I agree that Skyrim's snow areas/mountains became somewhat dull after a while, but at least they were still nice to look at for the most part. The potential for dullness of a desert is much higher compared to other types of landscapes, because deserts must be mostly barren and dull by definition. Skyrim was sometimes dull but it was visually beautiful with mountains, waterfalls and rivers everywhere. It's hard to make a huge desert visually beautiful. Sure, there will be an oasis here and there and some other landscapes besides the desert, but the desert is really dominant in Hammerfell, so the landscape would be a dull wasteland for the large part.

I'm really not looking forward to exploring this kind of landscape (Hammerfell in TESO):

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:ON-place-Alik%27r_Desert.jpg

http://static.elderscrollsonline.com/assets/img/cms/media/screenshots/71583963e5ae546fb8.jpg

That would get dull like in 10 minutes. We already have the Fallout series for the wasteland setting.

Uh...you don't know how much the Alik'r actually covers, do you? Sure, the area immediately east of it is also arid (However, not quite the great expanse the Alik'r is), but the northeast region is forested and the region is still diverse enough to capitulate on semi-unique terrains ala Skyrim's holds and Cyrodiil's counties. I mean, anyone can easily paint any province to be dull, boring, and monotonous, but it just doesn't stack up.

Plus, it'd be fun to explore the Alik'r for signs of the mentioned, but not elaborated upon, "March of Thirst".

Also, given my love of Frostfall, I'd almost require a dehydration mod for maximum immersion.

Oh yes, I didn't think of that, that would be very beautiful. Afghan has a very beautiful, diverse landscape.

Plus, thematically it would fit wonderfully, given Afghanistan's historical significance as a "breaker" of Empires.

I just want my Alik'r nomads to be...nomads. It'd be cool if the location of their camp changed every so often, though it'd require making the expanse larger then say, Whiterun's tundra to actually make hiking through there a challenge. And yes to a dehydration meter, which sorta goes with something akin to Fallouts NV's "hardcoe" mode.

Eh. I think making it about the size of Whiterun Hold would be practical for the immersionist and the overall player experience.

Mostly because I play Skyrim with Frostfall, so I know what its like to have three holds worth of landmass essentially be off limits due to environmental hazards. Not to mention 150 lbs worth of inventory space given over to Firewood alone.

What you say is extremely innacurate and wrong regarding Hammerfell.

http://www.imperial-library.info/sites/default/files/gallery_files/map_hf_names.jpg

It's not inaccurate. What you're showing is not an official map. Hammerfell has an arid climate and much of the province is desert and semi-arid regions. Sure, there are several other landscapes like forests, mountains and grasslands (mostly along the borders with other provinces), but most of the province is arid, so most of the time we'd be exploring deserts and semi-arid regions. It's undeniable that deserts are much harder to make visually beautiful than other types of landscapes. Yes, there is still some room for creativity, but within limits. You can't have an oasis every 100 meters, so it will be dull, because deserts are monotonous and aesthetically unappealing. Just try imagining a huge Skyrim-like territory covered with desert and semi-arid regions with a few different regions. Does that sound appealing? If it does, to each their own, I guess.

As I said, I can make most of the provinces about as unappealing as you're making Hammerfell out to be, so...point? I'm not seeing a big difference between trying to hand wave Hammerfell away when there are those that can just as easily dismiss Skyrim as a uninteresting frozen wasteland with mountains.

As I said, comparing a mountain-covered province or a forest-covered province with a desert-covered one is not even remotely correct. Mountains or forests can be monotonous too, but they will never be as aesthetically unappealing as deserts by definition. They're beautiful even when they're monotonous, but they will never be as monotonous as deserts. They offer a lot more room for variety than deserts. It's not even questionable. Have you see a desert? I have. I used to live in a desert and seriously, there's no more boring and dull landscape than a desert.

But if you think deserts are appealing, I won't try to persuade you otherwise. Whatever.

I'm vaguely amused in that this was basically the same argument made back before Skyrim was announced for reasons why that province would be "boring" or "dull", when compared what Oblivion did.That said, there have been modern games that have made arid regions look pretty flubbin cool, but different strokes and all that. I think the team has gotten their craft down to the point that we'll never go to Oblivions poor world design (Only other worst offender in games that are similar would be New Vegas), so I'm pretty solid that they'll make any province work regardless as where they choose to go.

I agree with you in all particulars. Deserts can be extremely varied and enormously interesting. I live on the edge of one and, though I grew up in a much greener area, I'm finding this place to be fascinating.

I can make a desert environment very visually diverse and striking.

The reason I say that is because I've seen a lot of deserts.

If you have some good artists with imagination and curiosity, you could make a desert landscape that would seem like something out of a fairy tale.

Deserts can be HELLA cool. Bethesda just needs to make an effort.

For instance:

Monument Valley would be a great inspiration for the Alik'r. Also parts of Zion and Bryce and Grand Canyon NP's. Hell, there's major chunks of Arizona that are cooooooooool!

Then there's stunning visual displays in parts of the Sahara -both the sandy and rocky parts - along with truly delightful and well watered canyons in Oman, Arizona and Utah.

For the eastern side of the province, those high plains could be treated like grasslands. If you've ever seen the Thunder Basin National Grasslands in Wyoming in the spring, or even better - the Devil's Tower National Monument's surrounding grasslands in the spring, you'll understand how such terrain can be...........stunning.

Do not worry. If Bethesda does their usual good job, we'll have nice desert environments in Hammerfell that you will enjoy. I promise you.

We all thought Skyrim was going to just be a blanket of snow prior to going there, and look what Beth did with that.

Hammerfell will be equally diverse. We had some desert areas on Fallout: New Vegas and they were far from boring. I actually prefered New Vegas landscape to F3. With the evolved technology added to the way we have seen Beth' advance their detail of regions (compared to Oblivion's blanket of grass), i can see amazing and interesting things for Hammerfell. From interviews with Todd and also the advancement of Skyrim, we also know Beth are keen to make the world and it's creatures more real and operate independent of the player character. Large lizards, snakes, reptile dogs and camels are examples of things moving and acting independent of us.

In many of the hotter and dryer areas, i imagine some civilisation could be inclined to build underground to escape the heat and to also try and find moisture. Especially with Dwemer settlements. We know the Redguards have moved into Stros M'Kai which was previously Dwemer. We could see an underground settlement rivaling Blackreach of Skyrim. One thing for sure is there won't be Falmer (Snow Elves).

Hammerfell would be very diverse, as I see it... The western areas would probably be mostly desert, but be more like the Mediterranean at the coastal areas, the southeastern areas, bordering Cyrodiil, would be more Caribbean, unless they retcon away that part... Whle the areas bordering Skyrim would look like, well, Skyrim...

If they will do the geographically simpler provinces first, Elsweyr is right up there with Hammerfell. The northern half is canyons, steppes and deserts, while only the south is marshes and rain forest. It is also quite different and would certainly be interesting. Spreading out the human provinces could be smart. If Elsweyr proves too alienating for example, revisiting High Rock or Hammerfell, now with fresh ideas, could be a good fall back option. Elsweyr and Valenwood are provinces that each in their own way advance the Thalmor story arc. Hammerfell, aside from their resistance towards the Thalmor, more or less does its own thing. Valenwood is half of the Aldmeri Dominion and Elsweyr could hold the key to the Thalmor's success. Elsweyr has a lot of potential for Elder Scrolls VI.

Then again, you could say that for just about any province right now. Alinor, according to MK's statement about the Thalmor, will probably be Elder Scrolls VII. So TES VI will either diminish the Thalmor or advance their goals. In any case, the Thalmor will be featured. Whether its meddling with the Wild Hunt, trying to capture Direnni Tower, exploring the Rourken ruins beneath the Alik'r, exploring the Clockwork City, performing rituals in the Halls of the Colossus or confronting the Hist, it should be interesting. Actually, about the Clockwork City. Would the Thalmor be interested in that place? Its supposed potential to "reshape the world" and it being located in the swamps of southern Morrowind, or at least an enterance or portion, makes me suspect it would appear in a Black Marsh game.

I hope if they do a desert they don't just replace the white flat snow texture with gold sand texture... flat! I hope they do volumetric sands that move with the winds and sandstorms, covering and uncovering dungeons entrances, buried cities!

Agreed completely about FONV.

We might find underground reservoirs in Hammerfell - especially associated with Dwemer ruins. If anyone could reliably engineer such things, it'll be them.

We actually might run into falmer - both betrayed and 'whole.' If there are any dwemer ruins in or very close to the dragontail range in the east bordering skyrim, it is conceivable that there could be an underground connection between rourken and mainstream dwemer settlements, including Markarth's as of yet sealed off areas. Furthermore, the Forgotten Vale was in the mountainous intersection between Hammerfell, High Rock and Skyrim. Maybe there's another lost valley up there with one or the other kinds of falmer.

If there are no falmer, I won't miss them - they were creepy and scary, and I've seen enough of them for a good while. But the possibility, though small, is there that we'll see them again.

If ES7 is Alinor, my bet is that it would mean ES6 will see the Thalmor thwarted and on the road to collapse.

My reasoning is as follows:

You don't go to a peaceful, happy, prosperous and safe province in these games. There's always some terrible crisis looming, and the province is in decay or trouble of some sort. Thus, if ES7 is in Alinor, it means we are there to 'rescue' the province, and the bad things plaguing Alinor will be the result of whatever happens in ES6.

That's my best guess.

I am expecting sideline lore during TES VI to have Cyrodiil in trouble and the Empires northern rule having collapsed. That way the civil war outcome matters little if the Empire is not present over Skyrim, as both Imperials and Stormcloaks will have to forget the war and become one.

Rasul, what you say,want it ot not,makes no sense. You are just saying what it would be something that you are not gonna create,nor envision. Why cant it be the Hammerfell game more or less like that map? Makes a lot of sense. Why it has to be just a vast desert? Then Elsweyr is just desert too? Then Hammerfell will never be released and they will just throw away a whole province because it would be a dull map? They can, and will make whatever province really enjoyable and not dull at all. Do you really think they wont go with Hammerfell because they would be forced to create just a dull desert? Cmon...they will create the province as they need just to make the game feel like it should feel. And as other people is telling you,Skyrim was going to be just snow...and I will add that Oblivion was going to be just wilderness...

This would be an brilliant idea (the sand shifting covering and uncovering) they could implement like every now and then a sandstorm takes place in the desert and every time this happens, different dungeons, ruins etc open up. It would feel like a new place after each sandstorm.

I don't see Bethesda doing the 'covering and uncovering' dungeons thing. I think they're going for the seamless, frustration proof design. The crowd that complained about Morrowind's vague directions would likely create a [censored]storm of "wheres ma dungeon" whine threads.

I'm seeing a lot of people (not accusing you of such) look at this issue as if we need to stick to the aesthetics of real-world deserts. Who is to say we won't be treated to an expanse of wonderful blue and purple sands in certain regions? We'd see flora and fauna that has adapted to the environment. I can already feel a rush of adrenaline imagining a group of terrible beasts bursting out from underneath the ground, spraying sand and fear as they try to drag you under.

All I'm saying is, some people see no inspiration in a place like Hammerfell. That does not mean, however, that there is none to be found.

This is the balancing act that Bethesda has to deal with though, especially after three straight barn-burning, blockbuster successes. The whiner crowd you refer to wants it big, pretty, loud, and served to them on a silver platter, thank you very much. Not that you were suggesting it, but I also don't believe that servicing that type of thinking is worth losing the possibility of creating such a cool game mechanic.