Bethesda Softworks

[Slick Rick]

One mission on TW2 (which I've never played) = every dungeon/quest in the whole game? I kinda doubt it.

It's the fact that EVERY dungeon in Skyrim is pretty much a straight path, with a few extra hallways that lead to some loot, with an exit at the end.
The reason that's console friendly is because, majority of console-only players are casual players, meaning they'd prefer to jump into a game, find some epic loot, do some hackin' and slashin', rather than entering a dungeon with some depth, one you may get lost in, one that actually poses a challenge.

And it's not the fact that it's gamepad compatible, it's the fact it's BETTER with a gamepad (opinionated, maybe, but even as a PC guy I found it wayyy better with a controller, especially navigating the UI)

Edit: Skyrim also sold more on consoles than it did PC, which is WHY it was pandered to consoles and the console userbase, it only makes sense business-wise

You have yet to explain, why simplified dungeons are pandering to the consoles. It should quite frankly be an offensive thought and it's obvious you consider the console-gamers to be of lower intelligence or status. No, I think that what you consider the decline of The Elder Scrolls is not due to "pandering to the console crowd", but more or less because the money is NOT in consoles, but in streamlining games so that everyone understands and is able to play them.

An apt comparison would be the Mass Effect trilogy, has always been on both consoles and computers, yet has taken a "decline" towards action-orientation, again, not to pander to the console crowd, but to draw more people in.

Furthermore, use SkyUI. Anyone that has been playing Skyrim on PC without that has been doing it wrong.
Also just remembered that Bethesda has Steam Workshop for Skyrim, I'd consider that another win for PC Skyrim.

Oh, but I have explained it, and you just said it. So what if it's an offensive thought? Many true thoughts and statements are offensive, the average console player is younger, therefore and most-likely less educated than the average PC player. For example, my 13 year old cousins favorite game is Skyrim on the PS3. That's not really a bad thing, he loves games like Mount and Blade etc. Just an example.

No, I think that what you consider the decline of The Elder Scrolls is not due to "pandering to the console crowd", but more or less because the money is NOT in consoles, but in streamlining games so that everyone understands and is able to play them.

Well that's kind of true to an extent I guess. It's due to the pandering of consoles BECAUSE of them wanting to what they call in the industry "expanding our audience" (AKA casualizing the game, like what Blizzard has done with WoW) so more casual-players can enjoy the game as well, without putting in so much effort.

Streamlining and "attempting to draw in more people" draws in many console players, as many of them are more casual. So yes, more money IS in consoles. That's their goal.

And I'm tangled up in Nostalgia? I've barely even played Morrowind, played Oblivion on the 360, and have only about 40 hours into Skyrim before deciding it was garbage. I'm aware of the problems they have, the Gamebryo engine is infamous for it's ridiculous amount of bugs. And wayyyyy more people own a 360 compared to a Ps3, so yeah. Nice assumption though.

You seem really convinced that they aren't pandering to the console crowd. Tell me, why would they not when that's where most of their sales have gone, and I'm sure a company as big and rich as Bethesda, predicted that consoles would sell more.