Official: Beyond Skyrim TES VI #58 : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Wed May 27, 2015 10:54 pm

This thread is for ideas and suggestions for future Elder Scrolls games, and to keep all the discussion in one series of threads.

We also have an official thread specifically for http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1517357-tes-vi-location-and-setting-speculation-22/ suggestions for future games.
Now that Skyrim has been released the number of suggestions and ideas for the next ES game are starting to show up. We have a long way to go before we get another ES game and all topics like this will be closed and either transferred or referred to this one.

Please keep any discussion of Skyrim in the correct forums.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1517499-official-beyond-skyrim-tes-vi-57/

» Wed May 27, 2015 6:32 pm

Alright, as i said at the end of the last one... Faction management. This is something i first thought of playing Blackflag, and which has sort of evolved out of that... i'll cite influences as well so people can kind of get an idea of what i'm talking about.

First, the motivation. As it stands, factions has no real purpose, beyond being thematic anchors for story arcs. Most guilds are organizations which do some kind of work, but don't really have any presence beyond their guildhalls. The Companions in Skyrim are a rare exception, and very occasionally some of its members can be seen wandering, but for the most part they still just sit around their hall drinking. There also isn't really any purpose to being the head of a guild, because you end up with no real input in the organization. Even worse, as leadership typically comes at the end of a questline, you're left with nothing to do, rendering your time with said organization at an end.

As such, a system for influencing and managing factions needs to do a few things. First, it needs to remain relevant. It's not the type of thing you should be able to power to the end of and just move on. Making it totally open and endless is, of course, very difficult, but it should be stretched as long as possible. Second, it needs to be engaging. This means it has to respond to input and give the player some control, and a REASON for them being interested in that control. Third, it needs to increase presence. Have faction members go out into the world and DO SOMETHING.

To that end...

Spoiler

Management. Be the boss! Rags to Riches to Ruin!

The basic idea is, once you achieve leadership of an organization, you should be able to call the shots. Most factions get jobs or have tasks which need to be done, and as leader it's your responsibility to see to it that they are done. You receive contracts/tasks/jobs and you assign guild members to accomplish them. If accomplished, those members bring in coin, of which you get a cut. The extra coin can be spent from Guild Coffers to upgrade facilities, allowing you some aesthetic control over the appearance of your faction.

Interface

Spoiler

In each faction's main hall will be a table/board/desk. You interact with this to bring up the faction menu. From there, you have a few choices.

Contracts/Tasks/Jobs

Pending requests or jobs

Details task

Generally faction flavoured

Fighters get sent to kill monsters, clear out bandit dens (linked to economy)

Mages collect ingredients, cure diseases, teach

Thieves steal

Difficulty

Rough approximation of how hard

Could be level-indicated or more vague (easy, moderate, difficult etc)

Reward

How much cash you get

Player cut noted

Reputation gains for success

Allows assigning minions

Select Job, pick people to give it to, minions do your bidding. Simple

Players can also take jobs themselves

Track in-progress jobs

Members/Minions

The factions agents and members

Minion level

Npc's who can level? What madness is this!?

View specializations

Allows for mission variables and specialisation

Gives NPC's their own skillsets

Equipment

What gear your minions have

Better equipped minions can handle harder jobs

Better gear can be supplied by Faction, or bought by NPC's with their pay

Assets and Standing

The factions coffers, buildings, style etc.

Use profits to fix up the Guild hall, but a nice rug, maybe get a pet troll

Upgrade facilities to allow better benefits

Run the guild into the ground!

skim off the top too much and leave the organization in squalor

Track how popular the faction is with supporters

Successful organizations get better paying jobs

Even thieves need contracts and information, so can't be bad at what they do

Dynamic?

fail a job, reputation goes down

When sent on a task, the designated minions get an active AI package to go do whatever the job requires. If it's pick herbs, they'll go to a designated area and wander for a set time 'harvesting'. If it's kill a critter, they'll go to its lair and fight it. When done, they return to their hall and resume 'normal' behaviour.

Success and failure depends on level and compatible skills. If they fail, they don't die, but you don't get the reward.

This can be tied into both Radians quests, as well as the economic model i've talked about before. If a bandit lair disrupts trade, the Fighters guild first gets a contract to clear it. If that contract goes unfilled for too long, the town guard go in and do it themselves, removing the contract.

It also gives some ability for interesting, rare events... Maybe the Mages faction gets a contract for some magical fireworks during Sun's Height, or the Thives Guild gets a bunch of high end contracts to commemorate Nocturnal's summoning day.

This type of model also allows for some introduction to a city contstruction and management system, building on the foundation of Raven Rock and Hearthfires.

Inspirations

Spoiler

Black Flag - Fleet Opperations

World of Warcraft; Warlords of Draenor - Garrisons

Dragon Age; Inquisition - The War Map

» Wed May 27, 2015 6:49 pm

Can i just copy what i said in last thread?: I'd like to see costumization,crafting and armor-weapon from TESO,by armor i mean 7-8 slots for all types(Heavy-Medium-Light) and race-guild styles too,same for weapon-each race-guild styles.And i know it's obvius but...full face redesign,only nords and argonians looks good in TES-5 every other races look really terrible.And pls don't make it casual again,in TES-4 YOU need to find quests by hearing rumor or find it accidentally e.t.c.YOU need to find guilds,YOU need to find daedra shrine to do daedra quest and be certain lvl.In TES-5 most of the quest find you,guilds find you,daedra quests find you,so i mean more quest in Morrowind-Oblivion style. About province:I'd like to see Highrock-Hammerfell or Summerset-Valenwood-Elsweyr.More than one province if it's possible.Also pay a bit attention to magick and maybe thief-assassin too like:disguise,parkour,throwing knifes.And bigger cities.

If it gonna be Highrock-Hammerfell they could add naval combat,Highrock-Hammerfell has alot of islands aroung,where you can be pirat or fight against them.And Yokuda as DLC.

Some Vampire-Werewolf guilds or someting like that.In TES-5 we get the whole DLC for vampires,and i hope Bethesda evolve them even more.