I voted TES Traditional. I just can't stand that over the shoulder look. I think it looks terrible.

FO3's was terrible, Oblivion's was good but the next needs full control I reckon.

You people do realize that Fallout 3's was the same as Oblivion's, just with added camera controls? You didn't have to play over-the-shoulder, you could zoom it out, "traditional" style...

Gah, it's obvious that 1st person is the only way to go, but if third person must be in there, they should do it right, like dedicated 3rd person games such as PoP, Devil May Cry, or even Mario Galaxy.

For those who don't get it, let me spell it out for you:

1st person - you move left or right = your character strafes to the left or right.

3rd person (dedicated) - you move left or right = your characters actually *turns* to face left or right and runs in that direction.

In real 3rd person games, you don't strafe unless you're locked onto a target/direction. And most of the time, pressing back makes the character run towards the screen, not back up. There are hybrids like Gears of War that use 1st person controls with an over-the-shoulder view, but they generally play closer to FPS games than normal 3rd person games (even Uncharted uses traditional 3rd person controls when you're not shooting).

If you want the game to be playable in 3rd person and not feel clunky, you can't just throw 1st person controls into a 3rd person view (as TES has done so far). You need the 3rd person view to have its own dedicated control scheme.

I've mentioned this in my posts on the General ideas thread (when I first joined, I don't really hang out there any more) but I a first person kinda person. Its more natural to be seeing things from your character's point of view, rather than from a 3pp. And honestly I never understood why gamesas implemented it in Morrowind or kept it in Oblivion cause playing from that perspective (apart from being unwieldy) cause serious performance issues. Plus there is no good perspective in 3rd person. The camera is always bumping into things, or moves into a position that misses the action completely. Make it First-person only! Give us actual bodies (if a lol game like Halo3 can do it, TES can too!), give us animations that match what we're doing! If it can be modded in (and it has) than it can be done natively!

Oh! Oh! I'd also like the ability to remain in first person when you die. That's something that's been annoying be substantially in newer games - it's not realistic to go into third person and watch your ragdoll fly halfway across the map. Sure, it's funny for a while, but then it just gets annoying. I loved the implementation in Quake and Half-Life where you simply fell over, but could also be propelled great distances in the event of a blast. In Half-Life 2, your view didn't tilt - you just "sank into the ground", and it would take a ludicrous amount of explosives to even budge you. I don't find anything more obnoxious in Morrowind/Oblivion than my character falling over unenthusiastically whilst that corny "death" fanfare plays.

That is to say, it should be kept in for those who want to make http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaP7UvOaM5E, but I personally would love an option to remain in first person upon death.

I support the option to stay inside your character, It was cool during a game called Trespasser. Then they could also make the enemy "loot" or humiliate your dead body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI6JwCvt-0s FTW!

Indeed. And for all those gamers who value their immersion, hey, it's much more immersive seeing through your own eyes falling to the ground or being blasted away.

Yeah...and while we are on the subject, i'd prefer it, if the game continues after you die, i want to see what the wolf that killed me is doing after i die.

Nearly always 3rd person. I only switched to first person in Oblivion to aim in ranged combat, which was not very often.

i put other because for certain games i prefer over the shoulder but others first person

I would prefer 3rd person if it was done like Battlefront 2 was, but currently I find it too clumsy for my tastes.

I like the first person, and I like being able to switch to third person to view my character. Fallout 3's over-the-shoulder was good for shooting, since you wouldn't want your character in the middle of the screen blocking your view, but that's not what I'd want in a TES game.

For the Elder Scrolls I just don't think third person will ever work as well. let's say you're looking at a bookshelf, covered in clutter, and you want to pick out one specific book - imagine trying to do that third person. It would be damn hard, even if the third person controls were more fully realized than in past TES games. Since this is a situation that can occur a lot in TES, I have to say first person will always be the best bet.

Most third person games have to use a lock-on mechanic for combat, and that's not something I approve of, either.

Okay, I'm not usually one of those Daggerfall [censored] (I barely play the game as it is), but I honestly believe TES needs to return to completely first-person PoV, with the exception of being able to go into 3rd person to view your character. Otherwise, when dedication is split between the two, both are going to be mediocre compared to games that exclusively focus on one or the other.

Anyway, I choose first-person over third because it's honestly not all THAT common in RPGs, not to mention the experience can be far more immersive when done right. StoneFrog mentioned remaining in first-person when you die or get knocked down, and I whole-heartedly agree. FO3 did expand upon the "first-person experience" since Oblivion, though that was only in the cutscenes. It needs to be involved in gameplay as well, and Bethesda should take it several steps further.

A lot of really neat things can be done to create a far more immersive experience for the player using the first-person PoV. It'd be especially interesting since the third-person : first-person RPG ratio is quite disproportionate. Bethesda can use it to create a unique RPG experience that hasn't really been done before, whereas third-person RPGs are a dime a dozen.

I dont use 3rd person, but if bethesda did away with it i'd cry. I LOVE looking at my character in 3rd person. Thats the only time I use it.

Of course every one likes first person. Third person does have its uses though, peeking around coners is what I use it for mostly. With Fallout 3's third person camera the vanity mode camera was weird because if you zoomed in on your character it was completely off center so your character ended up on the left side of the screen. In Oblivion it was centered.

Using it to look around corners is kinda cheating. I love in stalker how u can quickly lean out from behind cover to take see whats around the corner or to shoot.

Unless I'm playing a marksman character, I play almost exclusively in 3rd person.

TES traditional. I liked over-the-shoulder of Fallout but I think the traditional is more suited to magic and swords.

BUT I love being able to look at my character on occasion in 3rd person!

Traditional. First person gives me motion sickness when I'm walking around, but 3rd person isn't as good for targeted shots. Also, I like to see my character once in a while. I'd miss the ability to take 3rd person screenies, too.