I want less realism, but I dont want mushrooms, etc.

I rather have a more Lord of the Rings style...

Personally, I believe Cyrodill is supposed to resemble more of real life since it's where the capital (Imperial City) is. The entire great forest is inspired by the forest in Maryland after all, and I believe Bethesda wanted Oblivion to feel very different from Morrowind (Shivering Isles seemed heavily inspired by Morrowind), which was a lot more fantasy-based. More than likely Skyrim will probably have more of a Viking-esque feel and atmosphere. I believe every aspect of it will probably differ greatly from Cyrodill and Vvardenfell, but it could resemble Solstheim somewhat.

Honestly, I'm tired of mushrooms. There are other ways to make a world alien, creative, and interesting. If you must have mushrooms, choose some http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Dorniger_Stachelbart.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Bridal-veil-mushroom.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Amanita_jacksonii_45069.jpg.

This.

Morrowind-style. I like.

Hehe. I'm not saying mushrooms are necessary. I'm just saying "creativity" is established faster if the environment is alien but still compelling. Strictly speaking I'm not against conventional environments, but there had better be something to knock my socks off in another aspect of the game.

Cool shrooms by the way. Are they the yummy, hallucinaty, or killy kind?

I just want it to look good. I don't need anything outrageous to enjoy the landscape. We're dealing with nords that are heavily influenced by norse/scandanavian/viking culture. I'm expecting a good deal of coldness, snow and small villages and ill be happy with that as long as its done well. I don't need crazy looking architecture or giant sprouting fungus or vegetables to have a good time exploring

Realistic with a mix of crazy ideas. Keep the odd things like the mushroom forests and the fantastic cities in, but keep the terrible things like giant pauldrons and spiky supersized swords out. I don't care if they have the crazy side of morrowind in it, I'd love it actually. But what made it work was that they made it look realistic.

Wow, I think the title actually states the topic better than the question and its answers. To me, it's not a matter of "realism", you could actually argue that Morrowind's setting was far more realistic than Oblivion simply because of the diversity of its landscape and locations, because it really felt like another world and not just some cliche fantasy setting. Not that I can't see what the poll-creator is trying to mean by "realism"-as in being more based on things you can find in the "real world". To me I don't particularly care about a setting looking like something I could find in the real world necessarily-it's nice to have some parts that draw inspiration from real places (such as Balmora in Morrowind drawing from Arabic-style houses), but there does need to be some diversity and I think very few towns/cities in Oblivion really had a particularly distinctive "look" to them-especially when compared with Morrowind.

Morrowind really had a great mix of both familiar and foreign-looking locations, and I think Oblivion could've had A LOT more diversity given the fact that it exists in the center of the Empire, it would've been nice for it to have been given more of a "melting pot" feel, where you get more of a sense of different cultures creating their own settlements and such. The closest thing we got was Bruma with its Nordic-style houses.

Finally, someone gets it :tops:

I wouldn't necessarily say Morrowind's setting was less realistic than Oblivion's. I mean, yes, it looked less like the real world, but Tamriel ISN'T the real world, so why would it be more realistic for it to look like it? That's like saying it's realistic in science-fiction for aliens to look exactly like humans. The Elder Scrolls takes place in a fantasy setting, so really, it can look any way the designers say it should. So really, it's not a question of realism, but creativity, and I definately want a more creative setting, more like Morrowind or Shivering Isles, rather than one more like Cyrodiil as presented in Oblivion, which, rather than calling it realistic, I'll say is a generic fantasy setting, or if you want to sound a little less negative about it, we can call it a "standard" or "conventional" fantasy setting. It had horses, it had knights in shining armor, it had castles, these are things I can see in any other fantasy setting. Really, most fantasy stories I've seen take place in a world that doesn't look all that different from Cyrodiil in Oblivion. Sure, the geography might differ, the names and history might differ, but in terms of overall look and feel, they tend to be pretty similar. By comparison, in Morrowind, things were pretty different. Now obviously, not every single concept in Morrowind was 100% original, it still had orcs and elves and what not. But the difference was that despite making use of some familiar devices, Morrowind succeeded in creating a world that felt different from other settings, and for this reason, it was interesting to explore. And I want Bethesda to try to do the same with Skyrim. Obviously, I don't expect to see giant mushrooms and nix-hounds in the game, but I don't ask to see them, what I'm asking for is a world that can surprise me, and make me want to explore it, and no mushrooms are needed to do that.

I've often felt that fantasy, as a genre, has the greatest potential for creativity of any genre. Although usually I actually see more creativity in science-fiction. Science-fiction and fantasy both have some similarities, but there is one key difference in that most often, science-fiction takes place in our own future. Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, but the typical setting for science-fiction is some time in humanity's future, whether a reletively near future or some incredably distant one where people can go to work every day on a planet ten lightyears from their home. But regardless, it is still our future, just potentially a very different one from our own. Fantasy, aside from those works that take place in our own world, but say that magic and what not exists but normal people don't see it for any given reason, creates a world of its own, removed from our own. And this allows creators to really do anything they want. And yet this freedom is rarely exercised, instead we get more things that we've seen time and time again, mostly things based on the fantasy conventions introduced by Tolkien. And really, it just seems like a huge waste of the genre's potential. Fantasy should be about creating worlds that are unique and interesting, and that audiences will want to explore, obviously, fantasy should also aim to tell interesting stories, but that's something any genre of fiction can do, fantasy just has some plot devices available to it that other genres lack, and yet most creators seem to think it's about reusing the same tired concepts we've seen a thousand times before, and barely pretending that there's anything original about their works.



Honestly, I agree, there ar ways to create a setting that feels unique without using giant mushrooms, and I'm really not asking for them, they'd just seem out of place in Skyrim. I don't want Bethesda to reuse the same designs that people think of when Morrowind or Shivering Isles come to mind, but I do hope that once again, Bethesda will approach the game with the intention of creating a setting that feels unique, if nothing else, I don't want to see Generic Medieval Fantasy Land again, we've had enough of that in so many other fantasy settings.



There's a very big difference between trying to create a world that feels different from what your audiences are used to, and abandoning all logic.

For that matter, there's a difference between making an unrealistic setting, and abandoning all logic. The Elder Scrolls setting is already unrealistic, what with having magic and all that, but would you say it does not have logic?

I agree completely. Morrowind had a fantastic atmosphere and made you feel like you were really in another world. Most of Oblivion felt like medieval Europe, with just a little bit of fantasy creatures thrown in. I really hope they make Skyrim a more fantastical place than Cyrodil was.

Completely this. Hence why I voted for the balance between these two.

PLEASE MAKE IT MORE LIKE MORROWIND!

The last thing I want to do is run around in another medieval-england-lookalike that was Cyrodiil....

I really disliked the generic LotR/medieval "realistic" fantasy setting in Oblivion. It's been done to death and it just doesn't breathe creativity or character. Besides that there was just way too little alteration in the setting in Oblivion to hold my attention, all of it pretty much looked and felt the same. It was pretty, but pretty alone doesn't bring immersion imho.

Morrowind had a much more unreal feel (as did Shivering Isles). Travelling Vvardenfell was a voyage of exploration. It had areas which were more or less "realistic" as well, but every corner had the possibility of oncoming amazement and creative pwnage. To me that added to the overall gameplay experience and immersion of the game.

This.

I don't care, but I don't want to see mushroom trees in Skyrim. What a game's art style is should vary depending on the province, in my opinion. I'm picturing Skyrim as a bit realistic with some wonderful Scandinavian architecture and stone carvings akin to what was in the trailer.

I wrote up a massive post once for debates just like this one (http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1110902-why-skyrim-partie-deux/):

I have absolutely nothing against Skyrim's environment and I think people have to get the preposterous, "it's just snow" assumptions out of their heads. If you want to use the real world for reference, there certainly are some impressive natural formations throughout Scotland and Norway. Yet at the same time, lots of people seem to take these real-world locations far too seriously as a possibility as to what the province would resemble. Think of it this way. Vvardenfell started out as a volcanic wasteland. We have those in real life. They're surprisingly devoid of mushroom towers and giant insects, but they're there. Did Bethesda decide to take inspiration from them? Thankfully no - irrespective of the setting, Bethesda does not have to comply with what's seen as "normal" and "familiar". If anything, I feel that Skyrim's the earthlike province with the greatest potential to be interesting. Frozen lakes, glaciers, springs, chasms, the works. But as stated, they don't even have to follow these rules - they could do something completely outlandish if they want to!

The first complaint about Skyrim is the environment itself - not just the snow, but even the temperate regions could prove to be boring and uninspired if they're anything like Oblivion's. People in these threads tend to overemphasize the projected natural environment of the game. Maybe this is just me, but Morrowind's environment wasn't particularly unique. Visually spectacular and diverse, yes - but I've seen giant mushrooms in videogames before, as well as volcanoes. No, I'm not bashing Morrowind. Read on.

Try this. Remove all the buildings from Morrowind. Just think of the natural, untamed landscape. Again, aside from some mushrooms and other exotic foliage, it still lacks a fair bit of purpose. When you add in everything else, however - from the ancient canols of Vivec to the great Skaar, they form a complete and whole sense of culture and the world becomes absolutely amazing. Don't forget the creatures! The game deserves credit for delivering a lot of variety with its regions and integrating the flora/fauna into the culture. Have you ever noticed that Silt Striders, Guar, and Netches actually have a purpose in Dunmer living? Not like the beasties in Oblivion, which could occasionally be found on the floor or mounted over a fireplace but otherwise were just there so you could kill them.

It doesn't come down to climate one bit - everything counts in the design of a province, and certainly the real world could not possibly be considered a limit to the uniqueness of these elements. So please, don't just complain about Skyrim because you fear it may be a frosted wasteland. Don't forget about the buildings, the people, the culture. More importantly, don't forget that real world comparisons - whether used in favor of or against the actual game world - aren't the only things that matter.

In sum: I don't care. I have a good feeling that Skyrim will be amazing, a perfect balance between Morrowind and Oblivion and plenty of unique concepts and experiences for it to stand on its own. I voted for a balance.

A good balance of both. The reason why Oblivion looked "realistic" was because it fit that province's lore, background and architecture. It's the imperial province, things are going to look conventional. Peasants, villagers, legion troops, and etc. Morrowind or more precisely Vvardenfell, looked more unconventional because it fit that regions lore, background, people, and architecture. Dunmer wizards, Dwemer ruins, nomadic people, and etc.

I would expect, and hope that Skyrim takes some of both. The nords do not seem like the extravagant fantasy type, but at the same time, there are many different factions, races, and people in Skyrim so we should be seeing some good variety and "unrealistic" pieces alongside the "realistic" ones.

Personally, I prefer to have a realistic world, but if there were some areas in the game that were unrealistic, I'd be fine with that too. Maybe you could hallucinate a Morrowind-esque world after using Felldew, or something.

I don't see it as Real vs Unreal, I think its just different fantasy universes. The Oblivion world is more traditional, medieval European style fantasy vs a more more unique and crazy fantasy in Morrowind.

But this made sense for those games. Morrowind and the Dumner are very different and unique, meanwhile the Imperials are based off Romans and that more traditional fantasy. For Skyrim, it would make sense that the fantasy referenced is that of Northern Europe, who the Nords are based on. Norse mythology is very interesting, and is already drawn upon for what we already know about the Nords. I imagine this game world will pay respect to it more than anything.

To be honest, giant mushrooms are the most generic "weird" fantasy environment. I hate them, I'd like to see Skyrim be Skyrim, not like Cyrodiil, not like Vvardenfell. Not generic LOTR influenced like Oblivion and not generic "weird fantasy" like Morrowind, but some beautiful Scandinavian inspired imagery. But also other influences as well, there's a whole history to choose form.

Yeah. Take some Celtic, Aryan, and possibly even Hindu influences for the architecture. Don't just make it all generic Scandinavian crap.

My great Viking grandfathers are offended. bliviongate:

Celtic would make some sense, but Hindu? that makes absolutely no sense.

I'm personally a Tolkenian Middle-Earth dude,so i'd prefer more realistic interpretation of Skyrim.Like Oblivion did,kinda.