I voted yes, on the condition that they provide quality DLC and expansions. I only ever had a small number of mods I used regularly, so It would not kill me if they were not available.

This in no way implies I dont want a construction kit included with the game, only that I would still buy it if it was not included.

There's always a way to modify stuff in games outside the tools given. Just look at the Morrowind Graphics Extender and what it does to that game.

I do not own consoles. I'd be crazy to buy one just because this game wouldn't have mod support.
If there wasn't PC version at all I wouldn't buy the game, I'd probably just watch let's play from YouTube.

Food for thought: They post blog updates about what mods are most downloaded for Oblivion and Morrowind. Mods give new life for the game and endless amount of content. Also it's great way to hire people into the industry - show them what you have made with their own tools.
They'd be mad not to support mods and modding after seen what positive impact it has given their games.

My plan is to buy it on PS3 in the first place and then move over to the PC once the modding comunity is up and running, so no, I would just stick to the console in that case.

Yes I would. It should look much better on PC since you can have more antialiasing and anisostropic filtering, and should be able to get more out of the new engine.

Open world games graphics are more important to me then other game types like shooters or isometric.

Nope. I'd get the PS3 version.

Also my go-to console if the system requirements are more than my fairly decent laptop can handle.

I voted no based on Bethesda's track record.

Every game since (and including) Morrowind that they have developed has been released at what felt like beta stage. Full of bugs, unbalanced, and the storylines/quests/dialogue/writing has gotten progressively worse with each game. Mods are what saved Oblivion, and Fallout 3. Without them the games would have been played once and then shelved in favour of other RPGs like Dragon Age or The Witcher. The games simply are not released with the addictive gameplay and depth of writing required to forego modding IMO.

Added to that that Bethesda's lack of a decent and thorough patching/support process (each game has had at least one patch that broke stuff badly; example the fallout 3 patch that broke VATs) and its usually up to the community to fix the bugs/problems via large scale Unofficial Patching Projects.

Without the ability to mod the game i wouldnt buy the game on release. Id probably pick it up from the bargain bin in a game store somewhere eventually. As it is with the track record I wont be buying it on release at all; ill be waiting for the GOTY. That way I will get a sort of working product and the modding community will be well up and going by then to sort out any problems or mod out any things in the game I dont like.

This is just my opinion though. I dont claim to be an authority - or that im right. Its just how the situation feels to me.

I will always buy Elder Scrolls games for the PC because of the superior visual experience and most importantly for the console.

The console has saved me hundreds of times from bugs in Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

PC mods are just icing on the cake for me

Of course, I've barely played any OB or FO3 mods. I did mod and use quite a few MW mods, though.

I think mods ruin the game.So i would.

The only mod I have ever used for a game was the one that fixed the FoNV radio stations so I wouldn't hear the same 4 songs over, and over.....and over again. They just do not appeal to me, because they almost always lack the polish of the original title and as such stick out in glaring ways that annoy me to no end.

I'd still buy the PC version. I'm not a console gamer. The PC has a lot more freedom, and I like the PC controls far better than console controls.

...but I will of course be very disappointed if it turns out that Skyrim won't have any mods, especially if the PC version has an annoying UI optimized for console, like Oblivion had.
Vanilla-Oblivion was actually better for consoles IMO, just because of the UI. Mods fixed that, and made the PC version many times better than the console versions.

If I had a PC that would run Skyrim with HD graphics etc, and it would not be moddable... I'd buy it for PS3 because I like controlers more than mouse+keyboard.

I'm getting TESV mods or no mods. It's still going to be a masterpiece!

I voted yes, but more specifically; yes, but I'd be disappointed, as I've enjoyed mods, and would probably never have finished Oblivion or bought the expansions if there were no construction set.

I was enjoying Oblivion until I discovered the joys of level scaling - and that my smooth talking thief character could no longer leave the safety of the cities without facing certain death. And the more I trained, the worse the problem got.

So I popped into the construction set, made a small mod that capped the monsters' levels, did a bit more training and the fights gradually got easier with each level up. And, most importantly, I was enjoying the game again.

If there were no construction set I'd probably have given up about a quarter of the way through the game because I wasn't having fun. And I doubt I would have bought Knights of the Nine or Shivering Isles, or be as excited as I am to hear of Skyrim.

That's a very curious stance. Why do you say that?

How about mods such as the Oblivion mod that for example that allows you to see which plants you have harvested for alchemy, with those plants showing normally again after they regenerate? How about the mod that makes containers visually appear to be opened after you check them so you can tell what you went through in a dungeon (or if you're a thief a house), with an option to close them if you so wish? How about the mod that makes the map a color map? How about the mods that improve the UI itself, showing more inventory on the screen at once and improving meters displayed for your status effects? How about the mod that for Khajiit makes night eye toggled rather than a short buff, which actually makes sense lore wise and just avoids having to spam it normally? How about the mod that allows you to put quest items into containers so they don't permanently clog your inventory (and you can disable the mod after putting them in a safe place to avoid accidentally losing quest items).

Oblivion spoilers:


To add to that there are many dozens of minor tweaks such as horse retextures or bug fixes and such. It's a very curious statement to say you think that mods "ruin" the game. Every mod I listed there does nothing that changes the balance of the game.

I would be extremely disappointed if modding weren't possible. I originally voted that I'd get it for a console instead if it was like that, but in retrospect I wouldn't want to lose the console either, which has at least once allowed me to escape a bugged piece of geometry that trapped me.

I would cry, and probably still buy the game - but it would end my "Love" of Bethesda as it stands today. I would still support the franchise with buying at least 1 copy of their Epic AAA titles, where today I buy 3-4 copies and paint my face in BGS colors whenever possible.

Pandora's box is already open, I can't believe they would cut out modding now - it would go against everything they have said.

I feel secure in my #bethesdalove

Miax

Nope, I would not purchase it. As well, I don't have a console, so if there aren't modding tools available (although I'm sure there will be), I won't be purchasing Skyrim.

Modding is an essential element of the Elder Scrolls metagame culture, and removing it would remove the hands and the voice of the community.

How anyone can play these games (any by Bethesda so far) more than twice without mods is beyond me.

But then why Bethesda doesn't offer longer support and updates is too.

No i wouldnt buy it. Thats because i played Oblivion Vanilla. And it was really bad. Oblivion without mods => no fun
The same for Fallout 3.

Im askins myself whats better:
a crapy game (like oblivion) with easy tools to create your own mod. And it was really easy to edit oblivion, thats why we had 1000000 mods for it.
or a good game without tools or any way to create mods for the game

I've played every other Bethesda game 100% vanilla and Skyrim will be no different

No, I wouldn't buy it without mods. No mods = 360 rental for me.

I'd buy it, and Bethesda would still be my favorite developer, but I'd cry.

Let us not forget unofficial patches! I've played mods, made by fans for free, that were voice acted, or simply HUGE in scope. My 2 notable mentions (again) are Blood&Mud and Frostcrag Reborn for Oblivion. Simply amazing!!!

No mods, no way in hell will I touch it with a stick. Except maybe to destroy it.
An Elder Scrolls game without mods(Excluding the first two, because modding wasn't as big back then) isn't one worth buying.

I would still buy it, but I'd be hoping and praying that it would be so buggy as to necessitate a fan patch.