Kazakovich

Hmm, I rightly don't know why most of my characters this far have turned out female... I remember it being the other way around in Oblivion. It just sort of happened. The whole "What would you rather spend time staring at"-thing is moot on me, since I won't have a problem with either type of butt bobbing around and because I almost exclusively play in first person. And then, there's the defying the stereotype-element I love so much.

Congratulations and welcome to Skyrim! :3 1: Agreed, the new system feels so much better, and thankfully, from what I've noticed so far, it's a lot harder to end up "broken" at higher levels than in Oblivion. Since there aren't any absolute class-specific major-skills that needs to be levelled, you can pretty much pick up whatever you like at the beginning. I'd say, pick up one or two combat skills that you like (like One-Handed Weapons and Archery or Two-Handed Weapons and Destruction, or try 'em all out at once) and it will pretty much level up by itself, since you are going to do a lot of combat, after all. You're not really limited to anything, every skill upgrade counts in its own way. So go ahead and craft and pick locks to your hearts content! :3 2: I'm not really sure, but I don't think it'd be too much of a handicap to have your skills spread out over the board. Certainly, it's much more efficient to stick to one combat-skill, but I don't think it's a great liability to not max out one and one skill only. Of course, that sounds like a hell of a lot of extra equipment that your character will need to drag along. 3: As my current two chars both have Restoration in their back pockets, I'm not really sure how Block works in Skyrim, since I usually don't use it that much. But I've seen enemies be staggered by it, and although I lose some health, it's nothing like if I'd just taken the blow. It could be tied with the Block-skill, and I imagine it must become better the more skillpoints you've put in it. 4: Not from what I've noticed. Both will give some insight into the conflict from their own perspective and later give a quest to join their faction, if you'd like. However, both quests can be picked up later, so it's no massive choice of destiny. 5: There is a carriage-system, where you can visit a coach/wagon/whatever it is outside all major cities and travel between them. I've never used it, however, so I don't know how helpful it is. And if you remove or don't use the fast-travel feature, then be prepared to be hiking a lot more. But considering how beautiful Skyrim is, I don't think it'd be too much of a pain to hit the road and walk. I barely use fast travel anymore myself, simply because it's much more rewarding to simply walk there. Or swim, for that matter.

Well, the term "Elf" is very broad, after all, and there's many, many many interpretations of it. We've got the different types of Elves from Oblivion, we've got the Elves of classic folklore, the Tolkien Elves, the Tolkien Elves as seen in the Lord of the Rings films, we've got the mothtastic Warcraft-Elves... And I must say that even if the milage can vary amongst the fanbase on the final result, it's rather applaudable that Bethesda went of the safe, beaten track and brought their own Elves back to their old, defining looks. These days, when Elf = Mr. Legolas in the public consciousness, it's most certainly quite brave, if nothing else.

That's why it's such a godsend that Bethesda's games tend to be as modder-friendly as they are. If there is some design like this that you don't particularly like yourself, it's not impossible to tweak this. However, I don't think I will, I really like the new look the elves got. I've never been a fan of fantasy-elves anyway, but for once, I'm considering making one. I never liked the classic Elf architype, the sort of fairer, better slender human with long ears. At least in Skyrim, it's immediatly apparent that they're part of a different species, and their more alien nature makes them stand out for once. And honestly, I can't see what's so hideous about them. I think they can be rather appealing as it is, be it in their own way.

Furthermore, it's important to remember that Skyrim and Morrowind have different design goals in terms of the enviroment and feel of the land. In their words, Morrowind was about making you feel like "a stranger in a strange land", hence why everything was rather warped and alien, and carrying that distinct Morrowind air. Skyrim, on the other hand, is more about the great, Nordic enviroment, and it's presumably being designed to bring across a feeling of majestic wildland and old Norse lore, with the mountains and birch-forests and the like.

I think that some sort of housemod will be my first choice, too. There probably will be a few good player houses (or maybe even fantastic, I can't help feeling optimistic about this game...) out there, but I have always wanted to make my own, just as I like it. My plan at the moment is to make two houses for the two first characters I have in mind, namely one pyromaniac Khajiit wizard person and one faintly aristocratical Khajiit assassin. The wizard-house, I think, will be some sort of simple underground (I do love underground stuff, spares me remodelling the surface very much, which I hate) thing or some sort of little isolated tower/observatory thing. Depends on what toys the construction set got. But since he is a wizard who long ago traded his moral compass for knowledge, presumably on the behest of Sheogorath, it leaves me much room to make a few neat tricks. Space and dimension doesn't matter as much, as I can handwave it as magic. I'm thinking of some sort of magical portway that takes you to the "real" home-cell, a large void á la Arkved's tower, with islands floating in it (with guardrails) which holds the laboratory, the library, the bedchamber, all that stuff. If I'm as excited about this idea as I am now, we might end up with a little mini-Karazhan, of Warcraft fame. The assassin-house, I plan, will be a bit more of a sober affair. Basically, my plan is to stick a small, run down estate down in the wilderness or in the fringes of civilization, and make it look rather old and abandoned. Inside, it's all rather run down and dilapidated, too, until you stumble upon the secret passageway in the family crypt that leads to a practical little assassin hideout... The backstory behind would be something along the lines of "This mansion belonged to an old Khajiit family related to the Dovakiins, but were seized and forgotten by the Empire as retaliation when Elsweyr left the Empire. But, the family business never truly died out, and as last in line, the estate, the hideout and all the toys inside are yours". Basically, like the Deepscorn Hollow, but a bit more spartan. Again, depends entirely on what bits there are in the CS to play with.

"Remember, income tax varies. In Norway, you give 60% in taxes. Scandinavians have the highest suicide rate, depression rate, alcoholism rate, and death by alcoholism rate of any demographic in the world. Also, they live short lives." I'd love to see a source on this. It doesn't sound very familiar.

I *think* I am an organ donor, I'm really not sure... My ambition in life is that at the end of it, all my bits and pieces will be so well-overused/abused that there is no sense to attempt to recycle them. But in the case that I don't survive this day for some reason, then I think my relatives will give the go-ahead for the doctors to save what they can for those who need them. I've never donated blood, though. Partly because I don't like needles or the idea of having my own blood siphoned out of my body through one. I'd be terrified that the thing would slip out of my arm and cause me to bleed out or some other very unlikely predicament. And up until quite recently, I was even prohibited by law from donating blood. Not that they could really enforce it, but it was a good excuse to rationalize my needlephobia. Some day, perhaps. But I simply can't summon the courage to do it at the moment.

So it's really him? Splendid! Was a bit worried someone would have to trot out the stage and announce that it was a look-a-like they got. I don't think he were really guarded by top-tier Al-Quaeda soldiers, though. I'm not sure any particular elite groups exist in the traditional sense in the network. Besides Laddie, there were just three other blokes who were killed, one of them his son. It's more likely they counted on keeping a low profile and staying unseen, rather than have a large guard nearby.

It took ten years, but they've got him at last. Serves him jolly well, in my opinion. But I do doubt anything will really change. Yes, one of the minds behind the post-soviet global terrorism network is gone, but I'm sure many remains. And he have now more or less accomplished all of his goals. The United States, and therefore by extention the Western world, is caught up in two violent and expensive wars they cannot hope to win, and have thus alienated millions upon millions of people across the world. Caught between the radicals and American bombs, it's little wonder they rally with the former. And now he will undoubtedly achieve the status of a martyr. But mayhaps it was worth it, to ensure he will never see another dawn again.

My first character (if I go along my current plan, that is) will be a rather neutral male Khajiit mage. With the Mage's Guild long gone, there is little protection in the superstitious North for reckless practice of magic, or looting graves that are still considered sacred. Even less so for a non-violent, fairly cowardly Khajiit. With Elsweyr long since gone from the Imperium, he can't really count on having their protective hand hovering above. In short terms; suspicious egghead foreigner breaks into a tomb that haven't expired it's "Free to loot from"-date in search for archaeological treasure. Three days in prison, a hefty fine and the Nords keeping a suspicious eyes on his futher antics. Presumably to celebrate his freedom he miscalculates a spell and burns the inn down. The final nail in the coffin are driven in when it transpires that he does indeed dabble in conjuration and necromancy. Evidence are half-heartedly fabricated and boom; Do-Mraaj Al Khalir, slated for execution. His ancestry have other plans, however... Then, I think I would like to try out an assassin-character as well. Female Khajiit. A true profiteer, who botches a job and are left to fend for her own by the house that hired her. She is captured and tried against a mountain of charges, the majority of them hers. Execution awaits until the benevolent plot-gods throw her a bone at last.

I don't think we need to worry, unless something somehow manage to topple the entire studio. And that seems rather unlikely, since if Skyrim is as good as it looks, it will sell very well indeed. It might not top the revenue they received from Oblivion, since that game gained lots of attention by both being one of the first greater games available for the 7'th generation, and being released in the wake of the Lord of the Rings-films and thus riding the new fantasy-wave. But many, many people will be prepared to pay for it. Yes, all the previous events in the Elder Scrolls canon leads up to this game, but I really don't think they had Skyrim planned out back when they were making those games. I don't think we need to worry about that, it's simply a nice idea they decided to include in this installment, to give the story more weight. Now, I'm usually not that thrilled about sequels. I still refuse to touch Bioshock 2, since it has no business being a sequel, since the first game and its story stood up for themselves perfectly fine alone. But Bethesdas philosophy on sequels are "wipe the slate and begin again, take what we learned and improve what we got", which is really the way any followup to anything should be treated. Thus, there is no danger that the Elder Scrolls series is going to stagnate, as so many properties have before. Unless the Daedra invade our realm and demolishes the entire studio, I think it's safe to say they will keep this series alive and fresh. And if that happens, we will have much greater problems to worry about. (Like how to trap my very own Xivilai, for instance...)

Moar yelling and shrieking entirely in foreign for you!

My first character will likely be a male Khajiit spellflinger/archaeologist, so I've been at it coming up with something sounding Khajiit-y and vaguely Arabic, while also adding something Nordic to the mix. After all, the Dragonborn family must have lived in Skyrim earlier, and since Elsweyr isn't part of the Imperium anymore, it's more likely he grew up in Skyrim. Do-Mraaj Al-Khalir, with the nickname Frosttail will do. Depending on how frugal the name-feature is this time around.

Well, not as much a random encounter as a static easter egg, but hey... Imagine you're exploring a quiet birch forest, when you suddenly stumble upon a small patch within it that seems to have been scorched by flame. In the middle of the blackened ring, there is a small stone altar with a weird symbol craved on it, chipped and burnt like the surroundings, indicating some catastrophic spellcasting error. Face first in the burnt grass, in front of the stone block, lies an Altmer in a wizard's robe, unharmed from the flame but quite evidently dead, pale and bald. Scattered around him is his wordly possessions, including a battered journal detailing his misadventures. It's singed and dusty, but some passages are readable. "...Is an odd world. Some horrific disaster of mythical proportions seem to have ravaged it, leaving nothing but ruins, where monsters rivaling those home in Tamriel prowl. Monuments lie shattered, sand is swept through once well-kept halls and corridors and blackened bones snap beneath my treads if I do not exercise utmost caution. This world reminds me much of what I have heard of Molag Bal's cruel realm, the Coldharbour... But it is unbearably hot, and the silence is very..." "...Calls this realm 'Good ol' Euess Ey'. The peasants are admirable, substaining themselves on nearly nothing, toiling for their very survival amongst the debris of their ancestors. However, a specimen of the local wildlife (a formidable, reptilian beast, perhaps related to the Daedroth) promted my swift departure before..." "...Some sort of religious idol, akin to what I have found in many a goblin stronghold. It seems to be portraying one of their gods taking human form, a friendly, reassuring smile on his face. He strikes a menacing pose, flexing both his arms, in a promise of stalwart protection. It is poetic then, how I found this particular trinket. I entered into what must have been an ordinary home before the great siege, and found several more skeletons all cramped together beneath a sturdy table. I wrested it from the blackened, crumbling fingers of a long dead child. Perhaps one day, I may disclose the fate of this world. All evidence seems to point towards a cataclysmic war, but I will need more... "...Felt unusually weak... Exhausted, drained... Perhaps I should prepare to head home to Nirn once more..." "DO NOT DRINK THE WATER..." The Altmer clutches a battered Vault Boy bobblehead in his dead hand.

They will be improving the bow, and marksmanship in general, however. A rather fair trade, in my opinion.

Maiq does sadly not know at the moment if there will be as much glorious books amongst the fridig mountains of the north, if any, as it were amongst the vallys of Cyrodiil, and if he will be able to read them. This worries Maiq greatly... Alright, I'll play properly. :P Maiq know that deadly creatures will appear in the lands all depending on the skill of the Last Dragonborn. Maiq is not sure that the cosmic ways of monstrosities will be for the benefit of all. But he have heard, by mouth of a wayward mage who likes to travel across borders where he should not be, of a different world... A world scorched and scarred by magical flame, the surviving inhabitants clinging on to very life herself. There, Maiq hear, there is another legendary warrior, and his foes present themselves in such a manner. Maiq hear that particular cosmic system works quite well, and the stars seem to stand in such a way, that it might also spin its webs likewise here, amongst the mountains... Maiq is pleased. Maiq hear there are spiders in Skyrim. Big, strong spiders. About the size of five men. Plotting and weaving in their dark hollows, fattening on the pleading husks of snared adventurers. Maiq is happy he have swift feet. Maiq hear much of this... Dragonborn. Maiq notice they always call our divine champion "Him". Maiq wonders, could it not also be a she? Could it not be a wise spellword, or a ruthless, plotting murderer, although usually portrayed as a stalwart warrior of the North? Maiq is only speculating...

My characters will have spend a lot of time hidden in ancient cupboards when these beauts are on the prowl... And the image suggests there will be webs. I can't stand webs... Please... Mercy... And by Herma-Mora, don't let them crawl the walls and ceiling... That ability of theirs is not natural... I... I'll just hang out with the undead, they're a bit more wholesome. I did manage to conquer my fear for the titanic spiders in World of Warcraft, so I hope I can do the same in Skyrim. But I hope some kind soul will mod some sort of giant flyswatter or an enchanted can of bugspray for me.

Note; because I haven't mastered the quote-function, I'll be lazy and simply type the name I'm responding to. It's not a very chaotic thread, so it's easy as pie to scroll up and read the original. Elder III: Are they? Right, not exactly what I would have prefered, but it could work quite well, too. I've heard that the new leveling-list will work more like the one they kept in Fallout 3, which was much better than the one in Oblivion, in my opinion. I hope that dragons will end up in a similar filing as the Deathclaws in that game. Y'know, there are some locations on the map where they always are (areas far away from the initial zones the player can be expected to explore), but they won't appear in other places in the world until the player character have reached an acceptable level. It's a good balance, lets them remain somewhat iconic and smoothen the transition somewhat, unlike how suddenly, the peaceful forests and fields of Cyrodiil would suddenly be claimed by a virtual horde of angry bears. Also, these dragon-clubhouses, so to speak, could serve as a top-tier exploration/loot goal, something to look forward to as you level up. Some great challenge hovering ahead once you're beginning to run low on locations to loot. As long as the dragons remain somewhat aloof and special, and carrying a lot of weight in story and appearance, compared to, say, them bleedin' bears. MarshyMan: Yes, it is better to live in hope. Bethesda make some silly descisions every now and then, but generally, they can be trusted to do a good job, in my opinion. I doubt they would be so detached from their own franchise and the art of fiction in general to over-expose them dragons, and I think they can very well keep a good balance going. Of course, I'm pretty sure most poor descisions are rooted in the directions of producers rather than designers, however. I am leaning slightly on a stereotype now, but they can usually be rightfully accused of being rather detached from what they're trying to sell. While we might see a fascinating mythological creature that can be used in exciting ways to drive a story and help characterize a world as long as it's handled with responsibility and thought, they will just see "Something nerds like and will cough up money for". But most sings so far seem to point that Bethesda have unusually free reign with their own franchises, so there is reason to have high hopes that the balance will be maintained. And if it does end up just being some boiled-down "Dwagons!! (and Vikings, too!)" mess, it will still hold the bones of, at least from what we can piece together at the moment, a sturdy, top-shelf RPG. Not even the worst case scenario is that bad.

Oh dears... I do remember. I first heard the great revelation when I was over a mate's house, none of us particullarly sober if memory serves. And I also remember his laptop doing a dramatic Arch of the Covenant-type tremble before unleashing the howling call upon us, jaw-slacked and glaring, against the wall. Grown men can produce quite fearful fangirl-squees if the conditions are met, I have since learnt. My comrade remained mindblown and dazed, jaw hanging free, for a long moment, while I proceeded giggled like an excited child, biting his curtain. I think the trailer did a very good job, in short. Furthermore, their choice of not revealing anything substancial other than the main theme might have been more clever than it might seem. Like building up an anticipating appetite for an awaiting, delicious bouillabaisse by carefully sampling one teaspoon. That song will stand by my side for the rest of the month, by the way. It's more or less exactly how I feel about Skyrim at the moment, with the possible exception that I can't imagine myself whole-heartedly abandoning Azeroth or The Capital Wasteland for the Great North, unless the silly human need for sleep asks otherwise. But as a Geat and a survivor of an unusually merciless winter, I'm not really that enthusiastic about travelling north into the snow and ice again. :unsure:

That would be the best. Just to establish that yes, there are dragons and you will have to confront them at some point. Setting the scene without employing dragoniffic fanservice. Perhaps it could go as far as immolate a few bystanders or something, to underline the massive power-gap that needs to be overcome before you can hope to defeat it. And on the Warcraft II-comment; no, it wasn't. But I weren't trying to get into the "Who did it first?"-arguement, I was attempting to point out that the whole Warcraft-mythos weren't made up on the spot around -05, and the dragons thrown in (colour-coded for our convenience) as an afterthought. Of course, that doesn't do them much good, now that they're being wringed out for marketing purposes all the same.

Agreed. And honestly, next time, I'll bring the poor lass a bathrobe.

The only thing I'm concerned about reguarding them dragons is that they will be abused as some sort of "nerd bait". You know what I mean, being plonked down for you to admire every odd step because the producer have explicitly ordered a higher dragon-quota. "People who like fantasy like dragons, don't they? So if we have as many dragons as possible, they spend more money. You heard me, devs! More dragons! More!!" The WoW-dragons have recently suffered a bit from that very syndrome, being nothing more than flat, shallow cardboard cutouts that are supposed to envoke our little fantasy-tingles. Of course, the root problem with WoW at the moment is that everything have to be "awesomesauce!!1" to appeal to the broadest possible audience, which mean proper storytelling and character development, et cetera, have been forced to move over to the back-seat. Or rather, in the boot. So yes, there is a genuine risk that the poor dragons will be milked post-Twilight fad vampire-style in a detached attempt to wring more money out of the fanbase's pockets. However, I aspire to live in hope. There is an equal chance that Bethesda keep things tasteful, and allow the dragons some sort of mystical, aloof decency. But until we all stand upon the cold, grey rock of Skyrim, we can't be sure. Best scenario; dragons will merely be seen perhaps floating far, far up amongst the clouds and will only descend upon the player when it matters at important plotpoints for maximum efficiency. Worst scenario; you valiantly fight a big, mean dwagon off the moment you step out of the tutorial dungeon, with plenty of opportunities for the dragon in question to proudly display itself for us. Let's just hope them dragons won't be boiled down to marketable gimmicks. And on the WoW-dragons again; if I remember correctly, there were dragons way back in Warcraft II, albeit a fairly generic kind. WoW does have a history before 2005, y'know. :3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b05a1aUuKc A good way to wake yourself up, I might add.

Well, not really, everything considered... I suspect I'd have done the same. It's really a shame, I've always admired her work, as well as her philosophy. It have actually helped me a lot. I wish her the very best of luck, for whatever the future holds. I really ought to get off my butt and send some fan-mail around... A little symbol of appreciation goes a long way.