I think some of you didn't get that the "Hardcore mode" mode I suggested should be optional. It's something taken straight out of New Vegas. It isn't new. If one thinks it makes the game "antiquated"... then don't turn it on! It'll be there for those who want to. Let me reiterate what I think would be neat to see in said Hardcore Mode: 
 
- Hardcore Mode; disabled fast-traveling and compass arrow; hunger, thirst, fatigue and body temperature gauge

Disable the difficulty slider and make the game as difficult as Gothic 1 and 2.

" @Kilnik said:

" @sfighter21: I think that in Oblivion you could alchemize cool looking items with properties you like. I believe I had a set of armor where I maxed out strength and put an bunch of featherlight spells on it so I could carry a ton of items.  Additionally,  I'd like to see a different set of conversation tools; something akin to Mass Effect's wheel. I enjoyed the seamless way the conversations flowed in ME 1 & 2. "

Yes, I'm aware of that.  I recall finding a certain Robe of Aegis that, when worn, gave me a better Defense rating than a full set of glass armor, but the robe looked like absolute S*!T.  I care A LOT about the aesthetics, so I want the customization to allow me to have the gameplay benefits (defense rating, magick, combat) alongside the better clothing/visuals.  Does that make sense??  I'm trying to word this the best way I can...lol. "

" @sfighter21 said:

" @Kilnik said:

" @sfighter21: I think that in Oblivion you could alchemize cool looking items with properties you like. I believe I had a set of armor where I maxed out strength and put an bunch of featherlight spells on it so I could carry a ton of items.  Additionally,  I'd like to see a different set of conversation tools; something akin to Mass Effect's wheel. I enjoyed the seamless way the conversations flowed in ME 1 & 2. "

Yes, I'm aware of that.  I recall finding a certain Robe of Aegis that, when worn, gave me a better Defense rating than a full set of glass armor, but the robe looked like absolute S*!T.  I care A LOT about the aesthetics, so I want the customization to allow me to have the gameplay benefits (defense rating, magick, combat) alongside the better clothing/visuals.  Does that make sense??  I'm trying to word this the best way I can...lol. "

Yeah, I get you. I'm crazy for aesthetics as well. "

No Oblivion Gates. Nothing that resembles Oblivion Gates in any way. Seriously.

" No Oblivion Gates. Nothing that resembles Oblivion Gates in any way. Seriously. "

1. No bugs (or at least a respectable amount - aka 2 or less in a single playthrough) - Seriously, I think it's about time that Bethesda invested in some QA for their games... It's beyond ridiculous!!!
 
2. No FPS combat - it's crappy and stupid. Ditch it! It sucks
 
3. No enemy level scaling - who was the idiot that thought it was a good idea?!
 
4. No circle of grass - self explanatory 
 
5. Better animations - I hope Bethesda got some new animators cause their old ones suck 
 
6. More voices - tired of hearing the same 3 people from all the NPC's 
 
7. Dragon riding - this one is just a fantasy of mine

" 2. No FPS combat - it's crappy and stupid. Ditch it! It sucks "

" @Enigma777 said:

" 2. No FPS combat - it's crappy and stupid. Ditch it! It sucks "

Huh? You think third-person combat would be better? I think first-person view is primordial in a game such as this. Again, for the immersion. "

Making it bigger is one thing.  More quests and more interactions with the NPCs.  And Multiplayer would be awesome.  Also more side quests.

" Oblivion's combat was boring as fuck, but I don't think simplifying it is the solution. On the contrary, it needs more complexity. Give enemies guard-breaking attacks and add a dodge move that needs to be used to avoid them, add some bonus effect for blocking at the last possible moment to further discourage holding down of the block button, make enemies smarter and more aggressive, and give them group tactics that kick in when there's more than one et cetera. "

NO ADORING FAN 

" Crafting...think of it like alchemy with random objects.  Since Skyrim is just north of Bruma i wonder how much diversity we're going to see in a place that's primarily ice and snow. "

I think this game needs less naturally occurring and generic fantasy stuff (wolves, bears, nymphs, zombies) and more weird creatures that are specific to the universe they're creating. Just go easy on the cliffracers this time guys.

" I think this game needs less naturally occurring and generic fantasy stuff (wolves, bears, nymphs, zombies) and more weird creatures that are specific to the universe they're creating. Just go easy on the cliffracers this time guys. "

i for one would like to see more of a morrowind style enchanting system, i was quite upset when it wasent present in oblivion, being able to trap souls to then have a chance to enchant my own items to then sell for more gold then the original item was worth, or being able to cast a fireball from a magical ring rather then having to be sufficient in a particular type of school of magic to be able to cast the spell at all.
 
i despised the having to join the mages guild to be able to enchant anything, and then to be so restricted by what you could do with it made it barely viable as a means of creation of items as most things you could find were better.
 
please bring back enchanting as a magic school, where the better you get at it the less chance of failing / more charge the item will have / the faster the items recharge on there own.  more.. morrowindesq
 
tho i must say there are many other good posts here, this is the thing that erked me the most

The combat is too simple, also change the animation, it's horrible. Ppl talks like they are robots and the graphics of course needs to be changed and it will be.

Overhaul the stealth and thievery system. No more ridiculous guards, way more thief-oriented items and quests, shop owners that can't automatically detect what items in your inventory are stolen.... 
 
Please, Bethesda, please. They claim there are three main classes - warriors, mages, and thieves - but the entire stealth system is so bad there really is no such thing as a true thief.

" @AuthenticM said:

" - No constant blocking; combat in Oblivion is what turned me off the most. You had to constantly guard until the enemy struck you, then you struck him, then you guard until he struck you again, and on and on and on. Ugh. Just make it so the shields add passive points to your overall defense, like any normal RPG. "

Oblivion's combat was boring as fuck, but I don't think simplifying it is the solution. On the contrary, it needs more complexity. Give enemies guard-breaking attacks and add a dodge move that needs to be used to avoid them, add some bonus effect for blocking at the last possible moment to further discourage holding down of the block button, make enemies smarter and more aggressive, and give them group tactics that kick in when there's more than one et cetera. "

As far as combat goes - hire the Zeno Clash dudes.

better leveling system, that shit was retarded

Aside from the expected better graphics, textures, models, and animations, and a more diverse set of voice actors:  

1.) More loot!  More weapon types, and armor varieties.  Random and up to super rare, codified and colored, w/sockets for rare gems to further diversify the stuff you find and can customize.  Maybe DLC for add-on varieties.
 
2.) Recruitable companions and/or factions w/alignment choices and effects.   

3.) Evil/Good moral choices w/implications and affects on story events, and even character appearances/gear options(key for multiple character replay). 

4.) A multiplayer mode for co-op w/friends with the ability to bring your character's stuff into a friend's game, and a trade mechanic. 2 player would be great, or up to 4, even better. 
 
Seriously though, I doubt ES5 will bring all that much new.  They'll play it safe, and make the game look better, and improve on the formula w/many familiar feature refinements imo.  Maybe a more realistic hope is for a better, darker, grittier, and less generic story.

They've pretty much nailed everything I wanted changed, I just hope the 'improved' third-person mode isn't total crap like every one has been since Morrowind.

Making rangers/hunters viable. Allowing pets, or even like once a day pet summons (not the crap wood elf thing in Oblivion) would totally make rangers viable. In Oblivion, if you only had marksman as a damaging ability, you would get fucked over by strong melee characters. In the arena, it turned into an idiotic circling match that the ranger would normally lose. 

" - Hardcore mode; a lot of Morrowind purists like myself were put off by the mainstreaming of Oblivion........... Morrowind had intradiegetic fast travel and it was limited; one couldn't simply open the map and pick a spot where to be instantly teleported. You had to find a silt strider so it could take you to a select number of spots. It didn't take you out of the immersion................ I want Skyrim to have a hardcore mode similar to New Vegas', which disables the fast travel and the compass arrow in addition to making you eat, drink and sleep. Immersion all the way.  "

LET ME STAB PEOPLE WITH SWORDS FFS can't wait though, even without stabbyness like uh uh uh uh uh

1. Better facial hair. Every time I tried to make my character have a beard it looked like someone smeared dirt all over his face.
2. Make Dark Elves sound badass again. Don't just give them that pussy Wood Elf voice again.

The only changes I really want:  
   -Much better animations 
   - A functional 3rd person view that doesnt look like shit.  
   - I would prefer an alternative to scaling enemy levels based on your level, but I dont have a good suggestion for that so I hope Bethesda comes up with something a little better balanced for all types of characters.
 
So far the recent Game Informer article talked about them improving the 3rd person view, my confidence in them has risen slightly. We shall have to wait and see.

The ability to delete spells would be nice. As my character got stronger a lot of the weaker spells just got in the way.