To fasttravel : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:20 pm

I'm all for a style of fast-travel like Morrowind's, but there is one thing that is bothering me. Teleportation is for magical characters, not for those who play combat or stealth characters. What if someone doesn't want to use magic of any kind? Shouldn't there be some extra option for combat and stealth players? I can't think of anything that makes too much sense, but why should everyone be forced to use a spell or a scroll? Doing such a thing is unfair to those who want to role-play as pure combat or pure stealth character.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:25 am

I'm all for a style of fast-travel like Morrowind's, but there is one thing that is bothering me. Teleportation is for magical characters, not for those who play combat or stealth characters. What if someone doesn't want to use magic of any kind? Shouldn't there be some extra option for combat and stealth players? I can't think of anything that makes too much sense, but why should everyone be forced to use a spell or a scroll? Doing such a thing is unfair to those who want to role-play as pure combat or pure stealth character.

Morrowind had Silt Striders and boats along with those, TES V could have that (well, I guess carriages instead of Silt Striders) AND teleportation/scrolls too.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:09 am

I'm all for a style of fast-travel like Morrowind's, but there is one thing that is bothering me. Teleportation is for magical characters, not for those who play combat or stealth characters. What if someone doesn't want to use magic of any kind? Shouldn't there be some extra option for combat and stealth players? I can't think of anything that makes too much sense, but why should everyone be forced to use a spell or a scroll? Doing such a thing is unfair to those who want to role-play as pure combat or pure stealth character.

There are plenty of ways to give them options. If a more advanced walking-based system (more similar to Daggerfall's than Oblivion's) is added, stealth skills might reduce odds of random encounters. A skilled fighter might fend off bandits without personal loss. With more "specific" systems like caravans, the Thieves Guild could have secret tunnels that give you quick, safe access between certain areas. A fighter might lead local military forces to blaze a trail and clear a road, making it safe for regular patrol and adding the destination to fast travel choices. Smugglers might take allied thieves along their routes through areas normal services won't go to. Fighters acting for hire could join some mercenary company being sent somewhere and choose to fast-travel with them instead of walking, since what stupid bandits would pick them as a target, then continue on to whatever their nearby destination is once the job is done. And so on.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:01 pm

Morrowind had Silt Striders and boats along with those, TES V could have that (well, I guess carriages instead of Silt Striders) AND teleportation/scrolls too.

I know, but mark and recall is a big advantage magical characters have over non-magical characters, so I'm hoping Bethesda can implement some forms of travel that are specifically for non-magical characters, in addition to silt striders, boats, and some gondolas(or a similar system of inter-city travel for larger cities). Rhekarid has some interesting ideas for this.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:10 pm

Silt striders, Boats, and Caravans = good

Click on map = bad

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:05 am

Silt striders, Boats, and Caravans = good

Click on map = bad

What about (something similar to)silt striders, boats, caravans, and click on map? Daggerfall had something similar to that. In Daggerfall, one clicks on a map to fast-travel, but has options, and depending on their options, may lose health along their trip or may be required to pay money to to speed up the trip. TES V would have to be larger than both Morrowind and Oblivion for that to work, but TES V may be significantly larger than both, for all we know.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:34 am

Nope, anything that takes away from the immersion is bad. i.e. in game map/UI.

Thats one of the reasons why I hated "Spaceforce: Rogue Universe", If you ever died, loaded, reloaded, started, ended, or travelled, you would return to a small map of the systems which wasnt even shaped like a galaxy. The systems were just thrown onto a 3:4 map at random and evenly spaced apart.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 7:46 pm

Nope, anything that takes away from the immersion is bad. i.e. in game map/UI.

By any chance, do you consider skipping the entire silt strider or boat ride taking away from immersion? I'd like the option to watch my ride.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:30 am

Isn't that what strength and feather spells are for? If you can't handle carrying an item, don't carry it. Not getting extra loot only helps with your eceonomy, anyway.
Shut Up.
I have an idea! If you don't like a realistic, sensical way of fast travel, mod instant poofing in! It wont take long, even Morrowind had a fast travel mod.
Don't quote M'Aiq. He was just an NPC added to the game to insult past TES game fans.
The reason why fast travel can't be toggled, is because the quests would still be based around fast travel, and there would still be a bland scenery, due to not needing to see it. If Oblivion's fast travel isn't included, we'll get the decent world we like, and fast travel can be modded in. If we have Oblivion's fast travel, there would be no need to focus on quests not based on fast travel, or a decent scenery. Even if it's an option, this is how it would go, and you know it.
If you mod it in, however, you'll still be happy, and not have to walk ALL THE WAY OVER TO AN NPC!!

oo: to get from A to B. Whereas, if we have to mod fast travel out, we'll have to have the stupid quests on the other side of the world, and bland scenery.
For console users (why are you using them anyway?), a fast travel mod could be released as DLC.
This way, no one looses, and we're all happy. The way the instant poof fans suggest, is always in thier favour only, and always makes us comprimise.
There's also the spell system I've suggested a million times over. A recall level mysticism spell could be sold that allows the user to travel to any known location on the map. The spell would also be sold by most general merchants, in a decent supply for those who aren't magic users. Although, it would cost considerably more than taking the old fashioned route. How's that for helping everyone?

So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion? You might have said it in that big quote, I prefer simple answer. Thats me.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:37 pm

So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion? You might have said it in that big quote, I prefer simple answer. Thats me.

Honestly, I thought black horses make not fast-travelling in Oblivion very tolerable, but Morrowind's slow running speed and lack of mounts makes not fast-travelling a pain. If we go back to Morrowind's system of fast-travel, we need mounts and/or faster running speeds as well.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:12 pm

Honestly, I thought black horses make not fast-travelling in Oblivion very tolerable, but Morrowind's slow running speed and lack of mounts makes not fast-travelling a pain. If we go back to Morrowind's system of fast-travel, we need mounts and/or faster running speeds as well.

So horses are considered fast travel? (Seti18, not saying you're saying it or not and the rest of the post)

(others who claim) I don't see how, you have to get off / on, fight and actually still control the character. Morrowind's fast travel brings you from point A to B without you controlling the character right? On a horse, your still controlling the character.

So I don't count horses as fast travel, just like how most members here say it's not optional and everyone must fast travel in Oblivion.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:43 pm

I would like to see a gameworld which is at the very least as big as Cyrodiil. So some form of fast travel will be neccery, thats for sure. I just hope they come up with something a little more creative than in Oblivion. Something like in Morrowind i quess. And if it has to be like in Oblivion, atleast add the chance of randomly generated encounters, hostile aswell as friendly.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:22 am

What if there was a non-magical mark/recall system in TESV, similar to the hearthstone in WoW (not that it would be the exact same, I wanted to kill myself after playing WoW for 2 hours). Your first quest in the game could be to obtain a crystal which allows you to leave your "essence," if you will, at different places of your choosing. It would require your character to not be in combat, but could be used at any time to bring you where you need to go. You could be required to recharge it (I vote for free recharge at a church) each time it is discharged, or maybe it can hold 2 or 3 charges (possible future quest?). That way, non-magical characters still have a way to get to travel hubs to make use of in-game travel routes (TESV's version of silt striders, boats) without having to necessarily be magic in alignment. If this was implemented, there would be no reason for any complaining about fast travel via pushing buttons on a map, since there would be a quick and immersive form of travel in the game world.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:17 am

Yes, there should be some form of fast travel in the game for as long as it is optional and it is done in style, preferably Morrowind style.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 6:38 am

What if there was a non-magical mark/recall system in TESV, similar to the hearthstone in WoW (not that it would be the exact same, I wanted to kill myself after playing WoW for 2 hours). Your first quest in the game could be to obtain a crystal which allows you to leave your "essence," if you will, at different places of your choosing. It would require your character to not be in combat, but could be used at any time to bring you where you need to go. You could be required to recharge it (I vote for free recharge at a church) each time it is discharged, or maybe it can hold 2 or 3 charges (possible future quest?). That way, non-magical characters still have a way to get to travel hubs to make use of in-game travel routes (TESV's version of silt striders, boats) without having to necessarily be magic in alignment. If this was implemented, there would be no reason for any complaining about fast travel via pushing buttons on a map, since there would be a quick and immersive form of travel in the game world.

No i would still prefer something like Silt Strider, Gondola and/or boat. When i play as a non magical character, i often prefer not to have to deal too much with it.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 7:34 pm

First, a magical "marker" system was also included in MW, called "Propylon Chambers", which took you from your current site to either of two "neighboring" ones (clockwise and counter-clockwise), in a big ring around the entire island. Most of them were positioned well away from the major settlements, so they were great for getting into those remote inland areas where boats and Silt Striders didn't. You had to have the proper "Index", a small stone, for the neighboring chamber that you wanted to travel to, and most of those indicies were absurdly hard to find. The idea was great, but it was too difficult to get all the pieces to use it until late in the game, if at all.

Second, it didn't take a spellcaster in MW to use potions or enchanted amulets of Mark or Recall, and scrolls were even described in-game to be ideal for non-casters. A character at Level 1 could walk into at least one prominent Alchemy shop in what's probably the most heavily visited town in the game and buy a Mark and a Recall potion, and a common merchant in one of the neighboring settlements had an Amulet of Recall for sale. You could use a potion to place a Mark at whatever passed for "home", and then use the amulet at any time to return. After a certain moderate level (8-10?), amulets of Divine and ALMSIVI Intervention had a chance to appear in random loot.

The travel options in MW were often easier, cheaper, and more versatile with a magic-using character, but definitely not limited to them.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:47 am

I really think that the best solution is to have fast travel available for those who want to use it, but have it where unless you've actually traveled to a destination the long way, you can't fast travel there

Here's another thought... We know that random encounters respawn after a period of time. Well, apply the same concept to fast travel destinations. Make it where if you haven't fast-traveled to a specific destination for a while, you have to physically go there again. This will keep common routes easily accessible for players who make regular trips between locations. But because roads that might once have been cleared may become unsafe again, it would make sense to put the player back into a state of caution by having to travel cross-country there again.

Is there a mod for OB that does this? If not, if I get some spare time, I'll look at the scripts which govern the activation of travel points (such as Clour Ruler Temple) and that which governs encounter resets and see if I can produce a hybrid and apply it to all travel markers. Of course, I won't mind if someone beats me to the punch...

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:54 am

I'm all for a style of fast-travel like Morrowind's, but there is one thing that is bothering me. Teleportation is for magical characters, not for those who play combat or stealth characters. What if someone doesn't want to use magic of any kind? Shouldn't there be some extra option for combat and stealth players? I can't think of anything that makes too much sense, but why should everyone be forced to use a spell or a scroll? Doing such a thing is unfair to those who want to role-play as pure combat or pure stealth character.

Yet you're fine with suddenly appearing at any location you desire? If you're not playing a magic character, it MAKES SENSE for the journey to take longer. Anyways, it would be modded in. Also, I think this is a completely fine comprimise. I don't see any problems with this, myself? Roleplaying like this is supposed to be about limiting your charcter, hence, taking the longer route. Besides, as someone previously said, potions are for anyone. If you dont use potions, you're a dead man, without restoration, in which case, you're a mage anyway.

So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion? You might have said it in that big quote, I prefer simple answer. Thats me.

What? :shrug:

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:21 pm

What? :shrug:

What do you mean 'what', the question wasn't clear enough? I don't think there is another way to ask..

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:35 pm

What do you mean 'what', the question wasn't clear enough? I don't think there is another way to ask..

'So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion? You might have said it in that big quote, I prefer simple answer. Thats me.'

What are you talking about? I was talking entirley about TESV...

Also:

Mounts, sure, but I don't want faster running. I could run often run faster than my horse in Oblivion, and making the horse faster would just look stupid.

There was hardly a plus side to horse riding, and besides, Morrowind didn't have slow running, if you're running to slow, you obviously have too many items.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:26 pm

'So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion? You might have said it in that big quote, I prefer simple answer. Thats me.'

What are you talking about? I was talking entirley about TESV...

You quote Linkdarkside and replied to the words saying if you don't like fast travel, don't use it. Also replied to this member about m'aiq the liar.

So I am assuming you are talking about fast travel in Oblivion. So thats what made me ask you this question.

So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion?

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 6:46 am

I would hate to see the OB system return, I'd only want fast travel that makes sense. In MW you took a boat, silt strider or gondola, in Oblivion you magically teleport. Clearly there is a need for a fasttravel in a TES games, we can't walk all the time, but we need something like Morrowind.

And to those who say "Just dont use it", that's like not using the best weapon in a game cuz it makes it too easy, if you have the opition, you clearly take the easy way out... sometimes it's good to force the players.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 6:59 am

I'd be very happy to see the Morrowind style system return, but I'm content with Fallout 3's method.

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:33 pm

So you're saying everyone fast travels in Oblivion?

No. :shrug:

» Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:59 pm

Just be sure to keep your mouth relatively shut, otherwise it looks like a few people might jump down your throat. I practice ventriloquism so I should be fine.

Fallout fixed the dead cap for encumbrance, and if insta-fast travel (with random encounters) is only available via horse or horse and cart then I don't really see a problem. But yeah, if Beth could add back MW style fast travel along side this then the possibilities grow for game play styles without necessarily gimping different forms of fast travel.

now smile, nod, and cut the crap.