i'm playing oblivion again and I remember that guards have a usefulness in Oblivion, they did more then just make lame memes and arresting you, they gave you directions around town. So my question is why did they remove it? it's better then the guards and their horribly annoying one liners they have now.

I was also wondering this. The first time I played Skyrim I thought my game was bugged because the guards wouldn't talk to me.

To "streamline" the game.
It's easier, faster, and cheaper to produce...

Yes. They streamlined the game by removing a feature which gave the player directions...

Maybe they didn't have enough time? Or maybe they didn't think it was a popular feature?

o.O

No directions from Guards... but Marriage... O.o

Yus, no direction from Guards, but Marriage anyway the city sizes are pitiful maybe they figured it wasn't needed since the size is even smaller than before ;p

Who needs directions? Just follow the marker...

Been a looong time since I played Oblivion, so I don't remember the guards, but it sounds really neat. Maybe they'll include it in a mod if enough of us talk about it?

Let me save you the 5 year wait to a letdown and say

no, they probably wont.

They give you directions to new dungeons nearby?

After the first time I spoke to a guard in Oblivion, I never spoke to one again. I don't think they thought it a popular enough feature to justify the cost and effort adding it in this title. It failed cost/benefit anolysis.

Atleast they fought enemies back then. Skyrim's guard run away screaming if you show up near them with an enemy after you. Except if it's a dragon

If you need directions in the Skyrim towns I feel sorry for you. Seriously there was no need for communication with the guards in this game. Maybe just to toss it in for RPG sakes, but seriously do you really need directions here?

Do we really need Marriage, especially with how shallow it is?

Pulling the "do you really need" angle is not a very good way to show the logic behind something that was previously useful being taken out.

That's what I had in mind, for the sake of realism. But yes, they do do other things, gossip about other locations nearby.

So much for all that talk about NPC's giving you directions ;p it happens all of what...5 times? and that's me being generous. I wouldn't have even given voiced dialog, maybe just a "alright follow me" or, "Sorry have to continue my rounds" and if they agreed, you'd simply follow them to the location in question. but lets not push it, they'd probably make it a

"here let me mark it on your map" ;p


in essence, I see the rp reasoning, but Cities are so small, and everything is in one place effectively or not even a breaths worth of work to find so

However, it was a useful feature that really didn't need to be removed. Are the cities smaller? Yeah, but cities like Anvil weren't exactly giant landscapes either yet it still had guards that pointed out local places for you.

I do not miss the guards telling you where every landmark is in town. It was moderately useful the first time I played the game, when I did not know where anything was. Even then, it is not like it was difficult to find shops and other things in the cities. After the first character it just became completely unnecessary, because I already knew where everything was. So I just always ignored that conversation topic for years following that first playthrough of the game. I like how the guards give you tips about nearby dungeons in Skyrim much better. It makes the game world feel more alive and dynamic. Though granted, eventually I might learn where every single dungeon is in the game, and it will become useless too. But it will take a lot longer for that to happen.

Meh. Most of the time the directions they gave weren't useful anyway.

Morrowind guards also gave you directions. Not just guards but townspeople. AND they gave you little hints and pieces of advice. It would be nice to get that back.

Yes, I know with voice acting it's more difficult and expensive, but it would really add to the game. Hopefully that will be in future games from Bethesda (eg future TES and Fallout games).

I loved the little hints and conversations about quests. I wish it were in Skyrim, since almost every NPC but a few of them (related to quest X) seems quite oblivious about everything. Well, the Hold guards, and random NPCs like the Dunmer pilgrim do give you some locations, but that's about it.

I guess the Imperial guards are just more friendly.

No. There was no marraige in Morrowind or Oblivion and not once did I lament that fact after pouring more hours in those two games combined than I have standing in lines in my lifetime. Whether it adds benefit is debateable. As for the question, "is it really needed", that is one of the most important questions when it comes to cost/benefit anolysis. If you are going to spend hundreds of man hours developing something that 5% of your users will take advantage of, it probably isn't worth it.

This is what I found.

Me: "Where can I find potions?"
Guard: "At, Jenna Lee's Potion shop."

Me, thinking, "Who the hell is Jenna Lee? And I know I can get potions at a potion shop? Who owns it is irrelevant! Where is the damn shop that's what I want to know!"

How does it not add benefit?

Can people find things on their own? Absolutely.

But having the extra option of asking around to find things is always beneficial. There's no debate in that.