personally i think there should be a MAJOR war although this would ruin your gold for health potions ect ... i also think this would be very very fun and hard and make the game more interesting , its a thought i appreciate that htis idea could fail miserable , and that there is already battles but too be fair there not very big i play TES IV and i love it never get bored of it , but i would seriously like some big juicy battles were allies oyu begin to like die . just a thought.

what do you think ?

Why is there not an option for yes?

Anyways, I voted no. I don't really see the point in it.

I'm not entirely sure if this merits its own topic, but a great battle would be a nice climix to TES 5 (Maybe the whole Nord/Redoran business could end in such a way [perhaps a counterattack on Winterhold?]) Also, Oblivion's battle for Bruma was a very large battle as far as TES battles go. Many friends perished in my game. I won't get into it right now, but give me 30 minutes and I'll do my battle for bruma justice.

You made a mistake with the options....

I like epic battles. Like HUGE MASSIVE EPICLY EPIC battles.

I actually don't think this would be a good idea, just because TES games aren't great when it comes down to controlling and managing friendly NPCs. Giving the player an indirect role in a large battle (such as having to get behind enemy lines or fire off siege artillery) would be kind of cool, though.

Wasn't Daggerfall going to have city sieges and stuff?

Yeah, there would be major issues when it comes down to what you'd actually be killing. Allies would probably get in your way frequently. Not to mention it would ravage your performance.

Oh please do it

And I suppose one big battle at the end of the game would be really cool. But only one, anymore would be boring. Hopefully it wouldn't lag too much though.

That's why things like the missions in Guild Wars would be nice - defending an outpost or manning artillery or sneaking behind an army. It'd be quite thrilling without having the obvious drawbacks of just entering combat with a few hundred NPCs.

made a mistake in poll ... sorry but yes i wouldn't want too many battles , one big battle i would like very very much , but there'd have to be an important reason for this battle to happen , i dont want a pointless battle .

Did you see the Guild Wars 2 trailer?

Anyway, the idea of massive battles might be cool, but it would be demanding for your machine, and if they had any more than one, say at the end, it would get incredibly redundant. Heck, even the battle for Bruma lost its charm after the first time through. Every time after that I would just hit the console and start throwing in kill a bunch of times. That, or just slide the difficulty down. It was just too boring after the first time.

I agree with Stone Frog. I don't want to take a combat position along with a hundred other NPCs fighting against a hundred enemies. That would only be a lesson in AI frustration. I would rather have a role as the "elite" warrior who infiltrate the enemy/works behind the scene of the major battle. It would still be very fun and retain that hectic 'huge battle' feel, but it would be much less aggravating than having to deal with ridiculous AI in mass quantities. I think it also fits the role of the PC more. You need to be doing something important, not just being a random warrior in a battle.

Liking these opinions , there all very right in there own aspect , i personally feel know alot of you have commented that there should be a slightly bigger battle than Bruma but add some magic to it , make something happen , but if you do something different that magic happening does something different if you get me ? :L

I agree. However, it would be nice if you could see the battle raging either below you (say you're in a high tower, planning to sabotage the roof, and decimate the enemies' forces with the destruction) or in the distance, hear the battlecries of your comrades.

@ Chriso 123: Story's coming soon.

Yes, being able to hear the battle raging and get good visuals throughout would be a must to really still maintain the 'huge battle' feel.

Quite easy if you're in a fortress overlooking the battlefield or some other location that prevents you from getting too close. Exploiting this distance, Bethesda could use LoD models and streamlined effects to get a nice, smooth-rendering battle without taxing the player's machine as much.

This.

I'd like to see some big battles, but don't think it would be very interesting to engage in them. I'd like to see a large battle take place though, for example, you could watch an very large, prescripted battle from the top of some fortress or something.

If by 'massive battles' you mean the end to O: A then.... NO.

On the other hand, i've only encountered large battles in AOE, and RTS games. I think if there were to be a 'massive battle' it would kind of have to be perfectly planned, and RPGs aren't.

Maybe.

No, thats not TES

That's what the final missions of the Imperial Legion should be like ... (well, not big wars, but at least battles with up to 20-50 legionnaires fighting by your side)

Or maybe not the final missions, but the middle ones, when your are a full fledged soldier (not a city guard) but your rank shouldn't allow you to command that many soldiers. (because TES won't be a RTS and it would be a pain in the ass to control a battle)

I wouldn't mind a Battle of Bruma-sized conflict, if it has enough variety to not just a a laggy mashfest. People asking for an extremely large battle will most likely not get what they desire. But it's fair to realize that since Morrowind, the Elder Scrolls has really become representation. Do we really think it only takes an hour to get from Chorrol to the Imperial City? Do we really think Ald'Ruhn is only protected by 30-or-so Redoran Warriors? Do we really think the Imperial City has a population of few hundred people? No, we had scale representation in Daggerfall, but in order to keep the Elder Scrolls running on our computers, we have to accept that the Battle of Bruma really -did- contain hundreds of men, and that the Imperial City is a bustling, overcrowded, multi-cultured melting pot of thousands upon thousands of men and mer.

Just thought it was fair to mention. But I wouldn't mind an interesting story concerning the conflict of the Redoran and Nord expansionists, could be fun.

Battles with 6 people at once gets annoying , you can easily kill or hurt your allies making them want to kill you. I would only allow this if friendly fire was on in big battles.

The Battle of Bruma
as recorded by the bard St. Ivesie LXXXIX

The sun peered over the Valus Mountain peaks, bathing the town of Bruma in a warm glow. Crowds lined the streets of Bruma waiting silently, as still as the icicles on the roof of Olav's Tap'n'Tack. Suddenly, through the silence, a great roar of applause echoed down from the chapel to the city's southern gate like a great wave crashing against the shore, and reverberating back from whence it came. A procession of guards from every corner of Cyrodiil, bearing the insignias and emblems of every count in the land began to march towards the gate. At the head of it was the Great Martin Septim. To his left stood Jauffre, the very grandmaster of the blades himself, and the Captain of the Bruma guard, Burd. To his right, was the Hero of Kvatch. The Hero'*The ink on the page smudges and is rendered illegible* Following the hero, was a squadron of some of the finest blades ever to grace Bruma's streets. Their armor polished to a reflective shine, any trace of apprehension or fear was hidden behind a visage of silent pride and focus. The crowd threw flowers and shouted with praise and admiration towards the men, fathers, and sons whom marched on to their graves for some, fame for others, but all for glory. They passed through the doors, and on to war. As the gates shut, the crowd's joy seemed to evaporate, and all was as still as the icicles once again.

Upon a knoll overlooking the battlefield, Martin addressed his troops like the emperor he was. "Soldiers of Cyrodiil! The Empire will stand or fall by what we do here today! Will we let the daedra do to Bruma what they did to Kvatch? Will We let them burn our homes? Will we let them kill our families? No! We take our stand here, today, for the whole of Cyrodiil! We must hold fast until the Hero of Kvatch can destroy their Great Gate. We must Kill whatever comes out of that gate! Soldiers of Cyrodiil, do you stand with me?"
"For Leyawiin!"
"For Bruma!"
"For Anvil!"
"Never forget Kvatch!"
"For Chorrol!"
"Skingrad!"
"For Cheydinhal!"
"For the Emperor!"

The army was thrown into a passionistic rage, and grabbed their bows, an arrow, and each pulled his string taught. The Blades unsheathed their Akiviri katanas, The Hero of Kvatch *the text smudges again*, and Martin brings out his longsword, and his horse heels with the rage boiling in every man on that knoll. The morning sky turned dark. A red hue began to take the place of the beautiful blue protection of Magnus, and in its stead, smoke began to billow out of Oblivion, resonating its light until the snow turned into a vibrant pink. Ash began to fall from the sky, melting the snow beneath to form a heavy slush that now covered the soldiers' boots. In a flash of light, two obsidian pillars began to sprout from the earth, scorching the bedrock, and evaporating the snow. The two menacing pillars then began to grow towards eachother, and then converge in a pulsating heat that sent a shock to the core of Bruma. The space under the malevolent arch began to change and contort into a view of the Deadlands. Through the portal fire blanketed the landscape, and pools of lava surrounded a lone island whose only distinguishible feature was a menacing tower piercing into the smoke scoured sky.

All was quiet. The silence was deafening. It was then that the next gate arose, slightly to the south of the previous. The silence grew louder and heavier. The arch had now formed, and the island behind this gate was significantly smaller, yet it had several towers, each standing with a horrifying presence. It was then, that several daedra began to climb through these terrible portals, defying all the attempts of the aedra to keep the land safe from such things, desecrating the land with their footsteps. Some of the archers let loose their arrows, and pinned the daedra to the ground where they stood. Unphased, they continued to pour out, like gophers climbing out of a hole that was filled with water at its other end. The remaining guards let loose their arrows, but, by now, their numbers had grown to the degree in which they could not be fended off with mere arrows. A third pair of pillars shot out of the ground as the first of the Cyrodiilic pikemen charged forth to meet the daedra head on.

As the two forces met, the men in both lines were crushed by those behind them. Each line, thrusting, slashing, ripping, biting their way at the other. Burd was in the center of this frenzy, his claymore stained a deep sanguine from the blood of his enemies had just cleaved the head from a dremora about to finish a terrified youngster from Cheydinhal. "You okay, boy?" asked the Nord. "You're too young to be here... in this."

"I merely want to do my part, sir!" exclaimed the boy as he reached his feet, grabbed his longsword, and turned to cut a scamp in two. Blood covered his face from being in the putrid slush that flooded the ground, but it was his blood that came from his arm, when a daedroth ripped it out of its socket and kicked his lifeless corpse to the ground. Burd charged it, and thrust his claymore through the beasts crocodillic maw and parted the being from jaw to leg in one downward slice. Moving forward, he readied his blade again, and finished the bisection with one chop down its sellion and snout. Pushing through the daedra, surrounded by corpses of both fallen friends and fiends, he heard a cry to his right and saw Martin leading a regiment of calvalry, slaughtering the daedra from horseback. His succour arrived too late, however, for as he looked to see Martin, a bolt of lightning hit him in his chest, sending him soaring back into his comrades leaving him laying betwixt the daedroth and the lad from Cheydinhal. His body cooked and burned, Burd took the boy's remaining hand and whispered, "And you have, son... and so have I." He laid his head back into the river of blood, and watched the sky drift out into the hell he knew he'd never see again.

On the other side of the battlefield, Jauffre was leading the legion of blades against a pack of clannfear and atronachs. His blade continually striking true as each of the beasts fell, cut after cut. As the last of the daedra fell, the Legion looked for their next targets. It was then that the gates began to dissappear, and all movement stopped. The earth quaked, and lava spewed from the bases of the two massive pillars that began to rise from the ground. Blood began to drip from them like rain drips from a statue. Towering over the battlefield, the pillars converged into a great arch with such a stillness that the icicles on Olav's shattered from the momentary peace. The deathly visage of a great, molten maw began to pierce the smoke and fire that lay behind the gate, and moved ever forward with horiffic clangs and ticks. Jauffre could see the faint features of The Hero of Kvatch passing into that hell, and knew that the mission would be successful.

He continued to fight valiantly, slashing through bone, metal, scale, and skin. His blades slowly began to fall one by one until it was only Jauffre and five other blades. The daedra's numbers had all but depleted when he caught sight of Martin. His horse slain, he was cornered by a Dremora Lord in front of the Great Gate itself. He wore full daedric armor, and wielded a greataxe, and was about to end all of Tamriel's hopes in one decisive slash if it weren't for Jauffre. He slashed through the haft to the demon's axe, saving Martin, but exposing himself to a counterattack. The lord turned and plunged the sharp remainder of the haft into the Breton's leg, and was about to finish him, but his head was cleaved from his shoulders by Martin's longsword. Jauffre lay on the ground, wounded and semi-conscious. Looking into the gate, he saw the machine about to overtake his and Martin's position. Realizing that there was no way out for him he pleaded for Martin to leave him, and continue to fight. Martin replied, "I can't. You have to come with m--

Jauffre summoned the last of his energy to shove Martin back to safety as the gate suddenly collapsed upon the siege crawler, causing it to crash down to the ground. Barrelling for stability, the great machine of destruction clambered forward in a vain attempt to destroy the city that had eluded destruction on this day. It's efforts, however, did send it's forward most bulk to land upon Jauffre's lower body, pinning him to the ground. In a beam of light, the Hero of Kvatch emerged and saw the carnage left in the wake of the battle. Blood flowed freely through the now melted snow, covering the bodies of all sides. The last of the daedra had been slain. The sky cleared of its red hue, and a rain began to fall from the Heavens, washing away the blood from the battlefield. It was a cold rain. It mourned the loss of so much life over such a small item. Both the Hero and Martin rushed to Jauffre's side to provide him any aid, but he had already perished. Many huzzahs were shouted among the victorious, and celebration ensued. However, Martin turned to the Hero of Kvatch and said to him in the soberest of tones. "We have got the stone, but at too high of a cost. We lost many friends today. We must retrieve the Amulet of Kings, and stop this invasion."

__________________________


So maybe not a half-hour, but don't tell me that there wasn't a climactic battle in Oblivion. You just have to use your imagination a little bit. My opinion on large scale battles doesn't change. (And yes the first time I played the battle of Bruma, Burd was killed from a lightning strike near a cheydinhal guard before the great gate opened. Also, the siege engine did fall on Jauffre as I closed the gate. Yes it did kill him. I laughed and cried at the same time.)

And has no one played the enclave commander mods in fallout 3?
Makes it much easier to control NPC's. You even have a marker to send them to places.

Battles could certainly work, in moderation. If modders can fix up a halfway decent command and control system, than think of what beth can do?

I don't think an all out war would really be good for the Elder Scrolls series. As it is now, the series doesn't seem to handle large scale battles all that well, and I fear that if Bethesda put focus on this area in later games, it would come at the expense of other areas of gameplay that need work, or it would not be implemented satisfactorily. Besides, when first person style games try to do epic battles, the fact that they focus on your character tends to cause it to seem like only your character is actually accomplish anything, indeed, in some games, nothing will happen unless your character actually DOES accomplish anything, and if you don't act, nothing will happen, Call of Duty for example often falls pray to this, and the RPG genre seems to naturally lend itself towards focusing on your character, or your party if it's a party based game. If Bethesda wanted to explore this side of the Elder Scrolls universe, I think it would be better to do it in a spinoff. The truth is, if the main series took this route, even if it was very well done, fans might complain that it takes focus off the exploration that has always been a major part of the series' gameplay.