Support NeoGAF

[WanderingWind]

You are like the person that defends Attack of the Clones without seeing the original movies.

Perfect.

 

[riskVSreward]

Honestly dude, Morrowind is the superior game. It's not so much that Oblivion sucks, but more like it failed to live up to expectations. I could see why someone who hasn't played Morrowind could pick up Oblivion and be like "this game is so awes------------!" but to people who came into it after putting in the hours on Morrowind, it didn't really deliver.

 

[Seanspeed]

You are like the person that defends Attack of the Clones without seeing the original movies.

So if somebody said something bad about Toy Story 3, nobody could have a differing opinion on it if they hadn't seen the first two movies?

Believe it or not, Oblivion CAN be rated on its own merits. Comparisons to other games are inevitable, but in the end, its still perfectly possible to have an opinion about it without having played the others in the series. I'm venturing a guess that many people that love Morrowind haven't played Arena or Daggerfall, so I guess these people aren't allowed to defend Morrowind if anybody says anything bad about it?

I honestly dont understand your logic. Sounds like you simply dont agree with me and you dont like that I'm expressing it.

 

[Sotha Sil]

The quests in Morrowind are atrociously bad, made worse by the PITA fast traveling system. It's a tremendously large flaw that gets glossed over too often in the Morrowind vs. Oblivion discussions, along with just about all its other weaknesses.

For the record, I prefer Morrowind, but there are as many things wrong with it as with Oblivion, and a lot of it is just ignored nowadays because it doesn't fit in with the "Morrowind is so deep and immaculate!" narrative.

Nobody (well, I think, at least) argues that Morrowind is perfect. I ever said that most of Oblivion's quests, taken individually, are better. It's the overall structure of the game, its coherence and it's lore that wins me over in the end.

Morrowind is deep, but it's sure as hell not immaculate.

 

[riskVSreward]

So if somebody said something bad about Toy Story 3, nobody could have a differing opinion on it if they hadn't seen the first two movies?

Believe it or not, Oblivion CAN be rated on its own merits. Comparisons to other games are inevitable, but in the end, its still perfectly possible to have an opinion about it without having played the others in the series. I'm venturing a guess that many people that love Morrowind haven't played Arena or Daggerfall, so I guess these people aren't allowed to defend Morrowind if anybody says anything bad about it?

I honestly dont understand your logic. Sounds like you simply dont agree with me and you dont like that I'm expressing it.

It's not logic, it's a comparison. You are in fact like those people.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Shit, wrong thread

Ummm, Seanspeed, what are your thoughts on Jar Jar Binks?

 

[Seanspeed]

It's not logic, it's a comparison. You are in fact like those people.

Not sure you really read my post(and my others) fully, but ok.

Ummm, Seanspeed, what are your thoughts on Jar Jar Binks?

Best Star Wars character ever. Why?

 

[water_wendi]

Believe it or not, Oblivion CAN be rated on its own merits. Comparisons to other games are inevitable, but in the end, its still perfectly possible to have an opinion about it without having played the others in the series.

As its own game its still horrible. Even with the generic setting the level scaling kills any sense of exploration. i knew something was up in the first hour when after exploring a cave where i received a wooden spoon for the hardest locked chest in the entire dungeon i set off for another locale to try my luck. Same thing. Enemies were all my level, loot was the same. On its own Oblivion cannot stand without crutches (aka the mod community).

I'm venturing a guess that many people that love Morrowind haven't played Arena or Daggerfall, so I guess these people aren't allowed to defend Morrowind if anybody says anything bad about it?

The first two games are radically different than the last two. Comparing them would be like comparing Super Mario World to Mario Galaxy.

I honestly dont understand your logic. Sounds like you simply dont agree with me and you dont like that I'm expressing it.

Believe what you want. Until you actually play the game that you are trying to defend Oblivion against theres not much else to say.

 

[Timber]

Nobody (well, I think, at least) argues that Morrowind is perfect. I ever said that most of Oblivion's quests, taken individually, are better. It's the overall structure of the game, its coherence and it's lore that wins me over in the end.

Morrowind is deep, but it's sure as hell not immaculate.

Is lore a metric by which to measure a game's depth? I did enjoy a lot of the books found in Morrowind (though too much reading in a game is still a no-no for me) and the lore is above average to say the least, but in terms of gameplay mechanics it's a very shallow game. And I don't necessarily mean that as criticism, because there's no real need for the series to be deep in such a way. But when it comes to fleshing out the game world, creating memorable quests is just as important a factor (moreso, IMO) as creating lore. Morrowind's quest are almost without exception banal fetch-me-a-trinket missions.

 

[Seanspeed]

As its own game its still horrible. Even with the generic setting the level scaling kills any sense of exploration. i knew something was up in the first hour when after exploring a cave where i received a wooden spoon for the hardest locked chest in the entire dungeon i set off for another locale to try my luck. Same thing. Enemies were all my level, loot was the same. On its own Oblivion cannot stand without crutches (aka the mod community).



The first two games are radically different than the last two. Comparing them would be like comparing Super Mario World to Mario Galaxy.


Believe what you want. Until you actually play the game that you are trying to defend Oblivion against theres not much else to say.

Well yea, it IS simply a matter of opinion here. I think Oblivion was great on its own, and thats the Xbox360 version. You dont feel the same way. I get that. Whatever.

And for the last time, I'm not defending Oblivion AGAINST Morrowind.

 

[Government-man]

As its own game its still horrible. Even with the generic setting the level scaling kills any sense of exploration. i knew something was up in the first hour when after exploring a cave where i received a wooden spoon for the hardest locked chest in the entire dungeon i set off for another locale to try my luck. Same thing. Enemies were all my level, loot was the same. On its own Oblivion cannot stand without crutches (aka the mod community).

More often than not there was something valuable in locked chests.

And Oblivion was my favorite game of 2006. It's subjective, but I think it's a bit much to call it a horrible game.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

I preferred Morrowind's setting, and for me the game world felt bigger compared to Oblivion. I liked the greater variety of locations, weapons etc. Similar to many here, I didn't like how the game world levelled with you in Oblivion.
However, overall I enjoyed Oblivion's quests more, and for me the combat was better (Morrowind's roll-to-hit combat was dire). No Cliff Racer epidemic in Oblivion either - hurrah!

Loved 'em both though!
Here's hoping we get the best of both worlds with Skyrim

 

[WanderingWind]

Oh, and for the record, while I played Arena for the first time in early 2005ish, I played Daggerfall when it was new. So, I feel that I have some basis to call myself a fan of the entire series. Morrowind is my favorite of the series, followed by Daggerfall, then Oblivion and finally, Arena. I wouldn't consider any of them bad games, but Oblivion was definitely the most disappointing, due to high expectations and decidedly broken RPG elements and a complete destruction of the Mage and thief classes. I liked exploring the world and got plenty of mileage out of the game, but as has been repeated ad nauseum, the level scaling killed any real sense of discovery. It wasn't a terrible game, but it was a terrible RPG and a mediocre adventure game.

 

[Sotha Sil]

Is lore a metric by which to measure a game's depth?

As far as RPGs are concerned, yes, it is. I was clearly not talking about the gameplay mechanics, though. What I love about Morrowind is its social architecture. It all comes down to the factions. There were too many fetch quests, but the coherence of the world made most of them tolerable: climbing the social ladder, stripping the diplomatic veneer and finally understanding who was waging war against whom was a great part of my enjoyment.

The deepness of the lore, and the ability to experience it firsthand, is of utmost importance.

Spoiler

Exploring a mage's tower and finding out that one Dwemer was still alive (after reading and hearing so much about their disappearance), all of this as a part of simple fetch quest, was an incredible discovery

. I never felt the same way about Oblivion's (superior) quests.

 

[Timber]

As far as RPGs are concerned, yes, it is. I was clearly not talking about the gameplay mechanics, though. What I love about Morrowind is its social architecture. It all comes down to the factions. There were too many fetch quests, but the coherence of the world made most of them tolerable: climbing the social ladder, stripping the diplomatic veneer and finally understanding who was waging war against whom was a great part of my enjoyment.

The deepness of the lore, and the ability to experience it firsthand, is of utmost importance.

Spoiler

Exploring a mage's tower and finding out that one Dwemer was still alive (after reading and hearing so much about their disparition), all of this as a part of simple fetch quest, was an incredible discovery

. I never felt the same way about Oblivion's (superior) quests.

I suppose these are just differing ways to approach an RPG, because I don't place nearly as much importance in lore as you seem to do, perhaps in part because I don't often pay much attention to it. I do agree with what you said about "experiencing lore firsthand." But to me, this encompasses everything I do in a game. If a quest ties into a particular piece of lore you've found before, that's great, but if the events that play out during that quest don't amount to much more than retrieving a bauble or killing a guy at the end of a run-of-the-mill dungeon, then all of that doesn't matter much to me. Many of Oblivion's quests are made of the stuff that could be found in Morrowind's lore books - interesting or amusing self-contained stories - while the same can't be said of the player's exploits during the quests in Morrowind.

 

[SirPenguin]

I played Oblivion first, way back in 2006, and didn't like a large amount of things. So many people raved about Morrowind and said it was the superior game, so I decided to play that instead. I didn't really get into it until recently, but I can safely conclude that Morrowind is just as fucked up as Oblivion is

Pretty much every complaint I have about Oblivion is mirrored in Morrowind in some manner.

It still has a completely illogical and flawed leveling system. The conversation/social system is equally messed up and annoying as hell to use. Both have awful inventory systems, both have really lame quests, both have a bizarre take on guilds/factions, etc. etc.

So yeah. I think I like Morrowind better because I enjoy the atmosphere more, but I'm shocked that so many people scold Oblivion for problems that Morrowind is just as plagued with

 

[Ledsen]

I played Oblivion first, way back in 2006, and didn't like a large amount of things. So many people raved about Morrowind and said it was the superior game, so I decided to play that instead. I didn't really get into it until recently, but I can safely conclude that Morrowind is just as fucked up as Oblivion is

Pretty much every complaint I have about Oblivion is mirrored in Morrowind in some manner.

It still has a completely illogical and flawed leveling system. The conversation/social system is equally messed up and annoying as hell to use. Both have awful inventory systems, both have really lame quests, both have a bizarre take on guilds/factions, etc. etc.

So yeah. I think I like Morrowind better because I enjoy the atmosphere more, but I'm shocked that so many people scold Oblivion for problems that Morrowind is just as plagued with

The two overwhelmingly biggest complaints people have of Oblivion, the enemy/loot scaling and bland, flat world with identical dungeons, are not in Morrowind. Those other things you mention are in both games, yes, but they don't matter nearly as much. The character leveling system is very easily fixed with mods in both games if you don't like it. Personally I use Oblivion XP for Oblivion, which makes all quests, kills and new place discoveries give XP that I can then distribute as I please, similar to Fallout 3.

 

[Shrennin]

That's not at all the same as the kind of continuity seen in most franchises. When he said continuity, he meant the main storyline of one game continuing directly into the next game.

Yea, that's exactly what I meant. Even though certain characters in Oblivion may have been in previous Elder Scrolls, there really are no direct references to those past games (or if there are, then they are so subtle that it wouldn't bother anyone who hasn't played the previous games because they wouldn't have picked up on it).

 

[Blue Ninja]

Well yea, it IS simply a matter of opinion here. I think Oblivion was great on its own, and thats the Xbox360 version. You dont feel the same way. I get that. Whatever.

And for the last time, I'm not defending Oblivion AGAINST Morrowind.

They're both great games, it's simple as that. Contrary to popular belief, Oblivion does have its own atmosphere, but it's just so completely different from Morrowind's that people dismiss it immediately. It's a lot more generic, sure, but it takes place in the province whose people are most like us, as well.

Oblivion was not as complicated as Morrowind, true, and the world, while bigger in scale, feels a lot smaller. However, I still find it thrilling to explore. Oblivion's Main Quest didn't have all the political intrigues Morrowind had, and I'm fine with that. Cyrodiil's the home of the empire, almost every faction has been completely integrated. There's no need for any of the "who wants to go to war with who"-intrigues that made Morrowind so interesting. All in all, I find Oblivion's story, while completely different from Morrowind's, just as enjoyable.

 

[Evolved1]

Hey Bethesda... I don't want to be a vampire, ok? I don't want to spend 4 hours creating a character that's actually decent looking (it is possible with the tools provided, so apparently you need better artists) only to secretly contract some disease I didn't know about, and was never warned about, and watch it morph her face into worse-looking-than-your-NPC's (which I thought was impossible) and then be forced to go on some ridiculously broken and absurd quest to heal it... only to realize that my character is forever visually tainted. After hours and hours, have to restart. When that happens, in the context of a gaming experience that's suffering from the drastically terrible, enjoyment-killing changes since Morrowind, leading to possibly the biggest disappointment of my gaming life... the vampire thing is just too much. Just unacceptable. Please don't do that again. Or make it a quest for those folks so inclined or at least give the player more than a cryptic warning.

Also no enemy/loot scaling and hire animators.

 

[Yo Gotti]

Morrowind:

Oblivion:

 

[bounchfx]

hey guys



guys


guys it's ok to like more than one thing.
and I personally enjoyed Oblivion a hell of a lot more than morrowind. it was a lot easier to get into and just 'enjoy'. I liked morrowind, but I never was able to 'appreciate' it to the level some of you do. I like the hand holding. I don't have all fucking day to explore. but that's me!

 

[BloodySinner]

Hey Bethesda... I don't want to be a vampire, ok? I don't want to spend 4 hours creating a character that's actually decent looking (it is possible with the tools provided, so apparently you need better artists) only to secretly contract some disease I didn't know about, and was never warned about, and watch it morph her face into worse-looking-than-your-NPC's (which I thought was impossible) and then be forced to go on some ridiculously broken and absurd quest to heal it... only to realize that my character is forever visually tainted. After hours and hours, have to restart. When that happens, in the context of a gaming experience that's suffering from the drastically terrible, enjoyment-killing changes since Morrowind, leading to possibly the biggest disappointment of my gaming life... the vampire thing is just too much. Just unacceptable. Please don't do that again. Or make it a quest for those folks so inclined or at least give the player more than a cryptic warning.

Also no enemy/loot scaling and hire animators.

I found the vampire disease to be rather amusing. Not being able to talk to people and all. What annoyed me the most about is was how one couldn't stay up during the day.

 

[Dresden]

Morrowin > Oblivion

dat dunmer

Hey Bethesda... I don't want to be a vampire, ok? I don't want to spend 4 hours creating a character that's actually decent looking (it is possible with the tools provided, so apparently you need better artists) only to secretly contract some disease I didn't know about, and was never warned about, and watch it morph her face into worse-looking-than-your-NPC's (which I thought was impossible) and then be forced to go on some ridiculously broken and absurd quest to heal it... only to realize that my character is forever visually tainted. After hours and hours, have to restart. When that happens, in the context of a gaming experience that's suffering from the drastically terrible, enjoyment-killing changes since Morrowind, leading to possibly the biggest disappointment of my gaming life... the vampire thing is just too much. Just unacceptable. Please don't do that again. Or make it a quest for those folks so inclined or at least give the player more than a cryptic warning.

man having unexpected consequences for your character is game breaking yo

fix that shit asap

 

[Evolved1]

I found the vampire disease to be rather amusing. Not being able to talk to people and all. What annoyed me the most about is was how one couldn't stay up during the day.

It might not have bothered me quite as much... if after doing that absurd heal quest my character's face went back to normal. But it never did. It was this wretched, haggard thing I couldn't even believe it. After all that... the time I put into creation + stat building + gamelplay + that ridiculous fucking quest... I couldn't believe bethesda devs would troll me like that.

man having unexpected consequences for your character is game breaking yo

fix that shit asap

Whatever. The game holds your dick for you while you piss in every other area and then out of the blue hits you with something like that.

 

[ZeroRay]

I think Bethesda knows the mistakes they've made with Oblivion and what they've succeeded with in Morrowind. I have a feeling we'll be satisfied by the end result.

Just remove level scaling or give us the option to turn it off please.

 

[water_wendi]

Oblivion's Main Quest didn't have all the political intrigues Morrowind had, and I'm fine with that. Cyrodiil's the home of the empire, almost every faction has been completely integrated. There's no need for any of the "who wants to go to war with who"-intrigues that made Morrowind so interesting.

Heres the thing.. it easily could have. According to everything that was built up in the previous games Cyrodiil would have been one of the most interesting and unique places in the fantasy genre.

Flat golf course-like countryside? Nope.

Indeed, if the history of the Nords is the history of humans on Tamriel, then Cyrodiil is the throne from which they will decide their destiny. It is the largest region of the continent, and most is endless jungle. Its center, the grassland of the Nibenay Valley, is enclosed by an equatorial rain forest and broken up by rivers. As one travels south along these rivers, the more subtropical it becomes, until finally the land gives way to the swamps of Argonia and the placid waters of the Topal Bay. The elevation rises gradually to the west and sharply to the north. Between its western coast and its central valley there are all manner of deciduous forest and mangroves, becoming sparser towards the ocean. The western coast is a wet-dry area, and from Rihad border to Anvil to the northernmost Valenwood villages forest fires are common in summer. There are a few major roads to the west, river paths to the north, and even a canopy tunnel to the Velothi Mountains, but most of Cyrodiil is a river-based society surrounded by jungle.

Absence of political stuff within Cyrodiil? Nope.

Cyrodiil in the Third Empire is the young, vital embodiment of its ancient heritage. Internally, it has undergone an incredible restoration-- reconstruction of the ruined sections of the Imperial City is nearly complete, roads and cities destroyed in the Interregnum have been rebuilt, East and West are unified for the first time in four centuries. Cyrodiil's present stability and strength have not been seen since the Reman Dynasty; indeed, they were born under similar circumstances - a Westerner winning the Eastern throne, forging them both into the greatest power in Tamriel. And now, in but twenty years time, Tiber Septim has secured Imperial authority in High Rock, Skyrim, and Hammerfell. Every human region stands with him against the Elven menace. The Emperor has gracefully attributed his success to his peoples, the Colovians and the Nibenese, whose cultures we shall now treat in their current incarnation.

Lots of lost potential there with a human superiority angle and the two different cultures that exist within Cyrodiil.


A description of what the Imperial City should have been like..

Refayj's famous declaration, "There is but one city in the Imperial Province,--" may strike the citizens of the Colovian west as mildly insulting, until perhaps they hear the rest of the remark, which continues, "--but one city in Tamriel, but one city in the World; that, my brothers, is the city of the Cyrodiils." From the shore it is hard to tell what is city and what is Palace, for it all rises from the islands of the lake towards the sky in a stretch of gold. Whole neighborhoods rest on the jeweled bridges that connect the islands together. Gondolas and river-ships sail along the watery avenues of its flooded lower dwellings. Moth-priests walk by in a cloud of ancestors; House Guards hold exceptionally long daikatanas crossed at intersections, adorned with ribbons and dragon-flags; and the newly arrived Western legionnaires sweat in the humid air. The river mouth is tainted red from the tinmi soil of the shore, and river dragons rust their hides in its waters. Across the lake the Imperial City continues, merging into the villages of the southern red river and ruins left from the Interregnum.

The Emperor's Palace is a crown of sun rays, surrounded by his magical gardens. One garden path is known as Green Emperor Road-here, topiaries of the heads of past Emperors have been shaped by sorcery and can speak. When one must advise Tiber Septim, birds are drawn to the hedgery head, using their songs as its voice and moving its branches for the needed expressions.

 

[Unicorn]

Shiiit Cyrodiil was supposed to be the jungle swamp elder scrolls I dreamt of? And to think I've been begging for Black Marsh setting for ES:V all this time...

Why didn't they attempt to do Cyrodiil as it was supposed to? Retcon to make it easier to develop?


E:
Reading that makes me even more dissappointed about Obliv. It would've surely been as immersive and interesting, if not more so, than Morrowind.

My mind is going crazy just thinking if they only marginally improved the graphics from Morrowind and focused on world buidling and depth of THAT Cyrodiil. Would've established Bethesda as THE RPG dev to top in terms of unique worlds, experiences, and immersion.

But alas, hoping is hopeless for past pastures.

 

[Lakitu]

I for one am glad there won't be any more Oblivion plains.

 

[Santiako]

I think Bethesda knows the mistakes they've made with Oblivion and what they've succeeded with in Morrowind. I have a feeling we'll be satisfied by the end result.

Just remove level scaling or give us the option to turn it off please.

And allow us to be werewolves again. And levitate. kthksbye

 

[_Bro]

Heres the thing.. it easily could have. According to everything that was built up in the previous games Cyrodiil would have been one of the most interesting and unique places in the fantasy genre.

Flat golf course-like countryside? Nope.


Absence of political stuff within Cyrodiil? Nope.

Lots of lost potential there with a human superiority angle and the two different cultures that exist within Cyrodiil.


A description of what the Imperial City should have been like..

Probably my biggest problem with the series: race is nothing more than a stat boost. Do you spend an extra hour or two raising your short blade or do you roleplay a cat? THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

There are never any real changes between races, other than boots (Morrowind) and posture (Morrowind). It's hilarious how the dunmer will sit their and ridicule me, letting me know how foul of a person I am, because I came off a boat. Instead, why not have branching paths based on race? What's the little extra effort? It's not like our stats actually have effects on anything other than magic dice rolling.

It's not hard, Bethesda. You guys barely do much in the realm of set pieces, dramatic encounters . . . well, there is a general "fail" in presentation on all sides. Put some damn effort into the structure of the game. I'm an elf and need help from an Imperial. Maybe I need to cast an Illusion spell so he thinks I'm an Imperial, or sneak in to his room and get info/item, or talk to guard who is less racist, etc.

It's not hard to think of these sorts of things that make the world more interesting and worth revisiting from different viewpoints instead of just having one absurd character who has solved every single problem for the people and is so great and amazing only to have people yell N'WAAAAAAAAR at him.

Or they just walk around with this dumb look on their face instead of acknowledging such a magnificent presence.

Fable did it.

 

[Unicorn]

Probably my biggest problem with the series: race is nothing more than a stat boost. Do you spend an extra hour or two raising your short blade or do you roleplay a cat? THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

There are never any real changes between races, other than boots (Morrowind) and posture (Morrowind). It's hilarious how the dunmer will sit their and ridicule me, letting me know how foul of a person I am, because I came off a boat. Instead, why not have branching paths based on race? What's the little extra effort? It's not like our stats actually have effects on anything other than magic dice rolling.

It's not hard, Bethesda. You guys barely do much in the realm of set pieces, dramatic encounters . . . well, there is a general "fail" in presentation on all sides. Put some damn effort into the structure of the game. I'm an elf and need help from an Imperial. Maybe I need to cast an Illusion spell so he thinks I'm an Imperial, or sneak in to his room and get info/item, or talk to guard who is less racist, etc.

It's not hard to think of these sorts of things that make the world more interesting and worth revisiting from different viewpoints instead of just having one absurd character who has solved every single problem for the people and is so great and amazing only to have people yell N'WAAAAAAAAR at him.

Or they just walk around with this dumb look on their face instead of acknowledging such a magnificent presence.

Fable did it.

Indeed. I need more DnD in my Elder Scrolls. Its the closest to a DnD game, but there's a lot of shortcomings and room for improvement. They have the funding... why not expand?

I know the answer which is easy money because fans will buy it regardless, but I still wish to be spoiled ROTTEN.

 

[MMaRsu]

Hey Bethesda... I don't want to be a vampire, ok? I don't want to spend 4 hours creating a character that's actually decent looking (it is possible with the tools provided, so apparently you need better artists) only to secretly contract some disease I didn't know about, and was never warned about, and watch it morph her face into worse-looking-than-your-NPC's (which I thought was impossible) and then be forced to go on some ridiculously broken and absurd quest to heal it... only to realize that my character is forever visually tainted. After hours and hours, have to restart. When that happens, in the context of a gaming experience that's suffering from the drastically terrible, enjoyment-killing changes since Morrowind, leading to possibly the biggest disappointment of my gaming life... the vampire thing is just too much. Just unacceptable. Please don't do that again. Or make it a quest for those folks so inclined or at least give the player more than a cryptic warning.

holy shit haha :lol

 

[CrocMother]

Do you guys think there will be a simultaneous PS3 release?

Sorry if this has already been answered somewhere.

 

[Mastperf]

Do you guys think there will be a simultaneous PS3 release?

Sorry if this has already been answered somewhere.

Sure, why wouldn't there be? Oblivion came out before the PS3 was released so that's why it was delayed.

 

[Seventy5]

This is probably my most anticipated game of this gen. I loved Oblivion AND Morrowind, and I can't wait to see what they do this time. I really hope they evolve the dungeons this time, more Mournhold and Shivering Isles style and less generic Oblivion gate stuff.

Does anyone think they are going to put some multiplayer element into the game? I think they are going to, it's almost inevitable, but I don't know how to feel about it. I'm looking forward to playing co-op in Two Worlds 2 and Dungeon Siege 3, but I don't want a single player monster campaign for Skyrim to be effected by a "need" to full a bullet point for the "multiplayer or no buy" contingent.

 

[Blue Ninja]

This is probably my most anticipated game of this gen. I loved Oblivion AND Morrowind, and I can't wait to see what they do this time. I really hope they evolve the dungeons this time, more Mournhold and Shivering Isles style and less generic Oblivion gate stuff.

Does anyone think they are going to put some multiplayer element into the game? I think they are going to, it's almost inevitable, but I don't know how to feel about it. I'm looking forward to playing co-op in Two Worlds 2 and Dungeon Siege 3, but I don't want a single player monster campaign for Skyrim to be effected by a "need" to full a bullet point for the "multiplayer or no buy" contingent.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say "No". I'd like to believe Bethesda, despite its many flaws, knows better than to insert multiplayer into a freakin' The Elder Scrolls game. Leave that to the ZeniMax Online people, they're trying to cash in with The Elder Scrolls Online, if it ever comes out.

 

[butsomuch]

http://twitter.com/Andrew_Reiner/statuses/17626997882626048

Our Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim coverage has expanded from 12 pages to 14, making it our largest game-based cover story.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

What publication?

 

[ZeroRay]

What publication?

Game Informer

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Bah! Not a UK one.

Oh well, details will be up here ASAP anyway.

 

[butsomuch]

GI retrospective: Decrypting The Elder Scrolls (quotes from Game Director Todd Howard, Design Director Bruce Nesmith, Senior Designer Kurt Kuhlmann and Art Director Matt Carofano)

 

[Revolutionary]

GI retrospective: Decrypting The Elder Scrolls (quotes from Game Director Todd Howard, Design Director Bruce Nesmith, Senior Designer Kurt Kuhlmann and Art Director Matt Carofano)

Bah, it's the same shit from the end of the last issue. A good read for those that don't subscribe, though.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

There were a number of fails in Oblivion which tarnish our memory of it now, but the biggest problem was that the main story sucked and the main quest line sucked and the ending absolutely was a joke. Most of the other problems with the game were solved with various mods, but nothing can ever redeem how shitty the main quest line was.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Shiiit Cyrodiil was supposed to be the jungle swamp elder scrolls I dreamt of? And to think I've been begging for Black Marsh setting for ES:V all this time...

Why didn't they attempt to do Cyrodiil as it was supposed to? Retcon to make it easier to develop?


E:
Reading that makes me even more dissappointed about Obliv. It would've surely been as immersive and interesting, if not more so, than Morrowind.

My mind is going crazy just thinking if they only marginally improved the graphics from Morrowind and focused on world buidling and depth of THAT Cyrodiil. Would've established Bethesda as THE RPG dev to top in terms of unique worlds, experiences, and immersion.

But alas, hoping is hopeless for past pastures.

A marshy jungle wouldn't have allowed them to to the large fantasy horizons that are a major part of Oblivion. A full jungle also would have been just as boring as all fields and forest.

There were a number of fails in Oblivion which tarnish our memory of it now, but the biggest problem was that the main story sucked and the main quest line sucked and the ending absolutely was a joke. Most of the other problems with the game were solved with various mods, but nothing can ever redeem how shitty the main quest line was.

Playing Oblivion for the main storyline is... not the best way to play Oblivion. I have had Oblivion for 2 years now, and the farthest I have ever gotten in the main quest was getting Martin to the Cloud Ruler temple, and only then just for the decent early game armor and weapons you get.

The guilds have far better quests, and are truly the highlight of the game. I would honestly not even mind if they didn't even do a main story, and instead just have the various guilds and mini-quests you can do.

 

[Domino Theory]

http://twitter.com/Andrew_Reiner/statuses/17626997882626048

Can't wait to see the two extra pages of Axe ads.

 

[Booshka]

And allow us to be werewolves again. And levitate. kthksbye

SLOWFALL motherfuckers, the only thing that kills me in Oblivion is fall damage.:lol

EDIT: Sun damage too, when I get overzealous as a level 4 Vampire wandering around in the day.

 

[Blue Ninja]

A marshy jungle wouldn't have allowed them to to the large fantasy horizons that are a major part of Oblivion. A full jungle also would have been just as boring as all fields and forest.

I like the variation they put in. The southern areas of the map feel very marsh-like to me, but I do love exploring them. Except for Bravil.

Funny thing is, Bethesda apparently inserted a lore book into Oblivion or Morrowind somewhere, that somewhat 'explains' the retcon. Cyrodiil was apparently all-jungle when Tiber Septim took over, but he realized his men hated jungles. So when he ascended to become Talos, he used his power to transform the region from a jungle into the forest we know today.

Playing Oblivion for the main storyline is... not the best way to play Oblivion. I have had Oblivion for 2 years now, and the farthest I have ever gotten in the main quest was getting Martin to the Cloud Ruler temple, and only then just for the decent early game armor and weapons you get.

The guilds have far better quests, and are truly the highlight of the game. I would honestly not even mind if they didn't even do a main story, and instead just have the various guilds and mini-quests you can do.

I've been going through the main questline and a lot of random sidequests this playthrough, and haven't even touched the Guilds yet. I might do the Fighters Guild, but once I'm done with the MQ I've still got Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles to complete my character's journey to Godhood.

 

[StarEye]

Morrowind:

Oblivion:

So none of them have any depth whatsoever, then?

 

[Col. John Matrix]

And allow us to be werewolves again. And levitate. kthksbye

This. And remove the silly limitations on lockpicking, and selling stolen goods.

Basically I wan't the Morrowind style of freedom back, that allows me to do crazy stuff like levitating up to Vivec's palace, casting a spell on the lock, drinking 50 bottles of Sujumma and killing him for fun. Or finding the key to the Redoran vaults and cleaning them out, selling my haul to the talking mudcrab, or Creeper the scamp.

And no generic fast travel, Silt Striders please, or tamed giant Cliffracers or Dragons.