Elder Scrolls V "Skyrim" (and a discussion about E.S. IV, Oblivion)

[spaceboy]

lol Fiach.  I looked at my gaming "schedule" this year and realized I had too many games I was planning on playing/buying.  The problem has become so many games I am interested in and I actually miss getting deep into a game like I did with FC2, AC2, and JC2.

So I released a few from my "buy on release" list and will wait to see if they still interest me when/if I have time.   Then just today I start reading and looking at pics of the upcoming Elder Scrolls and I now "HAVE TO HAVE THAT GAME"  which means I am now thinking of finally getting around to playing Oblivion.  This may not be the best thread for it, but I'd appreciate a rundown on it (I assume you've played it).



I renamed the subject so there won't be any confusion with other Elder Scrolls games :) /Art

[Art Blade]

Oblivion was an all-consuming RPG.. most excellent  :-X

[spaceboy]

Thanks Art.  I know that it can offer a ton of game time.  I wonder if it can be enjoyed with a moderate amount of time put in. Say 100 hours or less.  It could be just the ticket this summer.  I wish I knew more about the pace of it.  Can you always be on quests, travels, battles, or is there lots of dialogue choices and character building that slows it down?  I mean, can you do the character building quickly and get back to the story/action?

[Fiach]

Get the GOTY version of Oblivion, then, do the Knights of the Nine quest first for some awesome armour.

There is another quest, I forget the name, where you inherit a house, dependant on your class or something like that, I still remember one of the houses, it was as creepy as hell!

There is one quest, I forget the name, shattering isle or something, that is awesome.

Then just do the main game I guess :)

[Art Blade]

actually, you were allowed one house in every major town. And indeed, one of them was creepy, but even more so some in the neighbourhood I used to ransack :)

space, there was a lot of everything. I think I spent hours already trying to determine which kind of class and abilities I wanted to start with, not to mention the time I spent on the facial appearance until I liked my character.

Once you've decided what to start with, you'll be constantly on a mission, and during missions there is a lot of dialogue going on. But you may spend your time free-roaming if you are so inclined :)

If you're into alchemy, you're going to experiment a lot with herbs and spices and all kinds of stuff you can use to make potions, some of those may be valuable, others just poisonous (even to yourself). If you're more into magic, you're going to learn how to cast spells and how to enchant items (more my cup of tea).

Then you'll be collecting stuff, weapons, armour, all kinds of things.. for yourself or as part of missions.

In other words: Forget about playing only 100 hours  ;D

[Fiach]

No mate this was DLC content, heres a list of whats on the PC box.

Wizards Tower, Vile Lair (that I think was the creepy one), Thieves Den, Mehrunes Razor, The Orrery, Spell Tomes and (spits) Horse Armour

[Art Blade]

Then we're just talking about different houses. The vanilla Oblivion had a quest where you could buy  (not inherit, that's the difference) a house in every town. :)

[spaceboy]

I split this topic off :)

Sounds good guys, thanks for the info.  This does sound like something I would like.  I'd always had my eye on it.  After reading up on Elder Scrolls V Skyrim though, I really think it could be cool to get into it.  The pics of Skyrim look incredible and is very inviting.  The writeup is made me brim with excitement.

So how big is Oblivion?  IS the map quite large?  I'm looking for another open world game with a big game world and lots of NPCs.  What are the methods of travel?  One of the things about Skyrim that sounds interesting is the description of the land and ability to get travel around (not mere background, real mountains etc. as part of the map.)  I'd copy the quote here but I'm too lazy to go get the mag.

[Art Blade]

I had been thinking about which point/post we could split it off, too.. you chose the same post I would have chosen had I split it off :) By the way, Oblivion is Elder Scrolls IV -- I moved it to Fantasy and Sci-fi. :)

By today's standards the world is small, but it still is big enough to not notice that it isn't as big as say JC2 or FC2. You can travel on foot or preferably on horseback. It's been a while, I don't recall if there was a teleport, I just don't remember (and that's why I don't think so). I do remember that you could mark locations on the map if you had previously visited it, so I think you actually have to travel. And that takes time. The more I try to remember, the more it comes back to me: I remember that I considered routes which would prevent me from running all across the world, so I thought about things to do on my way, i.e. pay visits on my way from A to B. Now I remember that some towns were really far apart, so I was anticipating a trip to the south and enjoy my journey, and if a new mission took me from the south to the north I considered visiting places that were en route. :) That's why the game world appears to be big, because you don't travel fast (at least if it is possible, I never did it). The landscape and landmarks will change at a certain point (when the gates to oblivion open, your main mission is to locate and close them) and travelling through those gates will open a dark world with fire and red skies.. like hell. So there is more than just one world you'll be seeing.. :)

There are many people and creatures around. Some townsfolk run shops of all kinds where you can buy and sell stuff, like blacksmiths, drug stores (so to speak), taverns, hotels.. hehe, there is a lot to interact with :)

Some people (NPCs) travel, too. So you may see some of them in different locations or on your way from A to B :)

I know that you like Assassin's Creed, there is a side quest with a certain brotherhood.. you'll LOVE it  >:D

[spaceboy]

sounds like it could be right up my alley.  Thanks for the clearer picture of it Art.  I'll be keeping an eye out for it.  I just took a couple minutes to watch some gameplay on youtube which helps solidify a bit of what you described.  :)

[Fiach]

Just for the record and from what I remember most people will agree, Elder Scrolls Morrowind and its expansions Tribunal and Bloodmoon are much better games.

Its of no revelance in which order the games are played, but, if you do enjoy Oblivion, it may be a good idea to keep Morrowind on your radar :)

[spaceboy]

do you think there will be a major detriment to going straight into Skyrim when it releases without playing Oblivion (or any of the others for that matter).  I kind of think it won't be much of a problem.  After reading the article about Skyrim I kind of get the idea, and in the end, it's the environment and game world that is intriguing me, not necessarily the story (though it sounds like normal, good fantasy fare)

Not that Oblivion doesn't look interesting, I just keep coming back to the fact I have lots of games I still want to revisit, plus a bunch coming up this year as it is.  Plus, some of the improvements talked about for Skyrim sound like it'll make it even more of a game that I'd enjoy.

[Fiach]

This is a quote from someone else, but the guy seems know what he's talking about :) :

You don't need to by any means. But it was fun to see some familiar things from Morrowind to Oblivion. Certain artifacts came back and there were a few fun references made that you would only get if you had played both.
I'm sure Skyrim will be similarly independent with a few references thrown in for players of Oblivion and some returning artifacts. Skyrim is set 200 years after Oblivion and set in Skyrim and it will have a different story and if you want to see the other games stories you can just read it up on the Elder Scrolls Wiki.
But since both games are about $20 bucks for the originals and their two expansions it's a great way to pass the months waiting for Skyrim to come out.

[spaceboy]

Thanks Fiach, that helps.  I may still go ahead and pick it up perhaps spring/summer when things die down (if they do).  I'd hate to not give it the time and attention it deserves - it could ruin it anyways if I try to play it just to play it. 

Of course Skyrim will be released at a super busy time itself, which may mean I wait on it, but boy, that article and pictures make it sounds incredible.

[Art Blade]

I just changed the description in the index post of Other Games, so this topic is about E.S. 5 "Skyrim" -- I got confused because there are already four Elder Scrolls and you were constantly talking about Oblivion (E.S.4) and Skyrim is referenced in earlier games already ;D

[spaceboy]

Sorry about that Art - Thanks.  Also I changed the name of this topic to reflect the main and future discussion point which is Skyrim.  If I have specific Oblivion quesitons I'll go those other threads.

[Art Blade]

and I just renamed this topic, too  ???  :-()

[spaceboy]

lol I just saw that!  I should just let you do your job eh?

What index actually are you talking about?  I don't see it.

[spaceboy]

nevermind I see it now in the Other Games main .  I was looking inder Fantasy and Sci Fi.  Damn Art, that's a lot of w@&k!  :o  nice job.

[Fiach]

Well, The main quest in each is quite short (less than maybe 10 hours) and as the monsters scale with you, there is no need to "grind" levels to beat them, so you could complete them fairly quickly (not recommended :)), and it would give you an idea of the mechanics and the world environment.

I would definately recommend not skipping the DLC's from either game, because they are really bloody good quests.

Morrowind DLC Bloodmoon and Tribunal.

Oblivion DLC Knights of the Nine (awesome armour), Shattered Isles (damn funny), Vile Lair, and Mehrunes Razor. 

[Art Blade]

This is the index (to be found on the front page and if going to the Other Games board)

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login
<-- click this :-D

Thanks, space.. someone has to do it, and I do it gladly  :)

[spaceboy]

Well, The main quest in each is quite short (less than maybe 10 hours) and as the monsters scale with you, there is no need to "grind" levels to beat them, so you could complete them fairly quickly (not recommended :)), and it would give you an idea of the mechanics and the world environment.

I would definately recommend not skipping the DLC's from either game, because they are really bloody good quests.

Morrowind DLC Bloodmoon and Tribunal.

Oblivion DLC Knights of the Nine (awesome armour), Shattered Isles (damn funny), Vile Lair, and Mehrunes Razor.

Thanks Fiach.  I'll keep that in mind.  It was the GOTY version I've been looking at.  The earlier games I think would be PC or xbox only.  I'd have to check system requirements for them, they might be old enough to coincide with the age of my PC  :-\\

[Fiach]

I played them on an old PC running XP and they ran perfectly, that was a few years ago, so you should have no problems, iirc, I even played them on the previous PC I had too, which was win 98.

Rec Req :

800mhz Pent 2, 256mb ram, NVIDIA GF2 or ATI 7500.

[ninzza]

Demo gameplay with commentary by  Director Todd Howard

Part 1

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Demo Part 1

Part 2

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Demo Part 2

Part 3

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Demo Part 3

[Fiach]

Cheers mate, nice find :)