Skyrim and You: Preparing for the Big Move

[Natterforme]

Hello all modders and gamers out there! With a new year set to go, I am willing to bet that many of you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, if the explosion of fan made wallpapers are anything to go by. Although it is true that Bethesda and company have yet to release more than a two minute trailer of their upcoming game, and speculation has added a pinch of salt to exactly when it will be released, I am sure that the majority of you are excited, to say the least. No amount of top five Oblivion disappointment lists and faulty interface controlls can attempt to quell a five year build up of rumor and wishful thinking. While we all have a list of things that we wished that Bethesda and their subsidiaries and parent companies would have done better, it can not be denied that Oblivion was and is a commercial success. And for all of you Morrowind loyalists out there, rest assured that you have not been forgotten! I once heard a youtube comment say- "Oblivion is a playground, Morrowind is home," and if anything could prove that sentiment, it would be the concept of Morroblivion. Such an ambitious project would not have been attempted if there had not been such a loyal and strong base of players and modders. But I am not here to reminiscence on a project that ultimately voilates the EULA. No, I am here to ask what will be done to prepare for the future! With Skyrim right around the corner, give or take a year, I want to know what will be done by modders and players like YOU!!!! to be ready for it.

 

Because it is an Elder Scrolls game, it will no doubt push the graphics evelope, so if you haven't already, begin thinking of investing in some updated equipment! I know I will because there is no hope of it playing on the laptop I am using riight now. I doubt I will be able to keep it from burning up the (internal) graphics card I am using to play Oblivion on no HDR with minimum settings on permenant TLB( toggle lite Brite console command) -_-.It might be too early to say this, but place this game on your '11 Christmas list today! It is one of the few games I intend to get in the Collector's Edition.

 

It can be safely said that what keeps Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion going is its modding community. Although others might argue the point, I believe it is one of the best modding games out there and will likely continue to be so even after Skyrim's release. As with all games, there will inevitably be some crossover from Oblivion in Skyrim, but it will no doubt be unwanted or poorly implemented, at least to begin with. This brings me to my first point in preparation for TES:V, a deep, extensive, user friendly Construction Set, or something better. Seriously, it will be important. No wish list of implementations will be complete without it. If you are religous or spiritual, pray for it. If you find yourself lacking faith, then choose a deity of your choice; Oblivion has nine. This is not a post to see what you would like to see in the new game, although I would love to hear your well worded and thoughtout opinions on the matter. Rather, I would like to hear what actual modders plan to do with the new software, assuming a best case scenerio. Morroblivion proved that people like crossover content and I would like to hear from modders who plan on REMAKING, NOT TRANSFERING their projects in the new territory. The last thing we need is Morroblivion all over again with every piece of clothing and weaponry. Animations, clothing, combat, weapons, and companions might be easier to remake into the new world space, assuming the game can be modded in this way, but castles, homes, and territories such as Elyswyr and the cities are fixed based on their believable position in the Oblivion worldspace. No one would believe it if Cyrodiil suddenly disappeared simply because the physical map can not be stretched beyond however far Skyrim's interface will extend. And on that note, is there anyone who thinks that Cyrodiil should be remade under the Skyrim territories? Should we hope and pray that Bethesda will get it right the first time, or should we begin making preparations now to make anew some of the best mods out there? I highly doubt Bethesda will implement dance controls or an mmorpg style emote and animation interace with icons and displays. Modders of actual projects, both big and small are welcome to voice their thoughts and opinions.

 

Regardless of fears of graphics requirements, clunky interfaces, bland combat, and uninspiring storyline, there can be no doubt in my mind that it will look great and be full of bugs. But do not take this as critisism! If anything, I applaud those bugs and CTDs. Because those problems would never be found in the first place if players had not run the game into the ground trying to get as much of an emotional experience out of their game as possible. And they would never be fixed if you modders had not brought them to light! So give yourselves a pat on the back gamers, The Elder Scrolls would not exist without you.

 

Prefered method of response:

1. General Opinion of Oblivion and Speculation on Skyrim

2. Top Five wish list

3. Top Five things about Oblivion you like

4. Top Five things you wished were different

5. Top Five Favorite Mods and why; EXCLUDING ADULT MODS/CLOTHES, I like them too but that is a different topic.

Follow the forum rules, and keep it clean and PG-13; feel free to answer any or all of these, serious discussion prefered.

[Scorch621]

Already got my PC up to bar over christmas, Quad core CPU and the NvidiaGTX 460...so my PC can pretty much handle anything for now...

(Watch Skyrim blow it up)

 

I just hope there will be staff combat...you know like how monks do it?

crowd control weapon!! yipee

Also gore!!!

Cant say anything due to adult mod thing...

Edited January 10, 2011 by Scorch621

[David Brasher]

I fear that there is a fair chance that TES V will be a flop and people will go back to playing Oblivion and Morrowind.

 

I am a pessimist by nature. There is no sense having high hopes about things you have no control over, and then being crushed by disappointment. It is better to be more emotionally detached. It is like the concept of moral obesity. The world can warp you if you let it. A well-centered person can be in the world, but not of the world and neither the good fortune nor the bad fortune will twist them out of selfness.

 

Now things that you can control are a different story. You can be very optimistic that you yourself will work hard and face challenges with tenacity. You can be confident that you will give things your best shot and make improvements to things, or else have the wisdom and humility to abandon futile pursuits and go do something useful that you do succeed at.

 

So if TES V is not broken, is fun, and is playable, then we modders will surely improve it.

 

But these are my fears:

 

(1) Lag, stuttering and CTDs will be atrocious and the framerate will be so bad that people will have more fun NOT playing TES V. Software designers have the best imaginable computers, but we poor plebians do not. You think your fancy new $1000 computer will play TES V? Sorry dude. You should have bought the $2500 model.

 

(2) The lore will be so warped in relation to previous games that suspension of disbelief becomes too difficult.

 

(3) The game will be all graphics and no role-playing. Quests? Storyline? Lore? Who needs them? We got hi-res graphics and cool lighting effects! TES V might end up as a young children's game. You might not really need any skill with reading, puzzle solving, or persistence.

 

(4) The base game could become so adult that children should not be exposed to it and some adults would be repelled by it. Different people have different views on gore and porn. It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

We will have to see what the game is like before we plan any mods. We will have to see what is missing before we decide what to build. Two things I think will be missing that people will suddenly find themselves wanting, and working to rebuild:

 

(1) Ayleid ruins.

 

(2) Oblivion gates and worldspaces. (I know. It doesn't match the lore. But people will miss them, just like Morrowind fans miss Daedric ruins.)

 

So I am excited about the new game, but if it fails me, then I am happy that I will still have Oblivion (and Morrowind.)

[Trandoshan]

I have a single wish for TES5 that I already know is probably impossible.

 

I itch for skirts, sleeves, and other forms of clothing with physics attached to them.

 

I'm praying for this because I know that it wasn't supported on Netimmerse/Gamebryo engines. Their new engine may have the capacity to do this kind physics that I desire so.

 

If not, I better learn how to be a top class animator/meshman so that I can create convincing skeleton animations that parent to skirts!

[majikmonkee]

My PC barely runs Oblivion at acceptable settings, so if my math is correct, I won't be playing Skyrim till it's been out for about three or four years. At that time, I'm sure most of the initial bugs or complaints will have mod fixes... :laugh:

[chaospearl]

I have a custom-built killer system that's only a few months old, so I'm not worried about being able to run Skyrim out of the box at peak settings. Running it a year after its release with a hundred mods, maybe not so much... but I'll worry about that in November 2012 if it's an issue.

 

Like David Brasher, my biggest fear is that Skyrim will follow the pattern set by Oblivion (as compared to Morrowind) and be all about eye-candy and cool effects and lots of action, with not so much lore and a laughable plotline that's basically only "follow the idiot arrow to the next action-filled combat!" In other words, something designed to please a typical 15 yr old Xbox 360 user. Now, I have absolutely nothing against teenage boys or consoles and a lot of the games made for both are really fun -- please let's NOT turn this thread into a console bash-fest. It's just that when I choose to purchase and play an Elder Scrolls title, that isn't the sort of game I'm looking for. And I'll be very disappointed if Skyrim is clearly aimed at that particular demographic. Unfortunately I believe there is a very high likelihood of it, given that past behavior is the best predictor of future, and simply because that's what sells.

 

I'll probably play the game anyway and enjoy it for what it is, but I'll cross Bethesda off my list of immersive lore RPGs and future Elder Scrolls titles off my wishlist.

 

I'm waiting with anticipation to be proved dead wrong. Come on, Beth, you can do it!

[majikmonkee]

My prior Elder Scrolls experience before Oblivion was Battlespire, so it was an improvement for me. I hope they don't turn Skyrim into a pretty glorified FPS, or rush to get it done.

[Natterforme]

I have a single wish for TES5 that I already know is probably impossible.

 

I itch for skirts, sleeves, and other forms of clothing with physics attached to them.

 

I'm praying for this because I know that it wasn't supported on Netimmerse/Gamebryo engines. Their new engine may have the capacity to do this kind physics that I desire so.

 

If not, I better learn how to be a top class animator/meshman so that I can create convincing skeleton animations that parent to skirts!

 

I can not agree with you more on this note. It is really nice to be able to have capes and cloaks and scarves and hoods, but what makes them convincing are real time physics. I have high hopes that this will be a standard non issue because Bethesda has been looking for ways to make their games the best rpgs and several have come out since the release of Oblivion that incorporate this feature. With any luck, wind in Skyrim will give all our clothes a more realistic windswept feel. Regardless of whether or not you believe it, I think Bethesda has been looking at TesNexus, PlanetElderScrolls, and other fansites to incorporate some of the best modded features into Skyrim. That is not to say that I believe that Skyrim will simply be a game of old ideas. I have no doubt that there will be more than enough new material and lore to expand the overall universe, but that is not to say that Bethesda can't give players what they want. No doubt complicated game mechanics such as combat and physics will be new and unique, but I think it is safe to say they will incorporate mounted combat and a more user friendly interface between systems.

 

As for level of difficulty and game maturity, I might be a little biased when I say that I would prefer a more adult game. Those who would argue agianst this choice would be right in saying that a larger demographic of players can be reached if a teen rating can be achieved, which would be good for sales. But it is in my opinion that an M-rating could give more artistic and creative freedom for the developers, allowing for more gore and more appropriate language for certain settings. This is not to say that I wish for a game without taste, but giving Skyrim a Teen rating would immediatly kill any chance of a meaningful combat system, leaving it to be as uninspiring as Oblivions was: hack and slash- left click, button mashing snorefest, or as Tom of Toonami said of Morrowind: "Boring." For a good example of what I mean, or for those who wish for another rpg to spend their free time on during the wait, check out Demon's Souls. It shows the capability of an rpg to be both dark and fun to play. Be warned though; there is only one setting: hard. You will die a lot on it but will feel like a God if you beat it, or at least I did.

 

On another note, a little bit of news. Those of you who do not already know, head on over to youtube and search Skyrim and you should find, somewhere, an interview with one of Bethesda's developers as he gives you a tour of their facilities. Whether or not this is a preview of more to see on Skyrim, or perhaps something more to come on their newest rpg, Hunted: Demons Forge, who can say. In any case, check it out if you haven't already and get pumped! I would not be surprised if they had a rock garden and waterfalls for mediation and team discussion. As for me, I have recently saved up enough money to be in the market for some of that new hardware I mentioned earlier. So show your specs and we will see if I can do better some time soon perhaps (fingers crossed). Previous post is still in effects, so I would still like to hear your opinions, hopes, wish lists and so on!!!^^

[Moganza]

I just ordered my new sandy bridge processor 2500k and have a GTX 570. I should be fine on max settings, you may find this strange but i'm hoping it isn't enough. I know this would rule out a lot of players but it would meant that the game world would be amazing (visuals and physics wise). Customability is good but sometimes the more they restrict the higher quality of gameplay you get. If they toned it down to the same level of (the best example i can think of) Baldur's Gate 2's level of customability i think it would allow players to pick a path that they like e.g. mage and as you level you learn more spells etc and this path branches out (kinda like D&D games) I think this will help the gameplay would be much more fun and they would have time to focus on more things.

 

I also wish they make the game more about the character. Sure it's fun to start out as some random guy who saves the day at the end but some background story wouldn't hurt (maybe you play as 'Dragon Born' who knows).

 

I may be wanting a change in things people love most about the game but honestly think it will make the game more fun

[Natterforme]

News, news, news!!!! A toolset has been announced for Skyrim, meaning there will be mods to make!!! Before now, it was hope and speculation, but now it is confirmed! I myself believed that Skyrim would have a toolset to begin with so I was not very surprised, but for those of you on the fence, well just check out the article for yourself, which can be found on the TESNexus homepage.