I role Dunmer[/sub]

Alduin wishes to rule Nirn, not destroy Mundus.

Also lets bring our whole tower thing over here so we don't flood the cliffhanger thread.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Some things that I would like to see in TES VI:

[list type=bullet]
[li]A new engine with limb awareness like in Mirror's Edge[/li]
[li]Continue evolving the combat mechanics(as much as I liked Morrowind, action RPGs don't need dice rolls to determine whether you hit or not)[/li]
[li]Add climbing into the game(to help enhance the thief/stealth experience)[/li]
[li]Skyrim's magic system was more interesting than Oblivion's. Make the next one more interesting than Skyrim's[/li]
[li]For the love of god, please hire some people that are actually good at writing dialogue. It's 2012 and TES's dialogue is only marginally more engaging than that of Ultima IV[/li]
[/list]

Beyond that, just keep playing to the strengths of the series.