My vision for the Elder Scrolls

[VelothiConservative]

Eltee:

contrasts, indeed. But.. morrowind had more of that, both in terms of nature (obviously) and he attitude of the people. and architecture.

Yes, but just because Cyrodiil looks "normal" to you, you can't say it doesn't have the same amount of culture. That's a bit ethnocentric and biased, like saying Asians have more culture than Americans because they have "weirder" stuff. (And no, I'm not here to spark a debate about it...you just made my inner cultural anthropologist cry a bit.)

It is interesting that the very exotic to us screams "Culture!" whereas things that seem more familiar seem so boring. Sort of neat to see how people perceive culture to be, from a purely academic standpoint.

I tihnk what I mean was that they didn't make any attempt, or as big an attempt, to make a unique world and culture as they did in morrowind. Whilst morrowind obviously has influences from the real world (such as the hebrew messiah=nerevarine. and catholic saints. etc) they were often taken from less known sources, such as the babylonian (?) names for ashlanders. I oblivion they copied much from what is typically western. Not only didn't they come up with much on their own in my view, they took it from already familiar sources.

I can understand that feeling. To each their own!

On the plus side, as we've already explored High Rock, Cyrodiil, and Skyrim, it seems the only places left to go are rather fantastical indeed!

indeed. I particularly look forward to elsweyr, but it's probably because I like cats. Or not, I find what bethesda has given us about their culture to be most intressting. I think they might have some trouble living up to all that they've said aout them in previous games though, such as the many different types of khajiit. ANd I hope that the way ESO portrays the other provinces isn't too much to my dissapointment, for doesn't then any new TES game have to comply with that world ESO made?

[Avron the S'wit]

ANd I hope that the way ESO portrays the other provinces isn't too much to my dissapointment, for doesn't then any new TES game have to comply with that world ESO made?

Well yes, for seamlessness, and in that what Zenimax presents should be accurate to the lore established by Bethesda - and I'm sure Bethesda won't allow anyone to publish their work and make it inaccurate. The ESO is also a considerable distance in the past from any new games, which would be in the Fourth Era or later, so there is also a bit of room for leeway or for "wiggle room." But, like Mattbot said, the more you start filling in the gaps in lore, the less your imagination has to explore - and that's not always fun. I'm sure all will be well after the ESO, however! You can always swing by the MMO subforum to read about it there as well.

[Xarnac the Conqueror]

I don't mind the lower fantasy settings of some of the provinces, but pre Oblivion Cyrodiil lore painted a picture that wasn't as generic as what we saw in Ob. That could have been remedied, but there needs to be just a much low fantasy as high, considering (some of) the similar flora, fauna and known laws of the ES universe.

[Mattbott]

I don't mind the lower fantasy settings of some of the provinces, but pre Oblivion Cyrodiil lore painted a picture that wasn't as generic as what we saw in Ob. That could have been remedied, but there needs to be just a much low fantasy as high, considering (some of) the similar flora, fauna and known laws of the ES universe.

even if they called things by Nordic sounding words that might nudge it over the line for me.. i am very fickle and little things mean a lot

eg red fox = FoaRuss

Really i'm just looking for hooks for my imagination (and Morrowind had them aplenty) - that's how roleplaying happens after all