I voted the last option. I'm a chicken, and get easily frightened by such things. I remember sitting alone in the dark when I did the quest for the Countess in Bruma. My hubbie had already gone to bed, and I was scared out of my wits while wandering those ruins and talking to those ghosts, learning the story. Gave me chills down my spine, and I was terrified. I want as little of that as possible, so that I can really enjoy the game fully.

When I first started playing Morrowind I tried to avoid as many dungeons as possible since they scared the sh*t out of me Barely dared to finish the main quest, but it was awesome. I'd really love some horror in the games (and there's quite a lot of good ideas on the forum), however, I'd like to see a bigger variety of horror elements and also a more limited use of them. Did that make any sense?

I get scared [censored]less when playing Minecraft, but that doesn't mean I don't love it! I want the game to be scary in a jumpy kind of way, but as many (including myself) have said, not overdone.

Typically in fantasy games, some of the biggest and meanest and evilest baddies are averse to light. I think TES should adopt this tradition. When you're walking at night, or in a cave, you should be more likely to run into one of those big, mean, evil baddies.
And those types of enemies should have the type of AI where they stalk you, and occasionally hiss or growl, or step on leaves or kick a stone. Eventually, if you don't run straight out of there after being spooked, they would sneak up behind you to attack.

That scenario is completely doable without it being scripted or anything, just AI.
But for it to work, or any suspensey scenario to work, there needs to be NO battle-music unless you are in open battle.

Those dwemer forts still make me jump when out of nowhere an ash ghoul hits me!

The incentive for the player to go chasing after a fight needs to be removed as well for it to be scary. I think it would rather undermine the point of it if you had to harvest some imp galls and they were 'stalking' you. I'd be looking for them outright.

These horror elements only work when the player is in the vastly weaker position. Why should I be scared of something that I can kill with ease, and then profit from its demise?

Yes, and for a good portion of the game you would be vastly weaker.

Fear of the dark is really fear of the unknown. If you're level 1 and you hear a noise, you'd be best off getting out of there because really anything will handle you.

If you're level 15 and you hear a noise, you've got a decision to make. You are pretty strong, and the thing that just made a noise is PROBABLY weaker than you. But what if it's stronger? What if it is weaker than you, but attacks at the perfect moment and gets a sneak critical? What if there're more than one?

You wouldn't know the answer to any of these questions, so as long is there are a few baddies badder than you, you've always got a reason to be afraid.

At level 35, there's not much to be afraid of anymore, which is the way it should be. But if you become less godly in Skyrim than Morrowind and you're not invincible, you'd still feel the need to be cautious, because sneak criticals change fights. And there could always be more than one of them.

I wouldn't mind them making the game Darker but not too completely overdone.

They seem pretty damn contradictory to me.

The survival/horror genre revolves around being a puny human, stuck going down a fixed path, in the dark, with limited resources, and having to deal with spooky scripted events.

TES games revolve around being any number of builds, from the invisible man, to a walking engine of explosive destruction with a semi-divine slave, to an armored tank carrying a a weapon that can cleave anything you might find in two, running around an open world, who can turn back whenever they like, with the capability to see in the dark or detect enemies before they can see you...

Hmmmm I wouldn't mind some suspense moments but sometimes I get so surprised that I can fell my heartbeat so I a couple suspense moments would be a nice touch (I already have a few Ideas for a mod with a couple of suspense moments)

I agree with much of that, but you are talking about keeping a low level of suspense present all throughout any dungeon crawl or wilderness area.

I am more in favour of one very specific plot related instance in which the player has their power stripped away and is completely vulnerable. They've been gaining power all throughout the game, they can take on anything in the world and then BAM you're the weakest thing around. You have to get somewhere safe but you've got to stumble blindly through a maze to get there and there're things stalking you (absolutely critical that the player does not know what is stalking them, but knows what it is capable of).

I think one burst of horror like this would provide amazing catharsis when you conquer it - a good precursor to the endgame methinks.

But then I'm a massive horror fan. Other TES players probably feel the opposite way :shrug:


I refer you to either this post or my first one in this topic

Horror elements must not be focal points in the game but they must be present in the game.

A changing experience and different sensations leads good games. We shouldn't have only a sense of adventure in Skyrim. Don't heroes feel afraid? Or overwhelmed? Don't they sink into horror in the face of an otherworldly nightmarish demon? Don't they feel unease in cramped tunnels?

We must feel those as well.

I love that feeling i get when I'm scared. I could live off the rush of being scared. Adding random traps that ACTUALLY work will be Though this should not be overdone, but thoroughly included.

The Yes but not overdone option.

Actually i was thinking about how much horror elements should be in a future TES and do feel it should have some horror, scary, suspense scenes...not "pre scripted" of course but something that actually happens naturally. I would like the creatures themselves to be scarier as well...not cheesy scary but the zombies for example could be a lot scarier, not just heir look but the AI as well.