amen

Why can't they just draw general directions on your map? Like inaccurate arrows and circles.
As an example, you start in the imperial city, you are told to go north until you see a tight cluster of really big trees. From there, you are supposed to go east along a cliffside until you can see a cave to your right.
If you activate that quest a few general direction will pop up on your map. An arrow north from the imperial city, pointing at a circle that marks the general area where the trees are. From there, there's an arrow that goes east, but not at any special place, it just points eastward. Of course with small text describing the landmarks you have to use.

Mark the general location on my map, and I'm happy.

1) Green Quest Markers on the map have to go.
2) Red Quest Markers on the map can stay as a larger area, that fades away when you get close to it's borders.
3) Green Quest Markers on the compass have to go, except for characters you are far away from (i.e. some dude in the wilderness), and then fade away as you get close. Inside a building or smaller structure, it should never show.
4) Red Quest Markers on the compass have to go completely.
5) Entrances shouldn't always be obvious. It could be a dark crack in a wall or a cave entrance. Enough with (only) wooden doors all the time. More variation.
6) No entrances on the detail map show up there until you have actually pointed at it, close enough you could have activated it.

I honestly just want general directions and varying degrees of vague descriptions in my journal. Thats it.

Hopefully it's just a map marker. I hope there's no quest marker that goes so in depth that you can where exactly you need to be on the local map(assuming there is one) A map marker like Morrowind was perfectly fine and works without much hand holding.

But there's HUD free first person gameplay so it doesn't really matter to me. No magic compass pointing me to the exact location. I can go at my own pace and figure it out myself. IMO, if you need a quest marker pin pointing exact locations either A. Insufficient directions were given, usually you're given a good general direction to start. But hopefully Skyrim will improve on this. Instead of making you rely on the marker. B. Assuming you have a general direction to start than your intelligence simply isn't high enough to figure it out yourself. C. You don't have interest/patience to do the quest, in which you should be playing a more linear game not TES. A map marker telling you where the cave/ruin/town and general insight on your quest should be good enough(like what was in Morrowind essentially minus the bad directions )

Sorry if that's offensive to anyone, it's not exactly my intention, but it's one of the major points that irk me. It was a major immersion breaker for me to have that magic compass telling me where everything was. Everybody's opinion is different, but that's mine.

Agreed.
Though, I don't see the "HUD free" option as a real solution as I like to keep track on my health, magica and stamina and know where I aim.

My name is Sin911, and I endorse this message