I've been reading a lot of threads in the Skyrim forum that quickly devolve into an "us vs them" ordeal. My goal here is to try and get people to realize that:

A. All things change.
B. Not all change is considered good by everyone.
C. Your opinion is valuable. So is everyone else's.

I think it is important for everyone to remember that we all love the same series, which is why we are here. People like different things about the series and whenever a new edition is added you will like some things and dislike other things. If we all take the time to simply state our position and not argue about which position is correct, we can all get a better understanding of where each other are coming from which can help us appreciate our fellow TES fans' postions, even if we don't agree.

To that end, I would like to get everyone to answer the above poll, as well as enter a post detailing your answers. I also want to ask that you refrain from posting any disagreements with other posters' opinions. You may feel that someone's opinion is incorrect (even factually so), but trying to "correct" them will only result in an off-topic discussion of specific positions. I am trying to keep this thread as high-level as possible so that it can serve as an "opinion compendium" where people can go to understand each other.

For the DISLIKE and LIKE sections, please try to fit your likes and dislikes into the provided categories. If you really cannot fit them, please recommend a new type that is general enough to allow for a range of opinions.

I'll summarize what I like and dislike in terms of the direction of an open-world RPG...

Like:

• An immersive and believeable open world that can be beautiful, dangerous, vast, interesting to explore, etc.
  
• Rich and meaningful character progression
  
• Strong emphasis on player freedom, choice, customization, etc.

Dislike:

• Hand-holding and dumbing down in all it's various shapes and forms
  
• Excessive streamlining
  
• Cinematics, cutscenes, overly fancy animations, finisher moves, forced camera changes / locks
  
• Linear design
  
• Excessive emphasis on action
  
• Excessive emphasis on the main storyline
  
• Mini-games

Nice poll :goodjob:

I am from the Morrowind generation. I used to have another user before Oblivion but I haven't used it for too long and forgot the password.

I like where the series is headed regarding: graphics, quests, combat, NPC behavior, music.

I dislike where the series is heading with: skills&attributes, cross-platform availability, map/compass/marker.
I'm also not very happy with the linearity and lack of player decisions that bring serious consequences, and the general quality of dialogue writing.