All the talk about how Morrowind was better in this, how Oblivion was better in that, but what about the things where Skyrim was better in?
What do you think Skyrim did better than previous TES?

Personally, I like Skyrim and all, but I seriously can't think of many things that were fundamentally better than in previous TES games. Sprinting and smithing are definitely positive things, as is the perk tree system, but that's where I can't think of anything else.

Oh and player dialogue was definitely an improvement. TES 1-4 were strange RPGs because the player was never given an option to voice his own opinion in things, other than choosing between "yes I take this quest" and "no I don't want this quest". Skyrim's dialogue is lacking in some aspects but multi-choice dialogue is definitely a turn for the better.

So what do you think? "Better graphics" isn't a valid answer since that's a given for any new game.

graphics- I know you said it is not a valid answer
combat- Archery and melee has improved alot
voice acting- The voice acting isnt cheesy like oblivion.

Morrowind's main storyline was and I liked how you actually had to level up in certain spots in order to advance in rank in guilds and I also loved how you could join the legion and become the head of two major religious factions as well as become the head of a assassin order that isn't filled with psychos and a political group.

Anyway what Skyrim did better was....um...can...only really give it combat...but Morrowind's combat made the game more difficult whereas skyrim's is...fairly easy.

1. Combat is much more fun than before
2.Finishers, which falls in with combat
3. Removal of attributes and replacement with perk system (although both would be better)
4. Magic is actually fun to use
5. Magic is now usable as a standalone weapon
6. CHARACTER FACES, OMG CHARACTER FACES
7. Thu'um
8. Craft system. We may have lost spell crafting, but weapon and armor crafting to me is worth it. Especially since magic is more fun now
9. Being in Skyrim, land of the Nords!
10. More blood and decapitations. I always hated how Oblivion wasn't bloody enough (I was young). Didn't care as much when I played Morrowind, but I'm glad it's there.
11. The environment is much more well crafted. I believe all of it is hand crafted right? I know the dungeons are this time around.
12. Dungeons are much more interesting to explore. More little stories, and the cave and dungeons actually look different now.
13. The magic and weapon's duel wielding system.
14. Music
15. That feel of...epic.
16. Also, characters and the world still move when you are talking
17. Animations
18. Easier to roleplay in due to the less cartoonish look
19. Doesn't have Oblivion's silliness
20. The bounty system
21. Bounty hunters
22. Random events! One of my favorite things about Skyrim. Much more fun to not fast travel now.
23. I already said character faces, but the fact that we get scars, war paint and beards I think needs its own mention. Especially beards since we lost those in Oblivion besides that pitiful shadow neck beard crud we got.
24. Armor looks waaay cooler. Everything in general does.
25. THE WATER! Moving currents!
26. Marriage
27. Adoption
28. Making my own house
29. New werewolf is epic
30. Vampires are cooler than before

Skyrim has better environment, dungeons and graphic.
Combat is better, AI is better.
Voice acting it better however I don't like how the npc talk only to you and hate then they follow you into your house to talk about Belators shop for the 100 time, this get you into serious problems in real world

I agree with this, thats it though, everything else was better in oblivion and morrowind.

Although, one thing oblivion did better than skyrim combat wise, when I hit someone in the cheek with the warhammer, they actually went flying the direction I hit them, in this game there is no rhyme or reason to which direction they go when you get a kill shot. You could smack them in the forehead going down, and theyll just fly to the left.

Oblivion had hilarious rag-doll physics

Skill wise I'd say pickpocketing.

Perk trees. They add a level of detail and uniqueness to a character that we've never ha before, and is really valuable. My mage can specialise in shock destruction or necromancy, my alchemist can focus solely on poisons and my warrior can specialise in war axes. Each character can feel very different, and perk trees really contribute to this.

Magic mechanics. Don't get me wrong, the lack of some spell effects and spellmaking are a big loss. What I'm talking about is how magic works: using two hands, dual casting, different ways of using one spell, and so on. As Todd Howard rightly said in an interview, magic in previous titles was very 'spreadsheety' - spells were known by 'x points of y effect for z seconds on touch/target/self'. Now we have more variety, and magic has a much better vibe. Now we have streams, walls, runes, wards, rituals and everything else. The system isn't flawless, but IMO it's a big improvement over past games. And we also have many new effects, despite the loss of other ones.

World Interactions. Imperial/Stormcloak couriers, peddlers, scavengers protecting their loot, bandits attacking travellers, travelling mercenaries, a wannabe chef ... The world outside of the city gates feels alive! It goes a step beyond Oblivion's travelling NPCs, and puts a diverse range of people on the roads and in the wilderness. And then there are interactions triggered by your actions - Thalmor hitsquads attacking you after you kill their agents, thugs hired by those you steal from or whose relatives you murder, and so on. Skyrim is more alive than any previous TES game.

NPCs. Skyrim's NPCs, for the most part, aren't the most developed characters. But Skyrim is the strongest TES title in the series in terms of NPCs having personalities. When walking down the street in Whiterun, you can meet a blacksmith who indirectly advises the Jarl, a mother who reuses to believe her son is dead, a man who's both a stereotypical Nord warrior and a bard, a boy from a rich family who's being bullied by a thug of a girl, and so on. In Morrowind, you can walk into Balmora and meet ... People who share all of the same dialogue. Oblivion was a step up, and Skyrim takes it to the next level.

Skyrim's not perfect, but I truly believe it's a step up in many areas from previous TES titles.

basically this. i also like the art direction.

lol. skyrim doesn't have multiple choice dialogue.

What Skyrim does better...

The new options added - cooking, smithing, dual-wielding, adoption, followers...
Better archery, combat and sneak eye.
Better voice acting.
I do think graphics count, so graphics and character design and character creation.
World leveling, compared to Oblivion
Perk trees are a nice addition too (but character development still needs to be improved)
The fact that there are children.

Edit: And I think the fast-travel system in Skyrim is better than MW and OB.

But it does. Perhaps not compared to games that really rely heavily on story, but definitely compared to previous TES games. And that's what matters - it's a TES game, not a part of any other series.

even if they were rag doll, they made more sense than in this game, In this game I can hit someone from right to left on their right cheek and they will just fall down as if I sneezed on them. In oblivion they actually traveled the direction I hit them. Yes it could have been better, but in skyrim it makes no sense.

evencompared to oblivion, skyrim has much much less multiple choice options. A perfect example is that guy right outside the gate in the Imperial city, he asks for your help against the slaughter fish, and you can help him, or laugh in his face. In skyrim the options would have been, help him, or press B.

I haven't played Oblivion in a while, so can someone tell me if this is true? I don't remember and I want to say it's not. Admittedly I may be influenced by my snow covered glasses.

They kinda didn't because a dagger could make a person swing to the other side of the room in oblivion also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragdoll_physics