Ted Peterson Interview | Designer & Writer on TES: Arena to Oblivion

[IronBar]

Ted Peterson is one of the founding creators of The Elder Scrolls. He was essential to the design of Arena and Daggerfall, and wrote nearly 200,000 words of in-game books alone all the way up to Oblivion. I hope you enjoy this interview where we discuss Ted's start in the industry, his involvement in The Elder Scrolls, and what he's been up to since.

This review is 3 hours and 27 minutes long and goes from Bethesda's Terminator games to the present. Check the topic timestamps below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzjvWQCND54

Timestamps
1:22 - What was your role at Bethesda?
3:18 - Terminator Rampage
5:17 - Delta V
7:32 - Ultima Underworld
10:37 - The sense of power / danger in Daggerfall
12:41 - Any other classic games that inspired you?
14:51 - Daggerfall's character creation, story and vampires
15:51 - Vampire: The Masquerade
18:00 - Tabletop RPGs and what makes them unique
23:43 - What are TES’s story influences?
27:52 - Intrigue, factions and politics in Daggerfall
31:18 - Reactions to Arena influenced Daggerfall's changes
34:01 - Daggerfall & Arena FMV actors
38:40 - Did The Elder Scrolls change the trend of popular RPGs?
41:38 - Wizardry
43:45 - Arena and Daggerfall were "casual" games
46:03 - D&D’s complex rules
48:13 - Game of the Year award
49:09 - Arena was going to be a party-based RPG
52:42 - The origin of Sheogorath
59:08 - Challenges in worldbuilding
1:05:27 - Tamriel nations, puns and creation
1:07:45 - How did tabletop RPGs influence TES?
1:09:35 - Camoran Usurper
1:10:58 - How the original games inspire ESO
1:12:52 - Daggerfall’s ratings controversy
1:15:13 - Randomly generated quests
1:19:32 - Are graphics impeding innovation in game design?
1:22:55 - The uncanny valley
1:26:23 - Preserving old games
1:28:26 - Cult classics
1:33:46 - Movies as games, games as movies
1:36:16 - Studio interference
1:37:47 - Daggerfall’s huge dungeons
1:44:18 - The FMV bubble
1:45:55 - Good FMV games
1:50:54 - Cut features in TES games
1:52:37 - Relationships, starting families in RPGs
1:55:29 - Fable series
1:57:25 - How would you evolve character creation and progression?
2:00:00 - Was it ever a goal to make pacifist playthroughs possible?
2:03:13 - Why did you leave Bethesda?
2:05:11 - Working for Activision, ZORK, Savage Entertainment
2:10:56 - Might & Magic, rebooting a franchise
2:12:25 - GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
2:13:17 - Star Trek games
2:14:26 - Troika Games and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
2:17:52 - James Bond
2:22:08 - What are you up to now?
2:24:46 - New game written by Ted Peterson
2:26:24 - Michael Kirkbride’s writing
2:32:57 - How Bethesda’s forums inspired TES lore
2:38:20 - Thoughts on post-Peterson Sheogorath
2:40:06 - Akavir
2:43:04 - Do you have a favorite faction or race?
2:46:11 - Who wrote the Lusty Argonian Maid?
2:48:10 - The Dwemer
2:51:07 - What was your favorite quest or lore snippet?
2:52:39 - The most surprising way you saw your writing resurface
2:54:46 - How TES’s story has evolved
2:58:21 - Thoughts on Skyrim
3:02:29 - The ideal Elder Scrolls game
3:05:43 - What is your favorite role in game development?
3:10:55 - Are you still working on games today?
3:12:58 - What would your dream game be?
3:20:51 - Troubling trends in the game industry
3:25:13 - Anything else you'd like to share?

[27X]

golly i wonder why noclip failed to interview him or Christopher Weaver on their 'comprehensive retrospective' :maximumeyeroll: