How should the next Elder Scrolls Game be handled?

[F'Angus]

Well I don't reckon there will be dragon shouts in the next one, but they will replace it with something similar.

As for removing fighting dragons I reckon they could well do that. I didn
't know personally how they were gonna do Skyrim without having to go into realms of Oblivion and fight deadra but they managed it. They usually find a new interesting thing for the game to focus on.


What I don't know is how they're gonna handle the civil war end in future games, because you could end the game with Skyrim in a number of different factions hands. Previous games had a more definite ending so I don't know how they'll follow up from this multiple choice one, it affects the whole history of tamriel.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

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

.

 

[Hochmeister]

I'd like to see a bigger, more realistic world where major cities have more than 50 inhabitants. while the outside world is very well done it's always bugged me how small the cities in TES were.

Also, they'd benefit from making combat scenarios with multiple people on both sides with the player as the commander, i.e. introducing strategy game and Mount and Blade mechanics. This would mesh well with a war with the Nazi elves main storyline. Re-casting the story as a "decline and fall of the Roman Empire" type instead of "lone hero saves world from eldrich abomination" could be just what the series needs.

 

[Baldry]

You do realise that within the next couple of games the world's going to get destroyed right? Personally as long as they have the balls to follow through with ending their series like that I'm happy.

 

[___________________]

Put in giant dragons instead of the puny things we got in Skyrim. And a much bigger world capable of handling such titanic sized beasts. I mean big big. Oh and the giants suffer from the same problem so they should work on their size aswell.

 

[Cerrax]

What Skyrim attempted was extremely difficult and I think they pulled it off very well. Are there things to improve upon? Always. Are there parts that have needed improving since TES started? Absolutely. But overall, the major additions of Skyrim on a technical level (dragon fights, new conversation/NPC behavior, more NPC's in battle, smarter and more useful companions) were very well done. Until you've actually programmed a game, it is hard to understand how excruciatingly difficult it must have been to create the AI and collision and everything else just for the dragon battles. That alone left me in awe, something Oblivion was never able to do.

I would love to see the combat evolve from more than just "line up crosshairs and swing". To a point, the "kill cams" and a few "special moves" have added a bit of variety. But combat is probably the stalest part of the Elder Scrolls series. I would love to see an Elder Scrolls game that allows combat to work in third person (it is all but impossible in Oblivion and Skyrim). Possibly have the camera break off from the over-the-shoulder format when you are in combat to allow a wider view of the area. So many action games over the past decade have learned many camera tricks and formats and algorithms that could be applied to make this work really well.

 

[charge52]

What Skyrim attempted was extremely difficult and I think they pulled it off very well. Are there things to improve upon? Always. Are there parts that have needed improving since TES started? Absolutely. But overall, the major additions of Skyrim on a technical level (dragon fights, new conversation/NPC behavior, more NPC's in battle, smarter and more useful companions) were very well done. Until you've actually programmed a game, it is hard to understand how excruciatingly difficult it must have been to create the AI and collision and everything else just for the dragon battles. That alone left me in awe, something Oblivion was never able to do.

Most of the technical additions were horribly done, don't know what you're talking about. Dragon fights barely differed from any other fight, with the main difference being how big the dragon is. NPC behavior was also as stupidly done as it was in Oblivion, with people still repeating the same endless dialogue lines. If I had a dollar for everytime Nazeem asked Ysolda what brought her to the market, I would be richer than Bill Gates. There are more NPC's in battle, but only five or six more. It's still armies of like ten men fighting against each other. "useful companions" I suppose you never actually used them did you? Cause their AI is complete and utter shit. They constantly walk onto blatantly obvious traps that they see you avoid(and usually get up and walk into them again), they're pretty fucking useless in combat unless you vowed never to fight, they constantly stand in the middle of a narrow hallway forcing you to try to sprint push them out of the way.
Also, let me get this straight, you were impressed because the programmers were competent enough to do their fucking job?

 

[charge52]

You do realise that within the next couple of games the world's going to get destroyed right? Personally as long as they have the balls to follow through with ending their series like that I'm happy.

Tamriel's going to be destroyed? Everyone in it's going to die? That's the best news I've heard all day!

 

[Baldry]

You do realise that within the next couple of games the world's going to get destroyed right? Personally as long as they have the balls to follow through with ending their series like that I'm happy.

Tamriel's going to be destroyed? Everyone in it's going to die? That's the best news I've heard all day!

You may want to activate your flame shield...

 

[charge52]

You do realise that within the next couple of games the world's going to get destroyed right? Personally as long as they have the balls to follow through with ending their series like that I'm happy.

Tamriel's going to be destroyed? Everyone in it's going to die? That's the best news I've heard all day!

You may want to activate your flame shield...

Five steps ahead of you.

 

[Squilookle]

It should be handled...


...more like....


THIS

Spoiler

That is all.

 

[Muspelheim]

LET OBSIDION MAEK IT HURR DURR!

Well, with that out of my system, I'd say that Black Marsh or Elsweyr would be good candidates for a world enviroment this time around. Plus, the hints we've gotten about Argonian and Khajiit culture would make for an interesting change away from Ol' Humanland. Morrowind was about being a stranger in an Alien land. It evidently worked, it's probably high time to recreate that feel.

Now, what I really liked about Skyrim is that they finally had the heart to break up the Empire and give it some contenders. It made the political side far more interesting than a benevolent world government. I hope they continue on that line. Another reason to go for either Elsweyr or Black Marsh. Elsweyr is a divided puppet state of the Thalmor (ripe for a resistance movement, perhaps we get to see what caused the moons to disappear and reappear and how the Thalmor could take credit for that) and Black Marsh is an independent nation on the rise, and eager to settle old scores with the Dunmer. Both would make interesting scenarios to toss our destined hero into.

And while I don't disagree completly with simplifying things (even if we do end up with rather big sacrifices, like spell making), I'd say we've hit the bottom with Skyrim. This is as simple as things should get, in my opinion.

And last, but not least; while we create our character, it'd be neat if the also got to fill in what our character from the previous game was. It's a bit odd when the world-saving hero of yore is never mentioned by name, gender or race. This way, we could at least see the Dovakhiin mentioned by name in the history books, or even in statue form somewhere. The official lore would have to be open-ended, but that doesn't have to be the case in the player's own pocket dimension.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

I wouldn't mind a few smaller fluff options for character background, as long as things don't get too overboard with them. But say, since every character in TES is a prisoner (save Daggerfall, where you're the Emperor's friend), why not let me choose WHY I'm a prisoner, and have that affect where I start (with my own independent story that'll all group up together later, like say, Guild Wars 2)

In fact, since everyone loves companions on TES, make them a focus! You have the branching story, but all the events from all possible paths are all happening (and maybe even leave you behind to catch up if you don't keep up, to keep the world feeling alive. Daggerfall did it.) and character creation is you deciding which of this group you'll be (since once the stories all line up, they have to team up to beat the big baddy) and how you rose to lead this group.

Those are good ideas in-and-of-themselves, and if we were talking about some other game I might agree with you. But I really don't want to see the focus shift to the player-character like that. Let Bioware handle the Bioware games. It's a very common request for Bethesda to start copying Bioware but if they do it I'm going to rage so hard. Everything doesn't have to be the same. I wasn't aware anyone liked the companions for anything but inventory management. I keep trying to use them because, well, they're there. But they annoy me too much and they aren't balanced into gameplay well.

 

[Yokillernick]

Damn casuals ruining the series...

Pic: If I ever meet Todd Howard

My first exact thought, thanks for that image.

OT: Well I guess I can foresee the next TES storyline. You are perhaps some sort of mercenary or soldier in the army. Hell maybe even the Dragonborn. Then for the whole game you will be derping and herping around Cyrodill and possibly other places trying to fight back the Great Aldemeri Dominion onslaught which they had been hyping up the whole game. Then I would guess that maybe they will allow you to side as with the Empire or help out the Elves. I don't know why I just see this becoming like the Civil War questline only on a bigger scale.

Now about features:

I would like to see some more human reactions from NPC when I just went into the shop and butchered their family.
Better combat as in why do the cinematic kill cams which make the game awesome have to only trigger randomly?
Even though 'there's a mod for that' I would like Bethesda not to let others fix their cock ups.
Some more interaction to the marriage options. I was happy I could get married in Skyrim but all I got in return was 'Hello, love', open shop and some food.

 

[Muspelheim]

Oh! And another thing!

Remember that questline from Morrowind where you got to build your own stronghold? A bit like hearthfire, but less gimmicky. Perhaps that'd be an idea for the main quest of VI, a sort of concrete reward for doing well. Or at least a faction reward.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

but as an engine I feel Skyrim is much improved when it comes to having intelligent choices to make.

I have made the same argument several times. We really didn't have more choice before in practice. We had less, and badly structured choice. Spell-making is a good example. People were using less and less interesting spells because of it, not more. And in Skyrim we have all the different effects that provide a lot more choice in practice. In practice, all attributes did was provide an opportunity to break your character by leveling wrong, overpower it by doing a bunch of tedious horseshit, or just ignore them entirely. They had to go and good riddance. The way the weapon skills are structured in Skyrim is the way it should have been done from the beginning. It makes a lot more sense then Oblivion. Having a dagger and a claymore tied to the same skill just felt wrong. I do miss spears, and not just for myself. The Imperial soldiers just don't look right without a pilum or short spear or something.

But I think it's time to turn things around in the next title. They have been trying to identify what is really making the game better and what is holding it back. Now they have figured it out, and it's time to use what they have learned to start adding to the games again.

There is a humongous Elsweyr mod for Oblivion. There is one for Skyrim. Elsweyr is the most frequently non-introduced official land to be modded into the game by other teams, and what's worse is it's a freaking desert.

No. Just. No. A desert is not what we need to revitalize Elder Scrolls, a desert would be the final nail in the coffin for "overused geography in games".

People said Morrowind would suck because it's just empty ash fields. They said Skyrim would suck because it's just snow, snow, and more snow. Ironically, out of the 3D TES games the only one whose world sucked was Oblivion. The subject matter they choose isn't as important as what they do with it.

I know a lot of people are calling for Elsweyr but I think the time is right for Blackmarsh. They have had developments in their own political system we should see. They have an ongoing conflict with the Dunmer that (I have no doubt!) is making life in Blackmarsh itself very complicated. And finally, this is a good time for Blackmarsh to thicken the plot a little bit by influencing the conflict between the Empire and the Thalmor in anticipation of the next Great War. I want to see what Argonian architecute, culture, politics, and religious life are like and how it all fits together. I want to see a society of reclusive lizard-people whose culture reflects dark undertones and hints at something insidious beneath the surface.

Maybe if I bought Todd Howard a fruitcake or something...

Some more interaction to the marriage options. I was happy I could get married in Skyrim but all I got in return was 'Hello, love', open shop and some food.

I'm not crazy about putting marriage in the game just in principle. But if they must, it's essential they depict the region's marriage ceremony and practices in an interesting way that teaches me about the place and culture I'm experiencing. If they fail to do that they should just cut the feature. Same goes for the stupid chores like chopping wood. If I wanted to play a boredom simulator I'd play Fable.

 

[Cerrax]

Most of the technical additions were horribly done, don't know what you're talking about. Dragon fights barely differed from any other fight, with the main difference being how big the dragon is.

1) Yes dragons are very big. The larger and more complex a model is, the harder it is to properly program it to move and detect collision.
2) Dragons can fly. No other enemies (outside of a few in Morrowind) do this, and never fly as fast or as far as the dragons in Skyrim.
3) Dragons not only fly, but find space to land on the ground and attack. Their attacks are also different when they are on the ground and in the sky. Again, no enemies in the Elder Scrolls have ever done this. Most enemies either shoot arrows/spells or attack with melee and occasionally heal themselves or others. The combat is very basic. As I said later in my post, combat is one of the weakest parts of the Elder Scrolls series.

NPC behavior was also as stupidly done as it was in Oblivion, with people still repeating the same endless dialogue lines. If I had a dollar for everytime Nazeem asked Ysolda what brought her to the market, I would be richer than Bill Gates.

1) Spoken dialogue has two huge problems associated with it, disk space and money. The more dialogue you have, the more space you need to store it, and more dialogue means more actors or more recording time, or both, which is very, very expensive.
2) Not to mention writing the dialogue and programming the correct lines to be spoken at the right times. Unless you're perfectly fine with huge textboxes (a la Morrowind) spoken dialogue has a long way to go in any game, not just Skyrim.

There are more NPC's in battle, but only five or six more. It's still armies of like ten men fighting against each other. "useful companions" I suppose you never actually used them did you? Cause their AI is complete and utter shit. They constantly walk onto blatantly obvious traps that they see you avoid(and usually get up and walk into them again), they're pretty fucking useless in combat unless you vowed never to fight, they constantly stand in the middle of a narrow hallway forcing you to try to sprint push them out of the way.

1) I agree with most of this, the pathfinding and combat intelligence of the companions is pretty terrible, but compare that to previous Bethesda games' companions and you'll see that they have many less mistakes than others. Artificial companions are just below sentient AI and are very difficult to do, especially in such a large sprawling world.

Also, let me get this straight, you were impressed because the programmers were competent enough to do their fucking job?

Yes I am.
It is so rare that a game as ambitious and large as Skyrim is made to completion with so few major hiccups. There is no such thing as a perfect game, but I think on the whole, they did what they set out to accomplish with an astounding level of execution. I'm not saying there aren't things to fix. I'm simply admiring the work that they have done so far. This thread was supposed to be about what you would like to see in a new Elder Scrolls game, not what you hated from the last one.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Also, let me get this straight, you were impressed because the programmers were competent enough to do their fucking job?

Yes I am.
It is so rare that a game as ambitious and large as Skyrim is made to completion with so few major hiccups. There is no such thing as a perfect game, but I think on the whole, they did what they set out to accomplish with an astounding level of execution. I'm not saying there aren't things to fix. I'm simply admiring the work that they have done so far. This thread was supposed to be about what you would like to see in a new Elder Scrolls game, not what you hated from the last one.

I agree with this. People always post long lists of flaws with Elder Scrolls games and then act surprised when I still like them. I often say "there's nothing else like The Elder Scrolls" hoping someone will prove me wrong. People invariably rebut with a bunch of old 2D top-down titles, Arx Fatalis, 4x space mining sims and STALKER. Like I always say, I will shit all over Bethesda's series when someone else does the same thing and does it half as well.

 

[themyrmidon]

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

It is way too early to talk about another TES game when we still need FALLOUT 4!

 

[Hop-along Nussbaum]

Don't change a good thing. Change the setting, but not the mechanic. I have heard Boston was the next venue, but think that's a horrible idea. Personally, I would love to see London or Tokyo. But thats me.