Ayleid or Dwemer ruins.

[MightyZ0G]

Actually, I'd like the Dwemer ruins to be darker, a lot more so. Not entirely pitch black, but yes, pitch black in certain areas, but I generally like extreme darkness and the feel you're always being watched.

 

then you want RLwC (go with a custom install, DON'T USE THE RAIN, and you should be able to find an option make all dungeons darker without making houses darker) and Lightless Abandon Dungeon (which does exactly what it says on the label)

[Blu02]

Kinda hard question. I prefer the style and art of mysterious Ayleid, but Dwemer is a lot more interesting and frightening to explore because of their unpredictable machinery. I have some sort of light phobia against that kind of stuff, so I really feel uncomfortable when exploring Dwemer ruins :P Blackreach also came as a huge OMGWTFBBQ-experience, but that basically says that Dwemer got a lot more attention during Skyrims Development than Ayleid got for Oblivion.

 

But I agree with recent posts, that both Dwemer and Ayleid ruins lacked logic in their design. I rarely get the feeling of lost civilizations, but more like dumped and forgotten shrines, tombs or industry. Black Reach is one exception though, which was much more clearly designed with main buildings, farmer buildings, arenas, meeting halls, and many small areas by the water for chilling, just like any city. Eventhough it look a lot bigger than it is, it's still quite impressive.

 

But Bethesda's lack of imagination on level-design doesnt really have anything to do with these cultures. I know Oblivion got lots of mods containing very impressive Ayleids, and I'm sure the same will be for Skyrim and its Dwemer. Hoping there will be some sort of Ayleid resource-pack released soon ;)

[PharmakosChroster]

Blackreach also came as a huge OMGWTFBBQ-experience, but that basically says that Dwemer got a lot more attention during Skyrims Development than Ayleid got for Oblivion.

 

Blackreach was cribbed from the Lost Spires mod for Oblivion, right down to the ambient chimes.

[Blu02]

Blackreach also came as a huge OMGWTFBBQ-experience, but that basically says that Dwemer got a lot more attention during Skyrims Development than Ayleid got for Oblivion.

 

Blackreach was cribbed from the Lost Spires mod for Oblivion, right down to the ambient chimes.

 

Yea, but still, they at least put some effort in creating it, and not making it DLC. I rather see it as a tribute from Bethesda to the huge excellent originals mod-team.

 

And I really never saw it coming in Skyrim. Didn't realize what or how big it was until after several hours of exploring. It was constant-goosebump-epic.

[Deleted4404112User]

I always like the Ayleid ruins better. They always had the more treasure hunt feeling to them.

[breakwind]

The Ayleid ruins had a unique atmosphere about them, but did feel bland after a while......as I suppose the Dwemer ones will seem when the next installment comes out, but I agree that Blackreach will take some beating in underground size

[Rastafariel]

I like the Ayelid Ruins becaause they are tied to the history of the elves (yes I know the dwemer are elves from way back but I consider them dwarves) Also, the Ayelid Steps Mod in Oblivion was awesome. I also loved the cool welkynd stones and other stuff you could find in them and to me the architecture is so much better. I would put the Ayelid Steps right up there with Montana's mod and the Lost Spires. Epic.

[Relativelybest]

Blackreach also came as a huge OMGWTFBBQ-experience, but that basically says that Dwemer got a lot more attention during Skyrims Development than Ayleid got for Oblivion.

 

Blackreach was cribbed from the Lost Spires mod for Oblivion, right down to the ambient chimes.

 

Huh, I would have guessed that they cribbed it from the D&D Underdark.

 

I actually played Lost Spires but didn't make it that far for various reasons. Did it really have an underground cave the size of a city? Becuase if so, it's even more ambitious than I thought, though I never got that impression from any of the screenshots.

[Rastafariel]

Dude.

 

Go back and play through Lost Spires. Its the best mod adventure for Oblivion.

[Moraevik]

NSCReaver mentioned that Ayleid ruins were predictable. The simple fact is that in Oblivion nearly everything was predictable. There were a few very confusing examples of non-predictable Ayleid ruins, but these were few and far between. I'm not certain that the tile sets in Skyrim are all that more extensive than in Oblivion but the developers certainly did a much better job in Skyrim of fleshing out the dungeons. While you'll still get a bit of deja vu on occasion, even familiar sections are "decorated" in ways that make them seem new and unique. The devs seem to have been much more creative and innovative in reusing bits and pices in Skyrim than they were in Oblivion.

 

Relativelybest mentioned that neither seemed like people actually lived there. I have to agree with respect to Ayleid ruins. However, Dwemer ruins have berthing areas, dining areas, all sorts of furniture, and it's obvious that at least some of them housed people. Neither have layouts that make much sense in terms of "cities", though, but these are "dungeons" in the old RPG sense of the term. They're there for exploration and looting and the "city ambience" we might like to see would probably detract from that function. I'd still like to see it though. After about level twenty or so I seldom pick up loot that I'm not actually going to use, myself, since by then I already have more money than I'll ever use, so the utility of "loot dungeons" doesn't make that much difference to me.

 

The externals of both are nice, but I think Ayleid ruins beat the Dwemer ruins in this aspect, for the reasons that Relativelybest described. Again, I have to echo his disappointment with the interiors of Dwemer ruins. Yes, they look awesome and expansive (at least in places), but they lack functionality and, again, who in the blazes traps their own homes? I suppose you can chalk it up to paranoia, but the sad truth is that these are not actually cities but glorified Dungeons and Dragons loot sources.

 

I disagree with PharmakosChroster about Blackreach being "cribbed" from Lost Spires. I've played through Lost Spires several times and while there are some similarities, I think that, if anything, Blackreach is a tribute to that wonderful mod, rather than an attempt to steal its ideas. Of all the areas in Skyrim Blackreach is the most awe-inspiring. It seem like a slice of Shivering Isles, spiced up with Dwemer architecture (and I love Shivering Isles). It's my favorite place to explore, even though I constantly get lost there.

 

All in all, I'd have to go with Dwemer ruins over Ayleid ruins. They're more creatively done, more expansive (mostly, anyway), and much more interesting places than were Ayleid ruins. Comparing the two, though, is probably unfair. Skyrim has come a long way since Oblivion and Bethesda learned some things while developing Fallout that they incorporated into Skyrim. These are two different generations of Elder Scrolls games. I can't wait to see what happens with the next one if the trend for more complex and creatively-designed environments continues.