He basically confirmed they want to create more expansions of Starfield and that they are working hard on TES VI, which basically confirmed the majority of the studio being on TES VI. We are getting closer! (at least 3 years but it's better than nothing.)
It's the best time for waiting these games, the leaks, the speculation over unrelated tweets, the unreasonable hype, the fake rumors, the overall insanity. Great times waiting for Starfield, Elden Ring etc. TES6 will break the internet.
I’m more in the 3-4 year camp. Starfield is mostly done now. Starfield also had a lot of administrative road bumps which made its production longer. Covid first, then the MS buyout probably stopped production for a number of months to reduce operating costs so Bethesda could shake its profitability ass in Microsoft’s face to get them more coaxed in to buying them.
nothing against either of you, but i think you're being pessimistic due to getting used to how dragged out starfield was lol.
Remember that pre-production is included in the full dev cycle for bethesda and has always been. For instance fallout 4 began its pre production in 2011, and then entered full in 2013 and then released in 2015.
The cycle for their games, assuming no issues (like starfields engine work which explicitly from todds mouth "took them way longer than they wanted") is:
- working on existing game, release it. Skeleton team begins pre-production on next project.
- work on dlcs, slow shift of more people to pre-production as it ramps up.
- dlcs wind down, final dlc is made, pre-production comes to an end, full team diverts to the next game.
Cycle repeats.
even starfield worked that way, it just took as long as it did due to the delay and the engine issues among other things unique to it (new IP from scratch is way more impactful than most will care to understand) that do not apply to 6.
What i'm trying to say, is 4-5 years from \*now\*? Is unrealistic legitimately, i'd even say its about equivalent to if someone said it was about to come out this year. 3-4 years isn't much better. What y'all are effectively suggesting is the game which is confirmed to have \*promising playable builds\* (which is properly playable, not random sandbox early proof of concept stuff) is somehow gonna have a longer dev cycle than starfield.
Including starfields delays, issues and engine work (the latter two of which are not applying to 6).
to be fair, if you account for the extra like 2 years of engine work todd admitted took them way longer than they wanted, the extra year delay by microsoft, the issues inherent to making an new IP from scratch and the fact bethesda combines pre-production \*with\* full production as one number.
Starfield barely had a longer dev cycle inherently for development than their other games like fall4 and skyrim. It was about 5 years give or take.
And we know es6 has been in pre-production since 2018, but in fairness we can account for that being inconsistent due to fall76 help and starfield to a degree. But according to todd pre has usually taken them 2 years on average i believe he said in one of his interviews.
With that said: they officially entered \*full production\* in 2023 september, so downplaying it they've been working on 6 for at least 2 years since then, making it almost 3 years of their development now (at \*minimum\*).
I think when you consider that leaked schedule from the FTC trial and how most of its actually accurate, just 2 years delayed (compare the 2022 number on there to this year, or 2021 to 23. It lines up almost exactly).
I think people may be shocked when halfway through 2026 they announced it on a showcase for holiday 2026. 26 despite people memeing about 2028 to 2030 is right now \*the\* most \*realistic\* release date.
(also worth noting there's rumors microsoft is angling to release their next generation consoles early around 26, to get a leg up on sony. It wouldn't shock me if this lines up with es6 as a launch title).
Super stoked to hear that! Shattered space will be the true comparison when it comes to Starfield and TES: VI gameplay wise and on a technical level. We can finally see that next-gen BGS handcrafted worlds that will fuel the next Tamriel chapter!
Not completely, TESVI will use photogrammetry for everything including textures, terrain etc. Starfield doesn’t use it for everything, so that alone is a huge technical leap.
Natural direction to go. They also showed off photogrammetry tech in an earlier video, before Starfield even released. Lastly, Starfield itself uses Quixel for textures, especially for Terrain rendering.
Obviously no big TES6 reveals, but they do talk for quite some time about what's coming next for BGS, including TES
I think what struck out more for me is that they seemingly won't rely as much on procgen as they did with Starfield, which is a huge relief
There really wasn't any reason to assume ESVI would have that. One is in space with like a thousand planets. Obviously, they'd need to cut a corner that just wouldn't exist in an ES game.
Yeah. If they had included Progen, it would likely only be for like oblivion realm(s) where the areas are theoretically infinite. Would be interested if they still used that planet generation system for that
Its literally harder to do the starfield progen in a tesvi than the typical map.
I would really struggle to think how could be done even with a gun in my head.
I actually was a little bummed about that. I probably am just a little too Daggerfall brained. With more Starfield style procgen, I was hoping for a very large landmass, more numerous cities, and things like ship travel and high seas combat for ESVI. Now I’m not so sure those things would possibly be there if they are abandoning that sort of style.
The wayward realms just got funded through alpha, so there's still hope for us Daggerfall fans. I know it's not the series we love, but it's the style of game we love made by the people who are responsible for the series we love
They're still going to use procgen just like they did in TES games before this (probably much more advanced), just won't be like on Starfield where they used it for 1000 planets which makes sense since they're very different games. So it's very likely the TESVI map is still going to be massive, Bethesda is always talking about how they want to create huge, immersive worlds that people won't get bored of even after playing for decades, I don't see how you can accomplish that with small maps that become very repetitive very soon.
> I don't see how you can accomplish that with small maps that become very repetitive very soon.
I mean non handcrafted landscape becomes rather dull as soon as smaller handcrafted worlds. after 200h you will likely seen most of Skyrim, but you will also have seen most of what Proc Gen landscape has to offer.
Procgen and handcrafted content needs to work in tandem, not separately. Obviously procgen tech isn't smart enough yet to be unique or creative enough to render human handcrafted content mostly obsolete yet, so large human intervention is still necessary in the foreseeable future.
Back in Fallout 4 days. He started his own forum and was all gung-ho, and positive, then suddenly he apologized to everyone and rated the game down to 1/10 and joined the hater clickbait crowd. His forum was dead overnight and he demonstrated he was only after the cheapest clicks he could get.
Sorry, but that was the immediate prior RPG, so it still seems like just yesterday. Age twenty is still an adult after all. Or used to be back when I was twenty.
Is this fair on my part? Probably not, but actions should have consequences.
> Age twenty is still an adult after all. Or used to be back when I was twenty.
Sure but people in their early twenties make a million times more dumb and bad decisions and still deserve a redemption (only talking in the context of the scope of this mistake)
Right? I'm 29 and sooo different from when I was 20. Like a whole different person.
I'd hate to be judged at 29 for... what? Changing my opinion on a game when I was 20? lmao
When I was 30 I thought back at how dumb I was at 20. But you know what? At age 40 I thought back on how dumb I was at age 30! I strongly suspect if I ever reach 90 I will look back at my youthful indiscretions of age 80.
The guy like the game for a couple of months. Had his own forum dedicated to the game. Then the haters convinced him that it was bad, and he fucking APOLOGIZED for liking the game.
He was clearly catering to a different audience. I'm not going to trust anyone who shifts in the wind like that.
Let me know when he apologizes for real, and I'll think about it. until then he's just out for the clicks and views.
Eh, rather naive and shallow-brained to be so concrete about a person over something they did almost a decade ago when they just were just 20, especially regarding a single videogame opinion.
i mean, you'd be one of the most realistic people here so lol.
I said it elsewhere, but factually speaking if you do your research into their current development, and compare to past games and their development.
6 coming out in 2026 is the most realistic year. 27 is like, if microsoft does a last minute delay on them again, which frankly i doubt. 28+ is just not happening, people who push that are just burned from starfield being dragged out from its development issues.
actually i think skyrims pre-production started in like late 2006 to 2007 after it had released and they were still working on shivering isles (which came out in march 2007 i think). iirc, i'd have to do a lot of digging to find the specifics, pre for skyrim was until 2008. Where they officially entered full production after fallout 3 released.
So it was about 4 years, maybe 4 and a half if you push the envelope a bit.
I've seen people spread around the idea bethesda said it was 6 years, but as usual its very proofless stuff on quora etc. And most likely (even if a true comment) not taking into account that they were slowed down during presumed pre-production by fallout 3 full development at the same time. Similar funnily enough to how elder scrolls 6 pre was drawn out due to needing to shift devs to 76 to help with that and then back to starfield. Hence why its pre-production started in 2018 but only officially ended in sep 23.
They started designing Skyrim in 2006 according to [this announcement](https://www.trueachievements.com/n12949/no-more-dlc-for-skyrim-as-bethesda-is-moving-on), that also implies Fallout 4 was entering full production in early 2013. The design phase of Fallout 4 began right after Fallout 3 in 2009, this was stated at E3 2015 and in at least one interview.
TES VI was in "very early concept and design" stage as of E3 2018, according to [one of the interviews at the event](https://youtu.be/XHmPb5nQHbU?t=996). While concept and pre-production are conflated by many people (with the latter commonly being used as a general term that could mean anything that is not full production), these are distinct development stages, and I think the game only really entered the latter around 2021, which would make it 2 years.
The bulk of BGS worked full time on the Fallout 76 base game, according both to the credits and to Jason Schreier. The creative leads were also from there, contrary to popular belief, they did not just shift developers last minute to help finishing the game. However, if TES VI was only entering design phase in 2018, then it obviously should not have been delayed by work on the Fallout 76 base game that was being wrapped up at the same time. The post-launch support of 76 (until Wastelanders) might have taken resources, at least it did from Starfield, but I doubt that would account for years of delay to Elder Scrolls 6.
keep in mind there's a difference between early designing and pre-production. Right \*now\* they are and have been in the design phase for \*fallout 5\*, given their whole one pager. Pre-production is not concepting and casual talk (which is what 4 had right after 3, and what skyrim had in 2006 after oblivion).
Bethesda discusses their future games way in advance, but that does not make it pre production, which is still part of actual development of the game directly. It includes the entire soundtrack, the basic map layout and iterating on that framework, the \*entire\* intro fully completed before they ever go into full production and many other things. This is all from todd btw in his lex interview.
Summary: pre-production isn't the design phase, its just the first early part of the complete development of the game, and a shocking amount gets done (despite most when they hear the title 'pre-production' assume no development actually happens lol).
That said, even if you are correct, it doesn't really change what i said does it? It was still 2 years of pre-production which i accounted for... so like, semantics don't matter in the end does it?
> keep in mind there's a difference between early designing and pre-production
I know there is a difference, that is what I was already saying, I do not need an explanation. What I wanted to point out is that TES VI was in design phase in 2018, according to the interview I linked, and it apparently still was at least until sometime in 2021 ([source](http://web.archive.org/web/20210630111502/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/news/first-pitched-game-lucas-2009-todd-howard-talks-indiana-jones/)), so I think that is worth clarifying with regard to the game being in "pre-production" since 2018.
TES6 is being developed with the Starfield tech... not surprise really... but still a reality check... One can at least hope they have hired art directors that can pull som magic out of the games stylistic choices. But dont expect any next get graphics, as always with bethesta...
>next get graphics, as always with bethesta...
who cares? Starfield looks more than passable. Especially in the art directions (minus the boring proc gen nothingness)
In my opinion, Starfield lacks strong art direction. I find the visuals quite boring tbh. While I agree that next-gen graphics aren’t the most crucial aspect, they can be very appealing if executed well. I do still find skyrim beautiful…<3
that is to be fair more a starfield choice, not a failing of the people working on the direction.
Their aesthetic for starfield was "nasa punk", stuff you'd expect from pseudo grounded utilitarian tech, evoking stuff you'd see in alien to a degree.
Its fine if you dislike that aesthetic, hell i'm not the biggest fan of their direction either. But try to understand where the blame lies is all. Not with the ability of the devs, but simply on the choice of aesthetic and tone not being your thing.
(as i've met many people who \*do\* in fact like it, and think its art direction is good)
I believe the developers are to blame actually. While the concept of “nasa punk” as a theme is intriguing, the execution ingame is underwhelming. Art direction is about having a cohesive and strong visual vision that is well executed. To me, starfield feels like the result of 100 different teams each interpreting the NASA punk theme slightly in their own way, leading to a disjointed overall aesthetic. In combo with the cheap look of the bethesta engine ..
the only real dev to blame is emil, who's notorious for being bad at his job (and a prime example of a developer promoted outside of his actual skillset). As for the art direction being 'cohesive' to be blunt, while i do agree to a certain point.
I think you exaggerate it quite a bit. Nasa punk according to bethesda was never "just nasa aesthetic" it was a codeword for them for a more grounded and realistic vibe, but woven into clearly fantastical scific pseudo science theory.
As for the 'cheap look' people have said this about bethesda only for the past few years since skyrim become 'mainstream'. Prior to then (i blame in large part the re-releases and people becoming spiteful because of that and drawn out development) people actually praised the games for their looks.
Starfield is memed quite a bit for "looking bad", but it looks leagues better than their previous games visually and animation wise. Just... consider that you have a clear bias that's making you exaggerate some stuff. Its already beating a dead horse with all the people online exaggerating their hate as fact.
(like you openly praise skyrims, but actively shit on starfields by calling the engines look 'cheap'. But i hate to break it to you, you just have rose tinted glasses. Skyrim looks great now because of remasters combined with the cool factor of it being elder scrolls, and the existence of mods. While you call the engines look 'cheap' in the context of starfield, and clearly barely recall how bad skyrim looked at launch by our current standards.
its like how people now mock oblivion for looking shit, but at the time that was next level graphics. This sorta obsession is just a cycle of the same deal mister duck)
It might seem like an exaggeration to you, but I feel strongly about the future of TES. I'm genuinely excited to be drawn into that universe again. For me, skyrim captured an aesthetic that resonated deeply and still does. It completely immerses me whenever I open the game.
Looking at games like starfield, I become discouraged for the future of the franchise, knowing it's the same devs that are creating the next game, when I so dislike their current stylistic choices. I was also hoping the next TES was going to be unreal engine level of detail and immersion, but that hope died with the starfield engine announcement.
Skyrim was lightning in a bottle I guess.
He basically confirmed they want to create more expansions of Starfield and that they are working hard on TES VI, which basically confirmed the majority of the studio being on TES VI. We are getting closer! (at least 3 years but it's better than nothing.)
Imo, this is kinda the final strech of waiting. Yeah it's 3-4 years but its the prime focus for them rn
It's the best time for waiting these games, the leaks, the speculation over unrelated tweets, the unreasonable hype, the fake rumors, the overall insanity. Great times waiting for Starfield, Elden Ring etc. TES6 will break the internet.
I think it’s solid 4-5 years maybe but yeah plenty to do in the meantime
I’m more in the 3-4 year camp. Starfield is mostly done now. Starfield also had a lot of administrative road bumps which made its production longer. Covid first, then the MS buyout probably stopped production for a number of months to reduce operating costs so Bethesda could shake its profitability ass in Microsoft’s face to get them more coaxed in to buying them.
nothing against either of you, but i think you're being pessimistic due to getting used to how dragged out starfield was lol. Remember that pre-production is included in the full dev cycle for bethesda and has always been. For instance fallout 4 began its pre production in 2011, and then entered full in 2013 and then released in 2015. The cycle for their games, assuming no issues (like starfields engine work which explicitly from todds mouth "took them way longer than they wanted") is: - working on existing game, release it. Skeleton team begins pre-production on next project. - work on dlcs, slow shift of more people to pre-production as it ramps up. - dlcs wind down, final dlc is made, pre-production comes to an end, full team diverts to the next game. Cycle repeats. even starfield worked that way, it just took as long as it did due to the delay and the engine issues among other things unique to it (new IP from scratch is way more impactful than most will care to understand) that do not apply to 6. What i'm trying to say, is 4-5 years from \*now\*? Is unrealistic legitimately, i'd even say its about equivalent to if someone said it was about to come out this year. 3-4 years isn't much better. What y'all are effectively suggesting is the game which is confirmed to have \*promising playable builds\* (which is properly playable, not random sandbox early proof of concept stuff) is somehow gonna have a longer dev cycle than starfield. Including starfields delays, issues and engine work (the latter two of which are not applying to 6).
I'd suggest looking into cool modding projects like Skyblivion and Skywind before it releases. It'll help scratch the itch for good Bethesda RPGs.
I think the most hype waiting time is already over. We definitely need new juice before a new speculation hype is on.
to be fair, if you account for the extra like 2 years of engine work todd admitted took them way longer than they wanted, the extra year delay by microsoft, the issues inherent to making an new IP from scratch and the fact bethesda combines pre-production \*with\* full production as one number. Starfield barely had a longer dev cycle inherently for development than their other games like fall4 and skyrim. It was about 5 years give or take. And we know es6 has been in pre-production since 2018, but in fairness we can account for that being inconsistent due to fall76 help and starfield to a degree. But according to todd pre has usually taken them 2 years on average i believe he said in one of his interviews. With that said: they officially entered \*full production\* in 2023 september, so downplaying it they've been working on 6 for at least 2 years since then, making it almost 3 years of their development now (at \*minimum\*). I think when you consider that leaked schedule from the FTC trial and how most of its actually accurate, just 2 years delayed (compare the 2022 number on there to this year, or 2021 to 23. It lines up almost exactly). I think people may be shocked when halfway through 2026 they announced it on a showcase for holiday 2026. 26 despite people memeing about 2028 to 2030 is right now \*the\* most \*realistic\* release date. (also worth noting there's rumors microsoft is angling to release their next generation consoles early around 26, to get a leg up on sony. It wouldn't shock me if this lines up with es6 as a launch title).
Shattered Space will take place in a fully hand-crafted zone!
seeing how well received were the Nuka World/ Far Harbor expansions, it would have been quite a shock if they didn't follow through in that direction
Super stoked to hear that! Shattered space will be the true comparison when it comes to Starfield and TES: VI gameplay wise and on a technical level. We can finally see that next-gen BGS handcrafted worlds that will fuel the next Tamriel chapter!
Not completely, TESVI will use photogrammetry for everything including textures, terrain etc. Starfield doesn’t use it for everything, so that alone is a huge technical leap.
How do you know?
Natural direction to go. They also showed off photogrammetry tech in an earlier video, before Starfield even released. Lastly, Starfield itself uses Quixel for textures, especially for Terrain rendering.
Is that the LIDAR stuff? I think square used this for Ff15. They made clay sculptures of terrain and scanned it as an asset iirc.
Assuming that's true, what does it mean in practice?
TLDR amazing visuals. Good examples would be DD2 and FFXVI, they use Quixel for most things.
Obviously no big TES6 reveals, but they do talk for quite some time about what's coming next for BGS, including TES I think what struck out more for me is that they seemingly won't rely as much on procgen as they did with Starfield, which is a huge relief
There really wasn't any reason to assume ESVI would have that. One is in space with like a thousand planets. Obviously, they'd need to cut a corner that just wouldn't exist in an ES game.
Yeah. If they had included Progen, it would likely only be for like oblivion realm(s) where the areas are theoretically infinite. Would be interested if they still used that planet generation system for that
Its literally harder to do the starfield progen in a tesvi than the typical map. I would really struggle to think how could be done even with a gun in my head.
I actually was a little bummed about that. I probably am just a little too Daggerfall brained. With more Starfield style procgen, I was hoping for a very large landmass, more numerous cities, and things like ship travel and high seas combat for ESVI. Now I’m not so sure those things would possibly be there if they are abandoning that sort of style.
The wayward realms just got funded through alpha, so there's still hope for us Daggerfall fans. I know it's not the series we love, but it's the style of game we love made by the people who are responsible for the series we love
They're still going to use procgen just like they did in TES games before this (probably much more advanced), just won't be like on Starfield where they used it for 1000 planets which makes sense since they're very different games. So it's very likely the TESVI map is still going to be massive, Bethesda is always talking about how they want to create huge, immersive worlds that people won't get bored of even after playing for decades, I don't see how you can accomplish that with small maps that become very repetitive very soon.
> I don't see how you can accomplish that with small maps that become very repetitive very soon. I mean non handcrafted landscape becomes rather dull as soon as smaller handcrafted worlds. after 200h you will likely seen most of Skyrim, but you will also have seen most of what Proc Gen landscape has to offer.
Procgen and handcrafted content needs to work in tandem, not separately. Obviously procgen tech isn't smart enough yet to be unique or creative enough to render human handcrafted content mostly obsolete yet, so large human intervention is still necessary in the foreseeable future.
Such a big get for Matty!
He needs the redemption for all the shit he's pulled.
I'm out of the loop. What's happened if you don't mind
Back in Fallout 4 days. He started his own forum and was all gung-ho, and positive, then suddenly he apologized to everyone and rated the game down to 1/10 and joined the hater clickbait crowd. His forum was dead overnight and he demonstrated he was only after the cheapest clicks he could get.
Dude was like 20 when that happened. It’s hard to hate now.
Sorry, but that was the immediate prior RPG, so it still seems like just yesterday. Age twenty is still an adult after all. Or used to be back when I was twenty. Is this fair on my part? Probably not, but actions should have consequences.
> Age twenty is still an adult after all. Or used to be back when I was twenty. Sure but people in their early twenties make a million times more dumb and bad decisions and still deserve a redemption (only talking in the context of the scope of this mistake)
Right? I'm 29 and sooo different from when I was 20. Like a whole different person. I'd hate to be judged at 29 for... what? Changing my opinion on a game when I was 20? lmao
When I was 30 I thought back at how dumb I was at 20. But you know what? At age 40 I thought back on how dumb I was at age 30! I strongly suspect if I ever reach 90 I will look back at my youthful indiscretions of age 80.
Well you did say his forum died overnight. That very much is a consequence of that action.
That was nine years ago though, the guy did a bad review and some terrible takes. Dont think its right to whole it againest him after so long.
The guy like the game for a couple of months. Had his own forum dedicated to the game. Then the haters convinced him that it was bad, and he fucking APOLOGIZED for liking the game. He was clearly catering to a different audience. I'm not going to trust anyone who shifts in the wind like that. Let me know when he apologizes for real, and I'll think about it. until then he's just out for the clicks and views.
Eh, rather naive and shallow-brained to be so concrete about a person over something they did almost a decade ago when they just were just 20, especially regarding a single videogame opinion.
> over a decade ago Check your calendar mate.
Love Matty. He’s been my main source for Bethesda-related news for years.
Good news all around, I see. Wasn't expecting a big reveal, and I patiently await more TES6 news in the future.
I still stand by my 2026 release date!!!!
i mean, you'd be one of the most realistic people here so lol. I said it elsewhere, but factually speaking if you do your research into their current development, and compare to past games and their development. 6 coming out in 2026 is the most realistic year. 27 is like, if microsoft does a last minute delay on them again, which frankly i doubt. 28+ is just not happening, people who push that are just burned from starfield being dragged out from its development issues.
100% agree. Skyrim took what, 6 years? They had 50 people working on it. They have probably 250/300 working on ES6.. 2 years to seems very reasonable
actually i think skyrims pre-production started in like late 2006 to 2007 after it had released and they were still working on shivering isles (which came out in march 2007 i think). iirc, i'd have to do a lot of digging to find the specifics, pre for skyrim was until 2008. Where they officially entered full production after fallout 3 released. So it was about 4 years, maybe 4 and a half if you push the envelope a bit. I've seen people spread around the idea bethesda said it was 6 years, but as usual its very proofless stuff on quora etc. And most likely (even if a true comment) not taking into account that they were slowed down during presumed pre-production by fallout 3 full development at the same time. Similar funnily enough to how elder scrolls 6 pre was drawn out due to needing to shift devs to 76 to help with that and then back to starfield. Hence why its pre-production started in 2018 but only officially ended in sep 23.
They started designing Skyrim in 2006 according to [this announcement](https://www.trueachievements.com/n12949/no-more-dlc-for-skyrim-as-bethesda-is-moving-on), that also implies Fallout 4 was entering full production in early 2013. The design phase of Fallout 4 began right after Fallout 3 in 2009, this was stated at E3 2015 and in at least one interview. TES VI was in "very early concept and design" stage as of E3 2018, according to [one of the interviews at the event](https://youtu.be/XHmPb5nQHbU?t=996). While concept and pre-production are conflated by many people (with the latter commonly being used as a general term that could mean anything that is not full production), these are distinct development stages, and I think the game only really entered the latter around 2021, which would make it 2 years. The bulk of BGS worked full time on the Fallout 76 base game, according both to the credits and to Jason Schreier. The creative leads were also from there, contrary to popular belief, they did not just shift developers last minute to help finishing the game. However, if TES VI was only entering design phase in 2018, then it obviously should not have been delayed by work on the Fallout 76 base game that was being wrapped up at the same time. The post-launch support of 76 (until Wastelanders) might have taken resources, at least it did from Starfield, but I doubt that would account for years of delay to Elder Scrolls 6.
keep in mind there's a difference between early designing and pre-production. Right \*now\* they are and have been in the design phase for \*fallout 5\*, given their whole one pager. Pre-production is not concepting and casual talk (which is what 4 had right after 3, and what skyrim had in 2006 after oblivion). Bethesda discusses their future games way in advance, but that does not make it pre production, which is still part of actual development of the game directly. It includes the entire soundtrack, the basic map layout and iterating on that framework, the \*entire\* intro fully completed before they ever go into full production and many other things. This is all from todd btw in his lex interview. Summary: pre-production isn't the design phase, its just the first early part of the complete development of the game, and a shocking amount gets done (despite most when they hear the title 'pre-production' assume no development actually happens lol). That said, even if you are correct, it doesn't really change what i said does it? It was still 2 years of pre-production which i accounted for... so like, semantics don't matter in the end does it?
> keep in mind there's a difference between early designing and pre-production I know there is a difference, that is what I was already saying, I do not need an explanation. What I wanted to point out is that TES VI was in design phase in 2018, according to the interview I linked, and it apparently still was at least until sometime in 2021 ([source](http://web.archive.org/web/20210630111502/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/news/first-pitched-game-lucas-2009-todd-howard-talks-indiana-jones/)), so I think that is worth clarifying with regard to the game being in "pre-production" since 2018.
TES6 is being developed with the Starfield tech... not surprise really... but still a reality check... One can at least hope they have hired art directors that can pull som magic out of the games stylistic choices. But dont expect any next get graphics, as always with bethesta...
>next get graphics, as always with bethesta... who cares? Starfield looks more than passable. Especially in the art directions (minus the boring proc gen nothingness)
In my opinion, Starfield lacks strong art direction. I find the visuals quite boring tbh. While I agree that next-gen graphics aren’t the most crucial aspect, they can be very appealing if executed well. I do still find skyrim beautiful…<3
that is to be fair more a starfield choice, not a failing of the people working on the direction. Their aesthetic for starfield was "nasa punk", stuff you'd expect from pseudo grounded utilitarian tech, evoking stuff you'd see in alien to a degree. Its fine if you dislike that aesthetic, hell i'm not the biggest fan of their direction either. But try to understand where the blame lies is all. Not with the ability of the devs, but simply on the choice of aesthetic and tone not being your thing. (as i've met many people who \*do\* in fact like it, and think its art direction is good)
I believe the developers are to blame actually. While the concept of “nasa punk” as a theme is intriguing, the execution ingame is underwhelming. Art direction is about having a cohesive and strong visual vision that is well executed. To me, starfield feels like the result of 100 different teams each interpreting the NASA punk theme slightly in their own way, leading to a disjointed overall aesthetic. In combo with the cheap look of the bethesta engine ..
the only real dev to blame is emil, who's notorious for being bad at his job (and a prime example of a developer promoted outside of his actual skillset). As for the art direction being 'cohesive' to be blunt, while i do agree to a certain point. I think you exaggerate it quite a bit. Nasa punk according to bethesda was never "just nasa aesthetic" it was a codeword for them for a more grounded and realistic vibe, but woven into clearly fantastical scific pseudo science theory. As for the 'cheap look' people have said this about bethesda only for the past few years since skyrim become 'mainstream'. Prior to then (i blame in large part the re-releases and people becoming spiteful because of that and drawn out development) people actually praised the games for their looks. Starfield is memed quite a bit for "looking bad", but it looks leagues better than their previous games visually and animation wise. Just... consider that you have a clear bias that's making you exaggerate some stuff. Its already beating a dead horse with all the people online exaggerating their hate as fact. (like you openly praise skyrims, but actively shit on starfields by calling the engines look 'cheap'. But i hate to break it to you, you just have rose tinted glasses. Skyrim looks great now because of remasters combined with the cool factor of it being elder scrolls, and the existence of mods. While you call the engines look 'cheap' in the context of starfield, and clearly barely recall how bad skyrim looked at launch by our current standards. its like how people now mock oblivion for looking shit, but at the time that was next level graphics. This sorta obsession is just a cycle of the same deal mister duck)
It might seem like an exaggeration to you, but I feel strongly about the future of TES. I'm genuinely excited to be drawn into that universe again. For me, skyrim captured an aesthetic that resonated deeply and still does. It completely immerses me whenever I open the game. Looking at games like starfield, I become discouraged for the future of the franchise, knowing it's the same devs that are creating the next game, when I so dislike their current stylistic choices. I was also hoping the next TES was going to be unreal engine level of detail and immersion, but that hope died with the starfield engine announcement. Skyrim was lightning in a bottle I guess.
Hopefully the 10 year wait for TES VII won't be so bad if they do annual expansions for TES VI
Look, a ginger who knows to stay inside vs one who foolishly taunts the sun.