Thought I'd take the opportunity to reiterate reasons for limited technological advance to give people less excuse to post without considering the pros and cons.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1153644-would-you-like-to-see-the-tes-world-evolve-technology-wise/

Would you see technology evolve in future TES instalments?
Part of a series on actually interesting and valid discussions that are not to do with crossbows.

Important information to consider before posting your one word ‘no’ reply.

• Magic is not necessarily a perfect substitute for technology, and thus should not hold it back forever. Bear in mind that for a magical device to continually work (based on what lore we have) it would either require to be fed souls regularly or simply have mages putting their energy into it 24/7. Not very efficient or ethical.
  
• Not everyone in Tamriel has the magical skill to use it for everyday things like drawing water from the well or building a new.. building, and not everybody has access to those who do or the means to pay them. Technology would advance for them – not for your uber powerful mage who totally doesn’t need it.
  
• ”Technology” does not mean instant guns, cars or electricity. It can be things as simple as irrigation, windmills, tools and medicine. This kind of technology can evolve without spoiling the fantasy/ye olde feel of TES that we all (yes even us evil technology advocates) want to see remain.
  
• Technology can evolve in Tamriel along a different, fictional line compared to our own. To take Fable as the most tentative of examples, Fable 2 went for a very steampunk kind of route that I felt tied with the world of Albion very well. Obviously TES has a more established world and lore that is more susceptible to being ****ed up, but it’s just an example of how technological advancement does not bring every fictional universe in line with ours – it’s down to how creative the designers will be.
  
• This does not have to happen in Skyrim, or even any of the major TES instalments. Personally I would like to see a spinoff that deals with the theme of evolution of technology and looks at how the people of Tamriel deal with that.
  
• Nobody (who isn’t a troll) wants to see TES undergo the kind of time and technology leap that Fable did. We are talking the very barest – the very faintest – beginnings of technology starting to creep into Tamriel in the more advanced cultural centres.
  
• The basis of Tamrielic technology could be magic – they needn’t be at odds. Consider the ingenium that kept the Ministry of Truth afloat in Vvardenfell for a while. It was powered by souls, not steam or electricity.

And resume.

The dragons better have dual mounted rocket launchers on each shoulder pwe pew pew pew pew!

Adding to this, I think people are just having knee-jerk reactions, as soon as you mention advancement of technology they picture our world and things like gunpowerder, airplanes, etc.

The technology of TES can evolve on a whole different route and within the lore. You can find new uses for magic, it doesn't have to be "oh technology, no use for magic now!" like in other games or stories, magic and technology can co-exist and even worok together to further technology.

I personally would like to see the world of TES move forward, to have new and exciting things appear and develop over the course of future games. Things that are unique to the game world and fit in with it, not a drastic change but a slow gradual build up that feels logical and natural within the world and lore.

As far as Magic solves everything, do people not realize that not every-single person in the world uses magic?: Not everyone has levitation and do you REALLY think mages would want to have all their time spent doing such excitign things as "oh lets build an irrigation ditch today" or "oh instead of using a pulley to open the gate that people can do for themselves I'll stand there all day long and be someones door opener!"

In that case, why have bows? Why have swords? Why have horses? All of these can be done with magic so why have them in the TES world? Because it makes sense, the same as advancement with technology in the world that fits.

Next poll you might want to make a question regarding "Magi-tech" as well- things that look act like what we know but are fueled by magical sources rather than technological. The Dwemer Airships are a good example- take a ship, put on a bunch of high-power levivtation spells, add some sails, and boom! Airship! And you don't loose the High Fantasy "feel" of TES at the same time.

Its funny how these poll-options keep "expanding" - now you do not have just a yes or no, but some sort of "no" compromise option allowing for "a little this" so that someone can find a breach to suggest all the new (yet rejected) stuff again - guns, bombs, steampunk this/that...

But the important thing is that it needn't be an airship like in Final Fantasy - just a floating platform. We're essentially talking about Umbriel, and the fact that that floats nobody seems to have a problem with. It's the moment you call it 'technology' that it undermines the integrity of TES.



I just thought that the original poll was a bit restrictive. Pardon me for trying to allow people to more accurately express their stance in the poll.

In my mind, I see magick as being a very rare commodity, even in the "current" era. Most people can't do much more than light a campfire or magickally stitch some wounds, it seems - and I recall hearing some of the poverty-stricken citizens of the Imperial City mentioning that they can't go out adventuring like the player, because they can't afford the gear or cast a spell.

So I expect we'll be seeing some kinds of mechanical workarounds for Ye Average Joe.


I also have the urge to go back in time, and invent a cart that can be peddled, eliminating the need for horses. >.>

"Only very little" isn't really my opinion, but it's the closest option in the poll. What I would like to see, as I said in the previous thread, would be something similiar to what Arcanum did. The beginning of a clash between magic and technology. No widespread steamengines, nor machineguns or anything such, just glimpses of progression here and there and people having their differing opinions about it (for and against, and some more heavily than others), and mostly an alternative for magic coming from people not too capable of using it (and real gameplay impacts for choosing between either magic or mechanics -- a viable gameplay mechanic set up, for example, so that you can not be as powerful with mechanical aptitude as with magic, but the progression would be faster and resources would be more readily available). And of course those windmills and such that the poll advertises, a more believable and consistent gameworld never hurts.

Why must there be a clash? Why can technology simply not be clever implementation of enchantments + physics based contraptions like windmills?

InB4 the Luddites.

Yo, dude,

technology and a fantasy series like TES do not work together at all. The best they can have technology wise are:

sewers, outhouses, viaducts, bridges, metalworking and blacksmithing, pottery, some agriculture, animal husbandry and cattle breeding, ink and paper for books and writing, early "Pythagoras style" mathematics, maybe a primitive Emperor's central bank for coin making and currency issues, and of course philosophy and divine learnings.

Thats all that I would allow.

Doesn't have to be. I just think it would give a nice flavor to the game and its world (if implemented correctly).

Please leave advancing tech to Fable, its their gimmik. They do it well but TES should remain in a time bubble of a semi-medieval era.

Medieval is always great for me!

In the OP I quite clearly said that I am not advocating a Fable size leap in technology. Only the barest advances should be made to start with.

You clearly forget about the Dwemer who had dynamos, steam engines (likely some form of train), airships, giant robots, little robots who like to eat your face, amongst other things.

ok my bad I jumped the gun there I just get a bit touchy about changes sorry

No worries my friend. It just stings a little as I put so much effort into bagging this thread for myself so that the OP could be informative :sadvaultboy:

Actually,

I have always took TES as a totally "parallel universe" to our universe, so marking its time as semi-medieval seems out of place.

right but elves and magic don't?

I don't see the big deal with having some technology around as nothing would really change, there'd be just bigger selection of gameplayoptions and gameworld variety - which at least I'd consider a good thing in this grey mass of medieval fantasysettings (Fable 3 aside, as in there - as far as I know; haven't playd too much of it - none of it makes any real difference).

Some advancement would be nice. It doesn't make sense for hundreds of years to go by with zero advancement in technology.

I'd like to see some of the dwemer technology rediscovered.

except the empire fell, when that happened to us in the real world we fell into the dark ages and it took much longer than 100 years to come back out.

We already have small cranes, mills, etc., no need for anything else. Why would you need it if there's magic? :flamethrower:

You, sir, did not read the OP.