Don't get me wrong... I am a *huge* Oblivion fan (I think my feelings towards Bethesda's games are well known around here, and don't need repeating).

I do like Morrowind better than Oblivion though. I thought it had more choice, and I felt like many of the skills worked better in Morrowind than Oblivion. That said, I do think that Oblivion did do many things better than Morrowind (mainly, combat). When I look at everything I know about Skyrim, I get more of a Morrowind feel than an Oblivion feel.

The things that Oblivion did right appear to be improved upon - combat and casting look great.

The things that Oblivion didn't do so perfect appear to be fixed. Here's what I see:

-Much more diverse landscape. Maybe not as unique as Vvardenfall, but much more lively than Cyrodiil.
-Casting is much more Morrowind-esque. Needing to actually equip a spell, just like Morrowind.
-More skills than Oblivion. :shrug: :shrug: I know, right? 21 > 18? Let me explain myself tho:
*Blade and Blunt is turned into 1-handed and 2-handed. This is equal.
*Mysticism is gone in name only. The spells still exist in other schools. It may have taken a "skill" away, but it is content not removed.
*Dual Wielding is in. Not a skill, but it adds a new dynamic to how you can create your character. You can still play your sword and board character if you want, you can still play your 2-handed weapon guy if you want, or your marksman, or your mage, but you now have yet another option to play in the dual wielder, and the dual wielding adds a lot of different options for how to play.
*Spellmaking is gone, but I believe in name only. In relation to the last point, I believe the dual wielding adds a new method of spellmaking. You can equip any 2 spells at once, and cast their effects and essentially have active, "on demand" spellmaking. So as such, I don't feel that Spellmaking has been removed. The foundation of it is still in the game. This is coming from someone who is a HUGE fan of Spellmaking.
*Skyrim adds a new skill in Pickpocketing. Now, on paper, that doesn't sound like a great skill (why isn't it just a branch of the Sneak perk tree?), but the fact that it is it's own skill, with it's own perk trees, leads me to believe it will be fleshed out pretty solidly.
*Enchanting is -back-, coming back after being taken out from Morrowind to Oblivion. Also related, the Armorer skill has been expanded upon into the Smithing skill, which presumably allows for actual weapon and armor crafting.
*We did lose Athletics, Acrobatics, and Hand to Hand, and I know a bunch of people are up in arms about that, but I really don't see those skills as big losses. I'm sorry to fans of those skills... that's just how I feel (I'm not saying that the game is better without those skills, I'm all for more choices, but if we HAD to lose skills, then I'm glad it was the run, jump, and punch skills)
-Did I hear somewhere that factions will actually be at odds with each other again, and advancement through their ranks is skill based, not quest based? I could be wrong, so I'm not claiming this fact to be confirmed.
-More diverse armor selection.

I'm not saying Skyrim is gonna surpass Morrowind, but I feel it's a step back in that direction, building upon what Oblivion did right, and heading away from the things it did wrong. Maybe that feeling I'm getting is coming from the return of Enchanting and equipping spells to cast, but I just feel more of a Morrowind-esque vibe from Skyrim than an Oblivion-esque one... and I feel that once Skyrim comes out, Oblivion will be the 3rd wheel amongst the 3 mainstream Elder Scrolls titles.

I hope so I loved oblivion, it was the first elder scrolls i ever played and i played it over 500 hours; but it just feels so small and constrained compared to morrowind.

Wasn't enchanting in Oblivion? Just curious, I recall putting a lot of time into enchanting, and I put a lot more time into Oblivion than MW. I do not have a copy currently to confirm, but I was fairly sure that it was. I only have MW now, and I know it's in there.

i agree

Enchanting as a skill was removed in Oblivion. In Oblivion you could only enchant new items at the special altars in the Arcane University, in Morrowind you could enchant your own items anywhere. Though the chance of actually doing that succesfully based on your enchant skill was very low, so it wasn't that great.

You believe some very funny things there....
-Combat is bad , not dice rolls like MW but not anywhere near combat oriented games - call me mount & blade
-No spellmaking , nothing substitutes that if you can not make your own stuff then you are not a Mage
-Grass, more grass and mountains are not diversity , i can see that stuff outside my window why do i need a fantasy game looking the same?
-Armor variety counts for nothing when there are only 4 slots
-MW had smithing in Tribunal , you could get raw materials and order an armor
-I play rangers and count on speed and jumping in high places , without acrobatics and with set speed my favourite characters are out of question
-Magicka is replenishing
-Quest compass
-Limited dialogue
-Level scalling
SK looks more like a watered down version of OB (if this is ever possible lol).

I disagree. I'm seeing much more Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fable than Morrowind.

Limited dialouge? this game has 70 voice actors spewing out how many thousands of lines of dialouge?

You can still run and jump. your rangers will just have to be constrained to realistic physics. AND you get pets and backstabbing and better bows so....

Level scaling is fixed. 70% MW, 30% OB.

Spellcasting's better than ever. Diversity without breaking the game. And as a mage you can once again enchant "your own stuff" as well as craft it from the mine to anvil so.....

quest compass... do you remember MW? A game this size needs a little direction. It fits. AND you have options. Mods or set the damn thing to nirnroot.

Combat oriented game? do you want a hack and slash where 100% of thier dev time is dedicated to how the character mows down waves of enemies with his sword or do you want a multifaceted RPG? Which i might add has the best combat variety of any game in it's franchise.

Really good looking, diverse, customizable, craftable armor (that doesn't bog down the NPC loads) is a really good trade in for not being able to put my pants on first and losing one enchant slot.

Tundra, Glacier, Peaks, Valleys, "autumn" forests, misty forests, fjords, beaches.... don't judge a games visual diversity before you get your hands on it. That's kinda ignorant.

Magic replenished in OB. Everyone just did it by spammed the potions. Balance, my friend, balance.

If you want to play morrowind don't buy skyrim, go play morrowind.

No. It is much more like Oblivion. The Morrowind type of games are no longer viable in this market. Even Witcher was dumbed down in the second installment.

I think there are more similarities with Oblivion.

I like the op. I was thinking the same thing about how the duel wield spells are like spell making.

The thing I don't care for, though, is the pick-pocketing skill. I never did that in Morrowind or Oblivion (at least not intentionally). It's a dishonorable skill! For it to be a complete, fleshed-out skill is lost on me.

Then other rpg's like Planescape, Witcher or Risen do not feature mages at all? Never occured to me that Tes was the only game with mages.

Who thinks. You're the only one who thinks.

Skyrim is like Oblivion. It has emphasis on action, hand holding and light RPG mechanics. I don't see how it could not be like Oblivion, since it is built on the same hardware, by the same people and with Oblivion being a sales hit unlike Morrowind.

Thousands of one liners you mean and your given choices to reply are like 2

You can still run and jump. your rangers will just have to be constrained to realistic physics. AND you get pets and backstabbing and better bows so....

run as fast as anyone and jump as high as anyone , no thank you , i like to tactically utilize my surroundings and examine my enemy before engaging , the idea of playing a bowman is either to run, hide or stand on non accessible areas .

Level scaling is fixed. 70% MW, 30% OB.

So how many dungeons i can level lock running in and out while level 1 ?
Spellcasting's better than ever. Diversity without breaking the game. And as a mage you can once again enchant "your own stuff" as well as craft it from the mine to anvil so.....

What you mean break the game? it is SP and i want to be creative making fun spells it is not that i am expoliting to someone other's expense as in MMORPGs , if i want to exploit that is. The idea of dual yelding spells is stupid and pre-made ones will never fit my gaming style, not to add that mark/recall and levitation are out so half the fun of using magic is gone .

quest compass... do you remember MW? A game this size needs a little direction. It fits. AND you have options. Mods or set the damn thing to nirnroot.

I do not remember MW i am playing it right now, it requires me to read instructions , road signs and navigate the map ; you really think that "radiant quest AI" will give good voiced directions? i do not they will only mark it in my map , try navigating without a compass this way. In MW half the fun was getting lost now there is so much hand holding that you can not even if you want to.

Combat oriented game? do you want a hack and slash where 100% of thier dev time is dedicated to how the character mows down waves of enemies with his sword or do you want a multifaceted RPG? Which i might add has the best combat variety of any game in it's franchise.

Personally i prefer dice rolls like in MW , chances to hit and stuff but if they want to make it "modern" they could at least make combat fun, a guy getting slashed in the throat with an axe only to make a step back and attack again svcks .

Really good looking, diverse, customizable, craftable armor (that doesn't bog down the NPC loads) is a really good trade in for not being able to put my pants on first and losing one enchant slot.

One? how about 5 instead ? i dont care about looks but i do care about mixing rare armor pieces that are hard to get instead of mining ore , i bet the game will not even have blueprints . Even if you talk realism chain under plate should be an option .

Tundra, Glacier, Peaks, Valleys, "autumn" forests, misty forests, fjords, beaches.... don't judge a games visual diversity before you get your hands on it. That's kinda ignorant.

Sure we have all that stuff here including some Ayled looking ruins . From what i have seen the place looks like Norway , i bet it will also be visually boring like Norway.

Magic replenished in OB. Everyone just did it by spammed the potions. Balance, my friend, balance.

OB is a sorry excuse of an RPG ; the trend is to remove all creativity and make thinking obsolete, characters should not go into wild areas without a big load of potions that they have to use wisely IMO .

If you want to play morrowind don't buy skyrim, go play morrowind.


I am already playing MW but your point is that people who do not like SK should not post in this forums ?
I think i am polite enough and do some constructive criticism & have fun in the forums , it is not that i call people stupid or ignorant ....


*sorry for not quoting properly i ve got "You have posted more than the allowed number of quoted blocks of text " msg

More like Oblivion, but with some Morrowind flavor for our nostalgia

"Skyrim is an Oblivion who has learned Morrowind"

:no: yea, wishful thinking

The Witchers are not Mages they can focus on their signs
Jentis are not Mages they can focus in the force
Risen is a linear game of scalled progression
In TES spellmaking was always there and now it is not , it is like removing armies from CIV2 or relations from SIMS , or shields from X series ....

I think it's natural to be an evolution of the predecessor. Oblivion improved on Morrowind, Skyrim improves on Oblivion, that's why the chapters are numbered. The fact that some "improvements" are actually steps back is another story, fact is it's normal to take as a reference the last game in the series when you build the next one. Skyrim looks like a more polished Oblivion, the combat looks like Oblivion improved, the towns look like Bruma, etc. I don't see the Morrowind vibe. Morrowind was unpolished and unforgiving, it was dark and rough with the newcomer. Skyrim is, like Oblivion, a walk in the park with all those shiny menus and compass pointers.

Honestly, I find both Morrowind and Oblivion really boring after having played them for years; they are both awesome games, though. I don't care what influences Skyrim; I'm just glad that I'll have something new to quench my gaming needs. This year hasn't been THAT great, imo.

I think a year when Witcher 2, Deus Ex 3 and Skyrim come out is a great year :tops:

And on the subject I don't agree, I think Skyrim is more like an Oblivion enhanced than a Morrowind.

I dont agree on what you say about skills.
18 is less than 21 and even less than 27.

Otherwise, yes, good points.
Lets hope you are correct.