I read from the bulk of the questions and ideas here that the mainquest doesnt get much of a mention, we seem to be more concerned about things that you do "outside" of the mainquest, our interaction with the environment and how realism is an important factor...

So my question is this would you like a future Elderscrolls title to deal more with the day to day survival of your character, deep interactions with environment and maybe quests given on the basis of how you develop your character?

Using a standard controller or mouse/keyboard how would this work and what features would you like to see?

Of course Elderscrolls games are driven by a mainquest, so any features that you come up would actually work in a future title anyway!

Given a development in Radiant AI, I think such a thign might be possible by the time TES VI is released. But it still needs a main quest because even though Minecraft has gotten farily popular, non-RPG people in particular want purpose.

I'd have no problem with a TES without a MQ or maybe one where the MQ only came with the expansion. Its always seemed a little odd that in so many CRPGs the fate of the world depends on you from level 1. It ain't like that in most PnP. It'd work just the same as it always has - factions and quests etc - except no MQ

nice thread, wrong forum, i think it is moot point because you can ignore/continue after the MQ

You mean an MMO?

Welcome to Daggerfall, if you're the type who doesn't read their mail.

Yes, but they'd need to seriously up the scale of the world (back to the size of Daggerfall), and have tons of side-quests.

In some ways, that's my ideal TES game. I want them to scrap having a main storyline and focus on what they're good at - making a world you can live in.

I love to ignore the main quest and focus on alchemy, exploring and being owned by damn Orc warriors.

But... if there is no main quest to ignore... wouldn't I be doing the main quest by just exploring?

I hated Oblivion main quest, because your reward for advancing was... More bliviongate:

And god... do I hate oblivion gates...

Conclusion? I love to know there is a big quest line that can do if I wish, and then not doing it.

I know I would prefer the game to lack a Main Quest. Sure, the stories can be fun, but I'd really rather have these stories in books.

But, sadly, the game wouldn't sell as well, because there's "nothing to do" because it aint thrown in your face. Looks like it's a neccessity. :shrug:

Agreed, that would be great. Only thing is the main quest is kinda the selling point... they'd need another way to make money. Most other options I can think of are worse than a main quest (which really doesn't have to hurt the game for rpg players too much in my opinion, I really enjoyed Oblivion's main quest for the most part and had no issue ignoring it when I wanted to).

Games that have no mainquest can work... An example of this is http://hol.abime.net/629 on the Amiga, i played in for 300+ hours... it is a sim travelling in around in space!

Agreed... this probably in the wrong section as it discusses the futures of TES, however it also references what people feel about Skyrim and what people have discussed most about it!

This.
I think main quests for tes should be like they did in fallout. Have a ending. Insense its just a fells like a really really really long quest chain aka main quest. It should be something that ends the game, thus people can go about the game: -Rush finish main quest as soon as the game comes out
- -Fell like you've "finished" and do in the main quest.

Somebody here implied that a main quest or purpose is something for "non RPGers". Kudos for the most absurd statement in the history of this forum. Surely no small feat.

i would personally hate endings in Elderscrolls, indeed Fallout had an ending, but then again it had a start (you were born) but they "fixed" that with DLC didn't they?

as for attracting non-RPG'ers, i get the point... but so far my non-RPG'ers friends have said, Skyrim looks awesome but isnt it an RPG, i dont like RPGs (each to his own i suppose), you could wrap it Gold Leaf and they still wouldnt buy it!

I have been gaming since 1984 and my gaming history is varied, but some people stick like glue to FPS, to them the main story in a game is un-important they just want to own their mates in multiplayer

I'd happily play them without a main quest. I'm playing NV right now and I just got onto The Strip at level 29. I've visited nearly every place on the map so far, all from just exploring. I love to see what is over that hill, around the corner, and in that there dungeon or building. When I finally got to the Strip, and started the main quest, I was kind of disappointed. I don't really care to help any of them. I'm kind of glad that I've seen everything now, because I can quit and still have had a great experience.

Would not miss a main quest.

The only game I've seen work without a main quest is Mincraft, but every TES needs a main quest...

In Oblivion the main quest was about 40 hours I think, and I could play 400 easily just doing all the other stuff. (GOTY edition). I agree it could be done, but for marketing purposes, you almost need to have a central basis somewhere. What might be cool is to have an epic battle/intrigue conflict plotline, but allow your character the opportunity to choose sides, ala Golden Saints / Dark Seducers in Shivering Isles, Build it up so the playthroughs required following totally different chapters with different quests, and character interactions. You'd really have two totally different main quests that you could play through! Hmm, think this might happen in Skyrim?

Could be. Would I like it? No.

I love TES' quests, the world and all of that. But I need a mainquest. I need a story to be told. Roaming through the world without a crucial, important objective to be fulfilled, wouldn't be enough.

heck when i first played morrowind i didnt even know it had a MQ

+1

Lots of people who played Arena and Daggerfall back when they were new, basically just played the games for the side quests. The main quest was of less importance.

That kinda changed with Morrowind though, as the game world became noticeably smaller and there is a finite amount of side quests. But even so, there are still (a smaller amount of) people who never finished the main quest cause it never was in their interest. They just did exploring instead. Same with Oblivion.

So a TES without a main quest isn't really much of a far-fetched idea.

The beauty of the TES games is that the MQ can be ignored. I focus on the MQ exclusively the first time through as I know it may never get played again as I do more playthroughs. I have played Morrowind dozens of times, but the MQ was either ignored, or ran through (I can do the complete MQ with all events completed in about two hours) in most of those. Same with Oblivion, only I can do the MQ at level 1 in that game. Daggerfall kind of forced you to pay attention to the MQ (150 gaming hour limit to finish it), but you could ignore it also if that was your thing.

So, keep putting a Main Quest in, just allow me to ignore it if I want to.

Yeah it would work as a game. It wouldn't sell. Most people who play games look for immediate direction and story. Without a main quest, TES would just lose too many of its potential players.

No. I want a purpose.