Hot Topic #1: The dumbing down of Oblivion

[Pjthedj]

One thing that I feel is all that really needs to be 'fixed' about Oblivion is that there didn't seem to be much going on in the world. It was fairly static. I suspect this was largely to do with limits of the game, as in size etc, but in future I would like to see this incorporated more centrally. It would be hard I suppose, but after certain actions, the government or whatever (I'm not up with all this stuff :P) might do something about the issue. As in, if you do 2 majorish quests that have significant consequences, a resolution will be randomized and next month, the Government will choose one of the 2 to resolve. I'm not sure how hard this would be, but after some kind of randomization is set up, once a quest is completed, there could simply be extra scripting to work with this. It would create very unique things, and each replay would be different. Lets say you do something stupid in a Dark Brotherhood quest, and are found out by lets say, a guard. You were trying to assassinate someone important, and now everyone has had enough. The government now has the choice to remedy this. Guards are put on full alert and will kill any shady character on site (By this I mean, anyone wearing the DB armour within site of a guard). Citizens would report you and the DB would now permanently pay for their stupidity. If arrested with the armour in your possession, you would also be killed. This could happen next month if it is chosen or if no other choices are put in and randomized. There should also be 10% chance something changes that was NOT directly involved with yourself. This would be to create the impression that the world doesn't revolve around yourself. As a quick other suggestion, rumours and possibly other topics if made, should then reflect future or past government choices, and perhaps other things involving the world itself. ("I heard they're going to stamp down on the Dark Brotherhood!" - "I'm so glad they've finally gotten rid of the Dark brotherhood! Soon those murderers will just give up!")

 

Ahh I'm rambling :P I hope that all made sense. It's the only thing I really wish were in Oblivion, and it's absence of anything like it is also a big con in my opinion.

 

In reply to the first questions, I don't really know if oblivion was dumbed down. I didn't have much play on Morrowind. I personally find little fault in it, on the "dumbed down" side of things.

 

The only thing I would do if I were lead developer would be to incorporate what I have said above. Make the world feel alive and also make sure it doesn't feel like everything revolves around the player (which I didn't really go into above.)

[ShizukaNaIkaku]

Hi this is my first post on this forum but after reading all bad talk about Bethesda i allmost started crying.

Bethesda has mayde some of the best games i have ever played Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion these are the only games i been abel to play time and time again. I accually hope that id get work at Bethesda when i finish my education as a Game 3d grafic designer. My belith in why the storys and quests of Oblivion are so badly writen is ether the Developers are getting old or they are taking in new pepol who dont know what the Fans of for example Daggerfall liked about the game + they are trying to make it compatible with concouls (VERY BAD MOVE). I love the Elder Scroll series but i think that Bethesda neads to expand there catigoris i for one whode like too see a Sci-fi game with the system of the Elder Scrolls.

 

One of the thing i miss from the videos when the game whas under development is that in one of the videos he gose to the book stor in chorrol and gets the owner to like him very much when he stops the conversation she sade: pleace stay for a wail im so lonely. I have never hade anything remotly simaler happening to me and that gave the game a fue down points.

 

My Biggest disepoint ment when i started playing Morrowind whas THEY REMOVED THE CLOCKS but i love reading the book and learning more about the Elder Scroll world. I realy liked recearching where the weapons, armor and deadra religion. I agree whit one thing thou why do they keep changing the apperance of the armo? for example Glass in Morrowind it sase that: the glass armor is mayde from glass ore and ebony by dark elfs. so why has it changed shape just becose we change contry same gose for the Imperial Legion armor. shudent Imperial legion look the same in all contrys? For me the answear whode be Yes and No sins i think its sick having all contrys under the same rule.

 

Sure there where more quest in Morrowind but i play Oblivion more then i ever played Morrowind. Why? Ill tell you becose you can get houses in Oblivion and do so much to decorat them (ok no one will se how you decore it) but i still think its fun to do espeacialy whit the Manicin mod.

 

I too wise they hadent removed all skill, Weapon Classes, Armor Classes and guild/faction requierments but maybe they have taken in pepol who dont understand the glory of having so many skill or the maybe hade a budget problem. If they hade a budget problem do like Will Wrights keep the good old stuff focus on bettering the bad things and make lots of room and make things that can easy be modded. I for one whode have liked it if they got a Cloth generator in to the game you chode have done so much more fun clothing and armor then and made so all races look so alike exept for the heads.

 

And you think that Oblivion is too Medival England compared to Morrowind? THEY ARE 2 DIFFRENT CONTRYS!! The building here in Europ sure dosnt look like the buildings in Asia espeacialy not at the stage of age Elder Scroll is in.

 

And about the armors in Morrowind. WHY IN ****** **** CANT THE BEAST RACES WEAR BOOTS? isnt it obvious that the beast races have mayde boots that fit ther shaped legs? NOOO in stead we give them normal legs in Oblivion (ok i think the aragoniun looks better with normal leg but kajiik suted better whit the once in Morrowind).

 

I sure hope they make a expansion like Blood Moon to Oblivion i like being a wearwolf (yes i know there is a mod for it but id like an official expansion with it).

 

I totally agree on the ponint: Diffrent lvls of spells shude have diffrent effects.

 

I think im going to stop here if i wrote all changes id like in Oblivion or Morrowind id be here all night.

 

 

 

Id like to thank the modders for making some realy nice mods that have inspierd me to start making som mods of my own and providing with scripts so i know how to make these mods.

 

P.S. I apologise for my lousy spelling im not very good at writing in any languitch.

 

Have a nice life

[Switch]

And the graphics of Morrowind only suck because they are 5 years old. I didn't buy it at its release (I bought it in mid 05 or so) so I wouldn't know for sure, but I think the graphics were pretty awesome at its release. Heck, I thought it was a brand new game when I bought it. :happy:

Yeah, this is something that a lot of people don't seem to pick up on. I got it about six months after it came out. Morrowind was the Oblivion of 2002. I was really impressed when I played it, especially once I could crank up the graphics and have the pixel shaded water. It featured pretty groundbreaking graphics back then. It seems crazy now, but that's just how fast graphics technology is moving these days. We'll probably have the TES V crowd in 2011 saying how awful Oblivion's graphics are.

 

Either way, this is a little OT. *Ahem* :P carry on people, carry on...

[Pjthedj]

I don't mind the graphics of Morrowind, but the painfully tiny font made me give it up before I even got past balmora.

 

Not to mention the combat system too.

[TonyHahn]

I enjoyed playing the whole series.. I played Arena: The Elder Scrolls , which started the whole series and have played everygame in the series, including Battlespire and a spinoff of the series Redguard! I liked the freedom that you had in Daggerfall. You could set it up on how to advance in levels and all that... I was amazed with Morrowind and still play it to this day! You could not beat its storyline , the non-linear paths one could take in that game and all the missions. WHat I also enjoyed about Morrowind was the fact that you could go out and explore caves and clear them out ! Sometimes it was fun hitting a place that is in one of the guild's quest that you did not know about. About the only things I would fix is allow nudity and have a child-guard feature so it won't be that way for the younger players. The other thing is to fix the high number of freakin' cliff racers one encounters! Oblivion is definitely dumbed down and you are pretty much forced into one course of action. You not only have less skills and less factions, but less quests and less free form adventures! I prefer that if I join one guild, I am prevented fom joining another one. For example, in Morrowind, you can be be in the Thieves' Guild , but not the Dark Brotherhood. You have to make choices... To be fair, I did like the "levelling up" of the world as your character levelled.I also prefer the combat system in Oblivion as well. I also like the fact that you can wield a weapon and still cast spells!Anyway, should they do a sequel, it should be more like TES3in scope with the combat /magic system of TES4....and more races to choose from, etc...

[Switch]

Moved OblivionStalker's post to the TES V thread... were you trying to post there or something? It was completely off-topic here anyway. ;)

[BranniganZapp]

First off let me just state that this good post even if the Developers never look it witch would be Sad but must likely true.

For the posts here I have read every one of them.unless your a Idiot there dose seams to a trend here.

The game looks Good the Graphics's are par none so far.

The game is lacking in the Content of the first game making it not the same game or worse not even a RPG ,but a FPS game instead.

Well like most that posted I played The Elder Scrolls Morrowind it was my first RPG that I liked no other RPG came close of taking my hours a way from me like that one did.Simply because I could play my way not just the way the developers wanted me to play there game only I.E. Final fantasy.or any other RPG at the time of Morrowind.

Now with Oblivion I must play there way with little freedom or non at all some times.That is what kills me I know every game Developers is making Games to look better and taking the fun or the new Ideals out of there games.They build there games for kids in mind not Adults.Thats what kids want some thing Newer or better looking Graphics's Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 They look better but they have not changed.As for the more mind oriented Games like Civilization or one of my all time best Real time strategies Games HomeWorld The Game Developers Make a dumb down sequel but better looking of the game. Why kids don't need to use there head to think they just like to look all the Graphics's and if you a Fan and Dumb to buy for the name then great they made there money.

Why say all of this ONE thing Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company made Games that where just opposites of this type of Game Developing well till now that is.Now that there bigger there making games just for lower I.Q.s only its happened with not just P.C. but as well with console too Take look at Halo vs. Halo 2 if they would made Halo 2 before 1 I dare say that there would not have been that big of deal for the game. It lacked the feel of doing things YOUR way instead of allowing freedom it strips your choices to one path only.

As for the next Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company Game I well not buy till hits the low bargain ben.

why I don't feel they the Developers need my money all that much if there not willing to make games better

or at least the same. Hell Half life 2 and Doom 3 could pull that off.

[Oruboris]

I've been playing a few weeks now, and have to say I really do love it, despite its flaws.

 

Compare it to the beautiful but content free followups to Thief and Deus Ex: they looked great, but you could play out every story line in a matter of hours, not days.

 

What I'd like to see next time?

 

If it can't have as extensive a set of skills/attributes as Morrowind, then I'd at least like one more of everything [except magic. I mean, 7 kinds of magic, but only 4 types of weapons, one of which is YOUR HANDS?]

>Four armour classes may have been overkill, but three would sure beat 2: give us a heavy based on strength; regular based on endurance, add a truely light/unarmoured based on speed.

>Similarly, either give axes their own class or make them 'blade' weapons, and add a short blade category.

>Add another 'jewlery' slot [bracelet?]: One necklace, two rings isn't enough, especially when the effects of each is so limited.

--If simplifying magic would make this easier, ok: Lets have an 'intel' category combining alt, dest and alch, a 'will power' category of rest and conj, and a 'personality' category combining myst and illusion.

 

In terms of general gameplay,:

>I don't mind having to get off the horse to fight, but I hate it when the monsters run right by me-- while I'm hacking away!-- to attack them.

>Give me a stealth system like in Thief. This one looks similar, but doesn't work nearly as well. A 'knockout' option would add realism.

>Give me a bow that actually does some damage. Currently worthless against anything tougher than a mud crab.

>A 'major wound' effect which would cause badly overmatched NPCs to [attempt] to run away when you hurt them badly.

>A 'fatal wound' effect, where the NPC will die in a few seconds, but till then, look out.

>Put all the stupid cliff's notes in the journal where I can find them if I need them. They break the immersion when they flash onscreen every 20 seconds, as they do in some quests.

>Make the guards less pychic. Make it possible to fail a pickpocket snatch without alarming the mark.

>By adjusting all the menu sizes, I could have all my inventory, spells, etc. open at the same time in Morrowind. Oblivion has less of everything, why do I need a mod to see everything at a glance?

>Better item grouping: in the 'things you wear' list, couldn't all the types of items [rings, say] be together so I can find it when I need it?

 

Other stuff:

>World would be more beliveable if there were more body types. Fat people as well as fit people, old people with more than a few wrinkles right round the eyes, more pets, and, after all these years, kids.

>Use technology to expand the number of voices: changing the pitch, timber, timing should be very cost effective.

>keys should dissappear when every lock they can open has been opened.

>Only NPCs with something new to say should initiate conversations.

[SITHSLAYER]

imo Oblivion feels empty like your char is somewhat of a ghost moving around talking to tafic cones with faces

[Switch]

funkybadger's post removed. So little content it was spam. Remember the rules. ;)