The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Started by Inkidu, January 11, 2011, 09:06:12 PM

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Inkidu

So I have to say, when I first heard the announcement for this game. I wasn't all too impressed. I thought, "Oh, wow. Oblivion with prettier graphics." However, I got February's issue of Game Informer (and rather bland cover aside) and I began reading the featured spread on the game I can't say I was impressed by what the game had to offer.

I was blow out of the freaking water!

The still shots were gorgeous. The concepts they introduced were a long time coming.

Things I'm excited about most are:

No more classes. For the first time you are what you play like. You're skill set is not defined by some beginning-of-the-game choice but by what you actually use. They said they had exploitation measures in place but didn't elaborate.
Now if you play like a rogue you're going to be a rogue. It has a much more organic feel, and if you want to be a little good at everything you can.

Improved Combat: No more running around like a epileptic weirdo. They've reduced the backup speed and now it's more a game of give and take, trading, blocking, and I imagine, dodging blows. Also for the first time they've added dual wielding. The system is now right/left hand. If you want a mace and a dagger you got it. Lightening and fire you got it, shield and blizzard spell why not. They've also uped the damage bows and arrows do, but the pull time is said to be significantly longer. Also taking a card from Fallout 3. They've added perks for the 50 levels (but no real cap). Also finishing moves, different attack animations for every kind of nasty out there, and not every wild creatures is wanting to rip your throat out the moment they see you.

The Radiant Story Engine: It's an expansion on Oblivion tech instead of people just having routines and needs they now react more to what you do in the world. They say this is going to tailor the game more to the person. Drop a sword in the game and it might lie in the mud, it might be picked up by a kid and he might ask if you dropped it, or two guys might fight over it. Work on magic and some mage might want to duel you, if you work on combat that guy may never show up.

Words of Power: Some draconic mumbo-jumbo that gives you some really killer abilities. They said twenty each composed of three words. They're things like massive force pushes, time slows and such.

I can't wait for November.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Wyrd

I'm so pumped for this!! Not nearly as much as ME3 put still so very puped indeed!

My god... We need a Mass Effect three thread o.o
Ragtime Dandies!

Inkidu

#2
Quote from: Wyrd on January 11, 2011, 09:47:00 PM
I'm so pumped for this!! Not nearly as much as ME3 put still so very puped indeed!

My god... We need a Mass Effect three thread o.o
Stay on topic. Stay on topic!

EDIT: Stupid weird keys.

Anyway. Spaceships and hot alien romances is one thing, but sometimes you just have to stab a dragon through the neck.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Wyrd

I don't ever remember fighting any dragons in any Elder Scrolls. O.O
Ragtime Dandies!

Jude

#4
I'm psyched too.  I love the Elder Scrolls games even if Oblivion felt like it was missing some of the Morrowind Magic.

Couple other things I've noticed/heard from around the interwebz:

- There's going to be a crafting system aside from Enchanting (which will make a return).
- Mysticism is gone.
- There are 17 skills now, 4 have been removed from Oblivion's set to compromise this list.
- Skyrim features updated graphics of course, but the biggest leap forward is character models.  They look amazing, Oblivion's were bad.
- More racial distinction, 10 races to play.
- More character customization options at start (despite no classes, these are mostly visual), including bodily features.
- Dialogue is now organic in that there's no zoomed in shot and people you talk to will continue about their day while you chat.
- Towns are no longer segregated in their own little blocks, they're a part of the world.  They will be attacked by dragons and such.
- Dead shopkeepers will have their store inherited by a family member who will continue to run the business and dispense quests.
*HIGHLIGHT FOR STORY BASIC DESCRIPTION.  AVOID THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SETTING*
You play a Dragonborn (hunter of dragons) 200 years in the future from Oblivion.  Your mentor is the last of the Blades.  The Empire is in civil war following the end of the Septim line.
*END STORY STUFF*

Wyrd

Ragtime Dandies!

Nova

I hope one thing they will not have in the entire game...


Sabby

The problem with Oblivion is there's almost no point where you can't see the gears behind the scenes. It's like every part of it was designed specifically to draw your attention to the artificial nature that is in all games. It's a good games job to hide these immersion breaking realities, Oblivion rubbed them in your face.

The animations, the AI, the dungeons and level design in general... all so clunky and mechanical.

The reason I played Morrowind was the game world. Everything was so unique, all the areas were their own, even roads and paths and fields were unique simply because someone designed them. Every inch was hand crafted, and it was great. I wanted to explore, because I almost never knew what was beyond the next mountain... a road? A half collapsed shack? A partially sunken temple? A town made out of giant mushrooms? A floating prison? A Wizards tower on an island dotted coast?

Oblivion never gave me the same desire to explore :( There was the occasional pretty spot, a hidden waterfall somewhere or a rope bridge, but otherwise, all the fields and the dungeons were identical.

If Skyrim can give us the gameplay of Oblivion with the world design of Morrowind, I'll be very happy :)

Hemingway

Quote from: Wyrd on January 11, 2011, 10:20:47 PM
I don't ever remember fighting any dragons in any Elder Scrolls. O.O

Daggerfall had Dargonlings.

Anyway.

Words cannot express how psyched I am about this. Daggerfall and Morrowind were my childhood, Oblivion was awesome, and if they learned anything from Oblivion at all, this is going to be life-changing. I've watched the teaser trailer so many times. Hearing DRAGONBORN makes me happy in my pants.

Inkidu

Quote from: Wyrd on January 11, 2011, 10:20:47 PM
I don't ever remember fighting any dragons in any Elder Scrolls. O.O
It was just a generic fantasy thing.

However! Dragons will be making a come back to the lands of man. Actually in a lot ways Skyrim feels like a conclusion to The Elder Scroll (feels like, never really going to happen) all the major events of the Elder Scrolls games have led up to the return of the dragons.

The breaking of the Staff of Chaos
That volcano in Marrowind
The Oblvion Gates

Just to name a few.

Dragons are also actual enemies that you can kill. They hound you, and can drop in at any time.

The article said the guy ran into a dungeon to escape a dragon and when he came out the dragon was still there. Epic.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Braioch

It's sad that I didn't know about this game coming out >.>

I'm now officially psyched and it shall be mine!

QuoteThe article said the guy ran into a dungeon to escape a dragon and when he came out the dragon was still there. Epic.

That produced a funny mental image.
I'm also on Discord (like, all the time), so feel free to ask about that if you want

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ausyandy

Jeez it's gonna be a looooooong eleven months 'til this is out. Can't wait.

Inkidu

Quote from: ausyandy on January 13, 2011, 07:56:32 AM
Jeez it's gonna be a looooooong eleven months 'til this is out. Can't wait.
Thankfully it won't be a wasteland of gaming. 2011 is shaping up to be gaming nirvana. Good thing if the world ends in 2012.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

^What he said. 2011 = gamergasm.

But, hey. Guys.

What are some of your hopes for Skyrim? I mean ... realistic ones, mainly. ;D

Personally, I'm hoping for a greater variety of equipment, not just a linear advancement from fur/iron to glass/daedric.

I'm also hoping we'll get to visit some of the numerous planes of Oblivion that aren't lakes of fire. I mean, some of the scare me, like Vaermina's Quagmire, and Nocturnal's realm. It wouldn't be a TES game without daedra, so even though the Oblivion crisis is long since over, it's not like they're going to leave Nirn alone. Man, the Dremora are probably going to be scary as hell. Ahhh!

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on January 14, 2011, 04:35:08 PM
^What he said. 2011 = gamergasm.

But, hey. Guys.

What are some of your hopes for Skyrim? I mean ... realistic ones, mainly. ;D

Personally, I'm hoping for a greater variety of equipment, not just a linear advancement from fur/iron to glass/daedric.

I'm also hoping we'll get to visit some of the numerous planes of Oblivion that aren't lakes of fire. I mean, some of the scare me, like Vaermina's Quagmire, and Nocturnal's realm. It wouldn't be a TES game without daedra, so even though the Oblivion crisis is long since over, it's not like they're going to leave Nirn alone. Man, the Dremora are probably going to be scary as hell. Ahhh!
I think dragons trump Deadra. From what I can tell they still have the standard weapon levels. I saw a glass mace in one of the snapshots.

However, I also saw one-handed sword and staff combo. Gandalfing it for the win. They've pretty much addressed all my worries for the game. Actually from what I saw I was surprised it's hitting stores when it is. It looked done. Seriously when they did the Dragon Age II feature. That was bare-bones 3D modeling.

One thing I love is it's now HUD-less. Immersion rocks. That and the character and facial models are so much better.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

Quote from: Inkidu on January 14, 2011, 07:31:00 PM
I think dragons trump Deadra. From what I can tell they still have the standard weapon levels. I saw a glass mace in one of the snapshots.

Well, Glass should be the highest level for light weapons, and Daedric for heavier stuff, as it's been that way since Daggerfall ( or Morrowind, in the case of Glass - I don't remember Glass being in Daggerfall ). However, Oblivion gave you no choice at all. It just had generic categories for all the weapons. Short blades, for instance. You get basic swords, Akaviri Katana, a Cutlass, and daggers. Morrowind had ... many, many more, with different advantages and disadvantages.

I don't mind removing things that are useless and obsolete, but when you reduce stuff to just the essentials, it feels so ... technical. It's just this cookie cutter formula where you don't take into account anything except what's best and least confusing.

Inkidu

Well, maybe they've expanded it.

I know that there are unique animations for each weapon in combat, and unique finishing moves for each weapon and it also depends on who or what you're fighting.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Wolfy

Gentlemen.



Multiplayer in Skyrim.


DISCUSS. *tosses swords into topic*

Hemingway

Multiplayer? In my Elder Scrolls?

gtfo.

Inkidu

Quote from: Wolfy on January 14, 2011, 07:48:09 PM
Gentlemen.



Multiplayer in Skyrim.


DISCUSS. *tosses swords into topic*
*Kills Wolfy and hides the body*

That would be ruinous! Don't jump on the multiplayer bandwagon. It's fun not every game needs it. Seriously, unless it's good people will just play it for two weeks and then go back Halo or W.O.W.

So, what Hemingway said.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

sleepingferret

Wait...so now spells will take "hand" slots?  That's fine if you want to be more of a pure spell caster type, but for those that mix spells and weapons; it'll kinda suck.  Either making for a lot more trying to back out of combat to switch your weapon/spell or getting your butt kicked because you aren't good enough at trading blows with an opponent...but since you didn't have a healing spell "readied", you're the corpse lying on the ground.

As for the actual dual wielding system, it's about time.  I just hope they take the time to make it useful/intuitive.  And make either each "hand" sort of independent or when wielding two weapons, they at the least design a separate set of attacking and blocking animations.

Sabby

Quote from: sleepingferret on January 15, 2011, 01:03:42 AM
Wait...so now spells will take "hand" slots?  That's fine if you want to be more of a pure spell caster type, but for those that mix spells and weapons; it'll kinda suck.  Either making for a lot more trying to back out of combat to switch your weapon/spell or getting your butt kicked because you aren't good enough at trading blows with an opponent...but since you didn't have a healing spell "readied", you're the corpse lying on the ground.

Maybe you only attach 'Spell' to a hand, and then shuffle/hotkey as per normal. Sword in Right, Spell in Left, D-Pad chooses 'burn stuff' over 'not die'

Hemingway

I don't see how having to "equip" spells in one hand will make it any different from Oblivion, except you may have to scrifice either a weapon or a shield to be able to use them. Although I doubt that, too. How would staves work, unless they're exempt from the rules?

However, I do like the idea of a Battlemage who uses heavy armor, carries  a shield in one hand, and throws spells with the other.

Or a Spellsword. Or Nightblade.

Sabby

Nonono, I think he means having to equip individual spells to a hand slot... as in, if you want a sword and a fireball, equip both, but if you want healing instead, need to unequip fireball and equip heal.

Hemingway

In that case, I stand by my first statement - it's exactly the same as Oblivion.