The only thing that would keep me from buying the game is nothing to do with game but IRL, if life is busy and my economy tight, that would keep me from buying the game... tough I will preorder the Collectors edition the instant it's available hoping things go as I want.

* Anything Steam related would probably put me off for good. I'm not installing that POS ever again.
* Also anything "you have to be online to play" would put me off, for good.
* Online to register first time is ok, but it's not ok to prevent me gaming when my connection is having problems.

I guess that is the only thing that would fully prevent me from supporting. But, I'll also delay purchase, if:
* Considered unplayable due bugs. I'll wait until patched and I know it's working,
* Copy protection is of malicious type. I'll buy the game when I know I somehow can deactivate it by some unofficial (or official) no DVD patch or whatever. I have a history of bad luck wrt this...
* Turns out to be totally DLC oriented, like Civ5. I never support DLCs, for any game, unless it's some kind of significant expansion I can actually buy in the store. Today I actually had to toss my Elite Frontier (Amiga version) map and manuals (water leak accident). Naturally I don't use it anymore, but it was with tears I had to do it.
* Turns out to be mod unfriendly. I'll wait and see what happens.
* Turns out to be too console'ish and/or dumbed down. Maybe mods will help.

That's about it I guess. Been playing Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Fallout3 (no expansions or DLCs).
Daggerfall by far had the best story and land size, Oblivion and Fallout3 the best graphics, but exploring Morrowind was just too weird and fantasy'ish for me, I prefer medeval with kings and kingdoms etc.

It being a MMORPG or not being released for PC.

If it was made by a different developer who focused on commercials and the game ended up svcking.

The same leveled gear/enemies as Oblivion had, same dumbed down skills.

My Premature death...

If it has a real combat system, unlike Oblivion's weak attempt.... I probably would buy it.

EDIT: If it DOESN'T have a have a real combat system like Oblivion's weak attempt. I won't buy it then.

^ Pretty much this. I wouldn't boycott it since I will buy it within the first week of release though.

But I'll be pissed.



A dumbed down skill system is a major smack in the face for me.

No ability to mod the game. Anything else, we can fix (within reason)... If we can't mod the game, then it becomes crappy by comparison.

already pre ordered it
but will want the collectors edition
and that is not yet available
will but at least two maybe three

There is no other way of putting this, the one thing that would make me NOT buy Skyrim is Oblivion. Many people loved the game, I'm happy for you but for me Oblivion was total waste of time and with the possible exception of SI, which came highly recommended, a total waste of money. This may sound harsh but deep down I still feel very bitter about Ob and if I encounter one big round happy face or a sequence of epic, visceral battles, the feeling that factions all live in their own little worlds or my character stats are pre-ordained to follow a fixed path, or... No, I WILL give this one a miss.

Oblivion seems to get really strong reactions from some people. I started with it, so the way it's "wrong" is lost to me :shrug: Best quess on what direction Skyrim will take would be Fallout 3, which is commonly considered a sizable improvement over Oblivion.

As you know, over here in Europe we often get games a few days after the US release so buying Fo3 was an informed decision. I took a bit of a gamble with FoNV, I didn't really mind if it turned out to be a Fo3 clone, as it is FoNV is a much better RPG in my eyes, so all is good. I'm loving the forum and speculation around here at the moment but... I guess the first couple of screen shots may be revealing so I'm not worrying abut Skyim until January at the soonest.

A bad music track. I want it the be as epic as Morrowind and Oblivion

• DRM
  
• Political viewpoints a la New Vegas
  
• Game crippling bugs a la New Vegas
  
• DRM

I'd like to see a more refined skill progression system, possibly some way to incorporate my beloved XP. I would like to see a much more unique and colorfully vibrant world as opposed to Oblivion (lots of green, lots of brown.. very boring) and of course I'm really hoping the game is going to be as mod friendly as all Bethesda titles. But these are all merely wants and hopes, the above list is what would be a deciding factor in buying or not buying Skyrim.

Well the only thing i can really think of is if someone hands me a collectors edition for free, then i wouldnt buy it. But other than that, this game series is absolutely outstanding, and nothing could make me turn it down

I don't think there is any one thing that would deter me from buying the game. I'm going to get it simply because it's an elder scrolls game. Nuff said.

Mmo is first. More bugs than fallout new vegas. Other than those two major possibilities and I will still definitely buy it and if its really great with minimal bugs and hundreds of hours of play, ill buy goty edition as well when it comes out just to show support.

Pretty much this. I'd also be really saddened if there was no 1st person.

I would buy Skyrim no matter what... even if some one gave me a copy...

What would make me not buy it.....

No Construction set nothing can triumph this in terms of purchasing everything under MMO is something I can semi live with.

it secretly being an MMO (would staunch the first reason as well)

More Catering to the mass, Look I know Money is the Objective (or atleast a part of it) but if people don't want to adjust to play the game then I don't think they are a decent base to hope for on your next game, This is arguable however, as Oblivion has hooked...no Net a significant portion of the world which will be jumping into the bucket the moment V is released...but please no more simplfications...please.

< 8 voice actors, do something similar to what Obsid did with NV regarding voices (a decent enough varity) and it will be sixy, no repeats of Oblivion .

if 100% of the Province of Skyrim wasnt explorable....there is an Ocean to the north hopes they Ala morrowind that.

no RAI improvements.

Nothing. *Promptly preorders it in another window*

I'll keep it short because this isn't the thread, but Oblivion feels lobotomized compared to Morrowind.

Morrowind was a bizarre little world where you could do almost anything, including challenging the game itself via raising your stats into the thousands. The environment varied from exploring a sunken burial ship in the middle of a cavern, to climbing blighted mountains, to vast mushroom forrests, to hundreds of tiny islands, to mage's towers where the occupants didn't bother with stairs because they can levitate. You go to the wrong place and you'll get mulched, you use the wrong scroll and you're sailing into the stratosphere trying (and usually failing) to find a way to avoid death before slamming into the ground. Every region was not only cosmetically different but also culturally and mechanically different. There were over a dozen factions, some of which were mutually exclusive. You were an unwelcome visitor to a strange land until it slowly became familiar.

Compare that to TES: IV, where they stop you from flying because it meddles with their cookie cutter towers in Oblivion and their cut and paste cities. They take what could have been a unique environment (Picture Brazil run by Romans) and turned it into medieval England. They castrate enchanting because they don't want the player "breaking" the game, and then break the game themselves with the leveling system. A level 1 character can do everything and anything not restricted specifically by level, including defeating a daedric invasion and killing the most infamous mage in the lore. They declared war on replayability by allowing any character to complete any faction. You can't take risks, swing above your weight class, adventuring feels samey.

Morrowind made getting lost exciting, Oblivion made invading hell dull.


That said, the fans in the old boards asked for a lot of the changes that happened in between, I don't blame Bethesda or the console market for everything. Bethesda needs to look to Morrowind if they want my money. I liked the combat system in Oblivion well enough, but it didn't have the magic of Morrowind. Oblivion was not a bad game, that all said, it just needed a little fixing.

I don't think anything would make me not buy it.

a V.A.T.S. like system