[Killer McCracken]

We have all encountered those pesky highwaymen who give us the choice: "Your money or your life." Well, what would you do if the one offering you that choice is a patrolling soldier, or a member of the city watch? What if that guard wants a little gift to prevent him from slapping a bounty on your head and hauling you to prison? What if his buddies are more than happy to help, and his lord is ready to look away or even to demand his cut?

I think the game could be much more interesting if fewer guards weren't such paragons of law and order. It could be fun to sneak around just to avoid being noticed by the watch, or to try talking your way out of trouble, or to get stuck with a bounty for refusing to pay a bribe.

An occasional curfew might be fun too. If the guards see you out after dark, they'll approach you and ....

Something tells me you might be interested to know that there are some corrupt guards in Oblivion that may be dealt with in fun quests. Corruption in Elder Scrolls cities are fun to deal with. Hopefully, Bethesda will keep corruption(and ways to deal with it) in TES V.

[Imy Davies]

You WANT another game as tiny as TES3 and 4? I want a game scoped more like TES2, AND a meaningful fast travel to go with it. That's what I want. But IF I wanted another tiny, tiny game world, then no, no fast travel with that one please.

Not trying to attack you, just have this annoying way of bringing stuff up

You another huge, randomly-generated, repetive, and boring game world as the on in TES I and TES II? Why? After seeing one dungeon and completing one quest in Daggerfall, I had seen and completed them all. Daggerfall has great role-playing mechanics, but an incredibly boring world. I like the smaller, but hand-crafted, worlds of Morrowind and Oblivion. I would like to see Daggerfall's role-playing opportunities combined with a smaller, hand-crafted world in TES V, but why would anybody want a randomly-generated mess that was large just to be large as the world in Arena and Daggerfall? I couldn't even explore in Daggerfall. Everything was too far apart, the space in between everything is repetitive, and no dungeons(except main quest dungeons) had anything interesting to find in them(excluding the Lord's Mail, Auriel's Shield, and Auriel's Bow, which were all related to quests, were randomly-placed, and which were not unique, as one could obtain multiple copies of each). One has to fast-travel in Arena and Daggerfall and every dungeon is the same randomly-generated labyrinth without anything unique about them. Unlike in Morrowind and Oblivion, I can't just explore and find something out in the wild in Daggerfall, I have to fast-travel from town to town to receive my reward for the same randomly-generated quests to go into a dungeon, find something, and kill it. I couldn't explore anything and the size of Arena and Daggerfall exists only to exist. I don't care if it's "realistic". It serves no purpose(but to force me to fast-travel, along with absolutely no incentive to explore) and it takes away the fun from a game. If TES V is anywhere close to the size of Arena or Daggerfall, everything will have to be randomly-generated or spaced out to ridiculous lengths, making exploration incredibly difficult. Also, no TES III and TES IV are not small. Considering ever single place in Daggerfall looked the same, Vivec alone was larger than all of Daggerfall.

[Jade Payton]

I just want to suggest something to any developers reading this:

If Zenimax Online is indeed making an Elder Scrolls MMO, it would be very beneficial to announce it only after you announce TES V. There seems to be a big amount of people who think that the rumored Elder Scrolls MMO is being developed by Bethesda, and have "lost faith" in Bethesda because of it. And of course there is also a huge amount of people who think published games are developed by Bethesda.

In order to stop the flood of misinformed people on this forum and elsewhere screaming "WHUR IS TES V, I DUN WAN AN MMO," the smartest thing to do is to announce TES V first, so that when the MMO is announced, people wont think you aren't making TES V.

[Chloe Lou]

I just want to suggest something to any developers reading this:

If Zenimax Online is indeed making an Elder Scrolls MMO, it would be very beneficial to announce it only after you announce TES V. There seems to be a big amount of people who think that the rumored Elder Scrolls MMO is being developed by Bethesda, and have "lost faith" in Bethesda because of it. And of course there is also a huge amount of people who think published games are developed by Bethesda.

In order to stop the flood of misinformed people on this forum and elsewhere screaming "WHUR IS TES V, I DUN WAN AN MMO," the smartest thing to do is to announce TES V first, so that when the MMO is announced, people wont think you aren't making TES V.

I agree. However, while I know Bethesda isn't developing an MMO, I would be disappointed if an MMO is announced before TES V. Could TES V be announced at the same time as an MMO, or would the two announcements somehow conflict with each other? If the latter is true, then I want TES V announced first because this wait for TES V is getting ridiculous, I don't care for an MMO, and I want some information about TES V.

[Katie Louise Ingram]

Yeah, completely agree. Being able to just port ANYWHERE from the beginning really cheapens the feel of the game world.
But, of coarse, we could always hope that Beth implements some sort of nordic city to city travel. ^_^
Now we need to sneak into Beth headquarters and plant our plans on the desk of Todd Howard. :ninja:

That fast travel junk, is what makes Morrawind seem so much bigger than Cyrodiil. Quick travel is so much smarter. It really bugs me too :I

[Marcin Tomkow]

Hey guys, my storytelling sensibilities require me to make a statement here real quick. But first, a disclaimer, I don't think Oblivion's story was bad. The issue I take with it is that it is a story that could have happened in any setting. The same problem was present in the game "Rise of the Argonauts." That plot wouldn't have been any different if the names were changed to be an original fantasy, there was nothing about it that screamed "This only works in Greek Mythology and adaptations of it!" Like Oblivion, it did have a good story. But that one little sticking point was absent.

Of course, Mr. Howard said in the kotaku interview he wanted to put in more culture stuff, so I doubt this'll be an issue. In fact, It's likely already been addressed.

[Chloé]

Hey guys, my storytelling sensibilities require me to make a statement here real quick. But first, a disclaimer, I don't think Oblivion's story was bad. The issue I take with it is that it is a story that could have happened in any setting. The same problem was present in the game "Rise of the Argonauts." That plot wouldn't have been any different if the names were changed to be an original fantasy, there was nothing about it that screamed "This only works in Greek Mythology and adaptations of it!" Like Oblivion, it did have a good story. But that one little sticking point was absent.

Of course, Mr. Howard said in the kotaku interview he wanted to put in more culture stuff, so I doubt this'll be an issue. In fact, It's likely already been addressed.

Well, one could argue that Cyrodiil needed to be the setting for that story because it is the capital of the empire that Mehrunes Dagon wants to destroy. The Imperial City was needed for the final part of Oblivion main quest as the Dragonfires may only be lit in the Imperial City. However, I still don't like Oblivion's story too much. I don't think it's a bad story, but I don't think it's a great one either.

[Kill Bill]

Well, one could argue that Cyrodiil needed to be the setting for that story because it is the capital of the empire that Mehrunes Dagon wants to destroy. The Imperial City was needed for the final part of Oblivion main quest as the Dragonfires may only be lit in the Imperial City. However, I still don't like Oblivion's story too much. I don't think it's a bad story, but I don't think it's a great one either.

That's not quite what I meant. In Morrowind, the characters and story only work not just in Morrowind, but in TES. Change the setting, and the story could not happen. To tell that exact story you need it to be in the TES universe. Whereas in Oblivion, any setting could use a Mandate of heaven story, requiring a hero to find the last of a royal line to act as a "barrier man" to protect the world from demons/what have you. I mean, this story could have been told exactly the same way outside of TES, unchanged, even down to the motives and histories of the main characters. Morrowind could not have.

[Ben sutton]

If Morrowind's culture was all about insects, then pERHAPS sKYRIM'S IS ALL ABOUT Mammals? Silt Strider=Giant Bear?

[Jessica Raven]

Just got the game Just Cause 2. If the world in the next TES could be like that one in terms of size and # of settlements, I'd be very happy.

[Natasha Callaghan]

After seeing one dungeon and completing one quest in Daggerfall, I had seen and completed them all.

You see similar parts that are universally present, you have never and will never see every dungeon. DF is repetitive, not a single experience.

it is a story that could have happened in any setting

where the king was assassinated and martin was discovered.
Looking back the attack on Kvatch and Martin being a citizen of Kvatch was most likley pre-knowlege by Mehrunes(sp?) and/or the Mythic Dawn. For a 'dumbed down' game I am surprised I have not seen this connection before.

More plot connections to the specific area would make the next game more unique.

[Josephine Gowing]

I know levetation is out of the pic.

Wait, what? Why?

And I see people suggesting about not liking the completely cold, constant snow of Skyrim. Just remember, certain things can be changed, when it is blatantly better to do so. Morrowind was supposed to be filled with lava everywhere, and just be one big ashland, am I right? That changed in-game because it just wouldn't work right. Skyrim could be changed to have slightly warmer (Though still chilly) areas, something like the places mainstream game Dwarves tend to live.

The thing I want mostly, is for the wildlife in TESV to be unique. I want to have the same feeling I'm not on Earth as Morrowind gave me (Although Skyrim native creatures only).

And, if any werecreatures other than werewolves are involved, please remember that it's not completely necessary to have the same physiology as a standard werewolf. I'd like to see something like http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/harrypotter/images/2/26/Viktor-Krum-partially-Transfigured_as_a_shark,_Saves_Hermione_at_the_1994_Triwizard_Tournament_2nd_Task.gif as a wereshark (Sorry, that was the best I could find <_<). Or if werelions would look more like lions than humans. I'd like to be on all fours, and for the werelion to concentrate a lot on speed. Just a few examples. Correct me if I'm wrong about not having to be the same physiology.

[jasminε]

-odd works for me, but i have GOTY on the PS3.the curing Vampirism quest doest work. Its SO ANNOYING!! It wasted my beast file.

Wait... What works for you? I have GOTY for the PS3, too....

[Kelly John]

That's not quite what I meant. In Morrowind, the characters and story only work not just in Morrowind, but in TES. Change the setting, and the story could not happen. To tell that exact story you need it to be in the TES universe. Whereas in Oblivion, any setting could use a Mandate of heaven story, requiring a hero to find the last of a royal line to act as a "barrier man" to protect the world from demons/what have you. I mean, this story could have been told exactly the same way outside of TES, unchanged, even down to the motives and histories of the main characters. Morrowind could not have.

Drive the outlanders out from our homeland. It could be remade in another setting very easily.

[m Gardner]

You see similar parts that are universally present, you have never and will never see every dungeon. DF is repetitive, not a single experience.

It's a figure of speech. In Daggerfall, dungeons are all randomly-generated from the same piecee into confusing labyrinths with nothing special about any of them, except for those related to the main quest. They are pretty much all the same. There is nothing different about another dungeon(other than the order of the pieces which make up the boring labyrinth) and every dungeon in Daggerfall is basically the same. Why find another? Finding another is also difficult. One can't explore in Daggerfall.

[CArlos BArrera]

I guess what I was getting at is that a static world is completely subject to the player. I guess DF was static in a sense, and not the strongest point to make.

Anyway. A game world where things happen beyond the scope of player interaction makes the game more fun to me. Traveling caravans, random encounters, radiant AI, other adventurers. These are all things that are not subject to player stats. Any interaction with them is not specifically tied to the player, except that the player had the ability to witness these things if they looked in the right direction. This makes the ES more believable, immersive, and fun for me.

Does anyone else agree.

[jaideep singh]

i like the idea that some developer had from obsidian had...DONT INSULT THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE PLAYER....be great if they could do that for the next game

[Stephanie Nieves]

Does anyone else agree.

I absolutely agree. Also having other heroes and whatnot in the world that your hear about would give the impression that you're just a fish in the sea, a shark though you may be, instead of leaving us to feel like the world exists solely because the hero exists.


And I'm not sure how this would be implemented without it becoming silly, but being able to learn or create spells on your own without an altar or someone to buy spells off of. Or being able to adjust and improve the spells you've already learned; more damage, longer duration, whatever. It angered me that no matter what kind of character I was, I had to find and pay some guy to teach me spells, or beat the mages guild.
And being able to hide spells from your spellbook, it gets too cluttered too quickly.

Also getting the little bits of money is too easy. Obviously getting more money than you know what to do with is a problem, but that's been talked about extensively enough; have rare and expensive items actually be rare and hard to get or find, or have shopkeepers have small and slowly-replenishing amounts of resources, or have shopkeepers only buy a daedric sword once every few months until he can use it, et cetera. But especially if sleeping and eating becomes a necessity (at least a toggleable option hopefully), and you have to pay 15 gold per day for room and board, exploiting the fact that shopkeepers will buy 9 clay pots, 7 forks, 6 full sets of low class clothing, and 15 rusty iron daggers becomes much too useful. Selling this gets you nearly 75 gold, whereas realistically, the shopkeeper would have bought much less from you simply because he's never going to find enough people to buy all these useless and crappy items.
Might help to make 100 gold rewards for quests amount to more than the useless items you picked up on those quests. And why would there be beggars if money was that easy to get?

[Dona BlackHeart]

Drive the outlanders out from our homeland. It could be remade in another setting very easily.

Oh surely, by changing a few hundred details, especially considering what all of the events that lead up to that point.

Chimer vs Dwemer, heart of Lorkhan (which was ripped out in a very TES specific event, which is important as to why it is there), ALMSIVI, Nerevar reborn, angry god changing Chimer into Dunmer, etc. There's just so much there that fills out the world and makes it a very well told story that also accentuates the world it takes place in.

[Alan Cutler]

Beggars? how much does an apple sell for? a couple of gold? That much gold would feed a beggar for a few weeks. Expensive apples.

Every shop keeper has one unique item for sale... one completly useless item. They cost way too much for those useless items. The stuff you pick up off the ground is better. If theyre gonna waste thier time making unique items for shop keepers, at least make them usefull.

[Angelina Mayo]

Speaking of beggars, I'd like the option to give beggars food or items instead of money. Sometimes I'll be running a little low on cash, but need to ask a beggar for information. Why not give them an apple or some meat that I've been carrying? Or better yet, maybe I'm roleplaying an evil character and want to kill some of them. I could give them poison apples and kill them without lifting a finger.

[Gen Daley]

snip

You, and hopefully the devs, might be interested in this.

2) What if "-", " ", and "+" could determine merchant stock instead of the current "-"[re-spawning stock] and assumed "+"[other stock]
...Where "-" would be respawning items " " would be original merchant items and "+" would be items sold to the merchant. When anything is bought from the merchant it becomes a " " in the player inventory, or a "+" if it was stolen. This would add 2 different NPC inventories...

Its a possible fix for the MW restock exploit, and it looks like Bethesda fixed that. So instead of + / - being a way to avoid re-stock and avoid overstock. it becomes a way to designate understock.

A collector would have the highest overstock level; then a pawnbroker, then a general merchant, and an inn keeper would have a overstock level of 1 or so. (or more if some silverware was stolen and the understock level increased.) So 'buying incentive' would be determined by the added values of understock and overstock.

Edit: punctuation...intensive

[Sam Parker]

Just a thought. If TES5 is 200+ years after oblivion, should we be expecting any kind of technological improvements? I really hope there're no guns, but maybe some advances in magical abilities? Maybe necromancy is legal or someone finally invented the key ring.

[Angela Woods]

Oh surely, by changing a few hundred details, especially considering what all of the events that lead up to that point.

Chimer vs Dwemer, heart of Lorkhan (which was ripped out in a very TES specific event, which is important as to why it is there), ALMSIVI, Nerevar reborn, angry god changing Chimer into Dunmer, etc. There's just so much there that fills out the world and makes it a very well told story that also accentuates the world it takes place in.

Any story can take place in a different setting. Change Chimer to elves, Dwemer to dwarves, the heart of lorkhan to an engine, Numidium to some other giant robot, ALMSIVI into IVISMLA, Nerevar reborn into some other hero reborn, an angry god changing Chimer into Dunmer to an angry god changing elves into Dark Elves, and change Dagoth-Ur into random villain with really cool headgear. No story is truly unique to one setting. I like Morrowind's story much more than any other Elder Scrolls story, but it can be used in a different setting.

Speaking of settings, what should be expected in Skyrim? I'm expecting everything to be frozen(not always covered in snow, but still frozen) due to a Nord in Anvil saying Nords are sick of freezing their butts off in Skyrim. I really don't want an entirely frozen environment mostly covered in snow. Can we expect any warm areas in Skyrim(not chilly without snow, but actually warm environments)? I really don't like the idea of a frozen wasteland being the setting of TES V.

[OJY]

Speaking of beggars, I'd like the option to give beggars food or items instead of money. Sometimes I'll be running a little low on cash, but need to ask a beggar for information. Why not give them an apple or some meat that I've been carrying? Or better yet, maybe I'm roleplaying an evil character and want to kill some of them. I could give them poison apples and kill them without lifting a finger.

That's actually a really cool idea. Or just being able to give others food, just not beggars. Good way for a thief type character to kill someone.

Any story can take place in a different setting. Change Chimer to elves, Dwemer to dwarves, the heart of lorkhan to an engine, Numidium to some other giant robot, ALMSIVI into IVISMLA, Nerevar reborn into some other hero reborn, an angry god changing Chimer into Dunmer to an angry god changing elves into Dark Elves, and change Dagoth-Ur into random villain with really cool headgear. No story is truly unique to one setting. I like Morrowind's story much more than any other Elder Scrolls story, but it can be used in a different setting.

Speaking of settings, what should be expected in Skyrim? I'm expecting everything to be frozen(not always covered in snow, but still frozen) due to a Nord in Anvil saying Nords are sick of freezing their butts off in Skyrim. I really don't want an entirely frozen environment mostly covered in snow. Can we expect any warm areas in Skyrim(not chilly without snow, but actually warm environments)? I really don't like the idea of a frozen wasteland being the setting of TES V.

Imagine Solstheim, but colder. And Icier.