The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim is announced

WoW! Thanks for the links, Paul.

I preordered a copy this afternoon. This trailer has pumped me up even more as if it was even possible.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/18/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-preview/

I've always wanted some dual wielding in Oblivion. It looks like Skyrim will allow some dual wielding fun!

Of course there is the prison/prophecy bull as always but there are some pretty cool improvements!

http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/02/The-Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim-Busty-Wench.jpg

Now that's what I call a pretty wench.

Todd Howard has given a new interview to IGN that makes a number of 'reveals'

I've picked out the main points in a new post on my blog

Thanks for the update Paul. This looks promising. Morrowind was so much better in so many ways.

The more I read about the Radiant Story the more I like it. NPCs behave more naturally and the minor quests are random but at the same time adapted to the player's characdter.

Bethesda has incorporated a lot of things from user made mods according to what I have read. This shows that they do pay attention to what is going on and are responsive to player's desires by using the best method; what players actually choose to play. Not what a few loud mouth complainers say. Thank you Bethesda.

Amazon.com has Skyrim up for pre-order for 54.99 USD a savingings they say of 5 USD. Pc, X-box 360 and Play station I think. Wonder if Bethesda will have a special bonus offer. Anyone have any information on this?

Nothing said yet on pre-order bonuses, collectors editions or anything like that.

Generally, I'm not too bothered about pre-ordering and all that sort of thing. I mean, its not like they are going to run out or anything is it?

I will consider getting the Collectors Edition once they announce what is in it, and IF I consider it is worth the extra. But I won't pre-order....well, I might order it a couple of days early just so I can get it on the day!

What I just don't get is people who are already ordering. I mean...WHY????

Still about 5 1/2 months to ago. Seems a bit early to order the game. I will pre-order around the first of November. I was surprised to see it on Amazon.

I'm with Paul on this. They're definitely not going to run out.

I don't like the idea of special editions if you've ordered the game from there or somewhere else. EA/Bioware took it too far with DAO (I don't care to mention DA2) and Bethesda/Obsidian probably erred with Fallout New Vegas (I got the Tribal Pack from Amazon but they should have simply included them in the game -make you choose a pack for your character at the beginning would have been nicer).

Early pre-ordering seems like a way for companies to make sure they have a hit on their hands and reassure their accountants. I don't see the point. I don't care if I have to wait a few more days to get a brand new game.

Skyrim I want as soon as it comes out. I do hope this game doesn't disappoint me as Ceasar IV and DA:Origin did. I expected too much from them.

If you don't want to be disappointed don't expect too much. Lower your expectations to Oblivion level and you should be very happy. If you start making plans in your head about things that would be awesome in the game then you are bound to be disappointed.

The problem with too much hype is that it can end up being counterproductive if the product that is delivered doesn't live up to all the PR bull they've been spinning for months.

DAO wouldn't have been such a disappointment if you hadn't been told over and over again that it was BG's spiritual successor (or whatever the phrase was). I've played DAO because I was bored and I had no real expectations so that's probably why I've enjoyed it that much.

Skyrim is probably going to be great. I don't see Bethesda messing what they've been doing for years, especailly if they've learned a few things from Fallout (hopefully).

Also don't worry, I think that we're going to be swamped by mods right from the start. The modding community is getting ready for 11/11. It is going to be HUGE.

I wasn't disappointed with Oblivion because I didn't expect that much. I played it to pass the time until DAO came out. I still think that on the whole Morrowind was better. Bethesda hasn't given out much hype. They left us to do our speculation. If the game falls somewhere between Oblivion and Morrowind I will be happy..

Hopefully the game will be fun to play without the need for user made mods. Those willl be decoration on a good game just like they wer fore Morrowind.

It comes out 11/11 so I may order it 11/1 so as to get it as soon as it comes out.

Don't underestimate the power of mods Nakia, the force is strong in them.

Seriously, mods can turn an ok game into a fantastic experience. Unmodded Fallout 3 is ok but fairly limited, mods add an entire new dimension to the game.

I didn't like Oblivion that much. I enjoyed Shivering Isles, the Brotherhood and the Grey Fox but found the rest rather boring -especially compared to the exotic setting of Morrowind, Oblivion seemed bland to me.

I just keep my fingers crossed for Skyrim as I hope that they managed to get a decent dialogue system (my biggest problem with Oblivion) and took a few notes from Fallout.

I loved Morrowind except for the frustrating pathing when tried to take freed slaves to a safe house. I played it a lot with only one house mod by someone else and a couple of my own. When I lost my vision but go enough back to play Morrowind I did add a couple of mods mainly Morrowind Alieve I think it was called. Awesom. Morrowind was a really good game by itself.

Oblivion was an OK game and I di get quite a few hours of play out of it before slowly adding mods *and getting rid of mos( I do not like uber mods or mods that make you uber I should say or in my opinion go over the top. The scenery didn't bother me. I accepted the location as being more European *+( Roman) and the peculiarliarities because of the Oblivion gates opening. Didn;t add any enhancers until the end except for Better imperfect water.

Seriously if I can play Skyrim without feeling that I must have certain mods or tweaks to make the game interesting I will be happy. Any mods I get or make will only be decorations on the icing on the cake. I will be a very happy person if Skyrim is anywhere near as good as Morrowind.

On that note maybe I will install Morrowind on this PC and see what it looks like. For me the bigest improvement Oblivion made over Morrowind besides the pathing was the NPC behaviour and it sounds as if Skyrim is even more realistic. I hated that in-my-face conversation thing. In real life if the happen I would be backing up no matter who it was. No one getsthat close to me unless we are very good friends, very good.

Yes, I am eagerly looking forward to Skyyrim and I do not think I will be disappointed. My biggest regret is that someone didn't tell me about The Elder Scrolls years ago.

Being a fan of BG I don't mind porting to different maps or locations. I never felt fenced in and I did in DAO.

I have found memories of playing Morrowind. Your new computer should be able to handle the Morrowind Overhaul.

I hope Skyrim will be better than Oblivion for me that game was such a disappointment after Morrowind and I only really enjoyed Shivering Isles (probably because it looked a lot more like Morrowind).

What was great about Morrowind was not only the exotic setting but all the weird creatures. You can't really beat that.

I can enjoy medieval games when they're really well done but I can get bored pretty quick with the average D&D stuff (especially when the main quest is useless). Shivering Isles almost had a Planescape ring to it.

Besides level scaling is a big flaw in games these days. Oblivion is probably the worst game I can think of in that respect. I closed my first gate with a level three character... Not very epic, I can tell you that.

Also one thing that I despised was the guard system. Those guys were a pain. I like it better in Fallout 3. It may not be absolutely perfect but you do something wrong you get in trouble with the NPC you've wronged and possibly his or her mates, you don't get psychic guards rushing towards your character.

Any mod that increases immersion is a mod worth having. I'm playing Fallout New Vegas with no HUD and only the minimum information (no sneaking indicator, no information on containers). It's really more enjoyable this way. I've played the first Witcher with most of the HUD removed and it greatly enhances the game. I'll probably be looking for something like this with Skyrim.

Oh, mighty game gods, I hope they don't have or we can at least turn it off that awful "You have reached the fortess of the Might ghost fighter and must enter, fight his minions and deafeat him in battle:" If they do please I be you *the modders, any capable modder, please write the mod to get rid of that as soon as the game comes out. I really hate that type of thing.

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I do hereby unoffical prophesy the following subject to the disclaimer that I am in no way responsible if the games flat on its face and you *everyone) are tragically disappointed.

The game will be better than Oblivion. The graphics if you have the PC to support them *which I have) will be awesome, absolutely awesome. However it still may not have quality that Morrowind had. For me it depends on how integrated the story is. We will see. INakia the Rogue, side kick of the prankster god whose name i have forgotten, have sponken. This will be the game of the year if not the decade. Late day in the year but early years in the decade.

Thanks for reminding about Morrowind Overhaul I keep meaning to check into it.

Cave from the Bethesda Official Site:

Spoiler:

If nothing else I think the graphics for Skyrim are going to be AWESOME!

Nice, really nice, although the pictures Jez has posted for the Witcher 2 look even better.

Her pictures are from an actual game with some on Ultra. This is a copy of something Bethesda posted. We will see when the game comes out and we can get some in-game shots.

I just saw the following on TES NEXUS.

Quote :

According to German website giga.de, Skyrim developers plan to include relationships (both romantic and otherwise) in the game. The website was able to interview some of the developers; and while not much new information was given out, the following statement is present in the article they posted.

The website is in German but Nexus says that the pertinent line translates to : "Even romantic relationships and friendships are therefore being planned".

That would be friend. It seems more and more that Bethesda really does check out popular mods and incorporate them into their game. Too bad the modder can't get some financial reward or at least credit.

Sorry I can't get the link to the web site to work. You can go to NEXUS for the announcement and link.

The translation sounds a bit like google translate.

Nakia the Rogue wrote:

Too bad the modder can't get some financial reward or at least credit.

I don't think that they're using the mod you've mentioned and as for the gameplay change (i.e. relationships in a game) you can't credit one guy with an idea that is basically old as the hills (are we going to put copyrights on human relationships? I don't think so).

I did a mod to disguise your characters in Fallout 3 and I was glad that Obsidian implemented a way for your character to disguise as a member of another faction in Fallout New Vegas but I don't think the four modders who modded Fallout 3 to get some disguise in game should have been credited for such an idea. As far as I'm concerned I'm glad when developers alter gameplay like this because it validates the efforts of modders who focus on improving gameplay.

Of course using a modder made story/quest line in a sequel would be a different matter altogether but I can't think of any game that ever did that.

Hokay, you may be right but I understand that Bethesda has used a lot of game play material found in mods. I suppose we should be grateful that pay attention to what is popular with players. I still think it would be nice if modders got some kind of credit even if obliquely. Just admitting that they have searched mods and used idea from them. Which they may have done. I just haven't seen it yet. All I saw was "We listen to players" which in my opinion is not the same.

They won't implement the changes the way modders do. If they look at mods it's probably to see how users respond to the mods. That being said they won't radically change their games to incorporate some popular mods.

By the way if you've checked out the Bethesda blog you must have seen some comments on mods from people working for Bethesda. I remember reading about the motorcycle mod for instance.

The thing we have to bear in mind is that modders can get away with many things because they don't have to face the same level of expectations. Think about vehicles in Fallout 3 or New Vegas, they are armour items that allow your character to move at high speed. An "official" vehicle couldn't be made like this. Developers would have to make the vehicle work like a "real" vehicle and not use such clever tricks.

Should a modder be credited for introducing vehicles in the game? I don't think so since vehicles had been introduced before (Fallout 2) and the idea in itself is not original.

I'm defending Bethesda here because I'm sick and tired of users complaining or posting outrageous comments like "this is how the game should have played in the first place" or modder releasing gameplay changes that they call "fixes" (gameplay changes don't fix bugs). Let's bear in mind that most devs only have a fairly small margin for these things (and I'm not talking about time constraints). When you're making a mod you can take the time you want and change the balance of the game without having to account for any of the changes you make to bosses or colleagues.

Now if you want to push an idea forward and you can tell your boss or the creative team that there is a mod for a prequel that is very popular with the fanbase I'm pretty sure that it helps when workinfg on new features for the sequel (unless we're talking about Bioware/EA since they cut content to churn out games very quickly and provide for overpriced DLCs). It doesn't mean that the devs are stealing anything from the modders (modders who by the way certainly don't "own" the changes they made according to the eula) it's simply a concept that they decide to use in their next games (by the way I'm pretty sure that it's common practice as devs usually "borrow" concepts from games that were huge hits -have you considered the sheer number of Diablo like games or the fact that DAO borrowed a lot from Wow? I'm sure there are many examples of such practices).

I haven't been to Bethehesda lately partly because too much knowledge would spoil the game. I just happened to see the above announcement on NEXus and I do take a look at The Skyrim Blog partly to support it and partly because I enjoy the comments. I need to go to Bethesda to check something for Morrowind and will take a look for Skyrim mod mention.

I am well aware that professional developers have constraints that modders do not have and have defended this on the NEXUS Skyrim forum. I am very picky about the mods I use. On NEXUS I have a total of about 180 mods I have downloaded but the most mods I have played with is maybe 100 and that includes eye candy, game play modifications as well as some. quests mods. I seldom add item specific mods unless the item is included in another mod as a resource. Slof's mods may be my biggest exception.

Hadn't thought about Diablo and clones since I have never played or wanted to play them. In my opinion EA is a disaster and is ruining Bioware. If I get off on Dragon Age I will probaly go into one of my snit fits so I won't.

When it comes to modders and "how the game should have been written in the first place" that is a matter of personal opinion. So I guess you are right and it is what the players make popular that counts. I do appreciate what modders do even when I don't care for the mod and I do think they should be apprciated instead of bashed so I probably go exteme.

Same as I do with voice Actors. I believe in saying Thank you and try to do so. Good actions should be rewarded and if they are the bad actions will decrease at least a little. At least I hope so.