No that wasnt a dig at you, i full agree with what you said. I just expanded on that with the crossbows example since soe many people complaina bout adding new things would ruin TES. Well crossbows where a new thing in Morrowind, see how much it ruined the series and how many are glad they are gone now?

I can see your points. But the dev's always seem to strike a balance none the less. And most of us can probably envisage the core game that will be coming out as if FO3 is anything to go by there will be no serious deviations from the tried and tested formula. Aplogies for the g*ns point. As you said I don't fancy opening that can of worms. T'was just an example.

Sorry but that's thinking a bit close minded. You say one field can ONLY improve if others get less improvement or even worse?
NO it doesn't have to be like that and it SHOULDN'T be like that and it's VERY well possibly to do the stretch. Once again all it takes is effort and, as Fortesque kinda pointed to, thinking outside the box. Say "one systems doesn't work well", go to "Imporiving it in such a way wuld conflic with other systems" expand to "How would thos systems need to be changed and also improved". I know it demands a bit more but it's worth the effort.

:shrug: It's realistic close-minded thinking. Extra effort doesn't offset the cost of resources.
I don't say that one area receives improvement at the cost of another area. I say that when one area receives drastic improvement, more than what an influx of funding or manpower from company growth can provide, then those resources are taken from other ares. Oblivion is a perfect example of this.

If it costs too much resources, then those resources are just not good enough. Much better games have been made with much less resources.

Seriously, when i make suggestions, i don't keep to the Bethesda resource managment plan.

Hahahaha! Daniel makes a good point. Especially during the ol' days great games were made often with limited dev's and limited resources. Now don't get me wrong I don't expect the next TES to be made by 2 people like Elite but at there are times when you play a game and realise where the dev's really took some overtime to get right. They could have stopped short and still made it ok but they carried on. Is this a dwindling practice in the manufacture of games (specifically console rpgs?).

Also in the old days, they also are more focus of making the game what its technically is (RPG is RPG, Racing is Racing, Side-Scrolling is Side-Scrolling, etc). Nowadays, people want to put everything into the game, even if its against its own premise (like online mulitplayers, high-end graphic, gimmicks. etc).

In TES case, they have to balance many things to not just fighting, but to stealth, magic, dialogue, lores and other thing rather in make it cater to one particular side.

An RPG built solely as an RPG is great yes, but it just woudln't sell. Look at Planetscape: Torment. Amazing game, huge cult following, massive amount of respect from the RPG community, sold like crap. It's sad, but true. Most hardcoe RPG games theae days are released by small, indie companies

Even so, I do like some of the non RPG elements Oblivion had. Not all, but some

First Off: Good sweet ****, this has had 144 versions?

Second Off: Hello, everyone. I'm Fulcon and as far as TES goes, I've only played Oblivion. Liked it.

Third Off: I think Magic, Combat and Stealth should ALL get over-hauled to make the amount of skill points much more relevant. I'll type what I think entirely on the subject in a few hours.

Fourth Off: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate.

EDIT:

Okay, again everyone. I think Swords, Magic and Stealth should all be overhauled to make the skills more relevant. Err?anyway. This is what I have to say.



Fighters:

Okay for?no, wait. Fighting is pretty much perfect as far as the hack-and slash goes. There should just be different models and types for every armor and sword (Breton Steel Armor, Elven Steel Armor).

The only thing I would change is have changed is separate skills for Daggers and Axes. Daggers are not regular Blades and Axes aren't Blunt weapons. What were the devs thinking?

Oh, and perhaps every six skill points in Weapon category would reduce the amount of Fatigue that each swing uses. A master can swing his sword for years, while an apprentice?can't.

Magic:

Now I think Magicka should be re-vamped.

Magicka: Okay, what I think is that a spell, when it's cast it takes up magicka. The magnitude, the distance it travels and its area of effect is all determined by how much magicka you have. If you cast a spell that takes more magicka than you have, your magicka will be distributed equally amongst the spells attributes (how far it will travel, its magnitude and its area of effect, or if it's a self-affect spell, just its magnitude and area affect).

Skill: How skill effects magicka is simple: Every ten points in an area of skill, you're mana becomes more potent, in that you need less magicka per category to cast (magnitude, range, area of affect, ect. ect.) I'm thinking every 10 (or fifteen) points of skill, the more 'M.R.AoE' a mana point is worth (for each category), and with each milestone, you can set for a higher magnitude by ten or fifteen, how ever many skill points it takes to get to milestones or more.

Spells: Okay, when you go to the local spell dealer, you're not buying spells. You're buying effects. And you can make new spells right from your spell-book, rather than having to go find an Altar of Spellmaking. With every skill level (Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, Master,) you can stack more effects together. Thus coming full circle with the setting of M.R.AoE. Magnitude is default at one?because it has to do at least something. If Range is set to Zero, it's a touch-spell, unless defined as a self-affecting spell.

Doesn't it make more sense this way, to have skill tied more closely to actual spell casting in this way? Feedback is appreciated.

Oh, and I think the ability to warp to land markers without losing anytime should be something Conjuration experts can do. And combat teleportation.

Wands: Wands, I think, should be special. I have heard them tossed around this forum, but I think they should be implemented like this: They can be used to block spells similar to shields, using the block skill (or perhaps its own skill), with magnitude going against it. And if you press the attack button (regardless of consol), and the wand connects with the spell, it'll send it right back at the caster.

So there you go, how I think wands should be handled.

Stealth:

I heard Splinter Cell being tossed around as an example. In all honesty, I think it should go in this direction. Not completely, just a little bit more in this direction and Skill still made relevant. You should be able to go prone (hide in tall grass and behind small things). You should also be able to prop up against walls (though doing so should be done automatically upon running up to a wall, and dis-prop just as quickly).

General: It would determine how quite you are not just while sneaking, but while walking normally. If you have a high stealth-skill, you could accidentally sneak up on someone and startle them?without using stealth mode. Though while sneaking and you make to much noise, like say accidentally bonking a vase or tripping over a stool, someone's bound to notice, and I think that being able to sneak in heavy iron boots, no matter how good you are at sneak, to be ridiculous.

Also, I think it would be used as a way to naturally improve one's night vision?they'll still know if it's dark, but shadows won't impede them as much.

And perhaps they should allow people who are sneaking the option to automatically kill sleeping people. You wouldn't have any idea how frustrating it is to sneak up on a sleeping Pirate Captain for a certain, very secret quest and stab him in the back?only to have him jump up and attack you.

And it would help Stealth-based people role-play better.

ON THE TOPIC OF ACROBATICS: Is there any reason to deny people the ability to climb the way you can in Assassin's Creed (just automatically)? I know there's a reason to deny people the ability to wall-run like in PoP, and you can already jump like you can in Assassin's Creed...you just need a level design that works with it.

For those of you who disagree, I have one thing to say. Since Bethesda has so many different avenues and play-styles available?shouldn't they be trying to perfect those avenues and deepen the mechanics behind them?

Let's refrain from calling Magicka Mana, m'kay?

I want achievements on the 360 that aren't just for advancing in a guild. like for 500 creature kills maybe and one for summoning the same daedra 100 times, just fun random stuff like that

oh my, u came out of nowhere. well authority is needed because the game must show some type of civilized command. and open up too new ideas. maybe you have done some stuff, but that doesnt others havent done some stuff that u have done. u have great ideas i will say. But just think of an epic battle or whatever just give it a chance. and i do respect your judgement because this forum is filled with judgement or constructive criticism. so dont think that im just trying to bash you down. okay

wow what you said was total logic. thank you for your logic

well welll wellll. that is awesome your ideas about wands are just like mine. you are creative. and just too add too that wands should be able too add to the mana bar. and they can use magic themselves as a stream. or surround for a area effect.

Not sure why it matters, but it's fixed.



To what effect would this magicka be used in this stream/area of effect?

And wouldn't that over-power wands?

would rather not have achievments at all tbh.

on any frickin' game.

OK, so little touches, part 2. And I do mean little, in most cases.

-consistancy
Make sure that what people say agrees with the actual game. If a drunken Nord is supposed to be naked and drunk at 3 AM, can she please consume alcohol, have slurred speech, and be scripted to remove her clothing? Not that I really want naked Nord women running loose, but if I'm told that she runs around naked... it sort of breaks immersion when she's NOT. You all know what I mean here. Most of all, I wanted to jump off the cathedral, though.

-Friends who trust me to fight my own battles.
As funny as it is to have half the Imperial City Market dispose of Mythic Dawn agents for me, The simple fact is that I'm armored *and* winning. They should recognize this and wait, then perhaps cast healing magic on me when I finish. If I'm losing, I can understand the AI worrying about me. But a simple "player's life > 25% and players life as percent > opponent by percent" test would prevent NPCs from suicidally getting between Traven's personal slayer-of-necromancers in his heavy armor and some cultist who happens to be ticked off that I stole his cult's sacred book. At least until it's less warranted.

-Healers!
Speaking of above, why aren't more characters devoted healers? The AI doesn't seem to calculate the benefits of pumping restoration magics into a wounded fighter when deciding to punch the opponent or not. Why punch a random bandit in the face when you could cast a mid-range healing spell on the guy who needs it. It shifts the balance more than the punches would...

-Active Guild Recruitment drives: Of the four Oblivion Guilds, only ONE really seeks you out because you are successful. One if you're unsuccessful. One doesn't give a crap about you, and one... well, apparently, the Fighter's Guild is Cyrodiil's support group for those with low self-esteem. On the whole, I felt like the Fighter's Guild was the only one that actively encouraged me to join... regardless of my qualifications. In fact, I don't think they care who you are, they think you should join. Whereas the DB cared that I was capable, but I don't think it'd break their hearts if I never visited Rufio. When I start dumping low-quality potions on the market, I expect a visit from one or more guilds of spellcasters, either threatening me because I'm "unfit", or inviting me to join, or offering advice in how to become worthy of joining. When I've done some independant assistance quests, I want the Fighter's Guild to either be furious or to come inviting me to join, depending on whatever. Either way, I want them to seem like they are looking for desirable recruits and for people who might be a threat to business. In addition, some of the recruiters should be wandering around the province, so they can be seen on the roads and trails. In fact, you might be able to follow them to out-of-the-way settlements!

-Career gladiators in any Arena settings: While deathmatches should be a part of the Arena, there should be matches that are non-lethal in intent. While it SHOULD be possible for death to result, it need not be common or easy. Most matches should end with a victor and a live loser. But there should still be death matches!

-The ability to hold objects up close and inspect them. Because we want to. And it should have in-game applications. Because it'd rock.

-A little bit of scripted intimacy between couples. Embraces, kissing, sweet nothings. I'm a firm believer that six is not necessary as an in-game mechanic, but the entire idea of couples romancing each other is definitely an atmospheric improvement.

-Visible squall lines: I want to see rain and snow coming before it hits.

To get back to a previous question, who made the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Concept_Art?

I really love the style and how even MORE alien than Morrowind was they look. The same person also made the sketches of the races as far as i know and i really like the design for the elves because they actually look different than humans (Dunmer for example having very deep and dark eye cavities, long and thin noses and very wide and pronounced cheek bones), now they just look like oddly colored humans with pointy ears.

They reason i ask is because there's no signature on them, at least i never found one.

Considering the plot of the game, assuming it takes place in Skyrim, I'd definitely like to see the Greybeards and the Snow Throat as a key part in the MQ. Because of the lands mountainous nature I'd like to see some Tibetan-inspired architecture alongside the generic nordic one. I think mountains in general didn't receive enough attention in the design of the past ES games. I'd like to see more snow storms, avalanches and dangerous rope bridges between icy chasms. I know the Falmer are a bit of a questionable element, but it would be interesting if Beth used them as mythical element in the background. Horned helms are probably a No-No for many players, but I believe a little variety in the armors isn't that bad. Based on the clan-based society of the nords, extravagant ceremonial armor would fit the setting. I think in general Skyrim offers Bethesda to create an unique and fascinating game environment, considering they don't blow it up with generic worldspace design.

Definetly agree on the highlighted part.
Sadly i fear they'll once again just go by standard fantasy and just plant cliche viking stuff everyhwere with the only "different" architecture being castles made of ice.

I know it has been discussed often now but there's still the strong fear they'll simply make it "Solstheim x 100", and i DON'T just mean snow and ice everywhere but also that feeling that everything is COLD.
People often think (usually even after you explain it) that "feeling of coldness" does mean "ice and snow" but it's more than that. If you have Bloodmoon walk around the southernmost part of Solstheim where there's no snow and you know what i mean, it just feels like you're freeszing wherever you go without one flake of snow.

Something like Elite required substantially less resources then something like Oblivion. Programming is easy and cheaper than creating art assets, and let's face it: There is an awful lot of pressure to wrap up a project when tens of millions of dollars have already been been spent on it. If you and your buddy were making a game in your spare time, it really doesn't make any difference if you finish it today or in June. You have all the time you need to perfect it. No game developer who goes into debt to finance development has unlimited time to perfect a game.

Sure, but since the 360 and PS3 both require of developers that all games have achievements, that's kind of out of Bethesda's hands. Though personally I'm just going to hope they don't target the current-gen systems in the first place.

Actually REQUIERING them to put in achievements is total BS, this is what ruined adventuring in Tomb Raider: Underworld since they exchanged the rare and unique artifacts with hunting hundrets of generic ones.
Seriously just to avoid that they should make those achievements "Started the game", "Created a character" and "Spoke to a NPC", that way they have 3 achievement and be done with that crap.

Make the game and then slap *Achievement* where they fit. Not too easy so everyone who puts the disc in will get them. A few only the most devoted gamers get.

And I'd prefer if every Achievement describsion was: "This is a secret Achievement" with a clever name. Not "Closed the Great Gate", more like "Savior" or "This is it" or...

That issue with Tomb Raider Underworld didn't have to have anything to do with Achievments. It's just the new way of the developer. Ever since Crystal Dynamics took over the series it has been really boring and shallow. "Higher, bigger, more"

achievments and trophies have to be the worst thing to ever happen to gaming, considering its likely they will always be part of games from here on.

what am I meant to feel proud of by doing something you have no choice but to do in the first place?

achievment for jumping off a tower in assassins creed 2? big deal. I care not for being congratulated on such a thing.

They are a waste of time and space.

I would perhaps be mildy interested if achievments gave you money to spend in the online store.

But as they are? merely a hollow reward for something I would like better if I wasnt aware of.

In operation flashpoint 2 you get an achievment for starting the first mission... i mean WTF?!????