The Next Tes is the End of the Human Main Culture, how many TES Games

[Matth85]

Just to add my opinons on perk, since we are all talking about these things!

 

I like the idea of perks, but not how it is done in Skyrim. It gives a feeling that each level is important, but at the same time it deosn't make any sense.

Let's take my High Elf, for instance. He is level 68. He got quite a few 100s. Far more than he got perks to invest in. Now, how come my MASTER of Ilusion character can't cast any Illusion spells worth anything? Because I have not invested the perks into it.

In any logical sense, I should be able to cast all the spells with ease.

 

Frankly, SPERG does this fantastic. I simply love that mod. It's so simple, yet fixes everything.

- Even if I havn't put a single point into my 2 handed, while it is at 100, I can still pick one up and do perfectly good. Not as good as my 1 handed, where I've perked it all, but good enough not to go "damn.. only found this useless daedric warhammer. Can't use it over by orc one handed.".

 

Simply, allowing perks to make you specialize in a combat style, rather than govern how good you are with said skill.

A master of sneak should be able to sneak and roll, but perhaps a perked one does it faster, better, can kill faster, etc, etc.

 

This would mean that at max level, you would become decent with everything, but a master whatever you've perked. Now a pure warrior, which dabbed into destruction magic at the end, can cast a master level destruction spell. It won't be super powerful, but you can do it.

 

 

TL;DR: Perks should govern your playstyle. Your skill level should govern your skill with the skill. At 100 you are good no matter. At 100 with perks you might be one heck of a battle mage, since you've put perks into "One handed and spell gets X benefit". Or perhaps a godly crossbow archer "With crossbow you do X more damage, but Y less damage with normal bows".

 

If that makes any sense.

 

Matth

[MidevalGuy]

The underlying issue we're addressing in Skyrim perks is quality and quantity.

 

There aren't enough of them to make a unique character and the ones that exist aren't very good, either.

 

Why is "50% Chance to Decapitate Enemies" a perk? I'm being serious.

 

An effect (finisher) like this should just be an inherent part of combat mechanics and always active behind the scenes, IMO. My character being able to decapitate an enemy 50% of the time doesn't make me different from any other warrior out there, let alone "better" just because I can do it. Also, why is this kind of perk only reserved for melee characters? If I am a high level mage and hurl a flaming ball of etherial fire at an enemy, there is a pretty good chance I might take their head off if I'm not aiming for the largest target (body). Or for that matter what about taking off a leg, arm, etc? This brings up another shortcoming... location-based damage... But that's a whole other discussion unto itself and just say, thank God for mods.

 

Going back a few posts...

 

Everything we're discussing feeds into and enhances itself if done properly.

 

I know it's easy to play armchair game developer because we have the luxury of being fans and not having our lively hood dependent on higher ups approving, or not allowing some of the design changes we're discussing here. That being said, Bethesda needs to figure out what they want to do and where they want to go as far as "evolving" the RPG genre... And in a lot of ways it looks like they aren't advancing it at all and are instead doing a lateral "evolution" and turning TES into more action-adventure oriented games like Zelda, or Fable where RPG elements aren't the main focus compared to traditional RGPs of the past. It's their IP and they can do whatever they want, so my hope is they will figure out how to properly evolve their vision of RPGs, or maybe even realize certain things aren't working and may never work and go back to tried and true methods that give more freedom to players in the long run, ironically?

[Lachdonin]

I know it's easy to play armchair game developer because we have the luxury of being fans and not having our lively hood dependent on higher ups approving, or not allowing some of the design changes we're discussing here. That being said, Bethesda needs to figure out what they want to do and where they want to go as far as "evolving" the RPG genre... And in a lot of ways it looks like they aren't advancing it at all and are instead doing a lateral "evolution" and turning TES into more action-adventure oriented games like Zelda, or Fable where RPG elements aren't the main focus compared to traditional RGPs of the past. It's their IP and they can do whatever they want, so my hope is they will figure out how to properly evolve their vision of RPGs, or maybe even realize certain things aren't working and may never work and go back to tried and true methods that give more freedom to players in the long run, ironically?

 

I tend to agree there. I've tried to keep my ideas within the realm of possibility by drawing references from other games (analogue combat from Dead Island, randomized weapons from Borderlands, etc.) in order to show that the concept is already proven. I think that Bethesda has a good foundation from which to make a game which does more than just break the 'traditional' RPG mold, but in order to do so they need to seriously consider what they want to accomplish and look at the resources already out there as an example of what they can realistically do. More in-depth character creation and progression (without the choke-hold of D&D-esque classes) open cities (though maybe not dungeons) a larger world with more people, new styles of combat etc. These are all things which already exist, though in a wide assortment of different games, and if Bethesda were to just pull them all together, even without improving on them, they'd have an amazing RPG on their hands.

 

As far as decapitate goes... I somewhat understand why it's limited. Decapitating someone in combat is hard. It's as much luck as it is skill. I do agree, however, that some abilities should have similar potential. Locational damage could help with that, allowing you to blow off and sever limbs, or with particularly powerful spells cause a Fallout-esque 'Bloody Mess'.

[MidevalGuy]

As we were discussing earlier, they can get rid of classes by giving players more base traits/attribute-type things at the start.

 

Your comment about tabula rasa vs. specialization when creating a character is accurate, but they don't have to conflict with one another, IMO. In fact, they should enhance each other because role playing is about having (at the very least) a general idea of the character you want to roll whenever you play the game.

 

For one play though, I wanted to play a female rogue, Han Solo-type, and I even searched for Han Solo-type gear on the Nexus. I found a cool Thieves Guild Duelist Armor set for Females as her main outfit, and I even used the Flintlock Pistol mod, so she had a "blaster" type weapon to augment the traditional sword & arrow combat as well. So, while I was able to customize how my female rogue to looked, I was then limited by the actual abilities and skills because of the limited and linear perks. Had the perks been more specialized (diverse?), or had Bethesda put in more options other than Thief, Mage or Warrior (because a Rogue can be in-between all three) I could have role played that character more fully than with the current system. Right now, players are limited to what amounts to virtual cosplay in a lot of instances compared to other games that allow you to "become" the character(s) you play. This all circles back to underlying core design of a player creation & progression system that automatically influences other elements like the story writing, dialog acting, combat mechanics, etc. No one element can stand on its own, or all you have is what we have now and that are specialized mods that try and address different areas, but will never be a cohesive gaming experience because they are mods and it's the core game that is limited by default.

[daventry]

After watching the 17 Chapters of the Elder Scrolls Lore, i have a suspicious feeling that Summerset Isles (Alinor) might very well be the next TES Game.

Edited November 3, 2013 by daventry

[Matth85]

Yet again:

Daggerfall was in High Rock, and Hammerfell.

There is NO reason to go to High Rock unless they want to backtrack, at which we might as well go to Cyrodiil for another game.

No, it will be another region. I suspect Elsweyr or Valenwood, where the story will be about taking the fight towards Sumerset. Then Summerset will be added as the final expansion.

Then it's anybodies guess what happens.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Matth85

[daventry]

I wonder, if Elsweyr becomes the next Game, could Valenwood be a DLC or vice versa or could Elsweyr and Valenwood be a Merged Full Game.

 

Its also clear that in Skyrim theres a War waiting to happen between the Aldmeri Dominion, so i dont think 2 Games in the future will make Summerset Isle the last with being Blackmarsh as the very last Game.

Edited November 3, 2013 by daventry

[Matth85]

THat's the thing. The next game is most likely the last with the war, to not bore us too much with it.

Now, we can't just skip to when we invade Summerset Isle. How would we? Nobody has been able to hold their own versus the Thalmor. So we got no way to even think about Summerset. I personally believe there will be a story, with the war, in ELsweyr or Valenwood were there is a push towards the Isles. Leading to an expansion where we get to visit the Isles and do our merry business.

 

After that I'm taking a guess they introduce another fun plot, and we get to visit something like the Argonians. But thats a wild guess.

[MidevalGuy]

Bethesda could surprise us all and have it take place in Somerset Isle... Either after, or before the Great War depending time period... So, it isn't a completely hostile environment to humans and other races? They could even include the Dwemer as a way to tie up everything as far as continuity goes, IMO.

 

They could also do what Rockstar Games has done with the past (and probably future) GTA games and that is just remake their previous games with better technology. Most TES fans have been screaming for Morrowind on a modern engine, or even Oblivion, so it would not surprise me if they just released remakes of those games as the next two entries in the series while adding new features and expansion packs, of course. I can't speak for anybody else, but I wouldn't mind this strategy as long as they weren't just graphical updates and actually brought new and interesting game play that we've been discussing in this thread.

 

The other thing that had me thinking is...

 

What if they take the core concept of an RPG a step further and include things like lineage (being able to have children), aging, etc?

 

This would be a logical way to cover changing time periods and show how your character's (and their descendants) actions have a real impact on the future... Similar to how Fable did it, but much more fleshed out and serious. Hell, if they have to stick with one character then start the game as a child and the MQ takes you through young adult, adult and finishes with elder (think Gandolf, King Arthur in his later years) and could span about 50, 60+ years? That would be epic... no pun intended... But it would also allow for the many innovations we've been discussing to be woven seamlessly into the narrative and the game play as a whole.

 

Those perks we've been discussing could influence how your children turn out if they allowed simultaneous characters (parent, child, grand parent, grand child, sibling, etc) at certain parts of the story. Look at stories like Harry Potter. They are BUILT around families and family legacies.

 

Your actions would actually mean something if it effects your heirs and the world they inherit... Just like real life.

 

This kind of model wouldn't take away any of the action and adventure aspects TES has been built on. In fact, it would enhance it and make it more meaningful if what you did on a certain side-quest had lasting and real consequences on you, your children (no matter the age) and loved ones. It would give the game gravitas that no other RPG has come close to, IMO. It would be a way to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality, casual and hardcore gamers because family is a universal aspect in real life and in the arts since time began.

[Roviakin71]

Arena takes place in the whole of Tamerial

Daggerfall takes place in Southern High Rock and Northern Hammerfell, so High Rock and Hammerfell are only partially covered

Morrowind is the only game take place purely in a non human province

Oblivion takes place in Cyrodil

Skyrim takes place in the homeland of the nords

 

Now its seems that Online is going back to the whole of Tamerial but during the late second era about 1000 years before the events of TES V