The real elephant in the room is the amount of deaths that has resulted from the problems with Skyrim. But 10 million units sold means lots of money can be paid to keep the genocide hush hush in the media. My neighbor who owns the PS3 version is dead now. Todd Howard needs to look his little boy in the eye and explain why daddy won't be there for Christmas if he is man enough to do so.

You should write fiction. Clearly, you have the talent and the imagination.
I expect, want, care for nothing from Todd on this department. I couldn't care less whether he bothers to address the fanbase or not. I don't view him as the vilain and in fact regard him as the best game director around.
I guess we're cleared.

Him addressing the fanbase won't change how I feel about the game - I think it's a very good yet vastly improvable game. What Todd had to say:

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/skyrim-to-have-multiple-dlc-releases-powerful-buckets/

Howard couldn't yet share plans for DLC, but he says it will be focused on "ways to make the game better, not just have more, because the game is so big. So we're going through ideas right now, and processing everything people are doing in the game, and trying to think of ways that we can improve it." There will be multiple releases (as with Bethesda's past games), but Howard says they "don't have a timetable. They won't be quick, and they'll have a lot of meat on them."

Now, do you want me to underline the relevant bits?
As for criticism, I would direct you to IGN, GameInformer and, out yesterday, PCMag.
Of course, you could always state PCMag is a fringe publication...

I think by saying the DLC will make the game better, not just add more stuff, Todd is implying that they are looking to add new gameplay elements, not just more dungeons, quests and Dragons. He feels they have enough "stuff", as it is, and wants to add to the experience. I don't think it has anything to do with the technical performance of the game. They will probably evaluate people's suggestions about gameplay when developing the dlc.

As far as the Tsunami of criticism, PS3 owners have a serious issue, and I am sure they are working on it. But otherwise, the game has enjoyed praise from almost every source, garnering numerous game of the year awards. It is selling like hotcakes, breaking records, and is a universal success. I don't think Todd's comments about the DLC are in relation to anything criticism being directed towards the product.

Yes please, as I could see nothing in that linked article that speaks of any kind of Contrition at all.

Where is this Contrition you speak of?
And I don't mean taking the single word 'better' out of context.

The only 'bug' he mentions in that article is the bucket on the head one. Which was (as he says) a highly amusing usage of the game environment rather than some kind of earth shattering game breaker.

That statement does not = we put out a crappy game now your gonna have to buy DLC to fix it. Which seems to be the point your trying to get across.

DLC is suppose to improve the main game, at least good ones anyway. And since Bethesda will be basing their DLC system on those of Fallout 3, my hopes have yet to be dimmed. I honestly don't see what the big stink is about.

It's an interesting point the one you're presenting here.
Performance issues are the one and only legitimate complaint, you say?

Because everything elee would fall under the personal preference umbrella and thus be excluded from rational discussion?
Well I guess Beth might as well delete this entire board but for the Skyrim Hardware and Software Issues Subforums.

Poor design can cause just as much harm to a game as lags and laughable glitches.
Take College of Winterhold. Its architecture is so generic, so sketcy, bland and overboiled it sometimes makes me regeret having labelled Skyrim's art direction as Top Notch.

But since it's not a performance issue, it's not a legitimate complaint.
Right.

Personally, the college looks like every bit as a school for mages in the middle of a frozen wasteland should.
See, personal opinion.

No, it is not. I myself haven't experienced that many bugs. Only a CTD or two. The game is not crappy - it is a very good albeit vastly improvable gam.How many times do you need me to repeat that?

What i'm trying to figure out is:

A ) Why on Earth didn't media professionals took the chance to press Todd for some accountability when they had a golden opportunity to do so, namely, VGAs? That's your freakin' pink elphant in the room.

B ) Just what does Todd mean by making the game better [as opposed to bigger]? Precisely because he's been so numb-lippd, the statement gets moe significance. ANd precisely because, as ususal, he's been so laconic, we're entitled to some speculation.

Work on your storytelling. That's the best way to amke the game better, even if not bigger.

Of course it's personal. I, for one, will not present my opinions as facts.
Yet there are, pardon my French, reasonable reasons behind that opinion - which is not the subject of this thread - and those reasons can be discussed.

For the sake of argument, and vastly off topic, College of Winterhold:

Bridges making 120 degrees rigid turns? Right.
Bedrooms with no doors? Right.
Vacant subsidiary dungeons that are actually mor carefully designed than the main location? Right.
College provides enchantment services. Where? Oh, right.

The VGAs is an award show not an interview, also beth already made a statement about these issues so saying hes being numb lipped makes no sense. With the dlc thing, dlc is supposed to make the game better thats the entire point of its existence. And yes they need to hire new writers, some of the quests seem rather bland.

If you're going to barricade yourself behind this kind of points, well, then please do.
A journalist is a journalist. I guess jouirnalists now double as professional backpaters.

DLC usually makes games bigger, i. e., it adds new content without significantly changing the modus operandi.
The emphasis appears to be not on bigger but on better. ANd i think it's a good thing.

It's a magical college that survived a cataclysm, hugging/floating on a cliff above frozen waters, in a land occupied by warriors who distrusts anything and anyone magical to the point of outright persecution. It's a literal and figurative island of magic.

With those factors, I don't think personal privacy or comfort is high on their list. You hear time and time again that the college doesn't want to further ruin their relationship with the nords. In the beginning, a senior member says outright that they're "prepared" should that come to pass. When you look at it from that perspective, their regulations and isolated location, its more a fortress than an institution of learning.

90% of you lurkers on the forums are just complaining for the hell of it. As for Skyrim, maybe there is a reason that Skyrim is selling like "hot buns out of the oven." Maybe it is because it is actually an amazing game with very few flaws aside from the bugs which will be fixed if they are gamebreaking. I've never played a Bethesda game (or any complex game come to think of it) that didn't display bugs that were frustrating. Todd is silent perhaps because he is having to sift through the BS complaints about improvements in order to get to the constructive criticism hidden below. If everyone that loved Skyrim took a break from skyrim and flooded into the forums, the percentage of complainers to those that love the game would be minimal.

People dont get asked questions at award shows they get awards. Now if he was in an interview yeah i would expect at least something to be brought up about the issues but thats not what the vgas are for.

I was kind of hoping you'd chime in with your share of constructive criticism, you know.
None to be found.

I did get the usal blanket unproven unsupported statements about this forum Ecology. The usual we're all nagging for the sake of nagging mantra tha's been repeated till exaustion. Maybe you have a survey, you know, some actual data to embelish the claim?
Didn't think so.

Untill your can provide that long due survey, I can see the claims for what they are:
self-serving.

Im mostly going to agree with this. Though to be fair the game does have some HUGE problems (looking at you destruction) but its still insane how fun it is. Its the only game latley that has pulled me in and REALLY made me just want to play it. They put a huge amount of detail in the world, did a great job on the quest (not the guild quest, those ALL needed to be a LOT longer, but they were good quality). In my opinion the good FAR out weighs the bad.

Todd Howard bad! Vrognak pound. POUND!

=P

WHAT harsh criticism? The criticism on these boards? That must be what you mean, because everything I see elsewhere online is rave reviews and "10 out of 10!" stuff.

If you're talking about the harsh "criticism" on these boards (again, I am just going to go ahead and assume that you are), well, if I was Bethesda, I wouldn't pay attention to it. I put the word criticism in quotes for a reason.

Most of what you get on forums is a lot of petulance and verbal incontinence. People crying because the game wasn't tailored specifically to them. It's not criticism, it's just [censored]ing.

Somewhere in the world, someone typed these words and I just can't stop laughing. Wisdom beyond belief. Thanks!

I'm always left wondering if the people who constantly ask the rhetorical question ?If Skyrim's so bad how come you're playing it?!? will ever ask themselves the same question.
If these forums are troll infested, filled with professional naggers, if these forums are so bad, why are you here then?

I've addressed your mantra a thousand times: it's been repoeated to death here before and is nothng but a vacant blanket statement.

As for your
?
Most of what you get on forums is a lot of petulance and verbal incontinence. (...)
?,
do you realize someone could readily apply it to your post above ?

Cheers!

I think Todd is too busy swimming in his money to listen to us right now.... Bet he has $100,000 in presidential dollars and he pretends they're septims.

"I am not 100000% satisfied with this product, I demand justice! Bring me Todd Howard's head!!"

Seriously, under how big of a microscope are you going to scrutinize a man who simply said he wants to make the game "better"? Just because you would've used a different word, is it really worth all the fighting and slinging generalizations? Please go back and re-read this thread, you sound obsessed. Go outside and get some air; this just isn't worth it.

It's far easier to keep existing customers than it is to find new ones.

If someone is unhappy with this game, it's foolish to dismiss their claims as petulance or juvenile. Obvioulsy for that person and others the game isn't hitting home. Only a fool would ignore criticism without reviewing it.

Now you may look at it and decide, "The customer is not the fan base we're targeting, so while he's unhappy, we've got his money and we don't care". Not the greatest behaviour but fully understandable in business.

Then again, if sufficient number of these people band together to create enough noise, then you risk damage to your reputation and business despite not caring for that demographic.

Point in fact - PS3 users.

From my experience of Skyrim on the PS3 and Bethesda's subsequent silence on the issue, I can only take from it that Bethesda don't care about the PS3 market but will milk it if it can. We'll see if the tide of discontent grows to a tsunami and Bethesda grudgingly do something about it.

I've already made my mind up to not buy any DLC for this game, and I'll take a long time to be convinced to buy another Bethesda game.

I would encourage Mods to pin the post above.
I will calmy repeat what i have stated before and you have chosen to ignore:
1. Skyrim is a very good game and a vastly improvable one.
2. I think Todd Howard is the best game director around.
3. I am not looking for, expecting, or giving a dam whether he explains himself or not. I'm not even entirely sure an apology is really due to PS3 gamers, whose disatisfaction I can but imagine as I play on PC.

So now that your entire post has just vanished into thin vapour, what are we left with?
Yup,
Thin vapour.