Hot Topic #1: The dumbing down of Oblivion

[Povuholo]

I think we'll be able to predict the fate of TES V by looking at how Fallout 3 will turn out. There are a billion threads on the Fallout 3 section of the official forums about what the chances are Fallout 3 will be dumbed down, compared to Fallout 1 and 2. The Fallout 1,2 fans fear Fallout 3 will be 'Oblivion with guns', while some people (who came from the oblivion forum) hope it'll be Oblivion with guns.

[21603]

It's the dawn of the console age so games are just going to get dumber (doesn't sound right). :( >:( I'm dreading what fallout 3 will be like after seeing Oblivion.

 

I have something to add. I can't understand how the Bloated Float managed to get out to the open sea when there was a giant bridge in the way, a smaller bridge further down, and an entire town down from that. They should have sat back and took a long, careful look at what they were doing.

[Povuholo]

I have something to add. I can't understand how the Bloated Float managed to get out to the open sea when there was a giant bridge in the way, a smaller bridge further down, and an entire town down from that. They should have sat back and took a long, careful look at what they were doing.

Maybe they used the console to disable the bridge? Or used tcl on the boat. Or coc!

[SickleYield]

Heh. The NPCs are secretly using console codes while you're not playing. There are only about twenty daedra in total and they keep resurrecting each other; the various churls, kynvals, etc. are the same five Dremoras in different outfits who have changed their name tags.

[AngelRuse]

I enjoyed playing it vanilla when I first got it. The changes to skills don't bother me too much. However, now that I've completed most of the quests for each vanilla faction I find myself wandering around Tamriel confused as to what to do with myself.

 

I understand visually the world area must be a bit smaller to compensate for the stunning graphics so that computers don't explode, but honestly I would have sacrificed the looks for a bigger playing area with more to explore. I would have happily played Oblivion if it had been visually the same as Morrowind, of which there are still factions I haven't completely finished. It was the AI of Oblivion that drew me in, the thrill of getting heard stealing that sword off someone's table and the guards running in.

 

Another change I would have made would be the levelled monsters. Knowing I'll NEVER run into a Xivalli guarding a daedric shrine if my lvl 1 character decides to be an idiot and wanders too far away from the safe roads sort of takes the thrill right out of wandering. It's a disappointment to enter a fort courtyard, see a blue flame brazier and know that inside there will be nothing but necromancers.

[crazydave]

let me start by saying Oblivion was my first TES game. So I didnt really have so many high expectations of it. Oblivion by its self is not a bad game. But after finding the forums and hearing good things about morrowind, I decided to pick it up. I can see now why so many people are disappointed by TES4. They set the bar way to high with Morrowind. As I said in a previos post, Bethsoft probably has the resources to make a game that will blow us all out of the water, but it would take way to long to develop. Unfortunatly they sacraficed playability for graphics, and thats a decision that we have to live with.

[Edmond Dantes]

Many of the complaints I have are pretty much voiced by the other members who posted on this link. So I'll just focus on saying what I feel could be done to make Oblivion a better game.

 

1. Better integration of the various choices you make throughout the game into the greater scheme or main character development. This one is a little hard for me to explain, but I feel that whatever choices you make in the game, whether good or bad doesn't really develop your character or the story. There is no real consequences to what you do. You can kill everyone in a settlement one day, and then suddenly decide to be a hero the next. And the various sidequests seem irrelevant and disjointed. Those that played games with REAL choices like Knights of The Old Republic knows that every choice you make in game puts you on a real path that has actual relevence to your character development. While Oblivion's character is 2D and has practically no substance.

 

2. Better visuals and animation for skills and magic. I found these to be uninspiring to be honest. There isn't a real significant development in the looks and feel of your skills as you progress apart from text notice that "you have become better at this or that". A master level fireball looks just the same as a novice one, except for the damage. In my opinion, better efforts should be made to differentiate between the levels of skills apart from just stat differences.

 

3. Give the game a more cinematic feel. Ever notice that you practically never ever see your character's face ingame (unless you decide to use third person camera) ? How is one supposed to know what the character feels when they don't even react in the slightest bit to whatever happens in the game ? Cinematics and cutscenes using in game graphic engines can go a loong way in setting a mood for the game. Again I refer to KOTOR which had it's fair share of cutscenes.

 

There you have it. The things that, to me, would make Oblivion a much better game. If any of these should actually make it in the next serie I would definitely be a happy gamer :D

[SickleYield]

At least, it's a decision we'll have to live with when they finally start making games literally impossible to mod. :D

[Dubbi]

"Is Oblivion the game you were hoping for?"

no.

 

"Do you enjoy playing it?"

only when heavily modded to suit my tastes.

 

"If you were lead developer of Bethesda, what specific, major changes would you make to the game that you think would improve it?"

pull the stick out of my ass and start paying attention to the community.

[SlappyMeats]

At least, it's a decision we'll have to live with when they finally start making games literally impossible to mod. :D

 

 

Oh god, I certainly hope that doesn't happen! While Vanillablivion is fun and all, at least enough to make me overlook the aforementioned shortcomings, it's the modding that draws me in. Honestly, if it weren't for the modding community, I'd probably have beaten Final Fantasy XII by now :P

 

After all, it's thanks to the modders that many of the complaints about clothing slots and armor types have been addressed. Just look at Bab, Eshme, Growlf, Exnem, Robert, and AlienSlof. Thanks to their countless new clothing, body, and armor meshes, coupled with Galerion's Unarmored Acrobatics, I can actually feel satisfied with my character's style and armor rating, without having to rely on one of the two armors the standard game wants you to get stuck with at high levels. Plus, let's not forget about the various crossbow mods that are constantly making progress.

 

The way I see it, whatever shortcomings Oblivion may have had at release (and considering the many, many bugs, these were quite numerous), Bethesda's smartest move was putting the construction set in our hands.