Elder Scrolls 5:Skyrim(first in-game look,trailer inside)

[maxy]

Some new scans

http://forums.gametrailers.com/thread/elder-scrolls-v-scans/1163922?page=1#post_row_31706423

[magus]

JAPFAGS SEEN CRYING IN TO A PILE OF POCKY

playing FF13
going to play lost odyssey next

[pilonv1]

level scaling

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Possible bad news,level scaling is in

Not for me,never had problems with that,always played as some overpowered mage warrior.I guess if they do it properly,people won't complain.

Level scaling I can deal with.....item scaling, not so much.  IMO the item scaling killed Oblivion.  When even random hobos you meet have daedric armor and magic weapons the game essentially breaks itself.

[Eel O'Brian]

i'm counting on a certain amount of jank (not the "THIS FUCKING THING WON'T STOP CRASHING" kind), and looking forward to it

i still remember going into an inn in oblivion, accidentally bumping into some dude, who bumped into another dude, which somehow triggered a fight between them, and then everyone in the inn started scrapping, and a minute or so later i was standing surrounded by a pile of dead bodies when i hadn't even drawn my sword

[Joe Molotov]

this game is making me hard MEET ME SOMEWHERE, BETHESDA!

[magus]

yeah, I'm SOOOOOOOO JEALOUS. Enjoy your asian nyquil substitute.

I don't agree with a single thing you just posted, but it's always interesting to read a differing opinion. Especially when it's well-articulated and not just "its shit".

[Eel O'Brian]

but that's the evilbore review scale:

- GOTY
- IT'S SHIT

[demi]

God damnit magus

[cool breeze]

i'm counting on a certain amount of jank (not the "THIS FUCKING THING WON'T STOP CRASHING" kind), and looking forward to it

i still remember going into an inn in oblivion, accidentally bumping into some dude, who bumped into another dude, which somehow triggered a fight between them, and then everyone in the inn started scrapping, and a minute or so later i was standing surrounded by a pile of dead bodies when i hadn't even drawn my sword

[youtube=560,345]1ATh4y4XRjA[/youtube]

[Great Rumbler]

i'm counting on a certain amount of jank (not the "THIS FUCKING THING WON'T STOP CRASHING" kind), and looking forward to it

i still remember going into an inn in oblivion, accidentally bumping into some dude, who bumped into another dude, which somehow triggered a fight between them, and then everyone in the inn started scrapping, and a minute or so later i was standing surrounded by a pile of dead bodies when i hadn't even drawn my sword

[youtube=560,345]1ATh4y4XRjA[/youtube]

Bethesda

http://oi53.tinypic.com/2cpx93t.jpg

[BlueTsunami]

When you wanna bone an in game character, you know something is right

[pilonv1]

what an awesome video.

[Joe Molotov]

When you wanna bone an in game character, you know something is right

Looks almost as good as my custom Oblivion character (too many clothes, though).

[Great Rumbler]

Possible bad news,level scaling is in

Not for me,never had problems with that,always played as some overpowered mage warrior.I guess if they do it properly,people won't complain.

Level scaling I can deal with.....item scaling, not so much.  IMO the item scaling killed Oblivion.  When even random hobos you meet have daedric armor and magic weapons the game essentially breaks itself.

After the less intrusive scaling in Fallout 3, I doubt they'd go back to the scaling in Oblivion. I mean, they specifically talked about the scaling in Oblivion [in an interview about Fallout 3] and mentioned that people really didn't like it [which was why they were making changed to the scaling for F3].

[BlueTsunami]

Yeah, I just read on GAF that the scaling is similar to the scaling in Fallout 3. I don't know what to make of how Quests are handled though.

In regards to scaling, I didn't really notice it in Fallout 3 or New Vegas. Even the enemies in the game felt more region specific (this is in New Vegas) than anything else. But maybe I should be basing my expectations purely on the way Fallout 3 handled it (taking into consideration who actually developed New Vegas).

[Great Rumbler]

Fallout 3 had one-time region scaling. If you want to one area at level 5, then the enemies in that region are scaled to level 5 and will always stay at level 5. There was also a range for each region, so that one region might scale to somewhere between 5-10 and another might scale to somewhere between 8-13. Also, deathclaws only appeared in certain places, don't really remember if there were any other enemies like that though.

[iconoclast]

Damn, this is actually looking pretty good. I guess Bethesda really is on an upswing after making their first good game. Can't wait until 2012 when the complete version of the game comes out.

[Himu]

Damn, this is actually looking pretty good. I guess Bethesda really is on an upswing after making their first good game. Can't wait until 2012 when the complete version of the game comes out.

FALLOUT 3

[naff]

    

This looks incredible, looks like they're focusing a lot more on 3rd person too. And yeah it looks like The Witcher 2...

Also a collection of the scans, working atm. http://www.mediafire.com/?em2ocktbdykr5dt

[Akala]

High Hrothgar 

[Stoney Mason]

The level scaling was definitely the biggest problem in Oblivion. It was too aggresive. Moving it more towards the way Fallout (even though that game was really easy) was is a step in the right direction. I assume the quests hopefully won't be aggressively scaled also.

[drew]

Mostly excited after reading the post that breaks it down on gaf.  Glad to hear that conversations aren't just two people staring at each other anymore.

link?

[BlueTsunami]

The level scaling was definitely the biggest problem in Oblivion. It was too aggresive. Moving it more towards the way Fallout (even though that game was really easy) was is a step in the right direction. I assume the quests hopefully won't be aggressively scaled also.

Someone responded to me on GAF that the Quests that are scaled are sort of outliers from the real quests. So you've still got the normal quests you pursue with the addition of the scaled quests that look at what type of character you are and are offered to you in time.

[maxy]

Mostly excited after reading the post that breaks it down on gaf.  Glad to hear that conversations aren't just two people staring at each other anymore.

link?

Check OP,summary is there

[drew]

thanks!

[maxy]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/01/10/video-behind-the-scenes-of-skyrim.aspx

 

[cool breeze]

you can see the map in that video

[BlueTsunami]

Scale seems a bit small. Hopefully its dense.

[Great Rumbler]

Here's Oblivion's world map, for reference:

[pilonv1]

Doesn't look like many big cities

[Bildi]

I hope they put some decent terrain in this time, not just a massive undulating blob like Cyrodiil.  Proper shadows would be nice too, but I seriously doubt they'll bother.

[Akala]

I'm totally about to install that morrowind revamp. oh wait! MNC game! nvm lol

[naff]

Doesn't look like many big cities

There's apparently 5 big cities. How big is big though.... I'm happy at the thought of a tighter, better looking Elder Scrolls game

[pilonv1]

Oblivion had 9 cities, not all huge but of decent size.

Skyrim looks to have a few big ones, but nothing massive, and there seems to be very little to the west.

[naff]

Maybe, maybe not (hard to tell really). I'm imagining there will be a no mans land, 'here be where dragons lay' etc etc. I love Dragons, I'm just hoping they're as impressively modeled as say Demon's Souls but MUCH more dynamic DS's Dragons were about as scripted and on rails as it gets. Real time Dragon battles

[maxy]

If they are open,like in Morrowind,no biggie

Hopefully levitation makes a comeback so we can have aerial fights with dragons

[Great Rumbler]

According to the official Tamriel map, there are 8 cities in Skyrim:

[pilonv1]

That's not too bad then. Solitude had better be an epic city.

[Great Rumbler]

Got my copy of the latest GI today and it's basically sent my hype for Skyrim through the roof.

[Great Rumbler]

From what was talked about in GI, it really seems like they've taken the criticisms of their past games to heart.

-Improved UI that's functional and stylish
-Improved combat that allows great customization and strategy
-Improved character models and more voice actors
-More detailed world with more things to do

It's gonna be great, hope they show a video or something of it at this years QuakeCon.

[maxy]

From what was talked about in GI, it really seems like they've taken the criticisms of their past games to heart.

-Improved UI that's functional and stylish
-Improved combat that allows great customization and strategy
-Improved character models and more voice actors
-More detailed world with more things to do

It's gonna be great, hope they show a video or something of it at this years QuakeCon.

Expect it at MS press conference,like Fallout 3

[Great Rumbler]

From what was talked about in GI, it really seems like they've taken the criticisms of their past games to heart.

-Improved UI that's functional and stylish
-Improved combat that allows great customization and strategy
-Improved character models and more voice actors
-More detailed world with more things to do

It's gonna be great, hope they show a video or something of it at this years QuakeCon.

Expect it at MS press conference,like Fallout 3

I'm actually going to be AT QuakeCon though, which is why I'd like for them to show something there.

[maxy]

They will show something new there,I'm like 100% sure,but first public vid...E3,long wait

Someone at Bethesda forums asked something about new stuff,website previews etc
Answer was
After GI,small mags will get exclusivity,in a month or so websites will get their previews

[maxy]

More videos
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/01/13/road-to-skyrim-the-todd-howard-interview.aspx


Some concept art



Last part of third vid is interesting...

[maxy]

4 new videos,sound design

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/01/14/the-sounds-of-skyrim.aspx

main theme in vid 4

[cool breeze]

the main theme

[maxy]

Ok,GI has some article about tech improvements and first screenshot



Creation Engine

To create a diverse country filled with steep mountain passes and dense forests, babbling brooks and violent waterfalls, glacier coastlines and snowy tundras, Bethesda went back to the drawing board and rewrote every major system powering the gameplay experience. The result is the newly dubbed Creation Engine and Kit.

“The big things for us were to draw a lot of stuff in the distance so we have a really sophisticated level of detail, more so than what we've had in the past for how things stream in and how detail gets added to them as they get closer to the camera,” explains Bethesda Studios creative director Todd Howard.

Draw distances are great for creating those postcard-worthy landscapes, but the players eyes aren't always fixed on the horizon. To give the immediate surrounding a more believable look and feel, Bethesda increased the emphasis on the play between light and shadow on the entire world.“Because our worlds are so big all of the lighting has to be dynamic,” Howard says. “That's something we had a little bit of in the past with shadowing, but not on everything. Now we have it on everything. It just makes the whole thing a lot more believable when you're there.”

Good ,LOD system is like the most important thing in open world game(see RDR)...it was shit in Oblivion
Shadowing...same thing as above

A lot of the environments are dominated by the untamed wilderness, which look great thanks to Bethesda's overhauled foliage system. In previous games the team licensed the SpeedTree middleware to render the forests. For Skyrim, they've created their own platform that allows artists to build whatever kind of trees they want and to dictate how they animate. Artists can alter the weight of the branches to adjust how much they move in the wind, which is an effective way of, for instance, actualizing the danger of traversing steep mountain passes with howling winds violently shaking branches.

Given its northern location and extreme elevations, Skyrim's climate is more prone to snowfall than Cyrodiil. To create realistic precipitation effects, Bethesda originally tried to use shaders and adjust their opacity and rim lighting, but once the artists built the models and populated the world the snow appeared to fall too evenly. To work around this problem, they built a new precipitation system that allows artists to define how much snow will hit particular objects. The program scans the geography, then calculates where the snow should fall to make sure it accumulates properly on the trees, rocks, and bushes.

Good,get rid of that performance eating foliage in Oblivion
Snow system sounds ok

The Radiant AI technology introduced in Oblivion went a long way toward making the NPCs act in realistic ways. If you followed a citizen through his daily activities, you would likely witness him or her eating breakfast, setting out to work the land, stopping by the pub for a pint after work, and then returning home to hit the sack.

In reality, the technology driving NPC behavior wasn't overly sophisticated. Bethesda could only assign five or six types of tasks to the townspeople, and there wasn't a lot of nuance to their actions. In Skyrim, the characters have much more defined individual personalities.

You won't find townspeople loitering aimlessly in town squares anymore. Each denizen performs tasks that make sense in their environment. To impart the towns and cities with a greater sense of life, Bethesda has populated them with mills, farms, and mines that give the NPCs believable tasks to occupy their day. In the forest village we visited during the demo, most of the citizens were hard at work chopping wood, running logs through the mill, and carrying goods through the town.

The improved Radiant AI technology is also more aware of how a citizen should react to your actions. As you perform tasks for them or terrorize them by ransacking their home, the NPCs develop feelings about you. If you're good friends with a particular NPC and barge into his house during the middle of the night, he may offer you lodging rather than demand you leave the premises. “Your friend would let you eat the apple in his house,” Howard says. If you swing your weapon near an NPC, knock items off their dinner table, or try to steal something of value, they'll react with an appropriate level of hostility given their prior relationship to you.

No shit...we'll see how this goes

The expansive Oblivion and Fallout 3 settings created a wonderful sense of place, but the robotic and unrealistic character animations sometimes betrayed the sense of immersion the environments imparted. Aware of the disconnect, Bethesda has enlisted Havok's new Behavior technology to endow Skyrim's characters and creatures with a proper sense of movement.

“We looked at a bunch of [animation solutions], and this is about the tippy-top state-of-the-art stuff out there,” Howard says. “I think we're the first real big game to use it.”

Havok Behavior is a flexible animation tool that allows the developers to rapidly prototype and preview new animations and blend them together seamlessly with a few mouse clicks and minimal code support. Bethesda is using it to create more nuance in character and creature movement, govern special effects, and even to control how characters struggle to move when trapped in environmental hazards like spider webs. Characters now transition more realistically between walking, jogging, and running, and the increased nuance between animations has allowed Bethesda to better balance the combat in both first- and third-person perspective by adjusting the timing values for swings and blocks depending on your perspective. “We definitely have made a significant jump in how it plays [in third person perspective],” Howard proclaims.

The increased animation fidelity and diversity has enabled Bethesda to ditch the awkward dialogue camera perspective that paused the game and presented you with an extreme closeup of the person with whom you were speaking. Now camera stays in the same perspective used during combat and exploration, and players are free to look around while engaging in conversation. Rather than drop their activities to give you their undivided attention, the NPCs continue to go about their business while in discussion. For instance, a barkeep may continue to clean cups while talking, and even move from behind the counter to a seat. A mill worker chopping wood may engage in conversation without turning away from his duties, only occasionally glancing toward you during the exchange.

Good,no need to explain

Radiant Story

Before they started planning missions for Skyrim, Howard and his team reflected on what they liked about their older projects. They kept returning to the randomized encounters in Fallout 3 and Daggerfall. To build off the success of those models and improve the experience so the random encounters feel less forced or arbitrary, Bethesda undertook the ambitious task of constructing a new story management system dubbed Radiant Story. Many quests are still completely governed by Bethesda, but the Radiant Story system helps randomize and relate the side quests to players to make the experience as dynamic and reactive as possible. Rather than inundate you with a string of unrelated and mundane tasks, it tailors missions based on who your character is, where you're at, what you've done in the past, and what you're currently doing.

“Traditionally in an assassination quest, we would pick someone of interest and have you assassinate them,” Howard says. “Now there is a template for an assassination mission and the game can conditionalize all the roles – where it happens, under what conditions does it take place, who wants someone assassinated, and who they want assassinated. All this can be generated based on where the character is, who he's met. They can conditionalize that someone who you've done a quest for before wants someone assassinated, and the target could be someone with whom you've spent a lot of time before.”

The Radiant Story system also helps deal with untimely deaths. Predicting player behavior in an open world is tough, as many often stray from the main quests and get into trouble by murdering quest givers. In Skyrim, if you kill a shop owner who had a few quests to offer if you spend the time to get to know him, his sister may take over the shop and offer the quest that was formerly ascribed to him. The quest logic automatically picks up with pre-recorded voice work because Bethesda already assigned her that contingency role. Tread lightly though, because she's not oblivious to your dastardly actions. She will still recognize you killed her brother and perhaps even try to exact revenge later in the game.

Radiant Story is also smart enough to know which caves and dungeons you've already visited and thus conditionalize where, for instance, a kidnapped person is being held to direct you toward a specific place you haven't been to before, populated with a specific level of enemy. This helps Bethesda avoid repetition and usher the player into areas the team wants you to explore.

The story manager is always watching you, which can leads to strange random encounters as well. If you drop a sword in the middle of town, someone may pick it up and return it to you, or two guys may get into a fight over who gets to take it. If you're really good at a particular skill, like one-handed weapons or destruction spells, a stranger who knows of your reputation  may ask for training, challenge you to a duel, or beg you for a favor that will require you to show off your skill.

Skyrim also tracks your friendships and grudges to generate missions. Do a small favor for a farmer and it may eventually lead to a larger quest. Some NPCs will even agree to be your companion to help you out in specific situations.

Radiant Story doesn't limit these new missions to encounters in towns. Like in Fallout 3 and Red Dead Redemption, a lot of random events occur while you're exploring the wilderness as well. "There are a wide variety of these random encounters," says design director Bruce Nesmith. "Many of them are things the player can interact with, some are not. You might save a priest who then tells you about a dungeon where there are people trapped that need saving. You might run across mammoth beset by a pack of wolves."

Good,but again we'll see how this goes

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim/b/xbox360/archive/2011/01/17/the-technology-behind-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim.aspx?PostPageIndex=2

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Is the lizard people still in? If so fuck this game I hate those guys so creepy.

[naff]

You might run across mammoth beset by a pack of wolves.

Bigger animals and enemies are soooo necessary for ES. Dragons, mammoths, random encounters, new engine, (from the looks of it) vastly improved graphics and modelling, dual wielding, new more realistic combat mechanics... Sounds like they're really pulling out the stops to improve their game. cannot wait

[Great Rumbler]

It really sound like they're at trying to go the extra mile in making up for all the quirks and general jankiness found in their past three games. Now, maybe they don't quite get to the lofty goals they're talking about in that article, but any kind of movement in that direction is a definite improvement.

[naff]

After watching those vids on the sound engineering and reading that release on their updated tech I have pretty high hopes. Haven't been disappointed by a Bethesda game to this day and when this lives up to previous iterations and adds, even partially, what they're promising it will be their best game yet.

[pilonv1]

I'm worried this wont make November.

[Great Rumbler]

I'm worried this wont make November.

Even in a worst-case scenario they'll have three full years.

[Stoney Mason]

I'm worried this wont make November.

They've been working on it for awhile. I doubt it will slip. They do not want to miss the holiday sales.


As far as the game sounds good although I'll wait for video before I start to get excited. I want the user friendliness of oblivion but without the crazy scaling of that game and better production values.   

[Vizzys]

oblivion came out in 2006 though

Im sure they had at least some people working on this since then, fallout 3 or not

[Sho Nuff]

Man this is makin me pop a game stiffy

[BlueTsunami]

The tone of it, especially in some of the enemy designs (like that time lapse troll artwork video) looks way more serious in comparison to Oblivion. Less whimsy more cold nordic metal.

[lordmaji]

Bethesda games are very popular in the West.I bought 360 just to play Oblivion,never regretted it,250+ hours...good times

It had tons of flaws but I still played it like a fanatic,no food or sleep needed
There is something magical in Bethesda games,you just can't stop playing them


Morrowind also 
Like it was yesterday...played it on PC of course

Thats how many hours I put into that damn game. I'm sure I'll be racking up the house in Skyrim also.

I CANT WAIT!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH Vid Game Stiffy indeed. The Elder Scrolls games, The Fallout Games, I always get excited about. Even now the Dragon Age games.

[Great Rumbler]

I played about 150 hours of Oblivion, across Xbox360 and PC versions. Not sure how much of played of Morrowind, but it was probably about the same.

Fallout 3 was about 50 hours and New Vegas racked up around 40.