[Noraima Vega]

OP, thank you. Really, thank you quite a bit. This thread is excellent, because the poll it contains is a mature and insightful one, something few polls here seem to be. This degree of thoughtful, detailed debate encompassing many views is what helps us as a community voice our views to the dear folk at Bethesda. I wish there were more threads like these. Thank you

For the record, coincidentally my votes were the same as yours I think romance gets quite a bad rep, and I'd enjoy a thorough and interesting romantic storyline. Anyway, the people have spoken :thumbsup:

[Matthew Aaron Evans]

For the first question - Other. To me, the main quest should start when, and if, I want it to. If I don't want it in a particular character's game, it should not be in the game at all. Not just stuff that I can metagame myself into ignoring (like Kvatch on fire), but not even the slightest hint of the MQ at all, unless I choose to play it. If started, however, and whenever started, it should accelerate just about continuously, sweeping the character along with it, relentlessly.

OP, thank you. Really, thank you quite a bit. This thread is excellent, because the poll it contains is a mature and insightful one, something few polls here seem to be. This degree of thoughtful, detailed debate encompassing many views is what helps us as a community voice our views to the dear folk at Bethesda. I wish there were more threads like these. Thank you

And I want to second this.

[elliot mudd]

1 Other: when ever I feel like starting it

2 Other: don't care, don't know

3 I don't want morality: I don't want to be forced to be a good or a bad character, the way I play the game should determine my morality. there should not be moments where I have to be good or bad, thats just restrictive.

after that I just voted other because this poll went on for freaking ever and I lost interest.

[Dj Matty P]

Fun poll.

I don't really care when the MQ takes center stage, but I voted "Late" because I want to be able to set it down at a few key points without having to worry about the world falling apart around me.

I'd like to be given my fair share of choices in the game, but if we're to avoid another "Warp in the West", we can't be given a New Vegas-level of choice when it comes to the ending. Choice is good, but not when it leads to clumsy retcons in the sequel.

When it comes to morality, I voted "lay it on", as I think it would provide a good way of giving the players a say in the story while keeping the major events in check. So long as it's not entirely black and white, I'll be happy with any moral dilemmas.

I suppose I'd like to see a "bittersweet" ending, as no great victory ever comes without sacrifice, but this musn't be so. If the sacrifice is handled in an intelligent manner, I'm game. If the player's mentor just happens to have a random heart attack before the last great battle, not so much. I would at least like to see the world in a better state than when I started.

As far as romanceable NPC's go, I say bring them on in drove so long as it's optional and subtle. I don't mind being able to romance a companion so long as it's not forced on me like in a Bioware game (i.e. the character constantly flirting with you, forcing you to turn them down). Relationships should be something you have to work for, not something that's handed to you on a silver platter.

[Kira! :)))]

Very interesting poll -

on the branching question - I'd like to more difficult decisions in the game that have far reaching consequences, even if they have nothing to do with the main quest or the ending.

for example, various faction quests, such as race faction quests and guild questlines, etc., where the player must make difficult decisions that result in missing out on certain unique quests, spells or items based on which faction the player sides with.

And doubt this will happen, but in regard to the main quest, I would be very happy to see a story with many branches that are both COMPLEX and DEEP, with numerous different possible game endings. This didn't really fit into any of the answers in your poll.

In terms of when the MQ takes place, as long as there isn't some kind of ticking time bomb from the moment you start the game, then of course the player will be able to control exactly when they want to move the main quest forward.

I've been playing one playthrough of Oblivion for a couple years (a few hundred hrs) without ever getting around to finishing the main quest. With Radiant Story, we now have the potential to continue playing a very long playthrough indefinitely, as new quests are given by various NPCs based on how recently you've visited a particular dungeon, etc.

[Jade Payton]

Re: Romance. I wasn't really happy with any of the options, though I voted for the 'comic like MW/Oblivion\' one (even though I was traumatised by Uncle Crassus...). I think something minimal along the lines of what they did with Ahnassi (sp?) in Morrowind would be good. I know some people like Bioware romances, but I find the treatment very cheesy and heavy-handed, especially in the ME games. If they managed to build something like that Morrowind quest into the radiant story, it would be very, very cool.

Re: Branching- I went with the 'capilliary' option (nice metaphor, BTW). The reason: aside from avoiding the lore/persistence issues, it allows for a lot more subtlety, both for role-playing and for interpreting the world. Morrowind only had one ending, but the game let you decide what it meant. Bioware games always have multiple endings, but the player can't ever really 'own' the ending- I hate being told 'this is what good people do and this is what evil people do- which are you?'.

[TOYA toys]

If I can only play the main quest once, it should be hardly there at all, and effect as little as possible, so that I can continue my game without worries. If the game ends at the end of the main quest, it should be possible not to play the main quest at all, or notice that it exists.

[Vicky Keeler]

The story should begin with an earth-shattering event. This is when the player's about to join the dead, the dragon flies above, and Esbern saves us. Esbern reveals he has watched us from a distance all our lives, because we are dragonborn. (At this point, we can call him a daft [censored], but he's a curious old man, so we listen to his war stories, anyway.) He tells us who he is - a Blade - and about the dragon, you saw above you. Now, you can sign your life to him, or you can tell him to [censored] off and have a nice day. (Esbern doesn't give up hope, and he waits for a while, but if you don't return to him in a few weeks, his avatar vanishes from the world, and the campaign never begins, an you never see another dragon. (After all, he was insane. The dragon you saw was probably someone's wizardry.) If Esbern doesn't suspend my disbelief, I should have the choice of denying the main quest's existence and move on.

Branching? Choosing which of three political factions to support: Imperialists, Traditionalists, or Aldmeri Dominion. The Imperialists and Traditionalists are the two sides of the civil war, but the Dominion is launching shadow ops of their own. The elves were in Skyrim, long before men, and the Throat of the World is an elven construct. The Dominion is interested in the fate of the Falmer and the potency of the Throat of the World in Tamriel. Each of the three has a main quest, but these are only your cover. Esbern's main quest is concerned with the core issue: Alduin.

Frankly, I don't believe in moral ambiguity. I think when a person is faced with a difficult decision, they know what they're going to do, and they do it. Their decision might not be easy, but that's because we're emotional. Like Kiralyn and nightcobra, I think gray's a buzz word in gaming for "do what you want because you're god."

Endings? I don't know. I guess if this game has an ending, one that kills Alduin and Esbern and blinds the player, instead of killing us, would be my favorite. I assume by ending you mean fin and then credits.

Yeah, no Ass Effect. Keep 'romance' out.

[Alexx Peace]

Good wins or evil, why box the player in? Forget morality, the world doesn't work that way. How about the player (regardless of what he/she becomes) is just the last man standing? As for romance, who does that anymore? How about six as a disposition option or perhaps a graded switch from Family to advlt at the Start Menu that allows everything. Perhaps an idea similar to ManaUser's 'Strip or Cover Up' mod for Morrowind. You could influence NPCs by how you look or dress. An ugly character in full armor and clothes would get less disposition than a beautiful, hip-swaying, 'hour class' figure, scantily clad female player [1005 from male merchants].

[Charlotte Buckley]

As long as the story actually has lore i am happy.

[Schel[Anne]FTL]

Not sure to what you're referring to. Each option has pros and cons to which I tried to allude, but I refrained from ridiculing the options that I find slightly unpalatable.

Yup, that's why I said "at least you tried". You did try to keep it neutral. All I'm saying is that I could still easily point out your personal preference in the given choices, so it was still a little biased.

Dunno, just your way of putting it. For example, "I want Skyrim's story to be [...] extremely complex but rather shallow" and "Every character should be told the exact same tale, we have lore to establish" are options that sound very undesirable. In the morality question it's even more obvious, where you outright state that you can't imagine one of the options as something that would be interesting, while another has "black/white morality" and another has "moral divide [...] as stark as in Oblivion", both very negative ways of putting it. And yeah, same for "happy ever after" vs. "bittersweet ending". The former has an "I just want it to be this way" reasoning there, while the latter has this "I believe there should be a bitter tinge", which makes it sound so much more mature.

Like I said, at least you tried, and it's very difficult to make a poll like this unbiased. But do you really think it's a coincidence that the majority of people chose your prefered option each time?

[jessica sonny]

I dont want the moral options to be anything like good or bad....The Witcher has the best moral options ever made....tell me if you agree


Basicly in witcher you can choose to be either neutral or choose one of two sides and you can start mixing it up every time

also the morality options come at every point not just with the two main sides...and last but definitely not least there are no good or bad, only decisions.

I want this in Skyrim