Game News Another exciting Oblivion feature revealed

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Remember all that fuss about sneaking in shadows in <a href=http://www.elderscrolls.com>Oblivion</a> and how awesome it was? Well, there are no more shadows, but you can still sneak and NPCs will pretend they don't see you. For more details, see the <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=10838&start=0>shadowless gameplay video</a> and Gavin Carter's (aka Kathode) comments:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote>The shadows I talked about in the Beyond3D interview (http://www.beyond3d.com/interviews/oblivion). Only characters get shadows now.
<br>
<br>
Other than that, no major changes have taken place in either the renderer or art assets that would affect quality of visuals on a global scale, so if you think it looks worse then it's an effect of video compression or low settings (or you've just been looking at Oblivion stuff way too long)
<br>
...
<br>
Sorry if I was vague. Characters cast shadows on everything. Objects don't cast, they just receive shadows from characters. The exception is the trees - tree canopies cast shadows down on everything like you see in the screenshots. </blockquote>
<br>
I wonder what exciting new feature Bethesda will reveal next!

 

[Claw]

Well, I am sure there will still be darkness. Like, shadowy places not strongly affected by a light source.

 

[Fresh]

Wouldn't it be reasonable to think shadows will be possible to enable via the ini file?

Although this would probably be cosmetical shadows, not sneak-affecting ones (?)

BTW: Nice touch with the "feature"-headline. :D

 

[Gwendo]

Gee... FOr a game that pretend to have the next gen graphics, they are taking a step backwards.

Like it or not, illumination & shadows can make a bland scene look like a rich and beautiful scene. I won't say vice-versa, but the graphics quality will suffer with this "feature". But if that was the only way to get higher frame rates...

Honestly speaking, the game will suck without the shadows. I mean, what's a dungeon without shadows? And how can you use shadows to sneak, if there aren't any?

 

[Fresh]

Gee... FOr a game that pretend to have the next gen graphics, they are taking a step backwards.

Like it or not, illumination & shadows can make a bland scene look like a rich and beautiful scene. I won't say vice-versa, but the graphics quality will suffer with this "feature". But if that was the only way to get higher frame rates...

Honestly speaking, the game will suck without the shadows. I mean, what's a dungeon without shadows? And how can you use shadows to sneak, if there aren't any?

There will still be light and dark areas right- ie illumination? But stuff like crap lying on the floor wont be casting shadows.

Sneaking .. you move in the non-illuminated areas?

 

[Spazmo]

Wait, now they're cutting flashy graphics features? What's actually going to be left in the final product?

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

Wait, now they're cutting flashy graphics features? What's actually going to be left in the final product?

PATRICK STEWART!!!

 

[Gwendo]

Wait, now they're cutting flashy graphics features? What's actually going to be left in the final product?

PATRICK STEWART!!!

Except French and Spanish people, as they will get a dubbed version. :D

 

[obediah]

I broke down and pre-ordered Oblivion on the 360. It's such a lost cause that I figured I woudl do my part to make sure Bethesda's new games (including FO 3) are console only so we don't have to talk about them.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Wait, now they're cutting flashy graphics features? What's actually going to be left in the final product?

PATRICK STEWART!!!

"In latests news, Patrick Stewart, british Actor of "Star Trek" fame, has announced his withdrawel from his voice talent role in the upcoming next-gen computer role-playing game "Oblivion" by bethesda softworks. "I have withdrawn from the contract after reading a certain web-site that opened my eyes on what a sub-par project this is. I can't afford to have my name associated with the most dumbed-down game in history, ever. I can live without the royalties.""

 

[Twinfalls]

Hahaha!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Sneaking .. you move in the non-illuminated areas?

Remember MW? Where did you have to sneak the most? In dark rooms where nobody cares what you do or in well-lit places like stores, houses, guilds?

 

[bryce777]

Just draw some shadows on the walls of your computer room.

 

[Twinfalls]

Haha! True 'self-shadowing'.

 

[bryce777]

Haha! True 'self-shadowing'.

I already have my hat that says wizzard lor and am imagining all the dialog that would I won't be saying in the game. i don't think I even need to get the actual game!!!

 

[Twinfalls]

That makes you the King of the TES-style role-players. Walk with pride amongst your flock, my Liege.

 

[bryce777]

That makes you the King of the TES-style role-players. Walk with pride amongst your flock, my Liege.

I would have to be a virgin for that. I think volly is available, though.

 

[dongle]

Wouldn't it be reasonable to think shadows will be possible to enable via the ini file?

If it were that simple do you think Kathode would be saying they were out?

I have no clue how this works for Oblivion, but I can tell you how it did for Morrowind. Each critter/npc/weapon/shield had a shadowbox. There were a few generic ones, but each could also have a custom shadowbox. This was basically a low-poly version of the model that was used to cast the shadow. If it works the same way in OB each and every one of the 9,000 odd objects would need to be imported to 3Ds Max and remodeled to enable shadows for them. No, I'm not doing that for you.

This is pure eye-candy tho. I don't think it affects game-play. The sneaking bit should depend on whether you're within the radius of a light, like a torch or whatever, and the game thinks of you as "lit". I don't think anyone expected to be able to sneak in the shadow of a ribcage.
.

 

[Twinfalls]

Hiding in the shadow cast by a bookshelf? Or by walls? Outside, hiding in the lengthening shadows near buildings at dusk?

It was Bethesda who talked up all the stealth gameplay opportunities afforded by their new tech - eg Emil Pagliarulo repeatedly mentioning 'sneaking in shadows' in interviews.

 

[whitemithrandir]

Forget it Bethesda. Just make it an interactive elf porn dating sim game. Stop trying to make it into an RPG. It's not going to work.

 

[dongle]

Hiding in the shadow cast by a bookshelf? Or by walls? Outside, hiding in the lengthening shadows near buildings at dusk?

Except they never talked about static objects like bookcases or buildings casting shadows, just shit you can pick up like rib cages. Unless I missed it? I agree it'd make for good game-play, and look great, but I don't think we were expecting it? TES site is down so I can't check Emil's diary.
.

 

[dongle]

OK, so I re-read Emil's diary in Google's cache. Yes he does say; "So yes, light and shadow will affect your ability to sneak." I guess I just automatically read that as; "inside the circle of light(s), or outside them in darkness, affects your sneak" and not; "having a dynamic soft-shadow cast on you by an object affects your sneak". See, those real-time shadows are incredible resource hogs. I could tell from the very first screenshots that every bookcase and wall was never going to be casting dynamic shadows. I don't think there is any game that can do that today. So I assumed that's not what Emil was talking about.

I speak as a 3D modeler/Graphix Whore tho. I can see where someone who isn't as neurotic about game graphics as me would read all those times Emil says "shadow" differently.
.

 

[Lumpy]

Honestly, why all the bitching about shadows? I though you didn't give a damn about graphics. Or, maybe I understand - you don't give a damn about good graphics, but you hate bad graphics, right?

 

[Twinfalls]

Read the fucking newsbit and thread, Lumpy. It's about the loss of a promised gameplay feature - stealth by 'sneaking in shadows'. There are no shadows now, neither dynamic nor static. There may be dark areas, but no actual shadows, except NPCs.

This fuckup aside, though - and I actually do think this:

Bethesda could do a lot worse than grab hold of the Thief license.

It's the type of thing I think they'd be relatively good at, it's what they really want to make - an rpg-ish medieval action-stealth type game. Much better for them than Fallout, which is plainly just not what they are good at doing or even interested in doing.

Thief would actually benefit from the big-open world Bethesda would probably create.

And it'd be a lot better than seeing the series spend eternity in an EA-type graveyard.

 

[Lumpy]

I'm sure that you can still sneak in shadows, it's just that shadows are no longer dynamic.