Reasons why Cyrodiil should have a different look

Post » Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:43 pm

First of all let me state that I love the game so far, and am following it every day. I'm not a MMO fan but for the Elder Scrolls I'll gladly pick up the genre. But as a longtime fan of the series I have one problem: as we have already noticed in screenshots, video's and lore background we know they're gonna portray Cyrodiil as a lush and fertile green land. It will probably never be changed but I'd still like to state the reasons why they shouldn't go in that direction in my opinion:

I. Lore
I guess the most obvious and widely discussed reason is the established lore: Cyrodiil is a jungle (with exception of the Heartlands if I'm not mistaken) until Tiber Septim changes this, around 300 years after the events TESO. If they're not gonna change the looks of Cyrodiil from what they are now I really hope they come with a really really good reason with why Cyrodiil is suddenly so fertile and green and all. Stating that the PGE was a transcription error is wrong in my opinion since the intervention of Tiber Septim has already been widely established, even in-game by Heimskr and the Commentaries. Undoing the act of Tiber/Talos is in my opinion a very bad move that damages his character.

II. Atmosphere
According to the descriptions of Tamriel of that time Cyrodiil is probably the worst place to live in: It's governed by a weak Daedra-worshipping empire and besieged from every possible border by every other nation of the country. Making this land the most prettiest of them all is just wrong. Only in Cyrodiil the players are allowed to slaughter each other, and where does it take place: in green hills with nice colorful flowers. A place this grim and dangerous should also look that way. Right now almost every province looks more dangerous than Cyrodiil, while in fact Cyrodiil is the most dangerous of them all.

III. Signature Looks
It seems that every province is getting something like a signature look: in a screenshot you can often tell which province it is taken in. But I've a big problem right now with seperating Cyrodiil from High Rock right now. High Rock has always been established in the lore as a European Medieval like society and in my opinion this province should get these kind off looks. Not Cyrodiil, the center of an Empire infested with daedra that's losely based on the Romans. Cyrodiil needs its own signature look. I don't think it should be a jungle as dense as Black March for example but somewhere in between would be good.

In my opinion a destroyed and devastated landscape (a suggestion I've often seen on the forums) would be the best solution: it would solve the issue of Tiber's act to make Cyrodiil a fertile (even give him extra motives because the land was completely destroyed during Molag Bal's reign and the Alliance War) and also give Cyrodiil the correct atmosphere of a dangerous land while also giving its own signature look.

I really hope this will be considered since it solves alot of issues that are present right now by the way that Cyrodiil is portrayed.
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Brooks Hardison
 
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