Hello, Id like to share some insights, that may prove to be helpful.

"Trends are awesome if

* The goal is NOT to stand out.
* The goal is to Compete and Be Compared."

Competing with a proven product (or service) offering the same qualities is deliberately choosing a realm of disadvantage.

"No matter how many subs you have, how successful your game is. There are enough players out there, who would rather get poked in the eye for fun instead of playing certain games."


There is great art potential for TES.O, you dont even have to look far away.

Morrowind: This game upon release was considered to be a piece of art by many reviewers, including myself. An excellent source of inspiration, and a great Guide on "how not to follow the crowd". The first visit to Balmora, The Great Houses, the first set of Indoril armor, just to mention some of the fond memories, all supported by great concepts.

Looking outside of the TES universe is one of my main inspirations, "Icewind Dale". It was very natural to "flash into" the tiny characters within the hand painted areas. The attention to detail and exceptionally grasping visuals are still unmatched in but the latest of full-scale 3D titles.

The first MDK game from 1997. They dared to do it differently, which is absolutely clear from all the gameplay, the visual details/decals, and movement dynamics of the game.

Making a game too cartoony will suggest for dedicated players that "everything Im here to accomplish is part of a joke". Visual feedback is also the first frontier where you can immediately break much of the immersion.

As a final point, my favorite screenshot from TESO yet is the one with http://static.elderscrollsonline.com/assets/img/cms/media/screenshots/5854ae493f1b09f529.jpg. The character detail is amazing, armors dont seem to be "self inflicting". Good direction. Replacing the grey fog, to some darker and saturated mist would further enhance this image.