FROM ARENA TO SKYRIM... The Evolution of The Elder Scrolls

These days you can’t scan the PR blurb of three games in a row without seeing the acronym “RPG” somewhere. Whether it’s Borderlands using role playing elements to flesh out its FPS mechanics or an appalling mess like Rise of the Argonauts trying to make itself sound more interesting, games of all genres have begun to incorporate bits and pieces of the role-playing template from looting to levelling in order to add layers to their core idea – even modern console shooters use experience progression systems to unlock new weapons and equipment in the style of an RPG. 

Once upon a time role-playing games were dominated by the legendary Dungeons & Dragons ruleset originally conceived in the 1970s. Since their adaptation into videogame form, however, RPGs have come to encompass many different sub-genres; back in the day, titles like Rogue (1980) helped to establish staples that would remain consistently popular for the next three decades – later, Dragon Quest (1986) and Final Fantasy (1987) would take those base concepts further and, notably, down very different paths as the genre was adopted whole-heartedly by Eastern developers. Ultimately, those titles that people remember are those that brought something new to the genre and helped to define the modern RPG in all its forms – Final Fantasy, The Bard’s Tale, Fallout, Diablo… It was these games that brought the RPG out of its parent’s basement and into the mainstream, along with a little title from Bethesda Game Studios that almost didn’t exist…

The Elder Scrolls: Arena (1994)

It was in 1992 that Maryland-based development house Bethesda began work on the game that would eventually evolve into one of the most influential series of the last decade. Originally conceived as a kind of medieval-style gladiator game that would take place in a series of coliseums, Arena wasn’t ever intended to be an RPG – it became one because of the influences and tastes of its lead designers. 

It was a case of runaway creativity that helped change the course of Arena’s development as, heavily-influenced by games like Ultima Underworld (Blue Sky Productions, 1992) and Legends of Valour (Synthetic Dimensions, 1992), the team added more and more role playing elements, dropping the concept of travelling arena teams completely and transforming Arena into a dungeon crawler based more on exploration than combat. 

The game’s engine randomly generated areas from a series of pre-designed templates, causing critics to label Arena as repetitious – but it was a method of game design that laid the foundations for future titles in the series. Also, rather than use the open world structure seen in its sequels, Arena utilised a fast travel system to flit between the hundreds of towns and dungeons available. 

In fairness to Bethesda circa 1992, the clunky combat struggled far more because of the technological restrictions of the time than the ambition of its creators, and a legendarily-difficult opening area put many off before they’d even got into the meat of the game. A clichéd storyline involving the discovery of eight pieces of a mythical staff with which to defeat an evil wizard didn’t help matters, but as an introduction to the series it was at least functional.

Elsewhere, Arena was plagued by more misfortune. By the time the deadline hit, the game’s marketing material was already in print, and so it shipped as “The Elder Scrolls: Arena” despite rumour suggesting that even the developers didn’t know what the hell “The Elder Scrolls” were. It also had to be worked into series lore that the continent of Tamriel was known as “the Arena” because of the violent, warlike nature of its inhabitants.  

A number of further setbacks almost killed the series before it had a chance to flourish. Overshooting the release deadline by three months didn’t get things off to a great start, resulting in the sale of a paltry 3,000 units. It could have been disastrous, should have been, yet somehow the game continued to sell – eventually becoming a cult success, setting the standard for future RPGs and demonstrating just how much potential the genre had. 

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996)

In March of 1994, immediately after the release of Arena, work began on The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. Now promoted to Lead Designer, Arena designer Ted Peterson set to work developing a unique character creation element based on Steve Jackson’s Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPS), which had helped role-players to design characters since 1986. For the first time in the series, players were able to select the sex, race and appearance of their avatar, and roll a class unique to their individual style of play. 

Moving away from the cliché-ridden plot of Arena, Daggerfall explored multiple quest branches ultimately leading to six different endings, something relatively unheard of in the genre at the time. Set in the Breton province of High Rock, Daggerfall delved into the lore of its gameworld, featuring a much more interesting story in keeping with later titles. 

Over 15,000 settlements and dungeons (read that again) led to a great deal of tedium where exploration was concerned as the engine could only handle so much variety, but this was somewhat alleviated by the inclusion of distractions such as vampirism and the chance to become a werebeast. Boasting the largest gameworld of the series, and one of the largest seen in the industry, period, Daggerfall was nothing if not epic in scale. 

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire (1997)

Released as a stand alone adventure, this multiplayer-enabled action RPG garnered far less acclaim than any of the other Elder Scrolls titles. 

The game began in the Battlespire training ground, pitting the player as an apprentice whose final test is disrupted by an invasion by Mehrunes Dagon, a Prince of Oblivion. A multiplayer element added the option to play cooperatively through the story, or competitively in a team versus mode. 

As a spin-off, Battlespire was largely unsuccessful and, alongside the next entry on the list, is one of the more forgettable titles in the franchise.  

The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (1998)

A pure action adventure game, Redguard eschewed the RPG elements established in earlier instalments of the series to focus on third person action. It followed the exploits of the Redguard Cyrus, who arrives on an island called Stros M’kai looking for his lost sister and consequently getting himself embroiled in all manner of political intrigue and mystery.

Less successful than other titles in the series, the action-oriented Redguard series was abandoned after the first game so that the development team could return to work on the main franchise. Some accounts site this game and Battlespire as side-projects instigated to keep the team together, and perpetuate the lore of the universe until technology and resources were sufficient to do justice to the next instalment of The Elder Scrolls series…

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)

Despite the ambition of Arena and the scope of Daggerfall (and disregarding the below-par spin-offs), it was with the third game (and, ironically, its more streamlined approach) that the series began to see the success and critical acclaim it deserved. Selling over four million copies and winning over 60 awards including Game of the Year, Morrowind was a great showcase for what PCs at the time could do.

Moving the story from Daggerfall to Vvardenfell in the Dark Elf (Dunmer) homeland of Morrowind, the third game featured a much smaller world than its predecessor. According to Todd Howard, Game Director for Bethesda Game Studios, Morrowind’s world was only 0.01% the size of Daggerfall’s, allowing for fewer and more detailed NPCs and game areas. 

Expanding on the lore established in the earlier titles, Morrowind’s main questline focused on Dagoth Ur, an evil God prophesied to fall at the hands of the Nerevarine, the incarnate of an ancient hero. Side quests allowed the player to join the various guilds now synonymous with the series, as well as several Great Houses, in order to unite the people of Vvardenfell against Dagoth Ur. The main quest was huge and open-ended, allowing further exploration beyond the conclusion, making way for the inclusion of two expansion sets, Tribunal (2002) and Bloodmoon (2003).

Uniquely, Morrowind’s design was influenced by many world cultures, eschewing the standard fantasy roots of Dark Ages Britain or Gothic Europe. Fast travel was given a new slant, with the player able to hire “Silt Striders”, gigantic insect-like beasts that offered transport between game areas. The routes between them were so complex that game guides had to feature maps specific to the game’s fast travel system. Deeper exploration of Tamrielic lore was made possible thanks to the inclusion of over 300 in-game tomes chronicling the backstory of the world and its races, adding more and more layers of the kind of detail for which the series has now become well-known. 

Despite weak combat and a sometimes idling pace, Morrowind was so well received that Bethesda saw fit to port it the Xbox, where it enjoyed similar success – particularly showing that the hardcore RPG could thrive on the modern consoles that PC gamers were so keen to frown upon. Although less successful at the awards, the Xbox version saw a Game of the Year Edition update a while later, and Morrowind – on any platform – still remains an example of original and arguably fearless game design. 

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblilvion (2006)

The announcement of the fourth game in the series was met with a great deal of excitement. Beginning development immediately after Morrowind’s release, Bethesda made use of a new Radiant AI engine, for the first time allowing NPCs to go about their business in a way that was mostly unheard of, stopping randomly to interact with each other or to have altercations with various enemies. For the first time all dialogue was fully voice-acted, bringing a level of realism and immersion to the series that was seen as lacking in Morrowind.

By moving the action from Vvardenfell to the kingdom of Cyrodiil at the heart of the Empire, Bethesda were able to cash in on the sweeping success of a certain film trilogy about a little man and his magic ring. Indeed, the influence of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptations can be seen throughout Oblivion in everything from the dialogue and fashion to the landscape and lighting.

The Radiant engine brought the gameworld to life in a way that was previously unseen, allowing the player to pick up quests and dungeon locations just by overhearing random conversations. Boasting over 120 hours of questing, and potentially endless hours of exploration, potion mixing and item customisation, Oblivion was a huge game and, despite its bugs and problems, remains unmatched in scope and scale. Yes, Two Worlds and its sequel tried, and yes, both failed spectacularly.  

The now notorious “horse armour DLC” didn’t set the gaming world alight, but Bethesda made up for it later with a raft of extra dungeons and then two expansion packs in Knights of the Nine (2006), featuring a new faction to join and a new mini campaign to follow, and Shivering Isles (2007), adding around 30 more hours to proceedings. 

Criticized for inconsistent difficulty perpetuated by the persistent levelling of enemies and items, and for its lack of a “proper” stealth mode and unpolished combat, Oblivion nevertheless garnered huge acclaim from both critics and gamers. Regularly cited as among the best games ever released for PC or this generation of consoles, Oblivion has well and truly cemented its place as an RPG to be reckoned with. Indeed, even five years on people are still discovering new things in Cyrodiil, whether they be hidden shrines, ancient dungeons or obscure quests. 

Despite the now dated graphics, static, ugly dialogue screens and truly distracting texture pop-in, Oblivion remains a favourite amongst RPG enthusiasts and set the bar incredibly high for the series – a bar which Bethesda are aiming to clear by a country mile come November 11th…  

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

One thing you’ll rarely see Bethesda accused of is overhyping their product. Unlike, say, Dennis Dyack or Peter Molyneux, Bethesda’s Game Director, Todd Howard, seems happy to let the game speak for itself rather than make outlandish promises. Which is ironic, because there’s an awful lot to brag about in Skyrim.

For a start, the new Creation Engine is an absolute revelation in terms of what this generation of consoles can do. Just looking at the detail in some of these screens is enough to make me actually salivate on my keyboard. Bringing a level of dynamic lighting as beautiful as anything consoles have offered so far, and boasting a draw distance described by Todd Howard as “all the way”, Skyrim might finally be waving goodbye to the pop-up trees and inconsistent textures that plagued Oblivion. Designing everything in the world with their own engine also allowed Bethesda to develop fauna with individual leaves and rivers that ripple with the wind as opposed to following a scripted loop. In short, Skyrim’s world will feel genuinely “alive”, from more dynamic and affecting weather to the incredible detail in NPCs and creatures.

The newly updated Radiant AI system adds to the illusion that the world doesn’t really need the player’s involvement. NPCs will go about their business whether you’re there or not, working and chatting and living their lives – and this dynamic behaviour will persist even when you engage with them. No more static dialogue screens with some ugly, vanilla-faced peasant – now NPCs will carry on with what they were doing, move around, sit down or stand up, all adding to the illusion of realism. An early example of the improved AI cited the potential ramifications of discarding a sword – a passing NPC might pick it up and return it, or offer to buy it, or run off with it never to be seen again. At the very least such behaviour will ensure unique events for every playthrough. Though, with a reported 300+ hours of questing in Skyrim, multiple playthroughs will literally eat your life. I’m already smothering my life in ketchup in anticipation. 

Other benefits of the new AI include a world that changes dependant on the player’s actions. This might be in a subtle way, such as one NPC replacing another if you accidentally stick your axe through a quest-giver’s eye, or it might be more extreme like the economy of an entire town going down the toilet thanks to you getting a bit fireball-happy in a lumber mill. 

The five cities on offer are larger and more detailed than those seen in Oblivion, and according to reports all the guilds will return. What’s really interesting is that whereas Oblivion only had one level designer working on its dungeons, Skyrim has 8 – meaning a lot more variety and personality in its 150+ caves and ruins. Also, the “Radiant Story” system will play it a little fast and loose with certain side quests, randomising their location and the level of the enemies therein depending on you’re level and where you’ve already been, thus keeping backtracking to a minimum and forcing you to work a bit harder for your food. Lead Designer Bruce Nesmith has already confirmed that questing in Skyrim will be “more Oblivion and less Fallout 3”, promising more quest lines with fewer branches, making it that much easier to stay focused on specific goals.

Combat will see a vast improvement over Oblivion. Now you’ll not only be able to forge your own weapons, but the new dual-wielding system will make swinging them around much more efficient. Each hand will act separately, meaning that you can have any combination of weapon, shield and spell. For example, you might want to dual-wield a sword and an axe, or keep a blade in one hand and a ready spell in the other; maybe you’d prefer to wield two spells, or the old sword & board combo. The bow and arrow set-up returns, too, but this time ranged combat will pack a meatier punch and you’ll be able to use the bow defensively instead of having to switch to a sword when anything comes too close. 

Thankfully Bethesda have seen fit to avoid sticking a cap on the character level, but they’ve also removed any form of class restriction. You’ll still level according to which of the 18 skills you use the most, but its much more freeform than Morrowind or Oblivion and thanks to the swanky new menus its far more intuitive to track your progress. There are apparently 280 “perks”, similar to those seen in Fallout 3, from which you can select one per level – though there presumably won’t be many Level 280 players running around; if Oblivion can be used as a yardstick then most players are likely to cap somewhere between  levels 25 and 50. Also, all 10 races will return - some with subtle aesthetic overhauls like the Khajit fellow in this screen.

Very little has been revealed about the actual plot yet, but it would appear that Skyrim is set a couple of hundred years after Oblivion. The Empire has begun to dissolve and the Blades no longer exist in any strength. The Nord homeland of Skyrim has erupted into civil war following the King’s murder, with one faction wishing to stay with the Empire and the other faction fighting to be free of it. Following a tried and tested formula, the game will begin with zero backstory about your character – all you’ll know is that you were about to be executed; quite why is entirely up to your imagination. Did it really matter why you were imprisoned at the beginning of Oblivion? No, and the ambiguity was refreshing and actually pretty cool for the more consummate role-players out there. Regardless of your past, your future features dragons – lots and lots of dragons. As the last Dovahkiin, or “Dragonborn”, it will fall to you to defend Skyrim against a dark God called Anduin, who has returned with a big bunch of his leathery-winged kin to lay waste to Tamriel. Alongside the 80+ spells available in the game, you can also collect and use 20 “Dovahzaan”, or Dragon Shouts, special magical abilities achieved by slaying dragons and absorbing their souls. 

The dragons may well be the icing on the cake, too. Huge and challenging beasts, they can appear at any time and, whilst they won’t always attack you on sight (some will even want to talk to you), killing them will net you great rewards. Of course, not slaying them can have its drawbacks, as they can attack any town or settlement without warning, killing and burning everything in their path.

All in all, Skyrim is looking like the pinnacle of console roleplaying games. With an incredible AI system, amazing graphics and textures, 60,000 lines of recorded dialogue and Max Von Sydow (!!!), it’s unlikely that any other RPG this year will come close to troubling it. Even the incredible The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings might be pipped to the number one spot by Bethesda’s behemoth. Skyrim’s developers have taken everything they’ve ever put into an Elder Scrolls game and refined it, shaped it, arguably perfected it, in order to create a game that’s already getting Game of the Year nods 4 months before it’s even released. If Bethesda get it right, if they deliver on promises made and if Skyrim can live up to the hype generated by its illustrious heritage, it genuinely will change the way RPGs are made in the future. I, for one, can’t wait to return to Tamriel and immerse myself once more in the incredible world of The Elder Scrolls.