Oblivion release info

[Mountain Man]

A press release from Bethseda has announced that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is scheduled for a winter 2005 release.

Click here (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050516/lam142.html) for the official announcement. The release information is in the paragraph near the bottom, just above the company bios.

I'm surprised this game is scheduled for release so soon, though there's always a chance the date could slip.

[Vexed]

And the public debut is the 18th of May. I can't wait to see what they'll show of Oblivion!

[avatar_58]

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Why does everything seem so far away... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Vexed]

You're looking through the wrong end of the binoculars?

[avatar_58]

Vexed said:
You're looking through the wrong end of the binoculars?



Of course! http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif


Naw....the dates still look far away...but at least now I can see that redhead pulling off her...wow.... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

[Gryph]

Sweet! And more some more happy Bethesda news, FALLOUT 3 WILL BE AT E3!!

http://img284.echo.cx/img284/9269/e32005fallout3ate3200505160913.jpg

[Wamplet]

Excellent. When I get the game, I am going to chop up horses and serve the meat at a marked up price on a nice hilly country-side inn that I will have overtaken from a poor young widow through methods other than coin.

[Vexed]

avatar_58 said:
Naw....the dates still look far away...but at least now I can see that redhead pulling off her...wow.... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif


Redhead!? :mryum:

For anyone who doesn't know, theres a trailer in the official e3 thread. In the quick clips sewn together I got the impression that Oblivion has more "character" than Morrowind. Morrowind seemed a bit stiff most of the time.

ps the rain effect ... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/love.gif
pps I suddenly have a craving for expensive chopped up horse meat

[Mountain Man]

I just hope it will be playable on my system without spending a few hundred dollars on upgrades, but rumor has it, Bethseda is using some special technique that will allow them to crank out impressive visuals on surprisingly modest hardware. Of course, that rumor could have come from folks like me who are desperate to not have to upgrade!

[John]

I'm definitely looking forward to this game http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Bethseda hasn't let me down yet.

[Ronald McDonald]

Wamplet said:
Excellent. When I get the game, I am going to chop up horses and serve the meat at a marked up price on a nice hilly country-side inn that I will have overtaken from a poor young widow through methods other than coin.



Is that possible in Oblivion?

[Mountain Man]

With a little imagination.

[Vexed]

It would be awesome if you could set up shop somewhere. Or just if npcs interacted with you, instead of you interacting with the npcs all the time.

[Soilwork]

It's shaping up mighty fine, can't wait to play it.

[Delicieuxz]

Oblivion is a release title for the xbox 360 which means that it will have to be out by november/december. sweet!


there's also a small trailer out for it


http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1942/The-Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion-E3-2005-Trailer/

[Mountain Man]

You can find high resolution versions of the trailer at the official site (http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/media_movies.htm).

[Mountain Man]

I watched the video. It's been a long time since a game trailer has made my jaw drop, but that opening shot in the woods with the grass waving gently in the breeze is simply stunning! Combat also seems more fluid and dynamic than it was in Morrowind. And to top it all off? Patrick Stewart is the voice of the king!

[avatar_58]

Mountain Man said:
Patrick Stewart is the voice of the king!



I just hope they aren't going to market that to death like they did with the CD version of Lands of Lore. "With the voice of Patrick Stewart as King Richard" was plastered all over the cd and box.... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif Then we learned that he only spoke a few lines at the beginning at a few during the end.... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Logic Bomb]

Keeping in mind the king dies almost immidiately. Or is that the emperor?

- LB

[Asmodeusz]

It's the emperor. The release date on the TES official site is holidays 2005. I think it is the first "next gen" game we will see. It looks absolutely amazing. It will be the perfect Christmas gift. I'll be playing GTA:SA and F.E.A.R in the meantime. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Phait]

Don't believe these interviews have been posted, as they're in late June:

http://games.net/features/101408.shtml
http://www.telefragged.com/interviews/oblivion/

[Logic Bomb]

think the big thing we're learning with the physics is that with an RPG, there is soooo much you can do with it, like traps, stealing things, and more. Things like Telekinesis spells, picking up stuff far away and trying to manipulate the environment to throw off the NPCs and such. Paralyzing guys and watching them fall down stairs never gets old.




Awsome.

- LB

[Vexed]

Thanks for the links Phait. Haven't seen these yet.

A simple "get the diamond from that guy... quest can be done in hundreds of ways now. Is he sleeping? When is he home? Does he take the diamond to work with him? Does he like me? Can he sell it? Should I kill him? Pick his pocket? Steal his food and see if he sells the diamond to eat? That's just some off the top of my head.


Orgasmic!

[Logic Bomb]

I still get a strong feeling that although the game COULD support all this it rarely WILL. I bet 90% of the time it'll be a simple matter of either stealing it or convincing them to give/sell it to you. If theres important items or quest items i highly doubt that it will be as simple as waiting for them to sleep, breaking in and taking it.

Although i'm hopeful i'm also doubtful. If they pull it off i'll be the happiest guy ever.

- LB

[Vexed]

You're right. Dev's tend to overstate the impact of their features. They do give the impression though that things will be a lot deeper than in morrowind. I read they have a Thief(the game)-esque system of hiding in shadows and creeping around.

I just don't want to be doubtful http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Cause it sounds super sweet. This NPCs have their own lives thing is something I really missed in Morrowind. Morrowind's world felt so dead and shallow, still loved it though http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[avatar_58]

Vexed said:
I just don't want to be doubtful http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Cause it sounds super sweet. This NPCs have their own lives thing is something I really missed in Morrowind. Morrowind's world felt so dead and shallow, still loved it though http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



They what??? http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif Your joking right? I've been waiting for a game to adopt the ultima way of thinking for a loong time...don't toy with me here. Where did you read the NPC will be more than just standing there? http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/love.gif

[Vexed]

Did you ever read anything about Oblivion? It's in just about every piece talking about the game. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif It's in the two interview links posted, for instance. If you like that dealy, search for the game Gothic III, it's supposed to have that type of A.I. for NPCs aswell.

[avatar_58]

No I haven't read a thing....I just bought morrowind awhile back and have yet to play it. I had about given up on ever seeing this type of play again, since IMO it died with Ultima 7.

If I'm wrong then I am defianetly getting this game! http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I hate the way every rpg is becoming more like final fantasy...with dead npcs. These games are supposed to be immersive for crying out loud!

[Vexed]

You should check out some info on Oblivion and Gothic III then. They sound like a RPG lover's wet dream http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I haven't played any version of Gothic so I can't comment much on that one.
But I love how in morrowind you get some freedom to make your own adventure, you know? Sounds like Oblivion will give you even more freedom or "means" to do that.

I can't wait!

[Simon Charles]

Mountain Man said:
I'm surprised this game is scheduled for release so soon, though there's always a chance the date could slip.



The PC version, maybe. But Morrowind was closely tied with the Xbox so you can be sure Oblivion's launch will follow the Xbox 360's. The console version will be on time. If you were Bethesda and Microsoft was counting on you, would you let your date slip?

[Wamplet]

F*cking Ownt. \o


Finger: I've heard that cliff racers have gone extinct. THANK YOU!

Todd Howard: Yes, they do not live in Cyrodiil.

Extinct, missing like the dwarves, whatever it takes. Good enough for me!

[Phait]

Wamplet said:
F*cking Ownt. \o


Finger: I've heard that cliff racers have gone extinct. THANK YOU!

Todd Howard: Yes, they do not live in Cyrodiil.

Extinct, missing like the dwarves, whatever it takes. Good enough for me!





Those were always fun to hunt with a bow, though. I got to become a pretty good shot. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Mountain Man]

They weren't difficult to kill, they were just obscenely annoying. Once I ignored them and just ran straight to my destination. By the time I got to town, there were about half-a-dozen of them close behind me! Thankfully, the guards dealt with them.

[Logic Bomb]

Mountain Man said:
They weren't difficult to kill, they were just obscenely annoying. Once I ignored them and just ran straight to my destination. By the time I got to town, there were about half-a-dozen of them close behind me! Thankfully, the guards dealt with them.



I just hated how in early-game when they appear 2 of them can kill you if your chance to hit is very low. Also if you were running they always stoped you when they hit you. They were nothing more than a nuisance in mid-late game when 1 hit killed them if you even bothered. Netches, those things were cool but god forbid you piss one off if you can't take them...

- LB

[Asmodeusz]

What are you guys talking about??
Cliff-racers were great!
Especially with mashed potatoes!

[Decker]

avatar_58 said:
http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Why does everything seem so far away... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif



That's excactly what I thought when I read MM's post.
Not to say that the release of Oblivion isn't rather swift in respect to the game's initial announcement.

But still! Someone make a separate topic about great titles that are due in a month or two. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif BF2 and GTA:sa can only carry me so far.

[Wamplet]

Ye Olde Pics.

http://www.gamershell.com/xbox360/the_elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion/screenshots.html

[Beelze]

avatar_58 said:
http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Why does everything seem so far away... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif


I used to think like that about Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and DNF.

Wait... I still think like that about DNF. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif

[BioHazard]

Beelze said:

avatar_58 said:
http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Why does everything seem so far away... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif


I used to think like that about Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and DNF.

Wait... I still think like that about DNF. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif



I'm actually surprised we are seeing it this year. I didn't think we'd be seeing it until mid 2006 at the earliest.

From the interviews though, Todd Howard has said that the world is a lot lot smaller than the one in morrowind, but the NPC's will each have unique recorded dialogue which is good.

[Logic Bomb]

Permadeath said:From the interviews though, Todd Howard has said that the world is a lot lot smaller than the one in morrowind, but the NPC's will each have unique recorded dialogue which is good.



Well I think the world is slightly smaller but it seems like it will have more to do perhaps so who knows. I just hope there is still an ungodly amount of ruins and caves to explore for weird items and/or just slaughtering everything inside.

From what i remember it might of been something like 16 square miles in-game. I dunno, it could be big enough, who knows. I'm excited in any case.

- LB

[Asmodeusz]

Box art revealed! I love it. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/love.gif

[Delicieuxz]

That's pretty cool

[Tang Lung]

It's going to have to be incredible to live up to the genious of morrowind, hopefully they havent taken anything out of it that was in morrowind.

Boxart looks brilliant though.

[Needle]

Nice boxart. I appreciate the absence of Chain-Bikini-Clad-Warrior-Babe and Skimpily-Dressed-Wizard-Babe

[Soilwork]

Does that mean its coming out soon?

[Tang Lung]

I think it's a christmas release, but surely that would mean it's release would have to coincide with the XBOX360 release, do we know when the 360 is out?

[Soilwork]

November '06?

I can't wait that long..

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Logic Bomb]

Tang Lung said:
It's going to have to be incredible to live up to the genious of morrowind, hopefully they havent taken anything out of it that was in morrowind.

Boxart looks brilliant though.



Like every game they've made in the series they've taken things out, put new ones in. It's a sequal, not a remake....

- LB

[Duoae]

Needle said:
Nice boxart. I appreciate the absence of Chain-Bikini-Clad-Warrior-Babe and Skimpily-Dressed-Wizard-Babe



That's on the back.....

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Mountain Man]

Logic Bomb said:
Well I think the world is slightly smaller but it seems like it will have more to do perhaps so who knows. I just hope there is still an ungodly amount of ruins and caves to explore for weird items and/or just slaughtering everything inside.

From what i remember it might of been something like 16 square miles in-game. I dunno, it could be big enough, who knows. I'm excited in any case.


I've heard conflicting reports. Some say it's smaller in land mass but larger in content while other say it's larger in both land mass and content. Either way, it will presumably have more content than Morrowind.

[Kronx]

Well, not counting for technology, I liked Daggerfall more than Morrowind. I hope they can capture that same forboding atmosphere that made me love Daggerfall.

[Soilwork]

One major assumption everyone makes when we do a new Elder Scrolls game is that it will be small. Everyone thought this about Daggerfall and Morrowind as well when we talked about them "being more focused." No Elder Scrolls game will ever be small. Ever. We make 'em big folks. We super-size them. Why? This is a question everyone asks us, "Why make them so damn big? You could make it small and most people still wouldn't finish it."

My answer is this -- For the time you did play it, it wouldn't be as fun. The Elder Scrolls is about choice -- player choice to do what you want in any way you want. You need a certain amount of size and choices so that experience is actually meaningful.

Now, we do change scale in each game, because certain things you do cause the game to flow differently. Even though Morrowind is about 0.0001% the landmass of Daggerfall, the way you play it makes it feel even richer. Oblivion's landmass is larger than Morrowind's, but you can fast travel around much easier. It still has Morrowind's feel of open exploration, but Arena's feel of ease of travel and, well, it's more fun.

So what do we actually mean when we say Oblivion is more focused? The quests and NPCs are more focused. Are there less NPCs and quests than Morrowind? Yes, but still too many to count. If we hadn't told you, you'd probably never notice. This is still a game measured in the hundreds of play hours. We're trying to stay away from mindless filler (something, Ok, we've been guilty of in the past) and create quests and NPCs that are dynamic, alive, and more engaging than anyone's seen.

I could go on and on for 100 pages here, because the depth of Oblivion and our excitement to bring it to all of you is huge. You'll start seeing more and more info about the game in the press everywhere and on elderscrolls.com. We'll do our best to create the best game we can for you.



Todd Howard, Executive Producer

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Delicieuxz]

Mountain Man said:

Logic Bomb said:
Well I think the world is slightly smaller but it seems like it will have more to do perhaps so who knows. I just hope there is still an ungodly amount of ruins and caves to explore for weird items and/or just slaughtering everything inside.

From what i remember it might of been something like 16 square miles in-game. I dunno, it could be big enough, who knows. I'm excited in any case.


I've heard conflicting reports. Some say it's smaller in land mass but larger in content while other say it's larger in both land mass and content. Either way, it will presumably have more content than Morrowind.



The developpers have said many times that it's a much larger land mass than Morrowind (but overall fewer npc's I think, still over 1000)

So be excited!!!!!!

[Mountain Man]

Fewer NPCs? There were times I felt Morrowind had too few, especially in the towns.

But, yes, I'm still excited.

[Mongorian]

Anyone have any idea of the system specs?

[dreweth]

ummm...Xbox 360? http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Simon Charles]

Mongorian said:
Anyone have any idea of the system specs?



Huge.

[dreweth]

Simon Charles said:

Mongorian said:
Anyone have any idea of the system specs?



Huge.



Oh come on, it's not that big anymore!

/old xbox joke

[Simon Charles]

dreweth said:

Simon Charles said:

Mongorian said:
Anyone have any idea of the system specs?



Huge.



Oh come on, it's not that big anymore!

/old xbox joke



As a game tester, I work with consoles all day long. Been doing so for the past year now. And even after all that time, the Xbox still is the undisputed king of bulky, cumbersome ugliness. Let's just hope Oblivion is worth it.

[avatar_58]

I think I ought to start playing Morrowind ( http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif ) now to get ready. One question to Elder Scrolls fans....is it essential (or even beneficial) to play the older adventures to understand anything in the later games? I've no problem playing the older ones since graphics don't bug me in an RPG game http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ah hell maybe I'll play them anyway http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Delicieuxz]

No, they're all separate stories without reoccuring characters, and the characters aren't developed - so you can start anywhere you want.

You could learn the way their character creation process works, that could help you jump into Oblivion a little quicker. And getting to learn how they've operated magic and menus will probably help somewhat with however Oblivion's may be, but it's mostly interface details that would help you in the next one.

If you play Morrowind make sure you have the Bloodmoon expansion - that's where the game really shines.

[avatar_58]

Delicieuxz said:
No, they're all separate stories without reoccuring characters, and the characters aren't developed - so you can start anywhere you want.

You could learn the way their character creation process works, that could help you jump into Oblivion a little quicker.



The only thing I am taken back on is the vast amount of lore and knowledge Morrowing bombards you with in the beginning. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I like it but I was told so many names and locations I soon forgot everything the minute I walked out of town! http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif I guess this is one of those games you have to dedicate quite a bit of time to in order to understand completely.

[Delicieuxz]

I personally don't see all the lore people have talked about. They just mention a hell of a lot of names and things, but there's no depth to any of it or relevence to playing the game. I don't consider the Elder Scrolls to have much lore to it, and none that affects how you play the game. In Morrowind there's a lot of books you can read about stories, but none of it is necessary. I just open and close them to see if it gives me any experience.

[avatar_58]

Delicieuxz said:
I personally don't see all the lore people have talked about. They just mention a hell of a lot of names and things, but there's no depth to any of it or relevence to playing the game. I don't consider the Elder Scrolls to have much lore to it, and none that affects how you play the game. In Morrowind there's a lot of books you can read about stories, but none of it is necessary. I just open and close them to see if it gives me any experience.



I might have a problem then... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm the type who explores his arse off in an RPG looking for secrets and trying to gleam info about the history etc. I guess it stems from playing too much Ultima 7 http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif

Thats why I don't like people giving any rpg a time frame like 40+ hours to complete because in reality if the game is a true RPG it can range all the way to 100 or so hours if you do everything. As much as I love the final fantasy games I class them in their own range (console rpg) and leave the RPG label to the games that take aeons to explore.

[Mountain Man]

avatar_58 said:
I might have a problem then... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm the type who explores his arse off in an RPG looking for secrets and trying to gleam info about the history etc. I guess it stems from playing too much Ultima 7 http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif


If that's your style of play then if you started playing Morrowind now, you'd unlikely be even close to "finishing" by the time Oblivion is released.

[Mongorian]

Simon Charles said:

Mongorian said:
Anyone have any idea of the system specs?



Huge.



http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I've looked for the pc specs but haven't found anything.

[BioHazard]

Logic Bomb said:

Permadeath said:From the interviews though, Todd Howard has said that the world is a lot lot smaller than the one in morrowind, but the NPC's will each have unique recorded dialogue which is good.



Well I think the world is slightly smaller but it seems like it will have more to do perhaps so who knows. I just hope there is still an ungodly amount of ruins and caves to explore for weird items and/or just slaughtering everything inside.

From what i remember it might of been something like 16 square miles in-game. I dunno, it could be big enough, who knows. I'm excited in any case.

- LB



I read that in an interview with Todd Howard. He said that in comparison to Morrowind the world is a lot lot smaller. Obvioulsy they will make up for that by making it a lot more detailed and giving each of the NPC's more personality.

[Logic Bomb]

Mountain Man said:

avatar_58 said:
I might have a problem then... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm the type who explores his arse off in an RPG looking for secrets and trying to gleam info about the history etc. I guess it stems from playing too much Ultima 7 http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif


If that's your style of play then if you started playing Morrowind now, you'd unlikely be even close to "finishing" by the time Oblivion is released.



No kidding. You can play 300 hours without touching a main quest.

- LB

[dreweth]

Logic Bomb said:

Mountain Man said:

avatar_58 said:
I might have a problem then... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm the type who explores his arse off in an RPG looking for secrets and trying to gleam info about the history etc. I guess it stems from playing too much Ultima 7 http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif


If that's your style of play then if you started playing Morrowind now, you'd unlikely be even close to "finishing" by the time Oblivion is released.



No kidding. You can play 300 hours without touching a main quest.

- LB



I'm calling bullshit. While I'm sure you can goof around for that long, I will bet that you run out of meaningful and/or productive/fun things to do way before that.

That's ridiculous.

[Simon Charles]

dreweth said:

Logic Bomb said:

Mountain Man said:

avatar_58 said:
I might have a problem then... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm the type who explores his arse off in an RPG looking for secrets and trying to gleam info about the history etc. I guess it stems from playing too much Ultima 7 http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif


If that's your style of play then if you started playing Morrowind now, you'd unlikely be even close to "finishing" by the time Oblivion is released.



No kidding. You can play 300 hours without touching a main quest.

- LB



I'm calling bullshit. While I'm sure you can goof around for that long, I will bet that you run out of meaningful and/or productive/fun things to do way before that.



Well, if you grind to level up something fierce and do all the guild quests -- and I mean every quest of every guild you can join -- you could reach a pretty good number of hours without even trying for Nerevar of the year.

[Logic Bomb]

dreweth said:

Logic Bomb said:

Mountain Man said:

avatar_58 said:
I might have a problem then... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm the type who explores his arse off in an RPG looking for secrets and trying to gleam info about the history etc. I guess it stems from playing too much Ultima 7 http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif


If that's your style of play then if you started playing Morrowind now, you'd unlikely be even close to "finishing" by the time Oblivion is released.



No kidding. You can play 300 hours without touching a main quest.

- LB



I'm calling bullshit. While I'm sure you can goof around for that long, I will bet that you run out of meaningful and/or productive/fun things to do way before that.

That's ridiculous.



Meaningful/productive and fun are very personal terms.

I've spent hours doing nothing but experimenting with potion creation, i've spent hours doing nothing but cave-hunting, i've spent hours doing nothing but finding/reading the close to 50 (more?) different books in the game, i've spent hours doing nothing but looting entire towns of everything that can be picked up. There is REDICULOUS amounts of things in this game that can be done that plays no barring on the storyline. I imagine if you did every faction's quests you'de be spending rediculous amounts of time finishing them. I'de even say that finishing a single faction's quests is more than i could sanely do in 1 sitting.

Now keep in mind that unless you have a travel chart printed out somewhere you have to learn where places are and how to get there. If you're hunting for quest items in large cavern's that can be a lot of time spent looking for it. If you just want to beat things up for stats, that's more time.

I'm really not kidding when I say a lot of people can get very involved and lost in this game and consider it completely fulfilling without touching the main quest. I did. I'm only doing the main quest now to see what it's about.

Soemthing fun i do in every game is find either an unoccupied house or just kill someone and take theirs and redecorate it the way i want it with very specific items (nothing that isn't rare or worth something such as dwemer goblets/limeware bowls, etc...). I collect items in the game like keys and books and organize them in the house, same with some armors. Lots of this is useless but all of it is fun to me. If you want to just rush through the story of a game i wouldn't recommend this in a million years. This game was designed to be a world that feels immense and real and makes you feel small (well, until you're overly powerful at which point the world is your oyster).

- LB

[dreweth]

Great reply. I'm very excited for Oblivion, even moreso now that you've indulged me with details.. I don't plan on playing Morrowind, and, as you've inferred, I've not played it. Too much gaming going on, and Oblivion is coming soon. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

However, I still contend with 300 hours. I just can't wrap my mind around that. Even MMOs, which you can grind and collect and explore things till ya run outta money for the monthly fee, you will still hit a "main" quest along the way. Certainly before the 300 hour mark.

Just admit it was an exagerration. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[avatar_58]

You are reminding me of how I play Ultima....I just goof off and find all sorts of fun things to do without worrying about the main quest half of the time. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I love games that encourage it and allow you to do whatever you want....we need more.

[Wamplet]

dreweth said:

Just admit it was an exagerration. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



Nay. People spend months playing that game. I spent at least a month or two doing as much crap on there as I could, before retiring.

I honestly felt no satisfaction after going through the main story at the end, knowing it was open-ended after I won and the crap loot I got. It was doing everything else that was worthwhile. I hope they fix that in the next game. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Logic Bomb]

dreweth said:
However, I still contend with 300 hours. I just can't wrap my mind around that. Even MMOs, which you can grind and collect and explore things till ya run outta money for the monthly fee, you will still hit a "main" quest along the way. Certainly before the 300 hour mark.

Just admit it was an exagerration. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



Okay i will admit, the main story takes you MANY places and interacts with a bunch of people and items so theres a very good chance that in your freelancing journies you'll run across someone from the main story or some item from the main story that's important (which can be annoying i might add, you find something odd or strange you better either not touch it or stow it away because when someone says to go find x item in a cave and you sold it 3 weeks ago to one of the dozens and dozens of merchants....).

I'de say 300 is a little lot i suppose unless you literally do everything else other than the main quest but I still say if you didn't give 2 shits about the story you could play for months without running out of things to do or places to explore. Hell, just the sheer combinations of items you can make with your own creativity is insane.

- LB

[Wamplet]

I still think 300 hours is not a stretch of the imagination. Especially, if you are not using a FAQ or hintbook.

I used a hintbook when I played, primarily for the maps, travel info, and just to find out who not to kill. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif

[dreweth]

This is why games need timers. One of the best ways to measure addictions, "/played", in World of Warcraft. I get the idea, though, big game.

I do hope they build something into Oblivion that tells you when you are breaking further quests. Maybe like...I dunno...a small comment from the hero, "This doesn't feel right..." or something sly.

I don't want to gimp the game just because I want to explore...


...or steal everything.

[Wamplet]

Well, I believe they gave you a warning that you "broke the storyline" once you killed someone. I think it said something like you killed someone vital to the main story. I don't remember, but I think it did something like that.

Of course, you could easily break a lot of the side quests by killing everyone as well and I don't think it would warn you in that case. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I forget the guild I was in, but the one where you have to go to the Thieves' Guild and kill the traders, I think I killed a few more than I was supposed to. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif

[Reaper]

Maybe I'm not "credible" on the subject, but I doubt this "Oblivion" game is going to be much of an improvement upon Morrowind (or its expansions). It seems to me that it will be a step back, just because they are not spending very much time (under a year?) to develop it. Feel free to call me a crazed, raving fool, as I have not had the pleasure of dipping my toes into the shallow end (of all things!) of the Morrowind experience.

[Wamplet]

Reaper said:
Maybe I'm not "credible" on the subject, but I doubt this "Oblivion" game is going to be much of an improvement upon Morrowind (or its expansions). It seems to me that it will be a step back, just because they are not spending very much time (under a year?) to develop it. Feel free to call me a crazed, raving fool, as I have not had the pleasure of dipping my toes into the shallow end (of all things!) of the Morrowind experience.



I believe it's been under development since Morrowind and it's expansion. This game came out a few years ago. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Here is a link:

http://www.elderscrolls.com/games/oblivion_overview.htm


(Rockville, MD) October 22, 2004 -- Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™ is currently in development for PC and future generation consoles. In development since 2002, Oblivion is another leap forward in role-playing with its combination of freeform gameplay and cutting-edge graphics. Oblivion is the sequel to the best-selling, award-winning role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind®, named 2002 RPG and Game of the Year for both PC and Xbox.

[Jules Verne]

Avatar_58, don't believe that stuff about Morrowind having no lore or backstory; there are lots and lots of great (and very poetic) myths to be gleaned from its books and scriptures. It's just more subtle and dispersed than most games, and also (as it would be in a real world) there are stories there that are just for amusement.

For example, follow the temple-quests, and you have to go on a pilgrimage and re-live or learn about many of the religious myths in the places in Morrowind where they actually took place; fantastic story-telling, IMHO.

[Delicieuxz]

They started Oblivion development around the same time as they started the Bloodmoon expansion. Most of team started on Oblivion while some worked on Bloodmoon



I read that in an interview with Todd Howard. He said that in comparison to Morrowind the world is a lot lot smaller. Obvioulsy they will make up for that by making it a lot more detailed and giving each of the NPC's more personality



you must've misread somewhere. I've read more than 5 separate interviews all stating that the world is bigger than Morrowind - but with fewer NPC's.

"CG: How big of a world is Tamriel? How long would it take to walk from edge to edge? How long is the day and night cycle? We need to plan our day trip accordingly…

It’s BIG. Bigger than Morrowind. I don’t know that anyone’s tried to do a timed run from one end to the other. We’re already pretty confident in its largeness. The day/night cycle is 48 minutes, the same as Morrowind." - Gavin Carter (Producer)

[Soilwork]

Oh, I can't wait to get lost in the world of Tamriel..

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Vexed]

Reaper,
Can I safely assume you haven't player Morrowind, then? Then let me ask you:
Have you seen or read anything on Oblivion?

As I see it there will be a lot of changes and improvements, to name a few:
- a completely new dynamic A.I. system
- a new combat system
- added physics engine
- certain abilities are now (last I read atleast) mini games (hopefully intuitive).


Delicieuxz said:
you must've misread somewhere.


I don't think he did, I think he read a very old interview. I recall reading the same thing a while ago but then newer interviews stated the world is bigger in mass than morrowinds'.

[Simon Charles]

IMO, the most important aspect they have to rework is the control/combat system, especially with swords and shields. That felt pretty weak in Morrowind.

[avatar_58]

I just hope they have job systems and AI for civililians. I hate seeing dead NPCs that wonder without purpose. Also I like interaction. If its got those then I'll get it.

[Simon Charles]

I don't care about braindead, jobless NPCs. Just give me NPCs period. A real city that's bursting with life has lots of people walking around on the streets. Morrowind had just a few. Even World of Warcraft's cities feels like barren wastelands when there aren't any human players around. I know there are framerate issues but still; with today's technology, shouldn't it be time for lots of NPCs walking around?

[Logic Bomb]

Breaking quests was the only major annoyance in morrowind imho. If you killed someone in the main storyline it would bring up a big block in the right hand corner saying "The world is broken, the line of something has been cut... bla bla bla... reload a saved game or forever walk around aimlessly" or something like that. It was quite wordy if i recall but it definately told you.

But as someone just said, you could slaughter an entire town with 15 side- quest people in it and not a single thing would be said :/

[Mountain Man]

Logic Bomb said:
But as someone just said, you could slaughter an entire town with 15 side- quest people in it and not a single thing would be said :/


I don't see this as a fundamental flaw. Actions have consequences, and often times, those consequences are not immediately obvious. If you go on a murderous rampage then you should be prepared to accept the repercussions.

[Jules Verne]

with today's technology, shouldn't it be time for lots of NPCs walking around?



Ever played "Omicron: The Nomad Soul"? The city of Omicron had loads of people and vehicles cruising the city. Though it had its problems, it was a great game as far as making you feel transported to another, living world. "Mafia: City of Lost Heaven" is also great in that regard.

[Soilwork]

There is a new fan interview on the elderscrolls.com forum (http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=149722).

Check it out.

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Mountain Man]

Great info. Didn't know you could own dog as a pet. Sweet!

[Wamplet]

Very cool interview.

Too bad there are no werewolves. I'd set him up as a guard for my house. Wait, make that my castle. \o

[seregrail7]

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I was looking forward to riding dogs. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Sounds great.

[Wamplet]

seregrail7 said:
http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I was looking forward to riding dogs. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif




Haha! If they put werwolves in, I bet we could have. o/\o

[Soilwork]

I wonder if we can battle on horseback?

Probably not, huh? The horse is probably just a means of transport.

Having a dog as a pet sounds neat!

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Soilwork]

Also, heres a nice read for anyone worried about combat (http://elderscrolls.com/codex/team_teamprof_stevem.htm) in Oblivion.

[Mountain Man]

Sounds great! It reminds me of the Combat Enhanced mod for Morrowind. I'm so looking forward to this game.

[Wamplet]

Soilwork said:
I wonder if we can battle on horseback?

Probably not, huh? The horse is probably just a means of transport.

Having a dog as a pet sounds neat!

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif



Someone asked in the interview what happens when you attack someone on horse and they said the person will ride away or dismount and then start fighting, so I don't think you can attack while on horse.

[Simon Charles]

Soilwork said:
Also, heres a nice read for anyone worried about combat (http://elderscrolls.com/codex/team_teamprof_stevem.htm) in Oblivion.



Interesting, but I'm still worried about combat. They don't talk about what sucked the most in Morrowind : moving your guy around.

Movement was horrible in Morrowind. Walking, running, jumping, it all felt sluggish and unresponsive. This killed one of the most basic, instinctive reaction someone can have in combat : sidestep the hell out of the way.

In Morrowind, I couldn't move around my opponent or dodge since movement was so crappy. This forced you to just stand in front of your enemy and click away, swinging your sword until the monster was dead. Oh yeah, and blocking was an automatic stats roll.

If combat is to be fun, it must first give the player responsive control, giving him the impression that his movements matter and can help him in battle. I want to feel I was quicker than my drunken opponent by dodging out of the way of his hammer blow. I want to be able to spot when it'll be more useful to me to block rather than dodge. No game has ever done this.

[Duoae]

Simon Charles said:
If combat is to be fun, it must first give the player responsive control, giving him the impression that his movements matter and can help him in battle. I want to feel I was quicker than my drunken opponent by dodging out of the way of his hammer blow. I want to be able to spot when it'll be more useful to me to block rather than dodge. No game has ever done this.



I don't agree with all your points, but you are correct here and i agree. I want combat control to be separate from movement. ie. You don't hold left and mouse 1 to slash left etc. because that stops your movement and the fluidity of your movement. I also want to be able to counter weapon attacks with my weapon as well... actually duel! Kinda like is possible in Soul calibur if you're good enough....

[EDIT]
I'm also dissapointed. I like the way he says you can mix and match attack styles, eg. hand-to-hand and magic or weapon... but i think you should be able to bash people with your shield as well..... they did that when weapons broke or they were disarmed... or when the enemy was out of reach of your sword arm.

He mentioned the point of doing a spin attack as the enemy was sidestepped and "staggered" past the player... but if the enemy was on the other side, it'd be better to knock him over with a canny thump on the backside with your shield... or even better, your boot if you were fast enough.....

[Simon Charles]

Duoae said:

Simon Charles said:
If combat is to be fun, it must first give the player responsive control, giving him the impression that his movements matter and can help him in battle. I want to feel I was quicker than my drunken opponent by dodging out of the way of his hammer blow. I want to be able to spot when it'll be more useful to me to block rather than dodge. No game has ever done this.



I don't agree with all your points, but you are correct here and i agree. I want combat control to be separate from movement.



I thought I had made one any only point. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif What don't you agree with?

[Duoae]

Simon Charles said:

I thought I had made one any only point. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif What don't you agree with?





Movement was horrible in Morrowind. Walking, running, jumping, it all felt sluggish and unresponsive.




Sorry, thought you were talking about general moving around as well. Not just during combat. It was sluggish and unresponive the rest of the time... but it never bothered me. I only care when it matters....

[Simon Charles]

Duoae said:

Simon Charles said:

I thought I had made one any only point. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif What don't you agree with?





Movement was horrible in Morrowind. Walking, running, jumping, it all felt sluggish and unresponsive.




Sorry, thought you were talking about general moving around as well. Not just during combat. It was sluggish and unresponive the rest of the time... but it never bothered me. I only care when it matters....



Then we agree.

[Soilwork]

Oh yeah, and blocking was an automatic stats roll.



Blocking is no longer "automatic"..

In Morrowind, blocking was done automatically, based on your blocking skill. For Oblivion, blocking is now performed manually using a block button. Just hold the button, and you can block - either with your shield OR with a weapon. If you're facing an opponent and you block, some of the damage from your opponent's attack will be absorbed by the shield or weapon you're blocking with. But be sure to watch that weapon condition -- broken swords are useless until they're repaired! You can even block with your hands if you're in hand-to-hand combat. But wait, you say, why would you do that, since there's no shield or weapon to absorb the damage? ...

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Opus131]

^ Yes, why would i do that ?

[Soilwork]

It would be nice to see combat similar to Wind Waker in Oblivion.

[Soilwork]

The answer is another new feature: recoil. If an attacker's blow is blocked, the attacker will recoil. Think of a sword bouncing off a shield. Recoils send the opponent back a little bit, and it takes a second or two for them to recover - an excellent opportunity to press your advantage. Now there are two reasons to block - to protect yourself from maximum damage, and to try to force your opponent to recoil so you can perform a counter attack. Of course, you'll recoil too if your own attack is blocked - and you can be sure your opponent will be taking advantage of your temporary vulnerability!

Combatants hit hard enough will stagger from the blow. Like recoil, a staggered opponent is briefly vulnerable to attacks.

Hand-to-hand combat is improved as well. As with melee combat, there are "normal" attacks - left & right punches - as well as power attacks. One big difference is that hand-to-hand hits will damage health as well as fatigue. In Morrowind, only the opponent's fatigue was damaged until the opponent was unconscious, after which the opponent's health was damaged by further hand-to-hand hits. The base amount of health and fatigue damage done is based on the attacker's hand-to-hand skill and luck, and as with weapon attacks, that amount is further adjusted based on the defender's stats.

While I'm not going to get too much into magic, I will mention this: you can cast spells at any time. You no longer need to "switch" to magic. If you only have one free hand, you'll cast with the empty one. If both hands are holding something, you'll cast with your weapon hand. There's no more "ready magic" button, just a "cast" button. This makes for some very exciting combat, since you can alternate weapon attacks and spell casting on the fly.

OK, so the player character has a lot of meaningful combat options available, accessed with a simple control scheme that's very similar to Morrowind's. Stats are every bit as crucial as in previous Elder Scrolls games. But what about NPC's? How has their combat behavior been enhanced?

First of all, NPC's can do everything the player can do. They can move around, block, use normal and power attacks, mix things up with weapon or hand-to-hand combat, or magic, etc. So can creatures. And it's all customizable using a new feature called a Combat Style.

Combat Styles are collections of settings related to combat behavior. They dictate things like how often a combatant will move around, how often and under what circumstances they'll attack or block, how often they'll use power attacks and how they choose which ones to use, and even things like how likely a combatant is to attack when their opponent is recoiling, staggering, or knocked unconscious. Combat Styles are created in the TES CS and can be assigned to creatures or NPCs either in the editor or via a script function. So, you can swap combat behavior in and out on the fly. It's a very powerful, very flexible system. The Combat AI system makes use of these Combat Styles, along with AI traits set for each NPC or creature such as aggression, confidence, to make most of the decisions during combat.

Other behaviors implemented include intelligent use of buffs (such as fortification potions or spells, summoned creatures, or bound weapons,) restoration, and even counter effect magic. Archers can be set up to maneuver from gap to gap along the top of a castle wall, in order to maintain a visual on their target. And a lot of time has been spent working on path finding and object avoidance. The Combat AI uses our own Radiant AI technology to handle pursuit and fleeing, and even the acquisition of nearby weapons if a combatant is unarmed, among other things. Spectators will clear space for combat they're uninvolved with. NPCs will leave interiors in order to summon guards if a crime is committed, and can flee or pursue through load doors, as well. No more running into a tavern to escape the guards - they'll follow you right in.

And finally, combat need not be lethal. Any combatant - including the player -- can yield to their opponent. It's up to the opponent to accept the yield or not, but if they do accept, combat ends. It's a way to get out of those sticky situations where you find yourself in over your head. Just don't try it with a creature or with anyone who really, really hates you! And if an NPC yields to you, you make the call - walk away, or keep fighting.

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Opus131]

Interesting http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Duoae]

You may as well post the whole article..... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

[Bleak]

Duoae said:
You may as well post the whole article..... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif




do I sense some sassage? http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

[Wamplet]

Duoae said:
You may as well post the whole article..... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif



At least it's not all caps. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Duoae]

Wamplet said:
At least it's not all caps. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



All italics is just as bad.... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



do I sense some sassage?



Sausage? No, no. This isn't a "who's d**k is bigger" thing...

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Logic Bomb]

Sass is a word....

Sass - "Impertinent, disrespectful speech; back talk."

- LB

[Soilwork]

Duoae said:
You may as well post the whole article..... http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif



I already did..


Soilwork said:
Also, heres a nice read for anyone worried about combat (http://elderscrolls.com/codex/team_teamprof_stevem.htm) in Oblivion.

[Bleak]

Duoae said:
[

Sausage? No, no. This isn't a "who's d**k is bigger" thing...

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

[Bleak]

Edit

[Duoae]

Bleak said:

Duoae said:
[

Sausage? No, no. This isn't a "who's d**k is bigger" thing...

http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif




LB
Sass is a word....

Sass - "Impertinent, disrespectful speech; back talk."

- LB




Yes i am aware of that.

It's called sarcasm....

[Mountain Man]

Ah, more sassage. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Wamplet]

Duoae said:


It's called sarcasm....



No it's called being an ass.

A sassy ass. \o http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/love.gif