Darker than Oblivion? I thought Oblivion was dark in some areas(creepy dungeons, the Deadlands), and I liked returning to the bright world of Tamriel after expeditions through such areas. Dementia had a nice dark atmosphere, as well, but I always liked coming to the bright side of the Isles, Mnaia, after being in Dementia. Morrowind was a happy game, for the most part. It lacked atmospheric dungeon music, dungeons were filled with too much light, and I couldn't take any of the hilarious creatures seriously. I believe balance is the key. I don't want one entirely gloomy game, but I like the balance Oblivion had, with a majority of the above-ground Tamriel being light and happy, yet the dungeons being dark and eerie.

It needs some variety
A dark oppressive ruin is much darker and oppressive if you've just come from somewhere bright and cheerful, betrayal hurts more if its someone you really trusted, the massacre of a village is more horrifying if the last time you visited it was a friendly prosperous place
Not to say the game wouldn't benefit from a little more doom and gloom than Oblivion but unremitting bleakness loses its edge very quickly

I also agree with those who don't feel Skyrim would neccessarily be a particularly bleak place. Now Argonia I can see as being very oppressive, like nature itself hated you

I rarely ever found Oblivion dark and creepy. I agree with Sil. Beneath Anvil's lighthouse, and the occasional necromancer lair (emphasis on "occasional"), nothing was dark and scary. A darker mood doesn't just mean a darker place. Having lower light levels doesn't make the game seem darker in itself. Corruption/greed and good guys finishing last are some of the best ways to make a game feel dark, in my opinion. In Oblivion, everything was happy and when I was in a city, I never felt as if there where gates to oblivion opening up, and impending doom was falling on Tamriel. Morrowind had the right feeling simply with blight storms. I knew that Dagoth Ur's disease was spreading everywhere, and it was always dreaded by me.

Too dark areas for seemingly no reason can also make it seem cheesy. The Dark Brotherhood and the Deadlands in Oblivion seemed so. I can forgive the Deadlands, of course, it's supposed to be so dark it's cheesey, but I don't want to see more of those Dark Brotherhood guys. I liked the secret ones outside the den, but in the den there was too much emphasis on the "we're a group of murderers and we hate life" feel.

Also, we're talking about the province. The Deadlands aren't a part of the province, it's not even the same world.

No game should either be dark or happy all the time. When I've just finished a long dungeon crawl, I want to be able to go somewhere comfortable and warm for a while to collect myself. I believe that Skyrim will be able to balance this quite well.

I wouldn't worry too much. Kyne blessed all Nords with a pale skin and golden hair so that they might amplify the tiniest bit of light and illuminate their surroundings.

I'd say the DB in Cheydenhal were possibly some of the most likable, well-balanced NPCs in the game. They didn't hate life - they loved it, and chose to express their love of life through extinguishing it.

I would like to see TES go down a darker road in general. Actually I think Fallout 3 did it really well. When you sat down and thought about it Fallout's world was very depressing, but it wasn't depressing enough to distract you from all the fun. I hope Bethesda can keep that same level in TES as well.

...........Ice giants FTW!

It does seem like a bizarre thing to want, but I do agree that a bit more racism would not just make the game more interesting, but also more realistic. I'd never played an Elder Scrolls game before, so when I was reading about the different races and choosing my character, I thought it would have a massive impact on the way certain people treated me in the game (some people condescending, others outright hostile and barring me from pubs etc, and obviously those who didn't care what race you were). Although racial tension was mentioned in passing, it really had little to no impact on the character. This would definitely be one way to make ESV darker - wandering into a town somewhere and wondering what the reception will be, whether the guards will help, hinder or even frame you if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This would also make the game waaaay more satisfying to replay as different races, IMHO.

This would certainly make character creation even better!

Well there IS racism TES IV. Each race has a different attitude towards another, and this can be seen in the TES Construction set. Also, whe I play imperial, Dark Elves HATE me

As long as the colour scheme from gears of war doesn't creep in, all words don't start with f and end with k and a little scratch won't cause an eruption of blood then a little bit of darkness shouldn't hurt.

I also wouldn't mind seeng a short racially exclusive quest or even small community that only your race has access to.

If anything I hope the caves are dark and scary. Remember daggerfall's dungeons? Talk about on edge! I was generally anxious wandering those eerie catacombs.

Well, it sure should be a little darker, but not too dark. I want it to be dark and bright at the same time. Like, you enter a cave, which is VERY dark place. No any source of light (except a torch, if you have one). And then when you go outside, there's a bright world.

Oblivion overall wasnt creepy, but i must say i was rather creeped out sometimes by the underground/cave areas in the oblivion gates. And certain undead caves and stronholds.
Depends what creeps you out i guess i hate spiders and the zombies. For me the sound added a lot to creepyness.

In Skyrim it should be very dark at night, and huge wilderness and mountains, like Norway. Some frozen dark caves and forts/strongholds could easily get really creepy there aswell. Should be very pale, dark, white and blue landscapes

Pff, that's not enough. The relationship bonuses are weak, and there isn't any change other than an angrier greeting. We need massive hatred throughout the game. You would never have guessed that Orcs where actually only recenty accepted by the empire, and have been hunted by everyone for years when playing Morrowind/Oblivion, would you? You wouldn't guess that Altmer absolutly despised any other race and barred access by other races to thier towns. You wouldn't have guessed that the majority of Dunmer where all for slavery in Oblivion. There isn't enough racism throughout the whole series, imo. It gives a great depressing feel (think of the ghouls in Fallout 3) I want to be refused service by Altmer, mocked if I'm an armorer by Orcs, and beaten by Dunmer if I'm a Khajiit/Argonian.

Amen to that. I hadn't thought about the ghouls, but they're proof enough for me that it would not only work in a game, but that Bethesda knows how to do it.

Do you reckon the next one will be a 15 certificate like ES:OB? If they go up to an 18 the gameplay might be much darker (a' la Fallout 3), but then they might see that as a gamble on the amount of sales, maybe.

I'm not sure if it's unusual for a game in a series to up a certificate rating or not.

The Ghouls had thier own town as well. More racial segregation would add to immersion and bolster racial loyalty for the player.

For the record, that's because alot of Oblivion's NPCs were perfectly complacent Imperial citizens. The Dark Elves of Cyrodiil weren't the Dunmer of Vvardenfell, and I for one was glad to see that not all Dunmer are innately dour and rude. Obviously, an Altmer isn't going to get much business to his store if he insults every non-Altmer that walks through the door, right?

But, you're on the right track. Racism in TES goes a long way towards making a more immersive experience. I like the idea of playing as an Argonian, and having to put the occasional band of drunken Dunmer in their place. Orcs, too, for that matter. Aren't they supposed to be the "Pariah Folk"? I understand that they've gone a long ways towards acceptance in the Empire, but you'd think there'd be a period of transition. It's like saying that racism in the United States suddenly *disappeared* after the civil rights movement.

So, yeah. I don't want racism to be such a heavy presence in the game that it becomes obnoxious, but I still want it to be present. Nords seem to be a pretty open-minded sort...but who knows how they'll react to all the displaced Dunmer flooding into their lands? Imagine the xenophobic Dunmer actually having to swallow their pride and get along with strangers, for once.

I would like it to be darker but for Oblivion I think they did okay. Although it was all bright and cheery a lot, it seemed to fit the environment. Also, we still don't know where the next game will take place so lets just hope they match the "dark" aspect to the environment.

Skyrim shouldn't be darker, but it should be harsher/more rugged in tone.

I know I asked for something along these lines in one of the Suggestions Threads. But, yeah. I would love it if TES Skyrim (If that's where it is) would be something similar to Korgoth of Barbaria in tone.

I certainly hope so. I look forward to the mood being appropriate for the setting. With that in mind, blizzards, harsh lands, and impending doom should all be a must have...