How should the next Elder Scrolls Game be handled?

[Rack]

Add some other schtick to let a non Dragonborn kill dragons and super-charge racials maybe? It would be a shame to get rid of shouts because they add a lot to gameplay but they could replace them with something else. Maybe another category of magic? Or do a big vampire/werewolf theme in the main game?

I don't want to see them dumb the skills and spells back down to Oblivion/Morrowind levels though, they did an excellent job in making them meaningful choices as opposed to arbitrary ones.

 

[Jfswift]

Make it take place 1000 years later and have most of the continent open for exploration. Maybe address the dweamer this time?

 

[TK421]

I think I would like the game to be primarily 3rd person oriented, so they could just lift the combat system directly from Dark Souls. Also this would allow for things that are rather clunky in 1st person like climbing, dodging, and jumping. You also wouldn't get that weird disconnect every time you mount a horse, transform, or craft something because you haven't seen yourself in a while.

I'm sorry, but no. It would ruin the game completely for me if they made it primarily 3rd person. The only time I go 3rd person mode is to look at my cool armor. I don't want to deal with trying to drive my guy around like a truck during combat. That just doesn't sound fun.

I completely agree with your mini-rant about how they treat PS3 users though. Pisses me off. It's like they're not even trying.

 

[BroJing]

I think they should take it to Hammerfell and look at the newly independent Redgaurds fighting the Thalmor. A properly realised Arabian setting would be just as cool as the fantasy-viking setting of Skyrim. Bonus points if I can use a magic carpet as a mount.

Leave out the dragons and shouts, those are Skyrim things. Maybe make Fus-Roh-Da the Nord racial skill instead of War Cry (since ordinary Nords are supposed to be able to learn some Thu'um with training).

I don't think classes should come back, I love Morrowind but that was because of the weird setting and adventure, not the lame dice rolls and character trees. More free flowing character progression is definately a bonus.

 

[Frostbyte666]

Hmm, maybe next Elder Scrolls would be beating the threat of the thalmor who accidently released an eldritch horror in their quest for godhood and it's up to Talos' chosen to put it back in the box and beat down the thalmor so the other races won't have the threat of a xenophobic regime seeking their genocide.

 

[Genocidicles]

I think that unless they switch to a better engine, they should have a storyline with a lot less scale (Hell, this goes for Fallout too)

Instead of a massive civil war happening (where battles seemed to involve five men fighting another five men), have the storyline center around two feuding families, or taking down the crime boss of a massive city or something, and don't give the player character god like power to make it ridiculously easy.

 

[Jason Rayes]

I agree with all of this. I don't think Bethesda is capable anymore. I like the worlds they create and their artistic ability inspires wonder but sadly that cannot be said for their game mechanics. Everything from their script to the combat is very stale and dated. The writing isn't there anymore either and the sand box appeal only lasts for so long. They really need new talent and ideas. I think something must be very wrong with a company when each game they create is worse than the previous title.

Oh I think they are perfectly capable, Fallout 3 was a much more complicated game, gameplay wise, than Skyrim. Full stat system, plus skills, plus perks, weapons that degrade etc. And that was only the game before this. Like most companies they are striving for "accessibility" at the cost of complexity.

OT: Apart from more complexity I want a game set in Elsweyr, the home of the Khajit, it's one of those corners of Tamriel I have always wanted to see.

Apart from that I found Skyrim the most immersive of the Elder Scrolls yet, Morrowind had better potential with its weirdness bit for me so many things kept it from reaching that potential.

Edit: I have never been a big fan of their storytelling, hell I get more interest from the books lying around the world than I do the main plot. Their worlds are fun to explore though, I get most of my gameplay time from exploring and trying different character builds. I have never actually finished an Elder Scrolls game storywise, even though collectively I have spent hundreds of hours on them.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Well, there are a lot of things I'd certainly like to see, like especially a game set in the Black Marsh, but I'd prefer a game that continued on from the Thalmor. Either choosing to side with or against the Thalmor (although this could have been done in Skyrim and would have been great), or having to bring it down/put down rebels once it has already taken power. Still, they'd need a proper boss as a goal, so perhaps some kind of demon the Thalmor manage to conjure (perhaps even which then starts to destroy the Thalmor as well as the rest of the world).

As for Dragon Shouts, they are fairly specific to Skyrim so I don't think people would mind too much if they were taken out (providing dragons are not the main enemy and the PC is not a Dragonborn). But they could still be a Nord skill, as Nords can learn with practice.

For the skill trees: I would like to be able to pick my own skill trees to enhance. I'm talking about the blessings or whatever, the main three being classes (warrior, mage, rogue), which boost experience in their respective groups of trees. This is all well and good, and the system still allows you to play however you want, but I'd rather be able to choose which trees to enhance individually. Like have a number of allocatable points that you can spread around and rejig at any time, with a maximum or +20% per tree.

Also, every class should have good, unique abilities. The Orc beserk and Altmer magic buff were both very useful to me, and the Argonian defence one was alright, but Khajiit being able to see in the dark and win at fisticuffs were undoubtedly inferior powers. I think an agility boost would be apt. I'm not sure about other classes but I remember thinking the one-time abilities were pretty uninspired. Bosmer as well, were fairly useless in this department.

And making spells would be nice, and also, killing children. I realise one can simply await the inevitable mod, but god damn they are the most annoying characters in the game and there should be a 'canon' way to kill them. Or, even better, don't write all the children like brats that make me want to kill them.

 

[Dandark]

They need to bring spell creation back, I hope they improve it from Oblivion though. I liked some of the Magicka system in Skyrim, spells being expensive but focusing on using magic reduces their cost as well as increasing your amount of Magicka but they really need to add some of the magic back in.

Im mixed about the skills, I alway's got kinda annoyed in Oblivion that I couldn't use a mace or axe because I was leveling blades however I did like being able to swap between one handed and two handed at will. Now in Skyrim I did like the new system on seperating one handed and two handed weapons as I can use both blunt and bladed weapons but im not too sure which one I would say I prefer.


I don't mind them taking out Dragon shouts, maybe they could just add it back in as a new school of magic? Although it would be different as they didn't use Magicka but it's more likely they will just add some of the more popular and useful shouts as spells.
Im hoping that they finish off the Civil war questline with DLC and move onto something else with the next game, they also better continue the tradition of the player starting out as a prisoner, I loved that =P

 

[xefaros]

I would love to see a dwemer installment on the oblivion class system that teleports you there by an accident with an ES and u try to come back by going through a dwemer campain and then continue a campain at your time of being.

 

[Rawne1980]

Magic needs a rework for the next game.

While Skyrim was an improvement in the magic department over Oblivion in some ways it was a let down in others. Creating your own spells added a bit of depth to Oblivion but was lacking in Skyrim.

Stealth has gone from one extreme to another in Elder Scrolls games. In Morrowind it was barely evident, in Oblivion it worked to a degree while in Skyrim....... I could literally sneak past people looking directly in my direction. *Spoiler* Breaking into the office of the Dwemer studying fella in the Thieves Guild quest, his nephew comes in with 2 guards and then he sits down in a narrow corridor .... I crept right past him while he was more or less looking at me. I get the feeling I could have slapped him with a soggy kipper and he still wouldn't have noticed.

AI. Oh god the AI. I know a game the size of the Elder Scrolls ones isn't going to have fantastical AI that can make NPC's seem truly "alive" but sticking a basket on their heads while you rob place isn't very believable.

Factions need an entire overhaul. Being Grand Master of the Thieves Guild, Mages Guild, Companions/Fighters Guild and Dark Brotherhood all at the same time isn't very feasible. Add more depth to each one and lock some out if you choose a certain path. If you pick Fighters Guild then lock out Thieves and Dark Brotherhood but keep Mages. If you pick Thieves then lock out Fighters/Companions and Mages but keep Dark Brotherhood ... you get the idea. I just can't see the Mages and Fighters wanting a thieving assassin amongst their ranks.

The main story needs work too. Oblivion was okay, short but okay. Skyrim was okay, short but okay. Okay isn't memorable. Add a bit more depth, maybe a couple of different paths to follow with choices (not morality though, fuck not morality).

Companions. Keep them minimal. We don't need a large selection just narrow it down and give them some depth. Maybe a quest line for them to get to know them other than "hi, i'm Lydia and i'll be your Housecarl". Don't make them integral because some people find them annoying but at least do something with the ones you are putting in.

Marriage. I like the idea of "family life" after a few days slaughtering the inhabitants of the continent. I'm not asking for Sims Dating but a bit of depth wouldn't go amiss. Conversation, quests or anything more than "hi, welcome home love. Have some food and gold I made today and piss off".

 

[Amaror]

Oh god no.
The Dragonborn thing was a god idea, but making the protagonist another one kills the uniqueness of it all.
They should just think of another cool character.
And no the MMO doesn't count for me as another Elder Scrolls game.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

Gameplay wise they should just for the most part stick to what they've already got, what already works and improve upon it. There's a few inconsistencies and issues, but for the most part they just need to add more shit overall, improve some stuff and iron out the kinks. Skill trees should be totally revamped though, a lot of the skills feel useless (the way lockpicking is upgraded is very poorly done in particular) or seem like they should've more or less been there all along (alchemy isn't viable until you sink an ungodly amount of time and points into it, and is all things considered the weakest method of creating stuff).

In terms of the setting, questlines and whatnot, they mostly need to just be more varied. Characters, places, quests and questlines, objectives, factions, races, people, they just felt a bit too monotonous and/or generic, especially for such a large game.

Also no more Dragonborn. It was really cool but having the PC as the Dragonborn again would just ruin it, and feel like a not-even-very-spirited lazy kick to the balls of much of the fanbase.
No more 'prophesied hero' stuff either, and don't make the protagonist an amnesiac. That stuff's not necessarily bad, but we've seen it a lot.

A personal thing I'd like to see would be the inclusion of greater stealth elements, though I'm not sure how that sort of thing would go down in the series, it likely just wouldn't work. For one thing as it is, it's virtually impossible to level up efficiently without heavily partaking in direct combat.

 

[Wado Rhyu]

ehm? none dragonborns can shout too you know (greybeards, ulfric). just make it part of some magic stuff or training.

besides the story/flavour of the hero makes 50% of them game. so plz no copie past.

most elder scroll games have atleast 400 years in between them, that way the dont have to keep to a back story.

next main story would be like, altmerie domion has taken over the world and the hero is gonna kick there asses.

that or there wont be any because its now a MMO

capcha: traffic jam, how do the know where i am

 

[Tanakh]

The MMO is not developed by the Elder Scrolls team. The TES crew consulted in pre-production, and judging by the art done for the MMO, it's going to be Rift 2, and nothing like Elder Scrolls at all minus the names of stuff.

I mean, they lumped races into player factions for god's sake. Nords, Dunmer and Orcs vs. Imperials and Redguards vs. Khajit and Argonians vs. High Elves and Wood Elves. How stunted is that? It's pants-on-head retarded.

Ridt 2? Doubtful, given the developing team previous history it's much more likely it'll be very similar to DaoC or GW 2. Which is actually something i am looking forward to.

 

[Rack]

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.

To be honest it's a mixed bag, I'm just tired of people treading out the old "Skyrim is dumbed down" theme uncontested. Because all of these are things but I really don't agree with you as to what represents intelligent play.

For example the Athletics skill. It's not even possible to not level athletics, so why does it exist? So you move faster at the end of the game than the beginning? That's a mechanic you may or may not agree with but in what way is it smart?

Or folding Sword, Axe and Mace into one handed (with trait lines for each). You might be able to argue that this is unrealistic, that a master swordsman is little better, maybe even worse, than a rank amateur with an axe. But froma gameplay perspective it shuts down choices. In Skyrim if I specialise in swords I may still be tempted to use a powerful mace I have found. In Morrowind that isn't an option, and to me intelligent gameplay is defined by the number of good options, not the number of options overall.

This is why I also favour the removal of spellmaking, at least until Bethesda can learn to balance it. While there are some major problems with the spell set in Skyrim they pale to the issues in Oblivion, where as you mentioned, you can create grotesquely overpowered spells that trivialise any encounter. I will admit there is fun to be had in breaking a system, and some of it is an interesting mental challenge, but I don't believe a system is smart for being rpone to it.

There are roundabouts to this, the Impact perk trivialises the dual casting system and there were several interesting abilities removed (reflect damage and spears being what I feel most keenly) but as an engine I feel Skyrim is much improved when it comes to having intelligent choices to make.