Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

It seems that we're not to be counted amoung the fortunate few here in Canada who get to play Oblivion on the Twentieth (today... well, technically yesterday as of my typing) and so I must wait until 1:00 and take a break at work to scurry down and pick up a copy.

 

For those of you who don't know this series, and have no clue what this game is like, imagine an MMORPG that you play by yourself. The world (at least in Morrowind) is massive, the quests countless. And what's even better: it's not a walk in the park. Morrowind took skill to play. Sure there were some glitches you could take advantage of, but if you were to attempt playing it honestly, you would find the gameplay rewarding.

 

I hope that Oblivion is similar, though a fresh story line will be much appreciated. So, whoelse is planning on investing many unrecoverable hours in this game?

[Krytos]

Well I played Morrow Wind on the Xbox (Gah! What a fool I was!). It wasn't bad, though I never really got into it. But I've heard a lot of good things about Morrow Wind, and a lot of hype towards Oblivion.

So I'm going to wait and see what Oblvion is like before I buy the game.

So when you get it GAT, be sure to tell us the details

[BadSamaritan]

I have been awaiting this game since I heard about it.

 

Facts about the upcoming Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game. Mostly for those that live in caves are are generally clueless.

 

Yes List

(Things that WILL be in the game)

1st and 3rd Person Views

1500+ NPC’s*

121 Plant Types

150+ Quests

16 Square Miles (Not including dungeons or the realms of Oblivion)

200+ Dungeons*

200+ Hours of Gameplay (Main Quest is 20-25 hours long)

21 Skills*

25 Settlements (They exist out in the wilderness, simliar to Morrowind)

40+ Creature Types (Many broken down into sub-types)

400+ Books

5 Counts Fighting for Power*

5 Different Breeds of Ride-able Horses for Purchase (Will be kept in stable while in towns or not using)

6 Factions/Guilds (The Arena*, Blades*, Dark Brotherhood*, Fighters’ Guild, Mages’ Guild, Thieves’ Guild*)

7 ‘Big’ Battles (Entailing more than the average 6-8 NPC’s fighting on screen at once)

9 Major Cities*

9000+ Objects (All of which are movable, and react accordingly with the environment)

Ability to Purchase Homes (One in every major city)

Autonomous Regions (Seperate regions, that behave as full exteriors)

Birthsigns (Same 13 from Morrowind but apparently with more detailed and specific effects)

Borders*

Caius Cosades (Returing from MW, but he'll most likely be the only one)

Cast-on-Strike Enchantments

Charging for Offical Mods (This price will be small, and will depend on the amount of content in the mod)

Collector's Edition (Includes a Making of Oblivion DVD, a newly updated Pocket Guide of Tamriel and a Septim Coin)

Continuing Characters (NPC's who you meet several times along your journey's that you can influence slightly with your actions)

Compass (Will only show places close by and that are relevant to current selected quest, can also mark a place on the map and have it point to that as well)

Daedric Quests (Shrines scattered across the world where you can pick up quests)

Decoration (For your homes but unknown what kinds)

Dogs for Pets (Their disposition towards you based on your Personality)

Dynamic Soft Shadows (For all objects and NPC's/creatures)

Dynamic Water Effects*

Dynamic Weather and Time

Essential NPC Indicator (Subtle icon appears when looking at an essential NPC)

Expanded Character Creation Process*

Events/Festivals (Official mod downloadable for PC and X-Box 360)

Evidence chest (When you're arrested all of your belongings end up here)

Fast Travel Map

Full Character Voice Acting (50+ Hours, Announced: Sean Bean, Linda Carter, Terence Stamp, Patrick Stewart)

Greater Powers for Each Race (Imperials: Star of the West, Voice of the Emperor)

Hoods/Hooded Robes

Horse Armor (Official mod downloadable for PC and X-Box 360)

Improved Combat*

Improved Stealth*

Increased Graphics Options (More optimization for lower end systems)

Infamy Rating (Crime level that goes up but not down, helps calculate NPC disposition)

Interactive Jail (Serve your time or find a means to escape)*

Light, Shadow and Sound Based Sneaking

Lockpicking Mini-game*

Magical Staves (Fire spells from staff (oversized wand?))

Magical Transportation (Instantanious, we're unsure what form or name it will take, but will be similair to Mark & Recall)

Magicka Regeneration (Based on Willpower)

Moral Choices (Decisions will now effect NPC's behavior, will you trust the guards word, or the citizen that calls him corrupt?)

New and Improved Dialogue System (Listen in on conversations for new topics, will be the same tree list as in Morrowind but shorter for each NPC, there will be no dialogue box, all NPC dialogue's will be done using sub-titles)

New Persuasion Interface*

Oblivion Realms Locked after Main Quest

Past Actions Remebered (Like murder)*

Physics-based Sound (A sword sounds different when hitting stone then it does when hitting wood)

Poisoned Apples (Buyable from the Dark Brotherhood, you will not be able to poison other foods though)

Potion Application to Weapons*

Races from MW (Altmer (High Elf), Argonian, Bosmer (Wood Elf), Breton, Dunmer (Dark Elf), Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, Orc, and Redguard)

Radiant AI*

Rated Teen by ESRB (Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violoence)

Realistic Physics (Havok Engine 3.01 implemented, meaning objects have mass, weight, and react to one another accordingly)

Reanimation Spell (Body will lift off the ground, hang in the air for a moment, then return to the ground your servant for a time, but only worls for the recently dead)

Re-Balanced Spell Point System (Number's from Morrowind have little bearing now, compared to those in Oblivion)

Recruiting / Promoting Guild Members (Only applicable to certain Guilds, and you must be very high up in rank, if not the top)

Red Hand (A hand will turn red if an item you're looking at belongs to someone)

Reoccuring Benefits (For top Guild members, such as monthly stipends of gold or equipment, use of plot-centric equipment, etc.)

Respawning of some NPC’s (Guards and Bandits)

Script Effect (Now possible to add script effects to spells using this new feature)

Sinking in Water (Of objects and/or yourself when overweight)

Sitting/Lying Down

Skill Trainers (Master Trainers still unknown)

SpeedTreeRT Technology (Realistic trees and vegetation that will animate in real time to the weather)

Stats Menu (Tracks kills, stolen items, necks bitten as a vampire, etc., all of which will effect how NPC's will react to you)

Stealing of Horses (But they will return to their owners when you leave them)

TES Construction Set (PC Only)*

Traps (Physics based booby-traps)

Traveling NPC’s

Vampires*

Visibly Sheathed Weapons / Quiver (Swords at belt, long-swords, bows and quiver on back, arrows visibly disappear as used)

Welkynd Stones (aka Elven Power Crystals, they wield great power that you can use, but unknown what powers they are)

Yielding*

[Mad78]

Is there a no list BS?

 

I guess i shall grab a copy once the new PC has arrived.

[bobandrubert]

OMGOMGOMG this game is gonna own I am getting it today! First thing I am gonna do is a rob a bar!

[DarthTofu]

Is there a no list BS?

 

Alrighty, here's a no list:

 

No List

 

Crappy stuff that you don't want

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

It seems I lucked out today. My local EB only got enough copies to satisfy their pre-order list. Fortunatly a woman from a city about 45 minutes away was delivering her son's pre-order to him at the local college only to discover it was the regular release, not the collector's edition (not much difference). It also seemed that one pre-order of the collector's edition had cancelled. So, I got the regular version this kind woman was holding, and she got to pay $11 for a 120 page book, a coin and a "Making Of" DVD.

 

Off to install now. The system requirements are rather steep on this one. Not that my desktop (and likely my laptop) can't handle it.

[BadSamaritan]

Is there a no list BS?

 

No List

(Things that will NOT be in the game)

Addition of Weapon Types or Skills (In the CS)

Aging (In-game aging of the player character or NPC’s)

Banks

Beheading/Dismemberment (Hacking apart limbs of NPC’s)

Capes/Cloaks

Cast-On-Use Enchantments (Except for staves)

Children

Cliff Racers (Quite pleasing)

Climbing

Connected Interior and Exterior Cells (Outside weather effect will not show inside)

Combat Staves

Crafting (Forging Weapons/Armor)

Crossbows

Damage by Thrown Objects (Includes Telekinesis)

Dragons

Dual Wielding

Dwemer's (Or answers to their dissapearance)

Experience Point Leveling System (This is a good thing)

Flowing Rivers

Forced Reloads*

Imperial Legion or Nine Divines (Ability to join)

Influencing Animals throught Speechcraft (ie. Daggerfall)

Jobs (Non-quest employment through an NPC)

Levitation

Locational Damage

Locking of Doors (With a key)

Making Traps (Without the CS)

Mark & Recall

Modeled Beards/Facial Hair

Mounted Combat

Multiplayer

New Playable Races (Just the same 10 from Morrowind)

Nudity

Realistic Clothing Movement (They doubt it can be added in mods either)

Silt Striders (They are indigenous to Vvardenfell)

Sleeping Anywhere (Sleeping will be restricted to taverns/inns or camp sites/bedrolls)

Spears

Thieving of Your Possessions (NPC’s won't steal from you, or random adventurer's empting out a dungeon before you get there)

Throwing Weapons (shurikens, darts, throwing knives)

Terrain Destruction or Deformation

Were-creatures (Bears, wolves, etc.)

 

[Mitth_raw_nuruodo]

I echo Krytos' request. Do let us know. If people here like it I shall think about it in a few years when the price has dropped.

[DarthTofu]

Thieving of Your Possessions (NPC’s won't steal from you, or random adventurer's emptying out a dungeon before you get there)

 

Are you certain? I believe I remember reading that NPCs could steal from you, and that if you told a guard they could kill the NPC and return your stuff to you.

 

Still, in two weeks I finally cash in my wooden nickles at the orthodontist's office: one $50 gift certificate to the local mall, please

[Mitth_raw_nuruodo]

Wooden nickels?

[bobandrubert]

all I know is it has somethng that has to do with teeth. I will put up some screen shots when its installed.

[DarthTofu]

Lucky bastards that already own it Wooden nickles are a sort of currency that our orthodontists use. They give you 3 nickles every appointment, thus the jackass that didn't even have their braces on for a full year gets a gift certificate to Wendies, while the long-suffering three-year patient (Ah, me) get's something nice, like a $50 gift certificate to the local mall and, consequentially, the local electronics store. E.B., I'm cashin' in!

[BadSamaritan]

So far, so good. Graphics are amazing, sound is superb. The in-game tutorial is easy to understand.

 

Also, Patrick Stewart is the first voice you hear, which is awesome.

[bobandrubert]

@%@%#%#^%#^#^#%$^$*#($*$*&$&$^#^$^^

 

The game killed my video card. Graphics where to good for my baby so she over heated and died NO JOKE! now I have to buy a new one

[Krytos]

@%@%#%#^%#^#^#%$^$*#($*$*&$&$^#^$^^

 

The game killed my video card. Graphics where to good for my baby so she over heated and died NO JOKE! now I have to buy a new one

 

Bugger, bad luck B&R

Surely if the card overheated of it's own fault the warranty would cover it?

[BadSamaritan]

I hate to say it man, but I have to. It's in my blood.

 

OWNED!!!!

[bobandrubert]

Naw only 1 year warrenty its been 1 year and 3 months. Anyway you got to have a good system to run it. BE warned this game is a monstor. It doesn't even support the nivida fx cards any more.

[Mitth_raw_nuruodo]

That sucks B&R. You have my sympathy.

[Mad78]

Core that sucks man.

May i suggest you purchase a Sapphire Radeon X800GTO2 limited edition as a replacement? Overclock the card a bit and activate the extra pixel pipelines and it should hold the game easy.

[bobandrubert]

I am hopfuly getting a 6800 GS agp version

[DarthTofu]

I'd stone down the graphics, too, if I were you. I think I remembered seeing something about increasing pixel size for the game to make it easier to play.

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

I'm very impressed by this game. The graphics are superb, AI is excellent, and many of the annoying little things from Morrowind are nolonger there.

 

I was a little put off by the low-detail on distant terrain, but you get used to it. Once I get the 512 meg of ram back that I lent to a friend I should be able to eat this game. Seems I've found something to take me away from WoW.

[Mad78]

You leant a guy some RAM

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

Yeah, he had a game that he couldn't play due to the fact that he had too little RAM, so I leant him a stick of mine until he get his hands on some of his own.