elder scrolls survey, what makes the series important to you?

[NeddyxBear]

Dear Elder Scrolls fans,
For a large portion of my year 12 grade I am writing an essay on the topic ?what makes the elder scrolls series an important figure in modern role-playing games??
For the research component I wanted to get as many opinions on why the series might be important to you.
What draws you to the series?
When did you first come across it?
Do you have any fond memories of anything you might have done in any of the games?
Do you think that the Elder Scrolls is an important figure in modern role playing games, and what sets it apart for other RPGs?
Any input is welcome, simply type it into the comment section below, it can be anywhere from a sentence to a paragraph long, as much as you are willing to share. As I said before, this is part of my final year 12 grade, and any input will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[gideonkain]

Sounds like an awesome essay, for me what really struck me is Morrowind, I had never heard of Elder Scrolls before and I started it up and the first thing that happens...is nothing, you just walk away from the starter town and..just keep walking, I had never played a game so amazingly large before - I specifically remember a dungeon, one of the first, that was so unbelievably large you could spend forever in there, it was like 20 levels deep, but the mission objective was on like the 6th floor.

A few years later when Oblivion came out, I didn't like it as much, no levitate spell, by lvl 20 or so bandits were attacking you with glass weapons and I kinda broke the game when I managed to craft two swords, one which returned my magic when I swung it and one that returned my health, so I just swung one or the other, and they were powered by those stones which were always in the "core room" of an Oblivion gate.

What makes Elder Scrolls so different (and Fallout) is its excellent sense of exploration, you just spin around in a circle, head in a direction and your guaranteed to find something interesting.

To this day I know I missed about 90% of the content in those games, but after 50+ hrs each I definitely got my monies worth.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

My draw? Being able to do whatever the fuck I want. And do that for hundreds of hours. The freedom and amount of content is what I love.

 

[artanis_neravar]

The entire story of Morrowind was so flushed out (ignoring the obvious Christianity parallel). You don't know why you are there, and you don't have amnesia which is a good thing. You've just been released from slavery and told to enjoy. There is no good or evil, you just are who you are.

 

[drizztmainsword]

I was drawn to the Elder Scrolls games, and to Oblivion in particular, because of the open-ended nature of the game. I like games that allow their players to form their own sense of character and place in a world, and not just allow, but rejoice in it. Unfortunately, Oblivion has a wide verity of issues that obstructs if from realizing that goal.

I first came across Oblivion when it was announced at E3. I was awestruck by it's outside environments, and a fully-voiced characters. Of course, the game's graphics have unfortunately aged rather poorly since then, and it's a well known fact that there were abouts seven voice actors in the whole game .

My favorite memories of the game are sneaking through caves with a bow drawn, trying to be stealthy, taking out enemies as I came across them. Another one of my favorite memories is the Dark Brotherhood mission where you're locked in a house and you have to kill off the members one by one. At the time, I was a vampire, so I took the opportunity to drink them dry first xD.

I'm looking forwards to Skyrim with great anticipation. I'm hoping my gripes I had with Oblivion will be rectified. The series has a lot of potential, and it is good at pulling you into a character rather than saying "hey, you're playing this dude, with these emotions" such as in games like Mass Effect.

I think some of the important things that Oblivion has done for RPGs has been pushing forward the full voicing. Even if there was a dearth of voice actors, Oblivion was a fully voiced game in 2004. That's impressive. Also, I'm glad for the unique fantasy universe. Elder Scrolls can be classified as "high fantasy," but it is not "Tolkien fantasy" and that's a good thing.

 

[JimmyC99]

I First came upon it when i played Morrowind a very very very long time ago (in retrospect to me youth) i didn't know anything about Beth or TES then and didn't play it much, as i was far to young and inexperienced at PC RPG's to really get into it, i later played Oblivion on the 360 when it was first released and throughly enjoyed it, bought many many many DLC's pirates cave, wizards tower, the actual expansions the lot. and loved them all. the open world the do what you want attitude, the fiery death you can deal with the right enchanted swords. the fact you can steal anything not nailed to the floor. i was so enchanted i didn't care for the lack of direction and reused skins and voice actors, they under-use of great V.O talent in Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean, the latter gets more air time but not enough, but i suppose there, expensive. i guess above all i love that this world seams to run like normal even if your not meddling in their lives on you quest to find 600 tea leaves because you felt like taking a day of the main quest. above all TES gives you a great sense of Immersion and fun, sneaking around in the dark waiting to get the perfect shot off to kill someone in a single shot. its the reason its one of the few games you can go back to start again from scratch and fully enjoy again. the gaming world needs less Bang Bang Bang Run Cover Bang CoD Clones and more Full on RPG games.

i hope i didn't ramble to much and i hope this helps.

if you want any quotes on why TES is an important part of my or people like my gaming experiences and enjoyment to help your essay. after all quotes can make markers value your information grabbing skills. then ask me, us, hell ask employes at The Escapist and video game companies. Youtube celebs like The Yogscast or OMFG Cata.

again i hope i didn't ramble.

 

[NeddyxBear]

thank you all very much!
my whole year 12 grade is riding on this essay (stupid australian year 12 scheme) we were asked to write a huge essay about somthing we were interested in, and being an endless source of elder scrolls knowlage i knew that this was really my only choice.
again, im so thankful, i wouldnt be able to write this essay without all your feedback, many of your comments will be featured in my essay, and i hope that you can all feel some sort of fulfillment knowing that you have all played a role in helping a 18 year old who just wants to have fun and play games pass year 12.

again, thankyou!

 

[Danceofmasks]

Your character improves because of what you make 'em do, at what you make 'em do.

I get irritated sometimes when "rpg elements" in some games have you pick up abilities that come out of nowhere.

 

[Super Toast]

The sense of exploration, and the fantastic sidequests. Honestly, The Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild and Shivering Isles quests were infinity times better than the main story.

 

[Bobbity]

Well, I have nothing better to do. Let's roll.

What draws you to the series?
The wonderfully open world - that sense of exploration, and of really doing something important. It's the same sort of sense of exploration that drew me to WoW and Red Dead. The main story was all right, but the side quests, the cities, the world are the things that were important to me.

When did you first come across it?
We've had a copy of Morrowind on Xbox as long as I can remember, but I didn't play it much. I never got past Balmora, where I stole the really cool sword and spent ages screwing around. Then came Oblivion. I when I got my 360, the day after they came out in Australia. It was the very first game I ever played on my 360.

Do you have any fond memories of anything you might have done in any of the games?
Cloud Ruler Temple. Having opted out of using the fast travel to get there from Kvatch, it was an incredibly awesome moment to finally ride up that mountain, and to stand before those monstrous gates. That was the moment that the world came alive for me.

Do you think that the Elder Scrolls is an important figure in modern role playing games, and what sets it apart for other RPGs?
TES is hugely important in the world of RPGs, and vastly different to all others that I've played. The sheer amount of work that must have gone into making the games in such a vast, open world really boggles the mind, and truly sets it apart from other RPGs.

I love going on about the Elder Scrolls, so if you have any more questions, shoot.

 

[ZeZZZZevy]

What drew me to the series? Well I loved Fallout 3 and was recommended Oblivion by my friend, so I thought why not? Was not disappointed.

When did you first come across it? Bought the GOTY edition for $20. Great deal

Fond memories? Pretty much the entire dark brotherhood questline. I loved that questline

Long question? I don't play that many RPGs, but I think the open world, varied paths to take, and flexibility are what I want to see in all my RPGs, and the lack of turn based random battles is icing on the cake. What sets it apart? Your experience is extremely personalized. There are a lot of relevant choices to make in the game, and that's really important.

 

[icyneesan]

The mods. Seriously, theres something for everyone among the thousands of mods avaiable on the internet. Even if you don't like the Elder scrolls games you can still mod them to your liking. As far as I know, no other video game series does something like this.

 

[Riddle78]

What drew me to The Elder Scrolls (started with Morrowind),was the INCREDIBLE story. Sure,you have to pay attention,but I also like that. Gives a sense of adventure. And on that topic...Plenty of opprotunity to explore and have adventures. I disliked the whole "Compass with quest markers" thing,because it just detracted from the whole "adventure" aspect.

Finally? A large,rich,and unique environment. What other game do elven wizard lords make their homes in GIANT MUSHROOM TREES? When I first saw that is was all "Ooh! Purdy! Wizardry abound!" Then I walked in and realized I didn't have Levitation...But! Morrowind was amazing,and Oblivion was,admittedly,a little less so.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

What draws you to the series?

I remember looking at the back of the case of Morrowind years ago and just looking at the screenshots and thinking "This looks fucking awesome." I guess it was the huge world dot point on the back as well.

When did you first come across it?

Probably about 5 or 6 years ago.

Do you have any fond memories of anything you might have done in any of the games?

I remember sleeping outside Balmora and waking up to see a Nix Hound right in my face and scaring the shit outta me.

Do you think that the Elder Scrolls is an important figure in modern role playing games, and what sets it apart for other RPGs?

More recently? Not much, Oblivion wasn't the amazing braingasm I got from Morrowind. But I think it's the freedom given to the player.

 

[Vault101]

I kind of WANT to like syrim but I am very very warey of it

Ill definetly be reading alot of in depth reveiws and asking peoples opinions

 

[Hamish Durie]

I started the elder scrolls at oblivion at what i reallt liked about the was the adoring fan because hes like a stress ball when ever the game freezes or lags and i have to restart a quest because the aI dont know that ice done what ever it is that they wanted me to do i just reload my save file where me and the adoring fan are up in the mountins and i go peanut banana sandwhich crazy on him for a few miniutes

 

[Necator15]

What drew me to the series? Well, originally I bought Morrowind, and almost immediately ended up sick as shit for a good two weeks with nothing to do but play Morrowind. What I really loved most about the games is the sheer volume there is to do, and even after it's all been done, it's still incredibly fun to play.
Really, my fondest memories of TES are probably the opening cinematic to Oblivion. Just watching it gave me chills.

I also am a firm believer that TES is one of the most important RPGs there are on the market right now. They create huge open worlds that can be seen to have required an incredible amount of time and love by their creators. They may end up with some glitches from time to time, but honestly, when talking about the scale that the games allow, there's no way to reasonably ensure that there wouldn't be. Further than that, I also believe that the way they forward the story of the world rather than its characters is extremely interesting.

 

[Saelune]

Character customization and freedom. Is why I bought the game (Morrowind), and a good chunk of why I still love the games. Ofcourse, Id prefer more than less. Hopefully Skyrim will have more than Morrowind, unlike Oblivion which had less (than Morrowind).

 

[easternflame]

Right. I love this game.
I think all games have a mechanic that makes them interesting. The Elder Scrolls has open world exploration. I love that about it. It changed open world exploration in games. Also it has interesting combat. Realist worlds. It just feels like you live in another world.

 

[Oktanas]

Similar to fallout 3, interesting way to lvl, clans, open world.