Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27794960-20160223221453/@comment-25356303-20160226165626

Unlike Fallout, Skyrim does not take place on Earth. It takes place on a planet called Nirn, and more specifically a continent called Tamriel. Having it on Earth would absolutely obliterate all established lore and would probably ruin the series. So that is not really an option.

Having it on just a flat area like a desert could be done, however the flatness would get boring pretty quickly. If you want a flat Elder Scrolls game try Daggerfall... the story is great, but the landscapes are very monotonous and uninteresting. The mountains in Skyrim can be a hassle to get around but they give the game a lot more detail. Try finding trails through them rather than jumping across rocks, they can be hard to spot sometimes but they're super useful.