TES V Ideas and Suggestions # 142 : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Fri May 27, 2011 5:09 pm

In morrowind, just looking at somebody meant you knew their name. I actually liked that Oblivion sometimes only had info of bandits simply as "bandit", because that was all that you knew about them.

It can definitely be better though, I would like that everyone is simply known by what they appear to be, until you ask them about themselves or is introduced to them, and after that, they are simply called by their name.

That's why i suggest that the quest arrow does not insantly point to your target destinations, unless you do EXACTLY know where it is, but always narrows the position down to the closest location your character knows about. For example when searching a person:
If you only know that person lives is in a certain region the arrow will point you into that region but nothing more.
If you know the town the arrow will point to that town but you still gotta look around and ask around.
If you know the street (IF they add street names) or village in that towns area the arrow will only point you to the street/village, still gotta find the house.
If you know the house it will point you to the house, this is pretty much the narrowest it will point you to a person... unless
You ask around and find out where that person usually goes to or works, this will add markers to those locations as well. If you know WHEN that person usually is there they will be highlighted at those times (the other markers are still there but faded out) but there's no guarantee the person will be there, those are jsut the times the person would normally be there.
AND if you know what that person looks like from a description to talking to him/her before the marker WILL point directly to that person IF you can see him/her directly (is in your line of sight and nothing obscuring him).

That way it realistically points out locations and slowly narrows down what your character knows. This really wouldn't be a problem as it goes by information and, honestly, if you EXACTLY know where something is why shouldn't it be able to point it out?
Plus i think this system is not complicated at all, it just needs more pointer locations and some of them can even be created on the fly if there are location infos the game can generate something on.

This sounds like a perfect system to replace Oblivions quest arrow. I can definitely stand behind this Idea.

» Fri May 27, 2011 10:38 pm

This sounds like a perfect system to replace Oblivions quest arrow. I can definitely stand behind this Idea.

There's also the Assassin's Creed (2) method of going to viewpoints and finding maps to get a general geographic sense, with the ability to click on points of interests and place a little marker over them. That'd be great. If the MW system just had the ability to plant a godforsaken marker that shows up on your minimap, that'd have fixed all my problems with getting lost. Seriously, would that have been so hard? I like Danny's idea of a general area. AC2 also had that in the form of a sphere that told you the general area a target was in and then you'd have to track him down. It worked better than it sounds.

» Fri May 27, 2011 2:23 pm

This sounds like a perfect system to replace Oblivions quest arrow. I can definitely stand behind this Idea.

Cool, i already made a longer and more detialed post about the idea (adding a lot of extra ideas into it as well) http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?s=&showtopic=1044483&view=findpost&p=15187288, but aparantly not many really read into it. I guess they went "EWW, more than 10 lines, skip... oh wait, it's about the quest compass and fast travel, complain"

There's also the Assassin's Creed (2) method of going to viewpoints and finding maps to get a general geographic sense, with the ability to click on points of interests and place a little marker over them. That'd be great. If the MW system just had the ability to plant a godforsaken marker that shows up on your minimap, that'd have fixed all my problems with getting lost. Seriously, would that have been so hard? I like Danny's idea of a general area. AC2 also had that in the form of a sphere that told you the general area a target was in and then you'd have to track him down. It worked better than it sounds.

Yea i kinda have a thought like that in my expanded idea as well but it's not under quest compass but the map, the map can be updated by looking down from a high location but only giving you vagues locations like "town", "village", Farm" and the like

» Fri May 27, 2011 2:35 pm

Don't dumb it down for console controllers.
Oblivion and Fallout 3's menu and inventory system was atrocious with keyboard and mouse.
Bring back Morrowind styled interfaces.

Bring back more variety in skills (crossbow, daggers, polearms, medium armor).

Better animations would be nice.

» Fri May 27, 2011 3:05 pm

Don't dumb it down for console controllers.
Oblivion and Fallout 3's menu and inventory system was atrocious with keyboard and mouse.
Bring back Morrowind styled interfaces.

Would it be so infinitely hard to program two different menus, one for console and one for PC? Huh, gamesas? I mean, really. Does that add a whole extra month to development time or something?

» Fri May 27, 2011 10:30 am

Would it be so infinitely hard to program two different menus, one for console and one for PC? Huh, gamesas? I mean, really. Does that add a whole extra month to development time or something?

Modders turned the messed up inventory back to the grid inventory within days of Oblivions release.
I just wish they'd go back to the "all in one window" inventory from Morrowind, it was just a lot more comfortable to use than Oblivions huge symbols and font size for blind people version.

» Sat May 28, 2011 12:47 am

I think it'd be cool if certain elements of gameplay were made more like games than like stories. I think that in any sand-box style game, the objective should be to create some sort of "rule set" or sets of open rules that you can manipulate to do things. The most standard rules are : kill monsters, your character gets more powerful.

There ought to be other dimensions too though, so that one section never gets too boring. It would also be cool if the different "rule sets" were open ended enough to provide for a lot of variety.

For instance, consider an imaginary branch of magic in mysticism, say "telepathy." In this system, you are allowed to do certain "moves" based on what your character knows (consider the MU-puzzle for instance). Then, when you want to cast a certain spell, you enter an abstract "telepathic check" world in which you are free to try to solve a certain puzzle using whatever rules you know (for instance, coming up with a certain string of letters in the MU-puzzle). If you succeed in solving the puzzle, then your character succeeds in doing whatever it is you wanted to do (because of the nature of this puzzle, the effect would have to be pretty powerful to make it worth the work).

A similar system could be combined with "language" skills to allow for certain spell-casters to use the effects from various scrolls (in a "spellbook") in combinations based on solving a similar problem.

While these systems have the potential for making gameplay more engaging, they could be quite time-consuming at times, so they might supplement the original gameplay rather than replace it.

» Fri May 27, 2011 12:00 pm

Modders turned the messed up inventory back to the grid inventory within days of Oblivions release.
I just wish they'd go back to the "all in one window" inventory from Morrowind, it was just a lot more comfortable to use than Oblivions huge symbols and font size for blind people version.

The reason they were big and huge was because they were designed to be looked at from several feet away from someone's couch.

» Fri May 27, 2011 9:26 pm

There's also the Assassin's Creed (2) method of going to viewpoints and finding maps to get a general geographic sense, with the ability to click on points of interests and place a little marker over them. That'd be great. If the MW system just had the ability to plant a godforsaken marker that shows up on your minimap, that'd have fixed all my problems with getting lost. Seriously, would that have been so hard? I like Danny's idea of a general area. AC2 also had that in the form of a sphere that told you the general area a target was in and then you'd have to track him down. It worked better than it sounds.

yeah, that could work too, remember Dive Rock?

You would get to the top and get a message saying "rare view of the Imperial Province." and then some landmarks will be added to your map, that's actually kind of like Assassin's Creed.

» Sat May 28, 2011 12:23 am

Is it too much to ask for properly lit interiors? This wouldn't be something that requires absolutly tons of work. Most player made mods have by far the best lighting, because they use an initial dark setting. But I wouldn't want it to be cancelled out by thousands of lights everywhere.

Also, don't add too large of a range to the light sources.

I would like to see some completely dark caves - I mean, where are they getting all the light? I've played a few mods with a complete darkness setting, and it's awesome, having to walk around with your torch, not knowing what's coming up, and actually being surprised by the enemies there.

And could we have companions that use similar scripts to those god like ones created by players? Eg. Grumpy's companions scripts. It shouldn't be too huge of a task, I would settle for just a warping system. Although I loved how I could cast a spell on myself, and my companion would have the effect also. Also, water breathing should be constantly effective, even with these scripts, I've lost count of how many times my companions have drowned.

And can would it be too much to ask for a targeting system? I've never liked using any form of ranged attack during combat. Although, I think there should be a damage reduction with it, and no area locaion damage (If it's ever implemented) And Also I could target on one enemy, and ignore any others, causing me to take more damage from the other enemies, but do more to the targetted one.

Oh, and could we have markings and facial hair? (Markings would cover Scars and tatoos etc. - you could choose maybe two of these)

» Sat May 28, 2011 2:10 am

Would it be so infinitely hard to program two different menus, one for console and one for PC? Huh, gamesas? I mean, really. Does that add a whole extra month to development time or something?

On that sentiment, to bring it up again; ability to type/edit your own journal entries. Even if the console version doesn't have it. Boo hoo for them, but seriously, that has to be one of the least difficult additions ever.

» Fri May 27, 2011 10:42 am

Interactive HUD:

This is an idea that, well, actually was present in a lot of older games but now not so much anymore. The basic idea is that your HUD and in fact the whole screen can become interactive.

In game you could press a button which changes your mouse/stick controls from looking around to controlling a cursor (similarly when you activate the console on the PC version). With this cursor you can click on HUD elements to get some additional information or perform other interactions.
For example, clicking on the mini map could change the zoom level or layout of the map, clicking the health bar could take you to the med-inventory and so on (the functions themselves can differ of course, those are just examples).
You could also move the HUD elements around or change their design and layout interactively in the game this way.

But it wouldn't just influence your HUD but also objects on screen, you could for example hover over a item you see and have further informations than during normal view, clicking it would give you even more details and some interaction options. With this you could even "scan" people to guess what they carry on them even when it's more or less hidden, this would be helpful for thieves to find hidden bags of money or valuables hidden under clothing. Or for finding that dagger hidden up somebodies sleeve in a "no weapons" area.

This could give you another interaction and info layer for the game, for example what the CHARACTER thinks about something at the moment and could bind new skills in there like "perception" that helps you find things that usually are hidden in normal view.

» Sat May 28, 2011 12:14 am

I hope Bethesda puts Horse Armor in the game. The only reason people didn't like it is because it wasn't free. If in TESV we have the option to choose armor for a horse when we buy it, I doubt anybody will be opposed to it.

» Fri May 27, 2011 12:42 pm

I wish there were some sort of compromise. It was REALLY hard for me to find stuff in MW, and sometimes I wish there was, like, a vague cone on my minimap with the possible area where I could find something. The whole reason they even MADE the quest arrow was because of the [censored] SONOFA[censored] DWEMER PUZZLE CUBE FROM HELL.

If there were some middle ground, it'd be easier for me to accept either or.

The very hard-to-find things in Morrowind is what made the quests so adventurous and rewarding once you finished them. Oblivion's quests were boring (for the most part) and far too easy, all thanks to the quest compass. If The Elder Scrolls V includes a quest compass, I will seriously consider not buying the game. And I am not joking.

» Fri May 27, 2011 7:03 pm

The very hard-to-find things in Morrowind is what made the quests so adventurous and rewarding once you finished them. Oblivion's quests were boring (for the most part) and far too easy, all thanks to the quest compass. If The Elder Scrolls V includes a quest compass, I will seriously consider not buying the game. And I am not joking.

I agree.
The more I think about it, the more I realize I just want Morrowind with better graphics and sounds.
Those were really the only areas I can think of changing right now.
Mods added everything else I wanted.

» Fri May 27, 2011 9:36 pm

Oh, and the ability to download mods from the internet onto your X-box or PS and use them, as well as share them (like maps on halo) with your friends.

» Fri May 27, 2011 7:50 pm

Oh, and the ability to download mods from the internet onto your X-box or PS and use them, as well as share them (like maps on halo) with your friends.

That isn't possible since all content available on Xbox Live has to be approved by M$.

» Fri May 27, 2011 3:35 pm

The very hard-to-find things in Morrowind is what made the quests so adventurous and rewarding once you finished them.

Sometimes, but most of the time I disagree. I've been replaying Morrowind, and sometimes it is just plain annoying. The directions for the quests are all off and its even hard to find stuff using the strategy guide. There's a thin line between 'adventurous and rewarding' and just plain annoying.

Oblivion's quests were boring (for the most part) and far too easy, all thanks to the quest compass. If The Elder Scrolls V includes a quest compass, I will seriously consider not buying the game. And I am not joking.

I agree that they were many times boring and very easy, but making stuff hard to find does not neccesarily make them more fun. I don't know so much about not having a quest compass, but I think Bethesda really redeemed itself with Shivering Isles and Fallout 3 quests (except the whole good guy mainquest in Fallout 3). Though I don't need to know exactly where everything is, just the general area (something Morrowind wasn't too keen on).

» Fri May 27, 2011 12:18 pm

On the quest arrow, I don't like Daniel Kay's quest arrow idea, because it would be a lot of pointless programming, the quest arrow isn't really needed if you have a good journal system, think of the morrowind journal, just orderly, you could find out all you needed to know there, with dialogue quotes to look up if it was unclear. The quest arrow is either like in oblivion, where it is unrealistic and annoyingly easy, or it points to a general area, but if it points to a general area, there is no real point in in, you should be able to look it up on the map somehow.

» Fri May 27, 2011 1:59 pm

you people know, you can say what you liked/dislaked about oblivion/morrowind without bashing it

the quest compas isn't the problem, its the arrow. perhaps once you find the directions it would point to the general location, then once you get there it'd turn off

» Fri May 27, 2011 12:56 pm

That isn't possible since all content available on Xbox Live has to be approved by M$.

Would it be possible to have Arena and Daggerfall as downloadable content on Xbox Live?

» Fri May 27, 2011 2:46 pm

Sometimes, but most of the time I disagree. I've been replaying Morrowind, and sometimes it is just plain annoying. The directions for the quests are all off and its even hard to find stuff using the strategy guide. There's a thin line between 'adventurous and rewarding' and just plain annoying.

I agree that they were many times boring and very easy, but making stuff hard to find does not neccesarily make them more fun. I don't know so much about not having a quest compass, but I think Bethesda really redeemed itself with Shivering Isles and Fallout 3 quests (except the whole good guy mainquest in Fallout 3). Though I don't need to know exactly where everything is, just the general area (something Morrowind wasn't too keen on).

Why would you know the general area of a quest object? That doesn't even make any sense, especially if you're in a place that you've never been to before. About "all of the directions in Morrowind's quests being off", only some of the directions are inaccurate, not all of them, which is realistic. When's the last time somebody gave you perfect directions? Or rather, when's the last time somebody gave you a quest compass?

» Fri May 27, 2011 11:06 pm

On the quest arrow, I don't like Daniel Kay's quest arrow idea, because it would be a lot of pointless programming, the quest arrow isn't really needed if you have a good journal system, think of the morrowind journal, just orderly, you could find out all you needed to know there, with dialogue quotes to look up if it was unclear. The quest arrow is either like in oblivion, where it is unrealistic and annoyingly easy, or it points to a general area, but if it points to a general area, there is no real point in in, you should be able to look it up on the map somehow.

You know, you could argue that everything you don't like is pointless programming.

» Fri May 27, 2011 3:26 pm

You know, you could argue that everything you don't like is pointless programming.

it turns out that the senche and senche-raht are the "battle cats" i might have mentioned ages ago (thank you Infernal City)

id like some more of these so i dont get stuck boring horses

» Fri May 27, 2011 4:33 pm

You know, you could argue that everything you don't like is pointless programming.

That's my choice, I meant there are easier ways that don't detract from the experience in my opinion.