<snip.>I've also been looking at the world map for Solstheim itself. It's NOTHING like the original Bloodmoon island. There are familiar landmarks, such as Raven Rock, Fort Frostmoth, Skaal Village, etc., but the layout's all wrong. Sure, the island got blasted by the eruption of Red Mountain, but it wouldn't change the positioning of things to that extent.
Overall, I just feel like Bethesda stuck a finger in the faces of those who wanted to return to the land of the Silt Striders...sort of an indirect way of saying, "You want to go back to Morrowind? Here, we'll slap a bunch of crap together that you'll recognise to shut you up."
A little edit here to clarify a few things...
1) "the world map for Solstheim itself. It's NOTHING like the original Bloodmoon island."
Of course it is. You say so yourself, in your very next sentence: "There are familiar landmarks, such as Raven Rock, Fort Frostmoth, Skaal Village, etc". By your own admission it is SOMEthing like "the original Bloodmoon Island". Your complaint is that it is not exactly like the original.
It's not that it's not EXACTLY like the original. You're right, it is SOMETHING like the original. It's just the orientation of those landmarks that irks me. Maybe I'm being a bit eliteist here, but I think that the area should at least be geographically correct - or at least as close as it could be after surviving the Red Year. But again, I might be thinking in an eliteist manner here, which is a possibility that annoys me more than the issue above. Haha.
2) "Overall, I just feel like Bethesda stuck a finger in the faces of those who wanted to return to the land of the Silt Strider"
Did you not know that Dragonborn only included Solstheim, which is, only in a technical sense, "the land of the Silt Strider"? Firstly, Silt Striders were never in "the original Bloodmoon Island", they were in Morrowind. Bloodmoon was an add-on to Morrowind. You're complaining that an add-on to Skyrim doesn't exactly replicate the add-on to Morrowind...AND that the Skyrim-add-on doesn't have the content of Morrowind, too? Whiskey tango Foxtrot. Secondly, just what makes you believe in some kind of conspiracy at "Bethesda" to disappoint you? You figure they were cackling to themselves, whispering "Oh boy, this will REALLY be a giant middle finger to our customers, he he hee heee hee hee!"? Dude. Really?
You're completely right here. This was a complete lack of sense on my part.
3) "sort of an indirect way of saying, "You want to go back to Morrowind?"
Stop. Right. There. Dragonborn was not about Vvardenfell, and you knew it. So stop.
I understand what you're saying here. But I don't appreciate the way you chose to express it. I know Dragonborn wasn't about Vvardenfell. But again, this was a lack of sense on my part.
4) "Here, we'll slap a bunch of crap together that you'll recognise to shut you up."
This last bit is just a temper tantrum. Nobody from "Bethesda" promised you any of the things you're complaining about. You seem to think the point of Dragonborn was to fool people. Try looking at the content.
The ONLY reason I feel this way is because Bethesda knows that a lot of TES fans have wanted to go back. They publicly stated that they would never make a game that size again, and I accept that fact. I don't have to like it, I just have to accept and respect their decision - which I do. I simply feel a bit like this was a way of trying to appease that same group of fans, since they have no intention of ever doing a remake...and I don't feel it was a real great way to do it. But there again, it was poor wording on my part, and I see how you got the impression of me that you did.