The quest lines don't seem too short to me, but maybe it's the way I play the game. I avoid plowing through a quest line exclusively. I tend to have lots of quest lines open simultaneously - main quest, civil war, mage college, etc. Plus, if a quest sends me to an area, I might get diverted along the way by dungeons I stumble across. Plus, if i get sent somewhere near a town, I'll visit the town, which leads to other quests (favors, etc). Plus, doing the radiant quests associated with a faction. Etc, etc, etc. So between two college of winterhold quests, I might spend 5-10 game hours doing other things. Yes, the overall quest line is the same length, but it seems longer because I'm doing so many other things.

So do you just ignore the urgency? For instance if you're working on the College's questline, it doesn't make much sense to take time in between quests to smell the roses when the *** of ****** is causing all sorts of [censored].

People who complain fast travel is the issue didn't play oblivion... fallout 3... fallout new vegas, those games all had fast travel and it wasn't a problem. The problem is the quest lines, they're too short, don't have particularly well written story lines and aren't at all enthralling.



So your point is that being in the fighters guild that it gave you quests were you had to go fight people for no real reason of your own, kind of like a mercenary... in a mercenary guild? Actually go kill the bandit does sit more in-line with what the fighters guild is suppose to be, however I think your description of the fighters guild is wrong. In fact out of the 19 quests for the Fighters guild in Oblivion, only 3 were go kill bandit quests. Each quest also had it's own mini-story which were interesting unlike the companions guild which has surprisingly less to offer unless you like your radiant quests which literally are "go clear this cave of creatures, or this bandit leader has been creating problems" which has no real story at all.

Still next you'll complain that the Arena had 22 fights against mainly unknown people... kinda like an Arena. Pretty much all 5 of Oblivion's major quest lines are all better then any of Skyrim's, even Oblivion's Arena has a better setting and storyline then some of Skyrim's quest lines, let alone the individual quests.

I actually loved all of the guild quests (aside from thieves guild, as I have yet to join on any character and thus have no answer for it) and I enjoyed how they start off with being a normal member and then something big happens that kicks off the main point of the string of quests. My only problem with these quests is that, like OP said, the questlines are very short. That being said, I think that it is worth repeating that the questlines were very well done and fun.

On a side note, I would also like people to acknowledge me as the leader of a guild, like the DB does; your guild mates should acknowledge your rank and people on the outside should behave appropriately according to your rank in a guild (the DB does this well). I hate how you become the Harbinger of the Companions and guards are still telling me to fetch the mead

One of the complaints I have with Oblivion is you become the guild master of every guild and it doesn't make sense since you literally don't lead any of them. The DB in Oblivion you did a cruddy weekly quest that wasn't worth doing and the Fighters Guild gave you gold every week (for doing nothing!), The Mage's Guild involved doing nothing as the leader and well the thieves guild just follow whoever the gray fox is so it kinda did make sense for that one guild, more so since you could continue to steal and contribute to the guild in that way. You did not become owner of the Arena and that fitted, you were just the grand champion and you'd get occasional weekly fights with wild animals (since all the contestants were to scared to fight you).

That Said I guess explains why the Empire slowly became a joke, the mage's guild disbanded and the fighters guild got no influence in skyrim since they're all lead by do nothing leaders... Skyrim is just repeating this same mistake! Sure being the leader is great, apart from it's unrealistic that a newcomer mage just became the leader or an ancient organization or a major player in a band of fighters that date back to the Nord vs. Falmer wars after only 2 fairly small jobs... Even in Oblivion you at least felt like you had to earn your way into the Mage's Guild, apparently the College of Winterhold is such a backwards guild that you just need to wait a days to be named arch-mage =/.

It's not that the guild quests themselves are bad. I think that each individual quest is rather fine. But the questlines as a whole have a rather, let's say, "compressed" feeling to them. The pacing seems to be quite a bit off, especially for the Companions and College questlines. You start as a lowly applicant/student, and rise to leadership in the course of a handful of quests. It's just too fast to be believable, and that's why I feel that the questlines should have been longer.

there is nothing wrong with the game
u are just a [censored] who isnt gonna be happy whatever effort bethesda puts in the game

i love this game and i will definitely buy the expansions,dlc's and all the next TES games

People should stop useing the fast travel option. Then the quest will be longer.

But i do agree that the guild can use som more important quests..

Did anyone mention that the Elderscrolls games aren't renowned for questlines like Knights of the Old Republic and raising the bar of story telling set by Planescape: Torment?

I'm with TC. Although Skyrim's graphics have taken a huge leap from Morrowind, in these games I keep having a sense of regret, that TES games can be something more, yet Bethesda isn't pushing themselves harder. They are hauntingly pretty worlds that are a joy to explore, yet something feels missing in contrast to the visual asethetics. Should George R. Martin be writing the scripts for these games? I've read before that despite the open world nature of Morrowind it was a huge and beautiful world lacking a soul. I couldn't agree more with that statement.

After paying $60 for Modern Warfare III and getting what should have been a $25 DLC release for MW2, Skyrim feels like an all-you can eat buffet by comparison. Maybe it's not as good as it could have been, but it's still worlds stronger than any other RPG on the market.

There's a caravan on its way to Windhelm that could , and I need to get to it immediately? Sure, but do you mind if I stop to go fishing in the lake along the way? I wouldn't want to cheapen my questing experience by going as fast as I can to my destination.

I agree with this so much. The shallow feeling you get after becoming guild leader isn't unique to Oblivion either - it was present in Morrowind too. But, like you said, at least in those games you felt like you earned your place.

Why is Bethesda giving us gimmicks like marriage, woodchopping, cooking, useless graphical options (like 3D models of items in our inventory and the 3D map), etc., instead of working on improving something more substantial like this? Some might argue that they're even regressing because the factions are becoming worse with each iteration...

The quest won't be longer, because the traveling is not part of the quest. Just like when I go to work every day, I am not paid for my journey to work, as that isn't work. All you're doing is artificially making it longer before you complete the quest. Also for people who like in-depth quest lines like those of the previous games, this is a bit of a joke. Let's remember Fallout 3 did not have many quest lines at all, instead it had an epically long single quest line and that is better then we have here, but oblivions 5 major quest lines were better then that still... right now it's definitely a bit of a joke =/.

Of course the competition for best single quest within a quest line is between whodunit and tranquility lane.

I stopped reading at "There is nothing wrong with this game".

Wow, just wow.

I have to agree. I don't know if my expectations were too high or if Oblivion just felt too nostalgic, but the quests don't even compare in my opinion. While I wouldn't want the exact same formula for every guild because it would just feel like regurgitated content, the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood especially feel like they lost their flavor. The quest lines were far too short and didn't have nearly enough character. The Thieves Guild in Oblivion had a great quest line in my opinion, a purpose, and a very satisfying end... this time around not so much. Since when did the Thieves Guild involve killing anyone in your way and lack any actually sneaking? The Dark Brotherhood as well. None of the contracts really felt special, no manipulation, no trying to be discreet, no challenges or special ways to carry out contracts, getting caught has no effect. Why did killing an Emperor feel so anti-climatic? Even the Main Quest was a let down. I've never thought I would be bored when I got to ride a Dragon in Skyrim, oh wait it was a 5 second animation followed by a loading screen. They couldn't even lock you in place and give you a beautiful view on the way to fight Alduin? Really? I was hoping the final battle would redeem my disappointment at FLYING ON A DRAGON, nope. It was poorly executed, the Fog put up more of a fight than Alduin.

Don't get me wrong. I still love Skyrim and will continue you to play it, if I didn't love it I wouldn't be so critical. But this game could have been so much more, once I got past the puppy love stage I began to notice all its short-comings.

Spellforce eh? Never heard of it, but i might keep an eye out.

The game *can* handle that level of complexity, but it requires more work than i think Beth are willing to do. Especially when they have imaginationless legions telling them they don't need to. I must confess that i'm disappointed no one's risen to the challenge of shooting the example scenario down as "lame". I've spent 15 years thinking of various ways that TES faction quests could be improved and chose that particular scenario because i think it perfectly encapsulates the potential. I do fancy a bit of a debate on this...

No they don't. I disagree
Some of the bests quests in RPGs are always in tes games. Skyrim takes it even further. I've been playing RPGs for 20 years. Starting with ultima series. Longer is not necessarily better.

you must be kidding
you play at mastyer difficulty, right .... oh yes, you played ultra easy, I forgot

turn on master difficulty and start enjoying the show

besside, every quest I did so far was epic. did you o the wolf queen yet ...

^ ^
This.



This isn't WOW. It's NOT all about leving up to get achievements--you're most likely bored because of the way you play---a non stop completion of the main quest line, with cheats?? and a lot of fast traveling. If this is the way you play, you're missing out on A LOT. Consider taking a vacation from any sort of questing. :biggrin: I've put in some 70+ hours so far just walking everywhere to explore the wilderness, just so I can get locations on the map. The key is to get as many locations to show up on the map--without exploring any of them--so that you don't end up breaking side/faction/miscellaneous quests. This sort of reconaissance frees you to go back and finish off the side/faction/miscellaneous quests later. If none of what I say below interests you, then you might want to consider modding---this never gets old.--at least for me anyways.

I play for full immersion to get the best of my experience. Which means establishing a daily routine of sneaking/walking everywhere. Once or twice I'll use the carriage at the stables if I'm near a hold and overloaded with loot. After 8-9pm, I'll break off adventuring and make camp sleeping in wilderness at a deserted campsite, or in an inn at the nearest town. I even go as far as making my Nord Battlemage get up early around 5am to hunt/fish/cook his breakfast (and dinner) meals each day! I must have spent about 3-4 game weeks so far making an open ended mini game of just hunting (for food and smithing), mining/smelting/crafting armor and weapons, gathering ingredients to make potions, fishing (by swiming both underwater and hiking through the rapids), camping out in the great outdoors, or participating in random world events (like freeing a storm cloak prisoner or protecting a citizen from bandits/beast etc) you encounter on the roads and in the wilderness.

And then there is the ability to make an open ended mini game of being the biggest Giggolo in Skyrim :hubbahubba: Spent a good amount of time figuring out which potential NPCs would make the best marriage partners. Made a personal quest of visiting as many holds/towns to find out which ones best compliment my Battle mage's fighting style and---since he's the materialistic sort---find out which ones are loaded/rich. Once you marry the more affluent NPCs, their homes/shops become yours. So all that lies between you and their many possessions is a timely accident....

You can also pass time going daedra hunting with your mage guild buddys, or Dwarven tomb raiding with your companion homeboys, or even followers you meet in dungeons. Or get into regular tavern brawls, read and collect books (that help you with Skyrim lore/questing/crafting/skilling up), craft and hunt to save up money to buy your houses or invest in a shop. For a real novelty, make a habit of poisoning yourself regularly by eating potion ingredients you come across in the wilderness. Teach yourself these ingredient effects by eating them--especially the more exotic ones you come across. My Nord has developed a bizzare fetish for eating and collecting giant toes and vampire dust :laugh: So he typically takes his mage buddies on these more dangerous hunting expeditions. For the less dangerous ventures like gathering butterfly wings or mining/smelting, he'll typically bring his current wife along to act as pack mule. The list of non questing stuff available is only limited by your immagination.

Ever since escaping Helgen, I focused on faction quests and an open ended game play as a main strategy. It turned out to be the best srategy so far, because being nuetral has allowed me to focus on the faction and side quests. Basically skill/level up, get some decent magical armor from Thieves Guild, Daedric and DB quests---all without the headache of having to battle dragons or a civil war faction while my character is leveling up. And being the DB and Theives Guild masters come with some great perks to help out in the main quest later.

All of this activity was completely open ended with no quest in mind. I just bascially took a more relaxing , and fun approach to leveling up in skills. By walking everywhere, I leveled up in my sneaking and archery skill without it being a chore. I've also gotten to over level 65 in blacksmithing, heavy armor, mele weaponry, potion making, enchanting.

End of the mini thesis . My point is that perhaps if you considerd taking advantage of the game's open sand box features, you wouldn't be as fatiguted or burned out as you sound in your post just something to consider. It's a strategy that has given me the best bang for my buck so far.

Quoted for truth. It's good to see a former Ultima really devoted fan on the forum.

The quests are shorter because they separate the quests from the sub quests such as collect 10 bear pelts or find 3 books and stuff like that.

I like that skyrim gives me the option to go around these sub quests

The AAA titles this season seem to have one thing in common. They are playing it safe, and are not expanding the capabilities of the video game. These games have sold very well. I think this encourages the publishes and the developers not to change. Why change when you are succeeding?

Wow. Just wow..even worse than mw3 [censored]...some of these posts cant be even true..

....................

The AAA titles this season seem to have one thing in common. They are playing it safe, and are not expanding the capabilities of the video game. These games have sold very well. I think this encourages the publishes and the developers not to change. Why change when you are succeeding?

This isn't WOW. It's NOT all about leving up to get achievements--you're most likely bored because of the way you play---a non stop completion of the main quest line, with cheats??

there is nothing wrong with the game
u are just a [censored] who isnt gonna be happy whatever effort bethesda puts in the game

Go back to COD kid.

Lolno, I think the exact opposite. Skyrim's quests are one of the best I've ever seen.

Skyrim is crap, [insert numerous reasons], played it for 80 hours so far...

If you've played it for 80 hours, you have no right to rant about how bad the game is. You've played for nearly half a week solid.

..............

I dont get you people. I didnt say its a bad game, i just said that quests are way worse than in morrowind and oblivion, shorter and generic. Some of the quests what I've done in morrowind and oblivion were so great that I remember them till today.
There are no quests like that in skyrim. And I consider story and quests to be most important part of the game. Yeah, there are some really good quests, but most of the good quests are the shortest quests in the game. I'd really love to say that main quest was epic but even the last fight was letdown. No spoilers. And by the way if you have no claims why my statement is false, then shut up. Go back to cod kid? Wow. smartest comment of the year. Seriously

First, a lot of you need to cool down, and read the post before you write an angry response. Stop taking this is a personal attack. It’s not. It’s criticism. Without constructing criticism, there can be no progress. The OP isn’t attacking you. He isn’t attacking anyone. Please, read the post, and think.

Second. Only a small, small percentage of people here have actually responded to the OP’s point. Let me illustrate

“Lolno they are just fine go bad to COD if you can’t handle it”

is not a response. It’s personal attack, with no supporting detail. If you don’t think they are too short, then please, do tell us why you are satisfied. It’s not wrong to say “I expected more.”

Now, on topic. I agree with the OP’s point. The only guild, to me, that actually felt well-paced, and long enough was the Thieves’ Guild. I liked the fact that it didn’t just catapult you into the main plot. The first few quests actually made you feel like a thief, and were cleverly plotted, with interesting objectives. Then the whole revenge plot popped up, but it still stayed long enough to be interesting. Compare that to the Mages, and Companions, which catapulted you into the action pretty much right off the bat.

Furthermore, the Companion quests didn’t really feel like mercenary work, and the Winterhold only had limited relation to Magic. Basically, they would have worked with any other sort of character.

Another that bothered me was the unsatisfying pay-off for finishing the quests. Yay. You’re guild master. The Companion ending doesn’t even give you a house with safe storage. Even the stupid “Money every month/week” was a step up from what you get at the end of the companion questlines. Hint. It’s even more of the exact same radiant quests that you were able to do from the moment you joined.

Now, I’m not saying that the quests were bad. There were a lot of fun moments, and if I didn’t like something about them, I wouldn’t have played most of them to the end twice. I’m just saying that they could-and should-have been more.

Wow seriously? And I thought Bioware fans were the worst.
Get off his back and stop doing this ridiculous witch hunt, he bought the game and has a valid right to complain.

Don't like it? Tough luck. Community forums are not for you then.

I have invested around 140 hours into it, and can definetly say it's one of my favourite games of 2011, but I won't turn a blind eye to the issues because of some blind fan-boyism.
The quests could indeed use some more work, however Bethesda has never been known for stellar writing or questing. Exploration, yes.