I'll tackle a couple snide comments regarding this topic:

First: Many a complaint involve a feature or features that actually worked well in previous Elder Scrolls games but is strangely lacking in Skyrim.

Second: Those who would make the game better actually would help by bringing the gaming community UP to the high standards brought on by previous Elder Scrolls games rather than taking their game down with the overall decline in said community(not directed at any individual on these forums). Think the success of Dragon Age, leading to a successful(from a sales standpoint) DA2 but what is widely considered a weaker game overall thus likely reducing the potential sales of a DA3(not that DA3 will bomb).

Third: It's not like games like Oblivion, Morrowind, and Skyrim come out every 6 months. The idea to just leave and play something else doesn't work for the RPG fanatics that are lamenting certain key features being left out of this Elder Scrolls game. There is simply nothing like it. If you only get to eat an ice cream Sundae once every 5 years, and it doesn't have [favorite topping here that was on the previous ones] you lament what wasn't there, rather than focusing on the great Sundae you got even without the topping.

Skyrim gets alot of hard criticism and in some cases just flat out hate from [mainly] its hardcoe community. I don't how long it's been like this though, I wasn't a forum user when I played Oblivion.

Anyway, there are alot of things to be considered when complaining about TES/BGS. First, let's take a look at the size of the game. Skyrim is massive, and offers a plethora of content to the player(as do all TES). I'm suprised it was even possible to fit it all on an Xbox 360. This is one of the right directions that The Elder Scrolls series is going in, and there are few other games who do this. For example, let's look at Call of Duty. Do you know how much time the average Call of Duty player spends online? 51 minutes, according to Activision as of sometime last year. Do you know which was the most played game of 2011? Skyrim, even though it sold not nearly as much as Modern Warfare 3 did. I don't think Skyrim has been 'dumbed down' for 'casual gamers'. Does it cater to a broader audience? Yes. Has it been simpler? Yes, but it has also been made alot smoother. Complexity isn't always a good thing. And the game is still rich with Elder Scrolls Lore, etc. High sales aren't a bad thing either. High sales mean that the next game will be more immersive and hopefully an overall even better experience since BGS now has a higher budget. 'Dumbed Down' is an extremely crass and blatant term to label the game(especially as a whole).

This brings me to my another point. Are you a game developer? I doubt many(if any at all) of the forum users are game developers. I further doubt that anyone other than maybe certain administrators influenced the making of this game. That means that you don't know how the decision-making process of this game went. You don't know why Bethesda decided to scrap this mechanic or that weapon, why they decided to simplify this and implement this to replace that, or the sacrafices and benefits from these choice. Making a game is hard, paticularly when it comes to Innovation. If you try to innovate, there is a good chance it might not work out, because you are taking a risk from a development standpoint, and people will complain about it. Fans don't always like change, especially some hardcoe ones. However, if you take a more conservative approach, people will complain that the series is becoming stale(Call of Duty being another great example). Also, when you innovate, you are also most likely experimenting, seeing what works and what doesn't. A perfect example of this in Skyrim: The Perk System.

One final small issue: Graphics. A common complaint is that graphics/appealing visuals are another attempt at svcking in more gamers. Maybe they do, but this is not true. A game development studio has an interesting group of people called 'Artists'. These 'Artists' are responsible for creating the visuals and artwork of Skyrim. If you're an artist, working on a game like Morrowind or Fallout 3 may not be the most accomplishing experience. They made a game as beautiful as Skyrim because they had the ability to, and they wanted to test their new technology to its fullest, not to svck in newcomers for the purpose of sales'.

I feel that Bethesda and Skyrim receive alot more hate, harsh criticism, or whatever you want to call it, than they deserve. In my opinion, Bethesda are one of the best developers out there, few can rival the time they put in, the detail they create, and the passion they have for their games. I think it's because we can forget the game developers are people too, not genies who exist solely to grant our every wish and make the perfect game. People don't realize that making a game is alot harder than it seems. No game ever is or will be perfect. Skyrim isn't perfect but I think it's an amazing game, I think it's the best in the Elder Scrolls series yet(disputable of course). It's one of the best games I've ever played and I look forward to future titles by Bethesda.

It's just here on the forums, don't worry. Skyrim is universally acclaimed, it's selling spectacularly well and is winning awards left right and centre. I wouldn't worry

First, let's take a look at the size of the game. Skyrim is massive, and offers a plethora of content to the player(as do all TES). I'm suprised it was even possible to fit it all on an Xbox 360. This is one of the right directions that The Elder Scrolls series is going in, and there are few other games who do this.

I was basically jesting ( poorly) as well. Indeed, I actually agree with your "On second thought". True "Over-night sensations" are exceptionally rare. It's generally as you stated, the result of years of hard work, each step up the ladder/opportunity to advance even further earned by the proof of your previous accomplishments.

It takes a whole team a budget of several million and a couple of years to make a game. I don't think anyone here can make a 'better' game. That doesn't mean their ideas for improvement are not valid. Wait till modders get their hands on the CK and see how much more innovative the gaming community can be compared to developers, when they are not hamstrung by corporate culture, funding, time, censorship ratings and other restrictions. That's why the devs make such tools available in the first place.

Doctor gives you the wrong drug and you die? Could you do better? Do you even know what the drug you were supposed to get was called? Be thankful the doctor looked at you at all, peasant.

Trannigan said, "Nobody on this forum could. If they actually could do better they would be the ones actually making games instead of the people that work at Bethesda".

Talent will out, you think? I believed that- some- when I was 15. Talent isn't stingy, it's everywhere. Is there really room in the marketplace for everyone to be in a rocknroll band, design rpg games, or even be elected president of the United States? You ever heard the WF Buckley quote about the first 200 names in the Boston phone book being able to do a better job in Congress than who was elected?

Life is a crap shoot. If you are talented, and stick with it, you might, might have an opportunity to write software for someone and something big. But it's a roll of the dice. You really think there is that little talent on this earth of ours? Talent is everywhere. Who gets to be where- now that is a subject of religion and philosophy,or even statistics, but it's certainly not the hiring desk at Bethesda. (or any place else)

Yet again, if any of you on here actually could make a better game you would actually be doing so

Constructive criticism is more useful than constant sycophantic praise.

Such praise leads to stagnation.

Constructive criticism and even criticism alone can lead to improvemnets.

Yet again, if any of you on here actually could make a better game you would actually be doing so, instead of merely sitting at your computer letting your egos convice you that you know better than legitimate professionals.