Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion Part 2?

[Maniacal]

Both Oblivion and Fallout 3 were launched on the PS3 and XBOX 360 (and Morrowind was also released on the x-box) and their controls worked fine on the PC (the UI's weren't perfect for Oblivion and Fallout 3 but I don't think that was entirely because it was ported to consoles). Plus on the PC there are mods to fix everything.

 

[Clement]

It's the "i phone app style" UI that worries me, as far as i know that is a UI built for a direction pad, although mods may fix it for PC, depending on just how dependent it may be on a control pad i may just get it for the xbox instead.

 

[Maniacal]

iPhones don't have a directional pad... I don't think you have to worry.

 

[Clement]

iPhones don't have a directional pad... I don't think you have to worry.

don't they? what's this new-fandangled cascading menu system they're on about then? you're right about not needing to worry though, i'm sure it will be a good game either way.

 

[Rub'Rum]

I sort of complained about this earlier too I think. Basically, I said that on PC all information should be readily available and visible in one or two pages max. I have a mouse that can easily click icons, I don't want to have to cycle through pages of stuff.

Edit: Found it here's what I said back then

Consolisation, yay.

In PC RPGs, no inventory system should be anything else than click and drag, icons, and such. I shouldn't have to cycle through windows or lists or horizontal running menus that spread beyond the one screen. One screen that shows everything I have. Yay for little squares a la Diablo. Morrowind had a better inventory than Fallout New Vegas for the PC for christ's sake. I want to see every option and clickable thing in one screen, and I want to drag and drop.

Yay, the constellation is pretty and all, but by now, shouldn't be easy to just have all skills listed on one screen withouth having to drag the screen around as if I were looking at album covers on itunes. For that matter, I never use that viewing system in iTunes: I use the one where i see as many albums in one screen as possible, not the rolling album covers display. Ugh.

 

[Maniacal]

don't they?

They're touch screens.

what's this new-fandangled cascading menu system they're on about then? you're right about not needing to worry though, i'm sure it will be a good game either way.

New fangled? I recall Windows having a cascading menu system since at least Windows 98 (press Start (the windows key that opens up the Start menu)) but I don't recall seeing it in a PC game.

@Simon: You mean the buttons that allow you to organize your inventory into different types so you don't have to go through the entire thing? Morrowind had that too. I don't see the problem...

 

[Rub'Rum]

Morrowind had nice small icons for items you could drag around. Much better than ugly lists of large text that you need to scroll through even after you've decided you wanted to see only your guns, because we all haul around 13 revolvers hehe.

 

[Maniacal]

don't they? what's this new-fandangled cascading menu system they're on about then? you're right about not needing to worry though, i'm sure it will be a good game either way.

Morrowind had nice small icons for items you could drag around. Much better than ugly lists of large text that you need to scroll through even after you've decided you wanted to see only your guns, because we all haul around 13 revolvers hehe.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10763

True vanilla's UI was enlarged in Oblivion it was fixed really quickly by modders. Fallout 3's wasn't amazing but I think that is largely just poor decision making by Bethesda. Your issue with having to scroll is partly due to the basic issue with any inventory that allows you to carry 100s of items, in Morrowind it got to the point where I'd have to wait an entire MINUTE for my inventory just to open because I had so much stuffi n there (and a crappy computer).

Also had to scroll in Dragon Age though less so in DA2 yet they didn't have an obese UI.

EDIT:Though the last time I used the non-modded UI in Oblivion was in 2006.

 

[Mustakrakish]

Yeah, true. But I think the carriage system is a new bit of info.

BTW about that carriage system... I kinda don't get it... they still have fast travel, but also have carriages? I'm thinking... I'm kinda hard pressed to imagine much use for it with fast travel present.

 

[PeteAtoms]

I think that in part, is was included to satisfy the fans whining about lack of immersion and how Oblivion was horrible.

From what I recall, you have to go places and discover them before you can FT there. Nothing new here.

And carriages are payed service(s) that will take you to locations you HAVEN'T been to yet. I guess you only need to take the carriage once in order to just FT there later.

If you imagine the game as having an important story element and not just as a simulator of real life, than FT absolutely makes sense. You don't want to watch a movie that is shot in real time, and sit through characters sleeping, using the restroom, sitting around, etc. You only want the exciting stuff.

Did anyone really enjoy watching their sim sleep in the Sims games?

If you were to write a biography for your in game character, how many chapters would you devote to describing eating, sleeping and walking around? Yeah, that's what I though

 

[Rub'Rum]

Your issue with having to scroll is partly due to the basic issue with any inventory that allows you to carry 100s of items, in Morrowind it got to the point where I'd have to wait an entire MINUTE for my inventory just to open because I had so much stuffi n there (and a crappy computer).

But it's not just about the inventory. I saw some of the skills screens in Skyrim that seem to have like a couple of icons, the word DESTRUCTION written in huge font, and a big background of cloudy-texture. And then you have to scroll from page to page from one skill to the other (?). Not sure I remember it quite well.

 

[PeteAtoms]

This one eh?

Reminds me of iTunes album view or whatever it's called.

And it has been stated that there will be a quick-launch menu that you can put as many spells/powers/items you want into and access quickly on the fly.

 

[Maniacal]

If you were to write a biography for your in game character, how many chapters would you devote to describing eating, sleeping and walking around? Yeah, that's what I though

http://livinginoblivion.wordpress.com/

But it's not just about the inventory. I saw some of the skills screens in Skyrim that seem to have like a couple of icons, the word DESTRUCTION written in huge font, and a big background of cloudy-texture. And then you have to scroll from page to page from one skill to the other (?). Not sure I remember it quite well.

That is the character creation screen though yeah I've always disliked/hated those screens because they are usually ridiculously slow and poorly optimized in games.

Although without having actually used how its implemented into Skyrim I can't say if this one will be just as annoying or not.

 

[GoodGame]

BTW about that carriage system... I kinda don't get it... they still have fast travel, but also have carriages? I'm thinking... I'm kinda hard pressed to imagine much use for it with fast travel present.

I think Pete has it. It's a compromise between immersionists (people who want to RP everything) and people who just want to level up and kill Foozle and beat the game. At some point everyone has to fast travel if the game simulates vast distances, so carriages let immersionist pretend they're riding the stage coach. It's kind of the same as having an overland map that is kind of abstract instead of forcing characters to travel overland pixel by pixel, simulated lunch break by lunch break.

 

[Maniacal]

Yeah Morrowind didn't have fast travel, just the mage guild's teleportation system, boats and those insect things. All of which cost a small fee. As much as I like the immersion of not having an excessive amount of fast travel everywhere I always end up using it out of lazyness anyway.

 

[civ_king]

Pete, it is called Cover Flow

 

[PeteAtoms]

How cool would it be if the carriages were pulled by polar bears instead of horses? Or if it was a large dog sled?

 

[Mustakrakish]

I see your point Pete, though I do indeed prefer the simulator approach than a movie one. It's not important anyhow, I accepted FT. It's here to stay, it's not going anywhere. FT is not the kind of mechanic games go back from...

Personally I would be more than happy if FT included random encounters, ambushes by bandits and such as in DA:O, though not as scripted. That would be more than enough to satisfy my immersion needs.

I just don't see me using that carriage system at all with FT. I certainly won't be using it to go to places I didn't discover, I rather explore the way first.

 

[Rub'Rum]

It does destroy the sense of "I'm quite far away right now" when you can just click to go back to a city in seconds. I liked how Morrowind did it, you had to reach some place or settlement or person to fast travel, I'd be an advocate of this, and if it's that bad to go back to that, I'd say just put a LOT of locations where you can fast travel from. A minimum of travel between a cave and the city is not too bad it seems. But yeah, when it's available I get lazy and I just use it all the time. But then come to think of it I've been playing Might and Magic VII lately and you just have to trek across the various maps that you visit and I didn't think of fast travel at any point.

 

[Clement]

I think the most exciting part of what i've heard so far for me at least has been the randomly generating missions, i've always pretty much ignored the main quest in all the elder scrolls and just played for the experience, so this should have a big impact on that style of play hopefully, making the game last a lot longer content-wise.

I just wish i could find out if it's possible to be a robe wearing, staff wielding mage instead of just a battle mage, if any of you guys find out put me out my misery and tell me please