Unofficial Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Thread

[valdir]

I thought I knew what mainstream meant, but now it seems to just mean "sucks". Oh well, the game won't be a goofy hardcore role-playing game anymore and instead will be more fun. Whine whine whine.

 

You know, because mainstream doesn't mean more sales and more sales doesn't mean better games in the future. :ph34r:

 

~Val

[Marxist ßastard]

...Indeed. And as we all know, when one gets money as a direct result of drawing an allegiance to one party (*cough* the cretins), but is looked down upon by his former audience -- people who will continue to give him money anyways -- he will, in the future, alienate the former group (at the risk of losing a large sum of money) instead of continuing with this trend and drawing money from both parties through the use of a product that took less time to develop.

 

...Yes, that's right, I'm a hardcore cynic when it comes to Oblivion. When a company mainstreams something -- and Bethesda is no exception -- it means it will alienate anyone with an attention span that can be measured in a unit greater than the millisecond, no matter how many times they say that something loaded with hit-the-monkey-style minigames won't detract hardcore players.

[PeterJ]

You know rpgcodex is a good rpg site. Sometimes even has links to screenshots of certain games.

[Dinin]

You know, mainstream isn't as bad as some of you people are making it out to be. Even though i'm a person that usually likes things that are in the shadows, i won't fail to enjoy something just because it's labeled "mainstream". I feel sorry for people that do this, because they're missing out on some good products. Opposite of that, i also feel sorry for people that only enjoy mainstream things.

 

And the idea that mainstream products are intended only for the people with an attention span of a gnat is bull.

 

The mistake Beth. made was using the word "mainstream", it got alot of people's panties in a twist. They should have said, "TESIV will appeal to more people".......now, does that sound so bad?

[Commander 598]

Am I the only one who thinks that by "minigames" they mean something along the lines of Thief 3's lockpicking?

[Slaiv]

Mainstream=Bad.

 

Think about what would happen if BethSoft lost 32,000+ buyers.... :shifty:

 

*Begins Plotting*

[valdir]

Slaiv. Shut yer mouth. You've lost your pregnant-doging privaleges. :wacko:

 

I didn't see this many people complain when Morrowind made the jump from 2d sprites. And "mainstreaming" Oblivion is a somewhat lesser gap to jump.

 

And yes commander, I assume Bethesda means something similar to Theif 3's lock-picking mini-game.

 

~Val

 

Edit- Excellent censorship!

[Dinin]

lol, and gained 50,000 buyers in the process.. ;) ..kidding.

 

But seriously, is there some fine line that says what "mainstream" is, and what isn't?

 

Doesn't it have to do with who likes what? And if Beth. made a game that practically everyone loved (much like Halo, at least where i'm from everyone loves it, i don't want to start a war here..) meaning die-hard fans loved it, stoners love it, and the college partiers love it, is that such a bad thing?

 

It's like die-hard fans actually get mad that other people enjoy playing a game that they have labeled as "theirs".

[Maquissar]

Let's not complain too early. We have no idea of how Oblivion is going to turn out yet. It might be an excellent game, even better than Morrowind, with realistic NPCs, realistic combat, improved graphics and so on. If this is the case, I'll gladly accept the "smaller world" part... it's better to have 1000 unique NPCs than more than 3000 who always say the same things. Besides, landmass and quests can always be added in future expansions, or with plugins. The minigames could actually be fun - that is, instead on clicking on a lock wildly, you actually have to pick the lock by fiddling with the lockpick. There must be a way to implement this and at the same time have your SECURITY skill influence your chances of success.

 

On the other hand, Oblivion might just suck. The "improved combat" part might easily turn it into a hack and slash game, in which combat has much more importance than the plot or the atmosphere. The amazing graphics may also make the developers focus more on the graphical impact than on everything else. The 1000 NPCs might be as dry as the 3000 in Morrowind, and the minigames might be annoying and feel out of place. We'll find out when the game comes out.

[thanateros]

I agree with Massquiar and Dinin; I think people are getting too far ahead of themselves for a game not due to hit the shelves until next year. I have my expectations for the quality of game that is backed by a name like Bethseda, and in many ways I'm sure they will deliver. But on the flip side of the coin I also have my skepticisms about who their target audience will be. You can't please everybody, so the fine balance between mainstream and hardcore RPGers might get bridged, which honestly can't be done without hurting the 'true' gamers. But, all I see here are people complaining about playing something mainstream. If Bethseda is going to make a game more mainstream, then let that be their objective, if it tanks, then its a learning experience on which they can build a better infrastructure and really crystalize who their market is.