First "technical" impressions (no spoilers)

[elvinkun]

Well... Why were you on the boat on Moorowind? Andwhat have you done to end up in prison in Oblivion? And for both, were you from someowhere else, that noone in theland knew you? In my opinion, it would totally kill the TES feeling of "You are who you what to be" if they added background story.

 

As for the UI, I feared as much. And I guess my fear is justified.

[QueenOfThieves]

You immagine it...its simple ...the game gives you a hint where you are being led to your execution...till you arrive there, you have so many possiblities to make up your backroud...if you cant immagine it ...then simply you are too used to be given everything like on a plate.

 

People are too used to be taken by hand and being led by the game creators....i think bethesda wants to get rid of this and simply wants to let your immagination go out...you can come up with "pff its all exuces for a poorly made start" but if you cant immagine a simple thing as making your own backstory then you have a serious problem.

 

never did say i had a problem with it, i love it. But that don't give me the right to bad mouth people who don't like most fanboi's (99% of the replys here)

 

It is some times seens i played Oblivion, but if i am not misstaken not even the people who put you in jail (the guards) know why you are there, that is stupid. You was put there for some reason, and being told why don't need to affect anything, but letting you know why. But as it has been/is now you are left with a huge

 

 

?

 

before you head of in to the game. I can see that being a problem for some, and it is sad that non of you can, and it tells more about you then me and the OP :)

 

Forget the past. Celebrate the present. :dance:

[zerpentor]

Just to recap some of the replies here:

 

"Just plug in your controller and stop complaining"

 

No. I find console controllers to be a huge step backwards when it comes to communication my commands to the game. Keyboard and Mouse just gives you much more freedom... and speed. There is a reason why FPS games for consoles have aiming assistance and less enemies than their PC counterparts. More often than not, the controller makes the games harder than it has to be.

 

"It's a TES game, none of them has character backstory!"

 

So? Old classic cars didn't have seat belts, air bags or anti locking brakes either. The cars were still great, but they are just not up to today's standards. See what I'm getting at? If not, let me know and i'll toss more analogies at you. :)

 

"1 hour is not enough to judge the game"

 

From a technical stand point, yes it is. It doesn't take 20 hours of play to determine that the interface works against you and not for you. Neither does it take that long to evaluate the graphics. I am not saying it's an ugly game (I switched off FXAA and it looked slightly better, but the water in the distance is still abysmal), I am just saying that it's been 5 years since Oblivion, rigs are vastly superior than they were back then and that increase machine power should be reflected in the game. The answer to why it's simple a pretty game on the PC and not jaw droppingly gorgeous is obvious: The game must also run on the consoles, which still labor with aging tech, despite improvements to game coding. Despite this I had expected more graphics settings.

[tomhjen]

@tomhjen

 

If i offeneded you i apologize, it wasnt ment that way...for me its all about immagination...its the key to all starts of tes games...The "why" is something you have to fill up yourself...thats about it.

 

Im not being blind to the flaws of tes games ... on the contrary...there is many of them, but it depends on you tolerance level...playing bethesdas games for many years now my tolerance level is pretty high, though im not saying to ignore them...i just dont see the whole "no background story" point as bad.

 

About the UI...it was pretty much clear it would end up that way i guess.

 

It don't really offend me in person, but i think people should sit down and think for two seconds before opening their mouth, the world don't always share their "fanboism" sort of speak. As i did say in that post, i like the games in most ways but i can see where other people wont. I am just pointing that out but don't seem like people get it hehe

[Povuholo]

"It's a TES game, none of them has character backstory!"

 

So? Old classic cars didn't have seat belts, air bags or anti locking brakes either. The cars were still great, but they are just not up to today's standards. See what I'm getting at? If not, let me know and i'll toss more analogies at you. :)

I'm not seeing it, because seat belts and airbags are obvious technological improvements for cars while the lack of backstory in a TES game is a design choice.

[Stycks]

"It's a TES game, none of them has character backstory!"

 

So? Old classic cars didn't have seat belts, air bags or anti locking brakes either. The cars were still great, but they are just not up to today's standards. See what I'm getting at? If not, let me know and i'll toss more analogies at you. :)

I'm not seeing it, because seat belts and airbags are obvious technological improvements for cars while the lack of backstory in a TES game is a design choice.

 

Agreed. It would be safe to assume the general population that has played TES games would agree that starting an RPG at a clean start and to be free to do your choices is not a setback, nor outdated.

[Thoreai]

@tomhjen

 

If i offeneded you i apologize, it wasnt ment that way...for me its all about immagination...its the key to all starts of tes games...The "why" is something you have to fill up yourself...thats about it.

 

Im not being blind to the flaws of tes games ... on the contrary...there is many of them, but it depends on you tolerance level...playing bethesdas games for many years now my tolerance level is pretty high, though im not saying to ignore them...i just dont see the whole "no background story" point as bad.

 

About the UI...it was pretty much clear it would end up that way i guess.

 

It don't really offend me in person, but i think people should sit down and think for two seconds before opening their mouth, the world don't always share their "fanboism" sort of speak. As i did say in that post, i like the games in most ways but i can see where other people wont. I am just pointing that out but don't seem like people get it hehe

 

The problem is, the word fanboism is too many times being used when someone stands for a game...people too often use it to justify their own beliefs and judge others based on that, saying they are blind becouse of it...surely there are such people out there...but knowing a games history and the way their creators think is a plus, therefore not everyone can agree about certain points being brought up...especially in tes games as they have a large history...and having no background is one of these things.

[zerpentor]

You immagine it...its simple ...the game gives you a hint where you are being led to your execution...till you arrive there, you have so many possiblities to make up your backroud...if you cant immagine it ...then simply you are too used to be given everything like on a plate.

 

People are too used to be taken by hand and being led by the game creators....i think bethesda wants to get rid of this and simply wants to let your immagination go out...you can come up with "pff its all exuces for a poorly made start" but if you cant immagine a simple thing as making your own backstory then you have a serious problem.

 

Wait, what??

 

What you're saying is basicly the same as saying you don't mind watching a movie without seeing the first 20 minutes. Imagine, if you will, That Fellowship of The Ring started when Frodo and Co. were leaving Rivendel after having decided to take the Ring to Mordor. No explanation is given, they don't talk about who they are or their motivation for undertaking this suicidal quest. I am fairly certain that movie-goers around the world would have been furious and would not have been satisfied with "Let your imagination go wild and make up your own back story for the shireling and his friends"

 

Another example of why giving backstory is the comic hero Batman. He is what he is because his parents were murdered in front of him. Without this knowledge of him, it is MUCH harder to sympathize with his overzealousness and without it, he would just be another vigilante.

 

Finally... What this game is lacking completely is, in theatrical terms, setting the stage. Ask any movie director or stage performer whether setting the stage is a VITAL part or not and I think you will find their answers very similar.

[Thoreai]

You immagine it...its simple ...the game gives you a hint where you are being led to your execution...till you arrive there, you have so many possiblities to make up your backroud...if you cant immagine it ...then simply you are too used to be given everything like on a plate.

 

People are too used to be taken by hand and being led by the game creators....i think bethesda wants to get rid of this and simply wants to let your immagination go out...you can come up with "pff its all exuces for a poorly made start" but if you cant immagine a simple thing as making your own backstory then you have a serious problem.

 

Wait, what??

 

What you're saying is basicly the same as saying you don't mind watching a movie without seeing the first 20 minutes. Imagine, if you will, That Fellowship of The Ring started when Frodo and Co. were leaving Rivendel after having decided to take the Ring to Mordor. No explanation is given, they don't talk about who they are or their motivation for undertaking this suicidal quest. I am fairly certain that movie-goers around the world would have been furious and would not have been satisfied with "Let your imagination go wild and make up your own back story for the shireling and his friends"

 

Another example of why giving backstory is the comic hero Batman. He is what he is because his parents were murdered in front of him. Without this knowledge of him, it is MUCH harder to sympathize with his overzealousness and without it, he would just be another vigilante.

 

Finally... What this game is lacking completely is, in theatrical terms, setting the stage. Ask any movie director or stage performer whether setting the stage is a VITAL part or not and I think you will find their answers very similar.

 

This is not a movie.

[zerpentor]

"It's a TES game, none of them has character backstory!"

 

So? Old classic cars didn't have seat belts, air bags or anti locking brakes either. The cars were still great, but they are just not up to today's standards. See what I'm getting at? If not, let me know and i'll toss more analogies at you. :)

I'm not seeing it, because seat belts and airbags are obvious technological improvements for cars while the lack of backstory in a TES game is a design choice.

 

Agreed. It would be safe to assume the general population that has played TES games would agree that starting an RPG at a clean start and to be free to do your choices is not a setback, nor outdated.

 

I agree that it is a design choice. A poor choice in my oppinion, since it removes the characters motivation. I disagree about it not being outdated. Just because it hasn't been a part of previous TES games is not a valid reason for it not to be, at the very least, an option now. It would have been soooo easy to include and still make all the "free thinkers of the TES community" happy aswell. Just add a skippable tutorial part where the game basics are explained as well as your past (or atleast some hints at it).