Elder Scrolls VI Speculation

[Drog Black Tooth]

I do worry, well accept as inevitable I should say, that the games will continue to get more and more simplified. No more skills in TES VI? Quite possible I think. I wish modern developers and audiences would recognize the benefits of limitations encouraging multiple playthroughs with vastly different types of characters.

Actually, Skyrim is much better at this than Morrowind and Oblivion ever were.

In vanilla Skyrim it was impossible to get all perks in one playthru, you'd run out of level ups way before that. By popular demand they added an option to reset a skill score back to 15 without losing perks so that you can grind for more perk points. But get this, you'd need to get to lvl 252 and reset a skill 147 times to collect all the perks with a single character. Ain't nobody gonna do this. But the option is still there, for especially autistic kids that don't have anything else to do with their time.

Now, in Morrowind or Oblivion it was p trivial to max out absolutely everything in a single playthru. Every time I played Morrowind I'd just start out with a melee skill, then slowly move to destruction and conjuration, alchemy etc. The fact that it was so easy to get money and there were no limits on how many times you could buy training per level really made it all very trivial. Oblivion tried to fix it somewhat by adding limits on how many times you can train a skill before a level up, but it was still p easy to max out everything.

 

[SDeden]

Actually, Skyrim is much better at this than Morrowind and Oblivion ever were.

In vanilla Skyrim it was impossible to get all perks in one playthru, you'd run out of level ups way before that. By popular demand they added an option to reset a skill score back to 15 without losing perks so that you can grind for more perk points. But get this, you'd need to get to lvl 252 and reset a skill 147 times to collect all the perks with a single character. Ain't nobody gonna do this. But the option is still there, for especially autistic kids that don't have anything else to do with their time.

I should have clarified what I meant. I don't like being able to max every skill or buy every perk, but really what irks me about the "only need one playthrough" mentality is being able to do every quest and join every faction. Oblivion did it and Skyrim did it and I think it's dumb. Of-course a proper class system or something that imposed sensible limits on the player, combined with factions having skill requirements and outright refusing you if you have joined rival/criminal factions or even just committed certain acts, should be a natural part of the TES formula. In theory I suppose.

Would players feel restricted or more immersed if actions they took in the game had rippling effects on other areas of the game world that at first seemed unrelated?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

I should have clarified what I meant. I don't like being able to max every skill or buy every perk, but really what irks me about the "only need one playthrough" mentality is being able to do every quest and join every faction. Oblivion did it and Skyrim did it and I think it's dumb.

Again, bullshit. In Skyrim you get to choose between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion, can't do both in one playthru. Same goes for the Dawnguard vs Vampires, etc. Oblivion had a faction choice in the Shivering Isles expansion, etc.

Morrowind IIRC only locked you out of 2 of the 3 Great Houses once you join one, and that was that. Is there really a difference? Or you're just trying to rationalize your nostalgia?

 

[SDeden]

Again, bullshit. In Skyrim you get to choose between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion, can't do both in one playthru. Same goes for the Dawnguard vs Vampires, etc. Oblivion had a faction choice in the Shivering Isles expansion, etc.

In both examples you are going to get pretty much identical gameplay. In any case, that doesn't refute what I said. It just gives a positive example of the game not always entirely failing in this regard. It's just silly to be the Arch Mage and the Guildmaster of the Fighter's Guild and the Gray Fox and Listener of the Dark Brotherhood and the Divine Crusader and the Champion of Cyrodiil and the Dragonborn and a Vampire Lord and a Companion and so forth.

Why is Meridia willing to even speak to me if I've helped vampires? Why can I rise in the College of Winterhold without ever casting a spell after the entrance test? It's just stupid and shallow design and no, it is not nostalgia for Morrowind considering I've never played it. Credit due for not letting you join both the Stormcloaks and Imperials, though it is questionable why I can fight on the front lines for one side but still walk around and quest and shop in the enemy holds. Whether you join the Vampires or stick with the Dawnguard you get pretty much the same quest line and even basically the same fight at the end.

 

[Mortmal]

the next TES game will be so 'streamlined' that it'll make skyrim look like wizardry anyhow

"For the UI" said Todd "uh, you know, we wanted to tell a story this time, so it needed - yeah. We looked at dozens of, uh, concepts. We really wanted you, players, everybody who plays, to feel like they were in control. Uhm? We chose this design a-after one of those, what's called, 'ah-ha!' moments, the team and me." Pete interjects "I was bidding away the company's budget on sports jerseys, when Todd caught me in an awkward position. He told me what they had. I asked if he saw anything. He said 'n-no.' Best day of my life." Todd takes over "As you can see (can they see?) the design is similar to a moving picture show, uh, playing device. Those things. You can p-pause the game at any time to soak in all the awesome detail - really immerse yourself in the vistas." Pete continues "To resume the game, just select the arrow. You can rewind the game again and again, to relive all your favorite moments." "Or!" Todd remarks "You can even fast forward, that is, if the game's too slow, not that it is, and you, you just want that sweet action."

Game Journalist: "Fascinating, another 10/10 gentlemen. Todd Howard, charismatic as a motherfucker"

UI ? we will barely see any UI...TES are solo mmo while ESO is a mmo you can play mostly solo, if they want a new product that doesnt compete ,they need something eso cant do. The onlly thing a classic tes can do better is graphics as it's impossible to display so many characters in 4K, even less if you want to display it in VR.So yes they will go full graphic as close a movie possible, 100 giga super impressive walking simulator scaled for the latest consoles, ps5 , xbox scorpio or whatever is released and it will use VR with motion controllers to aim your sword and spells if that technology is succesfull in a few years, if not it will go full 4k.

 

[ColonelTeacup]

There was an altmer in Ulfric's village who wanted to suck his cock, and spy papers you give the Blades ho imply they have some kind of way to control him. We could see a Stormcloak Altmer alliance against the Cyrocucks and negroes. Hopefully then they gas the lizards and spay the damn cats.

Not to control him, but that he's unstable and would do harm to the empire if let go due to ptsd from failing his comrades and getting captured during the war. He's an asset in that he would try and get the nords to secede from the Empire, further weakening them for when the inevitable confrontation between the thalmor and Imperials start.

I wasnt impressed by SE. Even with the same graphics they somehow managed to make the game run like dogshit.

Really? I'm not sure who to trust on this. Person A says the SE runs better than vanilla and Person B says exactly the opposite. I'd like to upgrade SE if it is more stable, but my modded version of old Skyrim looks pretty nice anyway and runs fine as it is. Plus I'd hate to have to customize SE all over again.

Recently I went back and played Oblivion on PC for the first time and I've found that I've modded it quite a bit less than I ever did Skyrim. Really just fixing the level-up mechanic and the sillier parts of the level scaling and the game is fine enough. The culture in Cyrodiil is a bit lacking compared to Skyrim, but I can live with that.

I do worry, well accept as inevitable I should say, that the games will continue to get more and more simplified. No more skills in TES VI? Quite possible I think. I wish modern developers and audiences would recognize the benefits of limitations encouraging multiple playthroughs with vastly different types of characters.

It's most likely due to GPUs. I have an amd GPU and it seems like Bethesda games don't play well recently with them. Now, while I can install up to 4k textures no problem in reg skyrim and an enb and lighting overhaul with at least 30 fps, in SE I have stutters and other issues with it on launch with no mods. Essentially, your experience may vary. I wasnt impressed however. And it's all a moot point at this point anyhow, as SE modding seems to be dead in the water.

 

[RNGsus]

There was an altmer in Ulfric's village who wanted to suck his cock, and spy papers you give the Blades ho imply they have some kind of way to control him. We could see a Stormcloak Altmer alliance against the Cyrocucks and negroes. Hopefully then they gas the lizards and spay the damn cats.

Not to control him, but that he's unstable and would do harm to the empire if let go due to ptsd from failing his comrades and getting captured during the war. He's an asset in that he would try and get the nords to secede from the Empire, further weakening them for when the inevitable confrontation between the thalmor and Imperials start.

Or there's some Manchurian Candidate shit happening, you never know...

 

[ColonelTeacup]

There was an altmer in Ulfric's village who wanted to suck his cock, and spy papers you give the Blades ho imply they have some kind of way to control him. We could see a Stormcloak Altmer alliance against the Cyrocucks and negroes. Hopefully then they gas the lizards and spay the damn cats.

Not to control him, but that he's unstable and would do harm to the empire if let go due to ptsd from failing his comrades and getting captured during the war. He's an asset in that he would try and get the nords to secede from the Empire, further weakening them for when the inevitable confrontation between the thalmor and Imperials start.

Or there's some Manchurian Candidate shit happening, you never know...

You give Bethesda far too much credit.

 

[SDeden]

There was an altmer in Ulfric's village who wanted to suck his cock, and spy papers you give the Blades ho imply they have some kind of way to control him. We could see a Stormcloak Altmer alliance against the Cyrocucks and negroes. Hopefully then they gas the lizards and spay the damn cats.

Not to control him, but that he's unstable and would do harm to the empire if let go due to ptsd from failing his comrades and getting captured during the war. He's an asset in that he would try and get the nords to secede from the Empire, further weakening them for when the inevitable confrontation between the thalmor and Imperials start.

Or there's some Manchurian Candidate shit happening, you never know...

I think people tend to be way too polarized over Ulfric. He's either a great hero or a selfish prick in it for himself. From everything I've seen of him in Skyrim he seems genuine in his passion for Nord culture and Talos and considering his traditionalist views I think it is natural that he'd see himself as a proper contender for the Throne since he does largely embody the traditional traits demanded of the High King. However he's human, so I don't think it is possible for him to completely disassociate himself from what is best for him and what is best for Skyrim. From his point of view they surely appear to be one and the same. I also suspect, based on the Thalmor dosssier, that on some level Ulfric probably feels personally guilty for the White Gold Concordat. The Thalmor appear to have captured him early in the war and they then convinced him, after the sacking of the Imperial City, that he had provided (under torture), information that helped them capture it. This wasn't true, but surely letting him go with such a belief, which would greatly wound his personal sense of honor, was a good ploy. I get the feeling it might be a good portion of what drives his zeal. He's adamant about shielding his people from the WGC to restore his personal honor and assuage his guilt. The tragedy is, I think the Civil War is pointless. I do not think the Empire will survive into the next game. They have only gotten weaker since the last war and whether you help end the civil war or not it has already done its damage. I think the next Great War will end with the Empire dissolving and Skyrim being free anyway...

I think the Stormcloak cause has the decisive moral high ground, but I do think that ultimately their rebellion was a strategic mistake if only because it means fighting and dying for something that they'd eventually be getting anyway.

 

[Drax]

Stormcloaks are tribalist scum. There's a bunch of weirdos trying to unmake the world ffs.

 

[RNGsus]

There was an altmer in Ulfric's village who wanted to suck his cock, and spy papers you give the Blades ho imply they have some kind of way to control him. We could see a Stormcloak Altmer alliance against the Cyrocucks and negroes. Hopefully then they gas the lizards and spay the damn cats.

Not to control him, but that he's unstable and would do harm to the empire if let go due to ptsd from failing his comrades and getting captured during the war. He's an asset in that he would try and get the nords to secede from the Empire, further weakening them for when the inevitable confrontation between the thalmor and Imperials start.

Or there's some Manchurian Candidate shit happening, you never know...

tl;dr

I think they just threw some tropes at the wall and called it a game, to be honest.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

I think the next Great War will end with the Empire dissolving and Skyrim being free anyway...

I think the Stormcloak cause has the decisive moral high ground, but I do think that ultimately their rebellion was a strategic mistake if only because it means fighting and dying for something that they'd eventually be getting anyway.

IIRC, Aldmeri Dominon is on a conquest. If Skyrim remains in the Empire, Nords are neutered, but have the Legion to protect them. If Skyrim secedes, it gets gobbled up by Aldmeri Dominion, because it has no truce with them and AD has some ancient butthurt about Nords for something I forgot. Basically, divide and conquer.

And yeah, judging by the lore, Bethesda is p. much killing off the Empire and replacing it with AD, because they've run out of antagonists and nazi fops in gay uniforms are the next best thing.
Which is too bad, the Empire was as fuck. Feels like they've jumped centuries each game, but haven't done anything of worth with each setting since MW. What a waste.

Stormcloaks are tribalist scum. There's a bunch of weirdos trying to unmake the world ffs.

You're confusing them with Forsworn. Those were p. retarded, yeah.

 

[Drax]

No no, I mean the stormcloacks, maybe "tribalist" is not the best word, what I mean is that they are making their regional separatism shit the focus when there's a world-conquering force literally trying to force your species from the pattern of possibility...

 

[abnaxus]

The Ra Gada will sink Summurset Isle just like Yokuda.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

UI ? we will barely see any UI...TES are solo mmo while ESO is a mmo you can play mostly solo, if they want a new product that doesnt compete ,they need something eso cant do. The onlly thing a classic tes can do better is graphics as it's impossible to display so many characters in 4K, even less if you want to display it in VR.So yes they will go full graphic as close a movie possible, 100 giga super impressive walking simulator scaled for the latest consoles, ps5 , xbox scorpio or whatever is released and it will use VR with motion controllers to aim your sword and spells if that technology is succesfull in a few years, if not it will go full 4k.

 

[SDeden]

IIRC, Aldmeri Dominon is on a conquest. If Skyrim remains in the Empire, Nords are neutered, but have the Legion to protect them. If Skyrim secedes, it gets gobbled up by Aldmeri Dominion, because it has no truce with them and AD has some ancient butthurt about Nords for something I forgot. Basically, divide and conquer.

.

Any Aldmeri invasion of Skyrim would be a long way off. Like a century at least. Skyrim is a very difficult place to invade as it is very defensible. Cyrodiil by contrast is very open with few natural defenses. It's possible Skyrim will be eaten from within though, with Forsworn and even potentially a Dunmer uprising being possible and the recipe might be there for another war over the next High King/Queen.

Whatever the case, I was stating my opinion of what I think will happen... not what I think people in the TES universe should do. Really, they don't have many options. The Empire is weak and concerned primarily with its own survival as an institution and tax collector than it is with "humanity". It's just another government protecting its incomes from a rival... and failing. A great many Nords rightly see that in the present climate the Empire doesn't really benefit them anymore. It doesn't protect them from anyone but Nord separatists who promise to actually protect them instead. It's doomed... it's all crapshoot.

 

[Vorark]

It's most likely due to GPUs. I have an amd GPU and it seems like Bethesda games don't play well recently with them. Now, while I can install up to 4k textures no problem in reg skyrim and an enb and lighting overhaul with at least 30 fps, in SE I have stutters and other issues with it on launch with no mods. Essentially, your experience may vary. I wasnt impressed however. And it's all a moot point at this point anyhow, as SE modding seems to be dead in the water.

Performance seems to vary widely. I played the SE, mostly in order to try the Dragonborn DLC (never did in classic Skyrim) and somehow managed to crash more with fewer mods installed. Didn't like the godray effects, made things too bright and yellowish.

 

[Mortmal]

UI ? we will barely see any UI...TES are solo mmo while ESO is a mmo you can play mostly solo, if they want a new product that doesnt compete ,they need something eso cant do. The onlly thing a classic tes can do better is graphics as it's impossible to display so many characters in 4K, even less if you want to display it in VR.So yes they will go full graphic as close a movie possible, 100 giga super impressive walking simulator scaled for the latest consoles, ps5 , xbox scorpio or whatever is released and it will use VR with motion controllers to aim your sword and spells if that technology is succesfull in a few years, if not it will go full 4k.

Something like that could work , could see Bethesda with their huge budget succeeding at that where lionhead failed.In fact its more comfortable than headsets giving you nausea after 10 min play.

 

[mindfields]

My speculation is that it'll be in Valenwood and the entire world will basically be a copypaste of Loth Lorien from the LOTR movies.

 

[RNGsus]

The Ra Gada will sink Summurset Isle just like Yokuda.

They could teach Numidium to use Pankratosword and just reboot everything.

I don't think anyone realizes there's a conspiracy to kill all humans. I doubt anyone in the Dominion of substantial means but Thalmor know. Maybe the royalist faction think Thalmor are up to something, but its not like they would race to reach out to disgusting foreigners for assistance in an Altmeri dispute.

 

[Drax]

Fair enough, but the rejection of mundus as a chain and the goal of returning to their "natural" divinity is pretty much the basis of thalmor philosophy/ideology.

 

[RNGsus]

That's the sort of reduction uninitiated Altmer, let alone puny humans, won't arrive at on their own. These people are mystified by fire-breathing, flying lizards, but they'll buy a beer from the talking ones.

 

[mbv123]

It's going to be Hammerfell
Replace Skyrim's tundra with bland desert, replace snowniggers with sandniggers, add some another ridiculous plot about High Elf nazis
?????
profit

 

[Drax]

 

[Iznaliu]

It's going to be Hammerfell
Replace Skyrim's tundra with bland desert, replace snowniggers with sandniggers, add some another ridiculous plot about High Elf nazis
?????
profit

Needs to have only four stats.