Interview Todd Howard needs help

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Literally. Apparently, Todd is one sick puppy. Just read this <a href=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/theelderscrollsIVoblivion/20060118-livinginoblivion.htm>interview</a> :
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<blockquote>Xbox.com: The absolute coolest part about Oblivion in your opinion would be? And any specific neat touches gamers should look for?
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Howard: Poisoned Apples are my new favorite. You get them from the assassin's guild and can slip them into taverns and watch people come to eat and drop dead.
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...creating an evil version of the player who starts killing everyone. It was hilarious.</blockquote>So, if you or someone you know has recently been in contact with Todd and/or accepted an apple from him, please contact Jack Thompson and mental health authorities immediately.

 

[Balor]

Well, talking of peoople who just love running around killing everybody.

 

[Chefe]

Dumbest interview ever.

Both the interviewer and especially the interviewee. This really sets a new low in journalism, and a new low for Bethesda.

 

[elander_]

Just look at this question:

"Xbox.com: Where is the emphasis going: Combat, storytelling, character development...? And what type of RPG fan is it most targeted at?"

Which should be read as endless hack-and-slash, linear quests and power-gaming, collection lots of cool weapons, cloths and enchanted items that give you more power. In other words children stuff. But what do you expect of a XBox interviewer.

"Howard: The emphasis is on doing whatever you want. We don't really target one element of play over another. We kind of have to touch on it all in this kind of game. We like action, so we present the tale in first-person. We want you to feel like you are there, that this is a real place that you can go and see anything in. If we focus on anything most though, it is the "dungeon hack" experience. That's the meat of the game. I mean, if you look at Arena, the first Elder Scrolls game, it's basically a giant dungeon hack, and it's awesome. So that was our first goal—make the best dungeon romp we can—and everything else is gravy. Good gravy, but still gravy."

They make a very big effort to avoid Daggerfall. It looks like they are trying to capture the essence of Arena which was in fact a huge dungeon hack. Will they try to capture the essence of Daggerfall in a next episode? That will be an hard task because Daggerfall was mostly an incomplete masterpiece.

 

[Awakened_Yeti]

i wish they would try - Daggerfall was mainly awesome due to its huge random world.. it caused some problems, but i think that should be the next step beyond radiant AI... worlds and NPCs that generate their own quests and plotlines emergently

 

[Volourn]

Daggerfall was a piece of shit... like the rest of the ES series.

 

[Vault Dweller]

http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/inde ... pic=230289

In the xbox.com interview Howard talks about putting poin apples on the tables in the tavern and watching people eat them and die. I think this would be hilarious and I might just join the DarkBrotherHood just for the apples. Just think of stealing all the towns food and then scatering 100s of poison apples over the town center and watching the chaos! chaos.gif Do you guys have any funny ideas about Poison Apples and other strange items? fing05.gif

 

[Whipporowill]

So who's the guildmaster of the Dark Brotherhood? Snow Whites stepmother?

Here's a pic of Todd b t w

 

[SlavemasterT]

So who's the guildmaster of the Dark Brotherhood? Snow Whites stepmother?

Maybe all of this means that the Dwemer are going to be making an appearance after all.

 

[deus]

I'm more worried about how I can poison my goddamn weapons, but have to buy poisoned apples.

 

[Proweler]

Both the interviewer and especially the interviewee. This really sets a new low in journalism, and a new low for Bethesda.

They are doing an interview for an xbox related site, it shouldn't be a suprice really. I don't want to put down xbox users as "stupid console kiddies" but Todd is already doing that for me.

So who's the guildmaster of the Dark Brotherhood? Snow Whites stepmother?

Ironically they call her the "Night Mother" :D

I'm more worried about how I can poison my goddamn weapons, but have to buy poisoned apples.

Equip weapon, drink a potion with all negative effects -> Effects are applied to your weapon.

 

[Blacklung]

From what I've read, you can make a poison from alchemy ingredients, just as you could make any other potion in MW. I think you just click and drag, or some option pops up, and add the potion/poison to your weapon. Wallah, poisoned weapon. I do find it intesting that they have expanded this notion to food in a big way, definitely adds to the assassin options.

 

[Whipporowill]

Couldn't find a better Toad-head, so that would have to do.

 

[Chefe]

 

[Proweler]

Granted it adds but sheez tell us something serious to use them for, it's not that gimmicks like that are going to be fun for a complete game. Brings fable to mind. You can drink and you'll even vomit if you drink to much but what fun is there in that?

Not that we should expect anything else from a guy that likes to: "Ride on a horse" and "like to kill things" but does not combine the two.

Xbox.com: Please tell us a little bit about the world in which the game is set, and what makes it so compelling?

Howard: It's Tamriel, which we've been nurturing for over 10 years, and on the surface, it's your standard fantasy fare. But I guess because of our game style, we're able to present this depth to the world that you just don't get to experience in other games. Like what kinds of flowers grow, what people's literature and customs are like, how races react to each other. I think a lot of games have great worlds and amazing back-stories that you don't necessarily get to experience, and because of the first-person giant-freeform style of our stuff, you can.

I'm happy knowing that though.

 

[Proweler]

Xbox.com: One of the coolest parts of the game is the hyper-intelligent NPCs. Mind describing a few characters we'll meet and just how smart they are?

Howard: I wish they weren't so smart, actually. We spent forever making them really smart, and probably the last few months making them dumber, because they like to go off and do things that really mess the world up. A few weeks ago there was an instance where a player dropped the "Skull of Corruption," an artifact that when used on an enemy makes an evil clone of that enemy. He was just testing and wanted to make sure the object used the physics correctly when dropped. So he drops it and an NPC runs up, grabs it, and shoots the player with it—creating an evil version of the player who starts killing everyone. It was hilarious.

And I really doubt if that story is genuine. The Skull of Coruption already excisted before Oblivion and it's background story is exactly the same. So I reckon that the weapon just rigs the cloned NPC to get the staff (when possible) and use it on the PC.

edit:

Darn!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Couldn't find a better Toad-head, so that would have to do.

Posted.

 

[Claw]

I'm more worried about how I can poison my goddamn weapons, but have to buy poisoned apples.

That's what I thought, too. But maybe creating poisons yourself was cut as well? Maybe poisoned apples are the Dark Brotherhood's "Guild Perk" like Enchantment for Mages.
Besides, didn't I originally hear about poisoning food? Like, any kind of food? Now it's down to getting poisoned apples from the Dark Brotherhood?
Sounds like some serious dumbing down in progress. Is there a "Poisoned Apple" card for Oblivion: The Dumbening yet?

 

[Whipporowill]

Is there a "Poisoned Apple" card for Oblivion: The Dumbening yet?

Hold your horses!

edit: check the Ob:dumb thread.

 

[bryce777]

I just have to wonder, who would eat an apple that was just lying on a table or placed there by a stranger?

 

[Chefe]

I just have to wonder, who would eat an apple that was just lying on a table or placed there by a stranger?

Sounds like the NPCs aren't as Radiant(TM) they were originally hyped to be.

 

[Proweler]

like some serious dumbing down in progress.

Being able to buy poisoned food does not exclude the possibility of being able to make your own. You are a fucking hysteric crybaby.

 

[Dreagon]

i wish they would try - Daggerfall was mainly awesome due to its huge random world.. it caused some problems, but i think that should be the next step beyond radiant AI... worlds and NPCs that generate their own quests and plotlines emergently

Wright was making a similar point when discussing spore. Games are getting to the point where it's just not efficient to create the whole game. Now a game that generates itself, or the player helps generate, is both more efficient and can even be more interesting if done right.

 

[Kuato]

i wish they would try - Daggerfall was mainly awesome due to its huge random world.. it caused some problems, but i think that should be the next step beyond radiant AI... worlds and NPCs that generate their own quests and plotlines emergently

Wright was making a similar point when discussing spore. Games are getting to the point where it's just not efficient to create the whole game. Now a game that generates itself, or the player helps generate, is both more efficient and can even be more interesting if done right.

one step further would be a game that buys and plays itself :D

 

[Proweler]

i wish they would try - Daggerfall was mainly awesome due to its huge random world.. it caused some problems, but i think that should be the next step beyond radiant AI... worlds and NPCs that generate their own quests and plotlines emergently

Wright was making a similar point when discussing spore. Games are getting to the point where it's just not efficient to create the whole game. Now a game that generates itself, or the player helps generate, is both more efficient and can even be more interesting if done right.

For a gamethat relies on a repeative partern of "Do X, Y, or Z" and have fun, it would work but if you want an interesting coherent story as motivation for doing X,Y or Z it's not. Thats the difference between online and offline gaming.