Creating fear in a game is like trying to create humor -- both are difficult. But with creativity and experience it is possible.

How scary do you want some moments in TES V to be?

Seriously, with games like Fear, RE and Left for Dead on the market, Bethesda can't hope to compete with the scare factor without sacrificing too much in other areas of the game. I'd rather they not worry too much about it.

I voted Slightly. The TES-series isn't a horror game series for me, and apart from creepy fiends in dark dungeons, I have no needs whatsoever for the game to be scary.

I could do without those creepy fiends in dark dungeons too, really.

I'd think if they'd just keep up on the graphics, the corpses and monsters would do all that is necessary.

Well i don't think it should be scary as much as exciting, i voted heart racing, but only because i want an adrenaline rush when i go in a dungeon, i want to feel like i am actually 'in' the dungeon.

I went with average. It is supposed to be an adventure game, not a horror game right?

I think it should be average. If you think about it, it's actually not that dumbed down, really. The characters in TES games have said some pretty disgusting things, and in Oblivion, there were many ruins where we saw the result of that. It doesn't need anything else.

Well you would think, but Oblivion to me was kind of a case-in-point for why world-art doesn't directly correlate to fear, scares, or tension.

I mean, look at the world art in the Deadlands, or in necromancers lairs. In the deadlands, you had containers that were literally made out of (sometimes-still-pulsating) flesh, heads on spikes, charred-black bodies whose eyes and mouth were eerily fire-red from the internal magma-heat, wall textures that had blood and grime everywhere, sinister things like the corpse-masher, etc. And in necromancer lairs, you had plies of bodies everywhere, bits and parts all over, all of which had quite a bit of decomposition detail. And yet while that disturbing world-art worked its magic for a while, the player eventually got desensitized to it, until they forgot that shock effect was even there.

That's why the emphasis shouldn't go on how horrific the things look like, but on how you use those horrific things without overtaxing and overdoing, while using placement, lighting, and other ambiance, etc, to affect the overall mood.

Intentionally scary? No. Don't waste valuable programming time trying to merge yet another genre into TES.

Intentionally creepy? Yes. Please design some areas so that they give me chills. What is the point of going into an "evil" area if it feels the same as a "good" area with different lighting?

Possibly scary? This will happen randomly when playing a well-made game (i.e. no music "sonar" that lets you know when you are detected while inside a dungeon thereby causing you to jump when attacked from behind).

I voted Very, but I do not think it should be very scary when you are in broad daylight walking along a well travelled road. In the middle of the night for example, I would not mind being nervous when walking through a dense forest, or exploring old ruins not visited for many years. But I feel they should not focus on this, just keep it in the back of their minds.

i don't want beth to focus on fear but i want an adrenaline rush when im in a dungeon and a zombie creeps up behind me then harrases me with his perfectly healthy hands [and for some people that are thinking wtf is wrong with that guy i was being sarcastic]

I think it's that static things aren't frightening. It's being startled, not horrified, that generates fear.

They should focus on fear if the quest or dungeon calls for it. A necromancer lair should be full of all sorts of creepy statics and activators. Or a quest to expel ghosts from a property should be chocked full of creepy crap.

Scary? Nah. There should, however, be some areas that are creepy. Take for instance most dungeons, these should in general be at least semi-creepy places. I don't mean Bethesda should go making TES:V a horror game either, just a bit of the creepy factor added.

Edit: Example: Think about how BioShock's use of lighting, ambient sounds, enemy placement (along with enemy noises, pvssyr, etc.), and other factors all worked together to make some pretty creepy and tense environments. Maybe something like this. I mean, seriously, some deep dark cave filled with daedric and undead baddies should definitely have some creepiness to it, just not too much. I don't play TES to piss my pants.

That's true. Well, if they take and expand random events from Fallout 3 (and perhaps bring back less dynamic yet no less effective means of surprise like cursed items at altars in Morrowind), then they'll be in business for increasing shock value.

I think they can do more with sound effects than with visuals. No matter how well they do the visuals, the game is still going to look cartoony until a generation or two down the road. However, if they were to get some good attack screams as a ghost or wraith came flying at you then it would work. It's all in the sounds

I don't think it should be scary just to be scary. As was said before, it's intent wasn't a horror game. However, I think adding some fear tactics just for the sake of a more immersive world would be brilliant. To reflect this, I voted "Very".

The Elder Scrolls isn't meant to be overly serious nor scary. It's those light-hearted moments that bring a smile to my face. However, it could do with some more sinister ambience in places - especially the dungeons. I've said this to death already, but Daggerfall's dungeons were absolutely nerve-wracking. Hearing a growl and then knowing that a monster is coming for you, but you don't know when or from where. Anxiously peeking around every corner, waiting to see who or what awaits you. The silence being broken by the loud discordant creak of a door opening elsewhere in the labyrinth. The loud discordant creak of you yourself opening a door - your heart racing as you wonder what's on the other side...

I'd like to take this time to talk about "fear" on a societal level. There should be some more seriousness in the towns and in the countryside - I want to feel like a nobody again, who is no different from the rest and is constantly fighting for survival. Not like Morrowind or Oblivion where NPCs can always take time out from their busy schedule to talk to you, because you're the main character. It's a harsh world out there, and only the strongest survive. I want NPCs who kill without mercy, and grey shades of morality. I want attempts to be made on your life, and I want the alliances you forge to really count.

Long story short, more like Daggerfall.

I have no idea, but snared at the ancle and jerked through a sheet of ice in the phantom claws of a vampire could be scary. :shrug: I imagine its something like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySXCdcnKBgg.

I voted for slightly. Fantasy not horror. I'd prefer scary, creepy noises and an enemy when I'm not expecting one. And for *censored* sakes, no spiders! *goes to download no Spider Daedra mod*

very --- enough to give someone a heart attack

you know that moment when your in an ayleid ruin and your sneaking around the corner and "UUUURRRR!!!" zombie jumps out and eats your brains! that always gets to me....

let this be a lesson to the kids, ALWAYS CARRY A TORCH AND KNOW WHAT THE **** YOUR DOING!!! unlike me, cuz i can just turn the difficulty down to 1%...

I would like it significantly more scary than TES 4 was. In vanilla Oblivion I have yet to be scared, frightened, mortified or even startled.

Lets just say this. I want the zombies and undead to be a WHOLE lot more scary...

Like you would expect in real life. Most common people in Cyrodiil probably will never find themselves wandering around in an Ayleid ruin filled with undead.

I've realy been getting into stalker lately, its very immersive, and Doom 3 scared the crap out of me the first time I played it through. And I love those games. What makes them so effective? They have no music. The sound is done realy realy well, with the distant screams and things that go bump in the night and the little sounds of things scurrying around on the floor and all that. The other thing is the lighting. Or the lack of lighting. The lighting part of the engines for both games is done realy realy well and in alot of areas the only light you have is your torche, Doom 3 made this especialy effective by not allowing you to hold ur torche and weapon at the same time, so ur sneaking around and suddenly you see a deamon running at u, u pull out ur weapon and the screen goes completely black, all u can hear is the foot prints coming closer to u and the screams of the monster.

My ideal undead would be a ghoulish like skeleton that would jump on you like the hunter in l4d. And screams the moment it sees you.

That and Bethesda needs to fix their spawn locations. I oblivion there was no.. style.. when dungeon delving it was boring. All the creatures would be standing out in the open just walking. I want it were if some of them detect you they will like hide and stuff.

The animals in SI that go invisible and jump on you would be a perfect example of what I want the undead to be like. (though admittedly the jumping on you would get annoying after awhile, so... yeah..)