Preview The screenshots Bethesda didn't want you to see

[Jason]

DU is abusing his News posting privileges. Fire his ass.

 

[bryce777]

Keeping in line with our Oblivion theme this morning, <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=9905">you may remember</a> a <a href="http://www.ag.ru/">Russian website</a> posting some <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/gallery.php?game=oblivion">screenshots of Oblivion</a> which <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=9913">were pulled down</a> a day later because Bethesda didn't like what they showed (funny hands and faces among other things). Well, we've got a hold of those screenshots and decided to upload them to our own <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/gallery.php?game=oblivion">Oblivion Gallery</a> where you can judge them for yourself.
<table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="10"><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/screenshot.php?file=oblivion/emperor02.jpg"><img src="http://www.rpgcodex.com/images/screenshots/oblivion/emperor02tb.jpg" border="0"></a>
These hands are my hands.</td><td align="center"><a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/screenshot.php?file=oblivion/darkelf01.jpg"><img src="http://www.rpgcodex.com/images/screenshots/oblivion/darkelf01tb.jpg" border="0"></a>
Ghost Elf.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" align="center"><a href="http://www.rpgcodex.com/screenshot.php?file=oblivion/scroll01.jpg"><img src="http://www.rpgcodex.com/images/screenshots/oblivion/scroll01tb.jpg" border="0"></a>
A newspaper, in font size +1.</td></tr></table>Thanks to <b>Irwanday01</b> for those.

I see your schwartz is as big as mine.

 

[Necropennis]

I remember that when Morrowind was released not even top rigs could get nice fps outta that fucking engine. I hope this will not be the case with Oblivion.

 

[Lumpy]

What is wrong with Newspapers?

 

[protobob]

The Font is From a Children's Book

 

[Lumpy]

The Font is From a Children's Book

Is that all? Really, complaining about font size? OK, it's bad, but it's not like newspapers suck because of that. Is there any OTHER reason why they are bad?

 

[spacemoose]

The font is big for easy reading on TV (console) screens.

 

[Vault Dweller]

The Font is From a Children's Book

Is that all? Really, complaining about font size? OK, it's bad, but it's not like newspapers suck because of that. Is there any OTHER reason why they are bad?

They are bad, because larger fonts reduce the amount of text. Does that look like a "real" newspaper to you?

 

[Lumpy]

The Font is From a Children's Book

Is that all? Really, complaining about font size? OK, it's bad, but it's not like newspapers suck because of that. Is there any OTHER reason why they are bad?

They are bad, because larger fonts reduce the amount of text. Does that look like a "real" newspaper to you?

As a matter of fact, the font looks EXACTLY the size of that of some old books, some of the first printed in my country.

 

[Deranged Imp]

I ran across something posted by kathode about the state of those screenshots:

Any number of things could be off. The Argonian is obviously messed up. Looks like the texture is getting incorrectly applied - stretched or something. The lighting also looks pretty off, probably bad HDR settings. It's impossible to know. The LOD landscape was certainly off, so views were constrained. IIRC we just sent them off a build for testing their translations, so there was no need to bother testing it for proper visual stuff. Next thing you know, bam! All over the web Smile! Really the main problem I have is that there's absolutely no artistic eye at work here at all. It's like someone gave a 12 year old a disposable camera and then put up the pictures for exhibition. The guys who run that site are super nice and the whole thing wasn't their fault, but it's crappy to have stuff like that out that clearly doesn't represent how the game actually looks and runs. Oh well, that's the biz sometimes.

... and since everyone was so fixated on the 'argonian issue' in the general discussion thread, I could have sworn (yeah, I may very well be mistaken) that back when they were first posted that MSFD (or maybe someother bethesda rep.) said that there was something amiss and that argonians had their own form. The post has probably been culled by now, maybe it's still floating around in one of those developer quotes threads.

 

[protobob]

The font is big for easy reading on TV (console) screens.

Yep. Which is why I despise the consolidation of gaming.

See Dick run.
See Jane run.
Jack's sword is useful for fighting!

Big text for big dumb words.
Big dumb words for big dumb people.
Big dumb people and their big dumb consoles.
Big dumb consoles with big dumb words on a big dumb screen.

"Wow, the writing in Oblivion is right up there with The Da Vinci Code! Real literature! A new era in gaming!"

I guess I'm deluded but I was hoping that gaming could move past the whole action-blockbuster-shazam-money-weekend and, I dunno, get a little more intelligent.

 

[Deranged Imp]

The Font is From a Children's Book

Is that all? Really, complaining about font size? OK, it's bad, but it's not like newspapers suck because of that. Is there any OTHER reason why they are bad?

They are bad, because larger fonts reduce the amount of text.

I'm afraid I can't quite follow that logic to its end. I mean, it's hardly a printed book with the same kind of page number limitations... or did you mean something else?

Don't get me wrong being able to adjust the font for the two different venues would be lovely. Unfortunately, I don't believe that's going to be the case.

I guess I'm deluded but I was hoping that gaming could move past the whole action-blockbuster-shazam-money-weekend and, I dunno, get a little more intelligent.

What?! It's just starting to take off! What with the decline of intellectualism and all. It'll get worse before it get's better, I'm sure.

 

[Dreagon]

The screenshot I care most about, is the one I haven't seen yet. I want to see a screenshot of a town with more than 3 or 4 npcs visible. Or are we going to be in the deserted towns of Morrowind again.

 

[bryce777]

The font is big for easy reading on TV (console) screens.

"Wow, the writing in Oblivion is right up there with The Da Vinci Code! Real literature! A new era in gaming!"

This is classic. I honestly can't imagine playing a console game or a console port and liking it. The TES forum retards who keep coming here have only solidified in my mind how stupid these gaems are...not to mention the retahds here already like kingcomrade who love 'platformers'.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Really the main problem I have is that there's absolutely no artistic eye at work here at all. It's like someone gave a 12 year old a disposable camera and then put up the pictures for exhibition.

Considering that the final product is not a collection of awesome screenshots ala Myst, I would rather see screens taken randomly then a few carefully chosen ones.

 

[Section8]

Font size becomes a problem when you have to move your head like a tennis spectator just to read each line.

But, my gripe with the newpaper is that it actually reads like press should. Atonal, and factual.

Emperor Uriel Septim VII is dead, at the age of 87, having ruled Tamriel for 65 years. He was killed by assassins unknown. At the same time, in separate locations, the late emperor's three sons and heirs (Crown Prince Gelldall, 56; Prince Enman, 55; Prince Ebel, 53]...

But, I'd have thought it would read with a bit more sensationalism.

"It greatly saddens The Black Horse to bring such dire news on this black day, but we bring news that our great Emperor Uriel Septim VII has died at the hands of unknown assassins. To further this tragedy, the late emperor's three sons, and successors to his throne, were also slain by three more groups of assassins, presumably working for some united, regicidal cause to destabilise the might of the Empire. Etc."

Everyone knows that sensationalism sells. Guess the editor of The Black Horse doesn't have a high enough Mercantile skill for it to radiate into the publication.

It seems strange to me that such a dramatic political crime is reported so apolitically. But once again, it's a purely stylistic judgment.

 

[Jora]

What is wrong with Newspapers?

The fact that they seem to read like modern tabloids and break the feeling of the somewhat medieval setting.

 

[Lumpy]

What is wrong with Newspapers?

The fact that they seem to read like modern tabloids and break the feeling of the somewhat medieval setting.

Doesn't this post contradict Section8's somehow?

 

[Levski 1912]

This newspaper article was so dry I choked. If supposedly Tamriel is an empire, the article should be a rousing piece of propaganda about how great the dead Emperor was.

 

[bryce777]

Especially in a pseudoroman empire. The writing should be a lot like I, Claudius or at least comparable to that show "Rome" on the HBO these days. It reads worse than most mods out there.

 

[Dreagon]

This newspaper article was so dry I choked. If supposedly Tamriel is an empire, the article should be a rousing piece of propaganda about how great the dead Emperor was.

At the very least a "The king is dead, long live the king" type of thing.

They should be eulogizing him in flowering terms, and cursing the assassins in every way they could think of. This dry reporting of events reads like a cub reporter from Cleveland.

 

[Jora]

Lumpy: Section, Dreagon, Bryce and Levski are absolutely right, but in the Middle Ages nobody would have written "Prince Enman, 55; Prince Ebel, 53".

 

[Levski 1912]

Something in the line of- "The valiant and wise emperor Uriel Septim has left this world today, in a treacherous action by craven reactionaries."

 

[Vault Dweller]

Lumpy: Section, Dreagon, Bryce and Levski are absolutely right, but in the Middle Ages nobody would have written "Prince Enman, 55; Prince Ebel, 53".

55 and 53 are their levels, obviously.

 

[Dreagon]

Lumpy: Section, Dreagon, Bryce and Levski are absolutely right, but in the Middle Ages nobody would have written "Prince Enman, 55; Prince Ebel, 53".

Today, a small tribe of Goblins were assaulted and killed inside their residence in the Great Forest. Hurgal, 31; Urgan 29; Urg,24; Unga, 33; Ungabunga,27; and Gru, 42; were found apparently hacked to death by assailents who may have been in the employ of local farmers. No further details are available at this time.