You guys need to use your imagination more. I get attached to all the characters because I pretend there is more to them then there really is. It's fun, you should try it.

Really? I don't. Weak charicature characters, bad dialogue and worse voice acting are a staple of TES tradition. This is all about gameworld, loot, "epicness" and some hard core RPing to make everyone more interesting in our minds.



Agree.

Kind of reinforces what I said above. I find I have to use quite a bit of imagination to make TES games work from an RP perspective.


I have found that a CHAOTIC good character can give many options/quests that fit in without breaking your character. Have you tried that alignment? It's given me the most options of any so far.

Chaotic Neutral (Evil) was fun (enjoyed Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood) but I couldn't choose a side in the civil war (I mean, why would a self absorbed hedonistic thief even care let alone join a military outfit to get bossed around?) and also had to abandon the main quest fairly early (it was again, "who cares").

But when you have a char that is "good" but a fricken rule breaking maverick, the possibilities seem endless. So far anyway. Only level 17 with my current char.

HAHAHAHA! Now THERE'S a blast from the past....

I remember reading a review of Skyrim, in which the reviewer wrote that the first thing he did was approach a village and start murdering the characters. I kind of did a face palm, because my first desire was to start exploring the map. But the article did get me to thinking about how people behave in general. Was the reviewer wanting to explore the morality of the game, to see what the consequences were? Did he just want to see if it was fun and challenging? Did he merely want to experience his own inner dark side? Was there a thrill or an indifference? Or could it be something else, such as what cognitive psychologists call the Uncanny Valley.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley

Your response above, caustic as it is, does provide some evidence of that observation. Most especially when you write, "Followers are just a replacement for those who crave friends in real life."

But the thing is, literary theorists would disagree, in that literature and art provide folks with the opportunity to stimulate and exercise their empathy and compassion, which helps progress humanism further away from its bestial origins and more towards enlightenment.

There are folks here who identify with the characters, like one would when watching a movie or reading a book. They can and do develop and emotional attachment to a fictional character. That has nothing to do with their real life, and actually may complement it, if the arguments of literary theorists have any validity.

Don't mean to digress. Human nature interests me, especially the variations on the spectrum. Carry on.

Couldn't have said this better myself... guards in various cities talking about how much they appreciate what I've done for them and their city, and then a moment later they casually drop the "E" bomb... i.e. using "Elf" as a dirty word. It occasionally makes me go on a killing spree wherein I destroy the entire town's guard population. Being Guild Master means I never have to go to jail for such heinous acts.

Avoid Thane follower's companions.They svck specially Lydia.The best Companion's you get from the harderst quests.

I think they missed another opportunity with the war. At this point I really don't care who wins so I haven't joined a side. I wish they would have made one of the sides the obvious "good guy" side and the other the "bad guy" side and let the player choose which side he wanted to play.

Get a companion from Dark Brotherhood.. they are sneaky sneaky

I was really hoping that the Vigilants of Stendarr had like an alternate path/s to the daedric quests. Theya re new to TES and a direct reaction to events of the last game so they seemed prime for a more in depth storyline.

The thing that stops me from caring about characters is that this game really has no place for people who care.

3 out of 4 guilds are completely unplayable if your character won't do quests that are morally objectionable. So you pretty much have to play an a-hole in skyrim if you want to experience even half the content.

I know how you feel there, my first run through once I got to level 40 or so, Lydia died to the hands of 2 Dragur Death Lords (she charged the wrong 2 Dragur in that room, after I finished of the 2 relentless Dragur to the right, I turned to see her fall to the ground) I left her in the dungeon with the Ebony War Axe and Ebony Armor I gave her, I am not sure why she didn't down one of the 10 healing potions I gave her. So on my next outing I asked Jordis to accompany me, I even enchanted her Ebony Armor with health buffs and her Ebony Sword with shock damage, but to no avail she died as well. I found it weird to go to Breezhome or Proudspire Manor and have the house empty. I am on XBOX so no console reserection for me either, I ended up restarting (due to some quest glitches) so I have Lydia back and so far she is holding he own, but I am only at level 20. It would be nice and would probably help you care a little more for your follower if they could level up as well, maybe you don't get to give them perks, but could raise their Stamina, Magica, or Health. Also, it would be nice if when they were given expendables, like potions and such that they would use them. Loyal to a fault they are... won't even drink up those healing potions to save thier own lives... LOL.

They do kinda interfere with a total stealth thing (or at least require you tell them to stay in the back), but the one thing I've noticed is that no matter how much my dog barks, no one in the cave or anywhere hears him! I'd think that would be a dead giveaway, but no.

I strongly disagree. I think the followers are very poorly done. Their remarks are so few...they are mute 99% of the time and then they say "look, a cave, wonder what's inside", right after we exit the said cave... Yes, companions would be a great way to connect you to the people and the game world.... IF they were done in that way. Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment do that: the companions are very talkative, they have tons of dialogue with you, with each other, remarks about what you see across your travels... They make you care about them and about their beliefs. They talk, they share, they add personal tension to your party. In Skyrim this is a huge wasted opportunity like in the previous TES as well. The companions are just cosmetic henchmen with weak personal input and backstories.

One of Marcurio's top skills is sneak. Also, you can outfit him in whatever armor and weapons you want because he accepts all kinds. He has decent dialogue as well (considering the other companions). I like Erik the Slayer the best. I made him a Blade. fulfilled that greenthumb's dream of being a heroic adventurer

Now there's a good thought! Yea, it would be great if we could level up their attributes. Sometimes I wonder if skill or attribute enchantments on armor even affects the followers. Does their HP really go up etc?

Lydia annoys me, yet I guess I formed some sort of love/hate relationship with her. I can't stand to see her die and I couldn't kill her. I tried it once lol but suffice it to say, I felt so bad, I had to reload my game. LOL So, now I live in my house in Riften and told Lydia she can keep Breezehome in Whiterun LOL

Hatred, scorn, loathing, contempt. Viable emotions all which can be discovered by way of having a follower. You'll care. Oh yes, you'll fkn care alright.

Or followers are for those who actually loot the hell out of dungeons and need more carry space...ever think of that genius?

WOW... OKAAAAAAAAY

One of my characters has Cicero as a follower. I actually felt bad when he started dying on higher levels and I had to re-load all the time. Since Bethesda failed to make followers wear equipment or use potions we give them and they don't even level with us, I just made him immortal. Much better.

I'm about 180 hours in with my char, haven't completed the main quest or the civil war quest. I'm level 51 and pretty disinterested right now. The one dimentional characters, bad voice acting, bad dialogue and lack of moral choices just makes playing the game a chore right now. Just don't feel like it (I'll go back to it later, would like to beat the main quest and see what happens). My son actually sold his copy of the game because he and his brother "don't care about anyone in this game".

I'm not selling my game and am not disappointed because I knew what I was getting into. For now I'm playing DA2, which supposedly is the worst game of all time, and am enjoying hilarious dialogue from my snarky mage female Hawke and events surrounding characters and followers that I actually care about (Not bad for a game that's allegedly the biggest piece of crap in the history of gaming).

I'll get back to Skyrim in awhile. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ha ha.