The Elder Scrolls

[Super Hans v2]

Did Bethesda intentionally make the population of bandits in Skyrim easily outweigh that of cities? I've seen some video titles suggest Skyrim is "apocalyptic" or something similar due to that.

That's an odd criticism for Skyrim specifically, because it was even worse in Oblivion with not just the bandits but also the supposed necromancer splinter faction for the Mages Guild being 95% of all sorcerers.

 

[scathefire]

Did Bethesda intentionally make the population of bandits in Skyrim easily outweigh that of cities? I've seen some video titles suggest Skyrim is "apocalyptic" or something similar due to that.

That's an odd criticism for Skyrim specifically, because it was even worse in Oblivion with not just the bandits but also the supposed necromancer splinter faction for the Mages Guild being 95% of all sorcerers.

Yeah I doubt it was some deliberate 4d chess move on Bethesda’s part, it’s just a weird consequence of their game design as usual. Same how there’s apparently a bloody civil war going on in Skyrim but you don’t really encounter much evidence of actual fighting outside that designated questline (though even that questline itself is just a truncated remnant of something originally intended to be a lot more ambitious).

 

[The Ugly One]

Did Bethesda intentionally make the population of bandits in Skyrim easily outweigh that of cities? I've seen some video titles suggest Skyrim is "apocalyptic" or something similar due to that.

No. Killing bandits is fun, and talking to NPCs is cities isn't. Thus the disparity.

 

[Super Hans v2]

No. Killing bandits is fun, and talking to Bethedda NPCs in cities isn't. Thus the disparity.

Fixed that for you. Talking to people in Skyrim is boring because everybody is fighting for the title of Most Boring NPC.

Todd whining in that one GDC talk about players slamming the Shut Up button to get the objective isn't a problem in competently written games.

 

[The Ugly One]

Fixed that for you. Talking to people in Skyrim is boring because everybody is fighting for the title of Most Boring NPC.

Todd whining in that one GDC talk about players slamming the Shut Up button to get the objective isn't a problem in competently written games.

I don't play games to read. I play games to stab people in the face.

 

[LovisXVI]

Fixed that for you. Talking to people in Skyrim is boring because everybody is fighting for the title of Most Boring NPC.

Todd whining in that one GDC talk about players slamming the Shut Up button to get the objective isn't a problem in competently written games.

Especially given that Morrowind dialogue is longer and yet, I don't feel the need to skip through, because it's either interesting or informative.