» Fri Jun 08, 2012 4:32 pm - The World is the main character of any Bethesda game. We all have different play styles, we all have different values, we all do things our own way - but the fundamental truth is that the only universal appeal of a Bethesda game is exploring a massive world. Bethesda themselves have tacitly admitted they aren't the best developers for combat, or dialogue, or character modelling, etc. But they know - just as we know - then when it comes to building a living, breathing world - they are second to none.
- Thus, it is of utmost importance for gameplay to reflect the strength of a Bethesda game: exploring a World. Anything that diminishes exploration of the World, is diminishing the appeal of a Bethesda game. Anything that enhances the exploration of a World, is enhancing the appeal of a Bethesda game.
- Quest Markers are a toxic inclusion that psychologically override the feeling of being in an explorable world, diminishing the universal appeal of a Bethesda game. When arriving at a new city, instead of the emotional reaction of having your breath taken away by a large town to explore, you are perpetually forced to acknowledge that everything around you is a secondary asset to your "objective". This sensation, the wonder, the joy - is tarnished. You are no longer tasked with the pleasure of exploration, of talking to strangers, of entering all buildings to locate your target. Instead, NPCs and buildings are trivialised because you are actually told they are trivial. The city "shrinks". Everything around you simply becomes an "asset" in a game.
- In Elder Scrolls, you used to have to get directions from an NPC to locate something, for example, an NPC would tell you: "Head south from town until you reach the bridge, then head west until you reach the cave. It's just north of the stone statue". This system is actually an incredible enhancement to the feeling of being in an explorable world, for two reasons. 1. It engages NPCs meaningfully. and 2. It compels the player to actually view their surroundings, greatly expanding the scope of the world by having them physically navigate it with tactical instructions.
- Naturally, some form of guidance assistance should be present in future games, which of course, brings me to mention Clairvoyance. Clairvoyance is actually a PERFECT replacement for Quest Markers for two reasons. 1. It is entirely optional and uses an expendable resource (magicka),.... and 2. It doesn't spoil the destination, it just provides the direction you should head in to reach the destination. For those two reasons, it would work as the perfect solution to those who get stuck. Oh, and if someone is going to state that Quest Markers are also optional and that I am making a needless complaint - that is inaccurate. Although you can indeed turn off Quest Markers in Skyrim by deactivating quests, the journal does not provide location information for most quests, which actively forces the player to require the use of them - or using the Journal, M>locate function.
In conclusion, Quest Markers should be discontinued because they diminish the sensation of exploration of a world, and the world is the single most important factor of a Bethesda game. For future titles, location information should be entirely journal-based from NPC directions, with the inclusion of the optional Clairvoyance spell for those requiring further assistance. This is the most ideal system to enhance the world, and thus, enhance Bethesda's games further.
