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[Property of Jumpship]

The more I read, hear, or see about this game suggests it is going to be massive; like unbeatably massive. Radiant AI, huge world, custom spells and items...this could be unfinishable. So will this be Fable just wrapped up in next-gen clothing?

 

[Property of Jumpship]

Sorry: Last sentence should be: Will this be what Fable should have been wrapped up in Next-Gen clothing.

I dont have an edit button.....

 

[dark10x]

No, it's going to be a next-gen Elder Scrolls game. The leap from Morrowind to Oblivion seems roughly equal to the jump from Daggerfall to Morrowind.

Comparisons to Fable are not warranted.

 

[Baconäger]

I dunno, can you have kids?

 

[akascream]

Heh, anyone that expected Oblivion-like scope from fable was/is dilusional.


Lionhead is capable of something lame like Bethesda's warp-o-map though.

 

[Ruzbeh]

I don't expect much at all. I find the world of Morrowind very dull and not lively at all, filled with ugly, uninspired characters and creatures. I don't think Oblivion is going to be much better since I don't have a lot of faith in Bethesda.

I'd love to be proven wrong, though.

 

[echoshifting]

No, it's going to be a next-gen Elder Scrolls game. The leap from Morrowind to Oblivion seems roughly equal to the jump from Daggerfall to Morrowind.

Comparisons to Fable are not warranted.

^

 

[Vark]

I don't expect much at all. I find the world of Morrowind very dull and not lively at all, filled with ugly, uninspired characters and creatures. I don't think Oblivion is going to be much better since I don't have a lot of faith in Bethesda.

I'd love to be proven wrong, though.

You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

[Reilly]

Don't you mean Project Ego? That game was good.

 

[flarkminator]

No, it's going to be a next-gen Elder Scrolls game. The leap from Morrowind to Oblivion seems roughly equal to the jump from Daggerfall to Morrowind.

Comparisons to Fable are not warranted.

This is defiently my most anticipated game in the coming year, its the whole reason I'd even buy a 360. And I expect nothing less than what you're saying here. I completely agree.

 

[flarkminator]

You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

[Ruzbeh]

You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

[Vark]

 

[Ruzbeh]

No, dude, that avatar of mine was asking you why. Why did I make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

 

[Blackace]

The more I read, hear, or see about this game suggests it is going to be massive; like unbeatably massive. Radiant AI, huge world, custom spells and items...this could be unfinishable. So will this be Fable just wrapped up in next-gen clothing?

Sorry but Arena has been around for a long time.. this is like asking if Michael Jasckson is going to be the next Usher

 

[Vark]

No, dude, that avatar of mine was asking you why. Why did I make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

Because you don't have any faith in my work

I was just kidding though. Different folks and all that

 

[flarkminator]

Sorry but Arena has been around for a long time.. this is like asking if Michael Jasckson is going to be the next Usher

I think if any of the games was Unbeatably huge it would have to be Daggerfall. I must have started that game like 20 times. I'd go until I got lost in a dungeon being chaced by the sound of a mummy somewhere...so creepy. But every time I'd just start all over again because the game was just that cool.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

The combat is compeletly different in morrowind with less emphasis on reflexes and skill. Morrowind is mostly stats based. Fable the combat is mostly relfexes. IMO

 

[flarkminator]

from the sounds of Obvlivion though the new combat system has a more reflexive nature to it, what with actually controlling when you block and what not, I could be wrong. But that is what I remember from reading about it.

 

[Unison]

Right now Oblivion is just a bunch of hype, which, now that I think about it, is all that Fable ever really was. :lol

 

[MmmBeef]

Vark or SteveMeister, how well does the game scale? Say if I had an Athlon XP 3200, 1 gig of DDR and a 6600gt and planned to run it at 1024x768.

Also, with the more action oriented nature of the combat, do you prefer the 360 controller to KB/M in this instance?

 

[Ruzbeh]

Because you don't have any faith in my work

I was just kidding though. Different folks and all that

Oops. :lol You work for Bethesda?

 

[Kabuki Waq]

from the sounds of Obvlivion though the new combat system has a more reflexive nature to it, what with actually controlling when you block and what not, I could be wrong. But that is what I remember from reading about it.

I really hope this is true because it will add alot to the enjoyment for me.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Vark,

Since you are a dev can you answer a question for me? Will the footsteps sounds be more realistic in this game? It really irritated me in the last game that your characters footsteps were a single sound and no matter what you were walking on - you heard the very same sound over and over again. That really cheesed me off and lost my suspension of disbelief.

Oh, and I sure hope the framerate is better in this one. It was abysmal in Morrowind even on a high end machine.

 

[flarkminator]

I really hope this is true because it will add alot to the enjoyment for me.

I'm currently searching for the place where I read about it, but what I read was that the current phsyics system that was being implemented woudl be integrated with the battle system. Meaning, when you swing your sword it wasn't a collision volume to collision volume hit (then the insuing number crunching) OH hey I got a hit! And that it was more of a, physical collision deal, if you hit the guy, you hit the guy. I can't find the link right now though, so I could be talking about of my ass.

 

[Vark]

I'm currently searching for the place where I read about it, but what I read was that the current phsyics system that was being implemented woudl be integrated with the battle system. Meaning, when you swing your sword it wasn't a collision volume to collision volume hit (then the insuing number crunching) OH hey I got a hit! And that it was more of a, physical collision deal, if you hit the guy, you hit the guy. I can't find the link right now though, so I could be talking about of my ass.

Combat is indeed active, so isn't blocking (if you hit, you hit). Damage is modified by your skills. There's a slew of other improvements as well. It feels much, much better than Morrowind ever did.

Vark,

Since you are a dev can you answer a question for me? Will the footsteps sounds be more realistic in this game? It really irritated me in the last game that your characters footsteps were a single sound and no matter what you were walking on - you heard the very same sound over and over again. That really cheesed me off and lost my suspension of disbelief.

Oh, and I sure hope the framerate is better in this one. It was abysmal in Morrowind even on a high end machine.

Sound is much improved.

 

[Redbeard]

Sound is much improved.

Now about those animations...

 

[Synth_floyd]

A lot of people in the Oblivion forums are actually complaining that the game is being dumbed down ("Fabled") since it's being released for Xbox 360 as well as well as PC (plus the fact that most sales of Morrowind came from Xbox). The fact that you can't kill NPCs that are required for the main quest, the compass thingy (the deal with this one is all the dialogue has been recorded before the game was finished so when you're given a quest to "go here and do this" the NPC will always just say "I've marked it on your map" instead of giving directions because the devs might change the location but they can't change the speech of the NPC), some skills are being reduced/combined, no mounted combat (though this was only in Daggerfall and not Morrowind), etc. Actually the un-killable NPCs seems to be the main complaint but there is a lot of concern that the game is being dumbed down for the Xbox 360 crowd.

Vark, you're an Oblivion dev? I know this has been beaten to death already on the Oblivion forums but what are the devs general consensus about these complaints?

 

[flarkminator]

Combat is indeed active, so isn't blocking (if you hit, you hit). Damage is modified by your skills. There's a slew of other improvements as well. It feels much, much better than Morrowind ever did.

there is only one word: delicious

Sound is much improved.

Who's doing the soundtrack, is it the same person as last time?

 

[flarkminator]

A lot of people in the Oblivion forums are actually complaining that the game is being dumbed down ("Fabled") since it's being released for Xbox 360 as well as well as PC (plus the fact that most sales of Morrowind came from Xbox). The fact that you can't kill NPCs that are required for the main quest, the compass thingy (the deal with this one is all the dialogue has been recorded before the game was finished so when you're given a quest to "go here and do this" the NPC will always just say "I've marked it on your map" instead of giving directions because the devs might change the location but they can't change the speech of the NPC), some skills are being reduced/combined, no mounted combat (though this was only in Daggerfall and not Morrowind), etc. Actually the un-killable NPCs seems to be the main complaint but there is a lot of concern that the game is being dumbed down for the Xbox 360 crowd.

Vark, you're an Oblivion dev? I know this has been beaten to death already on the Oblivion forums but what are the devs general consensus about these complaints?

Anyone who complains that breaking the game is a good thing is slightly crazy imo. Plus after you beat the game, you can go back and kill story specific NPC's after the main story has been finished.

 

[Wollan]

Personaly I would love to see the option of turning of the compass. Have it on by default but for us who want a bigger challenge finding things, we could just turn it of. I would without a doubt turn it of.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

It would be nice if the NPCs reacted accordingly to your experiance and stuff.....I mean right after I KILL YOUR GOD i expect you to atleast show some respect.

 

[Tain]

Combat is indeed active, so isn't blocking (if you hit, you hit). Damage is modified by your skills. There's a slew of other improvements as well. It feels much, much better than Morrowind ever did.

Wow. That alone makes me look forward to this.

 

[Vark]

Who's doing the soundtrack, is it the same person as last time?

I don't think we've announced anything music wise yet so I can't comfortably say.

Vark, you're an Oblivion dev? I know this has been beaten to death already on the Oblivion forums but what are the devs general consensus about these complaints?

We read everything and take note of it. Everyone has their own view on things and forums in general tend to be more skewed to the negative so things get blown out of proportion.

Anything that got added is there to improve the overall experience, it has nothing to do with PCs versus Consoles.

 

[rainer516]

Anything that got added is there to improve the overall experience, it has nothing to do with PCs versus Consoles.

Please don't make another Deus -Ex 2. We'll be very angry if that happens, we promise.

 

[COCKLES]

I loved the linearness of Fable. Sorry but I don't have time or the patiance to wade through 'giant' worlds anymore with 20-30 hour quests.

 

[Ruzbeh]

Please don't make another Deus -Ex 2. We'll be very angry if that happens, we promise.

Do not listen to this man. A Junior Member's anger is not worth noticing!

Ok. Sooo. I've been playing Morrowind recently (been playing all week actually :lol). And you know, I kinda like it. Except, it was very hard to get into. Can you tell me anything about how that's going to be different with Oblivion? Easier to get into? Harder?

And also, I would like it very much if, like, with bows. Like, the more experience you gain in your Marksman skill the faster you can grab an arrow and fire. So in the end when you're powerful you can shoot arrows blazin' fast like Legolas in LOTR.

 

[Vark]

Accessibility is sort of a hard thing to gauge. What sort of things did you mean by 'hard to get into'?

 

[Property of Jumpship]

Accessibility is sort of a hard thing to gauge. What sort of things did you mean by 'hard to get into'?

Um...how about 30 minute character creation with abstract questions. No offense.

 

[El_Victor]

A lot of people in the Oblivion forums are actually complaining that the game is being dumbed down ("Fabled") since it's being released for Xbox 360 as well as well as PC (plus the fact that most sales of Morrowind came from Xbox). The fact that you can't kill NPCs that are required for the main quest, the compass thingy (the deal with this one is all the dialogue has been recorded before the game was finished so when you're given a quest to "go here and do this" the NPC will always just say "I've marked it on your map" instead of giving directions because the devs might change the location but they can't change the speech of the NPC), some skills are being reduced/combined, no mounted combat (though this was only in Daggerfall and not Morrowind), etc. Actually the un-killable NPCs seems to be the main complaint but there is a lot of concern that the game is being dumbed down for the Xbox 360 crowd.

Vark, you're an Oblivion dev? I know this has been beaten to death already on the Oblivion forums but what are the devs general consensus about these complaints?

I second this, I (like someone just said) don't want another Deus Ex 2.

 

[flarkminator]

Um...how about 30 minute character creation with abstract questions. No offense.

You dont' have to use the question interface to create your charcter, and if your'e suggesting they remove the customizability of their character creation then I suggest you play another game, because thats what the whole fucking game is about /boggle

 

[Xenon]

I hope they added a humor to the game. Morrowind, as much as I loved the game, seemed too serious.

 

[Nerevar]

Accessibility is sort of a hard thing to gauge. What sort of things did you mean by 'hard to get into'?

walk outside of town ... cliff racer ..... diseased cliff racer ..... blighted cliff racer ....

just kidding
although the "no cliff-racers" mod for PC was very helpful.

 

[Azih]

Rich vibrant NPCs and a feeling that your actions actually have an impact on the game *world* (especially in the later stages) not just the character is what I want from a game. And both Fable and Morrowind failed utterly in those regards. I am not going to be buying Oblivion.

 

[flarkminator]

Rich vibrant NPCs and a feeling that your actions actually have an impact on the game *world* (especially in the later stages) not just the character is what I want from a game. And both Fable and Morrowind failed utterly in those regards. I am not going to be buying Oblivion.

Its always nice to see opinions of people who haven't read anything about the game. I'm sure every Bethesda employee will mourn the loss of your money

 

[SteveMeister]

Its always nice to see opinions of people who haven't read anything about the game. I'm sure every Bethesda employee will mourn the loss of your money

Yeah, no braces for little Timmy this year :'(





*there is no Timmy

 

[dark10x]

Any word on Oblivion still making 360 launch? My younger sibling is purchasing a 360 solely for this game, afterall (and I also want it quite a bit). I've never witnessed a BethSoft game making its initial release date, though...

 

[Azih]

Its always nice to see opinions of people who haven't read anything about the game. I'm sure every Bethesda employee will mourn the loss of your money

Jeez man, excuse me for not lapping up PR drivel from game previews and instead relying on my reactions to the companies previous work. And really I would have liked it if you had responded to my (valid, reasonable) criticisms and sparked an actual honest to goodness interesting gaming discussion on GAF rather than your pointless sarcastic one liner.

Hell not only am I just basing my negative view of Oblivion on not liking Morrowind. I am basing it on an interview I read from Bethseda about the differences between Fallout and the Elder Scrolls game. The man came right out and stated the major differences between the two series which prompts a Bethseda to take a much different tack when approaching Fallout 3 as opposed to Oblivion and everything he said about Fallout is what I look for in a RPG style experience and everything he stated about Elder Scrolls leaves me disinterested. (Troika you died one game too soon )

Bethseda up to this point makes games that are just not for me. For the reasons that I stated clearly, concisely (and without any attempt at insult humour for a change) when I talked about the issues I had with Morrowind. Spare me your derision.

 

[Pellham]

A lot of people in the Oblivion forums are actually complaining that the game is being dumbed down ("Fabled") since it's being released for Xbox 360 as well as well as PC (plus the fact that most sales of Morrowind came from Xbox). The fact that you can't kill NPCs that are required for the main quest, the compass thingy (the deal with this one is all the dialogue has been recorded before the game was finished so when you're given a quest to "go here and do this" the NPC will always just say "I've marked it on your map" instead of giving directions because the devs might change the location but they can't change the speech of the NPC), some skills are being reduced/combined, no mounted combat (though this was only in Daggerfall and not Morrowind), etc. Actually the un-killable NPCs seems to be the main complaint but there is a lot of concern that the game is being dumbed down for the Xbox 360 crowd.

dialogue issue - it's a limitation of the speech, I really doubt hearing "I've marked it on your map" over and over is going to hinder the gameplay experience

can't kill story-related NPCs - not every Elder Scrolls fan cares about being able to kill NPCs that you're not supposed to kill - plus see what someone else said later (about how you can kill them after you beat the game)

no mounted combat - wasn't in Morrowind, I barely remember Daggerfall, won't bother me

some skills combined/reduced - So they are adjusting the skills to fit the new game world. I hardly think this is a concern.

Quite frankly I don't really see anything to complain about, and the features that are being promised, like radiant AI more than make up for anything possibly negative. It's like how Morrowind made up for its glaring flaws with its overwhelmingly awesome positives.

 

[Striek]

dialogue issue - it's a limitation of the speech, I really doubt hearing "I've marked it on your map" over and over is going to hinder the gameplay experience

I think this issue is that since you will no longer be given directions, you no longer have to go scouting for the places, you just look on your map and go there. Which definitely seems 'dumbed-down'.