The Ultimate TES game, What would you like to see Bethesda do? Options

[Vital]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but it's not directly related to Skyrim, Oblivion or any of the older games and is a general discussion about an RPG series (The Elder Scrolls) so it seemed the best fit

Just to clarify: This is not a "Which TES game is the best" thread. It is a thread to discuss the various features seen in any of the TES games, whether you liked them or not, how they could've been done better, why they should've left them out, what they should've had instead/as well, etc etc...

Ultimately it is a discussion about what would be the ideal Elder Scrolls Game in your opinion and how Bethesda could combine all the failures and successes of the previous games in order to create this. If you're already happy with one game, how could it be made better? (It can't be perfect )

Feel free to talk about different mods and games other than TES and how these could be implemented into the game as well.


To start:

I personally would love to see a combination of Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim (these being the only TES games I've played in depth) put into one game. The alien environment, number of factions, lack of hand-holding and so on from Morrowind, combined with the brilliant questlines and general feel (I can't explain this one but it just.... is) of Oblivion and the better combat, crafting and mechanical superiority of Skyrim.

This is just a brief description of some of the things I would like to see. I could write a 30 page essay on this and if this thread gets response I will put more stuff up. Anyway, what are you guy's thoughts?

[Decrepit]

This topic is dangerous for me, as my "ideal" TES title is feasible only on a more advanced form of the Holodeck seen in the old TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. I'll throw out a few ideas that don't require so elaborate a setup. Even so, at least one is impossible with current PC horsepower, more are impossible or at least impractical on console, and one is might be highly unpopular.

World Size: Daggerfall got it right. If we're talking "ideal", this is a must for me.

World "composition" (for lack of a better term): In Minecraft, the entire world is composed of squares or derivatives thereof. These "building blocks" can, for the most part, be manipulated by the avatar. My ideal TES title needs this too. Only, the basic Minecraft "block" is half the size of the avatar, far too large to realistically represent a great many things. I'd compromise and settle for building blocks the size of grains of sand. I'd make it so the avatar can manipulate these "blocks" only in a realistic limited manner so that, for instance, an avatar can not chop down trees with his or her bare hands. My thought is that an avatar should be able to, say, take shovel to ground and see it response realistically with dirt flying at each dig. A game world the size of Daggerfall, composed of sand-grain size nodules, is the demand I see as impossible for now, even on high-end consumer PCs.

Fast Travel: Here's my unpopular stance. In a game world the size of Daggerfall, I'd abolish the sort of "casual" fast travel seen in Oblivion and implement a more limited system. My thought is that fast travel should be confined to sanctioned teleport authorities, along with clandestine "shady" practitioners available to those who choose a "dark" path. Teleport service comes at a cost, which can be quite steep depending on distance traveled (and the agency one deals with). On the other hand, those required to travel long distances in the execution of official duty can obtain "passes" from an authority allowing free travel to specific task related destinations. (The game might also have other forms of fast transport such as Morrowind’s Silt Striders, but these would travel in real-time at whatever speed is realistic for them, as do Oblivion/Skyrim horses.)

Jobs: My ideal TES entry would sport a wide variety of “meaningful� career professions the avatar could avail him or herself of if they so choose. Road Patrols provided by the Oblivion mod “The Elder Council� are an obvious and fairly simple to implement example, as are its embryonic tax gathering assignments. These need more sophistication, but if properly implemented can provide avatars with lifetime work. Again, this are examples only. There should be a great wealth of professions of all sorts.

Guild Leadership: Of the five TES entries, I prefer Daggerfall’s advancement mechanics and mundane quest assignments, along with Oblivion’s story-line quests. An avatar should not be offered leadership position within a guild unless meaningful responsibility comes with the title. (These would then fall under Jobs.) If leadership is offered, avatars’ should be able to opt out for whatever reason.

I’d like to see more survival/immersive/Sim-like elements added. Heck, Minecraft’s food/health maintenance/recovery mechanic is a cut above what TES provides. (While not ideal, I wouldn’t mind a mod that implements that exact mechanic in Oblivion. Don’t know that I’d install it, but I’d be tempted. Yes, I know similar mods are available. None excite me enough to want them in my load order.)

Better / more realistic Melee Combat: Why not? Kingdom Come: Deliverance looks at if it will prove that this is possible, though it itself isn’t perfect by any means.

I’ve been giving much thought to timescale, but that’s a whole other topic.

I’m losing my train of thought, not that I had much of one to start with. Better call it quits.