In a lot of games where you can continue after finishing the mainquest, the game just feels "empty" when doing so.
A few examples are Fable 3 (which can even become empty in the most literal sense), mass effect 2, or Fallout 3 (without dlc).

Sure, you can still do sidequests you haven't done before, but a thing that always distracts me is that a world which you just saved from its utter doom remains exactly the same as it was before, except for maybe a few new dialogue lines.
So normally, after playing through the game's mainquest, I tend to stop playing it even though there are still a lot of sidequests left.

What I would need to keep me going was new possibilites to open up. For example, after finishing the mainquest you can become duke of a city, get a castle which you could costumize, hire servants etc. Another way would be to open up tasks that keep you motivated, for example you get a map with certain items that you could combine to build a new sword, or you could get the task to kill off all remaining dragons/werewolves and stuff. Of course, the NPCs should react to you as their saviour properly and treat you with respect and esteem.

What do you think?

I think that having new gameplay options is going to be good.

I want to actually feel like I have just saved the damn region from being burnt by dragons making fly-bies. I don't want a rumour saying : " I heard that some mysterious hero killed x dragon and saved us! God I wonder who he is!" . I would want there to be celebrations ( even without including me ). some kind of purpose ( besides side quests ) something that gives you that edge. Like even if you did the MQ you still have something to fight for, be it someone invading, be it necromancers attacking, be it dragons who survived, be it bandits, be it the civil war.

I don't know, but if the game just remains the same after the mainquest it wouldn't have been worth it.

Niker

Fable 3 is a horrible game, Mass Effect 2 I agree with and with Fallout 3 there was no "after the main quest" without DLC so I'm not sure what you are talking about.

It's been confirmed there will be game play after the main quest is finished in Skyrim and this being the huge multi million dollar project of love that it is for Bethesda, You can be sure that they won't do a bad job of the post-game. I'm sure we can at the very least expect lots of new lines and voice work talking about and acknowledging that the events in the main quest are over and that we are the savior of the world etc etc.

Yeah the castle thing you mentioned and stuff would be nice but do I see that actually happening? Nope. I don't need a reason to "continue playing" after the main quest other than the hundreds of hours of content that will still be left.

Yes for new stuff after main quest. What about helping repair economy in devastated areas? Or live with the Greybeards?

I'd like to have something to do, and endless errand, not very repetitive but is fun to do over and over

One word:
Tribunal
Some more words:
That was a great extention to the Morrowind Main Quest. It really showed the fall of the Tribunal and that now you were really free of the prophecies (well, at least to me).
So extention to the main quest on a DLC which adds new locations, NPCs, Armour, Clothes, Misc. Quests,etc.

Why does it have to be DLC when it could be in the game?

Niker

$$$

I agree with the fact that you should get a castle or something. Some place to store your vast quantities of loot. Get set for life!

It's really all about setting the atmosphere, they need to convey the fact that you've finished the main quest, and people in the world need to treat you differently, but at the same time they needed to encourage you to go around and do other quests. The whole thing felt a bit stilted in oblivion, you felt like you completed the main quest, but you don't really feel like a hero, I have to blame it on the level scaling, it just removes every sense of proportion from the game world. The issue in oblivion mostly is the fact that once you've done the main quests, there's no genuinely difficult quests left to do, most of the jobs you are given just seem like "busy work." There needs to be some very high difficulty quests that become more feasible once you've reached a high level. None of that level scaling crap. In morrowind I felt more compelled to do stuff after the main quest, I feel it's because I had fewer limits to my character's abilities, so I could really go about doing the quests the way I wanted to and do all the stuff I couldn't do at a lower level.

Yes, I want as much unique stuff to do that only opens up after the main quest as possible. New quests, different reactions from the NPCs, new housing (castle) options, ruling your tribe/citizens etc.

Expansions sound good, more bloodmoon style.

THIS !

It can be both!

Ever heard of a game called Fable III? -_- ALL of the DLC in that game was finished and already on the disc when it was shipped, and then Lionhead slipped up and accidentally released the DLC (tha part that UNLOCKS the content on the disc) on release day. They quickly pulled it, but the descriptions said things like "the long awaited black dye" and things like that. So basically they disgracefully hid things in the game that cannot be accessed and then released only the part that unlocks the features as paid DLC just to make money and look like they made them after the game was shipped. They were probably planning on being too busy rolling around in piled of cash after release to get off their asses and create anything (as if the game was finished anyway). [/rant]

Thankfully Bethesda aren't that bigger scumbags and they actually respect their fans for the most part. People [censored] and moan about the horse armour packs, but at least they actually made them after Oblivion was shipped.

I think things should continue in some degree after the main quest. I think Fable 3 is a great example of this. You end up by becoming a king, but the game doesn't end there you got a whole lot of stuff to do afterwards.

(Sorry about not putting spoilertags in there, but it's everywhere anyway)

I would love for some quests to open up only after completion of the main-quest.

I enjoy playing after the main quest, but I also respect there isn′t much you can add after end game, you just finish the main quest, you have done the most epic thing in the game, the time after the main should be spent doing all the side stuff you didn′t do.

While I'm with you (the OP), and I'd love to have meaningful stuff to do after the end of the MQ, all good things do come to an end. In light of that, a good ending that gives you a feeling of satisfaction but still leaves room for stuff to do, is a must. When Morrowind "ended" (prior to playing the expansions), there still seemed like there was a lot of stuff to do, and when the expansions get added on and quest-mods get added on, there was an absolute ton of stuff to do, so that by the time I got through it all, I felt satisfied. Oblivion lacked that feeling until the Knights of the Nine dlc and Shivering Isles expansion came out. After that, it felt more complete, but I think it could have used another expansion (two is a nice, even number, don't you think?).

Pretty much sums up everything I would say. Fable 3 was just bad, but I haven't completed mass effect 2 yet to know that feeling, I just got it a week ago, I'm actually playing it now.

Anyway, the hundreds of hours of quests afterwords are more than enough to keep me busy.

I'm not really offended by that. I mean, this is a business, no matter what we'd like to think. I'm sure the good people at Bethesda will have a marketing strategy, and a list of potential DLCs or Expansions. If they don't they're idiotic as they'll have to write a new story that will fit in seamlessly with the way the game is set/end.

So what if they have included some items or people on the disc that can't be accessed? It just means less to download, and for all we know, they have nothing to do with the original setting. Unless you're saying that they have the entire DLC on the disk. That would be wrong.


As for the question, I would like it if there's a reason to keep playing after the game ends. I hate when a game turns into a sandbox, where there is no longer a focus other than killing time or taking on money jobs. Assassin attempts by people who didn't like the way your story ended, new quests involving the way your story ends, guild quests influenced by the ending etc.

Actually Kotn is a good example of how it can be done well. The quest fitted after oblivions end, because it was also pretty meaningful, and even after completing the questline it still kept me going. Why? Well, you had a residence, you were leading the order of the nine and your job was it to do good in the name of the gods. So completing even minor and seemingly redundant quests made sense, because you were helping the people, and that's what a Knight of the Nine should do.

In both Morrowind and Oblivion it was plenty to do after finishing the main quest, yes it depend on then you did it if you did everything else first it might be little to do.
But yes I would like some real reward or changes, a house, perhaps a couple of after quests. And even better some world changes, nothing dramatic perhaps some traders and similar.

Everything available before MQ is finished. Most of my Morrowind and Oblivion characters are going about their lives without having ever started said quest.

As far as after the main quest- how about the world actually showing changes caused by the main quest? It's not like it would be difficult, with gamesas's typical "MQ-on-rails, only one possible ending" approach meaning they wouldn't have to account for how the quest ended. :shrug:

This.

do want to wait another 3 months for a game?
I dont think bethesda does it for money becuase it is only after the game is created that they work
Ubisoft does it for money, in AC2 they cut 1/5 of the storyline out so the person would have to buy it

Kinda like how Oblivion had it although have the armor be good if there is any. I would though like for a new quest to be added on later after the main quest.

Considering the main quest is it's own separate entity in Elder Scrolls and you can do anything and everything else before, during, or after it. I would say that how I like it. Games like Mass Effect aren't really good example because they are not huge open-world sandbox Rpg's. Mass Effect is more of a contained space in which you can define variables that greatly affect the story and gameworld. Plus, Mass Effect is a trilogy. Meaning what you do after the main quest in Mass Effect 1 is playing Mass Effect 2 and so on.

A game like Grand Theft Auto is a better example of how Elder Scrolls works. After you complete the main story there is still plenty to do and in some cases quite a few new things get introduced along the way.