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Post by eek on Mar 21, 2006 19:29:58 GMT -5
For those of you who have it already and want to talk about your first forays into ES IV, do so here (this one's for you Randalf! ) edit: Now I'll jusy make this a thread to talk about general stuff... things you've seen and/or done, that sort of thing.
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Post by lordblade on Mar 21, 2006 19:34:43 GMT -5
Uber. Nuff said.
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Randalf
Squire
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Post by Randalf on Mar 21, 2006 19:40:40 GMT -5
FINALLY SOMETHING DEDICATED TO MEEEEEEE! (Smeagol impression)
For all who haven't played... I don't like the menu setup as much as Morrowind. It doesn't show everything as easily and there is alot of scrolling.
I LOVE the fighting system compared to Morrowind. The hotkeys are wonderful and the magic casting is possibly one of the best additions.
The framerate takes some noticable drops when you are in like the forest with enemies around, but generally it is pretty steady. Even when it drops it is ok.
*spoiler... sort of*
Anyway... I just now go to Kvatch to find the son. I entered the first room in Oblivion (with the 2 creeper type things and one Deadre Chu... I think it is)
Where are you Lord Blade?
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Post by lordblade on Mar 21, 2006 19:56:43 GMT -5
I love the combat system. I think it's extremely well done. And the menus are fine if you have a mouse to scroll with. I'm nowhere specific. Simply running around the countryside at random exploring. That's my favorite part of the game. I'll start looking at joining guilds soon though.
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Post by WitchBoy on Mar 21, 2006 20:38:57 GMT -5
Well, I just saw this on another forum, but should be a treat for hardcore Morrowind fans, in a conversation in Chorral a NPC inquires to the state of the other provinces, to which the other NPC replies:
"All the provinces are hard pressed, in the Dunmer province many are dead, even the great Saint Jiub who drove out the Cliffracer hordes has been overwhelmed by the daedra forces."
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Post by thaddius on Mar 21, 2006 20:47:55 GMT -5
"All the provinces are hard pressed, in the Dunmer province many are dead, even the great Saint Jiub who drove out the Cliffracer hordes has been overwhelmed by the daedra forces." Simply great.
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Post by thaddius on Mar 21, 2006 20:51:04 GMT -5
Care to enlighten us as to some other aspects of the game? What would you like to know? One thing, is that the "magical teleporting guards" are back. You could be in an empty house, stealthed, in the dead of night... and if you the roll when picking up an item off a table... guards magically appear next to you and give you a beating. Sorry for the late responce and double post, but how much does that hurt a little looting in others houses?
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Post by WitchBoy on Mar 21, 2006 21:06:05 GMT -5
OMG YES!!! PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just tested my laptop directly to Oblivion requirments on www.srtest.com/referrer/srtest, it looks like I may actually be able to run it!
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Post by Hunessai on Mar 21, 2006 23:36:27 GMT -5
OMG YES!!! PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just tested my laptop directly to Oblivion requirments on www.srtest.com/referrer/srtest, it looks like I may actually be able to run it! Crazy.
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Post by WitchBoy on Mar 21, 2006 23:41:51 GMT -5
Jirt has an ubercomputer! XD
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Post by Hunessai on Mar 21, 2006 23:42:47 GMT -5
Now we just need the game, Thief.
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Post by thaddius on Mar 22, 2006 1:25:08 GMT -5
Darn test crashed my computer.
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Post by Neveza on Mar 22, 2006 1:50:31 GMT -5
I played it over 5 hours or maybe 9, and after a while, my mind tricked itself that I was playing morrowind...yeah, that is how y my graphics get, plus it sort of plays like morrowind too. just with this and that added. it's still a good game..oh..I"m tired.
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Twitchmonkey
Gallant
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Post by Twitchmonkey on Mar 22, 2006 9:11:36 GMT -5
Played for about 7 hours, amd I'm really liking it. The combat system is great and the game feels really hard, I have it at I think just above medium difficulty and within the first few fighters guild quests I was having to get creative and even replay some parts 3 or 4 times over to complete them. I'm especially liking the Arena, up until this point I'm at (the handicap match) I've felt like I could just barely win if I did everything right. That brings me to the one big problem with combat, fighting against multiple people by yourself removes all strategy from the game, at least if you're an all-close range fighter like me. They basically just box you into a corner and beat on you without you getting a slash in edgewise. Also, I don't really think archers are a challenge at all, as you simply have to chase them and block when they shoot and when you reach them they're screwed. I also don't like how some of the larger weapons basically always break your block if you're using a weapon to block. Finally, I don't like how the power attacks are basically useless due to the fact that for all their power they just aren't worth the almost guaranteed counter-attack. Overall though, I'm loving it.
The graphics are mostly pretty nice. The LOD grass is noticeable but isn't an eyesore, and the terrain in general I thougt was pretty nice. The faces look pretty good, as good as I had hoped and damn good for facegen, but as I suspected the hair is jagged and ugly. My main graphical problem though is the water, on my rig the water looks like Morrowind water on what was then a low-mid end rig and the underwater is green and even worse. Overall though, It gets my approval.
One thing I'm both really liking and hating is the scale. In Morrowind you could go through a dungeon in 5-10 minutes. In Oblivion, most of the dungeons are at least 30 usually 45 minutes long. Same goes with the exterior, it's just so big you're almost forced to use the fast travel. This is what TES is all about I know, but sometimes it feels like I'm playing an MMO all by myself.
One las thing that deserves special notice, the Morrowind homages are outstanding. I've already met M'Aiq and sen interesting twists on the fargoth tree stump and rat infestation quests, which were both combined into part of one quest, quests are very large a lot of the time by the way, no more fetch quests for sure.
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Post by Samurai Slayer on Mar 22, 2006 9:28:12 GMT -5
OMG YES!!! PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just tested my laptop directly to Oblivion requirments on www.srtest.com/referrer/srtest, it looks like I may actually be able to run it! Crazy.
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Ratwar
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Post by Ratwar on Mar 22, 2006 17:44:42 GMT -5
Yes, it is worth playing, but I'm not totally sold on it.
I'll echo Randalf's comments on the menu system. I really hate it compared to Morrowinds. It feels compacted and almost worthless. I find myself looking a several different swords that all have exactly the same damage rating, which annoys me.
As for the new combat system, I don't have that good of an impression of it, since I've always kinda perfered hack and slash over havin' to play for hours to reach a proficient level. This bad impression may also be linked to the fact that my Breton tends to suck daedra dick when it comes to weapon fighting.
Horses feel, well, bad. Ridding them has so far been more annoying than anything else. You dismount way to slowly, making them almost a liability when you're riding in areas where you might run into an enemy. I mean, considering how mad a lot of people were about the absence of horses in Morrowind, I'd think that they would be, well, at least slightly fun...
Now on to NPCs. The only thing I've seen that RAI does is make the shops close, forcing me to wait until morning, which is a bit annoying from my point of view. Though I haven't really got to the point where NPCs get repetitive yet, which is a very good thing.
Yes, the game is amazing in other areas, but I do have my complaints. Something that I did expect, after looking forward to this game for well over a year.
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Randalf
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Post by Randalf on Mar 22, 2006 18:21:49 GMT -5
I will definately agree that Oblivion is ALOT harder than Morrowind. I'm going through part of the main quest now, after breaking off for a bit and getting to level 6 on my own (and somehow getting vamprism along the way... I don't like being a vampire >.<) but even with that my sword barely hurts the flame atronachs that I keep having to fight... really sucks when I am fighting 2-4 at once.
Like twitch said, it is a bit difficult to get strategy going when you are facing multiple enemies, but it really really helps to... I basically have to get some kind of plan together to not die.
I am regretting choosing a Breton... I didn't really think about their attributes when I made a character, I just kindof chose one, but now it is rather annoying that he stinks so badly with weapons.
Using magic and weapons is definately a good thing. Morrowind played it out so you basically used one or the other (you could use both easily, but it wasn't fluid at all) It is pretty satisfying to be able to cast a spell and swing your sword without doing any switching or anything.
The Radiant AI really does not have very much impact on the gameplay at all. I could see it being pretty neat if there were lots and lots of people, but it is rather annoying at this point to go into a town only to realize it is too late to buy anything and have to wait. I think Radiant AI will make much more of an impression after you play the game for a while and at a slower pace... at the beginning it is pretty hectic alot of the time.
I'm looking forward to owning a house, but money really is pretty hard to come by and I definately feel like there is a total lack of Traders (who don't have very good items), but I have only been to like half of the towns, and not much wilderness.
It does feel ALOT bigger than Morrowind, when you are in the woods you really do feel like you are in the woods, unlike Morrowind where you basically knew what was going on. I think once I get used to the game and know my way around Cyrodiil I will like it alot more than I do now.
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Post by lordblade on Mar 22, 2006 18:37:40 GMT -5
Actually, I've found group combat rather tactical. At one point I was fighting alongside some members of the Warriors Guild. I was leading a nice frontal assault on some bandits. I noticed during the battle, that one ally had started wandering off to the side. I had thought he was running away or something... but he ended up sneaking back around to one of the guys I was fending off... and took him down in one mighty backstab. Meanwhile another warrior was being fired at by a couple of archers. He ducked behind a rock, and started shooting back. After a few shots... the bandit archers started alternating their shots towards him, keeping him pinned down until I ran in to help. And I always try to force enemy melee attackers to end up standing between myself and any archers they have. The archers either try to shoot past their friends (which often gets the friend hit, at which point the archer finds another vantage point) or they'll switch weapons and charge. As for the AI... I was clearing out a dungeon, and came across a pair of adventurers fighting some monsters. After helping them finish off the monsters, they said I could have what was left in the chest they had looted. Something along the lines of "It's not much, but you're welcome to whatever we've left behind". Of course... when I went to loot the chest... I got backstabbed by one of the jerks.
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Post by darkhelmet on Mar 22, 2006 22:56:18 GMT -5
Dark Helmet's first impressions!
The Beginning
The game opens with an impressive opening cinematic, that has Uriel Septim giving the backround of the game, before showing a panorama of the city. It's quite a beautiful view, and Patrick Stewart does a superb job conveying the Emperor's anguish.
You start in the Imperial City prison, in Cyrodiil, and go through a lengthy tutorial, which introduces the new combat engine, various new gameplay mechanics, and gets you some armour and weapons before letting you go off on your own in the Imperial City.
Your quest to find the heir gets off to a quick start. Unlike Morrowind, which eased you into your heroic role, Oblivion gets you started right away in dealing with the menace threatening Cyrodiil. In fact, it's likely you'll find your way into the fiery pits of Oblivion pretty quickly.
The story is compelling enough, but at the start, the characters just don't have much personality. The characters you meet don't stay in the story for long, though they may play more important roles as one gets farther in the game.
What's New
Radiant AI is the big new feature. Unlike Morrowind, the AI now have more life to them. They have jobs, carry out tasks, converse with their fellow citizens, and even take up arms to defend their city against would-be bandits.
The skills in Oblivion are also different, as many have been cut or combined. Spears, Medium Armour, Unarmoured, and Enchant have been jettisoned, and Short Blade and Long Blade, and Blunt Weapons and Axes have been combined. This lowers the total skills amount by 6, to 21.
Combat has also been overhauled. Instead of Morrowind's static, and dull system of hacking until the enemy died, Oblivion has a dynamic, exciting combat engine. Duels are tense affairs, with you and your combatant exchanging blows, parrying, and circling each other. It's much more fluid, and realistic, than Morrowind's.
The Good
Actors are now voice-acted. While most of the voices do repeat, certain important characters get their own, distinct actor. And it certainly makes the world more lively.
Combat is intense, and exciting. Blocking and attacking require timing, and strategy. It also feels a lot more realistic... instead of standing and slashing at your opponent, you have to look for weaknesses, and have to block and counter to have any success.
The world is also expansive, and each city Guard has their own distinct livery, which is nice. The Imperial City has a full contingent of Imperial Legion troops, and elite Palace Guards. Their presence in the cities, and on the roads keeps you in the boundaries of the law!
The Bad
The inventory control scheme is terrible. The menus are labeled with icons, not text, making it fairly difficult to find anything. Instead of having your inventory, journal, and map bound to different keys, you have to cycle through menus to find what you want.
Other controls make little sense. Want to drop something? You can't drag it out, you must press shift-click. Not too difficult, but it shows a lack of thought in putting it together.
The RAI is quirky. It sometimes does weird things, like forget to open gates, says the wrong things, and their conversations lack... substance. Usually they aren't more than a few lines, and seem very artificial, and not spontaneous banter.
And they don't seem to react to any actions, other than theft, and assault. You can wreak havoc on their furniture, belongings, whatever, and they don't care. They don't even question you running into their bedrooms or storage rooms. But take one plate, and the guards are there in no time. The Guards are confounding. They are omniscient, and can detect any crime commited. And the game won't alert you that you've been detected.
Combat, while mostly quite good, has a few downsides. The first is that your character will stagger backwards if he takes a hit. Makes sense, right? Well, it makes it close to impossible to hit anything if you're being attacked by multiple enemies.
The character models are fairly dismal. Most of the hairstyles are the same for BOTH genders (yeah, you read that right), and many of the models are downright ugly. I understand that many people in the Middle Ages weren't... supermodels, but when I play a game, I don't want to look awful.
The Verdict!
It's an excellent game, from what I can tell. Fun to play, and I have to commend Bethesda for trying to innovate, rather than sit on their laurels and sell a mediocre, outdated game to their fans.
But, while they have taken steps to making an immersive game world, they still have ways to go. The game is not without flaws, and gamers may be easily frustrated with the combat, and the quests.
I give it an 8/10. Had it had more time, and more refinement, it might have been a great game. As it is, it's certainly still a good game, but has too many flaws for it to be truly amazing like everyone had hoped it would be.
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Post by lordblade on Mar 23, 2006 0:46:32 GMT -5
The inventory control scheme is terrible. The menus are labeled with icons, not text, making it fairly difficult to find anything. Instead of having your inventory, journal, and map bound to different keys, you have to cycle through menus to find what you want. I didn't have too much trouble with it. I mean, read the manual, it tells you what all the icons stand for. I can now go into my inventory, switch gear, equip a torch, use my repair hammer... all in seconds... I think it's just a matter of getting used to it. I don't mind that too much. It's actually kinda safer, cause you can't "accidentally" drop stuff. Improve your skills. Get better gear. I've found the better armor you have, the less "knockback" you suffer. And as your skills get higher, you also have less of a delay when hit. I'm at the point where I can shrug off most weaker hits and just keep swinging.
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Ratwar
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Post by Ratwar on Mar 23, 2006 3:10:14 GMT -5
I've got to say that the combat is definitely growing on me... Whether it is cancerous or not is still up in the air.
It is a different style of combat than in any game I've ever played. I'm starting to anticipate attacks and blocks more and more. Every time I get in combat I get a rush of energy, since there's always a chance that things won't go my way. There are still times when it totally annoys me, but that might be due to my inexperience.
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Post by lordblade on Mar 23, 2006 9:05:09 GMT -5
You really start to get the hang of it after a while. I'm quite good at a quick block, power attack one opponent, shield back up to deflect an arrow, cast a spell at the archer, and back to beating on the melee guy in front of me. It's a matter of practice.
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Post by Everett on Mar 23, 2006 12:57:04 GMT -5
I'm not sure of something, People both with new and old video cards have said their card runs the game well while others run it very poopingly Confuses me how a 9800/9200 could run the game smoothly while a 7800 GT gives out crap (read most of the forumers stories at TES Forums) I'm a bit worried to install and play, due to my 6800 pcie, now while the computer is idle meaning doing nothing the temp is around 47c while playing the Fear MP demo for 10 mins gets 70c and the Spellforce 2 Demo around an hour gets to 85c! Might not even be able to play this game, can't afford a new PC nor a new card at the moment
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Ratwar
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Post by Ratwar on Mar 23, 2006 13:44:01 GMT -5
Everett, so far, I've seen the game run beautifully on a 2.5gh P4, 1 gig RAM, and a 9800 as well as a 3.2 ghz P4, 2 gigs of RAM, and a x600. Sure the resolution was very small, but the game still ran great. However, I do know that many of the developers computers were running 9800s. That might explain why it is scaled better.
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Post by Everett on Mar 23, 2006 14:33:23 GMT -5
Ah, that makes sense
Feel/think this game is of the ATI based format which would explain a lot
Sorry to have spamed or bothered anyone with my question, just that thought got to myself
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