Some time ago I tried to figure out what made my experience with Morrowind so much more memorable than Oblivion. I loved to play both game as much as the other guy, but something made the experiences very different. Then I found this paragraph in a review of Morrowind on a site called "tap-repeatedly.com" that put my experience into words:



I think what is written is very true, and I loved this about Morrowind. I think this "epicness" is what makes it less memorable, it doesn't feel as much "Elder Scrolls" for me. I think that The Shivering Isles actually made a good attempt at being more like Morrowind and it's expansions. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed Cyrodiil and it's green, lush forests and bird twitter. In terms of making the game appeal to a wider audience, and Todd Howards inspiration of The Lord Of The Rings (I guess he doesn't mean the Ralph Bakshi animated 1978 version, which I by the way adore the atmosphere in, where the landscape kind of resembles the one in Vvardenfell) I guess some changes was to be made. Not to mention that the place that is Cyrodiil is very different to the one that is Morrowind.

Anyways, what I was trying to implement here is that I really hope that Skyrim will be more like that, less "epicness" and more of the elder (pun intended) magic. Although I highly doubt that this will happen now that the series is getting more popular and is developed to be more "mainstream". Besides, it will take place place in a land that probably is very similar to Cyrodiil (maybe even a part of it).

What are your thoughts about this? Do you think it should be more like the darker atmosphere of Morrowind and it's expansions, or the brighter, happier feeling you get in Oblivion? Maybe a mix?

Neither. It should have its own unique atmosphere A dark viking theme.

I think it's going to be a dark game. Perhaps even frightening and creepy. That's just the vibe I'm getting from the screenshots.

I'm hoping it's completely different. No matter how great previous games are, I'd like to play it and not be reminded of a previous game/gameworld.

Neither. It will have its own atmosphere I really think they are going to do an awesome job with this and skyrim is going to be truly unique. Can't wait.

I want a large, dark, threatening and imposing world with little beacons of warm light in towns, with a unique sense of culture in each area. I'm also hoping (though without that much optimism) that there will be a large variation of environments.

It reminds me of the country in Winter (Well, I live in South Western Australia, which is a Meditteranean climate, so any other time is nowhere close) where you have like some small rural building in a wilderness and there's a cackling fire, and then you can go outside and feel the dampness and go up some rocky hill and look out at an epic vista with a howling, chilling wind and watch the sun peak over the horizon, insects and birds making noise in the forests around you. And then dark, craggy cliffs with mysterious ruins and all sorts of unusual creatures wandering about, usually just out of sight, knocking rocks off above you. You look up and see snow falling, but you cannot tell what is there. You come across the entrance to a mysterious cave, silence ensues, and then suddenly a huge monstrous trapdoor spider leaps out and pulls you in, and you must fight for your life as quick, erratic strings play in the background and you swing your weapon at the spiders quick, jabbing limbs.

Uh, how does that sound? Sort of went ranting there.

I have the exact same feelings about the screenshots too.

Pete Hines said there's a new fog/cloud system, so that itself should add a lot to the atmosphere of environments.

I think every game should be unique, but in a way i want it to be dark, lonely and atmospheric like morrowind. I was going to study for a test i have on monday but after reading that quote you posted i think im gonna install morrowind. Thank you for reminding me why i love morrowind.

Should have elements of both, the Nords are grim dour warriors when it's time to fight and the game set in their homeland should reflect this. If the designers get the world right the weather and landscapes should make you feel cold, as though you are battling the elements and the land, as well as it's denizens. But look at Bruma with it's Nord residents…a Bard, a hard working smith and several drunkards. The towns should be a welcome relief from the snow and cold. And the main story should be a thing the Bards sing of in taverns for generations. Make it cold grim and forbidding but don't lose the High fantasy element completely. There are wolves threatening isolated farmsteads but there is also a world to save .

I can only agree with everything you have said.

Time will tell, as always.

I agree with you guys, I also want a unique atmosphere. I didn't mean I want it to be Morrowinds atmosphere, but similar to it's darkness and loneliness, that feeling I have of The Elder Scrolls. Morrowind did something that no game has done before, it has it's own unique atmosphere. Oblivion went more where so many games have went before, with some exceptions.

The talk about it being like "Conan" kind of worries me. I don't find that interesting at all.

I hope that TESV has this mystical feeling when you exploring lots of unique places.
And I hope that they catch the atmospher of the hard life people have in Skyrim.

I want it to be a mature bloody dark vikings slaughter game AND a mystical (and a bit creepy) explore RPG.

Morrowind is still today one of the scariest games I've ever played.

From the screens it reminds me more of oblivion than morrowind (more "normal" nature like you would find in the real world). But i hope itll look very different from Oblivion anyway

really? the only things i found a little bit scary was those ancestor tombs and maybe the sound of dwemer doors hmy:

Judging by the screenshots, it's going to look more like Skyrim than anything else. Oblivion was about the Tamrielic Empire at its height, just before it fell. Skyrim is about a world where the old powers like the empire are falling, and the tone and lighting of the screenshots seem to back that up. The general impression you get is of an autumn evening.

Uhh... more like... Skyrim?

i find the imperial city sewer more scary that the entire morrowind.

Each installment has had its own unique atmosphere so far. I don't see why Skyrim would be any different.

It will have it's own thing going.

I really liked Oblivion, but the landscape got a little boring after awhile. (Awhile being about, oh, 3 years?)

I can't remember the exact quote from the GI article, but it said something about 7 unique landscapes. Sounds pretty good to me

Well from the screens of the snowish areas its more like morrowind because you can only see a certain distance and it will be like find your way off of sight and in the forests more like Oblivion, well to be honest they have incorporated them both into the game and mastered them imo. But for skyrim and with dragons and stuff I think a morrowind atmosphere would be more engaging and more thrilling then Oblivion

As for visual atmosphere, I think they should go for something new. Gameplay atmosphere, however, finding dead adventurers who came before you in dungeons, large dungeons with unwritten stories you can find out if you look hard enough for no reason other than it being there, desperation in the poorer parts of towns, contempt and arrogance in the richer, etc., sounds a lot like Morrowind and a lot like what I want.

I think they should make it like Bloodmoon.

Skyrim should feel different to both Morrowind and Oblivion, it should be unique.