There has been plenty of wild speculation and criticism regarding the supposed "dumbing-down" of the Elder Scrolls series.

If we compare this game to the latest Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, it seems some features are being left out, yes, but we tend to forget how many new features are being either recovered from Morrowind or created from scratch.

Let's take a look at some of the best ones, specially those that add new layers of depth to the game:


Combat:

-Dual wield anything (except shields)
-Enhanced shield bashing and timing based blocking system
-Dragon Shouts
-Sprinting
-Slower backwards running


Immersion:

-New Jobs/Tasks for NPC's and player (jobs they actually DO)
-New relationship system with NPC's, including friendship and (not fully confirmed) romance.
-Some quest givers can now be killed, and will be replaced by others, with different disposition.
-Town/City variable economy, alterable by the player's actions
-Unique Settlements, with different architecture and culture.
-Tailor-build unique quests depending on your character, level and many other variables.
-NPC Children
-Carriage travel system (good for fast-travel haters)
-Different bounties for each of the 9 holds
-Better conversation system.



Customization

-Enhanced character creation system
-Beards (!!)
-Tattoos
-Scars
-280 Perks (including ranks, number of unique perks unconfirmed)
-Smithing, creation of weapons and armor
-13 types of Ore
-Races made clearly different from each other


Enviroment

-Different environments (tundra, fall forest, pine forest, canyon...)
-Fish, Birds, Mammoths and other non aggressive creatures populate the wilderness.
-Dynamic snow, weather, tree-branches movement...
-Really unique dungeons.


Other features

-70 voice actors
-Better looking/animated NPC's
-More enemy variety.
-Non-scripted dragons
-Grindstones (sharpening the blade gives a temporarily weapon stat boost)


Disclaimer: Most of the features obtained via the Nexus Forums Information Thread.

Conclusion? Well... Some content has been lost (some skills, some spells, classic attribute system...), other content is being changed (skills, leveling system, combat...), and some new content is added. The Elder Scrolls, just as any other game series, has either to evolve or die, and although some of US may not like some of the changes, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that supports the doomsday "dumbing-down" speculation.

:foodndrink:

exactly

the game is looking better than OB and MW combined

Very good thread. It's nice to see how many features have been added. It's even more than I thought :tes:

Nice, ought to calm them pessimists down a bit. Not to mention the stuff they haven't told us yet.

I wonder if you can dual weild shields... I would definitely do that with full iron armor and just shield bash everyone...

you become a turtle...

This thread wins. Skyrim will have a ton of new features and will be great, like all other TES games

Nice compilation :tops:

I give it ten minutes before a pessimist comes in with a vague comment containing one or more of the following keywords and phrases: simple, simplified, mainstream, children, Call of Duty, Morrowind was better.

New stuff defiantly sounds nice, and easily trumps my worries about one or two things.

This game is looking amazing.

Has there been any word regarding the ability to change hair and/or beard styles throughout the game or is it just limited to the beginning only?

I think Skyrim will be much more in-depth than Oblivion.



Thanks for posting this.

It's nice to see someone with a positive attitude around here. :foodndrink:

I would like to add that each main title Elder Scrolls game so far has brought some serious changes to the series every time. They are basically each stand alone games, with their own flaws and triumphs, tied together only by setting, lore, and a few things that carry over. If you did not expect Skyrim to remove/change/add a whole lot, then I don't know what to tell you other than; This is normal for Elder Scrolls. :hugs:

@Frodo67
tsss... now you scared them off...

^
This.

I wrote something very similar in a "complaint" thread and it fell on deaf ears. Those words in bold I have actually heard Todd speak himself.

That being said, I have no issues with the complaint threads. If there were no arguments these forums would be a ghost town.

You can't party with dragons. :brokencomputer:

We won't be able to dualwield shields. Gstaff (if I recall correctly) confirmed that PC Gamer got that wrong.

Or nothing but mindless praise. Then I'd have no one to argue against.

Bravo! just what we needed to see, for a while it appeared that people were only looking at one side of the coin, so to speak. Thanks for takeing the time to put all of this together. :foodndrink:

Wow, I new they would be changing a lot of things in Skyrim, but to see it in a list makes it look like even more things have been changed, and for the better, too, including the stuff they haven't told us yet.
And don't forget finishing moves!
And 150+ dungeons!

While I agree that it hasn't all been a case of dumbing down with Skyrim... I have to point out that a lot of the things on your list also appear in the Fable series - arguably the most dumbed down "RPG" series of all time.

It's all well and good adding all these new features and claiming that the series is becoming more complex... but if such features are implemented in an overly accessible way, it can actually add to the feeling of the game being dumbed down.

I'll take that out the list then, thanks! A real pity thought, not a good gameplay option, but would've tried it just for kicks.

Very true, some of the new contents such as "Magnetism" (spells automatically redirected on target), "Finishing Moves" or "3D GPS Map" can't be considered as adding a new level of depth to the game, so I left those out.

the timing based blocking, enhanced character creation, crafting system, or dragon shouts (to point out a few) DO add new depth to de game. Changing? Yes, Changing badly? Who knows!, Dumbing-Down? Nope
:foodndrink:

I thought so too - just having the option wouldn't have done any harm, though perhaps it'd cause problems with the animation system.

Even so, that's a great list you've compiled. It's easy to forget some of the positive gameplay features already confirmed, amidst the bigger discussion points.

BUT I WANT TO DUAL WIELD SHIELDS http://i.imgur.com/ttaeh.png.

Features like wood chopping and blacksmithing for example - if they implement it in a natural way that blends in with the rest of the world, it will add to the depth of the game. If they implement it like Fable II and make a mini-game out of it, it will almost certainly have the opposite effect and make the game feel dumbed down for a different audience.

Until we know how a lot of these new features work, it's difficult to judge what they're adding to the gameplay experience.

This is a good thread, and was very much needed for me. :thumbsup:

It's seems that it's pretty easy to focus on the negative when you spend too much time reading this forum.