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[SpeedingUptoStop]

Cool, enjoy!

I'm sure you're in for a treat - when I played my first Elder Scrolls game (Morrowind), the scale and feelings of freedom and immersion blew my mind!

Really am looking forward to getting immersed in the world - I hope there aren't too many rookie mistake pratfalls for me to fall into, like picking the wrong character type and being screwed later on or something along those lines.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

Really am looking forward to getting immersed in the world - I hope there aren't too many rookie mistake pratfalls for me to fall into, like picking the wrong character type and being screwed later on or something along those lines.

The race you pick at the start shouldn't matter too much in the long run so I wouldn't worry, and skill leveling is very organic - if you want to be better at something, simply do it more. Practice makes perfect

 

[lastplayed]

... I just realized my character can be left-handed in Skyrim! Fuck yeah!



Why do developers hate us???

Well I won't mind being forced to hold a bow with my left hand, it's not like being left-handed with a bow and arrow makes much difference.

 

[bowery]

This is the most excited i've been for a game in probably 4 years, I really am happy.

 

[Pollux]

I seriously read this whole thread, thank God this forum isn't blocked at work yet. Otherwise it's me, my book, and my mind in Skyrim.

I'm still eager to know if the 1.1 patch will fix the texture issue. It strikes me as very odd. First DICE with the HD textures mandatory install for Xbox 360 and now Bethesda is the exact opposite. It's just weird to me. I guess for now I'll play the game off the disc when I get home from the midnight launch, but I'm hoping they patch it eventually. (If it's a bug issue, I mean.)

I still can't wrap my head around a 3.8GB game size. There aren't any full motion videos here? Those usually take up the most amount of space. Either that or all the audio in the game is heavily compressed.

Lastly, I think I decided to call my character Wiglaf. He'll be a Nord. If the name rings a bell it's from the epic poem Beowulf many of you probably (hopefully!) read in high school. (Ancient literature spoilers? LOL... I'm just going to play it safe.)

Spoiler

He's the only Geat to work up the courage to slay the dragon with a dying Beowulf by his side, in a band of about a dozen warriors.

He'll be a Sword/Shield warrior, obviously. Wiglaf was known for his shield skills.

That is all. All this hype is making me want to see the Lord of the Ring movies. I'm in a big fantasy mood right now. =)

Psh. My Nord will be named Beowulf. Axe and Axe damn it.

 

[Zeliard]

I agree people shouldn't go in expecting some sort of highly refined combat, as that is not what these games are about. But Morrowind's combat (more complex or not) sucked. I can't even describe how much time I wasted adjusting my position because my sword attacks were missing the mark.

The thing about the combat in Morrowind is that - unlike Oblivion and Skyrim - it was a lot more heavily stat-based. Probably the most significant stat was derived from a chance to-hit formula in Morrowind that Beth removed with Oblivion to make the combat more action-focused. Your swings were missing in Morrowind because the to-hit formula calculated it as a miss based on various stats between you and the enemy.

In vanilla Oblivion, none of your swings ever actually miss unless you physically miss them yourself. This was done to try and remedy the complaints from a certain segment of the audience that the stat-based real-time combat wasn't to their liking.

I think part of what makes the combat in Oblivion feel so strange is that your hits often-times look and feel the same as your misses due to a jarring lack of feedback to the player. In Bethesda's quest to make the combat feel more like an action game, they removed or modified some of the underlying statistical elements but didn't spruce up the animations and collision detection enough to really give it that feeling of weight and rhythm you'd expect.

So the end result has the later games unfortunately retaining that same static combat feel while having also neutered some of the statistical complexity.

The finishers make a difference, and i think some of the perks make it deeper than oblivion, but you're probably right. I do think battlemages will be more fun than ever in this game due to dual wields though. And archery looks so much better.

I traditionally play a battlemage sort in Elder Scrolls games and in a lot of RPGs for the versatility and ability to switch stuff up if things get too samey. It'll be interesting to see how the build plays this time around with some of the extra dual wielding stuff. I'll probably go with a heavier concentration in magic my first playthrough, though.

I told yas already, IMPERIAL SCUM is the only way to role. I will be the evilest fucker to ever walk the earth in Skyrim.

Oh yeah I remember you mentioning that before.

Gross. But exactly what I would expect from someone who sided with Roche.

Sorry if this was already posted...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50u0zUeCmU&feature=feedu

Kind of catchy actually

Haha surprisingly good.

 

[neoism]

Exactly. Mere mortals (and average Joe) will taper off around level 50, but the truly divine will stretch far beyond. It's estimated that a thousand hours will be required to grab 90+ perks. Believe me, there are a select few of us who are that crazy.

 

[branny]

Why do developers hate us???

Yeah, sucks that Demon's Souls and Dark Souls don't let us do that, either.

And Skyward Sword...

Spoiler

*cries*

 

[cripterion]

Slightly off topic but as a pc gamer mostly (I own a ps3 and an xbox360, just enjoy playing on the pc better) I have to go on a rant here and say steam is the worse thing to ever happened to pc imo.

There was a time when people could import a game, just get the CD/DVD, install, and be done with it but now with steam you basically have to wait until the release date, no matter if the game is sp or mp.

I found out that Skyrim unlocks in a month and a day for me (I'm in Japan), and Modern Warfare 3 is not even showing up on the store...

I was hyped as hell for this and even refrained from watching some streams cause I knew the release date was approaching (or thought I knew) but damn this is just sad :/

 

[lastplayed]

I love how people are using Beowulf as inspiration, the poem that was written by those Viking-arse-kicking Anglo-Saxons.

Seriously though, there must be some good Nordic works to get inspiration from.

 

[exhume]

Decided on my character, a stabber in the style of a D&D rogue/ranger - shortsword in one hand, dagger in the other, bit of healing magic and a nice dose of stealth.

Will name her A'man'dr, as everyone knows you can make a boring name fantasyesque by filling it with apostrophes/outlandish spelling.

 

[Emerson]

The thing about the combat in Morrowind is that - unlike Oblivion and Skyrim - it was a lot more heavily stat-based. Probably the most significant stat was derived from a chance to-hit formula in Morrowind that Beth removed with Oblivion to make the combat more action-focused. Your swings were missing in Morrowind because the to-hit formula calculated it as a miss based on various stats between you and the enemy.

In vanilla Oblivion, none of your swings ever actually miss unless you physically miss them yourself. This was done to try and remedy the complaints from a certain segment of the audience that the stat-based real-time combat wasn't to their liking.

I think part of what makes the combat in Oblivion feel so strange is that your hits often-times look and feel the same as your misses due to a jarring lack of feedback to the player. In Bethesda's quest to make the combat feel more like an action game, they removed or modified some of the underlying statistical elements but didn't spruce up the animations and collision detection enough to really give it that feeling of weight and rhythm you'd expect.

So the end result has the later games unfortunately retaining that same static combat feel while having also neutered some of the statistical complexity.

Yeah I see that, and remember having some of the same complaints when I was playing Oblivion.

While Bethesda didn't nail the transition from Morrowind's style to Oblivion's, I still think the new one is better. I don't want to play a D&D game. If my sword looks like it's on target, it should hit.

 

[Shadybiz]

I am pretty fucking psyched for this. My first Elder Scrolls game, all day to myself on Friday.

Hmmm....not enough time.

I am still on the fence about getting this right away. The problem is that I KNOW it will take up most of my gaming time, much like Oblivion did. There are worse things, I suppose. I look forward to the reviews.

 

[Esch]

I traditionally play a battlemage sort in Elder Scrolls games and in a lot of RPGs for the versatility and ability to switch stuff up if things get too samey. It'll be interesting to see how the build plays this time around with some of the extra dual wielding stuff. I'll probably go with a heavier concentration in magic my first playthrough, though.

Pretty much where i'm at. As revealed in that racial breakdown chart, i actually think redguards or imperials are the way to go for that type of playthrough based on starting bonuses. I'm probably going with a one handed redguard, use the mage sign for most of my playthrough(since i know i'll be actively more involved in melee from the beginning- I think compensating for my stunted growth there with some faster leveling might be smart). Now, only to decide what magic schools to work with

 

[D23]

skipping MW3 for this!!

 

[Teknoman]

I've gotta ask, is there going to be a wider range of armor and weapon types/styles available this time around?

 

[GarthVaderUK]

skipping MW3 for this!!

Welcome to the party, pal.

 

[maximum360]

skipping MW3 for this!!

Better yet, getting them both.

 

[Midou]

No shield in right hand is weird, was hoping for dual shield shenanigans.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Hyping myself up with the best theme music for any RPG ever.

 

[Dead Man]

Unfortunately you can't put shields in your right hand.

God damn it Bethesda, what are you doing to me?~!!

 

[Luthos]

skipping MW3 for this!!

Skipping life for this.

 

[Izayoi]

Better yet, getting them both.

But then you only get to play MW3 for three days before it's shelved for the next six months.

 

[DangerStepp]

skipping MW3 for this!!

You made a wise decision, my friend. Todd Howard is smiling somewhere.

Bobby Kotick is not.

 

[Midou]

But then you only get to play MW3 for three days before it's shelved for the next six months.

More like three hours.

 

[Esch]

As far as dual wielding goes.... I know we can double equip the same spell and use both hands to cast a more powerful version. Can we mix different spells in that fashion?

 

[Teknoman]

Delve into more than 150 hand-crafted dungeons

This really makes me happy.

 

[Solo]

Really am looking forward to getting immersed in the world - I hope there aren't too many rookie mistake pratfalls for me to fall into, like picking the wrong character type and being screwed later on or something along those lines.

You can't screw it up - this ain't Demon's or Dark Souls. The games are easy enough. Oblivion was a cakewalk.

 

[Community Forum]

Delve into more than 150 hand-crafted dungeons

WHAT

 

[Izayoi]

More like three hours.

Hahahaha.

I suppose so, yeah.

 

[Razorskin]

You can't screw it up - this ain't Demon's or Dark Souls. The games are easy enough. Oblivion was a cakewalk.

Seriously people, you can't go wrong.

 

[Emerson]

Really am looking forward to getting immersed in the world - I hope there aren't too many rookie mistake pratfalls for me to fall into, like picking the wrong character type and being screwed later on or something along those lines.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about that. People like to plan out their characters way in advance but it's far from required. You can play however you want and be fully successful.

 

[Solo]

Oh yeah I remember you mentioning that before.

Gross. But exactly what I would expect from someone who sided with Roche.

Roche > Iorveth
IMPERIAL SCUM > your race of choice

 

[Izayoi]

You can't screw it up - this ain't Demon's or Dark Souls. The games are easy enough. Oblivion was a cakewalk.

There's also a difficulty slider.

You're never going to be forced into grinding unless you choose to do so.

 

[Luthos]

Seriously people, you can't go wrong.

Plus the whole point of the game seems to be you're good at what you choose to do. You don't choose your major skills anymore. You level up what you use. So if you want to change part way through the game, then do just that.

 

[Mengy]

Massive strategy guide is massive - (Caution: Map Spoilers)

Oh SHIT. I don't buy strategy guides as a rule, but that book in hardcover is just beautiful. This may be the first time I ever buy a Prima guide. But not until next year, after I've played the game for quite some time. I don't want a guide right now, I want to explore and experience it as I play it without spoilers or quick references to everything.

But that is one nice book. Maybe for my birthday in May....

 

[Khezu]

As far as dual wielding goes.... I know we can double equip the same spell and use both hands to cast a more powerful version. Can we mix different spells in that fashion?

You can't combine different spells ala hadoken, but you can shoot both of them at the same time, like a stream of fire from one hand, and ice from the other.

 

[AlphaDragoon]

Unfortunately you can't put shields in your right hand.

Doesn't mean jack to me, I hate shields.

Left-handed swordsman, finally! Fuck yeah.

 

[Luthos]

You can't combine different spells ala hadoken, but you can shoot both of them at the same time, like a stream of fire from one hand, and ice from the other.

I was a bit disappointed when I first heard this.

I had some crazy Magicka mixing ideas in my head when I thought about it.

 

[Derrick01]

Delve into more than 150 hand-crafted dungeons

This really makes me happy.

Since when did they add 30 more? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but the number was originally 120.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Hah. How old's your daughter? My daughter is almost 5 and will have a ball watching me killing the undead. She's been on a roll asking me about and looking at videos about bones, muscles, and stuff...and probably wouldn't flinch if I took her to a cadaver lab.

She's 9. I tried to get her into Oblivion three years ago, but despite her reading skills being up to it (she's in 4th grade, reading at the 12th grade level), the complexity of the game was too much for her. I suggested she go back to it this year and she's spent the better part of the past four months playing, so we've been hyping each other up for Skyrim.

It's been fun watching her go through Oblivion, exposing all the highs and lows along the way. When making a character, she asks why everyone looks like they were "carved from a potato". She's really annoyed that if she's caught stealing vegetables from the basement of a house, everyone in the universe instantly knows and is after her. I've been updating her on how those things are fixed in Skyrim, so she's sharing my excitement for it.

She plays the game in such a different way than I do, it's been fascinating to see how our play styles are reflections of our personalities. For both of us, Oblivion was our first open-world RPG. I didn't touch the main quest for a good 40 hours or so, because I love dungeons and exploring and just went wild with it. Her, she also didn't touch the main quest, but she doesn't like dungeons - the music freaks her out and she finds the closed quarters unpleasant; she prefers the open.

To make money she's a thief, raiding every damn house in the world. She cases shops and houses by day, and then re-visits the ones with stuff she wants at night to loot them. She's an alchemist, archer and thief, who largely avoids combat and just creates mischief. She's only done a few quests, but she's poured well over 60 hours into the game and loves it.

We've agreed to set off in opposite directions in our respective games on Friday, and see how different our own experiences are. It'll be the first game we really play together like that. It's going to be a lot of fun.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

Since when did they add 30 more? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but the number was originally 120.

I think it's been 150 for a while now. Also nice to know they had a team of 8 people designing dungeons this time instead of 1 (Oblivion).

 

[natethegreat409]

She's 9. I tried to get her into Oblivion three years ago, but despite her reading skills being up to it (she's in 4th grade, reading at the 12th grade level), the complexity of the game was too much for her. I suggested she go back to it this year and she's spent the better part of the past four months playing, so we've been hyping each other up for Skyrim.

It's been fun watching her go through Oblivion, exposing all the highs and lows along the way. When making a character, she asks why everyone looks like they were "carved from a potato". She's really annoyed that if she's caught stealing vegetables from the basement of a house, everyone in the universe instantly knows and is after her. I've been updating her on how those things are fixed in Skyrim, so she's sharing my excitement for it.

She plays the game in such a different way than I do, it's been fascinating to see how our play styles are reflections of our personalities. For both of us, Oblivion was our first open-world RPG. I didn't touch the main quest for a good 40 hours or so, because I love dungeons and exploring and just went wild with it. Her, she also didn't touch the main quest, but she doesn't like dungeons - the music freaks her out and she finds the closed quarters unpleasant; she prefers the open.

To make money she's a thief, raiding every damn house in the world. She cases shops and houses by day, and then re-visits the ones with stuff she wants at night to loot them. She's an alchemist, archer and thief, who largely avoids combat and just creates mischief. She's only done a few quests, but she's poured well over 60 hours into the game and loves it.

We've agreed to set off in opposite directions in our respective games on Friday, and see how different our own experiences are. It'll be the first game we really play together like that. It's going to be a lot of fun.

This makes me want to have a child.... That's awesome man. Love hearing these kinds of stories.

 

[-GOUKI-]

We're still like 5 years off from getting these kind of visuals in a game the size of Skyrim

Not 5 years...:/

 

[~Kinggi~]

I think it's been 150 for a while now. Also nice to know they had a team of 8 people designing dungeons this time instead of 1 (Oblivion).

They had 1 person design the dungeons for Oblivion? Wat

 

[Esch]

Lurking this thread and watching the 82 minute video out there sealed it for me.... I gotta get this before the end of the month.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Lurking this thread and watching the 82 minute video out there sealed it for me.... I gotta get this before the end of the month.

Where is this 82 minutes?

nevermind i found it.

 

[CrocMother]

They had 1 person design the dungeons for Oblivion? Wat

bethesda learned quality not quantity

 

[BrassMonkey1010]

Lurking this thread and watching the 82 minute video out there sealed it for me.... I gotta get this before the end of the month.

there is like a 16 part playthrough out right now...if anyone wants the link pm me.

 

[~Kinggi~]

bethesda learned quality not quantity

That doesnt make sense though if the quality of Oblivions dungeons werent that great.