Preview THE Oblivion article

[Elwro]

Do we get a link to this article or something or isn't it online?

:

 

[Vault Dweller]

Do we get a link to this article or something or isn't it online?

It's one of those Xbox magazines. MSFD mysteriously mentioned it a month ago hinting at some amazing details that would like totally prove me wrong. The magazine was released a few days ago. The end.

 

[Gwendo]

From dev diary:

Once a layout is created and a basic lighting pass is in place, we populate the dungeon with monsters and/or hostile NPCs. Almost all of the dungeon encounters in Oblivion are leveled to the player, which means that as you progress through the game you will encounter tougher and more varied enemies. Note that this doesn't mean that all encounters are your level - not by a long shot. It just means that your level determines what types of creatures and NPCs you're likely to meet in the deepest, darkest places of Cyrodiil. Sometimes you'll run into low-level critters that you can dispatch with a single fireball; other times you won't be so lucky.

This is one of the things that worry me the most. Surely the second part of the quote makes me a little bit more optimistic, but still, I just hope that when I get powerful, I'll be able to feel powerful. After I get ultimate stats and ultimate weapons, I don't want to find myself to struggle to keep alive most of the time! I mean, after being a hero, there will be NPCs and monster as good as me? Even without the ultimate weapons I will have?

And if in the game appears a level 100 rat, destroying my Silver plated Battlemage, with the Demonslayer sword (or whatever), I'll throw the game through my window.

Unless I can get a Ratslayer sword.

 

[Gwendo]

While I like the idea of monsters hating one another and the idea of battles in dungeons, it does have to make a little sense about it. If the goblins are a new presence in the dungeon, I can see how they might be waging a war against the undead for control. However, at some point one side has to win and one side either would be erradicated completely or flee the dungeon. The idea of goblins hanging around for an extended period of time in a dungeon with overwelming undead would be rather silly. Now, goblins accidentally tunnelling in to a crypt a week ago and are trying to keep the undead at bay makes more sense.

That's up to your imagination. When you get there and see the battle, you can assume they arrived a week ago, or that a fight just begun, because the cheif zombie's goblin girlfriend left him.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Do we get a link to this article or something or isn't it online?

It's one of those Xbox magazines. MSFD mysteriously mentioned it a month ago hinting at some amazing details that would like totally prove me wrong. The magazine was released a few days ago. The end.

Wow, he sure showed you!

 

[Zli]

This is one of the things that worry me the most. Surely the second part of the quote makes me a little bit more optimistic, but still, I just hope that when I get powerful, I'll be able to feel powerful. After I get ultimate stats and ultimate weapons, I don't want to find myself to struggle to keep alive most of the time! I mean, after being a hero, there will be NPCs and monster as good as me? Even without the ultimate weapons I will have?

And if in the game appears a level 100 rat, destroying my Silver plated Battlemage, with the Demonslayer sword (or whatever), I'll throw the game through my window.

Unless I can get a Ratslayer sword.

I think it'll be something like lvl 1-5 rats if you're lvl 1-6, 5-10 spiders if you're 7-12. Or you could make the npcs in a dungeon always a cople of levels higher than you, if you want to make the dungeon more difficult... But monster type should change as you level up, as I think it did in Morrowind. It was mentiond in the official forum, iirc.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Monster types change as you level up and certain creatures won't level beyond a certain point, so you'll never meet a level 50 rat or a level 1 demon.

 

[Gwendo]

Even so, it would be strange that, when you're level 20, by coincidence, all dungeons you visit would have level 20 monsters.

I mean, what's the purpose of becoming better, if the enemies become equally better too? We want to improve to become better than the adversary. But if that doesn't happen, "leveling up" is redundant and meaningless.

 

[Zli]

Even so, it would be strange that, when you're level 20, by coincidence, all dungeons you visit would have level 20 monsters.

I mean, what's the purpose of becoming better, if the enemies become equally better too? We want to improve to become better than the adversary. But if that doesn't happen, "leveling up" is redundant and meaningless.

Have you ever played Morrowind? It kinda stops being fun when you smack a gold saint once and it drops dead immediately. And again, not every creature will be the same level as you. If by some coincidence it happens, well, it should be strange else you wouldn't notice it as a coincidence.

Really, there are plenty of things to nitpick in Oblivion. I don't think this is one of them.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Do we get a link to this article or something or isn't it online?

It's one of those Xbox magazines. MSFD mysteriously mentioned it a month ago hinting at some amazing details that would like totally prove me wrong. The magazine was released a few days ago. The end.

Wow, he sure showed you!

Yes, he did. I'm ashamed now for my earlier behavior, and I must admit that Oblivion is indeed the virtual representation of everything that is totally awesome and cool.

 

[LlamaGod]

First 3D graphics in your game and now you love Oblivion.

Fire VD before he becomes Rex #2!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Have you ever played Morrowind? It kinda stops being fun when you smack a gold saint once and it drops dead immediately. And again, not every creature will be the same level as you. If by some coincidence it happens, well, it should be strange else you wouldn't notice it as a coincidence.

Really, there are plenty of things to nitpick in Oblivion. I don't think this is one of them.

Yes, it is. If Saints are ALWAYS more or as powerful as you are no matter what your level is, it sucks much, much more than killing them with one blow. The solution is, as always, not to do something stupid, but to tweak the PC power.

 

[Vault Dweller]

First 3D graphics in your game and now you love Oblivion.

Fire VD before he becomes Rex #2!

You are too late, mortal! I have just realized that Hellgate is an RPG, which means that my transformation is complete. MWAHAHAHA!

 

[Zli]

Have you ever played Morrowind? It kinda stops being fun when you smack a gold saint once and it drops dead immediately. And again, not every creature will be the same level as you. If by some coincidence it happens, well, it should be strange else you wouldn't notice it as a coincidence.

Really, there are plenty of things to nitpick in Oblivion. I don't think this is one of them.

Yes, it is. If Saints are ALWAYS more or as powerful as you are no matter what your level is, it sucks much, much more than killing them with one blow. The solution is, as always, not to do something stupid, but to tweak the PC power.

There should be monsters that are always the same or high level than you, but they shouldn't be ubiquitous. You should also factor in the weapon you have, and monsters being vulnerable to certain types... Then it would actually make sense not to stick to one uber-sword-of-all-powerful-ass-whoopin'.

But I don't see a problem with the basic idea of monsters levelling up with you...

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

the first screenie looked promising, a return to Daggerfall looking dungeons. But then the last screenshot shows the final look of the thing - and its that dull brown again, like all the MW dungeons.

Well, the first image just doesn't seem "normal" to me -- it's as bright as day in a dungeon. Weird. However, I have to admit, I'm not quite sure why cut stonework looks like dirt in the final version. Shouldn't a dim room full of stone walls just look like dimly lit stones? Why mud?

I'm assuming you're talking about the screenshots in the team diary. They are all three screenshots from the TES Construction Set. The first one, he has all the shaders and lighting turned off and markers shown. The second one shows the same scene in wireframe. And the third one has the shaders and lighting turned on (in other words, what it'll look like in-game, minus shadows). With the shaders turned off, you only get the "detail" texture pass, which is made assuming white light. The shaders incorporated specular and normal maps, as well as lighting, and those combine to give the final colors you see. It's yellowish-brown because that's the color the lighting is giving it.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

Do we get a link to this article or something or isn't it online?

It's one of those Xbox magazines. MSFD mysteriously mentioned it a month ago hinting at some amazing details that would like totally prove me wrong. The magazine was released a few days ago. The end.

Actually, what I meant was that the release of the OXM and European magazine would be the start of more info being released -- there is some new info in each of the magazine articles, and I think you'll agree that there's a lot you didn't know in the team diary. There'll be more updates with more detailed information as the release date draws nearer.

 

[Twinfalls]

The shaders incorporated specular and normal maps, as well as lighting, and those combine to give the final colors you see. It's yellowish-brown because that's the color the lighting is giving it.

So, because of the lighting, the dungeons will all look like mud. No Daggerfall type grey stone?

 

[Zli]

The shaders incorporated specular and normal maps, as well as lighting, and those combine to give the final colors you see. It's yellowish-brown because that's the color the lighting is giving it.

So, because of the lighting, the dungeons will all look like mud. No Daggerfall type grey stone?

I remember seeing a couple of grey-stoned dungeons in the screenshots. The prison you start in is grey, iirc. So, we get both

edit: yep... http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_pc/obliv06B.jpg

 

[Twinfalls]

Ah. Sehr gut.

 

[Elwro]

This is one of the things that worry me the most. Surely the second part of the quote makes me a little bit more optimistic, but still, I just hope that when I get powerful, I'll be able to feel powerful. After I get ultimate stats and ultimate weapons, I don't want to find myself to struggle to keep alive most of the time! I mean, after being a hero, there will be NPCs and monster as good as me?.

I'm fearing the opposite will happen. In Morrowind after some time you became virtually invincible. And in Morrowind the level of the critters you met was also frequently tied to PC's level! (You can easily check this with TESCS.) It's just that the monster leveling tables were waaay too short. I hope that they correct that.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Actually, what I meant was that the release of the OXM and European magazine would be the start of more info being released

I didn't see anything new in that article, unless you mean more pretty screenshots. Besides, couldn't you, like, say so in the first place instead of posting mysterious "look in the green box in the left corner!!!!" Remember, it must be the green box, if you look in the blue box, you'll learn nothing! NOTHING!!!" messages.

I think you'll agree that there's a lot you didn't know in the team diary.

True. For example, I didn't know that the guy's name is Michael. I think it's a totally amazing fact! Also, there was a picture of him, so now we know what he looks like. He used to have 6 friends, but now he has 8. That's cool. I like learning stuff like that. I wonder when his birthday is and what does he like to do in his free time. I hope more info about Michael and his friends will be released shortly. I can't wait.

 

[Twinfalls]

I'm fearing the opposite will happen. In Morrowind after some time you became virtually invincible. And in Morrowind the level of the critters you met was also frequently tied to PC's level! (You can easily check this with TESCS.) It's just that the monster leveling tables were waaay too short. I hope that they correct that.

I'm more bothered by the prospect of not being seriously challenged by any dungeon. I like the feeling of finding someplace that's so evil and scary that I will die if I stay there, only to go away, build up skills and face the threat later on in the game.

The Toddling seems against this most basic type of gaming fun - he's said 'we want the player to be able to go anywhere' when talking of levelled creatures in dungeons.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

edit: yep... http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_pc/obliv06B.jpg

Plastic, plastic everywhere.

 

[Tintin]

edit: yep... http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_pc/obliv06B.jpg

Plastic, plastic everywhere.

It looks like a dungeon to me.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

Well, you know, the guy played the game for 8 hours, but at the end of the day we can't control what he decides to end up writing about. Apparently the author's interests differed from yours. Nothing I can do about it.