Dwemer Ruins have been confirmed for a long time, way before the trailer even came out. It's not new information and not what the thread is about.

The Dwemer's technology has been mostly lost or is still not understood. I wouldn't want anything more than the Observatory/Orrery seen in Redguard/Oblivion respectively. It's a fantasy game about sword-and-shield combat with magic and monsters. Too many technological advancements ruins the point.

Look, here's the way this works. Bethesda seems to take a lot of pride in how intricate and believable a world they have created. Because that world is not real, it is not realistic despite being remarkably consistent internally. Therefore, the equasion goes like this:

The principle that necessity is the mother of invention stays true.
In our world, there is no readily available limitless supply of practical magic that can be harnessed for any number of purposes at will.
Therefore, in our world when we have need of doing something more efficiently, some slightly unhinged person creates a device that does so. See: wheels, computers, telephones.
In TES, since it does have a readily available limitless supply of magic energy, if someone needs something done they invest in spell research. While mundane inventions do get made, since far more money and attention is given to magic research any mechanical technology would likely be developed slower.

Add to that the fall of the empire and the cultural regression we've been promised, and that means that it would make no sense to have technology become more advanced to any apprecialble degree. Having Dwemer tech present, that nobody knows how to really use or do anything with anyways except for, you guessed it, powerful wizards, would be fine.

Uhm... they've already confirmed that Dwemer ruins will return in Skyrim.

Another thing they've confirmed is that Skyrim will be very low tech, so you can expect even lower technology than in Oblivion.

I believe that there is a technological progression by the time of Skyrim. However, scientists and such are fighting wars and losing their research and inventions to these civil wars, and its also not hard to believe that the dragons could have helped destroy some of this tech.

Of course. But here's the thing... what about bows and arrows?!?! Why should they exist? If fireballs override the need for firearms, why should bows not be included?

Why should mundane armor/weapons exist when we got bound items? Heck, you even have the shield spell. Are these blacksmiths wasting their lives by studying metallurgy, and are the people being completely idiotic when they pay for these things?

Lock picks and torches also become pointless.



Roads, boats, wheels/carriages, domesticated horses/steeds, stairs, bridges... All of these are redundant transport techs/knowledge, given the uber magic alternative that makes their existence illogical.


Anyways. I wonder what the lore behind technology is. Were the first mortals created with all of this knowledge in them? If magic is a recent phenomenon in Nirn, it makes sense that these tech's exist from an age when there were no magical alternatives. But if magic has been around since the beginning, what the heck are all these things doing in my TES? lol





Pretty much. So while I strongly insist firearms are not inconsistent with the setting, it would be detrimental to the flavor of the world.

Why would technology advance in such a way after 200 years when it didn't within 4000 years before?

Elder scrolls might not be the way to do it then, but i think it would be really cool if there was a similar fantasy game world where people were aproching steam technology, along with magic and dragons and such. Kind of like disc world but more serious, though I guess im in the minority on this.

Yeah but 2 things
1. Not everybody is gifted with magical talent.
2. Not all magical people are [censored]

Didn't catch the second point, but agree with no. 1. I was just pointing out that you can't state guns are impossible because magic>tech, and ignore the other aspects that are taken for granted. So I definitely feel like a non-magical faction would use technology to compete with magical opposition or rivals.

Advancing technology in a game like Elder Scrolls...While not impossible,it would require intense designing and very good implementation.

The thing is,you need to make the new inventions not stick out.Too much resemblance to the real world inspired object,or having exactly the same functions would pretty much kill the atmosphere.Dwemer had machinery,lights,and robots,but they were implemented in a way that it would not FEEL different than an Ayleid ruin.
So,if there were objects that were somewhat more mechanized,but still having the "magical" or "nirn" feeling to them,I personally don't think that would ruin the atmosphere,and I would love to see such a TES game.Not expecting or something,just wish...

I wonder if anyone has played "MYST" games? I think that series have perfect examples of what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk9QOTwcxsA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE7kr148NXg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3WIYb9eOE (ayleid ruin?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwEmhtrEm6M&feature=BF&list=ULZ0urFWIFXAM&index=12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3JfNH2gwkY (watch from 7:40)

Steampunk fantasy is around and about, and when done well it's pretty cool. Not very much in video game worlds, but it is there. Poke around your library, or play some tales series. But like you said, doesn't quite fit in with the TES set-up.

I think I can answer pretty much all of your points by reminding you that not everyone is a Divayth Fyr, and most Imperials, Nords and Orcs struggle to cast even a basic fire spell, let alone summon a full suit of armour. Nor could they cast a Mark and Recall spell negating the needs for a bridge.

I think there should be a slight advance in technology. Think of it in a WWI sort of scenario. Collapsing powers and tensions between nations led, in reality, to an arms race. Why can't we have some upgrades regarding naval vessels or transportation technologies with that in mind?

There is. It's called Final Fantasy VI.


To the thread, and particularly to those who are citing history - Earth history and Earth's technological development count for absolutely nothing. TES isn't set on Earth - it's set on a very different world called Nirn.

Completely beyond the fact that the inhabitants of Nirn have never needed to mess with technology since they have access to magic to accomplish much of the same things, I find it astonishing, and not a little disheartening, that so many people are holding the Dwemer up as an example that technological advancement in the TES universe is possible. The lesson of the Dwemer's dabblings in technology is crystal clear - it destroyed their civilization. Did you all miss that part? The Nirnians didn't.

Or for a darker taste. Warhammer Fantasy.

It ruined Fable. Don't let that happen to TES.

Why not?
Because this is The Elder Scrolls.

probably not. its been commonly implied by the devs that SK will be low fantasy rather than high, I am not sure but steam punk with magic sounds like its some where a bit lower than high fantasy.

My second point didnt come across very well, but what im trying to say is that people are creative, even if they cant use magic they would still find ways to get stuff done.

technology is EVOL *angry mob with torches*

I believe their more advanced now, but not in the way your thinking.... So that means no steam boats and that sort.... But i believe you are right about the windmill..... But is a windmill really that advanced now? It's a quite simple concept, but their probably not using it like Kinetic to Electrical, but more kinetic for Motion or for one thing to another.... And lastly where it all makes sense, by using windmill's to create Kinetic energy which can turn the wheat their getting from farms into grains from crushing the wheat.... so it's just a way their using to crush wheat and not create "electricity"....

I fully support TES actually advancing the plot more than skin-deep.

But I don't think Skyrim is the right game for it. Mainly, because we haven't seen all of Tamriel yet!

All TES games are direct continuations of the last, and I want to see Valenwood, Elsweyr, High Rock (again, not proper last time around) Black Marsh and Summerset Isle before the feel of the TES framework changes drastically. Let me just say: I think we should have gone everywhere before we can start going anywhere. So let's wait for TES 10 to start evolving how the very principle of TES feels

Note: "The Elder Scrolls XI: Morrowind with Guns" would tick me off, and is not what I meant THANKYOUVERYMUCH! :toughninja:

Why do you need advances in technology to make the plot more than skin deep??

I agree, and that is kind of the point I was trying to make. So the argument that magic supplants the role of technology is just a gut reaction for an opinion on the flavor of the world. There is no reasoning behind the argument. The best argument is to admit that you simply like the way the setting comes across as a whole other world to explore. I cannot argue against that. We all have our opinions, and it doesn't make either side wrong.

The fact that not everyone is a seasoned wizard makes technology and innovation useful, likely and appealing. Just look at the technology that already exists in TES and one can see it first hand.

As mentioned, innovation can be stunted or even halted for a few reasons. But that doesn't mean technology cannot advance nor does it mean that firearms or steam engines are far fetched at all.

But a bow and an arrow and a bridge are fairly mundane things, and don't require an awful lot of jumps in technology for them to exist. Steam power and gunpowder and such, on the other hand, do. And you won't get these jumps in technology if you don't have people researching them and investigating them. In a world where you can summon a fireball, a bit of powder that explodes when lit isn't really a big deal, because you can already make an explosion anyway. Similarly, you aren't going to get anyone interested in surgery and such when you can just cast a Restore Health spell etc.

I understand where you're coming from, but if we had a source of energy like they do in Nirn, we would not have cars and guns. Everything that exists comes from old ideas and improvements to them, along with a couple of genuine innovations, but you would never have got to the stage of an industrial revolution because you could just automate everything with magic.