I just got this idea for a plot which would have allowed TES to keep the Rain forest lore but still allow for easy game design.

The idea is instead of having you enter the game before the Oblivion gates start opening, they should have had you enter the game after the Oblivion gates have been around for a bit.

The reason they should have done this is because that way they could have had most of the Rainforests burnt down by the Horror of the Oblivion gates, and only the epic hero would be able to stop the Hellfire from consuming Cyrodil, they'd still have to make a few Rainforests but it wouldn't be anything they couldn't have handled and they'd have a Lore friendly exuse for not making Rainforests in the game.

If they had done this they would also have had the advantage of making the player feel like he's in a real Crisis as there are more Oblivion gates and there's a feeling that the world will really end if you dont defeat this.

But instead they broke cannon.

Personally, I would hate it if Oblivion gates were already opening when we begin the game. The Elder Scrolls games are all about doing the quests we want, when we want to do them. Shoving the main quest done our throats right from the beginning strikes me as being contrary to the spirit of the series. As it is, I feel Oblivion already pushes the main quest in our faces too much. Morrowind handled this aspect best, I feel: we were barely even aware there was a main quest in the beginning. And when we did begin it we were never quite sure what it was all about or why it was happening or who was pulling the strings. Oblivion gates opening everywhere immediately would ruin the game for me.

Another reason why I would be against such an idea is because I don't want Cyrodiil to be despoiled by Oblivion gates in every game. Cyrodiil, in my opinion, is one of the most relaxing, bucolic, pleasurable, and stunningly beautiful game worlds ever invented. One of the reasons why only one of my characters has done the main quest is because I want to keep it that way.

Which brings me to a third point: I'm glad they changed lore. I like Cyrodiil as it is presented in Oblivion. I like the rolling hills and deciduous forests. I would not want to trade that in for jungle. I'm not a fan of jungles. So I'm perfectly happy with Bethesda's decision to invent new lore in this instance.

I disagree with evreything you said no offense of course

Point one, They could easily have made it so the Oblivion gates are just sort of there in a way that dosn't constantly intrude on your gameplay experiance ( how many Gates do you find on the road?)

Point two, same as point one if Oblivion gates weren't so random we wouldn't have this problem.

Point three, I personally would have enjoyed some jungles it would have been interesting terrain, but such jungles would have been hard to do well when they made that game, which is why i think it would have been good if they made it so the Oblivion crisis destroys most of the Jungles. This way we get the kind of terrain you perfer without destroying any cannon.

As Pseron said, you're shoving the main quest down the player's throats. It's hard to roleplay 'oh yes, my character can see the huge Oblivion threat, but he doesn't want to do the main quest.' a huge plot flaw here.

Also, why do we need to have rainforests all of a sudden? There haven't been rainforests in Cyrodiil since before the days of Tiber Septim, so why do they need to be destroyed all of a sudden?

Once you start the main quest, you'll feel like you're in a crisis - that is, if you can see that a game of 2006 isn't going to be able to produce 1000s of Daedra to attack everything without causing it to crash every five seconds. When I see an Oblivion gate opening in the distance, I know I'm in a crisis. When I step into Kvatch, I know I'm in a crisis. When I'm racing against time to save Bruma, I know I'm in a crisis. When I'm in the final quest, I know I'm in a crisis.

In my opinion, Oblivion's main quest is VERY well done. No offense, but I don't feel that your plot idea would work, nor be enjoyable to play through.

I agree with Pseron Wyrd too. While the main quest does start before you leave the sewers, all you really need to do is leave the sewers. I do like diving through oblivion gates (because my character is a collector) but to have them be there already already means it intrudes on game play. Instead of giving you the option to include them in your game play they're already there, giving off the idea that sooner or later you'll have to close them. You're in a crisis, you have to sort this. I don't want to be made like I have to sort the crisis. If I wanted a game like that I'd play Bioshock, fable or call of duty. As Solitudian said, it's hard to role play the "I can see an oblivion gate but I have no interest in it". That is just my opinion though.

Your point isn't bad or wrong, some may very well agree with you, but a lot of people like how much freedom of game play the elder scrolls series has. Speaking towards those who enjoy this freedom: Your asking whether players who enjoy the game freedom that doesn't force you to do anything but leave the sewers and wish it wasn't there by having the game force them to do the main quest and fix the oblivion gate crisis. It's not going to get much positive reception.

As for rainforests or jungles - what's wrong with the ordinary forests in the game? Why does this lore have to be in this particular game when, as Solitudian said, they haven't been around since before Tiber septim? Consider the climate...Cyrodiil would be right on the equator, it may not have the climate it needs to sustain terrain. Whereas places like black marsh, Valenwood and Elsweyr might. Hopefully bethedsa will make more TES games that are set within these places and this lore can be in those games. Just became it's a game doesn't mean it doesn't have realism of climate changes.

Sorry, my information was partially incorrect.
According to UESP.net: 'Cyrodiil was originally a jungle, but was later changed into a temperate climate by Emperor Tiber Septim.'
Either way, the jungles of Cyrodiil are long gone, hence the reason Bethesda never included them bent destroyed during the Oblivion Crisis.

Well it backs up my climate possibility, as at the time that was just a guess

I think it would be terrible if a TES game forced you into its main quest. In my opinion, Oblivion's beginning is too "urgent" for an open-world game, as it is. It would be terrible if there were world-threatening events occurring, which could not reasonably be ignored.

Oblivion gates all over? How depressing. If I wanted a depressing landscape I would play any one of the other Bethesda games.

oh goodness no. Add me to the "I"m glad Oblivion gates did not appear at the start" list. I mean, I appreciate the idea, but I'm glad Beth did it the way they did it. Having gates at the start would have been just too much. I'm glad I got to work them into a few of my games.

I basically got to enjoy 2 years of Cyrodiil, Oblivion-gate free, before I decided to tackle the MQ. some of us do like the way Cyrodiil is, ya know?

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Gosh, I think it is almost always raining in the forest of Black March?

I think Oblivion benefited from ignoring the lore and going with a typical landscape instead of a jungle one. Also if the Oblivion gates were active at the beginning, that means we would have to do the main quest at some point and that's something I wouldn't be a big fan of doing.

It didn't ignore the lore, they just decided to give it it's own lore. Note solitudian's comment