Interview Oblivion interview special: 2 in 1 news post!

[Vault Dweller]

Nope.

 

[Twinfalls]

I have a question though, in Morrowind I could often find a weapon that didn't match my skill. Obviously, it was some kinda glitch, but Morrowind was still an amazing game. Was that problem fixed in Oblivion?

What if there is a quest that involves more than one guild? Would I have to choose what to do? I hate doing that because then I will definitely miss some stuff.

Come on, Pete - give us your answers. This stuff is crucial to taking a roleplaying game to the next level. You ARE taking it to the next level, right?

 

[Data4]

Deleted... Respect, and all that. (Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner, Twinfalls)

-D4

 

[Twinfalls]

I had actually deleted that - 'twas a litle harsh. No offence there Kastha.

 

[Pete]

I'm getting dizzy thinking of all those choices! I have a question though, in Morrowind I could often find a weapon that didn't match my skill. Obviously, it was some kinda glitch, but Morrowind was still an amazing game. Was that problem fixed in Oblivion?

In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowindâ„¢ we found that many players were left confused at all the unnecessary skill choices they needed to make when they start the game. Not only did they have too many choices, they also had to make a guess at what would be fun for them. In the beginning of the game, the emperor (voiced by Patrick Stewart) is brought to a secret passage that leads through your cell. This will give players a chance to explore and interact with the dungeon before they determine their skills, thus allowing you to see what you enjoy playing with and what you don't, before you make the big decision.

Concerning the decisions themselves, we've modified the skill list to 21. This gives us a nice, divisible number to work with (7 skills on each side; Fighter, Mage, and Thief). Weapons have been categorized into the Blade skill, the Blunt skill, and the Marksman skill. This will allow you to have a wider variety of weapons at your disposable, and it will make the game more fun. If you level up your Blade skill, you'll be able to use all the cool daggers and claymores that we've hidden in the game for you. Players now have a wider variety of options without those options being confusing and convoluted with extra, unnecessary skills.

Sounds great! This will be the best role-playing game ever! I have one concern though. What if there is a quest that involves more than one guild? Would I have to choose what to do? I hate doing that because then I will definitely miss some stuff.

In Oblivion, the goal is freeform and open-ended gameplay. To become what you want to become, and to do whatever you wanted to do. If you want to explore every nook and cranny of the game world, and complete every quest, we want that to be available to you. With that in mind, we created a system where it was possible. You will be able to rise to the head of every guild, provided you complete their quests and have the right skill levels. Guild quests won't overlap, and there won't be "warring factions", because this would make it too tough to allow you the kind of freedom I just described. Each guild will be independent and seperate of each other. We didn't want the player to have to pick and choose.

You can do every quest in the game, get a 100% completion, but this will probably take you hundreds upon hundreds of hours. It's all up to the player whether he wants to invest that amount of time, but it is certainly an option.

I'm getting confused here. Why do wizards go into the Mages Guild? Shouldn't there be a Wizards Guild or something? Also, I think that "clan" is a much better and familiar word for many fans, and I think that the Fighters Clan sounds much better. I don't know if it's too late to change it now, but keep that in mind for TES5.

To keep to the lore, and to past fans of the Elder Scrolls series, the guild for magic users is called the Mages Guild. In Tamriel (the world where the Elder Scrolls series takes place), wizards and mages are one in the same.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

You should add the â„¢ to your nickname.

 

[Stella Brando]

play along, smileyface, don't ruin it...

 

[Section8]

Wow, I'm totally beginning to think that someone with sloppy blade skills cut Real Peteâ„¢ in half and two Petes grew back! I'm very impressed by this curiously palindromic display of RPPR.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

This thread should be stickied.

 

[Chefe]

It has lots of valuable information.

 

[LlamaGod]

If you level up your Blade skill, you'll be able to use all the cool daggers and claymores that we've hidden in the game for you. Players now have a wider variety of options without those options being confusing and convoluted with extra, unnecessary skills.

How is being logical confusing and convulting?

I would be confused if I played a game where Daggers and Claymores shared the same skill. I would look for seperate categories.

Then again, i'm not a 11 year old with an Xbox.

Congrats on dumbing down for the masses, sirrah.

 

[Fresh]

Pete...

I think Morrowind is a great game, but there were some things that bothered me. For example - too much text! I dont want to read alot, I just want to play a game. Why can't I just get to do that?

Will this problem be fixed for Oblivion?

Bigger fonts would be nice too.

 

[kingcomrade]

Are there still going to be hit points? Those are dumb and don't make sense and I hate having to read the number and then try to figure out if that's a bad number. 23/67, what does that even mean? I think it should just be a colored bar like my favorite cRPG Diablo 2, only without the numbers.

 

[Vault Dweller]

In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowindâ„¢ we found that many players were left confused at all the unnecessary skill choices they needed to make when they start the game. Not only did they have too many choices, they also had to make a guess at what would be fun for them.

That's so true! I remember being stuck for days when I tried to make my first character. I literally didn't know what to do. Some skills were very confusing like Mercantile. How do you kill someone with that???!! I'm so glad to hear that Oblivion won't be like that. After all, the designers make the game, they know what will be fun, so let them pick the fun stuff for you, because that's why we play games - to have fun!

Concerning the decisions themselves, we've modified the skill list to 21. This gives us a nice, divisible number to work with (7 skills on each side; Fighter, Mage, and Thief).

Wow! I didn't even realized that until you mentioned it. Neat! Now it's much easier to play a fighter, I just pick all 7 fighter skills as primary skills and it's done. This will make role-playing so much easier for us! Thank you, Bethesda!

Weapons have been categorized into the Blade skill, the Blunt skill, and the Marksman skill. This will allow you to have a wider variety of weapons at your disposable, and it will make the game more fun. If you level up your Blade skill, you'll be able to use all the cool daggers and claymores that we've hidden in the game for you. Players now have a wider variety of options without those options being confusing and convoluted with extra, unnecessary skills.

Convoluted is a good word. I don't really know what it means, but you are right about unnecessary skills. All swords belong in one category, and if you think about it, like I did, daggers are basically little swords. Same goes for the blunt weapons, so I don't understand what other people are complaining about.

In Oblivion, the goal is freeform and open-ended gameplay. To become what you want to become, and to do whatever you wanted to do. If you want to explore every nook and cranny of the game world, and complete every quest, we want that to be available to you. With that in mind, we created a system where it was possible. You will be able to rise to the head of every guild, provided you complete their quests and have the right skill levels. Guild quests won't overlap, and there won't be "warring factions", because this would make it too tough to allow you the kind of freedom I just described. Each guild will be independent and seperate of each other. We didn't want the player to have to pick and choose.

This is even better than Morrowind. This is true freedom! I can literally do anything and everything! Morrowind was my first and only role-playing game, but it was the best role-playing game ever, and now Oblivion will be the best role-playing game ever. This gameplay sounds so complex, I can't believe it was even technologically possible. I'm sure that Radiant AI helped a lot to create that freedom.

You can do every quest in the game, get a 100% completion, but this will probably take you hundreds upon hundreds of hours. It's all up to the player whether he wants to invest that amount of time, but it is certainly an option.

Wow! Hundreds upon hundreds... Isn't that like 10,000 hours??!!! OMG! I'm sure that even in 10 years I would be still playing this awesome game. Thank you, Bethesda!!!

 

[Twinfalls]

TyrellCodex Corporation - "More Hines than Hines"â„¢

 

[Stella Brando]

I think I've met that chick outta your sig, Twinfalls. She went to my uni.

 

[Fresh]

Weapons have been categorized into the Blade skill, the Blunt skill, and the Marksman skill. This will allow you to have a wider variety of weapons at your disposable, and it will make the game more fun.

SIGH! Why not have a single weapon skill instead? It's too hard to keep track of all those numbers. Like this one time in Morrowind where I tried using a bow after playing for 2 whole weeks and I couldnt hit anything! BORING! What's the point of that? Why cant Oblivion be more like CS where you can use any weapon you find? That would be awesome! PLZ PLZ PLZ BETHSEDA - MAKE THIS CHANGE BEFORE THE GAME IS RELEASED!

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Can I shoot him, or does someone else want the pleasure?

 

[Chefe]

All swords belong in one category, and if you think about it, like I did, daggers are basically little swords.

Hahaha, this one get sig'd.

 

[HardCode]

Pete:

Why didn't magic follow the same pattern? Liek, i m3n, why have all of those magic catagories? Why not just one called "Magic"??1? It would be so much easier and bettur to role play a magic user if we can know dat "Magic" is teh skill to select. Then, we can just use the Cast button and it will kill the monstors. That would be GREAT for the role playing in Oblivion. Since there is a delay, can Bethda implement that? I love how everything is coming togeter for the game. I can't wait!

 

[Fresh]

Pete:

Why didn't magic follow the same pattern? Liek, i m3n, why have all of those magic catagories? Why not just one called "Magic"??1? It would be so much easier and bettur to role play a magic user if we can know dat "Magic" is teh skill to select. Then, we can just use the Cast button and it will kill the monstors. That would be GREAT for the role playing in Oblivion. Since there is a delay, can Bethda implement that? I love how everything is coming togeter for the game. I can't wait!

HAHAHaah what a stupid suggestion! Of course you need different magic categories!! Only one category would be TOTALLY unrealistical!! YOu are such a dumb guy haha!

 

[Claw]

Why have skills anyway? You could just tie skills to attributes - melee weapons to strength, bows to agility, along with sneak.

It would create very natural playing styles - the sneaky thief using a bow to strike from the shadows versus the thug with high strength.

 

[Pete]

I'll try and get to everyone's questions as best as I can.

You should add the â„¢ to your nickname.

I just prefer "Pete". Nothing fancy.

How is being logical confusing and convulting?

I would be confused if I played a game where Daggers and Claymores shared the same skill. I would look for seperate categories.

Then again, i'm not a 11 year old with an Xbox.

Congrats on dumbing down for the masses, sirrah.

Daggers and claymores are governed by the same skill, but a thief would logically want to use a dagger over a claymore, as you cannot critical hit while sneaking with the latter. Likewise, a warrior would want to use a claymore or longsword over a shield.

Pete...

I think Morrowind is a great game, but there were some things that bothered me. For example - too much text! I dont want to read alot, I just want to play a game. Why can't I just get to do that?

Will this problem be fixed for Oblivion?

Bigger fonts would be nice too.

All dialogue will be voice acted in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionâ„¢. This will offer an unparalled level of interaction with the NPCs (Non-playable Characters) in the game and really help bring them to life. I think you will be well pleased.

Are there still going to be hit points? Those are dumb and don't make sense and I hate having to read the number and then try to figure out if that's a bad number. 23/67, what does that even mean? I think it should just be a colored bar like my favorite cRPG Diablo 2, only without the numbers.

There is a red bar at the bottom of your screen that denotes how much life your character has left until you die. You can replenish your life by using potions, magic, resting, or visiting a healer. They are still governed by a number based stat though, so "hit points" are still in. It shouldn't confuse you though, just remember that the smaller the red bar is, the closer you are to getting the proverbial "Game Over".

 

[Pete]

Convoluted is a good word. I don't really know what it means, but you are right about unnecessary skills. All swords belong in one category, and if you think about it, like I did, daggers are basically little swords. Same goes for the blunt weapons, so I don't understand what other people are complaining about.

Convoluted means that something in extremely complex and complicated.

After long meetings, and numerous different thoughts and discussion on the subject, we decided that it was best for the game and for the fans if common types of weapons were merged. This makes for an easier and more streamlined skill system.

This is even better than Morrowind. This is true freedom! I can literally do anything and everything!

Morrowind was my first and only role-playing game, but it was the best role-playing game ever, and now Oblivion will be the best role-playing game ever. This gameplay sounds so complex, I can't believe it was even technologically possible. I'm sure that Radiant AI helped a lot to create that freedom.

Our developers have been working around the clock to bring you an epic roleplaying game that meets and exceeds all standards. We like to refer to this as the RPG for the next generation, as it brings to the table beautiful immersive graphics, complex physics, and our advanced intelligence system which we've dubbed Radiant AIâ„¢. This does help create alot of the freedom in Oblivionâ„¢. NPCs are given full, dynamic schedules which you can view and interact with. The characters are given a set of goals, such as "eat at 3:00", and depending on their personalities they will obtain that food. A common way is to buy it in a store, but less moral characters might try stealing food.

It really creates a level of unparalled interaction, and we're sure you all will enjoy it and the great gameplay advances it brings to the genre.

Wow! Hundreds upon hundreds... Isn't that like 10,000 hours??!!! OMG! I'm sure that even in 10 years I would be still playing this awesome game. Thank you, Bethesda!!!

We will offer the TES Construction Setâ„¢ in conjunction with the game which will allow players to create their own custom content, which will further the hundreds of hours that we've already filled Oblivionâ„¢ with.

 

[ExMonk]

Pete:

I just wanted to tell that you have really earned my respect. I mean, you obviously have mega mega time management skills. You're constantly jetsetting around the globe. How ever do you get all your other important PR work done, and still, seemingly, spend ALL of your time here? You are so uber cool. It was sure a lucky, lucky day for Bethesda when they had the good sense to hire you. What a talent! What a human being!