Of having linear dungeons. Skyrims dungeons offered no exploration whatsoever. Compare to Oblivion with its various passages and multiple routes. F4 needs dungeons in which you can actually get lost in, not just follow a straight corridor to a big loot chest by a lever which opens a secret door the the entrance. UGH!

Blackreach?

Not sure if it was quite as bad as you suggest,

but you make a reasonable point in that there were certainly some interesting dungeons in Oblivion.

If you wanted Bethesda to take note however, you are about 3 years too late

Caves, dwemer ruins, barrows... all linear.

While it's true that earlier games ~did~ have more complex dungeons ---- I think it was Daggerfall that had a three-dimensional map, even? ---- in a Fallout world, I'm not sure you can really do the same thing. There might be the odd ant-hive cave network, or Deathclaw Sanctuary but for the most part I imagine we'll be in buildings made by humans, and even factoring in some random destruction, I don't think it's likely that it will be too confusing to navigate.

Meh. You're right that Skyrim felt more linear, and I think that Morrowind was the most non-linear of all of them, while still being pretty damn linear since there's only so many ways you can progress through a TES dungeon. Morrowind - Oblivion is where I felt the biggest jump from semi-non linear to almost completely linear happened, but its still such a minor change in my eyes. Oblivion - Skyrim feels yet smaller with its changes to dungeon layout in that regard.

I mean, many of Oblivious dungeons were linear too, especially the Aeliad Ruins. You followed a path, and at the end there was often a big reward. Sure, there were sometimes branching paths, but it all led to the same end point. That's just basic level design, it's meant to be linear with a set begin and end point. Though there are also caves and such without an exit, most of those weren't too large, if memory serves. Hell, just about all the forts in oblivion were linear too, with the begin circling around to the end, which let out again at the beginning.

Considering Fallout 3's dungeons were pretty nonlinear (and made by the same level designers as Skyrim and presumably Fallout 4), I'd say it's a safe bet that their MO between the two franchises is different.

I'd also say that, despite their linearity, Skyrim's dungeons were a vast improvement over the copy-pasted crap in Oblivion. Oblivion's dungeons might be nonlinear, but the fact that they all look the same and have virtually no environmental storytelling going on (or any explanation as to why they're full of Minotaurs or Spriggans or Imps or whatever) made them a drag to explore. Skyrim has way more different types of dungeons, and they got way more creative with how they clutter rooms and what kind of lighting effects they add.

And most of Morrowind's dungeons were just tiny, probably as a response to criticism about Daggerfall's oversized and labyrinthine dungeons. Which all felt the same. (holy crap, I just realized. Oblivion's dungeons are basically just Daggerfall-Lite)

yeahhh i know what u mean about linear dungeons, but Oblivion have A LOT of linear dungeons, same or more as Skyrim,

I'm really hoping for the return of the subway system in F4. I loved exploring the subways in F3, totally creepy & vast, I suppose Fallout's version of the dungeons are the subways after all.

Careful what you wish for. Labyrinthic levels with nothing but the awful Pip-boy mapping system to guide you would be backtracking hell. Some of the buildings in FO:NV were a pain to explore.

Well there is a metro system in Boston

Skyrims dungeons were FAR more linear than Oblivions. There was more exploration potential in just one of Oblivions Ayleid ruins than any of Skyrims dungeons. Mzulft was literally a 2 hour long corridor, totally boring and uninspiring, yet considered one of its 'epic' dungeons.

All I want to do is enter a building in F4, and see a hallway with multiple doors, instead of a corridor with a door at the end.

every Ayleid ruin have pretty much the same layout, lets no speak about the Oblivion tower. If u want to give a good example about non linear dungeon Morrowin is good. But Oblivion was horrible when it come down to dungeons.

U right Skryim dungeons are more linear but they are more unique when it come down to the layout, on Oblivion there was a lot of the same dungeon different close doors or block passage.

Well, not so much linear as.... it felt kind of silly that every dungeon looped right back to the beginning, so that when you were "done", you were at the exit.

Sure, a handful of Oblivion dungeons did that, but those were mostly multi-map Ayleid ones, where backtracking all the way to the entrance would be a massive trek. The rest were content to let us walk back out again. As were most FO3 dungeons.

I think you might be putting too much value in non-linearity. I mean, Daggerfall's dungeons are quintessential non-linear - you can get lost for days inside of one, and still never completely explore every nook and cranny. But since all of the thousands of dungeons are procedurally generated with the same ~32 dungeon blocks pieced together and none of the loot or enemies are special... why would you? I much rather prefer dungeons that feel unique, and have some rhyme or reason to the occupants inside. Oblivion's dungeons had the same problems as Daggerfall's, minus getting lost inside of them for days.

Fallout 3's "dungeons" are arguably the best, since they're mostly nonlinear and they still have some identity to them, and environmental storytelling.

Pretty sure that's just something Bethesda does for all of their larger dungeons. Plenty of smaller dungeons or radiant quest locations didn't have or need loopbacks. (incidentally, I think the vast majority of dungeons that used the ruined fort tileset weren't linear at all)

We might have a lot of underwater exploration (Glowing Sea) to do, and that would not be linear. This is going to be so awesome.

this is my hope, lol, not only the "glowing sea", but Boston is close to the real ocean so im really hoping for underwater exploration.

For skyrims mistakes.. dungeon design would be far down my list. I found that Skyrims quests were easily the most boring I have ever come across*. And the magic system, was the only game I have played where they made magic utterly boring to use.

*Speaking about aaa games. If we were to talk about quests from poorly ported over games, I am sure we could find one or two that would give Skyrim a run for its money. Hell, I found MGSV story more compelling then the plot of skyrim. (And I never even played a single mgs game before, so had no clue about the characters)

i guess u never come across any of the good side quest Skyrim have, like the Mad dreada quest, or the hung-over quest.

Na, I don't mind linear. I just want quality. Lonesome Road was almost as linear as you can get, but it's one of my favorite DLCs - ever.

I'll take short, straight and interesting over long, winding and tedious any day.

Now, I'd really love to see long, winding and interesting, but it just isn't always practical.

I was more puzzled by the mysterious backdoor in the boss chamber that you could never find from the outside. Surely it would've been easier just taking the backdoor and skip all the superfluous pre-boss adventuring.

Well, since in fallout you explore more buildings than caves I don't think you'll have that same feeling. Buildings have multiple floors, separate rooms and multiple entry points.

Actually, Morrowind, on average, had the smallest and most linear dungeons of any TES games.

Daggerfall had the least linear.