Well, it's bordering on a year since I came here, back when we called this places the Skyrim Blog. However I felt like making a list of the things I would like from Elder Scrolls VI. I don't expect this to be read but if it is: Hello!
Let's discuss the potential settings for the next Elder Scrolls game, shall we?
Morrowind was a great place to set a game with it's alien and unfamiliar setting that could make it seem so scary for the first few time you played. Despite this it still felt like a living breathing world even with the NPCs who said one thing then spouted the same lines you had read a million times over and could be found in the same place day after day. It was a strange and different world that provided contrast to so our own that made you want to explore (until you found cliffracers).
After Morrowind we had Oblivion and it's setting of Cyrodiil: A land which varied and contrasted its self form the swamps around Leyawiin to the Jerall mountains. This may seem like a good thing providing a varied experience depending on where you are. However I would disagree, I would argue that this makes Cyrodiil have a lack of character that Morrowind had.
Then of course we came to Skyrim. A land steeped in culture and most importantly: CHARACTER! The thing that Cyrodiil lacked. The trailers for Skyrim gave us panning shots of the forests of Falkreath and the permafrost covered farms of Whiterun to the cold and snow-covered ancient city of Windhelm. It gave off a feeling of a inhospitable land where you would be a fool to live but that painted the picture of the hardy northern nords with the blood of Akaviir relentlessly taming the beast that is Skyrim and then going to the tavern for a strong ale. The pands of Dragons roosting in great mountains made me lust to climb that mountain and engage in a fight with a dragon like the trailer showed me with 300 voices singing ballads of my valour. However it got old. Fast. It was a large world that ultimately felt shallow. One thing Skyrim did have though was a sense of familiarity that was still exciting. It was liking being on Earth but with a lot more adventure, it was still human yet alien.
So, I'm 4 long paragraphs in (How meta of me to say) and I haven't said anything about Elder Scrolls 6's setting. I'm thinking of every province on Tamriel and even about the distant lands out with her. And there are two maybe three possibilities in my mind.
The first option I see is somewhere that captures the alien felling of TES 3 and the human nature of TES 5. Hammerfell, home of the Redguard. The desert province has a lot of potential to implement more Eastern style swords like the scimitars from Skyrim and other sabers, which in turn give way for the option to have horse combat be a lot more viable. Hammerfell is also not part of the empire as of the end of the Great War where they refused to sign the White Gold concordat and are now at war with the Aldermeri dominion which will allow for the narrative with the Thalmor that began in Skyrim to continue and develop further and potentially we could be allowed to see things from the Aldermeri's perspective.
The second and sort of third option would be The Summerset Isles or all of the Aldermeri Dominion. The Summerset Isles are a beautiful warm and tropical land far to the south that the Altmer call home. It would provide strong contrast to the cold hilly frigid land of Skyrim. There would be a huge focus on magic and it would be interesting to see the implementations of magic in every day society with TES universe. Now we come to our third option: take all that and scale it down by a third and put the green jungles of Valenwood and the deserts of Elsweyr on top of it and you have three different interesting environments that would all bring a different culture to the game. The cannabilistic ways of Valenwood would be cool as it would be frowned upon if not down right illegal in the other two provinces and vise versa with magic in the Summerset Isles and Skooma in Elsweyr (I'm going to be called racist for that, aren't I?)
In the long run, any of these options would be nice or maybe bethesda will decide to do something different. Who knows?
I do plan on doing more of these in the future on more about elder scrolls 6 as I feel the need to have my opinion validated in order to boost my ego and make me feel intellectually superior to my peers.
I'm hoping for Hammerfell in the next game, because I would love to discover a dwemer ruin half buried in the sands of the Alik'r Desert, and the constrast to Skyrim would be nice. Also, a lot of people are hating on High Rock for some weird reason, so maybe we could explore that so it will seem less boring to people.
Hammerfell and Alinor seems to be the most reasonable location. Hammerfell is brought up frequently in side-quests and off-hand commentary through Skyrim. Alinor is definitely in the forefront of topics in the game with the Thalmor and Aldmeri Dominion.
I think it could be either. Redguards could certainly use some attention and I'd really like getting more lore for them.
No. I am adamantly against Akavir. I can't express how stupid it is.
It would be just as stupid as a game set in Yokuda, Atmora, or Aldmeris. These games are about the Arena: Tamriel. Where everything began and will end. Everywhere else is meaningless. A distraction. These places are in the past and remain there because they have no future. Yokuda has sunk into the past, Atmora is frozen, Aldermis is a dream, Akavir is what-ifs.
When has this ever been proven? Yokuda is said to have sunk underwater, Atmora could be frozen in time, or just a bigger hunk of ice, Aldmeris could be real, or not, and Akavir, how is it "what ifs?" Is this because of the rumor of the Neravarine going there?
What about a whole game set during the 2nd Great War? Maybe in Cydroill or the Summerset Isles
While I hate desert settings with a passion, I can see a Redgaurd setting that would provide plenty of storyline content to deal with. Personally, I'd like to see more done with the Thalmor and the Empire. I got it, Cyrodiil has already been covered down on, just wish to see an updated version with a new storyline.
But if it were elsewhere, hit up Hammerfell in full swing, there is enough difference in terrain that at least that would be interesting to explore. Barring that perhaps Valenwood... or I dunno was Highrock covered?
I only got into single player games recently with Skyrim...so I don't know.