So, is this game just a dark morass of negative energy? *spo

Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:11 am

what about Temple Quests? Need Divines Quests.

Yup. There's some minor ones here and there to be done and the radiant AI quests and basic dungeoncrawls are pretty good aligned (removing some Dragur from the world or fighting bandits are good acts). But I agree with the OP's sentiment that we could have used some more, and ones with greater impact on the world around us. Or just more ways to complete quests and shift their outcomes.

Mods will help in this area, maybe DLC as well.
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Rachel Eloise Getoutofmyface
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:02 am

Yet the landscape is littered with bodies and skeletons. I think no one talks about it. :)

The Companions describe feeding on the fallen as part of your overall intro. Eating people, whether in a sashimi form or as Soylent Green, is just evil.



I might be wrong, but i am 95% sure that according to lore Bosmer will eat people and it is not wrong according to their morals. Also, is there any evidence that the Companions have ever ate someone to prolong their beast form? They know about it sure, but they might know it from consuming animals, or by reading lore books. (I know you can’t prolong your beast form by eating animals, but logically that is just stupid and should be considered a bug.)
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Rebecca Dosch
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:22 am

Oh, city folk, thinking they'll catch "teh ebulz" if they eat what they kill. :tongue:
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Dan Scott
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:52 pm

I might be wrong, but i am 95% sure that according to lore Bosmer will eat people and it is not wrong according to their morals. Also, is there any evidence that the Companions have ever ate someone to prolong their beast form? They know about it sure, but they might know it from consuming animals, or by reading lore books. (I know you can’t prolong your beast form by eating animals, but logically that is just stupid and should be considered a bug.)



It should be considered a bug that the game mechanic proves your argument's flaw? It's broken! :brokencomputer:
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Lil Miss
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:15 am

It should be considered a bug that the game mechanic proves your argument's flaw? It's broken! :brokencomputer:


So can you provide a logical/reasonable explanation why my beast form extends when I eat a skinny Altmer and not when I eat a giant elk? Also, the fact that you have to eat a person to extend really contradicts previously established lore.

There are also people eating Bosmer! Morals are very iffy in Tamriel, a priest in Morrowind will perform necromantic rituals in the morning and execute a necromancer in the afternoon. Bosmer consider NOT eating everything they kill to be wasteful. You can’t use real life as a compass in a fantasy universe. If you delve into lore you’ll start questioning whether or not Sithis is evil.
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KU Fint
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:32 pm

Skyrim is based during a time of great turmoil.

A massive civil war is wreaking havoc across the land, pitting brother against brother.

At the same time the dragons, fabled harbingers of the end times have the people terrified, unable to feel safe even in fortifications built from stone.

Yet there is still hope!

Legends speak of the fabled Dovahkiin that will rise from the ashes of these horrors to make things right!





You get to be that someone.

No point of having a hero saving the world if it is full of people with pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad.

There are however bunnies! You also get to catch butterflies if that's your thing. :P

I don't recommend trying to capture dragonflies though, they are too quick and it's really obnoxious when they get away.
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Eoh
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:59 pm

OP, I agree.

If someone's not wanting you to do something evil or immoral or shady, it's something selfish.

There are only a bare handful of quests that could be considered "good," and they're over pretty quickly and don't lead to anything else.
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maddison
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:37 am

Eating people, whether in a sashimi form or as Soylent Green, is just evil.


Man you must really hate the bosmer.
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No Name
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:47 pm

OP, I agree.

If someone's not wanting you to do something evil or immoral or shady, it's something selfish.

There are only a bare handful of quests that could be considered "good," and they're over pretty quickly and don't lead to anything else.


Companion questline, winterhold questline, Mara questline + numerous singular quests
What kind of quests do you guys consider good anyways? Hunting bandits is good right? Killing necromancers? How about stopping the Wolfqueen, just the most evil Septim in history? The game is more mature and grittier but I really fail to see how it’s a downside.
Is it because there is no clear good guy between rebels and empire? I kind of loved that about this game. Finally I am looked upon as an advlt and given a difficult decision instead of the regular stale black and white one.
I
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^_^
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:37 am

Man you must really hate the bosmer.


That form of ancestor worship has not migrated out of Valenwood as Y'ffre has no power out of the area. What do you call a cremated bosmer in a jar? Instant breakfast. * shudders*
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Calum Campbell
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:23 am

There's no actual proof that the Companions eat people, that's just conjecture based on 'well I eat people because I want to stay a werewolf longer, they must too!'. They are never once shown doing this. The most likely person to do so is Aela, as she very much likes being a werewolf, but you only see her as one once, and she's not chomping down on any bodies. Farkas only changes to save his own life. S'Kor might have, but again, we never see it and it's never declared to be so. If you read the Harbinger's journal, it's clear that most of the Circle (note, not ALL of the Companions are werewolves) has decided to lay off changing at all, so I'm sure they're not running around chowing down.

That said, I'm not sure how eating someone is any worse than chopping their head off with a freaking axe. Sure, that's a big taboo in Western society, but in many cultures where cannibalism is/was practiced, it's actually a way of honoring the dead, not desecrating them. And, as mentioned, the Bosmer practice this as a rule (whether or not they do it outside of Valenwood is hardly the point; does this mean all Bosmer in Valenwood are/were evil?)
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Avril Louise
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 2:12 am

I LOOOOVE the dark feel of skyrim.

BUT... I symphatize with you.

There are so many games forcing you to be mister goody two shoes riding a unicorn shooting rainbows with love and happiness all over the place, and I hated all those games for not having any darker factors or options.

Skyrim hits me straight in the heart, but for those of you that loves playing good characters with high moral standards... you are kinda forced into being bad at so many points. Meaning the tables have turned but the lack of roleplay remains.

There definetely be a pure "good" faction in skyrim. I got my game! <3 but I feel bad when its at others "expense" kinda.
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LijLuva
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:38 am

I was honestly shocked that becoming the Thane of Riften is probably the "Whitest" quest I've seen in the game thus far. Taking out the Drug Trade was immensely satisfying, and gave me a healthy respect for the Jarl.
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Honey Suckle
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:39 am

I was honestly shocked that becoming the Thane of Riften is probably the "Whitest" quest I've seen in the game thus far. Taking out the Drug Trade was immensely satisfying, and gave me a healthy respect for the Jarl.

You mean Jarl Maven Black-Briar? >:3
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Darlene Delk
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:01 pm

You mean Jarl Maven Black-Briar? >:3


Hahaha - No. The original one who sided with Ulfric and has her head on straight. So far, that makes TWO Jarls that don't have their heads in the clouds/up their arses. (Riften and Whiterun)
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how solid
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:26 am

I LOOOOVE the dark feel of skyrim.

BUT... I symphatize with you.

There are so many games forcing you to be mister goody two shoes riding a unicorn shooting rainbows with love and happiness all over the place, and I hated all those games for not having any darker factors or options.

Skyrim hits me straight in the heart, but for those of you that loves playing good characters with high moral standards... you are kinda forced into being bad at so many points. Meaning the tables have turned but the lack of roleplay remains.

There definetely be a pure "good" faction in skyrim. I got my game! <3 but I feel bad when its at others "expense" kinda.


Here's the thing. It is much easier to make a static universe than a flexible one. TES games have been the answer to say Dragon Age 2. Instead of a linear cattle chute, you can approach thing from multiple directions. I see none of that this game. Honestly if they had taken a Rainbow express to happy lan, I would have probably posted a similar thread. The CHOICE should be ours.
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Facebook me
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 2:17 pm

Kia Ora


I just have a had time with the railroaded oprions at times, where your doing a quest and just talking to somebody railroads you into
joining a group,.. and you have no choice but to steal, kill or setup somebody (usually close to you) or end up with a quest log full
of crap you don't want to do,.. Yes I know it just a video game but I feel in general peoples values have an effect on how they act or
what they do and some acts for some people just don't fit or are not logical, I don't want to spoil for others but there a quest in Riften
to save some kids that is just plain stupid the way it plays totaly illogical as an example
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Emma Copeland
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:12 pm

You had the start of a really interesting discussion, right up to this point. Yes, the quests are on the darker side. But I found OB slightly too bright and cheery.

However - is it impossible for people to start threads here that don't include some straw man assault on imagined audiences/Bethesda motives?


This.

Quite to the contrary, I feel like the game tries too hard to be gray. The Thieve's Guild is a perfect example, all they care about is money, money, money, money. None of the characters have any humanity, the only thing they feel besides greed is hunger for revenge. It feels forced and childish.

It yells at you and says "LOOK HOW MORALLY AMBIGUOUS I AM!!!" almost as much as Fallout 3 beat you over the head and said "OMGZ I'M SOOO POST-APOCALYPTIC IDNT DAT KEWL?!"

Fallout: New Vegas did gray properly, Skyrim does not.
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Mandy Muir
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:32 am

I have completed every single quest except the bugged bard ones. There are quite a few "good" quests in skyrim. I would say there are actually 40% to 50% that are good.

1. All Mage Guild quests are considered good.
2. 80% Companions quests are considered good. (Just don't kill anyone when you turned)
3. The main quest is considered good.
4. All the perk quests are considered good.
5. Half of the Daedric Prince's quests are considered good.
6. There are a number dungeons with a back story where you can lay evil to rest.
7. All Bard quests are considered good.
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Crystal Birch
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:06 am

I have to agree with the original poster. I want to play the heroic line in the game. I'm not interested in the dark brotherhood or even the thieves guild. In oblivion I didn't finish the Shattered Isle DLC because I didn't see a white line through the quest. Like the original poster, I don't object to dark quest lines in the game but I do want a heroic line as well.

I'll avoid spoilers here, but the warriors guild and the mage's guilds are both somewhat tainted (warriors more than mages). The Civil war... well ... you just want to go after both of them, don't you? And by all means the Thalmor first. I'll do the mages line and the main line and then plumb the dungeons and bandit hideouts. I'm not going to do the quest lines where you have to be a pretty evil (or at least a pretty grey morality) to play.

Bethesda is free to build games that people want to buy, how can they do likewise? But is it too much to ask to think about the heroic players too, once in a while? It would be so easy. Provide a branch in the Companions quest to avoid you now what. Add a worthwhile negotiation path for the civil war. Maybe you get to expose the Thalmor or something. That sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. If you want to assassinate someone, how about the Thalmor leadership rather than ... other people. You could make an assassination guild something like an uncorrupted version of the Wanted movie where you're killing people who are bending the future toward darkness. That might be interesting. I don't know what the Dark Brotherhood really does in these games because I don't play those quest lines, so there's no spoilers here.

I am not that far in the main quest so I don't know what will happen when I don't choose a side in the civil war, but hopefully there is something. It's a great game, but I think it could be a better one.
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joeK
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:26 am

Kia Ora

the other thing that is strange to me is the fact that there's so much dark back stabbing and killing to the point
where your told to kill in cold blood at time,.. but the dead bodies all have ugly S*** coloured undies on and a bit of
flesh is held with utter horror, but the blood splatter of a cut sceen where a head is totaly removed in choice.


How it's not ok for the young to see what they know is normal as a human body goes but the gore of a brutal kille or
the hint of body parts being eaten is not a problem,.. I just don't understand this double standard. You can be a mad mainiac
murderer just do do it naked,.. totaly weird to me
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IM NOT EASY
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:41 am

Kia Ora

the other thing that is strange to me is the fact that there's so much dark back stabbing and killing to the point
where your told to kill in cold blood at time,.. but the dead bodies all have ugly S*** coloured undies on and a bit of
flesh is held with utter horror, but the blood splatter of a cut sceen where a head is totaly removed in choice.


How it's not ok for the young to see what they know is normal as a human body goes but the gore of a brutal kille or
the hint of body parts being eaten is not a problem,.. I just don't understand this double standard. You can be a mad mainiac
murderer just do do it naked,.. totaly weird to me


Call it the hypocrisy of violence and sixuality.

On one hand, something we should remove entirely from our society (violence) to further our own survival, we embrace and in fact glorify it in movies, video games, and media in general.

On the other hand, human sixuality is treated as a complete taboo and the youth must be 'protected' in case they make rash decisions regarding their new found knowledge of the human reproductive system, even though it is a necessary aspect of the human race in order to continue surviving.

The true break between the two is that violence is a universally understood method of communication. Whether you physically assault a toddler or an octogenarian, both understand the concept of pain and both will react instinctually to avoid the oncoming assault. It doesn't take a complex physiological change at some point in life for someone to understand that they shouldn't force physical trauma on others. Therefore, even if we as a society embrace violent entertainment, we shouldn't fall prey to the temptation to engage in violence ourselves as we have long understood the exact nature of violence itself. However, there is an age where a person is completely cognitive and yet physically underdeveloped. From the time one begins to completely grasp language until the time in which puberty begins, there is no need to excessively emphasize the human reproductive organ. Thus, there is no need to go full frontal in media formats. In fact, I'd say it is much more realistic that all characters in game be wearing undergarments than not.
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Rik Douglas
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:11 pm

Actually, it is nothing wrong for a game to go for "darker side". But then, "drastic change" always upset some fans.

Since that base on experience of previous game, we expect we can do anything and different morale choices are available for us.
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Céline Rémy
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:01 pm

Here's the thing. It is much easier to make a static universe than a flexible one. TES games have been the answer to say Dragon Age 2. Instead of a linear cattle chute, you can approach thing from multiple directions. I see none of that this game. Honestly if they had taken a Rainbow express to happy lan, I would have probably posted a similar thread. The CHOICE should be ours.


My memory is a little fogy, but didn’t Morrowinds quest to become horrotor railroad you to doing some nasty things? Like fighting the grand master of one of the houses to the death just because he didn’t want to give you that honor? I am pretty sure that was part of the main quest and I have not been able to find anything of the sort in Skyrims main quest.
I played morrowind + expansions, but nothing before that so maybe I just lack game material to reference.
That said, I LOVE quests that branch out in a variety of ways. If beth had more of those it would have been incredible.
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Nany Smith
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:24 am

I have played through both the Companions questline and the Mage Guild quest line and I fail to see any evidence suggesting they are "tainted" questlines.

The College of Winterhold quests ultimately lead you to ridding the world of several downright "evil" figures/actions in the world. In the pursuit of the staff of Magnus you destroy an evil dragon priest in the Labrynthian. The conclusion of the quest line has you combatting a corrupted thalmor mage who, in an attempt to exploit the power of the eye of Magnus, presumably in the name of world domination, comes close to devouring the entire world. You literally save the world at the end of this quest line. It's a perfectly noble and white quest.

As for the Companions quest line, I personally do not agree that the warewolf aspect of it is inherently evil. Just as you can choose to have your character go on a murdering rampage without the benefit of a bestial transformation, you can choose to prolong your beast form by feeding on human flesh (or choose not to). My neutral-good character has never transformed into her beast form, much less fed on anyone. I also think the end-result of that questline is absolutely good or "light" from a moral perspective. The Harbinger of the Companions views lycanthropy as a "curse" to the Companions and has sought to cure himself so that instead of hunting with Hircine in the afterlife, he can enter Sovngarde. Your final official quest with the Companions is destroying the "beast spirit" of your dead leader so that he may enter heaven. As far as morality goes, it doesn't get more noble than that.

One of the "epilogue" quests you receive following that allows you to "purify" the souls of your fellow Circle members in the Companions and help them cure themselves of their warewolf forms.

I would agree with some comments I've read on other threads that the game pushes you a little towards more "evil" quests if you want to gain more powerful gear, but I would also argue that just makes this game truer to life. It's often easier to do the "wrong" or evil thing. More often than not there is no incentive to be good. Being "good" is harder, but I would argue that when you do accomplish something good, it makes it all the more worthwhile. That's why when I completed the Companions questline I felt like my character actually performed a benevolent act that benefited someone immensely. If lycanthropy is "evil" in the game, the end of the Companions quest gives you the opportunity to triumph over that evil by literally destroying it.
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Brandi Norton
 
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