**This Post Hurts me to Write*

Please read all of this before you comments guys and thanks for reading this: Please read my points and see if you agree.

First off let me say "Yes I consider myself a dragon lover" or frankly a dragon born. By the way my English might svck tonight cause I am sick while writing this.. think I got the cold.
I usually never get sick so maybe just seeing something so amazing being over shadowed by simple problems has made me immune system to fail.

Let me first start off as a Game Designer who is still looking for a job.
I know how amazingly vast this world is you have created. I respect the work and think this is one of the best master pieces seen on any console game design wise. This game will probably go down as one of the best games ever with that said.

I am not trolling and giving you my honest and true opinion. As someone who has probably played most games on the planet and have read to many books.

**I was also one of the first in line to buy this game and bought the collectors edition. **

Lets get to the problems with your game and my opinions what you should do next.

Here some nit picky stuff:
Not everyone is happy with the combat system or other problems. I understand as a designer no matter what you do no one will be happy.

The Main Problem I am having with your game studio and forgive me if you don't remember me posting and warning you guys that you would do this. So please give me a cookie.

I consider myself someone who has a vast imagination maybe even greater then Todd Howard's or who ever wrote the story for skyrim. Not saying you did Todd and if you didn't then you aren't to blame but partially.
I am not blaming you Todd for an amazing experience just a lack of something new in terms of design and story telling that is all.

The problem is the exact same problem why the movie "Avatar" story was horrible and pretty much just "Dances with Wolves".
Sure the Graphics are amazing and the work but when it comes down to it.
This games story line is nothing more then Dragon Heart which again I don't really consider to be a dragon lovers movie or most Dragon Slayer movies.

I was hoping this game story being a dragon born would have some sort of a twist or amazing story involved to it. #I won't talk about the spoilers but by this post I am sure you can guess# I mean there really isn't anything to SPOIL! Sadly it just wasn't there and the human condition raises its ugly head again. #The Human condition is a art block with fantasy writers who continue to write books where dragons some how are all evil# Hell I can even go far as to say you are trying to appeal to players of World of Warcraft.


I was hoping something better maybe. Anyways Todd please listen to what I have to say or any of the developers.

This is what I would have done with your game or storyline.

#1
I would have shown people a fantasy world never seen before like the great J.R. Tolkien wrote in his old classic book the hobbit. I know many people say "That isn't possible" but it is. You just have to have a huge imagination.

#2
Secondly I would appeal to those who love to role play as DRAGONS! I mean come on. "Where is the dragon love?"
Why not have the player be able to turn into a dragon or how about this for future design. Make it so we can play as a dragon. Actually you'd be shocked if you go around asking people who want to play skyrim. Most of them wanted a game where you can play as a dragon and go on some amazing adventure. Now I am sure you guys have brought this up in the offices. If you haven't please reconsider! I know it will be hard work you will have to create monsters that we have to fight as dragons. I can see epic battles and amazing boss battles being able to play as a dragon and fight big monsters that we haven't seen in most fantasy games. For example in the game Devil May Cry 4 - I found fighting the boss "Burial" was quite entertaining. and epic.

#3
Third for me. Skyrims story didn't make much sense to me for you guys having the argonian race in this game being they do look like anthro dragons and why the hell on earth would something so similar to a dragon be killing its own species and not trying to make some sort of peace between the races or have us the ability to role play taking over the land as siding with the dragons. So hence becoming a dragon? So you can be a Dragon Slayer or Dragon Protector. See how that would add more interesting advances.

So please for the love of god in the next elder scrolls don't have me playing as a " Khajiit" fighting some Big four Feral big legged Cats who have been summoned by the great council mage of the Khajit who wants to turn everyone into Giant cats to take over the world. -**Warning:: if you actually do this grave danger lies ahead**-

Now I am sure your getting why I found the skyrim introducing dragons story a bit lacking!

Also is it just me or most reviewers seem to be complaining about when they slay the dragon - No one around the towns or areas notices you slayed the dragon.
"Hey Look everyone! I slayed the Dragon!" In my opinion as a designer please slap the guy who forgot to add this dialog into the game.

Again these are problems I had with just eyeing the story without knowing the whole picture. When I looked through all the spoilers in the strategy book I just become even more sad.

I hope you guys can make it up to us dragon fans. Not to be bashing the movie "Twilight" fans but having the ability to play as a vampire or werewolf. Good job on appealing to those fans.

I just hope the next elder scrolls game you give us a new story and a chance to play as dragons and in the next game make a better combat system.

I think with those 3 things nailed in the next elder scrolls might be any persons favorite Fantasy Game and I hope some fantasy lovers and dragon lovers will agree with me.

Cause I've already been talking to huge critics who enjoy games mostly like this and most agreed with me about the story lacking and seeming a bit too linear, I am hoping the next great epic journey will have a better world or give us a chance to play as a Dragon Captured in some sort of Dungeon.

Anyways guess ill have to get my dragon kicks playing on Second Life or other free form RPG games.

Sincerely,
The Dragon Lover Game Designer guy, who has played too many video games and is just tired of the same Story & RPG experiences, but loves what you did with the engine and can only hope you take his advance and for the next elder scrolls game do what I suggest and make us dragon fans happy.

-FIN

You started really good, but your "three points" doesn't helped your "complain"...

1 - What can be unique witouth disrespecting lore and the unique world/history of TES? Simply putting out a new underwater continent just for the novity doesn't would make the game story better, it would make it waaay to little TES.

2 - Play as a Dragon? That wouldnt help with the game story or gameplay... It would just be time spent in a easily overpowered feature that would jsust be fun in the first hours. Also, against the dragon lore.

3 - Argonians aren't related, not even distant-lost cousins, of Dragons. Actually, they are closer to a Tree than to a Dragon.

#1. I never suggested such a thing. All I am saying is i'd love to see something new.

#2 So how does playing as a Vampire or Werewolf help? again your complaint is void and dragons obviously aren't over powered in the game. Most RPG games by the time you finish the game your character is almost god Status at a level 80 or 99 - actually in the older games I played like "Secret of Mana" which I consider one of the best games of all time. You can keep leveling to insane power.

#3 I know they aren't related but they look damn close. For example a human and a monkey or did my opinion not hit you over the head.
You might as well make the comment "we should be killing off anything that looks human but isn't related." actually if you looked at DNA you would come to understand we all have the same parents. We are part of DNA or are you deny this fact infront of millions of people on the internet.
EVERYTHING IS RELATED in some way or form.

Next?

Sorry for destroying your points

^^pretty much what this guy said really.

I was agreeing with you a bit till you go to your three points. Those are ridiculous.

So then why have any other races in the game like the Khajiit, Argonians, Werewolves, Vampires, Elves - when they obviously are going to be over powered.

Look guys! I am summoning a lightning storm! did you two actually play skyrim? just curious..

There is a difference between playing a mortal and playing a giant flying evil fire/frost breathing lizard of doom the size of a large truck. not to mention it would just [censored] up lore and just be stupid and silly.

How are they ridiculous? Because in a fantasy game you do ridiculous things right?
Care to explain your logic.

I don't see how having a different looking fantasy realm or world would be crazy unless you want to go back and play Oblivion and say the worlds inside the oblivion gate was crazy.

Yes you know we should just play the same fantasy looking worlds over and over again. No need for imagination or new enemies or surprises. Just keep doing what your doing designers.

1 - You wanted something new, I gave you something new just so that you could see that being innovative in a pre-stabilized lore can be difficult withouth disrespecting it.

2 - So... You want it for the coolness and power, nice game design and story development.

3 - Ok.. Try to read some lore. In a magic world were trees created biped lizard people there is no DNA connecting then to Dragons, they simply look like them... Your whole comparison with Khajiit is flawed because while the Khajiit are related to the big cats the Argonians aren't related to ANYONE but a magical tree.

Sorry for appointing flaws in your "arguments", maybe you can do better in the next round?

Ehhh, I'm still not all that convinced by your points. I think AmauriPavao had the right idea...

Please point out where I said any of this?

First off, I would not force the player to be evil. I would let them have the ability to play the character they see fit. If you want to create some crappy linear dragon game. Which sadly most are... the only one I really enjoyed was a shooter like starfox called "Panzer Dragoon" but beside the point.

Wait so the dragons arn't mortal in Elder Scrolls! uh dude play the game. They look like they are dieing too me and you do realise you are playing as a dragon born!

Seriously is this what ill be up against talking too.. while being sick.

#2 maybe i'd have the player start out as a small dragon with not much power just like how you start out in most RPG games.
Seriously go play Azure it lets you roleplay as a dragon and you don't start out as some massive immortal creature destroying everything. It takes time and leveling just like any RPG.

Seriously why am I arguing with idiots!

Now I see... I lost my time arguing with someone that doesn't want to play TES, you want to play a Dragon Game, silly I.

And no, they dont die, they keep getting reborned until a Dragonborn absorbs its soul.

The series already has lore. You can't just go and change it.

If this game failed to be your perfect RPG, make your own.

All I got from OP's post was that he was an unemployed game designer who comes off as condescending and is probably going to remain unemployed.

you're the idiot xD Learn lore. In elder scrolls the dragons in skyrim are all evil and in ancient times tried to enslave the world. There is only 1 good dragon (I guess) that you talk to but I wont spoil that . Also, Dragons are immortal. Immortal =/= invincible. The dragons keep comming back unless their soul is absorbed by a dragonborn. Heck a dragon in game even mentions there immortality and calls you mortal. Plus being Dragonborn means you were born with the soul of a dragon and can kill dragons and steal their souls for power...not sure how you brining it up is relevant though.

QFT

I find myself agreeing with AmauriPavao.

The lore in this game is VERY important to longtime players of this series, what your suggesting is to throw stuff in that indeed would be cool and awesome, but breaks the foundation of lore.

If you want to play as a dragon, I suggest you play Divinity 2: Ego Draconis, you can turn into a dragon in that game.

#1 so why play it.. if there is nothing new. Eventually you are going to get tired of playing in the same realm. That is why it takes place in a fantasy world. Cause it isn't the real world. Glad you fell into my trap.
Maybe Elder Scrolls will continue to open up into new realm areas which you say don't exist. So yes please tell me. What new realm will be in the next game oh mighty one!

#2 Again why have all the other elements in the game Why let people play as a werewolf or vampire - Which by lore technically shouldn't be able to die unless killed a certain way or die by not drinking enough blood.

#3 I have read lore and in a fantasy world lore means jack.. people create new lore all the time. You can create whatever you want. That is why I brought up the DNA comparison so you'd say "well you can't have this or this then in the real world"
Lore is still fantasy so I can make up whatever I want. Sure to you it might sound dumb.. but to other people as we have established would love the chance to play as a dragon. Just because you don't like it.. Then go play as a elf for the 100% time.

1. original isn't always better, they could have done something weird for novelty purposes but that would be stupid
this is medieval fantasy there are "rules"
in fact you're the one complaining they haven't done your precious dragons justice

2. besides the obvious gameplay complications how would you imagine they would accomplish this technically?
wouldn't work and would put a lot more restrictions on the game

3.just because something looks like something else doesn't mean it's related
and even if they were direct family not every1 in the world is racially motivated, stormcloacks are to some extent and the thalmor seem like straight up racists to me
but most of the other NPC's have completely different motivations moral, financial, political etc.

Again you don't see my point - maybe there some different race of dragon that isn't evil and you just shot yourself in the foot.
Re-Read your post.

Okay so let me get this straight. Dragons are immortal! well they obviously arn't hence the dragonborn can kill them. So how are they immortal?
This is why I take philosophy cause I find flaws in peoples arguements so hilarious.

So wait.. uh didn't you just say all dragons are EVIL in the lore. Yet there is a good dragon in the game uhh... am I missing something.

You said that it hurted to write.. I can assure you that everything That you write hurts to read.

1 - You realize that every game so far was set in the same continent with the same pre-stabilished lore, don't you?

2 - No.. In TES lore they die rather easily. You just need to make the bleed. Go learn TES lore, not generic fantasy lore.

3 - No.. Lore is the base of the TES games... They can add more and change old stuff but they NEVER would change the history of a whole beloved race. And what that has to do with Argonians being similar to Dragons? You is going out of your own point.

Everything that you says is soooo wrong that it's actually fun to discuss with you as I know that I always will be right.

he started off evil and is more or less just neutral. That is one. Plus there is no "Other race of dragon" in elder scrolls lore. Just Red dragons (Who went extinct) and Skyrim/Black Dragons who *SPOILER ALERT* Alduin is making them pop up all over the place. Plus if you want to be technical about immortality, immortal really only means you cant die of old age or sickness. Hence dragons are immortal. Immortality =/= invincibility. Plus the only way the dragonborn keeps the dragons dead is by basically absorbing their soul, otherwise they just come back again.

#1 they havn't done dragons justice because they go against the lore that they established in the story in the GAME! hello..
If you are going to have good dragons in a game where they are suppose to be all evil.

Why can't they in the next game let you have an experience as being able to play as a dragon? Let the people who wish to RPG as dragons RPG as them just like those who want to RPG as Vampire or Werewolves don't be hating.

In my opinion in Fantasy Lore Dragons are Neutral - they aren't all evil. Unless you want to take the Lore J.R.R Tolkien established. Which in my opinion is dumb. Also why not make all vampires are evil and werewolves - over time movies like "twilight" have come out which show the opposite.

I know you people are upset that I am destroying the storyline and showing them flaws. Ever heard of the Red Shirt Guy from blizzcon. You know the guy who pointed out a flaw to the developers about a character missing.

you should pay more attention in philosophy classes
I never took a single one and I can poke enough holes in any1 of your arguments to make em look like swiss cheese

their soul is immortal, killing it won't kill it forever it will just come back, not exactly a complicated philosophical concept to wrap your head around
think you heard of reincarniation, this is something like it
only way to get rid of the dragons is to absorb every single dragon soul out there

dragons are obviously bad
forget the lore and everything saying they're evil and tried to take over the world
all they do in the game is try to kill you and pretty much any NPC that gets in their way, from soldiers to giants they'll attack anything

the fact that there is one good dragon is what they would call anecdotal evidence
and it doesn't prove a damn thing.

and would certainly not affect the relation between the dragons and every1 else in the world

you may not like the fact that they're the bad guys because you think it doesn't fit some notion you have about dragons
but that doesn't do a damn thing to improve your argument

This thread reminds me of this
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/118/1182292p1.html