Interview Love bashing things with a sword? Get Oblivion!

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

<a href=http://www.hcgamer.hu>HC Gamer</a> has scored an <a href=http://www.hcgamer.hu/gamer/index.php?p=5&c=11247&hw=1&tores=1>exclusive interview</a> with <b>Pete Hines</b> of the <a href=http://www.elderscrolls.com/>Oblivion</a>'s fame. The questions are retarded, so I'll post only the answers.
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<blockquote>This time we've realized how much combat people really do in a game like this...</blockquote>3 combat focused TES games later, Bethesda's finally realized that people who play these games like combat. Well, better late than never, I suppose.
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<blockquote>We really are striving to get the kinetic energy of guys bashing each other with swords down, and do it right, because no one has yet.</blockquote>Because nobody gave a damn before?
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<blockquote>There are special moves you can perform and the blocking is active. So the timing of it becomes a key strategy in fighting.</blockquote>Yeah, the timing is what's been missing from all the previous games. That and jumping puzzles.
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[Elwro]

There were areas in Daggerfall you could call "jumping puzzles". For example this small window in the Castle Wayrest dungeon you had to jump through but couldn't fit, so you had to crouch but you couldn't jump, or sth like that. I never understood why I suddenly was on the other side of that window.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Because nobody gave a damn before?

Actually, they're talking about feeling the 'effects' of combat. The previous games had you hacking away at cardboard, more or less. When you hit them, it didn't really give you the impression that they were actually hit, since they just went down in a slump.

Compare the combat in Deus Ex to that of Half Life 2. Or Diablo's animations to Prince of Qin.Pretty big difference.

It's something I look forward to, really. It'd be nice to see the monsters actually look like they're getting hit, and recoiling to the blows.

I'm worried about how timing will work, though. I hope that you can keep the block button pressed, or prepare a block before they hit you, because it'd be pretty irritating if you had to block or parry at the exact moment they launched a strike against you. That really bugs me in Pirates!

 

[Vault Dweller]

It's something I look forward to, really. It'd be nice to see the monsters actually look like they're getting hit, and recoiling to the blows

Monsters getting hit and recoiling to blows is just a matter of a proper animation. There were plenty of 2D and 3D games that had that years ago. They are talking about that kinetic fetish they have. Same was with bows if you recall ("feel the string" and all that).

 

[germx]

When you hit them, it didn't really give you the impression that they were actually hit, since they just went down in a slump.

I totally agree! In MW there were no feeling in the combat at all. It really was the worst part of the game.
Even a weak character should be able to kill a strong one... not with luck like in MW, but with skill! :twisted:

 

[fizzelopeguss]

*Bethesda's Oblivion to be bundled with vibrating mouse*

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I totally agree! In MW there were no feeling in the combat at all. It really was the worst part of the game.

I don't think so. While I don't have a high regard for Morrowind's combat, you clearly had the feeling of being in combat, but this only became evident at higher skill levels. At lower combat skills, you barely registered hits against an opponent, making combat look unsatisfying from a visual perspective. You press your attack button and not only you don't hit him, you also have to see your sword pass through an opponent, and the combat proceeds as nothing happened. Whereas with higher skill levels, you will hit the opponent more often, but not only will you see that, the opponent himself will register the hit and act accordingly (fall back, momentarily collapse, etc).

What it needs, I think, is refinement in the collision detection animations and subsequent feedback.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

*Bethesda's Oblivion to be bundled with vibrating mouse*

Buy two copies of this special pack and become liable to win a unique VibroScreen (tm) PC monitor! Stunning new technology that provides visual and physical feedback according to what you do in virtual worlds!!

 

[Sol Invictus]

I don't think a shaky screen is what they're referring to by kinetic energy. More likely they're talking about how if you cleave some guy downward in his shoulder area, expect his body to respond to the damage appropriately instead of flying backwards for no reason.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

There were areas in Daggerfall you could call "jumping puzzles". For example this small window in the Castle Wayrest dungeon you had to jump through but couldn't fit, so you had to crouch but you couldn't jump, or sth like that. I never understood why I suddenly was on the other side of that window.

Well, that window thingy wasn't just limited to the Wayrest dungeon. I found it in some of the random dungeons as well. There was always a way around it though, but it usually involved going all the way to the other side of the dungeon to find the passage that would eventually lead you to that other side. Sometimes I would manage to find it and sometimes I just didn't even bother. Depended on my mood at the time.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Sorry about the triple post. Got an Internal Server Error when trying to submit and then couldn't get back onto the Codex at all. Apologies.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

See above.

 

[dojoteef]

You think you posted that enough times Otaku, I think we got the point :D.

Well if they could instill some of the fun and addictiveness of arcade fighting games into Oblivion I think it would make combat more interesting.

For skill levels, they could make it so that you unlock more devastating moves/combos, as well as how much damage each attack does, how much damage you absorb, how much you get knocked back, etc.

 

[ArcturusXIV]

"I don't think a shaky screen is what they're referring to by kinetic energy. More likely they're talking about how if you cleave some guy downward in his shoulder area, expect his body to respond to the damage appropriately instead of flying backwards for no reason."

Alright! I can't wait for 'The Elder Scrolls IV: Postal" to come out!!! *grabs a hammer and pounds in Exitium's head*

(Sorry, I just couldn't resist)

Anyway, I'll repeat my last question for any Bestheda Devs that may be reading this: is there any chance that we will get fully voiced dialgoue (like Gothic), or at least key conversations fully voiced?

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

I believe this is the first time anyone has specifically said we're using Gamebryo.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Compared to NetImmerse, what's Gamebryo offer?

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

Compared to NetImmerse, what's Gamebryo offer?

Well, it's really the same thing -- just a later version. That said, they've added in lots & lots of new features, and greatly improved stuff like the animation system and of course integration with Havok. Their website has a better outline of Gamebryo's features than I can give you.

 

[Astromarine]

ragdoll physics in the engine?

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

ragdoll physics in the engine?

Well, Havok is a separate physics engine that Gamebryo can work with. We've licensed Havok as well.

 

[dojoteef]

Didn't you guys also use Gamebryo for part of Morrowind?

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

dojoteef: Nope -- Morrowind shipped using NetImmerse 4.2, I believe it was. The first version of Gamebryo was bascially NetImmerse 5.

 

[Sol Invictus]

I hope the performance with Oblivion is as good as Half Life 2's. I could scarcely play Morrowind without having serious lag issues when I played it on my Ti4200 at the time. The slowdowns had something to do with the way the terrain was rendered, wasn't it?

 

[HanoverF]

"Bashing" people with swords isn't really an effective use of the weapon, the sharp edges work better

 

[dojoteef]

"Bashing" people with swords isn't really an effective use of the weapon, the sharp edges work better

Well it depends on the sword and the era it was used in. Not all swords were very sharp; some swords really were pretty much bludgeoning weapons that could impale people.

 

[Ortchel]

I hope the performance with Oblivion is as good as Half Life 2's. I could scarcely play Morrowind without having serious lag issues when I played it on my Ti4200 at the time. The slowdowns had something to do with the way the terrain was rendered, wasn't it?

Your problem is pretty curious to me, and I must have fenced hundreds of tech support questions before I was banned from the Bethsoft forums. I doubt it had anything to do with massive amounts of terrain rendering, if I understand your assumption correctly, since, though you can see terrain in the distance, it isn't actually loaded till you enter it's cell.

If you still want to get it running properly, you should pose the question on their forums, someone might have a better answer than I can give you.

 

[LlamaGod]

I had to use that FPS Optimizer program, but overall, who gives a fuck about crappy Morrowind anymore? Gothic 2 and Bloodlines own it.