We've all heard the criticism on chainmail bikinis, and thankfully the elder scrolls hasn't given us a set yet (well, the golden saint and dark seducer sets are close, but they're daedra) but otherwise, the elder scrolls as a series has released some odd looking pieces, Be it 'armour' that's pretty much nudity with a fur skirt, to giant spiked shoulder plates, the occasional plastic sword and the monstrosity that is skyrim 'glass'.

Or, in case you like the more whacky sets, you could at least acknowledge that the more grounded designs 'offend' less people. Massive pauldrons, boob curves, lots of skin, a flexible metal belly, needless layers of metal, completely metal gloves, tiny helmets, Giant metal boots and spikes galore raise eyebrows. Practical armour doesn't.

As graphics get better and better, impractical armour looks more and more out of place. Right, got it, this is a 'fantasy' series so it's perfectly reasonable to have people wear cosplay on their dangerous adventures. We have magic and stuff so odd armour is alright!

No, It isn't.

Ya see, you can write in some explanation on how we can shoot a fireball from our palm, or why ingredient X has effect Y. There is no explanation on how an ordinary blacksmith has, without magic, made a set of oversized pauldrons that don't ruin movement, or made a revealing set of armour that protects it's revealed parts. Or how an argonian is happy to run around skyrim in nothing but a fur skirt. It doesn't explain why a pair of greaves has twenty segments on parts that don't move. And you can't explain why person with the revealing set doesn't get ostracized, or why the trousers that looked so good on that man turn into a gaudy skirt on a woman. To put it simply: the 'It's Fantasy' argument doesn't cut it. Maybe bethesda could include it in a sheogorath section with a 'it's parody' alternative. The elder scrolls isn't in a weird enough setting to justify it.

An additional advantage to practical armour is that it's often easier to model. maybe we could get layers of armour back?

This of course, Isn't to say that everything ornate should be removed, and that fictional materials should be gone. Some materials, such as Ebony and Glass, are well explained. It is reasonable to have a metal called ebony. The metal is black, like ebony. It is explained to be not the wood ebony, and it's existence does not in any way conflict with the possible existence of the wood ebony. (you could make a chest with the wood ebony, and then have the metal parts be the metal ebony. You could put a glass sword behind a glass window)

On the other hand, some materials added (in skyrim) are strange things that are almost the real world equivalent, and yet are horribly wrong. Malachite is a stone, Corundum is a gem, moonstone is a gem, mercury is a metal, and none of these would work at all in making armour and weapons. Yet they all borrow visuals as well as names from the real world. Unlike the glass and Ebony, these can not make sense.

(orichalum, adamantine, stahlrim bonemould and resin make sense, the first three because they're entirely mythical. Resin works because you don't know the resin, bonemould works because you don't know what kind of bones they are or what they do to the bones)

When it comes to impractical armour, the daedra can wear it, because the armour is part of the daedra. (this applies more to some things and less to others. Having armour that's impossible to move in still isn't the best of choices, but putting something skimpy or overly ornate on a daedra isn't going to ruin it. Daedra also have the advantage of being an irregular existence. Unlike an adventurer, there will be no juxtaposition of skimpy cosplay armour in a feudal town. The daedra isn't going to be in that setting, and if she is, she will change it.

Nor is it terribly inappropriate to add odd and whacky things to a mages apparel, so long as they don't make the outfit dysfunctional. Though the mage's personality might compel him to dress down in public. The type who dress up will make big scenes.

Advantages to Fantasy armours

- Appeals to some people.

- Can make characters more individual (though it looses it's impact significantly if used commonly)

Advantages to Realistic armours

- Fits nearly all settings

- used commonly, the norm of realistic armours makes the few characters who don't conform to standard dress more distinct.

- Easier to model.

- nobody will be calling you out on BS.

PC note

- The guys who mod in skimpy female armours are a lot more driven than the ones who mod for realism. (the power of the deviant is strong). and these mods are popular. But this is a Niche thing, and a profesional company might get in trouble for it. The mods for more over the top armours are on the same sites. (in game armour isn't regularly beefed up, some new beefed up armours are popular.) But, main point: realistic armours (and weapons) is the safest and easiest rout. It upsets no-one. It appeals to all.

(but on the subject of architecture: Exotic and weird is great, though normal and wrong isn't. Think of how in some fantasy games everything in the interior of a normal human building everything in the room is just too big. That's bad. Don't do it. But on the otherhand crazy stuff like the telvanni mushroom towers WORKS VERY WELL. They're explainable and there's nothing to compare them to)