I knew from the get-go, but realised it was partly my fault as well as the game's. The next Elder Scrolls will need something truly epic to kick things off, and that's not just coming from someone's who has become adjusted to the franchise. Mind you, amazing new graphics on a new engine might just be enough, like it was for Oblivion.

Hang on there. Skyrim is a huge game, and the graphics are brilliant. I mean, If you want Crysis level graphics in Skyrim, your dreaming. In saying this, Bethesda could have paid less attention to detail in some areas like chracter modes and stuff. They also have some rather ingenious tech (trees have weight and effects how much they sway in the wind) which is cool, but probably not needed.
And if you want the reason why I think the atmosphere is lost look at my reply.
And FYI, i was refering graphics wise to this reply, not others mentioned before.

AGAIN I say NOTHING about GRAPCHICS in that post. You folks do know how to read, right?

Morrowind's quests, BTW, were hand-holding babysteps (no complex gaols- go here, get that, bring it to me, we'll talk more when you return) or "go get my laundry" types. Nostalgiavision is what you're selling me.

Yes. Don't try to school me.

I said nothing about graphics, and told you so the last time, when you spouted about graphics in repsonse to me. Now you're here talking about graphics again as if that was what I wanted to make a point about. You're trying to teach me about what I'm wrong about, in regards to something I never said. So stop trying to school me.

Um, Morrowind was hand-holding quests...whatever you say. What must Skyrim be to you then? Also it isn't with Nostalgia that I say this. I actually played Morrowind a while after Oblivion. Which wasn't that long ago, so I don't look at with 'rose-tinted glasses'. I have a fairly balanced view-point.

I can just understand where the OP is coming from, and can agree to a certain extent once I think about it. Personally, I wasn't very good at Morrowind, and never managed to get my footing enough to actually enjoy it. The only other Elder Scrolls game besides Skyrim that I've invested a large amount of time into is Oblivion, and thought it was a fair way of handling it. "Here, we'll show you the ropes, but what you do after that is up to you."

You don't get that awesome sense of epic-ness from Skyrim (or at least I didn't) until after you've left Riverwood and rounded that mountain for the first time, and you see Whiterun in the distance and go "Damn, that's impressive." The effect is still there it just takes longer to set in.

I think had there been something a bit more "amazing" when you leave the cave for the first time, it might have helped. I tend to actually walk away from Skyrim if I start new until character gen, then just focus on looting and moving on as fast as I can. For me the awe feeling thus far has not been at the start but as I wonder the province and catching things at just the right moment, a perfect sunset, etc.

In Morrowind, there are no complex quest goals. each little mission is a stage. You can't screw it up. You go one little babystep at a time. You are never left to your own devices as to what to do next.

I am not the one complaing about quests, so your question to me about how I 'feel' about Skyrim's quests is baseless. I never said they were "better" or "worse".

In your opinion, you have a fairly balanced viewpoint. You didn't progress MW to OB; you did it the other way around. So you didn't see what OB did differently, you saw what MW did better. Tou you, that's a fairly balanced view. To me, it's out of context, but you don't understand how it could be so. I also don't think you understand that "nostalgia" doesn't mean "liking things from a real long time ago". There's no timeframe threshold. The past is the past. You are looking back at things from the past; that's all that's required

1st-
2nd- SKyrim's in my past, why don't I feel Nostalgia for that?

1st- Not my fault you can't wrap your head around it. All you.
2nd- You're still playing Skyrim. I can't have nostalgia for something I'm still doing. Doing something in the past means, um, something in the, uh, past. Not the present. Past was before, present is now. But you already know that, so count me out of future trolling, 'kay?

No I'm not.

I find that Skyrim does in fact have an off the boat moment in Riverwood. No matter what, you end up there and I just kinda hung around, got some missions, and explored this quaint little town.

So you're not playing, and yet you're here arguing about its merits or lack of same.

On the one hand, I'm not a mindreader. On the other, you've just indicated you're trolling

Becuase I outsmarted you I'm trolling?

I've finished the game so now I'm providing my feedback, as a customer I have that right.

This thread just boggles my mind. I've been burned out on video games for over 6 years, I thought I'd never experience the awe I used to in my 20s.

The moment I left the first dungeon in Skyrim and stepped foot onto the road to Riverwood, I was in absolute awe, I'd never seen such fantastic and believable scenery in a video game before. I spent about 20-30 minutes just walking down the road and looking around at the foliage and clouds. It blew every other Elder Scrolls experience out of the water.

Not talking about gfx mate.

I thought Skyrim did have a couple of moments like that; right after Hadvar (or the other guy) starts to run away, and shortly after you've left Riverwood for the first time and Whiterun comes into view. Best in daytime obviously. Honestly, I loved Oblivion but I just didn't think getting out of the sewers was paricularly awe-inspiring. All you see is a small section of lake, a pier, and some small ruins. I would have set that up so when you exit the sewers you come out on the opposite side and are exposed to White-Gold tower or something.

This game has many such moments IMO. My first "off the boat" moment of awe was when I walked to Bleak Falls Barrow from Riverwood and was caught in a snowstorm at the watch tower. My second was shortly thereafter when I had beaten the bandits outside the dungeon and entered to see a beautiful chasm with light filtering down from a gap in the ceiling and swirls of snow blowing around the room. These alerted me that I was experiencing a special game, one that rightfully deserved to be included within the TES lineage.

J.

I loved the alien environment of Morrowind, so I wasn't happy when they confirmed that the next ES game would be set in Skyrim. I never liked Bruma or Solstheim, so for me, a lot of that "atmosphere" is lacking in Skyrim only because of this. Of course Bethesda has made the setting look good, but I still think it's a boring place.

I like skyrim and oblivon but i prefer Fallout: New Vegas

This in a way is how I feel as well. I thought the whole intro was pretty awesome, but the moment it looses that "off the boat moment" is when you leave the cave and dude is there holding your hand to the next town. Dude should have died off or something so when you leave the cave you are alone and wondering wtf just happened.


I have to agree with this. That first time I got out, it was staggering to see the outside wold as your eyes adjusted to the light of the sun. Super impressive!

The sounds are tedious in Skyrim, same wind sound in all of the caves and a real lack in sound effects. I was playing The Witcher 2 and it's far more atmospheric everywhere.

All I can say is Im glad I wasnt pre spoiled by previous versions, and I only RPG's and played Elder Scrolls from this rendition only.

Nothing will ever match your first time at something new, to me this isnt realy much to do with the game but psychology

When did I get a "wow" moment, well, not realy at the start (nice experience though), not realy coming out of the cave to the world of skyrim, but much more when I got to Riverwood and then started to slowly understand what could actualy be done and the character roles, then it got to night time and the night sky when I started to walk to more open areas.


I would agree with this, the best atmosphere would be the dragon flying around for a bit and then flying away ... the music fades in, your crouched ..... ummmm ..... so, WTF do I do now then? I think when your running around escaping at the start you get "just get to riverwood when you can!" moment slotted in, which drops the quest line in, WHILE your trying to get out, then the other follower dies (having telling you "whatever happens try to get message to riverwood" ... of which you dont know where it isand then you enter the world thinking ... so ... lets check the physical map and find out .... then explore mode kicks in.

Plus the stones part could be slotted in when you meet at riverwood to give notice of the passing of someone/dragon sighting ... that way stones arent thrust into you at the start if you miss them.

The opening was pretty intense. It was also nice to make a friend early on, so you wouldn't feel so lost.

But feeling lost was the best bit!!!