200 years on and technology is still the same

[Pronam]

:facepalm: The history of the Elder Scrolls is not the one of mankind, so it is rather pointless to assume they would run along a similar course. Events and situations mark the reason and direction of progression and as they are different they will not go on the same course. But if you really have to....mankind took a long road as well. The first sword they have found is from around 3300BC, the first crossbow is from around 500BC and the first piece of gunpowder around 1400 years after that. That means we took around 2800 years to create a crossbow last time (Yes I know they had crossbows in Morrowind, but it was a nice comparison.) and 1400 years more before we could possible shoot anything using gunpowder. 200 years is nothing and as we're loosing more weapons as they're progressing games I doubt we would get anything extra.

 

Also, Magic :P.

Edited September 30, 2011 by Pronam

[3WINTERS]

I think the current path the developers are going with are great. I love how the Dwemer seem to be the only techno elitists, making them another faction unique to the rest with their own pros and pitfalls, I only wish for them to have a more prominent role at some stage. A good ol' technology vs nature. I know it's been done before, you have the techno buffs who are willing to tear apart the world for their technological advances, then you have those who show advanced whilst still preserving the integrity of the nature around them I.e the magicka users, though there's is no rule saying the roles cannot be reversed.

[NAPALM13092]

Technology doesn't always advance at the same pace we see in our modern world. In other fantasy or scifi worlds technology seems to have reached it's apex for that culture like in Starwars they have relatively the same technological level after a 4000 year span. There are other cases of technology digressing and repeating like in Mass Effect once civilization reaches a certain level it is wiped out to start again from square one time and time again for millions of years. There are also real world examples of technology digressing or progressing at an extremely slow pace. After the fall of the Roman Empire technology went backwards for nearly 800 years during the Dark Ages and before written history is took early humans nearly 80,000 years to realize if you put a sharpened rock on the end of a stick you can make an axe for a much more effective tool and weapon. The boom in technology and progress we have seen over the past few centuries is the product of the industrial revolution and then the computer revolution. This second renaissance we are in if you will is not the norm even within our own culture so Skyrim is more accurate to the advancement of a civilization than we are today.

[jedimembrain]

everyone has already said it ten times over but the world is in bad shape from something that happened in the books "which I didn't read but hear happened" plus skyrim is sorta on its own .. todd howard talked about how skyrim has always been lower tech and much more wild than the rest of the world .. it isn't earth .. and really .. do you weant them to start getting more and more modern as time goes on? .. TESVIII with guns? :P

[WrathOfDeadguy]

hector530 said exactly what I was thinking. The Empire has fallen... the TES universe 200 years after Oblivion would be in the Dark Ages.

[justwannaddl]

The lack of technological development, even minor ones is a bit of a put off. What is more frustrating though is the lack of magical achievements. It always felt, in Oblivion at least, that all the best discoveries were not only in the past but also lost. Dwemer magic tech and Ayleid stone/wells come to mind. They've had centuries to rediscover and research the highly valued tech and magic but with few exceptions even the most basic knowledge is still lost.

[Deleted1848331User]

Crossbows aren't as useful as a good longbow either. They take a lot longer to reload and shoot, when compared to a bow you can fire and fire another arrow in a few seconds.

[Fatalmasterpiece]

Technology didn't really change too much in the world in from say, 800 CE to 1000 CE. The only exception to this would be the European Renaissance, Industrial Revolution and now Modern times.

[egg]

Thanks for the replies, some interesting comments.

 

Can I just point out that I don't want guns, cars or MP3 players :tongue: nor expect them at this stage in the timeline. I also don't expect the technology to move at the same rate with the same inventions as our own. My point is they have magic as well as the technology we were using at one point, so you would think they would come up with all kinds of things and progress faster than we did. I also dont expect any major changes, just small developments.

 

Im not talking about the same technology that we used as its a different world like others have said, just like different cultures invented different things in our own world. I was using our technology as examples more than anything. Their technology is very similar though up to this point with suits of armour, bows and arrows, swords, the clothes they wear, etc.

 

My point really is with magic they should have things that we didnt have at the similar stage of time. Like someone else said, not everyone can use magic either so the magic users have a market there for technology they can imbue with magic. Now we all know there will be entrepreneurs in the world that would take advantage of that :thumbsup:

 

I don't want TES modernising and the way it is is great. I just find it strange that technology never really progresses even in the smallest way. As slow as our technology progressed early on, there will have been inventions constantly coming out making the world a slightly different place after 200 years.

 

Really I think the comments about the collapse of the empire slowing down progress and relating to the Romans is probably the most valid one. As well as the religious argument stating that technology goes against their faith in some way.

[Semtex]

In world of TES is magic available for everyone.

AND

Working magic inhibit any advanced technology.

 

Why?

Because a technology is in its early times imperfect. It is usable, but has many problems, which solution cost time and money, and carries in itself the risk of failure. Replication once succesful solution cost time and money again.

Technology is created as a string of tasks and solutions, causes and consequences, which are interconnected. The technology can not skip any step. Each next step needs to rigorous basics in the previous step.

 

Magic works differently. It does not require such rigorous basics, in it is enough demand and an idea. Magic can be in its early times also imperfect. But solving problems cost time only. "Financial" cost of solving problem are small. Replication once successful solution then cost "nothing" - need only right knowledge.

 

Then the technology solves only the problems for which where a solution using magic less effective. And for that is good enought an simple technology.

 

Really I think the comments about the collapse of the empire slowing down progress and relating to the Romans is probably the most valid one. As well as the religious argument stating that technology goes against their faith in some way.

Not only the collapse of the empire inhibit the development of technology.

Just look at the evolution of technology in Japan after the establishment of shogunate (Tokugawa period, Edo period 1603 - 1868). There's no visible progress in technology. Sure, some technologies are being developed, but none are "groundbreaking". The development goes a completely different direction than in Europa.

Edited September 30, 2011 by Semtex