Skyrim patch 1.5

For anyone who hasn't heard, although I'm sure most if not all of you had, patch 1.5 is coming out soon, and contains killcams for both bows and magic.

I have the Beta Patch installed, so far haven't noticed much difference but others have and really like it.

Seriously, it's been months since November and they're releasing beta patches?

That's simply disrespectful. Paying beta testers, that's what we are for not waiting a year or two to play a game.

IMO that is a disgrace. I'm sick and tired of that crap. I think next time I will wait a long time before getting a game published by a company that can't provide us with "finished" games. What Bethesda did with Obsidian's FNV was sabotage plain and simple but considering we're talking about TES that is simply beyond ridiculous...

Finishing moves for bows and magic? They couldn't have included that in the game before because they had to respect that stupid 11/11/11 deadline. This is so freaking ridiculous.

Next there is the mandatory Xbox only DLC (like Dead Money for FNV) so they can sell the game on several platforms. Hilarious.

Even better is the talk about an Elder Scrolls MMO... Even more bullshit on the way.

I'll wait for them to finish Skyrim to get back into it. Maybe by then there will be some decent fan made NPCs to make it less boring. In the meantime I'm going back to a fully modded FNV and the hack and slash fun with KoA:R.

Skyrim?? Oh yeah, I had forgotten, I was busy playing a good game aka Kingdom of Amalur.

Fuck Bethesda. And Fuck Skyrim.

Whoah, Skyrim hate much.

The thing is even if I don't put it as strongly as my friend mr S, I have to agree up to a point.

Too much hype, a few broken patches and a game that doesn't bring much novelty to the genre -wimpy dragons are definitely not a good thing in my books...

So Skyrim is probably going to be great when it's fully patched and when it will come with a truckload of great mods that will make the game much better. In the meantime I have to say I'm not having that much fun with it but I'm glad if at least some of us are enjoying it.

The thing that ultimately pissed me off about Skyrim was the random dragons. One of those bastards appeared right after I was done clearing out a Necromancer's den, out of mana AND healing potions, and POOF... here is this draconic bastard to spoil my day like a rotten apple. Stupid overgrown lizard! Of all the times the game chooses to throw one of these scaly assholes my way, it does so when I am on the verge of death and have not saved for a long time because I was busy trying to survive the Necros!

The things about bugs is, with any open-world game that massive, you're going to have them. It's not a question of IF, the game will be buggy, but HOW buggy it will be. And it could have been less buggy, yes. MUCH less. But the game makes up for it, for me. I found everything to be enjoyable, from the combat, to the setpieces, to the characters, to the main questline, to the clever insertion of bits of lore, to the addition of lore, etc. The only hard part for me is deciding whether I like Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim better.

On a COMPLETELY unrelated note, I managed to get Morrowind Graphics Overhaul working today. It's like playing an entirely new game.

IMO Skyrim is incredibly much better than Oblivion in so many ways but it doesn't mean that I'm entirely satisfied with the writing in Skyrim. In fact I think it can't be compared to FNV or even Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning in that respect.

Besides followers are almost formulaic drones or mules in fac t my hoover has more personality than most of them (can't wait for a modded NPC that will put to shame vanilla followers) and the thing that is irksome is that the actions of the character don't seem to matter that much (FNV did it better).

Besides I like that NPCs will react to your character but it can be stupid at times for instance guards going all "Hail Sithis" or calling the character "sneaky thief" when it is completely irrelevant.

Skorpinok wrote:

The thing that ultimately pissed me off about Skyrim was the random dragons. One of those bastards appeared right after I was done clearing out a Necromancer's den, out of mana AND healing potions, and POOF... here is this draconic bastard to spoil my day like a rotten apple. Stupid overgrown lizard! Of all the times the game chooses to throw one of these scaly assholes my way, it does so when I am on the verge of death and have not saved for a long time because I was busy trying to survive the Necros!

If you're trapped at the entrance of a cave with a dragon breathing down your neck and absolutely no healing. You're done. Random dragons in crowded locations can be a real nuisance too, killing off some NPCs you may have wanted to keep around.

I've been annoyed at essential NPCs before but I guess we can see the usefulness of this feature when things get out of hand.

I actually loved Oblivion equally to Morrowind, unlike many Elder Scrolls fans, so, yeah. xD As for player action, no game has ever done it as well as New Vegas. I mean, you can do pretty much whatever the hell you want in terms of the main storyline and the sidequests in that game.

Plus with FNV you've got some pretty sweet mods (fully voiced quests and new locations).

By the way on the subject of Skyrim did they fix the save game problem? I've heard that some people are having problems with their games once they get to a certain point.

I've been playing for a while now, haven't run into any problems. The only bugs I've actually had were one broken part of a quest, but it turned out you could skip past that part of it, and the game has crashed on me once or twice. Seems like I've gotten lucky.

The greatest of the ES games is Morrowind. Period.

Matter of opinion, although that is the general consensus with most Elder Scrolls fans. Me, I like Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim all equally. They all have their strengths, and they all have their weaknesses.

I hate many aspects of Oblivion with a passion (the speech wheel, the levelling system) but I love Shivering Isles. Skyrim is fine but it could be much better and I'm currently having more fun with other games (including FNV). Morrowind was a true revelation to me and playing it when it was released was a memorable experience as it was the first Elder Scrolls game I've ever played.

For me, Morrowind has several issues. To begin, there's the run speed, which, for me, made it more of a chore to explore than a joy. I understand that I may be called several nasty names for that opinion, please refrain. On top of that, there's the lackluster combat, which was improved in Oblivion (yet still fell far short of greatness), and the somewhat lifeless NPCs. Oblivion had, as stated, better combat, though it still left something to be desired. It also had a good number of better small NPCs; the ones that you won't talk to unless you go out of your way. While in Morrowind, most smaller NPCs had nothing to say but "This is my town. Would you like a little advice?", Oblivion had a bunch of individual NPCs with individual things to say. There was also the fact that the world was just a lot more fun to explore, in my opinion, that is.

As for Skyrim: Improved combat, visuals, NPCs, dialogue, skill systems, writing, magic system, crafting... Etc.

dragoniguana wrote:

I understand that I may be called several nasty names for that opinion, please refrain.

You don't have to worry about that sort of things here as we don't take lightly to name calling in any form.

I think the reason why Morrowind is still regarded so highly is because it set the bar particularly high ten years ago and that the sequels didn't create such strong feelings.

In comparison to Morrowind's otherworldness Oblivion felt very mundane (the main reason why my favourite part is Shivering Isles).

Ten years ago Morrowind was a sensation because it brought the single player non linear CRPG into new territories.

Skyrim may be a competent take on the genre but it doesn't bring so many new things to the table. I can definitely salute the devs for getting rid of the useless stats and trimming the experience system so it no longer stands in the way of the RP but IMO they didn't take things far enough. In other words I'm glad they took a cue from Fallout 3 but I'm sure the game could have been absolutely stellar if they had tried to push things beyond the fetch and carry assignments. Think about how Skyrim handles the Civil War and how a similar situation is handled in FNV and tell me which you prefer. I'm not saying FNV is perfect far from it but it's on the right track and unfortunately I can't help feeling that Skyrim is a little behind. Anyway that's my impression about the game. As it is Skyrim feels a bit disconnected as if nothing my character does really matters and this feeling gets only worse when you have a follower who is reduced to a mule. I've tried quite a few followers and only one or two stood out a little. I would rather have fewer well characterized followers instead of a slew of non descript NPCs.

That is true. New Vegas set the bar incredibly high for me. I mean, come on, a main quest that can go four different ways depending on who you want to help, and almost every single sidequest has some factor of choice. I mean, take the main quest, for example. Here could be one set of steps:

I get out of Doc Mitchell's house and help Goodsprings defend against the Power Gangers. In Primm, I have the NCR take the town and defend it. In Novac, I help the ghouls, and fix their rockets so they're on course. In Boulder City, I free the hostages and then let the NCR slaughter the Great Khans. In Vegas, I convince Swank to let me into Benny's room, where I kill him. I then go independent, having Yes Man help me take New Vegas for myself. I then proceed to make nice with every faction I must deal with, earning myself much support. Then I take Hoover Dam for myself.

That's only one path of only the main quest. New Vegas is absolutely a step in the right direction.

Definitely! Besides there is always some freedom involved. I like sometimes to go north from Goodsprings to Red Rock Canyon and then Westside before hitting Freeside and the Strip. It's possible to skip the areas south of Goodsprings and still get ahead in the game without feeling like you're really skipping anything.

That was true in the old Fallouts and FNV is the real sequel to these games. Fallout 3 was fine but it was more like a TES game in a Fallout setting.

By the way, I seriously recommend the Practice Makes Perfect mod as you've experienced the XP system on the console and you may really enjoy a more natural way of building your character through his/her actions (very much the way the character build evolves in Skyrim).

I'm not a TES fan, really, but Morrowind was my first Western RPG. Before that, I'd only played JRPGs, so the freedom that was presented in that game really blew me away. At that time, I wasn't bothered by how linear the quest design was, because I was used to games with no freedom at all. After Morrowind, I've barely touched any JRPGs.

I was also really interested by the main quest, or at least, the information you could uncover as it progressed. The apotheosis of the Tribunal, and the varying accounts of the events at Red Mountain, presented a really different kind of narrative, with the player being allowed to decide which account to believe. No other game I had played before had done this, and unfortunately, no game has really done it since, either.

In my opinion, Oblivion and Skyrim both failed to capture that vital integration of lore and story. Oblivion's lore was just dull, and it's story was a half-hearted rehash. Skyrim has interesting lore, but fails to make sufficient use of it in its plot.

I think about the Skyrim that could have been. They have a very intereting back story, with the Great War, the White-Gold Concordat, and the Markarth Incident. The main quest throws all this to the side (for the most part), and gives us another "chosen one saves the world from planet-devouring monster" plot. It's the same basic story as the last two ES games. That's three games in a row which tell the same basic story.

It was the Civil War which had the real potential. IMO, that should have been what the main quest was about. Drop the "end of the world" nonsense and give us a plot with depth, where we have the freedom to change the outcome. I'm thinking of a NV style game, where we can move between the Imperials, the Stormcloaks, the Thalmor, the Forsworn, and maybe even the Dragons, and help decide the future of Skyrim.

We might be able to help the Stormcloaks take over Skyrim, help the Forsworn take back Markarth, arrange an alliance between the Empire and the Forsworn to fight the Stormcloaks, arrange an alliance between the Forsworn and the Thalmor to fight both the Empire and the Stormcloaks, ally with the Dragons to fight them all, fight everyone and crown yourself king of Skyrim, and perhaps even negotiate a truce between the Stormcloaks and Imperials and send the Thalmor packing.

It could have been GREAT! But no... The world is going to end and you're the only one who can stop it... again. I think the problem with Bethesda's writing is they have no ambition when it comes to storytelling.

Carabas: Definitely how I feel. New Vegas really should have been the true sequel. Fallout 3 isn't even an Elder Scrolls game; its world fails to draw me in at all. While in New Vegas I have an engaging story and setting to keep me going, and in The Elder Scrolls I have an engaging world to explore, Fallout 3 just came off to me as bland.

The only reason we can enjoy FNV is because of Bethesda's F3 so I give Bethesda credit for bringing back the franchise from oblivion (pun intended) and allowing Obsidian to make FNV. I think that old fans were disappointed with F3 because they kept expecting a real Fallout game but if you take it for what it is F3 is not that bad. As a Fallout game it is a pretty weak title in the series (the devs tried too hard but they missed the mark by at least a hundred lightyears) but considered on its own it's ok and even better with mods.

That being said, when I read some kids praising F3 and ranting about how it's superior to FNV I can't help wondering what is wrong with kids these days.

I spent most of my gaming time between the end of 1997 and 2002 playing Fallout 1 and then 2 almost exclusively and to this day I consider Fallout 1 to be the best game I've ever played so I may be biased when it comes to comparing FNV and F3.

Kana wrote:

I think about the Skyrim that could have been. They have a very intereting back story, with the Great War, the White-Gold Concordat, and the Markarth Incident. The main quest throws all this to the side (for the most part), and gives us another "chosen one saves the world from planet-devouring monster" plot. It's the same basic story as the last two ES games. That's three games in a row which tell the same basic story.

It was the Civil War which had the real potential. IMO, that should have been what the main quest was about. Drop the "end of the world" nonsense and give us a plot with depth, where we have the freedom to change the outcome. I'm thinking of a NV style game, where we can move between the Imperials, the Stormcloaks, the Thalmor, the Forsworn, and maybe even the Dragons, and help decide the future of Skyrim.

We might be able to help the Stormcloaks take over Skyrim, help the Forsworn take back Markarth, arrange an alliance between the Empire and the Forsworn to fight the Stormcloaks, arrange an alliance between the Forsworn and the Thalmor to fight both the Empire and the Stormcloaks, ally with the Dragons to fight them all, fight everyone and crown yourself king of Skyrim, and perhaps even negotiate a truce between the Stormcloaks and Imperials and send the Thalmor packing.

It could have been GREAT! But no... The world is going to end and you're the only one who can stop it... again. I think the problem with Bethesda's writing is they have no ambition when it comes to storytelling.

It's a bit harsh but I have to agree. Considering what they could have done with all this background, political intrigues, battles, treasons, uprisings and so on... Reading your post only makes it more obvious.

In comparison the Save the World from Destruction plot sounds rather lame.

To be blunt I have to say that the opening of Skyrim didn't impress me. The dragon thing was heavy handed to the point that it almost became cheap and I only got really interested when I reached Whiterun and Solitude.

I am enjoying Skyrim but mainly exploring and doing quests not related to guilds or the main quest. The main quest I find boring. I liked the Oblivion main quest much more, much more. I am doing the Mage quests right now in order to try out a new mod called Wizards of Winterhold by Giskard found currently only on Steam. It is in early stages but could prove interesting

I have also been distracted by trying to make my own mod expanding theky Haven Temple and got a couple of voice acting roles for Better Cities. Oblivion Mod.

As for the latest patch people are reporting CTDs when moving from cells. I have had a few myself.

Nakia the Rogue wrote:

As for the latest patch people are reporting CTDs when moving from cells. I have had a few myself.

CTDs because of a patch? This is something we've come to expect. Why can't they take their time and release a finished game or at the very least make sure the new patches do not break something else...

*sigh* I once saw a list of reasons why "Fallout 3 is better than New Vegas". One of the reasons was because New Vegas had continuity issues.

New Vegas.

They neglected to mention that Fallout 3 was the one with the entire Fallout lore out of wack.

Super-powerful Enclave after they'd already been nearly annihilated, Brotherhood of Steel that wants nothing more than to protect its citizens, etc.

New Vegas had the continuity where it should have been in the first place.

The list's other reasons were "forced replayability", actually complaining about the fact that you can do whatever you want, bugs, which I can't attest to, as I haven't played Fallout 3 or New Vegas without the patches, "too much of a reliance on speech", a "relatively limited story", and "fewer radio options".

The list is here: http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/11/05/the-top-six-reasons-fallout-3-is-better-than-fallout-new-vegas-after-playing-both-i-discover-six-reasons-that-fallout-new-vegas-just-cant-surpass-fallout-3-yet/

That is the list that made me want to punch something.