Gaming The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

Now, this thread could go into either PC or Play It, since this game is for PC and Xbox 2. But I'm putting it here simply because this board gets better traffic.

Anyway, getting to the point, I nearly **** my pants when I saw these screens. Think about how you felt when you first saw the new Zelda in action. Well, that's how I felt seeing these. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is my favorite RPG by a long shot, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion looks to outdo it in every respect.

[QUOTE=Official Site][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]In keeping with the Elder Scrolls tradition, players will have the option to experience the main quest at their own pace, and there will be plenty of opportunities to explore the vast world and make your own way. Numerous factions can be joined, such as the thieves or mages guilds, and each contains its own complete storyline and the chance to rise to the head of the faction and reap further rewards.

Howard commented, "Our games have always been about great depth and variety in creating any kind of character you want and going out and doing whatever you want." He added, "With Oblivion, we're taking the idea of a virtual fantasy world as far as it will go."

Oblivion features a groundbreaking new AI system, called Radiant AI, which gives non-player characters (NPCs) the ability to make their own choices based on the world around them. They'll decide where to eat or who to talk to and what they'll say. They'll sleep, go to church, and even steal items, all based on their individual characteristics. Full facial animations and lip-synching, combined with full speech for all dialog, allows NPCs to come to life like never before.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Grab an extra pair of underwear and take a peek:
[IMG]http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~sharkov/Oblivion 2.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~sharkov/Oblivion 3.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~sharkov/Oblivion 4.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~sharkov/Oblivion 5.jpg[/IMG]

[Guest Zeffen]

Oh-my-God! Those screen shots are fabulous! Everything looks so real, I just want to reach out and grab something! And I thought Morrowind was the end all of good graphics. It also looks like armor won't poke out everywhere and 'crinkle' up. I wonder if it will still poke out of robes...probably not. Wow! This is so exiting, exuse me while I go change my underwear.

[anime[blood]]

I suggest getting the GI issue. It has some screens that aren't on the internet like ones showing the aging system, I'm a huge fan of The Elder Scrolls, I even know a game developer making a fan-remake of Daggerfall. I play morrowind a ton and am desperatly waiting for this game. :wigout: :wigout: :wigout: :wigout:

[Beorhun]

Oooooh...I, for one, started playing Morrowind in 2002, and I just...can't let...the game go! [spoiler]I toasted Dagoth Ur at the end of summer [/spoiler], and I am still absorbed by the side quests. This one looks sooo much prettier than any of the past ones, not to say that Morrowind was ugly, but this...oh, this is flat-out jaw dropping. I hope that it's as satisfying of an adventure as Morrowind was, you know, clocking in at 40 hours for the main quest alone? My only problem with TES III was the combat was a little lackluster after a while. Does anyone know if Oblivion will beef up the combat? Or is it too early in development to say? Either way, I can say good-bye to my outside life when this game comes out... :cool:

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

The game world is said to be larger than Morrowind's. Also nearly everything is changed, from just some tweaking to an all-out overhaul. Among the few things that were mentioned off-hand to be the subject of much change was the combat. It was decent enough for me in Morrowind (it didn't make up much of the gameplay, so its shallowness never got in the way; just run, whack a Cliffracer upside the head, keep running), but it seems that improvements are in the works.

One of the changes described in detail was the bow+arrow system, which is now killer. Arrows will arc realistically, bounce off things, and get stuck deep in different materials. You'll see what arrows you're carrying because they'll be in your [i]quiver[/i].

Assuming things don't go majorly wrong, this game will be the undisputed king of RPGs when it is released.

[Meggido]

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!

That looks so awesome. I love Morrowind even if I can't get into it, but Oblivion looks awesome. It's a game that is getting added to my want badly list, amongst a dozen other games that are unreleased or discontinued. It easily looks to be one of the best games ever. My only problem is that it will probably be released on a DVD disc.

[Harry]

[quote name='ScirosDarkblade']The game world is said to be larger than Morrowind's. [/quote]
Unless something has changed, their last official statement was that it is smaller but more detailed. Which I kinda like since I won't have to walk 20 minutes to gather mushrooms or whatever nonsense they think up.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

The official site's Oblivion "FAQ" section has this:
[quote name='Official Site']Oblivion's landmass is larger than Morrowind's, but you can fast travel around much easier. It still has Morrowind's feel of open exploration, but Arena's feel of ease of travel and, well, it's more fun.[/quote]

So it's a larger world, but due to mounts and better-implemented fast travel, it'll be easier to manage large distances. (Though personally I was happy running through the hills like Hercules in the Legendary Journeys, hehe.)

[anime[blood]]

The combat will be mascaral and bloody according to Todd Howard.
Meaning it will be much more realistic and fun.

[Beorhun]

[quote name=''anime[blood]'']The combat will be mascaral and bloody according to Todd Howard. Meaning it will be much more realistic and fun.[/quote]
[SIZE=1]
[COLOR=Black]Yay!!! That being said, I love this game already. I thought that Morrowind was one of the best RPGs ever made for the new consoles, and Oblivion looks to make everything...well, bigger. The combat, the world, the travel, and horses! Yes! This is everything I ever wanted in Morrowind and more! I'm also glad to hear about the Bow & Arrow physics, because if you had at least 40 marksman, you would hit almost everything, and arrows would randomly go through walls. Also, I hope that the cliff racers will not be on Cyrodil (They win the award for most annoying enemy ever.) And I also hope that the walking will be less monotonous than it was in Morrowind.
[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[quote name=''ScirosDarkblade'']Assuming things don't go majorly wrong, this game will be the undisputed king of RPGs when it is released.[/quote]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]I'll be drooling over this game. I got a bit tired of Morrowind recently [I defeated all 7 Dagoths, but can't be bothered going to Dagoth Ur] but still...Oblivion is looking nice.

If you have the Boots of Blinding Speed, you can get to most places fairly easily. Using all the systems...Strider, Boat, Propylon [I have all or most of the indexes] etc. there isn't much of a problem, I found. But still...looking forward to it.[/size]

[Bio]

[font=Trebuchet MS]O_O

That's... incredible...!

I've been debating wether to but Morrowind for a while, but now I' think I'll just wait for this... The graphics looks absolutely amazing! It's almost an Final Fantasy cinema scene the entire time...!

If the battle system and other specs can match up to my standards, I'll definitely buy it.

Gah...
[/font]

[Zidargh]

It does look stunning, yet, let's not build our hopes up about those being the actual quality of graphics we'll recieve.

If it's to be released for XBOX 2, we have quite a long wait, and they couldn't possibly of added in too much gameplay yet, so let's not count our chickens before they hatch. Remember, we usually have to substitute graphics for gameplay, but I certainly hope the graphics will be up to this standard.

Any news on estimated release dates yet?

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

[quote name='Zidargh']It does look stunning, yet, let's not build our hopes up about those being the actual quality of graphics we'll recieve.[/quote]
This game won't be out for a long time, and I'm pretty sure these are the graphics they'll try to incorporate. Yes, they're crazy awesome. But notice that the rendering distance isn't [i]that[/i] far. Look at the forest scene and notice where the grass "ends." The game will be awesome-looking, but it does have limits.

[QUOTE]Remember, we usually have to substitute graphics for gameplay, but I certainly hope the graphics will be up to this standard.[/QUOTE]
This is one game that I'm confident will not substitute graphics for gameplay. Morrowind looks great, yet it has more gameplay than any other game out there. Oblivion is just continuing the trend using better technology.

[QUOTE]Any news on estimated release dates yet?[/QUOTE]
Nothing. It'll be ready when it's ready, essentially. Bethesda's been at it since 2002, but I'm expecting a 2007 release considering how much they plan on incorporating. Although maybe a lot of code and design will carry over from Morrowind, so a 2006 release is a possiblity.

[Zidargh]

[size=1]Sweet Jesus, let's pray to God they don't do a Fable and spend 4 years cutting out most of the stuff they promised would be in the game. (Though, I'm almost sure Bethesda wouldn't do this.)

I like the fact that you will actually be riding on horseback (Or so it seems), it was ashame that all you got was a black screen when riding the Silt Strider. You should've just been given the option to skip the travelling sequence. Oh well, only a minority. I wonder if battle will be taken place on horse back, nothing better than charging down on assassins and bandits preparing to raid a town.

The AI system is certainly ambitious, but if executed correctly, say goodbye to the next two years of your lives once its released.


[b][Z][/b][/size]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]There are actually custom-mods out there that give you the horseback facility, but I'm not sure what other mods are required for it.[/size]

[Zidargh]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']There are actually custom-mods out there that give you the horseback facility, but I'm not sure what other mods are required for it.[/size][/quote]

[size=1] Ah. but you see I play it on XBOX. My computer would have no chance of running something so large as that. Windows ME. o_0

I also do not have Xbox Live, but if it is possible to download Mods from that, perhaps I should purhcased Live.

[b][Z][/b][/size]

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

I have Live and Morrowind: GOTY for X-Box and there are no available mods for download as far as I know. Yeah, the PC version is far superior. For one, the mods for Morrowind actually make the game look much newer than it is with improved character models, and then there's all the additional gameplay elements... Not to mention that having a cursor to use in the menu is way better than having to toggle through stuff on the X-Box. Why they didn't make one of the joysticks a cursor in the menu screen is something I can't quite figure out.

But, yeah, get yourself a really hardcore PC to play Oblivion later. Get an X-Box 2 for other reasons.

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]When it comes out, I'll be begging my dad to upgrade my computer >_>[/size]

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I just bought this game yesterday, so I haven't had much chance to really dig right into it. However, I've played enough to start getting an impression of the game.

I have to say, I really don't like the whole Lord of the Rings-style mythology [i]but[/i], I'm enjoying this game. In many ways it reminds me of Zelda - it's more open in some ways, more restrictive in others.

Initially, the character movement and some of the stiff animations (and the plasticky-looking bits) turned me off, but as I've experienced more of the game, I've really been enjoying it.

I'm a newcomer to this franchise, so it was interesting to see what all the fuss is about. I can definitely see why people love it though...the amount of depth is pretty astounding. And I really love the way that you can basically ignore the main quest and do whatever you want - in particular, I love the way that new quests appear somewhat dynamically. I mean, you literally come across new situations along your travels, which is very cool. It gives the game a sense of realism and non-linearity that few other games really have.

Has anyone else actually bought this game? I'd like to hear your thoughts, especially those who are further on.

I have the game on Xbox 360, so I'd be interested in hearing how the PC version stacks up too.[/font]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

I was just about to ask how the hell I could have missed this thread seeing as I've been going on about it over AIM for the last fortnight before I actually took a glance at the creation date, you're a sneaky one James, a real Shadowfoot.

Personally I adore Oblivion, like you James I'm a newcomer to the Elder Scrolls videogame series, having only bought the game because I returned Command&Conquer: The First Decade which turned out to be crap, well that and ES:O had got some great ratings in previews. The first wonderful view of Oblivion's magnificent vista after emerging from the Prison has to rank as one of my all-time best gaming moments. The actual character animation is quite good in my own mind, having created several different species characters I've come to actually enjoy the process when originally I loathed it for it's difficulty [I admit to using Random alot back then]. Really the only thing that bugs me is that all the people of the same species look a lot alike, there's not a whole lot of change between them when there's amble potential. That said my main gripe with the NPCs is the fact that for the entire game there's only maybe 10/12 voice actors altogether, something that really disappoints me. Had there been a good diffusion of voices, say 50/60 for the entire populace I think the odd similar face wouldn't have bothered me.

I have to say James that I really do enjoy the depth of mythology to the game itself, it gives a great feeling of history to the actual realm of Tamriel or more accurately I suppose I should say Cyrodiil. Too often in games I?ve found myself kind of wondering why I should really give a damn about the quest because there?s no history to the place, no real reason why it should stay as it is. In Elder Scrolls you get a good sense as if there genuinely in a need to make the quest successful or suffer the consequences. The similarity to LOZ is also one of the things I quite enjoy about the game as it gives a newcomer like me so sense of familiarity about the proceedings. All that said, I?m also a lover of mythology of any kind, so it one more thing that I really appreciate about Oblivion.

Having gone from RPGs like KOTOR and KOTOR II to Elder Scrolls 4, I must admit one of things that I really found enjoyable was the way actual adventuring and to a greater degree combat were handled. In KOTOR sadly it?s a case of click the attack icon three or four times and just sit back and watch as the animation unfolds, it?s all very tedious and artificial. In Oblivion when I actually made my first long distance headshot with the bow it felt like my own kill, sure all the stats are there as with any RPG, but the skill feels your own, a character is a full extension of yourself. While the main quest is relatively short at maybe 25 hours [I can?t recall exactly how long as I was off just adventuring for fun] it?s the amount of sidequests that really made the game a gem, as you were saying you could literally be just walking along and then you stumble across one out in the middle of nowhere. One thing I?d have preferred however were if the Faction quests felt a little more tied to the game, as they are they feel very disjointed. For instance [spoiler]When I completed the Mages Guild quests and became Arch-Mage I fully expected to be referred to as such by Mages Guild members, on returning to the Arcane University in a later quest, the Mystic Archives member merely referred to my coming as a member of the Blades rather than her boss.[/spoiler] It just feels like a bit of a muddle in an otherwise first-class game.

Just out of curiosity what kind of character are you using ? Oh and seeing as you were asking, I?m working off the PC version so we can compare notes over AIM.[/SIZE]

[Charles]

I like Oblivion a lot. I tried Morrowind on the Xbox and hated it, but Oblivion does a really good job of offering a streamlined open-ended adventure. It's never unclear where you're supposed to go, and it's usually easy to get there quickly. Sometimes I lose interest in a game because I don't have the time for it, put it down for a while, and have a hard time getting back into it when I pick it up again. With Oblivion, that's not the case--it's easy to jump right back in.

Oblivion probably pulls off the non-linear "living world" better than most games I've played. The artificial intelligence leaves a little to be desired; the "Radient AI" isn't quite as revolutionary as I'd hoped. But, it's a nice start. And, although the conversations people get into are extremely simplistic, and other games (like Pyschonauts) have done it better, they still add a lot to the game. I like being able to listen to conversations between random people, and drawing from them new topics and quests. So, I like how intuitive and free the game feels.

I was also impressed with how polished the general experience was. Because it's such a massive title, I expected a lot of glitches. Although there are occasional glitches, they usually aren't too bad.

So, yeah, the game feels really deep and immersive. It's definitely one of the only next-generation games I feel is truly worth the $60 price tag simply because there's so much to do, it's unlikely I'll ever even experience it all. If in the next one they make the people behave more realistically, and they make it plausible to use the third person perspective, I'll be happy.

[Gavin]

[quote name='Charles']and they make it plausible to use the third person perspective, I'll be happy.[/quote]

[SIZE=1]Odd, I was going to say the exact same thing about the first-person perspective, melee combat in first-person never really felt right to me, although I suppose maybe it's just because I prefer to be able to see exactly what it is I'm doing when you're controlling with a keyboard and mouse.[/SIZE]

[Charles]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Odd, I was going to say the exact same thing about the first-person perspective, melee combat in first-person never really felt right to me, although I suppose maybe it's just because I prefer to be able to see exactly what it is I'm doing when you're controlling with a keyboard and mouse.[/SIZE][/quote]

It's interesting that you should say so. The camera pulls back so far in third person view that it's hard for me to discern what exactly is going on. Plus, there's the stiff, awkward-looking animation to consider along with the fact that the controls feel extremely floaty. When you're in first person mode the floaty controls aren't a huge problem since you get a much better vantage point but when the camera is pulled back I can't tell what the hell is going on. It's just obvious from the limited mobility of the character that the game was made to be played in first person mode. But, I'm glad that there are at least some people who enjoy third-person combat. Maybe as a result they will improve it in the future. Hopefully they will make it feel more like you're controlling a real person.

[Gavin]

[quote name='Charles']It's interesting that you should say so. The camera pulls back so far in third person view that it's hard for me to discern what exactly is going on. Plus, there's the stiff, awkward-looking animation to consider along with the fact that the controls feel extremely floaty. When you're in first person mode the floaty controls aren't a huge problem since you get a much better vantage point but when the camera is pulled back I can't tell what the hell is going on. It's just obvious from the limited mobility of the character that the game was made to be played in first person mode. But, I'm glad that there are at least some people who enjoy third-person combat. Maybe as a result they will improve it in the future. Hopefully they will make it feel more like you're controlling a real person.[/quote]

[SIZE=1]Ah, you see with the PC version you can actually move the camera much closer to the character, to the point literally of being able to go into first person perspective by scrolling the mouse wheel. For archery of course, FPP is the obvious choice, although I have been known to stick with third person in the event of being surprised by an unexpected enemy. Usually I have the camera pulled out just a fraction out, maybe two or so feet, as it gives the third person fighting advantages without sacrificing too much of the first person clarity, in fact it's often superior.

Has anyone else noticed how superior single class characters, like pure fighters are as opposed to mixed ? [/SIZE]