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[GhaleonEB]

I can't remember...is it possible for Martin to die right after you pick him up in Kvatch? No, right, because he has the crown? He's a pretty capable little fighter. I don't see why I shouldn't just have him follow me around.

He cleared out that Fire Demon thing in the Kvatch Castle on his own. :lol

Yup, he can't die. You can tell him to "follow me" and take him around anywhere you like. Nice little sidekick. He killed quite a few goblins for me once. :lol

 

[Y2Kev]

Yup, he can't die. You can tell him to "follow me" and take him around anywhere you like. Nice little sidekick. He killed quite a few goblins for me once. :lol

And I don't think I ever got this (even in Morrowind): What do soul gems do? How do you use them?

 

[Phthisis]

And I don't think I ever got this (even in Morrowind): What do soul gems do? How do you use them?

If you use them as an item, they can restore your magical item's usage. If you have Soul Trap, you can capture monsters in them (POKEMON OMG) and summon them at a later time, I believe.

 

[GhaleonEB]

If you use them as an item, they can restore your magical item's usage. If you have Soul Trap, you can capture monsters in them (POKEMON OMG) and summon them at a later time, I believe.

Not quite.

Think of the gems as being the batteries that recharge magical items. You use Soul Trap before you kill a creature. If you kill them before the spell wears off, and you have a gem large enough to hold their soul (the larger the creature, the larger the soul) then you get a message that you, well, trapped a soul. You can then use the gem to recharge enchanted weapons and items rather than having to pay someone back in town to do so.

It's not related to summoning spells, which fall under the Conjuration skill.

 

[Phthisis]

What NPCs recharge magic weapons, by the way? I've only ever encountered one, and I can't remember where he/she is.

 

[Y2Kev]

Umbra recharges MY magic weapon.

 

[GhaleonEB]

What NPCs recharge magic weapons, by the way? I've only ever encountered one, and I can't remember where he/she is.

There are a few in the Mage's Guildhalls. Might be some others but those are the ones I used.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

The biggest bennefit of Soul Gems (at least in Morrowind) was that they could be used to enchant normal items. You'd find some creature, cast soul trap, kill the enemy, select a gem to put their soul into, and then you go to town mixing and matching. If you captured something like a golden saint, the magical properties would be permanant. I don't even know if this is possible to do it in Oblivion. I never saw the need to enchant anything in Oblivion seeing how even hobos wield magical swords.

 

[Aaron]

Yup, he can't die. You can tell him to "follow me" and take him around anywhere you like. Nice little sidekick. He killed quite a few goblins for me once. :lol

I liked the twins better. Just don't take them to the farmstead at the end of the quest and they'll follow you around forever. Late in the game though, they fall unconcious a little too quickly to be of much use. Plus, you don't have to halt the main quest.

 

[MirageDwarf]

I can't remember...is it possible for Martin to die right after you pick him up in Kvatch? No, right, because he has the crown? He's a pretty capable little fighter. I don't see why I shouldn't just have him follow me around.

He cleared out that Fire Demon thing in the Kvatch Castle on his own. :lol

Why only Martin? Take Martin to Weynon Priory to see Jauffre. Jauffre will ask you to take Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple. And after that he will also join. Then start any other quest.

I liked the twins better. Just don't take them to the farmstead at the end of the quest and they'll follow you around forever. Late in the game though, they fall unconcious a little too quickly to be of much use. Plus, you don't have to halt the main quest.

I always wanted twins to follow. But I couldn't finish that quest ever. Did anybody else have same problem? I was supposed to kill ogres(3 of them, I guess). But I didn't finish that quest, and my character leveled up 9 levels. I've killed so many ogres that I lost count. Quest is not updating ever.

 

[Kabouter]

I love just riding around in this world doing nothing <3

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Soul Gems are awesome. Especially if you have an item, such as a sword, that has Soul Capture as an effect. You'll fill up those Soul Gems very quickly swinging that thing around. Then you always have a way to recharge your items, even in the middle of a Dungeon.

 

[Dr Zhivago]

Even if it does, if you already have the glitch, the new patch won't fix it. All of the bug fixes have been to prevent them from happening, not to reverse the status if it has.

Well the Umbra/Dog-thing bug was fixed by the first patch even though I'd started the quest, and the bug with a magic ring not spawning could be fixed by going away and coming back a week later.

 

[X26]

I haven't been able to see any diferences graphically with the patch...is it only noticeable on an HDTV?

 

[syllogism]

1.2 pc patch is out.

New Features
10 new Xbox 360 Achievements for Shivering Isles

Bug Fixes
Improved LOD visual quality for landscape.
Optimizations to file loading system.
Taking items from dead owned creatures is no longer a crime
Fixed issue where lock/unlocked states on doors would occasionally be stored incorrectly in a save game.
NPCs no longer pop into view after player cancels out from the Wait menu.
Fixed memory leak with sitting in a chair multiple times.
The reflection from the environment map in windows now displays properly.
Fixed an issue where player is still in combat even though the creature is no longer present. [we sort of fixed this for specific NPC's]
Player can no longer fast travel when paralyzed.
Fixed infinite dialogue loop when arrested by guards who have high disposition to you.
Fixed issue where guards would not properly report crime if they were pickpocketed.
Summoned creatures properly fade away when they are created from a leveled list.
Fixed issue where stolen items would lose their stolen status if the player character was female.
Fixed crash that would occur with NPCs loading in with arrows.
Pickup sound effects no longer play during the loading screen.
If you attack a creature owned by you, crime is no longer reported. [this is the only fix that was in our Unofficial Patch]
Fixed issue with LOD not loading in properly when entering/exiting worldspaces.
Fixed infinite soul gems exploit by dropping and picking up stacked soul gems.
Fixed a crash with summoning a creature and immediately exiting the cell.
Fixed a crash with stealing an object, exiting and immediately re-entering an interior.
Fixed issue where an NPC would occasionally not perform the proper idle animation.
Fixed an occasional crash when a creature loses detection on the player.
Fixed an occasional crash with NPCs who were not loaded going into combat.

Quest Fixes
In Light the Dragonfires, fixed issue where improper journal would appear if you closed an Oblivion gate.
In Till Death do They Part, fixed an issue where Melisande would not properly give you Cure Vampirism potion.

edit: I don't suggest installing it if you value your mods, especially ones that require OBSE

 

[Kabouter]

http://xs413.xs.to/xs413/07125/SunriseSunrise.jpg
http://xs413.xs.to/xs413/07111/ScreenShot1.jpg

Two more screenshots
God I still love this game. New character is still level one, how many skill upgrades in your major set does it take again to level?

 

[MirageDwarf]

http://xs413.xs.to/xs413/07125/SunriseSunrise.jpg
http://xs413.xs.to/xs413/07111/ScreenShot1.jpg

Two more screenshots
God I still love this game. New character is still level one, how many skill upgrades in your major set does it take again to level?

10 points

 

[MirageDwarf]

Optimizations to file loading system.

It doesn't say which platform, so I'm assuming it's for both. Does it make any difference in loading time? I haven't downloaded patch yet.

edit: I don't suggest installing it if you value your mods, especially ones that require OBSE

It breaks OBSE?

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Fixed an issue where player is still in combat even though the creature is no longer present.

Well that's good to hear. I had that happen to me and it was a total bitch. I couldn't get out of combat mode even though there wasn't a creature in site. The game wouldn't let me rest or fast travel because of it. I ended up having to use a save from 2 hours earlier 'cause my game was all ****ed up.

 

[Kabouter]

Well that's good to hear. I had that happen to me and it was a total bitch. I couldn't get out of combat mode even though there wasn't a creature in site. The game wouldn't let me rest or fast travel because of it. I ended up having to use a save from 2 hours earlier 'cause my game was all ****ed up.

this is why I press F5 every few minutes

 

[syllogism]

It doesn't say which platform, so I'm assuming it's for both. Does it make any difference in loading time? I haven't downloaded patch yet.


It breaks OBSE?

Conflicting reports. You do have to revert any BSA changes you may have made with OBMM or Wry Bash.

And yes, that changelog is for both systems

edit:

Thirdly, the LOD maps look great now. I mean they really look GOOD. A vast improvement over the standard ones and much better than Shaja's 2048x2048 (no offence Shaja). I dont know how they compare to the 4096*4096 ones out there though

edit2: OBSE doesn't work, they are working on it

 

[nubbe]

I don't really notice or feel any difference with the 360 patch.

 

[MirageDwarf]

Thirdly, the LOD maps look great now. I mean they really look GOOD. A vast improvement over the standard ones and much better than Shaja's 2048x2048 (no offence Shaja). I dont know how they compare to the 4096*4096 ones out there though

Got link to screenshot?

 

[syllogism]

edit: nevermind, no screenshots yet

I just have to say wow. This new LOD is simply incredible. The textures are drastically better than Shaja's but not only that, when you move around and it loads a new cell the LOD doesn't suddenly disappear and have a entire building pop up infront of your eyes. No, it fades in. Yes thats right FADES in.

 

[Redbeard]

Much better. The transition is barely noticable anymore.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Much better.

Which version is that from? 360/PC?

 

[Redbeard]

Which version is that from? 360/PC?

PC. Unmodded.

 

[syllogism]

Some before and after shots

Low res
High res

 

[GhaleonEB]

Some before and after shots

Low res
High res

Wow - that's pretty substantial. Thanks for the pics.

 

[steinmc]

Some before and after shots

Low res
High res

That is definitly an improvement

 

[raYne]

http://xs413.xs.to/xs413/07125/SunriseSunrise.jpg
http://xs413.xs.to/xs413/07111/ScreenShot1.jpg

Two more screenshots
God I still love this game. New character is still level one, how many skill upgrades in your major set does it take again to level?

That's a ridiculous amount of facial hair.

 

[Kabouter]

That's a ridiculous amount of facial hair.

:lol

 

[GhaleonEB]

The biggest bennefit of Soul Gems (at least in Morrowind) was that they could be used to enchant normal items. You'd find some creature, cast soul trap, kill the enemy, select a gem to put their soul into, and then you go to town mixing and matching. If you captured something like a golden saint, the magical properties would be permanant. I don't even know if this is possible to do it in Oblivion. I never saw the need to enchant anything in Oblivion seeing how even hobos wield magical swords.

Though, hobos don't get magical weapons until you hit level 20.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

OK. I downloaded the patch for the 360 and wasn't expecting too much but I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I went to several areas where I knew previously that if I looked out into the distance I'd see some N64 style texture mapping and while they weren't perfect by any means it looked substantially better than before. No longer are the hills alive with the sound of blur. Now we've got stippling and lots of it....but that's certainly better than the alternative.

 

[FrankT]

That is definitly an improvement

Indeed, I just picked up the Shivering Iles strat guide, so, I'm set.

 

[tim1138]

This thread inspired me to break out Oblivion again and play for a few hours tonight, I finally finished the Knights of the Nine quest and cannot wait for Shivering Isles next week.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Any improvement in load times? I know it was listed earlier in this thread, but unconfirmed, but does the patch help in any way that way?

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Any improvement in load times?

Not from what I can tell. Seems about the same.

 

[TheWolf]

IGN has a 4 minute vid of the PS3 version on Insider. i have to say, it is better looking than the 360 version. i'm playing the video on my TV in 720p and there is a noticeable difference.

 

[nubbe]

Load times seem a bit better after I have cleard the cache

 

[bengraven]

OK. I downloaded the patch for the 360 and wasn't expecting too much but I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I went to several areas where I knew previously that if I looked out into the distance I'd see some N64 style texture mapping and while they weren't perfect by any means it looked substantially better than before. No longer are the hills alive with the sound of blur. Now we've got stippling and lots of it....but that's certainly better than the alternative.

Pictures for comparison?

 

[GhaleonEB]

IGN has a 4 minute vid of the PS3 version on Insider. i have to say, it is better looking than the 360 version. i'm playing the video on my TV in 720p and there is a noticeable difference.

One would expect this given the improvements. The 360 patch brings some elements up to par, so everyone gets some new graphical sparkles.

 

[FrankT]

IGN has a 4 minute vid of the PS3 version on Insider. i have to say, it is better looking than the 360 version. i'm playing the video on my TV in 720p and there is a noticeable difference.

Can't say the same personally, post patch. The lighting on the 360 side is far far better and the bump-mapping textures, there is no comparison. Distant textures now look much smoother and crisp imho. I could tell this the second I cranked it up after not really playing this game for a good bit. Nevertheless they both have their strengths and weaknesses. The AF is nice on the PS3 side. Game Informer and 1up have both said this comparison is a wash, while the latter even saying the PS3 version is inferior in comparison to the 360/PC version. While I do not see it, I would have thought an additional year would have been like night and day.

 

[MirageDwarf]

http://www.gamestar.de/aktuell/scre...r_scrolls_4_oblivion_the_shivering_isles.html

****ing 77 new screens of SI. See all screens with label "NEU"

Excitement rising exponentially..........

Credit goes to official Shivering Isles forum...

 

[Flambe]

Bastards =( Read the thread a bit and wanted to reinstall Oblivion for my new computer and see how good the graphics are... But now I can't find the DVD >.< Moved into a new house from an apartment so yeah, guess that figures. Have a couple hundred game cases lying around but somehow that one isn't there.

Just not fair =P

 

[GhaleonEB]

Yeah, I'm with Hitler on this one (that sounded wrong). The patch has made a very substantial difference for me in the landscape - it's exactly as the comparison pics on the previous page showed. It looks much, much better. Good show, Bethesda!

After gazing at the scenery for a bit, I hopped off a small ledge. Well, I thought it was a small ledge. I actually plunged to my death.

Been playing too much Crackdown, see.

 

[syllogism]

The new shader works pretty nicely with LOD replacement mods. Here's a screenshot with a slightly toned down shader effect + BTQ 2048 LOD.

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6489/oblivion200703241825344kk6.png
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/495/oblivion200703241821215vp3.png

I hear they toned HDR glare/brightness down. Anyone notice the difference? While I wouldn't mind indoors HDR being changed, I didn't mind the overemphasised effect outside. Nothing a mod can't fix I suppose.

 

[XSamu]

Shivering Isles is just one more week away (europe )

 

[Kabouter]

I hear they toned HDR glare/brightness down. Anyone notice the difference? While I wouldn't mind indoors HDR being changed, I didn't mind the overemphasised effect outside. Nothing a mod can't fix I suppose.

That'd be a shame really, I loved the HDR glare/brightness, both inside and outside.

 

[tim1138]

Any improvement in load times? I know it was listed earlier in this thread, but unconfirmed, but does the patch help in any way that way?

It may be because I hadn't played the game in months before booting it up last night, but load times seemed a bit quicker to me. Especially going through doors in towns and caves, the only time it seemed to still take a bit long to load was quick traveling all the way across the map.