My only complaint about the Elder Scrolls series

[jboking]

Nobody goes to the bathroom either apparently.

I'm sure there is a piss corner in each room that everyone makes a point out of not hanging around.

 

[D. Ein]

This argument could apply to almost any game ever made. If every room had to have a realistic purpose games would be very very short.

Read http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/9.323522.13253658 closely and you'll see that I mention I'm fine with treating a game like a game. I've nothing against a couple of extra rooms, but when the entire dungeon's purpose is unclear, I'm a little more iffy.

I think about these design issues sometimes while I play through the game. Then I remember all of my thoughts on use and design are based around real world sensibilities rather than Tamriel sensibilities. If the game claimed to be set in Feudal Europe, or even on earth, I might be taken aback. However, I try my best to feel that when things like magic developed, it took all the attention of intelligent architects who could have otherwise solved this problem, thus we get shitty castles. I do understand why there are abandoned castles, though, even in the real world sense. Castles require maintenance and are often more trouble than they are worth if they aren't positioned around a resource, like a town. Thus, the castles that get used are the ones that are the epicenter of different towns. I did wonder why the imperials didn't use the run down castles as bases of control, but then I ran into an actual imperial camp and it seemed like they were mostly pitched tents, implying they like to stay mobile, something a castle wouldn't be good for.

Well, that's my rambly thoughts, anyway.

I was beginning to think nobody would actually comment on the idea itself rather than the little details and wordings in my post.

I suppose you're right about the castles bit. Back then the authority held quite a lot of power, so I assume it wouldn't be unlike the Middle Ages to have some random lord build a castle on a whim and then decide that it's more trouble than it's worth. No paperwork, no clearing it with the government, so it'd stand to reason that there'd be abandoned castles. I stand corrected.

And you're right about the magic bit. Maybe the rooms without purpose do have a purpose after all, some magical thing. If only there were more Dwemer ruins...

 

[Inkvizitorius]

So much fuss for so little...


As for topic: there is no trade off between ''realistic" architecture and linearity. With right design you can make feeling of grander structure around you, but always allowing only one route. And for most players, it doesn't matter. I doubt that they would ever stop for a moment and appreciate art and effort which was made for location #5486.

And for the next generation elder the scroll game, I think that this should be solved. Be honest, for next such success, company would be expected to put even more effort into the game, so maybe we would finally see a dungeons who would be viable for stealth, persuadion, bribe, relations and so on. Personally: I'm quite bored with one-rout, kill everything scenario and after 5 years (let's guess) most casuals will be too spoil for something less.
Let me remind you all that this game deserves it's 95 score. And if he wants to have another big success, then we can expect drastic improvements to the series.

 

[ThePirateMan]

Nobody goes to the bathroom either apparently.

Actually, I found a hidden-away room with nothing but a hole and a bucket in a pirate/bandit cave.

Obviously, all of Tamriel goes there for their dirty business.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Wait a moment! Are you saying D&D games are not realistic? My god man this could change everything!

World setup is the very last thing I would complain about in the TES series, but ya that also is lacking.

 

[Wolfram23]

Well... I get what you mean, OP. I don't necessarily agree though. Kinda sorta. It would be more accurate to say I just don't care lol.

Also, I've found several bathrooms Usually it's just a bucket on the floor (or a hole in a wood floor in a tiny room).

 

[vrbtny]

Nobody goes to the bathroom either apparently.

TvTropes is your friend there

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NobodyPoops

Spoiler

Yes, I'm a bastard. I linked you too the dreaded site. Prepare to have your life sucked away.


MUHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!

 

[chexlltim]

Actually, if memory serves several of the forts are inhabited by bandits. They've got beds and tables and bookcases set up in a few corners. It's not a bustling metropolis, but still..

 

[spartandude]

while i do actually like the idea of easily going to the exit after finishing a dungeon. i agree with you on every other point, i like in morrowind castles were fortified and garrisoned while in Oblivion and Skyrim no one cares about them, it makes no sense. and it does annoy me how most dungeons look like no one had ever lived there exept and the were made specifically to fall into ruin and for bandits to move in and salvage


edit

this also annoys me even more in skyrim because of the story, with the civil war going you come across camps from both sides which look like they could be over run by another force, wouldnt it make sense for these guys to go in and take other a fort or maybe a cave with a defencible position?

 

[Foxpack1]

The gripe about the exit being right after the main boss/ending isn't just a game thing as in real life, eg Pyramids, builders would build an exit as soon as a project was completed so as to have a way out in case of cave-ins.

 

[Jarcin]

I think (DUN DUN DUN!)

Seriously though, I feel a more useful purpose beyond fighting would be neat. I hate to turn Skyrim into "that game" but it would be interesting if you could dump money into old places you have cleared, similar to a shop.

First you purchase it from whatever capital city might claim it.
Then, you spend money to get it refurbished and have guards protect it while it's being done. It would take a few in game days, simply to make it worth while.
After it's built, that's when the fun begins. After a severe money dump, the place now has guards, and you slowly expand into a small village....

I'm sure you can see where this is going. It would probably go against most of the dynamic of the game, but it would be a neat twist on things. It's more of a person desire seen poorly done in other games. I've always wished for an economy beyond buy/sell in a free open world like Skyrim.

 

[Arakasi]

Perhaps their layout is a tad illogical for everyday living, however I kind of think of it like an egyptian pyramid, i.e. used to store the dead, incidentally having a butt-load of treasure at the same time.

As you can see in many of any of the ruins, there are tombs everywhere, not to mention that there are horrors in these ruins that would fuck up anyone but the guy with a camera for a head.

I think the bottom line is, that most of the ingame characters are either too weak, or fine with where they are, to be bothered killing a shitload of monsters to get some ruined castle/other thing they have to restore.

 

[MatthewG]

...

93 hours is just what Steam says. Because I'm paranoid of crashes, and because I haven't had a crash since I started the game, I don't bother turning it off for the night, or when I'm at work. I can't give you a more precise number than that, but it'd probably be around 40 hours. The only reason I put those stats in there is to say that I haven't just bumped into one dungeon and decided that I know what I'm talking about. I've invested some time into all three games, though I'll admit I haven't played the earlier ones.

Fair enough, that sounds much more sane then.

In my personal experience I feel that 'realistic' dungeons often don't feel as fun as 'gamey' ones - it's something I notice as a fault in my DMing for D&D: when I create my own material, I tend to get hung up on the details of making it 'realistic', while the pre-made 'gamey' dungeons I run often have much more entertaining set pieces...

I guess what we really need is some way to more directly tell game developers what kind of games we'd like to see with some voting numbers to back it up.