TroloWiseEared
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Posts posted by TroloWiseEared
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Radiant A.I. and how villagers effectively use their time.
*Are they just performing animations? or is there a creation and effect to there 'work'.
also me & my friends have spent MONTHS working on a collaberation of small ideas of improvement for future elder scrolls games.
We have painstakingly worked on it since early spring, primarily on TheElderCouncil FB offical page. we truly hope someone at bethesda would just see them.
if you could tell anyone there possibly take a quick look at it, that would be really nice of you :)
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Here it is :)
http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/442944-small-favors/
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WHAT I WANT TO SEE-is that after Hodd has diced up 30 wood, he gives it to an Imperial caravan.(or in a stockpile)
The caravan places the 30 wood in their pack animals inventory then returns to Whiterun.
When they reach Whiterun they give the wood to the Imperial Workshop owner. The workshop owner then Crafts 10 arrows & bows out of it and brings it to the barracks.
There it stays until a new NO NAME NPC is spawned in Riverwood.
The npc heads to an imperial recruiting station in Whiterun were they Equip him in Armor and the wooden Bow from the barracks crafted earlier.
His title changes from 'Riverwood Lumberjack' TO "Imperial Guard."
And he then assumes the role of an Imperial guard.
I agree wholeheartedly TroloWiseEared I would like to see some kind of economic supply and demand system, Hodd needs to have a reason to be there besides just looking busy. He sells wood to people for firewood, construction, weapons, etc. He buys new axes or repair hammers from a smith and food and ale from a hunter, brewer, or inn. etc.etc
But the KEY is not just how it can work to create an ecomonic/Ecosystem.
You have to think about how the player can influence the system.
Disrupt it. Hinder it. Help it.
If i Kill everyone in Riverwood then the town shuts down. New travellers may settle down in th village some time later, but for now, the town is dead.
So How will Whiterun get its supplies to make bows?
They will have to buy them from falkreath.
Now you will see a decrease in imperial troops on the road as they can no longer recruit "Riverwood Lumberjacks".
OR
i can help hod chop the wood, increasing the town economy. More wood=more bows.
I could head to whitreun and teach the Workshop owner how to make Elven bows.
RESULT:he will then make elven bows and the 'riverwood Lumberjacks' will be equiped with them when they are recruited.
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Well, Trolo..this is really an awesome system you have thought out. I hope something like this is already in Skyrim and if it is not, I hope it can (and will) be modded in. It would really make the world feel alive and expand the overall experience.
For the capturing of forts it would be important that it are minor forts (much like the bandit forts in Oblivion) and that the Stormcloaks as well as the Imperials capture forts (in equal numbers) to make a constant fighting possible without actually changing the situation (since the war will be decided in the main quest).
yes, but there has to be EFFECT to the guild quests completed by npcs. These are NOT designed for the player. but the player can perform them as well. These are the constant guild quests that Guards,Assassins,Heros,Imperials,Thieves & Mage NPC guild members will perform on a weekly basis.
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In oblivion, each guild had about 8 npcs in each hall.
They sat around and did nothing, waiting for the player to talk to them. So in reality, YOU were the only one going out on quests. The game just wanted you to pretend the that other guild members were active too. But the key is, that this new system is not just supposed to be an illusion.
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EX:"hey Player! Me and my Companions are going on a contract to help the Imperial Army assault Fort Farragut....K bye."
(and then they leave the guild hall and dissapear -_- they never actually go and take part in a battle with any real effect. The game just would try to trick you into believeing the world is active. They return 1 week later and tell you how the nonexistant battle went.)
NO
What i want, is a simple ecosystem. I want Bethesda to take the mentality of RTS and Civilization building games and adopt it.
They took the first step with giving Npcs actions. But i fear those may just be animations.
In Riverwood, Why was Hodd running the mill? The lumber is not going to go anywere. Tommorrow he is going to wake up and do the same thing all over again.
There is no effect to be had.
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WHAT I WANT TO SEE-is that after Hodd has diced up 30 wood, he gives it to an Imperial caravan.(or in a stockpile)
The caravan places the 30 wood in their pack animals inventory then returns to Whiterun.
When they reach Whiterun they give the wood to the Imperial Workshop owner. The workshop owner then Crafts 10 arrows & bows out of it and brings it to the barracks.
There it stays until a new NO NAME NPC is spawned in Riverwood.
The npc heads to an imperial recruiting station in Whiterun were they Equip him in Armor and the wooden Bow from the barracks crafted earlier.
His title changes from 'Riverwood Lumberjack' TO "Imperial Guard."
And he then assumes the role of an Imperial guard.
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its simple systems working together.
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Now, back to the guild quests.
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EX:A quest opens up fro the imperial Army. They spend a few days taking about it. During that time is when the player can Apprach anyone in the guild hall and they will inform the player of the details of the quest.
:The Guild leader is planning an attack on Fort Farragut. held by the stormcloaks.They plan on hiring a squad from the Companions guild to helm them in the battle.
:The player accepts.
:The Imperial captain tells you they will be leaving tommorrow morning.
:You and your troop of 10 other guards alongside the captain run to for farragut.
;When you arive a slur of side missions open up.
*Go sneak up on the fort and tell us if they outnumber us.
*Go collect 12 Harn roots (healing plants) and give them out to the men.(they will use them in battle to heal)
*Can you teach some of the men some Destruction spells?
:The 4 Companions Guild reinforcements arrive and you begin the attack.
:You are asked what role you would like to fill.
/ARCHER/HEALER/WARRIOR/NEGOTIATER/ASSASSIN
The battle commenses.
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You have killed nearly all of the Stormcloaks in the fort. The enemy captain is held up in his tower with a few survivors.
YOU ARE GIVEN A NEW SET OF CHOICES BY YOUR CAPTAIN
*Heal your comrades and prepare to force open the door
*Pick the lock while under enemy archer fire
*Storm the tower
*Negotiate their surrender
*Assassinate the Captain
:You choose to negotiate with the captain. They surrender.
:The captain Leaves 4 men and you to guard the fort. while they escort the captain to Whiterun to be exocuted. While his soldiers will be imprisoned
:You learn that bandit Marauders will be here by nighfall to Take the fort.
:YOU HAVE A SET OF CHOICES
Repair the gates (Requires lockpicking skillcheck)
Abandon the fort and return to Whiterun and ask for another force to retake the fort.
:Teach your men some conjuration spells to increase your numbers.
:Negotiate with the bandits.
:Head to another bandit fort and pay them to send troops
You choose to spend your time teaching your 4 men Conjuration.
The bandits attack.You fight them all off as an archer atop the high tower but lose 3 men.
The empire sends a troop of 12 men to hold the fort with the empire insignia atop.
The next battle is for the city of Falkreath.
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~Small Favors~~
*Some Indication as to how much life your torch has left in it
*Alchemical Ingrediant: Water
*The option to knock on doors BY PRESSING THE ACTION BUTTON WHILE AIMING AT THE SIDE OF DOORS.
*The option to collect alchemical ingrediants from certain creatures, without killing them.(Feathers,Saliva,Milk etc.)
*Lanterns
*Emblems & Insignias to be able to be added to armor.(The Black Water Brigands Leather Cuirass Had there Insignia On It.)
:Guards & clans can give the out as a sign of membership. wearing it gives you the authoridy and recognition that would otherwise only come from wearing a full guard uniform, or Guild armor.
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*Addition to crafting=Dyes,Warpaint.
*An alchemical appliance to lockpicking:Acid corrodes locks?
*An alchemical appliance to destruction:small explosive mixtures.
*An alchemical appliance to illusion: alcohal :D
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*alchemical ingredient trees.(Hit the base and the fruits drop)
*Blood spurt trails from injured. (So you can track prey which escaped you)
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Bump?
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So, can we still discuss new small favors here? and you can edit them in when were done discussing, and then we will delete our comments when were done discussing as to stop clutter.
Also. will you be able to Edit this later on with 'things confirmed'?
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Well Sean... you went over the top again.
First. I would like to say that a lot of the ideas are nice, but Bethesda has gone FAR beyond what most would have asked in terms of Random Encounter NPCs
Ones that we know of.- SCR, TIL, Thalmor, Monks, Aedra Worshipers, people lost in the forest, hunters, companions, bandits, conjurers/ necromancers, priests doing a burial...etc.
Nobody has truely gotten a decent look into city life, though we know dragons attack cities and towns, the cities (at least one) have sewer systems filled with thugs... and a slew of no-name-NPCs
Now as far as we know, they all serve a purpose. Monks heal you/ cure disease, SCR & TIL go hunt eachother down... baddies are... bad.
But Adventurers taking the AI quests... like we have mentioned on the FB boards, shouldnt actually be able to compete with the PC.
They can get missions to places of high level (getting them killed), or they can be assigned to go gather ingredients/ scout out areas that the player has cleared out before. Then when the player talks to these NPCs they will either have horror stories about a dungeon and what they were supposed to find (not assigned as a mission, but it suggests where some nice equipment is) or they will say "watch out along the ______ road. Saw a couple of baddies poking around the other day" suggesting that a place you have been to before has been respawned.
Now the question for mine is... if each faction were to get these NPCs and they go on a mission 1x a week (allowing time for the mission, and time for the player to talk to them), what type of missions/ places would they go to?
SCR/ TIL
Companions
College oW
Thieves guild
DB
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Imperial Legion-
1)There have been reports of some Dunmer attempting to cross the border into skyrim, Take your squad to investigate the( ____)outpost on the border and stop them from entering Skyrim.
Be careful, That is dangerously close to Windhelm. the stormcloaks wont take kindly to your presence.
2)We need you to Escort a military caravn
3)We need you to smith(_)Steel Gauntlets and Shortswords, A military caravan will be there soon to pick it up.
4)Captain(___) is planning an assault on Fort(___). Your squad along with 2 others are being sent to take that fort and hold it against a counter attack.Careful though, The stormcloaks have been recruiting Conjurors from covens lately, so You will be Meeting with A Group of battlemages from The College.(Intertwining questlines & alegiances)
Strorm Cloak Rebellion-
1)Get to The black river road and prepare an ambush on a Imperial troop movement along the road.
2)Head to Riverwood with a Bard, guard him from Dark Brotherhood Assassins while he spreads the word of()
3)Recruit a contingent of Bandits & Conjurers and prepare to defend fort(___) against a coming attack. Captain(____) will be there, so be careful.
4)Support a Dunmer Uprising in a village near Falkreath to destabilise the region so we can move troops in.
College Of Winterhold-
1)We need you to head to Wellspring cave and collect(__) there may be Hostiles, so we Hired a Companion Warrior to escort you.
2)We need you to enchant (_) with(_) and deliver it to (___) but be careful, we have heard the Thieves Guild plans on stealing your (_) upon completion
3)A Villager in Solitude has come to us because his mansion is haunted by a wraith sent by the Dark Brotherhood. The Town Guard has lost a few men trying to kill it.
4)We need you to go collect (No Name Npcs) from outlying villages and bring them back To Solitude to be trained as battlemages.You may Need to use Illusion(skillcheck) to 'persuade' them to follow you(ABDUCTIONS)
Dark Brotherhood-
1)(___) has prayed to the night mother. He wants (NO NAME NPC) killed publcly in Riverwood/
2)Sithis commands that you deliver these letters of Initiationn (we know...) to these four (no name npcs) in Riverwood, Markath, & rorickstead.
3)Sithis command that the following guards (__,__,___,__) be eliminated in their sleep.
4)Train our new brother(no name npc) in Archery
5)The Stormcloaks have sent a Bard to Riverwood, with a Guard. Kill them both before they get there message across/
The Companions-
1)We have been instructed to Send 6 men to help with an Imperial assault on fort(___). Go collect(No Name Npcs) from these villages, and bring them back for training.
2)The thieves guild is planning on looting our weapon stores, Assist the town guard with their patrols.
3)Clear out this cave(___) of Dragr. The Mages guild has agreed to send a Conjuror to assist you.
4)Smith 2 full suits of Dwarven armor for our new recruits(no name npcs)
5)Train our new recruits(No name npcs) in 1 handed, and heavy armor
6)The cleutenant in solitude is in danger from the DB. Go find (Weebam na/lockpicker) and bring him back to increase the lock dificulty on our back door(short time)
Thieves Guild-
1-6) Steal some s***.
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The key to this system is that each guild is reacting to other guilds current quests. so most guild quests are just down to-
*Collect recruits in your unique manner
*Clear out this cave
*Take this fort/Defend it.
*Meet up with (other guild) and prepare to do this....
*Craft something unique and bring it to this guy
*Escort this shipment/Attack this shipment
*Train and equip recruits.<Npcs dont spawn ans Fighters guild members. They spawn as No Name Npcs in villages, and then go through Collecting/Training/Equiping>(Think stronghold 2)
*And then each guild has there own few unique quest styles.
its not too complex. its simple systems working together to ACTUALLY CREATE a functioning world which the player can help or hinder.
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But Adventurers taking the AI quests... like we have mentioned on the FB boards, shouldnt actually be able to compete with the PC.
They can get missions to places of high level (getting them killed), or they can be assigned to go gather ingredients/ scout out areas that the player has cleared out before. Then when the player talks to these NPCs they will either have horror stories about a dungeon and what they were supposed to find (not assigned as a mission, but it suggests where some nice equipment is) or they will say "watch out along the ______ road. Saw a couple of baddies poking around the other day" suggesting that a place you have been to before has been respawned.
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EXACTLY! :D thats what im trying to say. i dumbed it downto where they are nolonger the quest completers based on timeline >TO> they engage in Lower Based GENERIC quests given by npcs. Like :Find me this really expensive ale in Riften TO:Some Bandits are hold up in a dungeon with my daughter.Save her.
They can ATTEMPT higher up quests. But will fail. JUST SEEING THEM THERE is what counts.
P.S. thats a good question, im gonna have to get back to that later though
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This discussion is about the improvements to be seen in both Creature Ecology, Botony, and Civilization social tasks.
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The following is a list of refinements, modifications, and improvements to the Civiliazation aspect of Skyrim.
If your like me, cities and villages are just another grand adventure, and below is how i would make that adventure grander and more immersive
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Population+
-TRAVELERS
*Travelers are a form of npc which roam from settlement to settlement, usually spending the night in Inns, Sleeping rolls, or even resident's homes(as they have friends in many cities)
*There use is to be 'filler'. To increase the population size of cities the player percieves. (They do not ALL have to be named npc with unique dialogue,but some should)
*A very cool aspect of travelers, is that they can change the activity level of settlements Drastically.On day Riverwood is empty and desolate, and everyone's inside. The next the town is filled to the brim with passerbys, checking out the local markets and striking up conversations with the locales and sharing news of lands far away.
-TRAVELING MERCHANTS
*Are spawned with a reoccuring 100 gold each, they travel from destination to destination selling goods. When they reach a settlement or city they head to the local stores, and perform transactions, and sell what they aquired in the previous city.
*They usually travel in small groups with other merchants, as well as Companions Guild bodyguards (to protect them from bandits,PC,and creatures)
*They store their goods in pack horses(200 carrying capacity each)
*They sleep in inns.If they are not in a settlement they Roll out their sleeping beds in a circle around a campfire, they also make.
*Their storage packs on horses are heavily locked.
*There use is-To provide population filler, and to Add Npcs to roads.ALSO- the player, and other traveling npcs can buy from them while on the road.
-TRAVELING HEROES
*Are spawned skilled fighers,mages, and thieves who wander from village to city.
*They are not spawned in groups, but if they happen upon any other travveler on a road they will offer them escort to their next settlement instead of clearing out caves.(As to stop them from clearing out every cave for the player.)
*Heroes will not travel together unless they are spawned together.
*Heroes Will attempt to complete radiant A.I. generic missions given by Villagers.(the player can compete with them for the glory)
*Heroes will also take up bounty hunting missions when they come upon Wanted poster in town(they mostle go after radiant story generated bandits, but they can come after YOU)
*When they come upon Caves or bandit forts with guards out front, they will enter and attempt to clear the cell.
*They are coded to each pick up loot from dead enemies, and sell them to buying merchants (traveling or local)
(So if you come upon Troll Teeth in a local shop, it means that a hero or adventurer has come by recently)
TRAVELING THUGS-
-Are bandits with minimal armor and weak weapons who travel in groups from settlement to settlement commiting crimes
-They are not considered hostile by other Npcs, but they will randomly engage Npcs and mug them taking their gold. They wont kill.
-Killing them in public is considered murder if they do not attack first.
-Bounty hunters usually sent after these npcs after they commit so many crimes
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Villager/Citizen Leisure Activities+
GAMES
*Chess & card tables should be set out all across Skyrim, Npcs can randomly sit down at one end, Inviting passerbys to play witht them.(COMMON IN BARS)
*Stools should be located beside riverbeds and ponds, Npcs can randomly sit down and take out fishing poles and attempt to catch fish.(NPC EXCLUSIVE)
*Children should play tag,hide & seek, and chase eachother along side their dogs
*Npcs should engage eachother in drinking games in Bars
*Soldiers and warriors should spar with Eachother(damage turned off)
*Upon completing their daily itinerary Npcs should make a RANDOMISED decision as where they would like to shop. They will actually spend money they aquired during the week, (simulating wages 10g for farmers & poor/30Gp forGuards & Regular/40-100gp for Rich & merchants)
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Village & city Animals coding
*Stray dogs*Racoons*Rats*Birds-
should Roam the outsides of town and attempt to steal Food from outdoor markets
*If caught by npcs, they will attack them
*Cats should roams the rooftops with other cats hunting Mice,Birds and Scavengers
*Falcons & owls should hunt cats,Mice, and scavengers.
*Dogs should Usually accompany children and guard them.
WILD
Deer,Elk & Bear should consume alchemical Ingrediants on the ground removeing the ingrediant temporarily.
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CRIME
*Beggers should attempt to pickpocket, Sneak & steal from everyone they have low dispostions with.
*Guards will bring them in each time, and have them spend a few nights in jail.
*Being too drunk in public guards will bring you into jail to sleep it off.
*Guards may abuse you or others, depending on their personality and disposition.
*Guard captains or thug leaders may tell there men to target certain people or the player if they dont like them.
THATS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW, I WILL ADD MUCH MORE LATER. PLEASE, ALL INPUTS AND IDEAS ARE WELCOME.
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Odai, had the idea to reapply chamelion to The invisibility spell to weaken it, and make it much more tactical.
Ill wait for him to get here to explain it though. All i remember is -Still=invisibility Movement=Shimmer effect.
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All of the ideas are great, and possibly useful in separate areas. Fort = horn, city= bell, village = improvised weapons.
My vote is for weapons though... if it isnt in already I would be rather disappointed. A scythe or a pickaxe DB guy would be awesome.
The downside to using improvised weaponry should be a high chance of being disarmed.
As even someone who is trained with 2 handed may have an extremely hard time Graping a pichfork.
The problem with this idea is, trying to not make it look rediculous
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''Is it not fitting how, in Skyrim, we find ourselves in a land of turmoil and an age of uncertainty? With dissident groups growing, and the Empire's power dwindling? It is truly the birth of a new era.
It can be said that this setting is analogous to the situation here in reality, for we are experiencing, or about to experience, the very development of the meaning of the Elder Scrolls series. It is both an exciting and troubling time, as this series which some of us have cherished for so long is now teetering on the precipice. It is the nature of this precipice that I want to examine, which I shall get to in a moment.
As I'm sure many of you know, there is a large rift in the Elder Scrolls fanbase. I think you all know what the prime divider of this rift is and which two groups I am referring to. Those are: pre-Oblivion fans and post-Oblivion fans (pre-O and post-O). It seems to me that, at times, these two groups cannot understand one another at all. This makes sense, since Morrowind and Oblivion are two radically different games. But the problem stems from the fact that these two games are in fact two radically different games which are part of the same series. Yes, I know each Elder Scrolls game is supposed to be “their own unique, individual game” but one cannot ignore how related and interdependent they are when it comes to defining the series and lore as a whole. And yes, I know that it is not a “one or the other” thing, and there are many who love both games equally for what they are. But that still does not reconcile many of the misunderstandings of both groups. Of course, much of the problems come from the simple fact that each group has their own definition of what “Elder Scrolls” means. Morrowind fans remember being lost in a whimsical, immersive, hostile world of alien landscapes and intrigue, while Oblivion fans recall exploring a more familiar, friendly world of lushness and traditional fantasy. But how come so many per-O fans feel no magic, or even let down by Oblivion? Well... there are many reasons that I won't list here (trust me, I could if I wanted to take up the whole page). They are not important to bicker over. Suffice it to say that, while each game made many valuable contributions to the series, overall Morrowind had many things that Oblivion didn't have, but Oblivion only had a few things Morrowind didn't have. It was clear that, with Oblivion, the series was bound to be taking a different direction in general. These are the main reasons why I think many pre-O fans felt the sequel to their beloved series to be somewhat lacking. Some post-O fans simply cannot understand this I think – and that's just because they had a completely different introduction to TES, which is fine. (Side note: it frustrates many pre-O fans when post-O fans play the “all you ever wanted was a Morrowind 2” card. This is simply not true, and plus what the hell does it even mean? The pre-O fans indiscriminately looked forward to Oblivion with maddening anticipation despite the obvious impending departure, only to have many of them let down afterwards due to a culmination of other factors which will not be focused on here. Anyway, I know most post-O fans are not like this) Also, it is necessary that I (reluctantly) mention how part of the new direction set with Oblivion was the intention for TES to expand into the console market, since it is commonly known that console focused players and PC focused players often share very different views regarding video games in general, which can at times make their mindsets seem worlds apart. I am aware that Morrowind was released on the Xbox, but that was not it's primary target market. That is all I will say about that.
But whatever one thinks about Oblivion as part of the TES series, one cannot deny that it was a commercial success. It expanded the fanbase radically, and received much more attention than Morrowind ever did. It certainly will be the same with Skyrim over its predecessor as well. But, at what cost? To the newly obtained fans, nothing, since they had nothing to begin with ( I do not mean that in a negative way). Yet I think there are definitely some pre-O fans who are starting to feel alienated as a result of this new direction of “streamlining” and “accessibility”. And as we get to the root of why this direction over another, it should be no surprise.
We see this reoccurring phenomenon time and time again with commercial successes. They start out small with a small dedicated niche fanbase, and as they taste more and more success it naturally channels them to the path which will attain even more success, perhaps leaving the old niche fans feeling forgotten or even betrayed in the process, since these dedicated few have such different impressions of the “artist”than the masses. This often happens with popular bands and the like. I don't want to apply the harsh “Sell-out” term to BSG (yet), for this is the precipice I meant in the beginning. Even if they're not there yet, they are getting dangerously close. There are some who ponder the claim of how BSG is putting the same land area, less factions, less hand-made quests, and less overall features in a game with more budget, more technology, and more staff. It seems there are many who accept the haphazard explanations of “folding superfluous features into others” by Todd “The Liar” Howard whose promotion of the game often stretches the truth at the best of times. Perhaps they've forgotten the promises made during the promotion of Oblivion, or maybe even never followed it in the first place? But these are all pessimistic speculations, and are hopefully proven otherwise. Still, the new direction cannot be denied, and causes worry in many.
As for myself I am cautiously optimistic for Skyrim and the future of Elder Scrolls. Despite the 3-steps-forward-2-steps-back feeling I get sometimes, there does seem to be at least a few genuine solid improvements over the last game, even if they are a bit one sided (by that I mean more action/gameplay focused improvements rather than story/plot/setting). As for the new direction set by BSG, can we really blame them? It is clear they want to make the game as popular and make as much money as possible, but perhaps that is just how the industry works. And this makes sense, since it is how basic human nature works. It is our greed that drives us, and yet will also be our downfall. Can we really expect the hard working people at BSG to forsake all concerns and financial comforts to have instead complete creative freedom? Can they carry the burden of attempting to make a true timeless piece of art, rather than a good entertainment product? Sadly, the answer is no. I used to dream of Video Games obtaining literature status, with great games like Morrowind, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate, Myst, and the early Fallouts being put on library shelves next to the great classic novels of our time. But no longer, or at least not any time soon. Video games are now entertainment products over artworks, being mass-marketed and mass-manufactured. Less and less often are they games being made by gamers for gamers, but instead products being made by corporations for mass consumption. Whether Skyrim will follow suite and fall one way or another or stay on the edge, we shall soon see in the coming weeks. ''
This is a discussion which I read earlier today. ever since i have been in a slight downhill depression. not just because of the game, but because of the real world applications and the sadness of human greed. I do not know, for i have not played morrowind, so would anyone be kind enough to offer there opinion on the matter. as well as knowledge. Thank you, truly.
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this list has proved to be INVALUABLE so many time! :)
thanks for posting.
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-Attacks with the hilt
-Maces
-H2H
-Illusion
-Restoration
SHOULD ALL have some form of non-lethal application.
The trick is....figuring out how we should toggle it....
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We know that there will be some dogs in the game, but do we know if there will be random cats and dogs wandering around towns and human settlements? what kinds of birds and insects will there be? I think that having minor animals and harmless wildlife adds immersion. It would be great to see and hear songbirds, ducks swimming, and crickets or maybe spiders that were normal, not the size of a small car! Ambient critter noises would be great especially if they "turned off" as a sign of danger. Suppose you are wandering around the forest and the birds suddenly stop signing...because a pack of trolls are closing in on you!
Birds all scatter from trees when something large this way comes...
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What do you think of the idea of npcs being able to equip normal items as improvised weaponry?
When under attack, npc villagers usually either flee, or come at you with their fists. A very few may have a shortsword at their side, but in most cases, villagers are easily slaughtered due to the fact that they can only fight with their fists. Now, fists cant block in Skyrim, so it would seem they would always be fighting an up-hill battle.
Now we know that npcs can now equip weapons they find lying around, but weapons are rare to be found in a town like Riverwood. unless you head to the blacksmith.
So i propose this-Code NPC'S the ability to equip ordinary tools as improvised weaponry.
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2 HANDED
Shovels
Pitchforks
Long wooden Brooms
Pick axes
Wood Splitting axes
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1 HANDED
Smithing tools
Torchs
Walking sticks(staves w/ Bow bash animation)
Kitchen cutlery-Daggers
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Hunting Bows
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Rocks lying on the ground-CONFIRMED
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Now they will only use these tools in emergencies and to defend themselves. When the hostilities cease, the improvised weapon will be unequiped and respawned in their previous placement.(as to avoid sheathed brooms on peoples backs & a lot of missing farm tools)
The weapons give them a tool to block with and, the a better ranged attack.
The weapons are coded as regular weapons primarily. They are simply re-skinned and textured but remain the same coding as conventional weapons.
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TOWN BELL
When a threatening number of hostile aggresors(wolves, bandits, dragon)
are spotted by an npc. code the primary objective of that npc to RUN TO THE TOWNS BELL AND RING IT.
(instead of engaging the aggressors)
If they reach it, a loud bell will echo through town.
During times of emergency in villages,(WHEN THE BELL IS RUNG) code the villagers to attempt to head towards the local blacksmith or armory and equip themselves with conventional weapons.
Or to head indoors and lock the door.
AS WELL- code certain npcs to take upon themselves more than 1 weapon, and have them distribute their extra weapons to unarmed civilians.
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The same concept should apply to cities/Military Forts/and guard outposts.
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The Guard Horn
-The GH is a tool that hangs VISIBLY on the side of some guards.
When a guard carrying a horn spots an aggresor,Thief, or group of aggresors he will enter an animation where he blows the horn.
Doing this causes all guards in the immediate vicinity to ammass on the location the horn was blown.
The horn is NOT ON ALL GUARDS. You will see the horn hang visibly from their side.
If you eliminate the guard before he blows the horn, then no one will know.
A Guard will not blow the horn if he thinks he can beat the threat by himself.
The player can use the horn as a diversion as well
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+kudos odai welcome to the nexus
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i wonder if we can be attacked during finisher animations?
and i undestand, it would make a terrible addition to bring in quicktime events.
so, the magick idea=good?
the melee idea bad.
what about the h2h nonlethal k.o.s?
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Actually, no. Just because the game starts rendering them doesn't mean their calculations completely stop: The AI packages are still managed. You can see this in cases like that one Dark Brotherhood quest with the guy who wanders around to every city as he's likely to already by dead by the time the quest starts if you wait long enough. It's actually cheaper to calculate stuff going on in places where the player ISN'T than in places where the player is, precisely because stuff offscreen doesn't need to be rendered. Graphics are by far the most computationally expensive part of a modern game.
As for whether there will be people going around solving RS quests if you don't take them up... I don't think so. It'd effectively put a time limit on the quests, which doesn't really work well in a non-linear game for much the same reasons exclusionary content doesn't (like only being able to be part of 1 of the three Great Houses in Morrowind).
KUDOS! well said, but i still hold my belief in Randomised heroes and guildmembers taking quests.
Yes it does add an effective time limit, but this is only in situiations of certain nature. not menial quests such as bring me some alchemical ingrediants.etc
but in situations of emergeny it adds a much higher level stress and importance. the knowledge that you are not compelled to do anything breeds apathy in my opinion. you could have easily walked away from kvatch, and Lucious matteus would have held the road FOREVER. There was no influence puching you forward. the guards made no assaults or were not attacked until YOU came near them. It may have just been silly scripting but....i hope they have abandoned it.
But my point remains, Guards,And guildmember npcs would haveNO equality to CITIZENS who fill their day with realistic activities. Guards and guildmembers would just patrol and walk around...maybe raid a dungeon here and there.
but they SHOULD be set to leave the hall and take up and attempt quests which the player ignored.
they dont have to suceed, but failure shouldnt always mean death. Perhaps theyl seek you out to help them in bleak falls barrow. or theyll seek out other guild members, or travelling heroes.
Or maybe the Guild itself will send out full squads.
But the ability to actaully FAIL a quest is just.....amazing. going into conflict KNOWING the game only accounts for you winning is ....boring.
Think....Methredel from'May the Best thief win' she could actually BEAT YOU. now it didnt disbar you from the guild. or make you try again.(like it should have)
but its a start.
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Does the universe exist without our presence?
are events knowable without the experience.
can the experience be trusted?
Does the world alter without our meddling, or can the world react and reply to its own actions?
would that be redundant?
or immersive?
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Heres a little song to listen to while i take you on a journey.
Now, have you ever played Assassins Creed?
The map does not exist if you are not in a direct vicinity of it.
Only portions do.
The engine creates and renders the people you see only in a circumferance around you.
If a person walks -so many feet- in any direction away from you, they dissapear. entirely. they no longer exist.
This is done to save proccesing power as it would be quite difficult to render an entire world in constant motion.
Havnt you ever wondered why is it, that when you climb so high up and look down, you see no one? This is why.
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Now, transferring over to The Elder Scrolls.
Entering or exiting a loading cell discontinues all activities occuring in the loading cell you exited. If you attacked a guard and some of your guildmates joined in, by leaving the loading cell quickly, the action is freezed, and forgotten. Your guildmates will not be slaughtered and events will return to normal.
MY QUESTION IS. will this same mechanic make a return in Skyrim, a game HEAVILY influenced by Radiant A.I.
By entering a town, will all hell break loose?(the many radiant random quests being generated)
Will children go missing, and mayors be assasinated, and kittens get stuck in trees BECAUSE i entered the town?
Or will it occur BEFORE i enter the town, of its own accord?
What do you think?
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ALSO- will the world solve these problems without my input?
or will that child be held captive forever, until i get around to saving him. which may be never.
Would it be tedious for the game to CREATE and generate npc HEROES & HEROINS to wander the world and take these quests apon themselves, with and without our interaction?
EX
Scenario 1:You approach Riverwood and the town is all in an uproar.
The Lord's son has been abducted by bandits and are demanding 800 gold for his return.
You head up to Bleak Falls barrow and slay the bandits and return the boy to his father.
Scenario 2:You apprach Riverwood(a few days later) and the town is grieving, The mayor's son was killed by bandits becuase no-one rescued him or paid the ransom.
Scenario 3:You apprach Riverwood and the town is all impatiantly awaiting the return of a squad from the Companions Guild(Heroes) sent up to Bleak falls barrow to save the Mayor's son from bandits. If you wait, they will soon return with the boy, bloodied and scarred...or they may not. and the child may be lost. You travel up to bleak falls and assist the Companions and share the glory
SCENARIO 4: As a low member of the Companions, you are sent on a contract to bleak falls barrow to rescue a child with your squad. Radiant A.I. adjusts and multiplies the creatures in the barow to be challenging to you+your squad.
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Unff.opinions? thoughts? additions?
p.s. if your curious, the theory is called Solipsism, if im correct.
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very well said.
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Although a good idea, TES needs fast paced combat or the whole game will grind to snails pace. TES is a largely slow-paced game in that the majority of the time you are travelling/talking/etc it needs that 'OMG I'm getting attacked!!' moment or it may as well be turn based. An old but good example of fast and slow is Swat 4, I'm not big into the FPS but the suspense before the very fast paced combat is worthwhile. If the action is slow paced as well it makes the whole thing less of a surprise and less dramatic.
Some games have pulled the effect off pretty well- Star Wars TF Unleashed- but this was mainly against bosses. Although to add this to TES would be essentially to move the player away from the game again (which Beth have tried to avoid so it seems)--imagine everytime you fought against someone in Oblivion who had an opposite spell/weapon you was draw into their face to talk, that is pretty much how a fire against frost system would be implemented- stop the game, do mini game, fight next mage, repeat.
IMO- TES should keep slow paced story telling and faced paced combat or it may as well be another turn based RPG.
Very well said. so how about instead of a minigame it just becomes when the beams cross, the two spells cancel eachother out as long as they make contact.
Removing the quicktime event feel, and just making it an aspect of combat?
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Now with Melee based combat, i still think it should be implemented. but in the way i just explained for magic.
If two attacks of equal strength meet (or clash) then both attacks are negated. or one staggers the other <BUT THIS IS ONLY IF THE WEAPON ARCS MEET IN MIDSWING/NOT DURING EVERY SIMULTANIOUS ATTACK>
And with two handed weapons the deadlock occurs. the game does a quick 'Stat check' between the two opponents, and the one with the higher Stamina (at the time. Not in total)
will have a 60& percent chance of being the winner. So player input is not neccesary other than the option to quickly press X to roll out of it. (so in essence it does remain a quicktime event. but only if you wish to abandon it. THE ENTIRE DUATION OF THE DEADLOCK WOULD BE ROUGHLY 2 SECONDS.<just enough time for the animation to take place in which the stronger of the two staggers the loser, opening him up for a critical strike>)
I know this sounds tedious, but it helps to loosen the feel of 'traded blows' which skyrim seems to be heavy in.
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AS FOR H2H....my point remains.
It is an extremely underplayed mechanic with a lot of potential.
PLUS- it gives a much more viable gameplay friendly option for npcs to USE STEALTH AGAINST THE PLAYER.
Instead of them sneaking up behind you and taking half of you health with a critical hit. have them enter an chokehold animation(h2h)
Were the player has the option to fight it by pressing The Attack Button. or Shake him off by pressing X.
The players stamina and health are both drained (stamina X2) until the player can fight him off, or shake him off.
Also opening you up for attacks by other enemies while you assailant holds you.
,Possibly it can be used by the player for human shields or hostages to deter guards.
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The spell deadlock would be fun but the rest would be tideous and it won't be implemented
Nott even having a Sabertooth tiger on top of you. and the only thing stopping him from sinking his huge teeth into your fragile head is your hands on his jaws?
Small Favors
in Skyrim LE
Posted · Edited by TroloWiseEared
*Include the sound effect during finisher animations that recocgnises that your killing an enemy in heavy armor.
(During a gut stabing animation, let us hear the sound of our sword piercing their metal armor rather than making it sound like were just going through flesh.)
*Restoration magic cast should increase the target npc's disposition towards us.(Also a Calm effect during combat) <dedz to odai for this one>
*Improvised Weaponry/Town bells/Guard horn (being discussed)
*Npc fear of specific creatures(Windhelm guards may have a fear of Frostbite Spiders, and be less willing to attack one. Bandits might not want to take on a dragon)
*Have bees and Butterflys actually have an effect on alchemical ingredients when they visit them.(Polinate)
*Wild Animal feces (as an indication a specific animal has been this way for tracking)<if you have a cleaner idea let me know :)>
*trace of death cause
-someone mauled by a bear will have the item:Bear claw/fur on their inventory
(like how vampires had vamp ash in their inv. upon death)