I can't stand first person, between your weapon and maybe your shield half the screen is hidden from you.
I do alternate between 1st person and 3rd person but the majority of the time (90%) I stay in 3rd person.

i find it strange for rpg ers to like 3rd person views. it makes me think you like the 3rd person god/gears of war and similar games. wow.

No. you`re just not used to 1st person fighting.

Some people`s ability to `imagine` themselves in a 3D spatial area seems limited and they have great trouble being in 1st person.

I however have used 1st person for years and love it. No problems at all in dodging or going back and forth in multiple combats. I would in fact find 3rd person fighting harder, just like riding a horse in 3rd person which is awful. thanks, Bethesda.

1st person is also incredibly immersive, I feel i`m IN that world., not viewing someone else like on TV.

Funny, I've been playing exclusively in 1st person and only occasionally have switched to 3rd person (just to check some new armor or something like that). Now I feel intrigued. I'll try 3rd person in combat (melee) and see how it goes.

I don't find 1st person all that immersive. The view I see in the game looks incredibly boxed-in compared to when I simply look around in real life (the REAL 1st person view point). Maybe if I were to use the console to open up the range somewhat, but I still don't think it would compare. Peripheral vision is just not something that's really able to be adequately simulated on a 2D screen, so until we get into the kind of technology where you're essentially surrounded by what you see, a computer will never really be able to adequately display a realistic 1st person viewpoint.

Set FOV to 100.
Also, how is it not immersive seeing through the eyes of your character?

I find strange as a rpg player that you like 1st person view, it makes me think you like Call of Duty and other pew pew shooter games amiright?
Please stop making assumptions, everyone as it's own tastes and you don't need to make absurd comments like these.

I love God of War, Uncharted, etc.

The only time I ever switch to 1st person is for archery. Other than that I prefer to see how awesome my character looks doing his thang!

for my melee characters third person usually, for mages and sneaks first....

how do you mentally deal with the responsiveness?
you are watching your character. you are not your character?\\

Are you serious?
There have been 3rd person RPG's for years, and years, and years.

For people who claim to have imagination and a desire for immersion, I find it amazing that all these "role players' can't wrap their heads around people playing 3rd person.

Also, FP is you playing a guy with tunnel vision who can't turn his head, only his body..that's really hardly any less unrealistic than seeing yourself 3rd person.

I know what you're getting at, but as much I want to, and do, roleplay this, it's still just a computer game. I can't get as much into the roleplaying aspect of a computer game as i used to with the old table top RPG, so I enjoy the roleplaying and fantastic graphics in equal parts in Skyrim. Since decking out your Dovahkiin is a pretty big part of this, I definitely want to see him.

I dislike third person, I only use it for screenshots and visuals. I find combat really quite difficult in it.

I sometimes play in third person just to watch the animations, but generally I find combat in first person much easier. Particularly with archery. I don't even attempt archery in third person.

OK, so let me get this right....

1st person view is less immersive because you can`t see your peripheral vision, even though you could just turn your mouse and stick quickly to make up for that, but it would be ok if we had a surround visual system...

So that`s why you stay with 3rd person which has you 10 feet above and behind yourself and that`s NOT more unimmersive than having a view which is more true to looking through your own eyes?

Now tell me the REAL reason you perfer 3rd person.

I`ve had some people say they play in 3rd person because 1st person is too scary, especially in dungeons where something can actually surprise you.

1st person is more realistic and immersive than 3rd, no matter what excuses people cook up to try and pretend 3rd is better.

Lol yeah, that's it..it's too scary for me, because this is such a hard core game (that's sarcasm if it didn't come through).

Why do you think people need an excuse for their preference, I can play how I want, i don't need to justify it to you.

Again, in battles with multiple enemies, i like to have peripheral vision, while third person goes overboard, FPS (except where you can modify fov) HAS NONE, to me that's a deal breaker.

I get what you're saying, but on the other hand Tallenn has a point. He's not saying 3rd person is more realistic, he's just saying he get's more of a feel for his surroundings in that mode. I tend to agree. Whether that's more immersive or not might be debatable but I get where he's coming from.

Why can't it be that some people prefer 3rd and other people prefer 1st? What's with getting on folks for how they like to play?

Because these casuals and console players are destroying the once elite, secret, underground RP - centric TES series that only TRUE ROLEPLAYERS understood and played with all their desires, it's DOOM DOOM DOOM I tell you.

Your statement makes no sense. Most rpgs that I have played through the years have been 3rd person view only. Dragon Age, Mass Effect, The Witcher,Two Worlds 2, Alpha Protocal...you get my point, and they were all immersive experiances for me at least.

I can't roleplay in 1st person. My character as no feet or arms...it's like a floating camera.

I wasn't aware that gamers had to stay within one genre. I love Gears of War,Halo, and a host of other games that arent Bethesda related. Learn to expand your horizons my friend.

I want to try combat in third person, but I'm too used to first person. And my current character is still too much of a weakling to do much experimentation in melee combat--I need to be comfortable, or he dies. But once he levels up a bit more, I'm going to force myself to play a session in third person and see if I can get used to it. Generally speaking, I prefer third person perspectives in games.

hate third person although i will say that the default FOV for skyrim is horrible. its actually a better FOV in third person. thankfully i can just console it to 90 but i feel bad for people on consoles stuck with a crappy 45 degrees or whatever it is.