» Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:18 am This post is purely my ideas and thoughts into The Elder Scrolls franchise and future games, and into features I believe should be released in future produce. Any ideas are out of my head and similarities with other people's ideas are coincidental. I know Skyrim isn't being updated again and these are my ideas based on other TES games on what future games should be like.*SPOILER ALERT* This post may contain spoilers.*SPOILER ALERT*
#1: Races:
After Hadvar asks the well-known question: ''Who are you?'' and he watches your character change their races countless times I wondered to myself on how much better it would be if the classes had more diversity. Aside from the fact that most look similiar minus a few tweaks, they seem to be all the same height and builds. Something about Oblivion I enjoyed was that when you were a wood elf you seemed to have to look up at everyone, whether this was due to Oblivion zooming in on everyone you talked to as the conversation stopped time or because there was an actual height difference. I didn't really get that from Skyrim. Also, when I see a wood elf, sneaking around with a bow, I want to have to run for my life because (I paraphrase) 'their skill with a bow is unmatched'. Or if I stumble upon an orc with anger issues, I want to be forced into ranging him and trying to jump onto a safespot above a well-placed rock. The slight bonuses the characters get just isn't enough for me, and the only real difference is the races' abilities (Beserker Rage, Adrenaline Rush) and even that becomes redundant as you reach a certain level. Basically I want to see more diversity and difference, I want the race choice to be a real choice, that actually affects your performance drastically. Also fix Khajiiti and Argonian tails, somehow they seem to find a way even through the heaviest of armour.
#2: Wars:
The civil war was a great addition to skyrim but the for one reason I joined the Imperials every single time. The Stormcloaks are ignorant racists who believe the Imperials actually want to take away Talos. They are wrong, it is the Thalmor. I tried joining the Stormcloaks once and although the freedom idea is good, and if you are an elf you can fix the oppression, it still feels like you are fighting elves in general, and not the real enemies, the Thalmor. The Imperials would probably allow the worship of Talos however they are being forced, and they value their lives over the worship of a much debated God. Another factor about wars I would enjoy is full blown battles, where you fight hundreds of enemies all at once. In the various sieges I just felt like I was fighting the guards, not a militant force. With the current numbers of Stormcloaks Ulfric has it is a wonder that they aren't dismissed as a slightly large tribe. So what I am saying is next time, make it equal.
#3: Magic:
Tamriel possesses a variety of well-learned magicians and scholars, but it is amazing how many spells seem to have been forgotten in the relatively short time between TES:IV and TES:V. Paralyze, Damage, Drain and Open(Locks) to name a few. It is also strange how little creativity the magicians have. The typical Lightning, Fire and Frost is great, but even better would be things like water, earth(spriggan magic included), air and dark magic(necromancy and maybe even a blindness spell, causing enemies up to the level of the spell to run around like maniacs for a duration of time). Spellmaking has been a matter of debate since Skyrim was released, and although personally, I am not too bothered, the feature made Oblivion a lot funner for me. Spell upgrades would be nice too, maybe after a cretain amount of enemies killed with the spell you earn a 'point' specific to the spell, which can be used to upgrade it with damage, radius and attributes like that.
#4: Dwemer:
The fabled Dwemer play a colossal part in TES questlines and it was a great addition to Skyrim. Things like the Dwemer forge and the staff of Magnus as well as the Lexicon and other parts really improved the gaming experience for me. However, aside from the list I gave the Dwarves don't seem to have such a great consistency. Elevators, some Automatons and pipes that seem to lead to nowhere along with a single water pumping station and Blackreach(which is only partly due to the dwarves) are all that they have done. Considering their ability to make a TARDIS like box for Hermaeus Mora's book their list of machines seems to be quite short. Considering this, surely they would have made something amazing, like say a flying machine, or a few weapons that resemble firearms. They are masters of engineering and magic and they can't cast a simple levitating spell. The only explanation is that it would like startlingly out of place, and it would, but the Dwemer in a way are out of place.
#5: Factions:
The many factions in Skyrim were great, but Bethesda could do with taking a leaf out of Fallout's book. The plethora of factions in the Fallout franchise were great and it really gave you a choice between good and evil. In Skyrim I always felt like the 'hero' never the villain. Even as a thief it was bad vs. worse in the end. I want the opportunity to join the bandits, or after the instance with the Silver Hand, I want to be able to join them as a faction with their own special bonuses in the quest to vanquish werewolves. Unless you are to say after witnessing the monstrosity 'save you' you suddenly feel that this abomination is as graceful as they preach? At least give us a choice is what I am saying, whether to join the Necromancers or the Mages' College, the Companions or the Silver Hand, the thieves or the guards. The dark brotherhood scratches those surfaces, but the reward for helping is miniscule compared to the value of gold after helping the guild. I want to be able to choose my path, not follow the path of the hero but take a few murderous detours.
And finally, #6:Other ideas I've thought up.
Finishing moves - The relish that you feel after you decapitate the pesky thief you find waiting for you in the middle of a road is brilliant, but what I'm talking about is combination skill moves. By this I mean, say you were using a sword, and you had around 75 destruction (either you get a perk, or the ability is just as you hit the milestone) you could use both of these skills in tandem to finish off an enemy, for example, kicking the bandit to the floor, stabbing him in the chest and releasing a burst of lightning on the sword. Or piercing the enemy with it, freezing them and pulling your sword out as you shatter them in to pieces. This doesn't necessarily have to work like that either, it could just be enchanted weapons have different finishing moves, but personally I would prefer the former. Another scenario I've though up is 75 Alteration, you could use telekinesis and throw your weapon at them, or smash their skull with a warhammer without even having to get close. At 75 Illusion you could cause a hallucination, where you appear as some vicious monster and they commit suicide, or as they flee you jump on their back and stab them. Combos can work with Marksman as well, with different scenarios and cinematic effects. This doesn't only have to work with magic as well, with a certain level of strength and marksman you could stab someone with an arrow.
Daedric Princes - Hermaeus Mora in the dragonborn expansion is what I'm thinking of, for reference. Daedra are too inactive for my liking. Sanguine(Sam Guevenne) is another good example, but I would like entrance to other daedra's worlds, maybe not Mehrune's Dagon or Sheogorath due to Oblvion and the Shivering Isles expansion already covering them, but possibly the dreamlands of Vaermina, or the Huntsland of Hircine, Namira's land of 'Ancient Darkness' where everything reeks repulsion and acid instead of water etc.
Sneak Magic - Destruction should be able to be used with sneak, once you have the illusion perk which silences it. A finishing blow example could be a blow of lightning to the neck which fatally paralyzes them.
More Weapons - And finally, I have to mention the different types of weapons to be used. By this I don't mean make (Steel, Elven etc.) I mean actual weapons; throwing stars, throwing knifes, chain maces, maybe Akavari weapons like katanas. Also unique weapons: Tridents, Scythes etc.
