How do you feel about horrow or suspense elements being in Skyrim?

I feel that it would add a lot to the experience of dungeon diving. I don't want full-blown, scripted events designed to terrify us, but I do want little things. Not things to scare me, just make me feel uneasy. This can be accomplished many ways.
Like having darkness actually be dark, so you can't see what's near you. Also, enemy AI for different enemies would have to be.. different. Obviously, there should still be enemies that charge you head on. But there should be other enemy-types, as well as NPCs, that try and sneak up on you, or stalk you. (This would have many other benefits besides adding horror elements too.. Mainly, it would add a new twist to combat, among plenty of other things.) Occasionally you would hear a noise from them in the darkness, but you wouldn't be sure if they are really there or not. And there's still always a chance that an enemy will charge you and you won't see it until he's right in your face. Also, not having battle music unless you are in open battle would add suspense, just because you wouldn't know if an enemy is charging you from 50 feet away.

Overall, I think horror elements should a minor focus of the game, not enough to discourage you from playing, just enough to make you think about more than walking through enemies to find your loot. And I do think it would fit very well with an ES game.

The undead in Oblivion scared the [censored] outta of me, and the creepy dungeons with that soundtrack playing...

I want more horror elements.

For some dungeons ? Yep definitely. As long as just like you say, it ain't overdone *cheesydarkbrotherhoodsetupcough*.

To be completely honest, when I got morrowind, I was about 10 or 11, and the dwemer tunnels would creep me out so bad if I was up late playing. Looking back on it, I loved it, because I was so immersed and cautious when going through the dungeon. Also, the end quests of the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion were good suspenseful. I would love to have elements like that in the game, accessible, but not all over the place.

Yeah a bit of horror elements wouldn't be too bad.

Being stalked would be amazing.

The best horror games (think Penumbra and Amnesia) are scary because you are powerless. The only things you can do are hide and run. The constant feeling of being on edge is what creates the suspense. However, TES games are all about you overcoming situations. Whether you do that with combat or stealth, you are constantly in control. For suspense elements to work in TES the player character would have to be built up and then unexpectedly stripped of all of their power so that the only option is to hide. Combine this with excellent level design and lighting and scripted sequences to hint that you are being stalked (and have actual enemies stalking you - the threat to the character MUST be real or the suspense evaporates a la Fear games) and you have yourself a damn scary level.

The best horror level I've ever played was the prison in Amnesia. A maze of corridors stalked by terrifying randomly generated as well as scripted encounters. Phew.

Edit: Of course this should only be used once (perhaps twice) in the entire game. TES is not a horror game.

This.
I couldn't think of the words but this is what I wanted to say. It made me feel so much more into it and immersed, and I took it so much more seriously and looked to my next step instead of looking to the loot at the end.

I really liked the suspense in Morrowind where you would enter in a cave, and explore a bit, see an NPC, and wonder if it's a friendly... only to hear their battle screams as 2 other enemies emerge from separate rooms. Hopefully, BGS will stick to this sense of uncertainty during exploration, be in in a cave, or even in the wilderness.

Yeah same. Had to switch to third-person view to dampen the effect, still use it.

*was24atthetime* :whistling:

Exploring Morrowind dungeons when I first go the game was intensely scary. I don't even know if it was intended to be scary, but at times when you heard something off in the distance then suddenly the battle music chimed in and then you turn the corner.. HUNGER!!!!! RUNNN

I had a few of these moments in Oblivion, but far more in Morrowind.

YES! Make ALL interiors have realistic lighting (caves etc. are pitch black dark etc.).

I think the scarier parts of Morrowind and Oblivion were well done. I remember my first encounter with the dark brotherhood in Oblivion... I wasn't recruited, I just found the place by myself. I was scared [censored]less.

I've always found Daggerfall's dungeons completely horrifying just because of the way they were lit. Dark hallways, weak lighting, a very heavy and maddening sense of uncertainty as to when your meditation will suddenly be interrupted by the shriek of some horrible enemy emerging from a hidden passageway. The easiest thing Bethesda can do to heavily improve the horror factor, if you ask me, is to tone down the ambient lighting.

I'm hoping they won't specifically go for horror

but be more like before

um example, some of the dungeons in morrowind got me pretty darn jumpy

Yes.. I enjoy spooky settings. I wouldn't want it to be a horror fest. There needs to be somewhere pretty to relax and romp around. But some horror is good.
Morrowind had some excellently spooky feeling areas. Oblivion had some but not as much because of the repetition of area types. After you knew what setting went with what creature it became .. not as scary. There were still plenty of surprises though.

Yes. Skyrim vampires live under frozen ice, then pop out and grab you when you try to go across. A few of those scenes would be awesome.

Maybe a "Something shadow is following you" type quest, with you noticing this thing when you are out at night, or when you exit your house at night, with the quest culminating in some sort of chase.

IMO there should be horror & suspense done on an area by area basis ~go to a crypt and have horror elements; don't want it, don't go.

If they make it an option, they could handle it just like was done with the Wild Wasteland perk (but it should not be a perk ~it should be a new game option like HC mode was in FO:NV)

I'm hoping that the cities are terrifying at night - give us the occasional cloudy, pitch black sky and empty streets. Even if there's nothing chasing you, it still is an uneasy yet exhilarating feeling to be out alone.

Ooohhhh I like where this is heading. The occasional mugger/assassination attempt would make it even better!

...then again, cities are supposed to be safe havens (for the most part) from monsters, and are an essential part in RPGs (rest areas, not cities). If assassinations happen too frequently, I ould just get mad at the game, or more likely bored. The mugger type people in New Vegas (in Freeside, to be exact) were not scary at all when you have a companion with you. I just noticed the gunfire and myself gaining ten exp, and that was it.

Yes, I realize I am arguing with myself. This is how I think.

A couple of areas or quests could ramp it up, but I think too much of it would lessen the creepiness (and I'm a big wimp, and I don't fancy spending hours on end being terrified).

That, and the element of not knowing if said enemy was leveled to you or you were about get a serious spank.

Random muggers and assasination attempts(if your famous enough or pissed off the wrong person) would be wonderfull...or perhaps you could find out through talks that theres a bounty on your head and as a kind of quest thats not attached to set quest guidlines you would have to defend yourself against bounty hunters if your caught by any as well as figure out who put the bounty out and take em out. This could happen for the same reason as an assassination or if(they add the ability to buy more then just houses) someone gets mad you bought a certain area they want to get back the competitive edge in the market.

I don't want it to be 'Dead Space' or 'F.E.A.R' scary but a bit less frequent, I mean yes, make nights DARKER, and caves DARKER and if there is a fire make light a smaller area, because that's would be more realistic and creepy. In caves, depends on the creatures, put some bandits to a almost hidden turn to the right so if you carelessly walk straight without looking they'll attack you from behind and then you'll jump! or make some bats or other creatures that can stick to the wall jump on you from above, make the player more observant!
and of course less immortal, this way you actually worry about your health which makes you pretty scared if you don't have any potions or healing spells

So as long as they don't over do it it's fine, but make it much more scary then Oblivion, which wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, I jumped only once when i didn't notice a minotaur and he attacked me from behind at night.

'Yes, but not overdone' is the perfect option, so I went for that..
Everyone loves a little scare once in a while, but it's not a horror game, so lets keep it that way.
^_^

Would be nice if you actually needed to use torches and/or bright spells to see stuff in caverns. and light spells shouldnt just make it white everywhere around you, it should summon a small wisp or something imo that glows. and if it's really dark, foes in those places should react easier, because if you're in a pitch black place someone will definately notice easily if there's light somewhere.