Skyrim

Skyrim (2011, Bathesda)

Skyrim is an example of a western RPG, it has a large open world to explore which has been made to be as realistic and believable as possible. In keeping with the Western RPG style it allows you to create your own character when starting the game. You have a selection of different races to choose from and customise.

High elves

They call themselves the “cultured people” and generally see themselves as above all of the other races. They mostly have golden hair and skin and are one of the longest living and intelligent races in the game world. They are best suited to being magic users.

Argonians

They are reptilian people but also have qualities of a fish or amphibian, such as gills behind the ears allowing them to breath under water. They have natural resistances to diseases and poisons. They are agile making them good at sneaking and stealing but also quite intelligent making them good at magic also.

Wood elves

They are very in tune with nature and generally avoid the height culture life of other elf species, to a more rural life in the forest. They are excellent archers and are nimble, fast and witty making them suited to a variety of role. They are carnivorous but do not harm vegetation.

Breton

They are slight of build and share ancestry with other human races within the world however when inspected closely you can see their Elvish heritage, such as high cheek bones and slanted eyebrows. They make very good mages and have high resistances to magic.

Dark elves

They are aloof, reserved and disdainful towards other races. They are known in battle to be good with a sword, the bow and destruction magic. They have dark ash coloured skin and red eyes, which makes them look quite intimidating making other races distrust them.

Imperial

They are well educated and well spoken, they are also known for their discipline and training of their armies. They are better at destruction magic and restoration magic; they also have perks in heavy armour and one handed swordsmanship.

Khajiit

They are race of feline like humanoids, known for the intelligence and agility. They make good thieves and acrobats but also make fearsome warriors; they are not known for their skills to harness magic but that does not mean they cannot use it. They can see in the dark and have natural clawed attacks when unarmed.

Nords

Nords are a tall fair-haired race native to Skyrim. They are excellent warriors and have a natural resistance to frost; They excel in many different types of warfare and make good soldiers, guards, mercenaries etc.

Orcs

They are courageous and steadfast, and know to be fearless. Renowned for there craftsmanship, their armour is regarded as some of the best in the world and is worn by a selection of armies. They are generally hated by the other nations but are slowing winning acceptance.

Redguard

They are dark skinned and wiry haired, and the most naturally talented warriors within the game world. Their pride makes them independent in spirit making them best suited to scout, and adventurer roles. They have a natural resistance to poisons.

The races in Skyrim (2011) while different in many ways, they are all still quite human like. The only races that stand out against the other are the Khajiit and the Argonians because of how different they look in comparison to the others, Much like the Charr and Asura from Guild Wars 2 (2012).

Another part of my research into skyrim links in with my environment research. As our game takes place in an underground civilisation, which has created this huge structure underground for people live in safety from the surface, I chose to look at the Dwemer, or Dwarven architecture in the game. The Dwemer no longer exist in Skyrim but all there underground cities and machines do. Even after hundreds of years the machines are able to still run self sufficiently with only the mechanical workers built by the Dwemer.

In one of the Dwemer dungeons you find yourself in this huge underground cavern filled with glowing plants and Dwarven architecture, hovering above all of it I a huge artificial sun, which still shines brightly, lighting up the cavern. It is encased in an intricate metal frame, when I first saw this place I was awestruck it has to be my favourite place in the game. This place is inspiration for the lowest level of the underground structure in our game, which is the place that keeps the whole place running. I want to include an artificial sun somewhere in the middle layers of the construct this is where all the cultivation happens and crops grown to supply the other levels with sufficient food.

In the lowest level of our construct there are machines working to look after the core and keep it functioning, I used the Dwarven machines as inspiration for this. The largest and most powerful being the Sentinels, created as a line of defence. 

Looking through the Skyrim art book that came with the special addition of the game, I found concepts for one of the towns, it’s only a pencil sketch but it depicted exactly how I wanted one of the top level towns to look like. It looks a lot like an old Victorian London street, with beamed building with contrasting white and dark brown wood on the walls. 

Sun ( screen shot from Skyrim)

Other images from the Official Artbook.