Interview Oblivion Q&A at GamersHell

[Stark]

actually if there's no game content to support large cities there's little point to make the Imperial City large. doing so would just add alot of pointless walking into the game. take a look at the city in Gothic 2. smallish, but packed with things to do.

Because it was crowded with NPCs. There is no evidence of any crowd in O. In fact, some previews already mentioned it's not the "trading center" they've expected it to be ... but blah blah.. NPCs are "quite animated".

all the more reason to keep the "city" in Oblivion small then.

my interest level in Oblivion just hit a new low.

 

[Wysardry]

Dungeons are not larger by the way, and if stealing/killing or buying the ring of +1 enchantment is your idea of multiple quest lines... then yeah, ok.

Like most people I haven't played the game yet, but the dungeon in the demo video looked larger than the rabbit holes in Morrowind. In the recent Xbox.com interview Todd Howard said, "You can complete any of the big quest lines in about 20 hours, and each feels like its own game. You feel rewarded, and I think that's important. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people play a quest line, play another game, and then come back to Oblivion for more and play a completely different character and try another quest line."

Let's be fair, while soil erosion and forests are a step in right directoin, it's a minor feature, that has nearly zero impact on gameplay, unlike random quests and all.
Or RAI allow random quests? Cannot rememer that, for some reason.

If nothing else, algorithmically generating the landscape instead of creating it all by hand allowed the dev team to create a larger game in less time. You also didn't specify that you only wanted us to mention features that directly affect gameplay.

I don't believe that the AI produces random quests, but I seem to remember reading that it could produce emergent quests.

>Multiple quest lines

Erm, you mean? That 'quests will be better this time, trust us!'? Ok, we'll see.

No, I didn't mean that. See my reply to franc kaos.

>Custom map markers/notes

Well, yea, that's good thing, if, also, VERY minor feature, hardly worth of notice - it should be never excluded in MW in the first place.

There were many minor features that never should have been excluded in Morrowind. Individually they didn't make much difference, but the effect was accumulative.

>Casting spells and swinging weapons without switching combat modes
*shrugs*
Hardly a feature.

It may be only a small step, but at least it is in the right direction.

>Larger dungeons
*rolls eyes*
For some reason, I doubt that Ob dungeons will even approach level of DF ones.
Yea, they may be handcrafted and all, but see VD's comments.
That's more of an improvement on extra-crappy MW ones, not return to DF.

Well no, it wouldn't be practical to include dungeons as large as those in Daggerfall in an area of only 16 square miles. They would also need to be populated with enemies, and if the AI is as complex as they claim that would raise the system requirements even further.

It seems to me that larger dungeons would be more like DF and less like MW though.

>A lack of crossbows :D


So, still not a pile .

I don't know of any definition of the word "pile" that includes a specific quantity. Strictly speaking, one object atop another could be considered a pile of two.

The features I mentioned stacked atop yours would be a pile of eight, and there are probably more.

Personally, I'm just glad to hear of any aspects where Bethesda didn't continue in the same direction they headed with MW.


Edit: You can add "buying a house" to the pile.

 

[Relien]

I am beginning to think that I am a complete idiot, so someone please explain this to me:

As you probably know, there is an alchemy exploit in MW. The strength of potions depends on your intelligence. So you mix a potion of int, drink it, mix another, drink it, and so on. Your intelligence increases and so does the strength of the potions, finally you create a potion of, say, fortify health and you are in a god mode.

Now, they said that they have prevented this exploit by limiting the number of potion effects that can affect you at one time. This will make the exploit tedious, because you will have to wait until the effect wears off to activate another one, but it will still be possible to mix stronger and stronger potions of int.

 

[Data4]

Q: Regarding the nature of Oblivion; is it going to be random and chaotic, or static and fixed? Can the same portal take you to two different places? Will places change with additional visits?

The plane of Oblivion itself is something we’re going to keep the wraps on right up through release to avoid spoiling it for players. Suffice it to say that it’s pretty much a complete inversion of everything that’s nice and pleasant about Tamriel, and an amplification of everything evil.

As if there's not enough to bitch about the game, it's almost like they're trying to piss off every level of past TES fan. Here we see lore enthusiasts being insulted by a FUCKING REIMAGINING of Oblivion, the dimension.

The warning signs were there, with early quotes comparing Oblivion to Hell. Then there's that Dremora emerging from the gate with his ax and the cheesy-as-fuck "You dare challenge the power of Oblivion?" line. Now we have confirmation. Oblivion is an inversion of the "good" of Tamriel, and an amplification of all that is evil...

So, Azura is, in fact, evil? All Daedric lords are evil? You know, the lore was probably the last thing this series had going for it, but not to be outdone, Bethesda has even fucked that up.

God damn, Bethesda... did you go through a "thoroughly destroy the series" checklist on this one?

-D4

 

[Thrawn05]

Q: Regarding the nature of Oblivion; is it going to be random and chaotic, or static and fixed? Can the same portal take you to two different places? Will places change with additional visits?

The plane of Oblivion itself is something we’re going to keep the wraps on right up through release to avoid spoiling it for players. Suffice it to say that it’s pretty much a complete inversion of everything that’s nice and pleasant about Tamriel, and an amplification of everything evil.

As if there's not enough to bitch about the game, it's almost like they're trying to piss off every level of past TES fan. Here we see lore enthusiasts being insulted by a FUCKING REIMAGINING of Oblivion, the dimension.

The warning signs were there, with early quotes comparing Oblivion to Hell. Then there's that Dremora emerging from the gate with his ax and the cheesy-as-fuck "You dare challenge the power of Oblivion?" line. Now we have confirmation. Oblivion is an inversion of the "good" of Tamriel, and an amplification of all that is evil...

So, Azura is, in fact, evil? All Daedric lords are evil? You know, the lore was probably the last thing this series had going for it, but not to be outdone, Bethesda has even fucked that up.

God damn, Bethesda... did you go through a "thoroughly destroy the series" checklist on this one?

-D4

Hold on there. I think even in DF the Daedra were neither good nor evil (I think Tedd said that, not sure). Some find more joy in good or evil, but not set in stone. In all likelyhood the "hell" of oblivion would have to be mehrunes dagon's sphere but they won't say that because it ruin an already horrible game.

 

[Levski 1912]

Yes, Oblivion will probably only bring Mehrunes Dagon, as the teens who are the target audience want a BIG AZZ DEMONZ!!!11 to fight. If they had picked other, more interesting Daedra princes, it could have made the game far more interesting, and involved less of a Doom-style trip to Hell, and more actual dialog and whatnot.

 

[Thrawn05]

Yes, Oblivion will probably only bring Mehrunes Dagon, as the teens who are the target audience want a BIG AZZ DEMONZ!!!11 to fight. If they had picked other, more interesting Daedra princes, it could have made the game far more interesting, and involved less of a Doom-style trip to Hell, and more actual dialog and whatnot.

They already made a doom game, it's called Battlespire.

 

[Balor]

Well, it depends on definition of Evil.
Ok, let's put it this way Evil - Good reversed.
Right, but what's Good?

If you consider Christianity as an embodiment of Good, for instance - I'll choose evil, thank you.

However, if they indeed will dumb Oblivion (now - literally) too, that would certainly add an other turd to a pile of feces Oblivion shapes up to be.

 

[AlanC9]

I am beginning to think that I am a complete idiot, so someone please explain this to me:

As you probably know, there is an alchemy exploit in MW. The strength of potions depends on your intelligence. So you mix a potion of int, drink it, mix another, drink it, and so on. Your intelligence increases and so does the strength of the potions, finally you create a potion of, say, fortify health and you are in a god mode.

Now, they said that they have prevented this exploit by limiting the number of potion effects that can affect you at one time. This will make the exploit tedious, because you will have to wait until the effect wears off to activate another one, but it will still be possible to mix stronger and stronger potions of int.

True, but I'm not sure that is a problem. I think MW fans like the exploits. Makes them feel leet.

 

[Elwro]

Hey, if the Oblivion plane is randomized and we have magical rocket launchers, the game might be something like Hellgate: Cyrodiil! :D

 

[Data4]

Well, it depends on definition of Evil.
Ok, let's put it this way Evil - Good reversed.
Right, but what's Good?

If you consider Christianity as an embodiment of Good, for instance - I'll choose evil, thank you.

However, if they indeed will dumb Oblivion (now - literally) too, that would certainly add an other turd to a pile of feces Oblivion shapes up to be.

No offense, but I find it funny how you manage to pimp your (non)religious beliefs in just about any topic in this place.

-D4