Poll: The next Elder Scrolls game and the obstacles it faces
- Thread starter Argonian alchemist
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That's a simple solution to it. I suppose I overlooked that. I like that idea. Maybe based on the race the player picks, that's the settlement/trader caravan/dungeon that they start out in. Then again knowing Bethesda it'll 100% be a prison. Maybe the prison could be raided by an imperial legion or something of the sort. Start the player out among humans that way perhaps.Glongpre said:
It sure would be interesting to get a look at the rumored race that lives/lived in Akavir, the vampiric snake-like people, the Tsaesci.Benpasko said:
This. I really just want Morrowind remastered (not remade, mind you.) I couldn?t care less about another ?new? sequel seeing as both installments of TES since Morrowind have only moved further and further from the gameplay mechanics that make Morrowind the best in the series. I don?t have a gaming PC, so mods aren?t an option. Besides, I would want Bethesda to do the remaster, not some fans with too much time and talent on their hands. Personally, I was pissed when the Skyrim remaster was announced; why the fuck did they remaster a 5-year-old, mediocre game that still looks fine when they?re sitting on a far superior game that genuinely could use a fresh coat of paint??Saelune said:
Ultimately, I would like to see a TES single-player experience (ala Morrowind primarily,) but supported like an MMORPG: a vanilla game, then fully fleshed out expansions like Tribunal, Bloodmoon, Shivering Isles, etc., that continually add quests, items and characters unique to their respective areas, but also cross over into one another. There you have it: remaster Morrowind, then a deep expansion for each of the primary races? homelands, and I?m pretty sure I?d never need another game ever in my life.
I propose none of the options. I want to visit Akavir.
Fighting monkey men, vampiric serpents, tiger people, the works.
All the lore keeps telling me of this awesome place, and I want to go.
Like on an expeditionary fleet as the Imperials get their shit back together. Ships, lots of islands, weird stuff, truly ancient ruins, what's not to love?
Have it where the game starts off is simply you working for something like the East Empire Company. To keep with the theme of being a prisoner you might have been a galley slave or something and their ship was attacked. Or maybe you were a stowaway, you get caught onboard when trying to flee from Cyrodiil. You help out on the raid, captain tells you he won't breathe a word you were onboard as they pull up to the safety of a ramshackle dock ... and suddenly your adventure is on!
A new land on the frontiers where the Imperials won't so easily find you. As far away from home as possible for killing the faux emperor's kid or something.
Instead of buying a shitty home, why not have the ability to buy *ships*? See? Upgrade the ballistae, take on capable crew, get paid to survey decent places for port construction, raid costal towns...? Skyrim would have felt more fun if along with my Viking look I could also own my own longship.
I'd also care a hell of a lot more for my investment in my ship and primary loot drop box if I have to park it someplace hidden and Imperials, pirates or Tsaesci could trash it.
Fighting monkey men, vampiric serpents, tiger people, the works.
All the lore keeps telling me of this awesome place, and I want to go.
Like on an expeditionary fleet as the Imperials get their shit back together. Ships, lots of islands, weird stuff, truly ancient ruins, what's not to love?
Have it where the game starts off is simply you working for something like the East Empire Company. To keep with the theme of being a prisoner you might have been a galley slave or something and their ship was attacked. Or maybe you were a stowaway, you get caught onboard when trying to flee from Cyrodiil. You help out on the raid, captain tells you he won't breathe a word you were onboard as they pull up to the safety of a ramshackle dock ... and suddenly your adventure is on!
A new land on the frontiers where the Imperials won't so easily find you. As far away from home as possible for killing the faux emperor's kid or something.
Instead of buying a shitty home, why not have the ability to buy *ships*? See? Upgrade the ballistae, take on capable crew, get paid to survey decent places for port construction, raid costal towns...? Skyrim would have felt more fun if along with my Viking look I could also own my own longship.
I'd also care a hell of a lot more for my investment in my ship and primary loot drop box if I have to park it someplace hidden and Imperials, pirates or Tsaesci could trash it.
Todd Howard himself has personally given the official reason for why they remastered Skyrim and not Morrowind or Oblivion.Xprimentyl said:
If you'll allow me to quote him:
"Oblivion is 10 years old, so the amount of work for that engine and that tech to bring it and remaster it and do all the things we wanted to do was significant...It's not impossible, but it was mountainous. It was either like, go make an entire new game or do Skyrim."
Source: http://www.gamezone.com/news/bethesda-chose-to-remaster-skyrim-over-oblivion-3442277
I suppose Summerset Isles would be the "easy" choice for a traditional high fantasy setting, although one that I've personally always wanted to visit. The question is just; for how long can we the people keep interest in the same old magical elven lands? They've been the epitome of fantasy stories since time immemorial. It would be a breath of fresh air to see a setting like Black Marsh or Elweyr, and I don't really think they would be inaccessible to new players. By now TES is already accessible enough gameplay-wise, I don't think the setting would be enough to deter people. As mentioned, Skyrim and ESO are popular enough to pave the way for pretty much anything that follows.
Speaking of breaths of fresh air, why not Akavir? We've already departed Tamriel for a couple of planes of Oblivion. Even though Tamriel still holds enough mystery and beauty for thousands of more hours of adventuring, as her name suggests, there's unlimited potential in the virtually unknown lands of another continent.
Speaking of breaths of fresh air, why not Akavir? We've already departed Tamriel for a couple of planes of Oblivion. Even though Tamriel still holds enough mystery and beauty for thousands of more hours of adventuring, as her name suggests, there's unlimited potential in the virtually unknown lands of another continent.
I don?t buy that answer; if given the choice, I?m certain we?d all have rather Bethesda ?go make an entire new game.? A re-master of Skyrim wasn?t warranted. The original Skyrim still holds up really well (it?s only 5 years old) and I can?t recall any outcry from the community to have it redone already; there has, however, been a call for Morrowind for some time. And the excuse that they wanted to use remaster sales to help them make a new TES game? Really, that?s a reason? I don?t recall the Oblivion remaster that made Skyrim a possibility? Or the Fallout 3 remaster necessary before Fallout 4? Isn?t ANY effort on a remaster taking away from efforts on a new TES game if the latter?s what they really wanted to do? It?s an obvious truth that the technological distance between Morrowind and the current generation of gaming is much greater than that of Skyrim, but there DO exist mods that provide graphical updates for Morrowind, and as far as I can tell, they?re not from AAA developers with near limitless resources. He admits it?s not impossible, and I think ?mountainous? is being a bit dramatic. If they were to pull Morrowind up to only last gen graphical standards, I think fans would be more than pleased; it?s essentially the same, ?one generation? step that was required to remaster Skyrim (well, a QUARTER step; the gap between Original Xbox and 360 is far more noticeable than the difference between 360 and XBone.)Argonian alchemist said:
No, I think the Skyrim remaster was a quick and easy cash-grab (essentially what he said in his own words,) which leads to my refuting the knee-jerk conclusion that ?Remasters are a (relatively) new business that hasn't really boomed until this console generation.? The business is ?boom[ing]? because it?s all developers and publishers are churning out. If I owned a burger joint in a town and was 100 miles from the closest food option, I can?t logically conclude that the burger business is ?booming? when everyone who wants to eat has no other convenient choice; if a taco stand (read: ?new IP? or ?new franchise installment?) opened up next door and was halfway decent, I?d expect my burgers would drop in perceived popularity pretty quickly. Being the ONLY supply option isn?t an indication of ACTUAL demand. No, they?ve a monopoly on gaming, so we?re limited to what they?re willing to offer us; if that?s last generation?s hand-me-downs, so be it, but don?t try and tell me it?s because of anything other than greed: maximal profit, minimal effort.
I mostly just would like controller support on PC, and achievements. Or hell, maybe a new patch to fix a ton of persistent bugs?Xprimentyl said:
I dont need new graphics or anything fancy. (Hell, Id hate it really, I get disgusted whenever I look at "graphical overhaul" mods)
But I mean, tons of people still buy and play Morrowind today, show us some love?
I'm with you; I don't need a graphical overhaul for Morrowind, but if Bethesda insists on regurgitating past successes, why not make it worth everyone's while and go back and get the game that 1.) has been around more years than can be counted on a single hand (hell, 2011 Skyrim still sells for like $20 used) and 2.) deserves and merits some new life and exposure on modern consoles and PCs? I've not seen many nor have I played any graphical mods, but I'd like to believe that Bethesda could do their own work justice just as long as they wouldn't touch ANYTHING else!Saelune said:
(Starting to feel the pain of the "Where's Half-Life 3?!?" crowd...)
I know you didnt mention it in this specific post, but I also agree that the time they could spend on improving Morrowind could instead be used to make the next TES game as good as (or better) than Morrowind. I love the plot and setting of Morrowind, sure, but I also love the depth and variety and freedom. Each game has fewer spells. Quest Protection while I get its purpose, hinders freedom. And factions became trivial. I liked that to be the Arch Made, you had to be really good at magic.Xprimentyl said:
I want each new TES game to replace the previous as my favorite game ever. Oblivion didnt do it, and Skyrim didnt do it and that bums me out.
I don't see it any more jarring for new players than having a fantasy world where dwarfs are extinct. In fact, I think it's less jarring; because in a setting where the players can select from multiple fantasy races that include elves, not having dwarfs breaks the expectations. Meanwhile, if the players enter into a fantasy world where things are so different around them, the new players' expectations are blank (they accept more easily that anything can happen).
Exactly this. After the +400 hours I dropped into Morrowind on my Xbox, when Oblivion was announced for the next generation, I was beyond excited. And once I finally got my hands on it, yes, it did look beautiful, it just felt watered down in the core ways I hadn't recognized made Morrowind as appealing as it was. Oblivion felt more like a franchise reboot than a sequel, then Skyrim was little more than "Oblivion with dragons."Saelune said:
I'm in the minority when I say that I honestly preferred Oblivion over Morrowind. I just enjoyed it a lot more. It had this weird little charm about it that I can't quite put my finger on but no game has recreated that feeling for me since. But I was definitely disappointed in Skyrim.Xprimentyl said:
- no spell creation
- no under water combat (slaughterfish now basically render the argonian passive useless)
- BUGS, BUGS, MILLIONS OF THEM.
To be honest I'd just like for Bethesda to focus on the next Elder Scrolls without "trying something new". Now, I'm not saying don't add any new features (but on that note, stop removing them with every franchise installation...) but I just want them to focus on it being a good RPG at the core. Instead of just a brand cash-grab. I'm just worried that their main focus will be ESO at this stage.
I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone that Arena and Daggerfall are currently available, pre-DOSBoxed and free, on Bethesda's website. Yes, they're old, and yes, they're ugly, but they'll give you the whole of Tamriel to play with.
And, as Saelune keeps noting, the series does have an overarching plot running through it (though the lore changes that the last three games have made makes figuring out what the hell it actually is kind of tricky); I don't think we'll be seeing Akavir (or Pyandonea or the remnants of Yokuda) for several more games; probably not until each province gets one.
And, as Saelune keeps noting, the series does have an overarching plot running through it (though the lore changes that the last three games have made makes figuring out what the hell it actually is kind of tricky); I don't think we'll be seeing Akavir (or Pyandonea or the remnants of Yokuda) for several more games; probably not until each province gets one.
That, and PC users REALLY wanted a x64 engine which while it means the mods and such have to build rebuilt, allows for a lot more to run in the game and for the game to run far more smoothly (a big issue even with the unmodded original).Glongpre said:
One thing is for sure though; save the modders some fucking effort and just include capes and cloaks in the next game by default already.
FFS, people, I'm just gonna say it. Morrowind wasn't THAT great. I very recently replayed it, and I can safely say that people have got some serious nostalgia goggles on. You think the combat in Morrowind was in-depth and Skyrim simplified it? It's actually QUITE the other way around. Morrowind was RIDICULOUSLY easy to cheese. Beginning magic was kind of a joke. And holy fucking shit, dat roll-based hit system... Furthermore, some quests were indeed cool but at the end of the day, the NPCs just felt a little lifeless. It's almost like they all had interesting stories but they just weren't gonna tell you, period.
In the Balmora Mage's Guild, there's a really interesting dark elf woman right when you walk into the building. She's definitely high up and you can do chores for her. But that's it. You never really find out her history or her personality or can really do anything with her when you're done. It's just, 'thanks for the work, buddy, see you never.' And that's it. And that's just one character. Now obviously Morrowind had some more fleshed out characters than this, but they were definitely few and far between. And I guess back in the day, when we were all just dumb teenagers, it was enough. But now, as a sophisticated well-experienced adult, (shut up, I am) I demand MOAR CHARACTERIZATION.
And yeah, Oblivion DEFINITELY had problems. Nooo doubt about that. That atrocious auto-leveling system for one is unbearable to me. The faces are just so dumb looking. (I literally would rather have Morrowind faces than this crap) And the Oblivion gates were a huge lost opportunity to make a whole other "separate continent" as it were for the game. The hellish world you could explore contrasted sharply with the almost heaven-like continent of Cyrodiil. That's what I was originally expecting when I saw the game and that's DEFINITELY how they should have done it. But they didn't...
But anyway. You guys realize that the Skyrim remaster, 1. Didn't take really any time at all for Bethesda to make since they had the new engine and everything ready to go, and 2. Was released totally for free to you if you already had the Legendary Edition of Skyrim? Or Skyrim with all exp. packs? That's not a cash grab really at all.
In the Balmora Mage's Guild, there's a really interesting dark elf woman right when you walk into the building. She's definitely high up and you can do chores for her. But that's it. You never really find out her history or her personality or can really do anything with her when you're done. It's just, 'thanks for the work, buddy, see you never.' And that's it. And that's just one character. Now obviously Morrowind had some more fleshed out characters than this, but they were definitely few and far between. And I guess back in the day, when we were all just dumb teenagers, it was enough. But now, as a sophisticated well-experienced adult, (shut up, I am) I demand MOAR CHARACTERIZATION.
And yeah, Oblivion DEFINITELY had problems. Nooo doubt about that. That atrocious auto-leveling system for one is unbearable to me. The faces are just so dumb looking. (I literally would rather have Morrowind faces than this crap) And the Oblivion gates were a huge lost opportunity to make a whole other "separate continent" as it were for the game. The hellish world you could explore contrasted sharply with the almost heaven-like continent of Cyrodiil. That's what I was originally expecting when I saw the game and that's DEFINITELY how they should have done it. But they didn't...
But anyway. You guys realize that the Skyrim remaster, 1. Didn't take really any time at all for Bethesda to make since they had the new engine and everything ready to go, and 2. Was released totally for free to you if you already had the Legendary Edition of Skyrim? Or Skyrim with all exp. packs? That's not a cash grab really at all.
Actually just Arena. And literally about 95%+ of all that space is generated. And it's really really shitty generation. Like, the worst. Although to be fair, I haven't had any hands-on with Daggerfall so I won't comment on Daggerfall's generated content. Also, Arena was a long-ass fucking time ago too so yeah, it definitely gets a pass.Recusant said:
Now see, the thing is, Oblivion could have improved and expanded that stuff. They didnt. Morrowind isnt perfect, but if they took what was good about it and made it better? Added more? That would be one hell of a great game!Arnoxthe1 said:
But nope. Less weapons, less spells, less variety, and more hand-holding. Boo.
I very recently replayed it and can safely say it is still my favorite game ever, and still better than Oblivion and Skyrim.
At this point I *really* want another big developer/publisher to step up and create competition for Bethesda's IP's. What really feels like the case at this point is that they're resting on their laurels with nobody to compete against. So they're getting lazy.
To be fair, as critical of Oblivion and Skyrim as I am, they are still leaps and bounds better than...most games. If rating games on a scale of 1 to 10, Morrowind is a 30, Skyrim is a 25, and Oblivion is an 18...hyperbole for effect.Raddra said:
It is just that...Oblivion could have been a 35, and then Skyrim a 40...out of 10. Again, hyperbole for effect.
Though I am not against more open world RPGs of awesomeness.