Very well said!

I also fail to see any particular connection between anime and vampires and werebeasts, although of course inspiration can be drawn from any number of sources.

I suggest vampire fans read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmilla (it's in the public domain, and can be freely downloaded http://www.manybooks.net/titles/fanujose10001000710007-8.html). It's much older, and much better than most of the fiction people think of when vampires are mentioned.

You basically said it. The Elder Scrolls has potential to deliver such things. What other game allows you to live another life in another world as a Lycanthropic warrior or archer or mage? I only played as a werewolf in one game; Bloodmoon. No other game offers me a free-roaing world where I can buy a house and live a virtual life as a werewolf or vampire. But the Elder Scrolls delivered that!

I agree whole-heartedly...I believe that a great company like Bethesda is the only one I would trust to make such a thing as becoming a vampire or werewolf possible and really have the ability to do it
right every time...

You said it, more than likly this is the reason why these threads have lived on before this is the ONLY game series that has EVER allowed you to do this out of the box without mods, (I don't count mods as expansion packs)

Everyone agreed? Let's put it to the vote: All who wish to see Werewolves & Vampires say Aye...

I

Come on...There are more of you out in audience...Let's have your vote...

Aye!

I don't think there was ever a question as to whether Werebeast and Vampires should be in the game. My question is how should they be presented?

Game Informer: Are you able to be a werewolf in Skyrim?

Todd Howard: We're fans of that stuff as well, and we're currently messing with all that. I don't want to commit to, 'here are the things you can change into and what they're like right now.' Not because we're not doing it, or not attempting to. I just don't know honestly where that's going to end up and how deep we're going to get into that. We will try things, and if we don't feel it's helping the game, there are other areas we'd like to spend our time on in the game.

So, there is a question. I used to be more pessimistic, feeling like they they probably weren't going to include werewolves because they were too busy coming up with dragon shouts or something, but it sounds like maybe their original drawing board had all sorts of stuff, like werebears, werewolves, wereboars, with attached quests etc...and now their scaling that back, seeing what works best, is fun and not tedious, etc.

So I'm still hoping for werewolves and werebears, as random monsters and to become one, and at least a "cure" quest, but other than that, it could be like being a vampire in Oblivion, no quests associated specifically with it. It's less than ideal, but preferable to none at all.

Although, that's kind of depressing when you consider that Morrowind had 3 vampire clans with unique questlines for each one.

Agreed, though it was something like 2 quests for each clan at least they bothered with that much. I don't see why they couldn't flesh out the vampires in Skyrim, give them a bit of hierarchy and what not.

If Vampires and Werewolves are implemented, they better be more than basic transformations. If I'm a werewolf, I need to feel as if I am an uncontrollable, vicious beast. I think unique finishing moves for werewolves could add a whole different level of depth to transformations and really make them unforgettable. I think the Radiant AI also needs to act more believably towards those they clearly know are werewolves are vampires. In Oblivion, people just wouldn't talk to you if you hadn't fed in a long time. In Bloodmoon, Nords would just attack werewolves on sight if they saw one, and if anyone saw you transform, everyone would know about it. Word of mouth definitely needs to be slower. Also, there should be a recovery time for werewolves, so you just don't end up as your normal self when dawn rises. There really needs to be a true purpose to transformations this time around, instead of it just being an added feature.

I did like the transformation sequences (cut-scenes) for Bloodmoon. Maybe something akin to that only where you witness in third person looking over the horrific pain and brutal change of your character into a werewolf with the deer-skulled face of Hircine in the background commanding you to 'Hunt my child...'

For Vampire characters possibly witnessing your own death in third person, lying limp in a vampires embrace while being drained of essence, fading out into dream with the Daedric god Molag Bal in ghost-form standing over you commanding you to 'Rise and embrace the night...'

I completely agree. Instead of tuanting and auto-attacking, NPC's should run and scream in fear from Werebeast and guards should be more defensive at first as Werebeast are all considerably dangerous and there is the fear of infection. Of course there should be individuals who have other motives or experience vs Weres. Werebeast abilities should have more depth as well. The ability to infect others and someone in a thread a little while ago mention the ability to free run for masters of acrobatics and Weres. It would be cool to scale buildings and walls. Word of mouth definatly needs to be slower but no one should forget what you are (some mod). If one person sees me transform then to protect myself that one person has to die before they make contact with other NPC's. As for purpose to transformations the PC could have perks associated with their condition while in humanoid form, to a lesser extent then while transformed. I like the idea of Lycanthropy and Vampirism being treated like a skill were you level up and gain perks as you grow stronger.

I believe that the best skill points for 'were' characters while in human form are: disease resistance, increased senses (hearing, smell, taste, vision), increased strength, speed and endurance.
Vampire characters should also have a strength bonus, as well as night-vision, speed, disease immunity, and acrobatics perks...

Agree. Except for the Hircine laughing maniacally part. He's a more serious Daedric Prince and while he is not evil, he's not benevolent either. But the cutscenes you said sound great.

Agreed...No maniacal laughter for Hircine...But just a thought...What do you think the developers could do in regards to the days proceeding your first lycanthropic transformation?

REAL vampires that exploit not only the many useful and fun (only in a game) aspects of necromancy, but mind control, illusions, transformations, dark blood/satanic magic, and instantly turning into ash when reveled in the daylight. That would make becoming a vampire worth while!

The vampires from Skyrim sound awesome - and actually scary! I'd tread more carefully across frozen lakes at night in-game, with the knowledge of what horrors could be lurking just beneath the surface...

As for the player implementation - being able to feed in combat would be an awesome addition. I remember in Oblivion being immensely frustrated at having to wait till night to feed, since that's the only time npc's slept.

Well all of those are a given. With perks I was thinking more along the line of gaining more control over transformations or for vampires attaining more benefits from drinking blood.

What types of benefits were you thinking about for vampires?

I say two transformations per month. Since there are two moons in Tamriel. And after there is a full moon, there is a second four days later. So the transformations should be twice.

Vampires should feed on people who are awake also, since the more wild tribes are less subtle with how they approach prey. In Oblivion, the Cyrodilic vampires could feed on awaked people(As Seridur was said to have seduced the young woman and bite her neck) but they preffer to be quiet and sneaky, as is their way of life. But since Skyrim's gameplay is said to be brutal, I expect the vampires to be violent as well. As far as I'm concerned, we are not dealing with the noble and civilized vampires of the Imperial Province, but the savage barbaric ones. We know of only Eastern Skyrim's vampires, Bethesda could still implement the ones from the west.

For me, the inclusion of vampires and werewolves is a pretty big thing in purchasing the game. I like the combat and RPG elements, but they alone get old alot faster without the option of becoming a mythical creature. With vamprisim in Oblivion, it added a tactical aspect to the game, as everything required planning when you couldn't afford to be in daylight. You had to plan when you fed, when you waited, when you would go without feeding and make use of your combat advantages etc.

I never had the benefit of playing the predecessors of Oblivion, but I absolutely love the idea of playing as a werewolf, moreso than a vampire, as I'm a bag fan of the feral nature etc.

While I would be happy with simple inclusion of these two 'afflictions', It would be a really nice touch to have some faction-specific quests for each. Nothing major, as it would take away from the people who didn't fancy being cursed, but something which makes the affliction somewhat worth it, beyond the abilities gained.

From what I've read, werewolves have been done pretty well in this series already, especially with the inclusion of Hircine's ring.

I think some neat perks for vampires would include being able to maintain their human visage longer without blood, increased longevity under the sun and a healing factor, things like that that can be leveled up. I just think it would be cool if Vampires and Werebeast have to work for their bonus stats and perks.

What would the benefits for the lycanthrope be other than being able to control transformations?