So how would you have made the last two Elder Scrolls games?

[mondblut]

Daggerfall should have been Gothic 0.

We already have Gothic. Whole 3 games of it, and 2 addons. Why would we want another one instead of Daggerfall?

Massive sized sandbox is all TES was about from day 1. Elite on foot set in fantasyland. In my opinion, Morrowind already was a huge step in a wrong direction, towards a small, fixed Ultima-like set instead of a huge random world where you can reject unwanted quests at your leisure.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Daggerfall should have been Gothic 0.

We already have Gothic. Whole 3 games of it, and 2 addons. Why would we want another one instead of Daggerfall?

While that is also quite right, the same could be said about Arena and Daggerfall themselves.

As in, both games have already done a great job of being the games they are, and maybe, just maybe, this could have been why they wanted to make different games with the latter two Elder Scrolls games. How much more can one do with what has already been done?

And while it does not exactly justify using the same name for a whole different sort of game, perhaps it was the most productive thing would have been to go in a new direction.

And yet, the said new direction is already quite saturated as well, so it really would have been better to stick to the formula of a game with randomly generated content.

 

[mondblut]

While that is also quite right, the same could be said about Arena and Daggerfall themselves.

Well, we have over 9000 games boasting 3 hand-placed towns with a population of 15 who give out preset sequences of quests in a world that can be crossed on foot in 20 minutes, and only 2 games with real country-sized scope and procedurally generated tasks (unless you count all those space sims). I'd rather TES to stick with the later.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

While that is also quite right, the same could be said about Arena and Daggerfall themselves.

Well, we have over 9000 games boasting 3 hand-placed towns with a population of 15 who give out preset sequences of quests in a world that can be crossed on foot in 20 minutes, and only 2 games with real country-sized scope and procedurally generated tasks (unless you count all those space sims). I'd rather TES to stick with the later.

So you'd enjoy a massive spreadsheet more than an actual game?

 

[mondblut]

If Daggerfall or Darklands are "massive spreadsheets" and "not actual games", then yes, definitely.

Keeps me puzzled what an "actual game" is then, though.

 

[Eldritch]

I want my Mount&Blade-Daggerfall hybrid goddammit I wish we could make our games copulate like dogs.

 

[phanboy_iv]

If Daggerfall or Darklands are "massive spreadsheets" and "not actual games", then yes, definitely.

Keeps me puzzled what an "actual game" is then, though.

Neither one are massive spreadsheets. Capitalism was the closest a game ever got to a spreadsheet, and it was still a blast.

I want my Mount&Blade-Daggerfall hybrid goddammit I wish we could make our games copulate like dogs.

 

[Squeek]

The way I see it, Daggerfall done right would be too big for a single game and certainly too big for one sixty-dollar game. Not only that, to really be done right, much of Daggerfall would need to be built redundantly, IMO, and doled out correspondingly with decisions made by the player. That would mean a massive spreadsheet all right, that and a very clever bit of Boolean logic (opening the door for varieties of algorithms, actually).

As we all know, something that big isn’t palatable in the real world of game making. But if it ever were to become palatable, then it would need to pull in a huge amount of revenue, the kind currently only enjoyed by WoW. Myself, I think a dynamic single-player RPG could lure many of them away and justify subscription payments of its own.

But for that to make sense, the very concept of "single-player CRPG" would need to be reconsidered.

I've thought about it a lot, and while I can't imagine subscription pricing ever making sense for other kinds of software, I think it could fit right in with the RPG sandbox concept. Modularity, redundancy, and continuous development all make sense to me once the fundamental idea switches from something you experience completely once to something you work hard to experience and adventure through over and over, experiencing something unique each time.

Call me crazy, but to me it sounds like Daggerfall done right.

 

[Luzur]

or simply iron the bugs out, add in the missing things and maybe MAYBE smooth the graphics abit.

a more realistic goal in my eyes then making the perfect Daggerfall (which i installed again 2 days ago, damn this game is so replayable..)

 

[franc kaos]

No world shrinkage, the river leading up to city centre should have been the size of Mississipi<sp>, and Cyrodiil encompassing about 40 miles squared with varied regional nature (swampy as you head towards Black Marsh etc), including parts of the other regions (like mainland Morrowind).

Caravans either in realtime (where you get paid for giving protection), or pay for instant travel with random encounters.

Levitation, climbing and swimming skills back in - also boating.

Staves skill back, small and large swords seperate.

Political shenanigans back in.

A shit ton more dialogue (either voiced or simply text) for rumours, stories and incidental stuff, maybe randomised but the game would flag what had been said and wouldn't repeat them.

Scary assed dungeons like Daggerfall, but each with their own stories and reasons for being (Fallout3 did get this better with Vaults having backstory).

Some monsters that were more than just sword fodder... and bandits and covens you could maybe join which would close off other guilds.

World changes after certain quests were finished (like in Oblivion where you had to help save the two sons against the Goblins, if they both survived the father gave a better reward, but if one died he got depressed and had to use the money for a funeral - which was pretty good, but if you spoke to him after he just reverted back to a generic NPC with apparently no history or memory.

If one of the classes is a Bard, make it useful, earn money busking, or sound as a weapon.

Fix the borked level scaling (goes without saying really), make cross country much more dangerous than following the road. A decent ecological system where the animals AI would decide whether an animal would attack you (if a lion has just eaten it's more likely to just slink off into the brush.

Working NPCs with schedules and motivations and animations showing them at work. Holidays where groups would be celebrating in town squares and such like.

A decent over arching story with no time pressure (in Morrowind, Cassius tells you to go off for more experience, live with the people, help them etc which works in this kind of game)... A story maybe involving the mysterious Akavir <sp>. The land across the ocean.