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/1472611-official-tes-vi-location-and-setting-speculation/ 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/1477400-official-beyond-skyrim-tes-vi-29/

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y10Pr7lcDh4/UGeEYZVFr9I/AAAAAAAACI8/oq-r3ji7mUs/s1600/BUZZKILL7.jpg

Rather fitting, i think, for the topic at hand... Anyway, it wasn't my intent to be a buzzkill, and i do agree that i am highly skeptical of Bethesda's ability to pull of Blackmarsh in such an interesting way, the point was in regards to the idea that Hammerfell would be somehow more revolutionary than Blackmarsh.

Whatever the case... There is a risk of putting too much emphasis on survival, and not enough on exploration. One reason that newer TES games flourish, where older games (such as Daggerfall) were a far more niche community (even accounting for the gaming dynamics of that generation) is the ability to travel and explore without an abundance of more... Meta concerns. In the days of Daggerfall, you had to be careful to scout out towns near a dungeon you were going to clear to ensure that there were temples and proper shops nearby. Far too often a novice player would travel half way across the province to explore a dungeon, unknowingly catch the Plague, and then die in transit back to sell their loot. Realistic? Maybe. Fun? To a very select group.

Overly complicated and realistic survival dynamics create an extremely steep learning curve which, frankly is only attractive to a small minority of players. We often hear the cries of this minority (and before anyone gets snarky, i am one of them, i just don't mouth off and bemoan ever decision) because, as with most such cases, the majority is content to play the game, while the minority vents their frustration here. Unfortunately, we aren't the ones who keep these games going. With the development costs of games like this, in the current world, I could be surprised if the hardcoe game the 'traditionalists' demand would break even.

At the same time, elements of that survival would be more than welcome, in a toned down complexity, in hardcoe mode. Having to eat and drink (done automatically), to sleep, having more dangerous poisons, and even limited temperature (Frostfall actually did this very well) dynamics are all achievable, and have been shown to be achievable, and would be welcomed by a good number of the so called 'casual' crowed as well.

But a truly realistic, in depth survival dynamic, be it in Skyrim, Hammerfell or Blackmarsh, i think, would do more damage to the game than good. I'd buy it, but i'd rather have a dozen mediocre games over the nest 50 years than one great game i have to look back on and lament never having a sequel.

I don't know though! I think, if there was going to be an in-depth survival element to the series, Black Marsh would definitely be the perfect setting. The Argonian Trail. You have died of dysentery.

Note that the diseases was no problem for higher level or more experienced players who just casted an cure disease spell.

My main issue with survival except surviving the enemies is that they tend to add requirements who make sense but crashes with the gameplay limitations.

Take sleeping, without sleeping bags or an bedroll you can carry you would have to search for an campsite who you don't know where is unless you backtrack, as the time in the game day last 30 minutes this becomes an chore. With an sleeping bag its no issues at all, now why should you not have an sleeping bag?

Take freezing who is relevant in Skyrim but not so much in other provinces.

Now its no problem staying outdoor even in cold weather. you need warm clothes, This might restrict armors, iron is cold so you need to cover the heat sink.

Except for this, sleeping bag and campfire and you are set for an multi day expedition.

One of the small things that made me happy in Star Wars Galaxies was making a campfire that, yes, buffed my allies but, more importantly, created some ambiance and provided a small role-playing opportunity. Not that buffing allies is much of an issue in TES main series, but I wouldn't mind building a fire while pretending to not be lost in the depths of Black Marsh to create a mood...and keep some bugs away. Unless said bugs are tasty.

As I study the latest map from the anthology release, I notice that Black Marsh has quite a few mountains! Perhaps we won't be restricted solely to marshes and bogs after all in that province.

In fact, the map suggests significant diversity of terrain, including grasslands to the southeast (unless I'm reading it wrong.)

Frostfall actually handled camping quite well. The variable sized and material tents was also well done. In fact, Frostfall is one of the few mods i now consider essential. If something similar were implement as a hardcoe mode in future TES games, i would be more than content.

I agree with everything said above, and here are my amazingly amazing ideas that need to be included in the next TES.

1. Harcore mode:
A) Realistic damage (toggle on & off), because it really annoys me when i smash someone who has no helmet round the head with a mace and they lose a tinsy bit of health.
Use the same stuff that was in frostfall mod but adapt it to the climate of whatever province the next game is set in.
2. Improved AI. This goes without saying really, the enemys are so dumb when i shoot their friend their just like " too much ale" or "must of been the wind" when the BODY IS RIGHT NEXT TO THEM!!! Also when the difficulty is raised instead of increasing the damage intake it should increase the enemies AI.
3. More likeable characters, in Skyrim i only liked 5 characters, and these were: Jarl Balgruuf, Lydia, Serana. Ok, actually only three! It is offensive how UNLIKABLE most of the characters are!
4. The ability to build your own house (pretty much hearthfire but in the base game). Obviously if the next game is set in Valenwood this wood be impossible to do, as Bosmer do not harm their homeland.
5. Bring back the class systems, AND keep the perk system from skyrim.

Rant over.

What would realistic damage mean? You can't have a an RPG centered around leveling up if you can just kill anyone by hitting them in the head once.

Don't know if this has been suggested, but hearthfire introduced the capacity to build custom homes. Why not introduce boat building and the ability to sail on the open sea's. It would work just like housing players gather and buy materials to build their own sea vessel, and can customize it's look and size both inside and outside. Ill be honest being land locked constantly in a game like TES gets a little boring not enough to stop playing, just enough to notice every so often.

More control over how characters look would be nice as well if possible

I would absolutely love this so much, along with fishing. Heck let us LIVE on the boat.

Also just some ideas i have in general:

Let us be more merchant like. It could work like this:

-You own a space in a city where you get to choose a specialty in (general goods/furs/food/arms/armor/potions/etc)

-A random encouter like event happens when a un-named npc comes up to your stall and asks for an item.

-If you happen to have the item you get to make a profit and maybe a little bonus

-if you dont have the item, perhaps you can offer to fetch/make it within a set time frame but male less money.

I would like more emphasis on player freedom and improvisation with different possible outcomes (more diplomacy, spying and non lethal missions) and npcs being aware of faction armor (disguise, I heard TESO has many disguise quests and that should be fun).

The main thing for me for the next game is how the guilds are handled.

For all Guilds, Guild rank increase based in part on your Stats is a must for me. You should never be able to achieve the rank of leader of a guild unless you are level 25 and have 100 in at least one of the appropriate Skills. Who would follow a weak mage who can not even cast apprentice spells.

Mage Guild - Quests should demand the use of magic in order to complete, why should my non magic using character be able to complete the quests with only a couple of scrolls to complete the 1st couple challenges

Thieves Guild - it should be totally about steeling. Guild Rank based on $ of stolen items ($1000 for entrance into guild and rank increase based on minimum of $5000 more for each rank and final rank needs $10000 worth of stolen goods) Main idea of this is that the master of the thieves guild should actually be the most feared thief in the Provence. Also no thieves guild quest should ever require me to kill, I am a thief not a murderer.

Fighters guild - Guild rank based on weapon skills but to achieve the next rank you must defeat the current rank holder in combat, I am a fighter let me fight, not lethal combat since we are in the guild together. Quests require combat with weapons since that is what true fighters use.

Assassins Guild - Guild rank based on the number of assassinations completed as well as the difficulty (level and rank) of the person killed. once you have achieved the rank below guild master you are given a chance to become guild master by assassinating the current guild master but it must be done in one hit while undetected (or else the rest of the guild will attack you), a task which should require a mastered stealth skill to complete. Again I should have to be the best assassin in order to have the rest of the guild follow me and due to the fact that we are killers why would I want the past leader alive to try and Kill me later.

Just my thoughts, what do you think?

Echoes of Fallout 3/NV and Deus Ex in your requests. I agree with your sentiments.

I have only played Skyrim and Oblivion, but I think I have a few nice Ideas.

• Combine the attributes and the skill tree! Think about it. Now you get 2 or 3 (some times more) points in your attributes, now lets put them to use beyond a number. Lets have that become points to put into a Skill tree!

• Oblivion style guild entry! I enjoyed getting into the fighters Guild and the Mage's University in Oblivion. I found it to be a more enjoyable experience than just having one small base of operation in one hold, like in Skyrim. Who wouldn't want to meet some of the Companions in the Winking Skeever, or find a reclusive mage in White Run who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows an elf? I think it would add to the world like it did in Oblivion. I would also like to see level requirements at least in the early on missions. Later on it would make no sense.... URGENT MATTER TO ATTEND TO.....but my skill is a tad low I cant talk to this guy about it until I blow up a few more rabbits. As for becoming the leader, that should not be apart of the quest line. It should come after once you got 100 in a skill of that guild!

• Anti guild options! Why not allow us to join the Silverhand in Skyrim? Why must we stay with the Companions? They did this to an extent with the Dark Brotherhood, but it fell short seeing as how taking out an entire guild was a 5 minute quest. I would enjoy having an option to join the rival faction. Imagine actually pairing up with the Blackwood company and not just be an informant! Imagine joining the King of Worms!

• Armor damage. We can have visible armor damage now! It could also be an interesting way to make smithing useful for something beyond simply crafting armor and weapons. Maybe even add additions to our armor!

• Longer Daedric quests. Even in Oblivion they were short and easy. Many in Skyrim were far more entertaining, but even the ones in Skyrim fell short many times. I would enjoy having these quest lines be massive stories in their own sense.

• To add to the above, betray the Daedra! Why cant I simply screw over the Daedra? Why not get Molag Bol's mace and beat his Alter with it!

So many ideas are flooding through my head it would be hard to list them all. However I could manage to list a select few.

• Magic items. Now I know we have enchantments, however I am thinking more along the lines of Morrowind's cast on use system. Not the exact same system but something close to it. I would love to wield a weapon like the Spear of Bitter Mercy and as soon as I draw blood with it a storm atronach appears at my side. Consecutive strikes after that should not drain charges either as long as the atronach is still alive too. There could be a magical amulet that will reflect the next spell cast at you after uttering the secret phase or even something as simple as a ring that allows an adventurer to hurl fireballs at foes no matter their lack of magical aptitude. For those who have played Magic: The Gathering the card art from Aladdin's Ring comes to mind. This way enchantment could work well as a combat skill and not just as a lame crafting skill.

• That reminds me: craft skills. In Skyrim they are incredibly boring. Just throw a bunch of ingots into the forge and viola! You are now in possession of a fancy new dwarven longsword. Potions are better but not by much. I believe gear condition needs to see a return. Neglect your equipment and your blades can break and your armor can become tattered. I'm not a complete masochist though; if your blade shatters you can gather the remains and take them back to the smithy to reforge it for a fee. You could even do it yourself. Artifacts could be an exception to this rule along with other daedric weapons though. Smithing could also allow you to improve your weapons through certain upgrades much like those found within games like Knights of the Old Republic. For example, take the hilt of a blade. I can craft a a spiked hand guard to improve the effectiveness of my parry and allow me to return damage when I do so. However, the hand guard is rather hefty and causes me to deal less damage as a trade off. It doesn't need to be 100% realistic; just give me some freedom to tweak my gear to my play style. Of course if I rather not choose to play blacksmith I can hire the local town smithy to do it for me. As long as she is skilled and able to do so I should be able to pay for the service. Also allow us to improve clothing in a similar fashion for us mages out there. It can even be a part of the same skill tree. Just call it craftsman or something.

• That reminds me again: parrying! We can block but more finesse based fighters should be able to effectively parry attacks. I'm not asking for Mount and Blade type combat but something more than the block system we have currently. Evasive rolls would be nice as well. You shouldn't have to hide behind a tower shield to enjoy melee combat in a game like Skyrim. Heck, even allow a well placed parry to disarm a foe. The hack and slash combat we have now is kind of ridiculous. You could even make a weapon upgrade that would prevent you from being disarmed in such a manner!

• Back to the trade skills again which would leave me with alchemy. Here I would look to the first Witcher title. Alchemy really felt useful there and both potions and poisons felt valuable. You could not just chug potion after potion as it would lead to death by overdose. Resting after a few swigs of that health potion is all you need to let the potentially harmful toxins out of your system. No instant health recovery either. I would like slow-paced, thoughtful gameplay and less power attack spam. Potions should used strategically as you encounter monsters and what have you. You still had poisons as well which were used pretty much the same way. Make both last longer; just make them more expensive to purchase or difficult to manufacture for the sake of balance. Enemies can even benefit from these as well. You can even get a bit creative here allowing the player to craft things such as grenades or smoke bombs too. A viscous oil like substance that is highly flammable or a simple bag of marbles could do wonders when setting up an ambush.

• Finally, I would love to see an overhaul to the lock picking skill. All it really does is make the already easy to open locks even easier to open. In a game that has a lot of combat that is a bad tree to invest any perks in. I was hoping to see something more along the lines of a security skill tree that allows me to disarm, craft and deploy traps to confound and combat my foes. You could craft a lure trap that could distract that nearby troll but it may not work on a bandit that has his wits about him. In that situation you could use a poison gas trap. Just stick an arrow in his buddy's neck and retreat back to higher ground as he gives chase. Once he triggers the trap his lungs fill with the poison which makes it difficult for him to see straight let alone breathe. These types of traps can even be used against the player as well so it's all game. If followers will make a return they will need appropriate AI though. Lydia may run in and inadvertently trip the wire whereas Jenassa would wait be smarter than that. She would wait for you to make your move first and act accordingly. She could even mention that it's a trap! Really, just think about it a bit. The rugged, orcish barbarian should approach combat differently than the rougish, Breton nightblade clad in mages robes.

Those are a few of my ideas so far and I have even more. Still these are all things I would love to see. Really I would love for each skill be meaningful and worth the investment.

The last thing I would want in TES after multiplayer would be a survival mechanic.

During character creation you should be able i decide jf your character is right or left handed.
so if you go sword and shield, your shield will be in your right hand if you pick left handed.

Just today I bought vigilance the dog and planted him in my front room in windstad manor to defend from bandit attacks (knowing it won't really work that way and that they actually just spawn occasionally when you rock up. I like to rp), and it got me thinking how home defense should be like a bigger element of gameplay in future titles.

The dog companion idea was extremely unpopular, at least how it was implemented in skyrim, and to be honest I think getting it right would be a big ask. Instead of that I think purchasing guard dogs for your home should be looked into. Don't get me wrong I'd love dog companions to be done well (especially for hunting purposes), but it seems to me like guard dogs that you simply leave at home with your family would be relatively easy to get right and also really awesome.

It got me thinking then how home defense could become a big aspect of the gameplay. You could make booby traps and also just actively defend attacks on your home. You could build towers and hire watchmen, you could build moats filled with slaughter fish, you could pour boiling oil onto people trying to knock your door down, etc etc. Just see a lot of potential in this idea.