Skyrim - The Elder Scrolls V

[Kan' Sharuminar]

I don't normally read the books, I simply open new ones to see if I get a skill boost. I did read a couple when playing Oblivion that were good, so I imagine on future playthroughs I'll give them more time.

That said, I did find one that was all about the events of Oblivion, and I happily read through that. A very nice touch, even if the most entertaining part of it was seeing how it got around not actually naming the hero of that adventure.

 

[Maniacal]

http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=134

How to make Skyrim use more than 2 gigs of RAM.

 

[Akka]

In some ways Skyrim is simpler, the levelling and attributes are a good example of this. But I hope Bethesda don't take their new found audience as their best, only audience: it's the older fans, who actually like RPG and RPG elements, who are the heart of this community.

Man, you realize that the "older fans" audience has been considered secondary since Oblivion, right ?

 

[uat2d]

Spoiler :

Skyrim sold, on its opening period, 600% better than Oblivion did. I'm honestly not sure what to make of this. I'm thrilled that it's sold so well, and Bethesda have worked very hard on Skyrim and deserve their revenue without a doubt but... I don't know, I think Bethesda has succeeded in getting "Call of Duty's" audience. Those annoying CoD kiddies who rant and whinge on facebook about Call of Duty now play Skyrim, and I fear that this will lead to future simplification of Elder Scrolls games. In some ways Skyrim is simpler, the levelling and attributes are a good example of this. But I hope Bethesda don't take their new found audience as their best, only audience: it's the older fans, who actually like RPG and RPG elements, who are the heart of this community.

I bought all CODs since COD4 but I grew tired of it and didn't buy MW3 and instead bought my first ever Elder Scrolls (partly because I loved both F3 and FNV and partly because it was what everyone was talking about on reddit and /v/). So yeah, I'm absolutely loving it and I fit in your CoD kid category...
Do you mind if I ask you what's your problem and why are you already making such generalizations and assumptions based on no evidence and specially now that the game's just been released?

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Just went back to Shearpoint, still couldn't defeat Krosis, but the dragon was either alive again or there was a new dragon, in any case it's a bug. After the dragon was dead I didn't absorb it's soul, but I could loot it for plates and scales.

 

[DaemonDD]

Completed the mage-questline just now. I'm currently being provided so much magicka that I can use most destruction-spells without pause, and even if that is required, I have a serious increase in magicka restoration from both perks and equipment. It's loads of fun to conjure weaponry and go arch-mage-assassin-crazy on random walrusses.

 

[Maniacal]

Presenting Skyrim Street View mod.
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/15/skyrim-map-mod-provides-in-game-street-views/

 

[Double A]

I've read The Real Barenziah, a few volumes of Brief History of the Empire, and, of course, The Lusty Argonian Maid.

Link to video.

I'll be in my bunk.

I had that same reaction to that map of Vvardenfell.

 

[Polycrates]

Skyrim sold, on its opening period, 600% better than Oblivion did. I'm honestly not sure what to make of this. I'm thrilled that it's sold so well, and Bethesda have worked very hard on Skyrim and deserve their revenue without a doubt but... I don't know, I think Bethesda has succeeded in getting "Call of Duty's" audience. Those annoying CoD kiddies who rant and whinge on facebook about Call of Duty now play Skyrim, and I fear that this will lead to future simplification of Elder Scrolls games. In some ways Skyrim is simpler, the levelling and attributes are a good example of this. But I hope Bethesda don't take their new found audience as their best, only audience: it's the older fans, who actually like RPG and RPG elements, who are the heart of this community.

I don't really buy this. It's just a tradeoff of different sorts of complexity - perks instead of numbers, which allows far more interesting, specialised and complex character development and gets rid of the awful gamey min-maxing. And no major and minor skills means you're far more free to develop your character according to how you actually play. So the complexity develops as you start fitting into a role, not because you're stuck with a bunch of arbitrary decisions you made at the game start. Plus perks are just flat-out more fun and rewarding.
And the end result is that you level and develop more naturally, to end up as a far more specialised and individual character than the generic fighter/thief/mage jack-of-all-trades you always ended up being in the previous games. So what has actually been lost role-playing wise? This is the first time that I've felt like the level-skills-by-use system has really worked.

Likewise things like smithing instead of repair - it serves the same end purpose and is no less complex (actually a fair bit more complex), but is far less tedious and feels more rewarding. It's not like lugging fifty repair hammers around ever made any sense anyway. Stealth is more complex and rewarding (though admittedly overpowered at high levels); outdoorsmanship is more complex and rewarding; spellcasting is more complex and rewarding (admittedly at the cost of spellmaking, though I'm not sure that's a huge loss); combat is (a bit) more complex and rewarding; shouts add an extra layer; the quests are deeper and more involved; there's NPCs that are actual characters; etc etc.

It's certainly more accessible than previous games, but if you judge it by how many interesting and meaningful options you have for building a character and playing the game then I don't think it's simplified at all.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

I'm absolutely loving the levelling system. In any RPG game - gaming or tabletop - I try to boost stats and skills based on what I've done before, rather than what I want to become. This system really allows me to do that without fear I'm 'weakening' my character, nor do I feel at the start if the game that I'm gonna be forced into a class for the rest of the game.

I don't see it as any weaker than any other game, just different.

 

[Disgustipated]

Just got the game, wouldn't start a new game at first, but apparently if you have this bug you have to set audio quality to dvd (24 bit instead of 32 bit I believe). It works now.

Possibly the coolest opening sequence I have played in any game. It recommends medium setting for me, and so far so good on those settings. I just got my hands unbound, and haven't done much, but the dragon was damn cool.

Only gripe is the game doesn't like alt-tabbing out. It's hard to get back into the game. Oblivion and Morrowind would often crash when alt-tabbing out. So far no crashes, but the screen is just black when I alt-tab in, unless I do it twice.

edit: I killed my first rabbit with flame. That was quite a joy.

I just wish they hadn't changed so many controls around from the fallout games. I changed q back to autorun, I set too many games as q for autorun (like world of warcraft), so I prefer to keep it that way.

question: how do I hold the camera to swing around to have the camera look at my character? I'd like to see my items as I equip them. I don't know why this isn't in the inventory system. A glaring oversight. edit: I've played some more, but I still can't figure out how to swivel the camera around to look at myself. the mouse buttons just activate my weapons/spells etc. I still haven't found much use for the mouse wheel yet.

 

[Eat_Up_Martha]

Just went back to Shearpoint, still couldn't defeat Krosis, but the dragon was either alive again or there was a new dragon, in any case it's a bug. After the dragon was dead I didn't absorb it's soul, but I could loot it for plates and scales.

Randomly wandered across that point. Took out the dragon after a hard fight and assumed that the guy in the tomb had to easier than a freakin' dragon. NOPE. Murdered me almost instantly. What level were/are you?

 

[Thrawn]

Yeah I had the same thing when I went there. Took out the dragon fairly easily, got murdered by Krosis. Was a few levels ago, not sure if I'll go back and try him again yet, got so many other quests!

I'm also onto my fourth horse, and had 2 companions get killed now. I don't think I'm very good at keeping them heh.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Randomly wandered across that point. Took out the dragon after a hard fight and assumed that the guy in the tomb had to easier than a freakin' dragon. NOPE. Murdered me almost instantly. What level were/are you?

The first time he killed me I was level 12, the second time I tried I was level 21. I think I could defeat him with the right tactics if I dodge or ward his fireball spam, but it would be frustrating, tedious and cost me all my potions. Will try again at level 30.

 

[DaemonDD]

question: how do I hold the camera to swing around to have the camera look at my character? I'd like to see my items as I equip them. I don't know why this isn't in the inventory system. A glaring oversight. edit: I've played some more, but I still can't figure out how to swivel the camera around to look at myself. the mouse buttons just activate my weapons/spells etc. I still haven't found much use for the mouse wheel yet.

Just stand still in 3rd-person and rotate the camera from there. It worked for me, and also made it possible for me to discover the glitch that makes your face invisible. That was pretty odd.

 

[Maniacal]

Hold down R or whatever the third person button is and you can enter a free look mode.

 

[MjM]

For those having trouble alt-tabbing out, I did as well. What seems to work is to alt-tab out, then alt-tab back into it once, then once you get to the black screen, alt-tab back into it again, and it loads up just fine. Works every time for me.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

there's also a mod out there for fake fullscreen that solves the issue.

 

[Maniacal]

Bethesda's games have never liked alt-tabbing, Oblivion especially. Although I'm having a strange issue in Oblivion, where I have to vaguely-related cursors, the in-game one and a normal non-game one. Every now and then the non-game one hits the edge of my monitor and the game minimizes. I'm playing in fullscreen too, but at least it doesn't crash and loads quickly (Win7).

 

[Double A]

Randomly wandered across that point. Took out the dragon after a hard fight and assumed that the guy in the tomb had to easier than a freakin' dragon. NOPE. Murdered me almost instantly. What level were/are you?

As a general fantasy rule, mages who are so powerful that death hasn't stopped them are more powerful than a flying, fire-breathing dinosaur lizard thing.