Game News Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion official

[Astromarine]

not to mention that TB was CERTAINLY in the mainstream when it came out.

 

[fnordcircle]

RE: Skills improving as you use them.

To me this is the only way to go. Realism being one factor (the previously noted point that your ability to pick a lock should have nothing to do killing bull netch's is a good example) but the other factor being that, to me, skills progressing as you use them makes the character feel more like my own.

Morrowind is one of my favorite games of all time for the exploration, spell-making, enchanting and skill progression aspects.

One way to address people's whining about some skills lagging behind others is to lump skills together into groups. So instead of Sneak/LockPick/Security you have 'Stealth'. Successes in one of those skills gives you a generic 'Stealth' skillpoint that you can apply to any of the skills encompassed by the group. Even better if something like this is an option. I prefer the 'it gets better as you use it' method, though, because I don't consider it boring, I consider it a reward when certain less-used skills are improved.

Also, considernig the abundance of trainers and how easy money is to get in Morrowind, who are these people that have such a hard time with certain skills?

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Agreed it done it alot better. I think alot of people here have problems with basic english, i said a use to improve based system is better if done properly and i said morrowind did not do it properly.

I'll tell you the problem I have with it. It's generally not fun to do. It's not fun to use a crappy skill that's low and the primary attributes you have for the skill are low. You end up with fifty or so "You fail!" messages and anything you have towards success only slowly makes a change in the character. In systems like Fallout, where you can raise that skill every level, you can improve your speech in a manner that, while not totally realistic, doesn't involve you repeating actions to death just to hope to one day be good at something.

 

[jiujitsu]

http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/index.php

Hahahaha.

I love the internet.

 

[Ortchel]

Wow. Those are some amazing graphics.

 

[Araanor]

Yeah, but... Sheesh, who cares about the graphics. It won't be that special by the time it's actually released.

 

[Lemon]

Winter '05 ?

 

[Jaesun]

Nice graphics. I hope they spent just as much time on Dialogue tree's and Combat.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Yeah, but... Sheesh, who cares about the graphics. It won't be that special by the time it's actually released.

Wouldn't it be worse if it were actually ugly?

 

[DarkUnderlord]

OMG. I can't wait until I see the Cliff Racers.

 

[Ortchel]

Cliff Racers are indigenous and exclusive to Vvardenfell. The game doesn't take place on Vvardenfell.

 

[Sol Invictus]

My god, it's full of stars. I just had a better look at those photographs and my god, it's full of stars.

Christ. That is nothing short of amazing.

 

[Whipporowill]

I certainly won't be able to call this game ugly. The art assets for MW was in part horrendous...

... but this? Yikes. That forest is damn good-looking.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Cliff Racers are indigenous and exclusive to Vvardenfell. The game doesn't take place on Vvardenfell.

You forget about migration season.

 

[Araanor]

Wouldn't it be worse if it were actually ugly?

Of course. But its importance pales in the company of gameplay elements. New games are always shinier.

 

[voodoo1man]

Yay! The forest in those screenshots seem to refute my point about view distances. Do those mountains look like they're made out of voxels to anyone else? That would be pretty cool too.

 

[Spazmo]

Well, it's pretty, you certainly can't deny that. I do wonder if it's still based on NetImmerse/GameBryo, though.

 

[Ortchel]

Theres no way it's still based on NetImmerse/GameBryo.

NetImmerse looks like Doom in comparison to this.

 

[plin]

wowzers.

 

[Araanor]

Theres no way it's still based on NetImmerse/GameBryo.

NetImmerse looks like Doom in comparison to this.

NetImmerse/Gamebryo doesn't have a "look" in that way - it's not a complete engine with a game like Doom. It's more of a renderer (is this the third time I've said it?). It's fast, it's fairly low-level and it's easy to port - if you can cough up the cash for it. But it's not an engine in the sense of what you would have gotten if you licensed Quake 3.
Asides from changing the name to Gamebryo, they indicate new versions by version numbers. NDL are not in the business of making games, so they're not going to give every new version a new name. Bethesda using NetImmerse/Gamebryo now doesn't mean they use the same version as they did back when they made Morrowind. In any case, the mid- and high-level graphics programming would be handled by Bethesda themselves. A game being based on an older engine doesn't mean it'll be old or ugly. As a matter of fact, development teams build their new engines on their old ones.

 

[Dragon]

Someone asked for scans. Found them on another forum. Defenitly not profetionnal quality. But, hey :

http://www.gamekult.com/pc/forum/lire_231741_page2.html

[/img]

 

[Sol Invictus]

Thanks! Now, if only someone could scan it with something other than a shitty Lexmark.

 

[Stark]

Horses and "other" mounts are in.

-The game is set in Cryodill. You are a prisoner and the Emperor is escaping the Imperial Palace after an escape attempt. The escape tunnel runs through your cell. You witness the death of the Emperor and as he dies he hands you an amulet and tells you to find the one who can close the gates. With the death of the Emperor and no apparant heir, the gates to Oblivion open throughout the world of Tamriel.

-Winter 2005.

-Each NPC is completely different with unique and involved dialogue. NPC's follow schedules, go to work, to bed, have romances, families, lives, do chores, go for walks, go for adventures, visit family in other towns, Etc. For instance, a Farmer will go to his fields during the day to plow his grain, may take a lunch break, and go home at night to his wife where they go to sleep.

-The game will be smaller then Morrowind due to time constraints and because players like "a shorter game". It will be more expansive in terms of things to do however ::Boggles::

-In trying to make the game more "mainstream" friendly lockpicking, Armor forging, Potion making will be made into a sort of mini-game. I'm not excited about this.

-Over 40 completely different types of enemies. One of the screenshots, yes kids, is a Dragon.

-Stated by the magazine and everyone on the net who has seen the photos-The shots of Cryodill is the best looking shots of any game ever. Period. See Ya Doom 3. Bye Farcry. Oblivion-New standard. Which probably means YOU need to upgrade your system.

-It WILL come with the construction Set.

hey thanks Role-Player.

The major point that makes me happy:

-Each NPC is completely different with unique and involved dialogue. NPC's follow schedules, go to work, to bed, have romances, families, lives, do chores, go for walks, go for adventures, visit family in other towns, Etc. For instance, a Farmer will go to his fields during the day to plow his grain, may take a lunch break, and go home at night to his wife where they go to sleep.

I hope they really mean it when they say "involved dialog".

-The game will be smaller then Morrowind due to time constraints and because players like "a shorter game". It will be more expansive in terms of things to do however ::Boggles::

strangely, i consider this a plus.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I consider that a plus too. I shoudl've taken that out from the original post and stuck with just the info. Gosh darn it.

 

[taks]

Thanks! Now, if only someone could scan it with something other than a shitty Lexmark.

i think that was actually a digital camera... not even shitty lexmark quality!
taks