A major gripe I had with Oblivion was that the main-quest was shoved down the player's throat, and that it didn't allow the player to set its pace.

Morrowind had a more gradual and less-pressing start to the main quest, which allowed a player to feel that ignoring it for awhile wasn't a big deal... and was able to enjoy exploration and side-quests more without feeling like he was breaking the immersion of the play-world. When the player got into the main quest, it was at his own pace, so that the player could become engaged and want to keep it moving.

In Oblivion, the main quest was all time-pressing... yet you could ignore it for a year and then come back like nothing was different.

Will Skyrim feature a more side-quest friendly main-quest?

I agree. This is one of my main complaints about Oblivion.

The Main Quest is kind of forced upon your character. There is no reasonable role play way to defer it. And once you start the pace is the same. So if you don't know about the game you feel you need to do the MQ. Then you have a level 2 or 3 saving Cyrodiil without first gaining any accomplishments or experiencing Cyrodiil before the Main Quest changes.

And then when you save the world, you join a guild and get a quest about rat problems, or have to steal junk to advance.


And why would someone who just crawled out of the sewers be able to save the world.

It didn't have to be that way, with just some easy changes. Like drop off the amulet, and Jauffre says "Thanks. Stop by again when you get more experence and you might be able to help"

So I hope that Skyrim does do that same thing. The Main Quest should be done at a reasonable time, or not at all. And make sense from a role play perspective.

Agreed bliviongate:


I hope I won't be forced into being Dragonborn. That would be a shame.

Edit: I don't mean that I want an alternative in the MQ to be the opposite or something, just that I won't have to run around thinking about that from the moment I start the game until the MQ is finished.

Really? I never really felt that way. I'd just kinda shrug my shoulders, shove the amulet in my pack, and be on my way. "I'll get around to it when I have time." I never felt the need to run to Jauffre fresh outta the sewer.

haha i always ignore oblivion main quest...i just go to chorrol,talk to jauffre,ask for help,get the itens he have in the chest than leave forever hehehe ima badguy

It falls to writing. Fallout 3 took a step back from Oblivion's rush rush and didn't push the player so hard. Sure, your father did just run away, but playing tag with your daddy issues lead to more pressing matters which you could easily turn your full attention to without felling like you have a strange set of priorities. I'm sure that trend will continue on into Skyrim. The key to writing a main quest in a game world like this is to remember that the world isn't linear, so if you write a rushed linear story its gonna look like you're trying to force the square building block down the play places circle slot.

I agree, in Morrowind your given a bloody note and told to go meet a fellow. In Oblivion it's like KING IS DEAD! HAVE THIS AMULET, SAVE THE UNIVERSE NAO!

The first time I ever played Oblivion I ignored the main quest until level 20ish, I just ran around enjoying it. Plus I didn't mind the main quest, and I dont think it was very strong. Plus, it is the MAIN quest. So long as you can still play after beating it (like in Oblivion...) I don't care if they make it priority at first.

Thats because the main quest in Morrowind was one dimensional and boring. Run here, talk to this person...rinse....repeat.

First off, the MQ is Oblivion had to be pressing, I mean guys portals to hell were sprouting up all over the damn place OF COURSE its going to be a matter of importance. By that same token if you just play dike around like I did and I didn't give the amulet to Jauffre until I was like,...level 20 so it is very possible to ignore it, but once you start it, it would only be good story telling to press the quest on...at an alarming pace because once again..the situation was pretty severe.

The game has a story. If you choose to ignore it so be it, but I think it would be ridiculous if they downplayed the significance of the plot just to make people feel more comfortable ignoring it. The events of Skyrim are a big deal, and you are a dragonborn. How you choose to react to that is your choice, but the game shouldn't try to be subtle about major events just because some people prefer exploring.

You can make absolutely any quests in absolutely any game sound exactly the same as that. Here, watch.

The main quest in Oblivion was one dimensional and boring. Run here, talk to this person...rinse....repeat.

Except I wasn't trying to make it sound like anything.....that is how the main quest in Morrowind is so it is easier to work in the side quests smoothly.

You have completely failed to get the point or convey your own. Provide some support for your position, or concede that the main quests in both games were just as entertaining as one another.

i totally agree. i think its weird they didnt see it themselves when they made oblivion. ohwell. hopefully its better in skyrim, although i got a feeling its part of the "dumbing down tes" stuff.

yeah same, but they mean when you start the quest you get shoved into it feels like, which i would have to agree with.

Just before starting the main quest you have no shouts and there are no dragons roaming the place and have all the side-quests available unless it is initiated by the Main Quest.

Em, dude, there are dragons flying around everywhere... killing stuff... and the world eater is coming... just so you know. No preasure.

In Oblivion you could ignore the main quest for as long as you wanted to, if you did not mind Oblivion Gates popping up all over the place. However they should have kept those out of the game until you met Martin. That would have made more sense. In fact the story was revealed to early on in my mind.

Yes, the game needs to have some sense of urgency, it just adds to the drama, but if it is open ended, then let me decide when the drama is to commence, and that will be when I am good and ready for it.

You didn't have Oblivion Gates open anywhere if you didn't go see Jauffre.

IMO, the main quest in morrowind wasn't as interesting as it was in oblivion though.

There's really nothing exciting about being able to think "Eh, I'll save the world later. No rush"

And in my opinion the opposite is true. Morrowind was much more subtle, you had to uncover the truth about the Neraravine e.t.c. Just felt a lot more like a suspenseful story.

Thank you for sharing.

It's not about being exciting. Morrowind's main quest was brilliant; subtle, exciting, and intellectually engaging; steeped in culture, politics, history, and deep magic.

I still remember the first time I played it, it wasn't until I was at the Ghostgate and that guy gave me that coin that I realized how much of a [censored] genius The Emperor was... he sends a single prisoner to Morrowind and defeats the tribunal, Daegoth Ur, and destroys the heart. Talk about efficient.



Yes, yes, I agree... subtlety is something that a lot of modern games are missing.

Yes, so you are the dragonborn... and dragons are flying around, and the world-eater is coming... that doesn't mean that the main-quest has to be shoved down your throat. Perhaps, like in Morrowind, you don't realize you are the dragon-born right away, and the beginning chunk of the main quest is you figuring that out. Perhaps, like in Morrowind, the main quest encourages you to join factions and get experience, and perhaps, the factions and their quests are impelled along by the main quest. And yes, the world-eater is coming and there are dragons... but it unfolds slowly, no dragons at the beginning, only rumors, then one dragon or two as you progress a little bit, and more and more as you continue along the main quest. It should unfold naturally, so that as you get into the main quest, the game-world "get's into" the main quest at the same pace.

It's been a long time since that first playthrough, but I don't recall skipping out on sidequests because I felt "pushed" to do the OB main quest. But, then, I'd had a lot of experience with cRPGs by that point, so I was used to ignoring things like "Holy crap, there's a giant Meteor hanging in the sky! It's about to crush us!" while I spent two months raising & racing Chocobos.

I think it affects different people differently, but I felt very rushed and pushed by the main-quest, and I believe you would be able to admit that the main quest jumps right in all heavy and [censored]... making it feel weird from a role-playing aspect that you would just ignore the fact that Oblivion gates are opening and the emperor was killed before you eyes, etc.