The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Official Discussion Topic)

[PDorr3]

The game comes out TOMORROW people! some even have it today. Lets use this topic for all our discussion pretaining to the game itself, as we all know tons of us will be getting this tomorrow.

I am still unsure of what type of character I will be making. I always end up making a warrior/fighter type character in RPG's, but this time I think Im gonna try a battlemage, for a nice mix of magic and melee. What about you guys?

I have been refraining myself from reading too much about the games story or even screenshots (recent ones) so that I am suprised as hell when I play it. One site I do reccomend you all visit is www.elderscrolls.com and check out the download section for some awsome teaser videos.

[Joker T]

Picking it up tonight for PC.

I will probally be making a custom character..

I'm so excited :)

[Johnny_Rock]

I will be picking up the Collector's Edition for the 360 tommarow, and i will be making a swordsman/swordfighter type so melee i guess.

[Raedon]

I'll wait for an opinion from the RPG community before I get this one. The last one's battle system really pissed me off.

[PDorr3]

the battle system in this one is much improved. They did away with randm blocking and all the missing that occured even if you were hitting the enemy. This one has manual blocking, and no more random missing.

[Raedon]

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/20/2110201

Dude is going to play 12 hours starting tonight and broadcast it live over the net..

From the Slashdot


HarvardFrankenstein writes "Gamespot's Greg Kasavin will be playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for 12 straight hours tonight (Monday, March 20th) and the entire marathon session will be broadcast live. Kasavin will be 'offering commentary about the experience as it transpires. Subscribers will see a picture-in-picture view of Kasavin as he spends an increasing number of successive hours playing the game, and they will be able to chat with each other over the course of the event.'" The event starts tonight at 6pm PST, if they get started on time.

[Rockman Neo]

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/20/2110201

Dude is going to play 12 hours starting tonight and broadcast it live over the net..

From the Slashdot


HarvardFrankenstein writes "Gamespot's Greg Kasavin will be playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for 12 straight hours tonight (Monday, March 20th) and the entire marathon session will be broadcast live. Kasavin will be 'offering commentary about the experience as it transpires. Subscribers will see a picture-in-picture view of Kasavin as he spends an increasing number of successive hours playing the game, and they will be able to chat with each other over the course of the event.'" The event starts tonight at 6pm PST, if they get started on time.

Ha, I'm sure the beginning of the whole thing will be hilarious. At first, Greg will look like a total idiot playing it.

[mezrabad]

I'm am going to be soo late to this party. I was in line launch day for Daggerfall and Morrwind (PC) so not being involved (I've got neither an Xbox 360, a PC with the power or even the money to acquire game) is tearing my heart out here. I'm certain I'll be able to get Oblivion and an Xbox 360 about three years from now for between a third and a half of what I'd need to pay today. OR I'll get a PC that can handle it for about a fourth of what I'd need to pay today.

Patience (fuckiwannaplayit), yes, patience is the mark of maturity. (fuckfuckfuck)

[Joker T]

Crap, I thought the game was coming out today...it just shipped today.

Bleh.

[meancode]

I like the redguard. But I will probably start out as an imperial; I am always a melee character. I heard they balanced the mage out so you can actually play a battlemage. We will see. I do like having all the magic, but with my redguard in Morrowind I had to wait until late in the leveling process to even begin to explore the magic system.

I have it pre-ordered at my local game shop, and they have had a pretty good record lately, so I will most likely be picking it up tomorrow.

I really don't know why I am going to buy it (well yes I do) because Bethesda has told me they are sending a copy. They won't be able to get me one by Tuesday, but I just can't wait.

Isn't that just sad. Especially considering the other reviews I have to write yet.

I predict the bloom effect has not been toned down at all, and no one will care. I also predict that at least 50% of my Friends List, like G.R.A.W., will be playing Oblivion. This, more than anything, will make me want to play the game right now, and not have to wait a few days.

[jdc]

My first character is usually a Battlemage if nothing more than for the luxury of being able to heal myself with magic while exploring a new, potentially dangerous environment. I'll probably go with the Dark Elf. Haven't managed to play that race yet.

Gotta admit though......the most fun Morrowind character that I played was my last one. A Kajit theif. I didn't feel like following the main story for the umpteenth time, so I just made this thief and skipped straight off to the Thieve's Guild in Balmora. I just went around ripping people off. Great fun.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough. It's the first reason that I bought this 360.

[keiblerfan69]

Well I am gonna do custom. I'm not getting this game til about the second week of April. I'm watching the Gamespot 12 hour Oblivion marathon right now and I can say I regret not getting this game.

[PDorr3]

whats the best race for a battlemage, as I plan to be one.

[meancode]

I would say Dark Elf.

[nik]

!!!!!!! tomorrow!!! come quicker!

Damn work!

[Anexanhume]

I'm partial to Bretons. The magicka resistance combined with their combat skills make them natural choices for a battlemage.

[diskoboy]

Sitting here with my Collectors Edition 360 version. About to begin my adventure! :D 8-)

I'll probably choose to make a custom guy.

You guys have no Idea what torture it was to buy my copy at lunch and have it sitting on my desk at work all day, staring me in the face, as if to say 'you know you wanna play me, right now!'. God, I couldn't take it anymore!

I'm glad I made it home, finally!

[unwinddesign]

Against my better judgement, I went out and picked up a copy of the Collector's Edition today.

$75. Wee.

I don't really want to play it, but I'll give it a go. I'm just afraid that I'll get lost in the 1,0000000,00000,000000000 bajillion gazillion hours of supposed gameplay there is. Damn these insane pangs of needing to buy a game. LOL

[diskoboy]

Just thought, I'd take a small break to tell you guys how fucking awesome this game is so far...

I'm not quite out of the sewers, yet. But I think I'm close, I just picked my starsign. I chose Warrior.

Okay, back to the game!

[Joker T]

Just got the game..I may not be online for a few days LOL

[unwinddesign]

I really think this game is overrated so far. The frame rate is all over the place, the bloom lighting is ridiculous, the grass literally grows right in front of your eyes (yes, the pop in HAS been that bad), and the story is super corny. I'm about two hours in, I have a headache from the damn bloom lighting, and I really don't want to play any more.

Maybe I was expecting a bit more than an awkward first person Diablo game, but this game really ain't all that hot so far. Hopefully it'll pick up...fingers crossed. But so far, the combat is clunky, the animations are wtf, and there have been some serious speech/event glitches. One moment, the emperor was alive, then something flew in front of me, and suddenly he's on the ground. The game seems to have decided to skip the part where he actually got killed...

Thrilling stuff. One thing is to be said, however. The vistas in the game are absolutely stunning. Seriously, these graphics (at least when you're not in motion...) are truly unreal. When the frame rate holds up, travelling along the water during sunset is truly a sight to behold.

[CreamSoda]

I got the game this afternoon(at about 2:30), and so far I have put about four hours into it. (It's the 360 version btw)

This game kicks ass! The graphics, freedom, quests, physics, it's all amazing. I would say it lives up to the hype 95%!

Gonna go play again pretty soon, I'm addicted already! :D

Nothing like getting drunk, and trashing a tavern, or pickpocketing a ladys pants off. XD

[swlovinist]

holy cow, this game rocks! I just got the game and AM playing the crap out of it. This the what the 360 needed. I think anyone can nickpick the game, to me....The game is very much what the hype said it would and delivers. What other game can you say does what this game does???? O_O

[-hellvin-]

I've been quite a huge fan of this series for some time and so far, this one has pleased me with the few hours I've put in. Stepping outside of the sewers is mind staggering seeing the HUGE landscape, and trying to figure out where the hell you want to go first. I'm working my way through some ruins ATM...it's the ones right next to the docks where the sewer exit is.

The character I'm playing is custom, but it's pretty close to a nightblade. Basically emphasis on stealth, and a mix of heavy combat, and alchemy for magic. I've always loved stealing in this game, and hopefully the tricks to rob people blind are as whorish as in morrowind ;D. Gonna go play another hour before sleep...

[jdc]

I'm just over 7 hours in......and it's awesome.

And yes....it's true Elderscrolls. The pop-up, the framerate drops...they're there, but who cares. They're SUPPOSED to be there or it wouldn't BE Elderscrolls...LOL. (they probably added them in on purpose!!) I'm doing as I did in Morrowwind. Save every 15 minutes without fail just incase you get the typical crash.

The biggest thrills to me thus far are the eeriness of the people's eyes. The character modelling is superb. I also love the way that casting fire FEELS "solid". The ball flies fast, far and straight. Good for lighting dark areas BTW.

The game is worth the money. Dollar for dollar nothing else is going to last you as long as this game will.

[FantasiaWHT]

hmmm...

so far I'm disappointed. It's not that I'm not having fun, or it doesn't look good (my rig runs it fantastic, no pop up, great frame rate, beautiful textures on my X1600 XT PCI-E) or that I'm not going to play it forever, but...

Despite all their blathering about innovation, this game is nearly IDENTICAL to Morrowind. Aside from graphics, it feels exactly the same. Which is ok, because Morrowind is a great game, but I was expecting more than just a graphical upgrade. I know that the mechanics of combat are different, but regardless of how different the number-crunching is, the combat is pretty much the same.

Who else hates the interface? The menu system feels needlessly complex, inventory management is a chore, and I want a mini-map, dammit!

BTW can you take screenshots? And why the heck is alt-tab disabled? So annoying.

[nik]

Nothing to bitch about here.

I'm impressed with the 360 version, no framerate annoyances, fast travel is great.

Now... if I could fiqure out how to level up..

[FantasiaWHT]

Oh btw I'm playing a custom character. Sort of an outdoor-survivalist. Heaviest on alchemy and marksmanship, with restoration, blades, and light armor for some added security then some of the more obscure branches of magic (alteration and mysticism) to play around with.

That reminds me... why are there so few skills? If there are more than Morrowind had, it's only a couple. And does anybody else find the power attacks (the basic ones at least) rather useless?

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I have no interest in this game whatsoever, but as a collector, I am buying it simply because the collector's edition looks amazing! Not often do publishers grace us with such amazing box sets (At least, not here in the UK), so will pick it up Friday simply to add to the collection

[Joker T]

The game is utterly stunning. I've played around 17 hours so far. You really have to see the game for yourself.

[diskoboy]

Oh btw I'm playing a custom character. Sort of an outdoor-survivalist. Heaviest on alchemy and marksmanship, with restoration, blades, and light armor for some added security then some of the more obscure branches of magic (alteration and mysticism) to play around with.

That reminds me... why are there so few skills? If there are more than Morrowind had, it's only a couple. And does anybody else find the power attacks (the basic ones at least) rather useless?

When you see the message 'rest/sleep to reflect on what you've learned', find a bed and go to sleep... You'll level up. It took me a while to figure it out, too.

And then I got stuck deep in the first oblivion gate tower quest to find a place to sleep, so i have to shut down the first gate so I can finally level up. So in the meantime, I'm stuck on level 2.

This game is the 360's killer app, thus far. Hands down.

[diskoboy]

oops.. sorry fantasia.. That was meant for nik. I hit the wrong quote button.

[Dobie]

I want to know... is it worth the extra jack for the collector's edition? I haven't paid $70+ for a game since Ocarina of Time came out. That was money well spent, but I kind of shudder at the thought of doing it again. If the collector's version doesn't add much extra value, then I may just wait on buying it until I finish GRAW (and get my 360 back from repair... GRRR), since the regular edition would presumably be easiest to find in a month's time.

[njiska]

Well i was forced to buy the collector's edition and honestly i must say i do enjoy it. I haven't watched the making of yet but i'm sure it'll be informative and the Guide to the World is a very nice addition.

The coin is by far the coolest though. It's metal and looks amazing.

Is it worth 10 bucks? Yeah, but you could live without it.

[Trumpman]

I've never played an Elder Scrolls Game before and have not ever really gotten into an RPG. Is this the one to get?

[unwinddesign]

I've never played an Elder Scrolls Game before and have not ever really gotten into an RPG. Is this the one to get?

No. I never played an Elder Scrolls game before this one, and I am seriously contemplating eBaying it. Know what you're getting in to.

[Griking]

I really think this game is overrated so far. The frame rate is all over the place, the bloom lighting is ridiculous, the grass literally grows right in front of your eyes (yes, the pop in HAS been that bad), and the story is super corny. I'm about two hours in, I have a headache from the damn bloom lighting, and I really don't want to play any more.

Maybe I was expecting a bit more than an awkward first person Diablo game, but this game really ain't all that hot so far. Hopefully it'll pick up...fingers crossed. But so far, the combat is clunky, the animations are wtf, and there have been some serious speech/event glitches. One moment, the emperor was alive, then something flew in front of me, and suddenly he's on the ground. The game seems to have decided to skip the part where he actually got killed...

Thrilling stuff. One thing is to be said, however. The vistas in the game are absolutely stunning. Seriously, these graphics (at least when you're not in motion...) are truly unreal. When the frame rate holds up, travelling along the water during sunset is truly a sight to behold.

What version did you purchase, PC or 360?

[diskoboy]

I've never played an Elder Scrolls Game before and have not ever really gotten into an RPG. Is this the one to get?

I'll put it this way, I can't normally stand RPG's. I think, so far, unwind is the only person who doesn't like this game.

Personally, it takes alot for a game to amaze me. This game has. My only complaint with this game would be the eternal loading times (for the 360 version).

Sounds to me like unwinddesign got a crappy copy or something, because this game is nothing short of beautiful. Graphically and gameplay-wise. There are a few minor framerate issues, here and there, but in no way effects the gameplay. It's usually when a section of the game is loading.

And for some deranged reason, I classify this game as a FPS with RPG overtones (If you think about it, it is). It's honestly not your typical RPG.

[unwinddesign]

I've never played an Elder Scrolls Game before and have not ever really gotten into an RPG. Is this the one to get?

I'll put it this way, I can't normally stand RPG's. I think, so far, unwind is the only person who doesn't like this game.

Personally, it takes alot for a game to amaze me. This game has. My only complaint with this game would be the eternal loading times (for the 360 version).

Sounds to me like unwinddesign got a crappy copy or something, because this game is nothing short of beautiful. Graphically and gameplay-wise. There are a few minor framerate issues, here and there, but in no way effects the gameplay. It's usually when a section of the game is loading.

And for some deranged reason, I classify this game as a FPS with RPG overtones (If you think about it, it is). It's honestly not your typical RPG.

It's alright. It's getting better than my initial impressions. The auto-travel feature helps a lot. I can't help but be disappointed though. I really enjoyed Fable -- the closest thing there is to this -- a lot more. This game just seems too helter skelter and free form. I'm all for freedom, but this just seems rather banal and uninteresting.

I'm only four hours in, and it has improved since my original run, so here's hoping it continues to improve.

[syzygy]

I want to say thanks EBGames--for nothing. I went into 3 different locations and got the old "sold out (for the PC) you should have ordered it, blah, blah, blah". So I had to go to Target and there is was, two copies left!

The only problem I had with the install is InstallShield hung, I had to force restart the computer. I must say that the moment I stepped out of the sewers into the dawn I was blown away Later in the game I found another entrance to the sewers and I actually shudder at the though of going back in, I really wanted to enjoy the world outside. That world is beautiful, and it felt alive. I could feel the gentle breeze. I felt like I could take on this huge world, then I went into 3rd person mode and realized that I had no shoes on! I just slogged through nasty sewers and goblin dens with no friggin shoes, yuk.

Since I am very new to the Elder Scrolls series, I just picked up a copy of morrowind in a thrift store about two weeks ago, I did not have a lot of preconception on what Oblivion should be. I really like the feel of combat, the hits feel solid and kills with a bow are truly wonderful. I saw a deer while walking around and though I would take it out with my rusty bow, after my second shot hit the deer it made this sad grunt/pain sound I felt so bad that I reloaded an earlier safe and vowed to not kill any deer. I still feel a little bad beating the wolves with the giant club.

I did noticed a slight chugging when looking over large vistas, but up close outdoor combat has been smooth so far. The zoom-in when speaking with other characters is kind of freaky, it feels like I am a little to close. I feel great fun is yet to be had.

[meancode]

******** SPOILERS ********

(Because I am sure someone here will call this a spoiler)

It is super-duper easy to become a Vampire in Oblivion, which is quite the change from Morrowind. It also takes a bit of work to get rid of it.

Here is a nice write up on that.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=280661

And if you really had no idea that you could become a vampire in the game, take a look at the stats screen. There are two stats for vampires.

On a related subject (well, only related to Oblivion): how the heck are people like JonnyRock level 6 already, and have barely touched the main quest, or joined all the factions?

It just shows how diverse this game really is. I am at Level 2, have joined all the factions, including Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild, and I have three main plot Achievement Points done. And I am still a level 3. Is it because I chose an Imperial this time?

Not that I am complaining. I upped the difficulty and am still going through the game at a pretty good clip. One thing about having to review games that sucks is how fast you have to run through them. My 2nd time through Oblvion is going to be much slower.

Becoming a vampire in the middle of completing a main story quest really sucks (ha ha) because it sort of puts a freeze on the entire game while I get rid of being a vampire.

That being said, being a vamp in Oblvion is a lot better than it was in Morrowind.

[FantasiaWHT]

Since you only level up once you've had 10 advances between your 7 "main" skills, if you've chosen skills that go up more slowly, you won't level up so fast.

For example, if you have athletics and acrobatics in your main skills you will level VERY quickly if you spend all your time jumping (carrying fatigue restoring potions) and swim all over the place.

[heybtbm]

Whoever is saying the 360 version doesn't have pop-up or frame rate issues hasn't left the sewers yet or is ignoring the obvious. The game still looks amazing, but it has problems (graphically) that I thought would disappear with this new generation of consoles.

Anyway, after 5 hours or so of play time, I'm starting to wonder if I have the patience (or interest) to play through the entire game. The FPS-style is nice and the sheer amount of things you can do is overwhelming...which is part of the problem. I'm starting to think this game is strickly for people with huge amounts of free time. I don't think I can be that committed to one game (awesome or not) for the next few months. I'm not ready to give up just yet, but this may be my first 360 game to hit ebay. We'll see.

[Johnny_Rock]

I'm about 12 hour in and while i do agree thare is a frame rate drop. When its loading the next area! Even then it dosent drop that much and it lasts less then 4 seconds and it dosent happen that often.

Also adressing anyone who thinks the game can be overwhelming. Go pick up some missions, start clearing out dungons, or start going up rank in one of the factions.


I personaly think people are being way too harsh on the game and just trying to find things to bitch about.

[Tan]

i find the game fantastic, worth crash, bugs, pop-in, and more, that stuff never stopped me from morrowind.

i do love how true they always stay to the canon of the elder scrolls, i made a custom character, same name, attibutes as my GOTY edition one, it was like an extension of morrowind and felt immediately comfortable to settle into, i find the AI amazing, spent 10 minutes listening to idle conversation between npc's while making some food, and i enjoy the challenge thieving has become, if they don't much care for you they'll follow you around.

[zerohero]

I'll be playing this game tonight. It will be my first intro into the series so most of the elements are new to me. The only thing similar to this game that I have played is Theif.

[Joker T]

BTW can you take screenshots? And why the heck is alt-tab disabled? So annoying.

You could just use printscreen and copy paste it into a photo editor (ie. paint)

[Ed Oscuro]

Haha, Fantasia fails at Oblivion.

First off, combat is incredibly improved. In the original, fighting a RAT - the lowliest creature there is, pretty much - was a life and death affair; you could train your fists on it for level after level without killing it (just give it a few seconds to rest and it'll bounce back into the fight, undamaged). Not so here; that rat will die in a punch. You can actually kill things with your fists now - including the first enemies in the game!

Archery I haven't tried yet (though I've been picking up all the bows and arrows I've found), but I hear it's highly improved.

You get good weapons early on.

Sneaking is improved; within the space of a few short minutes I'd practiced to level 25 on a silly rat. The first few levels are pretty much instantly acquired.

Of course I'm a bit annoyed that a better system for athletics and acrobatics (jumping) couldn't be developed, but frankly I have a bit of trouble concieving a better system that wouldn't come of as gimmicky. I've yet to see if they didn't have any competitions to improve these skills in, though.

The level quality and music seems much better than it had been in the previous game. I admit liking the music in the last one, but there wasn't any real theming to music, just a small selection of songs to be chosen randomly when a new event occured (i.e. the start of a fight), and Morrowind was terrible about fading songs in and out appropriately.

[Ed Oscuro]

Also - loading previous saves is pretty much instant for me. So damn cool.

[Anthony1]

I'm starting to think this game is strickly for people with huge amounts of free time. I don't think I can be that committed to one game (awesome or not) for the next few months. I'm not ready to give up just yet, but this may be my first 360 game to hit ebay. We'll see.



Yeah, I remember when I played Morrowind for the original Xbox, I'm normally not into these types of games, but I really thought it was pretty cool, but I realized that there was no way I was going to have enough time to just devote to that game like it was some kind of religion. Unfortunately, my attention span on games is shorter than what I would like it to be.


Oblivion would be sweet if I was single, no kids, no job, and just living in an apartment with a bed, a big ass HDTV, some decent 5.1 setup, and tons of time to kill. Unfortunately, that ain't the case with me. So I'm going to have to pass on this one. I'm definitely going to rent it, and check it out a few different times, but I'll catch it in the bargain bins in a few years.

[-hellvin-]

Nothing to bitch about here.

I'm impressed with the 360 version, no framerate annoyances, fast travel is great.

Now... if I could fiqure out how to level up..

Leveling's pretty weird in this game...you have to advance ten tims in any of your seven main skills. After doing so, you must rest on a bedroll or inn to receive your next level. It will also ask you three stats to improve. You can get a 3x or 5x (this is from morrowind, but believe the same holds true here) depending on how many times you leveled a certain skilled based on a particular stat.

For example, if you level a skills (such as blade for example) that's based on strength, you will get the chance to multiply the amount of strength you receive after leveling up. I believe if you plan exactly how to level your skills, by doing three each of a different stat, and the 10th one whatever you want, you will get three 5x multiplers for three seperate stats.

[FantasiaWHT]

BTW can you take screenshots? And why the heck is alt-tab disabled? So annoying.

You could just use printscreen and copy paste it into a photo editor (ie. paint)

But you can't alt-tab (or at least I can't) so I can only take one screenshot per play session :(

[FantasiaWHT]

Haha, Fantasia fails at Oblivion.

First off, combat is incredibly improved. In the original, fighting a RAT - the lowliest creature there is, pretty much - was a life and death affair; you could train your fists on it for level after level without killing it (just give it a few seconds to rest and it'll bounce back into the fight, undamaged). Not so here; that rat will die in a punch. You can actually kill things with your fists now - including the first enemies in the game!


See, I never found combat in Morrowind at all difficult. I got so quickly ridiculously strong in that game that that's the reason I stopped playing... nothing was challenging anymore.

My biggest beef is still that the skill system is identical. Would it hurt to evolve the skills some? Split blunt and blade into a few more subsets so that the same skill that governs massive battle axes doesn't cover daggers? What about crafting? What about sensing, or resource gathering skills?

[Ed Oscuro]

See, I never found combat in Morrowind at all difficult. I got so quickly ridiculously strong in that game that that's the reason I stopped playing... nothing was challenging anymore.
In Morrowind, it took me a long ass time to get to the point where I wasn't getting killed anymore, and a lot of that was conscious crunching (i.e. training on sword skills by beating on Daedra in some temple out in the middle of somewhere or other). Throughout far too much of my game - and I played for months and months - all I was able to do was exploit and rest my way through the game (and always ran around with too much damn inventory). Maybe it was different if you played with spells, but I played pretty much as a standard fighter with a few magical skills to use after battle.


My biggest beef is still that the skill system is identical. Would it hurt to evolve the skills some? Split blunt and blade into a few more subsets so that the same skill that governs massive battle axes doesn't cover daggers?
I'm pretty sure that's new. In the original Morrowind, there were categories for blunt weapons, short blades, long blades, axes, marksman weapons...it seems to me that they've actually condensed the categories a bit, which only makes sense seeing that if you know how to swing one weapon, you know how to swing another. It gives you a wider effective range of weapons, as you aren't starting over every time you switch weapons (which was a big problem in Morrowind).

[poe]

My biggest beef is still that the skill system is identical. Would it hurt to evolve the skills some? Split blunt and blade into a few more subsets so that the same skill that governs massive battle axes doesn't cover daggers?
I'm pretty sure that's new. In the original Morrowind, there were categories for blunt weapons, short blades, long blades, axes, marksman weapons...it seems to me that they've actually condensed the categories a bit, which only makes sense seeing that if you know how to swing one weapon, you know how to swing another. It gives you a wider effective range of weapons, as you aren't starting over every time you switch weapons (which was a big problem in Morrowind).

Also, you have the skill tiers at which you actually get a new "function" for the skills (paralyzing/disarming attacks, zoom ability for bow, make potions from one ingredient, etc.). Makes the skill system a lot more engaging, despite the consolidation of skills.

[Juganawt]

Just got the game today for 360 (on it's UK release date), I'm an hour in and I'm very, very impressed. Looks prettier than the PC version, not a drop in frames or popup in sight.

[Tan]

just curious, what are you guys using for vids cards for this game, and how is it running for you?

[njiska]

Just got the game today for 360 (on it's UK release date), I'm an hour in and I'm very, very impressed. Looks prettier than the PC version, not a drop in frames or popup in sight.

Get a horse.

[FantasiaWHT]

just curious, what are you guys using for vids cards for this game, and how is it running for you?

Sapphire X1600 XT, 256 Mb GDDR3, 600/1400 speeds, PCI-E.

Runs like a dream. I have all the options maxed and I haven't seen any stuttering or framerate drops, whether in the rain, on a horse, or with multiple enemies and spell effects going off. Only problem I have is I run into some transparency issues in some dungeons (but not all, strangely) like seeing through walls as I turn.

Ed and poe:

Yeah, I'll admit I like the addition of the tiers in skills, but did you notice that the tiers for hand-to-hand, blunt, and blade are all identical? I mean why does it even matter at that point? Just make a "melee" skill and be done with it if you're condensing skills anyway. I definitely would've liked to see more skills than fewer.

BTW, has anyone figured out if there's a way to take an arrow off your bow without firing it once you've nocked it? I'm sick of nocking an arrow, losing my target, and having to turn and fire straight down and hope it doesn't break hehe.

[diskoboy]

For those 360 owners not happy with the framerate, or it seems to sputter here-and-there, try clearing your 360's HDD cache.

Power on (cold boot) while holding the green (A) button to clear the cache. Should help for a while! If it begins again, just clear it again!

Hope that helps, guys!

Finally at Level 3. I have now put in over 20 hours on this game. Thank you, spring break! :D

[Trebuken]

Intitial Impressions:

Bad:
Load Times (used to it from some MMORPG's)
Not enough baddies (yet)
Dungeons (First few have been short)
NPC's often say the same thing
Alchemy. (To much stuff to pick up...)

Good:
Lot's to do.
You can be good, bad, indifferent
Auto Mapping...
Horses (Can you fight from horseback?)
Looks Good.
Combat is fun for me...avoiding the bow though...
Customizations.
etc.

It is not the linear fair that has become all too standard. This is Old School RPG goodness...

It looks like many of the quests/dungeons were designed to be completed in a sitting. Both good and bad.

Great RPG.

Later,
Trebuken

When do we get to post spoilers?

[Joker T]

just curious, what are you guys using for vids cards for this game, and how is it running for you?

ATI Radeon X850 XT 256 MB

Runs great auto, detected high for some reason though, thought it would be the highest. Playing at 1280 x 1024.

[nik]

No load issues on my 360...

Awsome game. Just beat the crap out of the Arena, I'm the Grand Champion, very fun quest just so you folks know.

Kind of a cheap ending for that quest though, I kind of feel robbed.

[syzygy]

Here is a pretty funny spoiler free story.

I got a quest to rescue someone's daughter--her mother clearly stated that her daughter loved her horse and would never be without it. OK, I find the missing daughter and kill lots of people. toward the end of the fighting the daughter hauls out a battle axe and kicks some butt.

Fighting done she looks at me and ask what do you want me to do, I say follow me. I am prancing and jumping my way back to her house--I was low on health so I was trying to get back fast. After about two minutes of travel I look back and no daughter. Crap, I head back to the place where I last saw her and there was her horse! I jump on the horse and head back the way I just came. Three minutes of travel and there the daughter is, trudging up a hill almost back home.

I take the horse to the top of the hill and wait, the girl walks right by me and says nothing. I jump off the horse and speak to her, nothing is said about the horse. I jump back on the horse again and she calls a "stinking thief" and pulls out here battle axe and basically kicks my butt! Thanks, I just saved you and you kick my @ss over a horse which you left back in the dusk. Pretty funny stuff.

[diskoboy]

Reviews I've seen so far....

IGN - 9.3
Gamespot - 9.6 (even going so far as to saying 'hands down, one of the best RPG's ever made'. I've never seen a score at gamespot this high).

Has anyone seen a bad review for this game yet? Most of the complaints I've seen, of course, deal with the 360's choppiness when you're outdoors.

[keiblerfan69]

I've never seen a score at gamespot this high).


I have:

Soul Caliber- 10
Chrono Cross- 10
Tony Hawk 3- 10
LOZ OOT- 10

[Johnny_Rock]

Reviews I've seen so far....

IGN - 9.3
Gamespot - 9.6 (even going so far as to saying 'hands down, one of the best RPG's ever made'. I've never seen a score at gamespot this high).

Has anyone seen a bad review for this game yet? Most of the complaints I've seen, of course, deal with the 360's choppiness when you're outdoors.

G4's Attack of the Show gave it a bad review but the opinion of Kevin Pereira and his underlings arent worth jack shit anyways.

[nik]

I think the whole choppiness is just overblown... Quake 4 was horrible compared to this and tons of people love it on 360 still.

I guess no matter how good a game is done, people will bitch about somthing.

"OH GOD, it actually LOADS STUFF" Well that sucks ass, I'm getting tired of reading the xbox forums now, all these kids who can't even post quality spelling and they bitch and whine about a game their parents probably bought for them.

[jdc]

I've been everywhere now and have yet to die. It's nice being a battlemage and having the ability to heal yourself LOL. The casting of magic feels so strong this time around. This game is heaven sent. I don't need another 360 title for a long time.

Back to exploring!

[njiska]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?

[Ed Oscuro]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?
Yeah, that's a great question.

Found a bunch of Nirnroots though LOL

Basically I do whatever I feel like. Sneak (I'm at 75, 'cuz once again you can trick the system to advance many levels at a time - you can't leave it on overnight like in the original, though, 'cuz messages pop up), some mage stuff, lots of combat skills (blade and marksman so far, my blunt level's too low to go back to), and quite a bit of alchemy. My official profession is Assassin, 'cuz it struck me as the right choice. I try not to steal stuff, though.

Love the enhancements, but combat seems a bit too tough. It's definitely compelling, but more than one marauder or bandit at a time is too many. I hate having to find a safe spot (i.e. on top of a rock in the wild) and zap myself back up to full health; need a good intermediate life spell.

Have decent acrobatics and athletics skills.

[njiska]

Love the enhancements, but combat seems a bit too tough. It's definitely compelling, but more than one marauder or bandit at a time is too many.

Haha, no kidding. The only way i could get past the 3 Prisioners in the Arena was by sucking down 3 or 4 Strong potions of healing.

The Knockdowns are really frustrating because everyone gangs up and just rapes the shit out of you. It looks really good, but it's frustrating as hell.

[Trebuken]

hmmm...combat has not been too tough for me as of yet, though I have died (loaded up the save and tried til I won). I have a Claymore of Sparks now (does a number on rats). I have much better armor than I started with too.

I have encountered some glitches that I have not found a way around yet. Some issues getting into Castle Kvatch and duplicate Quest items. I have a quest I am certain I am completed but cannot get credit for completing, yet. I also got to a point where no matter where I went I could not rest, the game constantly said monsters were around, no matter where I went...

Well, still is great...

360 Version.

Later,
Trebuken, The Hero of Kvatch.

[Tan]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?

when you join the thieves guild, the recruiter sells them for 5g a piece, infinite number

[nik]

Love the enhancements, but combat seems a bit too tough. It's definitely compelling, but more than one marauder or bandit at a time is too many.

Haha, no kidding. The only way i could get past the 3 Prisioners in the Arena was by sucking down 3 or 4 Strong potions of healing.

The Knockdowns are really frustrating because everyone gangs up and just rapes the shit out of you. It looks really good, but it's frustrating as hell.

Not me, but I'm a redguard, I just charged my Chillrend I got from a quest (frost hit on strike) short sword and hit my race skill (adren boost, lots of goodies for a tight fight) and kept pounding.

Tough little bastards though, the Battlemage gave me a hard time, until I lunged at his head, 2 hits and he was dead.

Want a tough one? Try beating the Grand Champ without doing the quest he wants you do it, god hes a powerful fighter.

[-hellvin-]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?

When you reach level 10, you are allowed to do a daedra shrine quest for nocturnal or something like that which gives you an unbreakable lockpick, which also gives you 40 additional security skill points.

[poe]

just curious, what are you guys using for vids cards for this game, and how is it running for you?

eVGA 6800GS, 256MB, PCI-E in a PC with an Athlon 64 3700 and 3 GB RAM, nothing overclocked (super-bad ventilation in the tower :( ). Getting about 30-40 FPS most of the time, only having problems with lots of simultaneous lighting changes, mostly when all the flashing comes up when closing an Oblivion gate. No AA on, but still have almost everything maxed, except my tweaking the grass.

Also, if you're having framerate issues or motion sickness from the camera, some people have suggested opening the console (hit the ~ key) and typing fov 90, which has supposedly helped both of those issues, though I can't see much difference myself, other than the camera repositioning itself. You can change the number as needed, but since it can distort the camera, there's not a big range of settings that could be useful.

[njiska]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?

When you reach level 10, you are allowed to do a daedra shrine quest for nocturnal or something like that which gives you an unbreakable lockpick, which also gives you 40 additional security skill points.

Haha, excellentent Hellvin. Now i think i'll just do a bit of questing and snatch myself that prize.

[-hellvin-]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?

When you reach level 10, you are allowed to do a daedra shrine quest for nocturnal or something like that which gives you an unbreakable lockpick, which also gives you 40 additional security skill points.

Haha, excellentent Hellvin. Now i think i'll just do a bit of questing and snatch myself that prize.

Good luck man. It's one of the easiest quests and requires no alchemy ingredients to summon the daedra god. It's activated by asking around in Leiawyn or however it's spelled, and has to do with two Argonians who stole a "valuable jewel". Once you return it to Nocturnal at his shrine, he will give you the skeleton key.

The shrine's location is pretty easy...I'll try explaining it. If you look at the road that heads east out of that city, you will see it head north. About midway up, it has two little bumps, that make a backwards looking "S". It's right around there. Good luck.

Some of the quests are a real bitch. Like in the other games, sometimes the base level requirement means nothing, because you still have to find RARE ingredients off of high level monsters to summon the gods. One of them also wants your stats at a certain amount.

[njiska]

Anyone found a good source of lockpicks yet?

When you reach level 10, you are allowed to do a daedra shrine quest for nocturnal or something like that which gives you an unbreakable lockpick, which also gives you 40 additional security skill points.

Haha, excellentent Hellvin. Now i think i'll just do a bit of questing and snatch myself that prize.

Good luck man. It's one of the easiest quests and requires no alchemy ingredients to summon the daedra god. It's activated by asking around in Leiawyn or however it's spelled, and has to do with two Argonians who stole a "valuable jewel". Once you return it to Nocturnal at his shrine, he will give you the skeleton key.

The shrine's location is pretty easy...I'll try explaining it. If you look at the road that heads east out of that city, you will see it head north. About midway up, it has two little bumps, that make a backwards looking "S". It's right around there. Good luck.

Some of the quests are a real bitch. Like in the other games, sometimes the base level requirement means nothing, because you still have to find RARE ingredients off of high level monsters to summon the gods. One of them also wants your stats at a certain amount.

Got it. Problem solved. Thanks man.

[keiblerfan69]

Well I rented it last night since I won't be able to buy it for awhile. I love it. Already a level 6.

[nik]

ohh, summon gods huh, time to do alot more quests and levels.

[-hellvin-]

ohh, summon gods huh, time to do alot more quests and levels.

They're really fun. You can get pretty much all the old elder scrolls daedra gods items. Some of them are hard to activate though. Most of the items are VERY overpowered though. That lockpick for example gives you 40 more security points constant effect, and since it never breaks, you can auto attempt any lock forever, lol.

Then of course there's Sheogorath's usual joke item, the Wabbajack. You can start the quest at level 2 and it's actually a rather hilarious item. Randomly changes the monster or npc into something random when hit. Horse into OGRE.

[unwinddesign]

Is it just me, or is controlling a horse damn near impossible? It's so freakin' hard to turn. It's all rather novel, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't make it control more like a normal vehicle in an FPS/3rd person game. :/

My first impressions have been less than favorable, but all the rave comments here have me wanting to play the game again. I think I'll give it another go tomorrow. Yay.

[njiska]

Is it just me, or is controlling a horse damn near impossible? It's so freakin' hard to turn. It's all rather novel, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't make it control more like a normal vehicle in an FPS/3rd person game. :/

My first impressions have been less than favorable, but all the rave comments here have me wanting to play the game again. I think I'll give it another go tomorrow. Yay.

Try to remember you steer the horse with the left stick. The Right stick is a turret style look.

[nik]

ohh, summon gods huh, time to do alot more quests and levels.

They're really fun. You can get pretty much all the old elder scrolls daedra gods items. Some of them are hard to activate though. Most of the items are VERY overpowered though. That lockpick for example gives you 40 more security points constant effect, and since it never breaks, you can auto attempt any lock forever, lol.

Then of course there's Sheogorath's usual joke item, the Wabbajack. You can start the quest at level 2 and it's actually a rather hilarious item. Randomly changes the monster or npc into something random when hit. Horse into OGRE.

Now thats a cool little trick, be a neat thing to see an ogre pop up in a town per say.....

[unwinddesign]

Is it just me, or is controlling a horse damn near impossible? It's so freakin' hard to turn. It's all rather novel, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't make it control more like a normal vehicle in an FPS/3rd person game. :/

My first impressions have been less than favorable, but all the rave comments here have me wanting to play the game again. I think I'll give it another go tomorrow. Yay.

Try to remember you steer the horse with the left stick. The Right stick is a turret style look.

Yeah, I figured that out. It made it a little bit better, but it was still hard as hell to do precision turns.

[njiska]

Horse and percision don't go together. Afterall it is an animal.

[-hellvin-]

ohh, summon gods huh, time to do alot more quests and levels.

They're really fun. You can get pretty much all the old elder scrolls daedra gods items. Some of them are hard to activate though. Most of the items are VERY overpowered though. That lockpick for example gives you 40 more security points constant effect, and since it never breaks, you can auto attempt any lock forever, lol.

Then of course there's Sheogorath's usual joke item, the Wabbajack. You can start the quest at level 2 and it's actually a rather hilarious item. Randomly changes the monster or npc into something random when hit. Horse into OGRE.

Now thats a cool little trick, be a neat thing to see an ogre pop up in a town per say.....

Yeah, exactly! That's all I've read about people using it for on other forums. Running around towns whacking things causing mass riots with the guards. Sounds hilarious, but haven't gotten around to aquiring it yet. Enjoying the Dark Brotherhood way too much. Gotta love sneaking in and murdering that asshole from the beginning in the imperial city.

[Cantaloup]

This game has really captured my interest. So much so that I may consider getting an Xbox 360 just to play it. I was wondering if someone could describe what the combat is like. I hope this doesn't sound too silly, but is it like Hexen at all? I really liked Hexen back in the day, and this game seems to be a combination of Heretic/Hexen's 1st person fantasy-style combat; Ultima's long quest and go-anywhere world with open-ended sandbox play similar to, say, The Mercenaries; a deep skill, item and character system (Fallout/Diablo II); and a huge, continuous world like an MMORPG such as Everquest Online Adventures. If so, this game really scratches my itch.

I'm most interested in opinions about the combat (is it fun? repetitive? challenging?) and the character/item/skill system. Is it like Diablo, Champions of Norrath, etc. where it keeps you interested by continually offering the promise of better stuff and getting stronger? I don't particularly plan to power level, but I'd like to get new and better skills and items at a decent rate to keep things fresh. I also don't particularly care much about NPC interaction. I just want to wander out in to the wilderness for exploration and adventure.

[FantasiaWHT]

My general strategy for archery is to take a stealthed shot and then start backpedaling (hopefully down a straight and narrow corridor that I've already cleared) and hope the monster runs out of health before I run out of room to run hehe.

I'm debating starting over tho... I don't like my skill set :( Who cares about how fast your light armor degrades? Repair hammers are so cheap that having your armor degrades fast is a GOOD thing because then your armorer skill goes up quicker. Light armor only gets good at Expert (maybe... no encumbrance means you're still probably only saving 15-20 pounds) an Masters (50% + armor rating)

Does one of the schools of magic allow you (eventually I would assume) to recharge magic items?

and I forgot what I learned in Morrowind... what do you do with soul shards once you get them filled?

[Ed Oscuro]

I hope this doesn't sound too silly, but is it like Hexen at all?
LOL

Man, I wish! Maybe then I'd actually be good!

Game plan:

1.) Run around and launch fireballs or attack an enemy head-on with my sword

2.) Lose health

3.) Wait for magic to replenish so I can SLOWLY refill my health with the default healing spell

4.) Die

5.) Restart

[Neo Rasa]

Melee combat is a lot like Condemned actually. You attack with the right trigger and block with the left. If you hold down the right trigger you'll do a more powerful attack which you can alter the direction/properties of by hitting up/down/left/right as you bring your weapon up (what these do varies depending on the weapon you have and your skills). You can equip a shield to block with if you have a one-handed weapon. If you block an attack with a shielf it will usually phase the enemy for a bit. The enemies all have power attacks too that can knock you back or phase you.

Once you start using this and knowing how to block you'll be taking much less damage in combat.

Personally I'm using a fast fighter type character with some limited magic. Since the dungeons all have some really interesting terrain to them instead of just being all corridors and square rooms I usually sneak around to get the high ground. Then either launch a weak spell/arrow at the enemies and jump down onto them attacking. For weapons I'm sticking with short and longswords.

[nik]

I hope this doesn't sound too silly, but is it like Hexen at all?
LOL

Man, I wish! Maybe then I'd actually be good!

Game plan:

1.) Run around and launch fireballs or attack an enemy head-on with my sword

2.) Lose health

3.) Wait for magic to replenish so I can SLOWLY refill my health with the default healing spell

4.) Die

5.) Restart


Block man block!

Also, when there are no enemy's around(say in a place you just cleared the enemies) you can press the "back" button and it will tell you if enemies are around, since if they ARE some, you cannot "wait".

If there are non, then just "wait" for an hour, all health back.

[Ed Oscuro]

Block man block!
I do, but it too often seems to make me stagger. I've got reasonably good agility, but my blocking skill is still low. :/


If there are non, then just "wait" for an hour, all health back.
Oh, I've used the wait trick ever since the dark ages of Morrowind (I'm playing this on the PC now, and my dalliance with the PC version of Morrowind was quite short indeed - I have the expansions but don't feel like messing around with them).

[neonesmaster]

collectors if you buy your oblviion for the 360 and the strategy guide from game crazy then you get 30 % off the guide. i dont see that at eb?

[FantasiaWHT]

collectors if you buy your oblviion for the 360 and the strategy guide from game crazy then you get 30 % off the guide. i dont see that at eb?

EB has a constant "Buy the Game get the Strategy Guide 20% off" special on all games.

[-hellvin-]

Does one of the schools of magic allow you (eventually I would assume) to recharge magic items?

and I forgot what I learned in Morrowind... what do you do with soul shards once you get them filled?

Mysticism is the best school for creating and recharging magical items. Basically, when you soul trap a monster, it's soul has a value. The highest soul you can get I believe is still the "Dremora Lord" Daedra, which can only be captured in a grand soul gem, or azura's star, which is a reuseable soul gem you get any time you want, or from the main quest. You can use the soul to either create a magic item, or recharge an old one. Mysticism school has the soul trap spell, therefore is the best skill to max to make a successful capture.

Has anyone done the dark brotherhood yet? I'm about halfway through, and these are some of the most FUN missions I've ever played in any of the elder scrolls series. The best mission is the house party. You are sent to assassinate 5 peoeple in a house, where it's been set up to look like it's a lock in game, to find a hidden chest of gold, which will also have the key for the person to escape when found. In actuality, you are given the key by the person who set this up, and you have to murder each person without them seeing. It was BRILLIANTLY done. You can lure people into different sections of the huge house, and everyone starts getting suspicious of each other and who the murderer might be. You can raise their disposition and make them turn against each other. The amount of different responses and the order you can take them out in is amazing. Really well done quest.

[gepeto]

Well count me in the club. I picked up the collectors edition today. I Must say after about 4 hours of playing this game. I am glad I got it.

I had the previous elders scrolls and I hardly played that one at all. Oblivion pulls me into the environment and that makes it a joy to play. So far it is wonderfully paced. Seeing that I am a novice to this style of rpg I enjoyed the sewer run and the tutorial that helped get me use to all the controls. I bought this game primarly in support of the game maker bethesda and the effort they put into creating and making the game.
I know I might not ever finish the game but I am definately enjoying this one.

I'm curious though
I read alot of reviews of people saying that this game plays exactly like morrowind.

I briefly played morrowind and the difference to me are like night and day. I find myself pulled into oblivion's world and story. I can't put my finger on it maybe it's the spoken dialog.

[-hellvin-]

I'm curious though
I read alot of reviews of people saying that this game plays exactly like morrowind.

I briefly played morrowind and the difference to me are like night and day. I find myself pulled into oblivion's world and story. I can't put my finger on it maybe it's the spoken dialog.

Personally, I think it's VERY different. The spoken dialouge defenitely helps, but I think it's the world itself. The dark elf world of morrowind was quite odd and the mostly imperialistic setting of this one makes much more sense. The guild quests in this one, are MUCH improved as well. They all have an interesting story to them, and very unique quests, which are really fun.

Man...has anyone tried fighting the woman in the "Vindasel" ruins west of the "old bridge"? She carries the famous umbra sword and has a full ebony armor set. Was a tough fight...I had a sliver of health left when I delivered the final blow with ebony blade.

[nik]

Welp, I'd love to play but now I'm on hiatus for 2 weeks.

Fucking fuck fuck fuck red fucking fucker ring asshole fuck fuck movies fucking fuck DVD.

So my girlfreind watched a movie, system gets shut off...

Next morning, crashes, reboot crash, power cycle all and unplug, reboot, crash.

FUCKING FUCK FUCKER FUCKED FUCK!
Oh well.. 2 weeks then I can play again.

Lucky pricks.




FUCK!@

[Tan]

[quote=FantasiaWHT]The highest soul you can get I believe is still the "Dremora Lord" Daedra, which can only be captured in a grand soul gem, or azura's star, which is a reuseable soul gem you get any time you want, or from the main quest

was the PC version different? the xbox version's highest soul was a golden saint, it was the only one you could use for constant effect enchantments. has anyone seen a golden saint yet?

[Raedon]

if your 360 is reseting you need to send it back because it's fuxxored

[meancode]

I just made Warlock in the Mages Guild. What a great story that guild has!

[nik]

if your 360 is reseting you need to send it back because it's fuxxored

Thats why I said I can't play for 2 weeks.

[meancode]

nik - good luck! I just had a friend with a fried 360 get his back in just under two weeks from MS.

I just put the smack down on Umbra. I got a sneak attack on her (x6) and just went to town from there!

Now I have to decide between the ebony armor that has a higher armor rating, or the enchanted armor I currently have that gives me all kinds of nice stat bonuses. decisions, decisions!

I think I will go with the nifty looking ebony armor. Plus I can get more for the enchanted armor.

Fun stuff. And the Umbra sword is one handed, and seems to be a faster weapon than in Morrowind.

[-hellvin-]

[quote=FantasiaWHT]The highest soul you can get I believe is still the "Dremora Lord" Daedra, which can only be captured in a grand soul gem, or azura's star, which is a reuseable soul gem you get any time you want, or from the main quest

was the PC version different? the xbox version's highest soul was a golden saint, it was the only one you could use for constant effect enchantments. has anyone seen a golden saint yet?

Oh yes, that's right, it was a golden saint. I've yet to see one myself. Right now I'm having trouble with the leveled monsters. The Kvatch main quest is pain for a level 15 character. Once you get inside the castle, there's about 5 Daedroth's and 2 Fire Atronarchs. When Daedroth's gather around...DAMN. Your friend instantly goes unconscious and they start leaping on your FACE.

[FantasiaWHT]

Fun stuff. And the Umbra sword is one handed, and seems to be a faster weapon than in Morrowind.

Is that the sword from Morrowind where... tryng to remember... there was this guy hanging out in some out-of-the-way mountain pass and he said something about despairing of ever finding somebody strong enough to beat him? Then if you can kill him, you got that insanely powerful sword? Umbra sword just sounds so familiar...

[-hellvin-]

Fun stuff. And the Umbra sword is one handed, and seems to be a faster weapon than in Morrowind.

Is that the sword from Morrowind where... tryng to remember... there was this guy hanging out in some out-of-the-way mountain pass and he said something about despairing of ever finding somebody strong enough to beat him? Then if you can kill him, you got that insanely powerful sword? Umbra sword just sounds so familiar...

Yes, that was the quest. It was some orc in that mountain pass who wanted someone to kill him. I believe in Morrowind though, it was two handed. It did the same thing as well, soultrap on strike.

[Tan]

now if they had chrysamere or the ice-blade of the monarch in oblivion, or maybe trueflame (to save me from always equipping my night-eye ring) 8-)

[jdc]

Just finished the main game last night. I'm indifferent towards it. As a level 15 custom battlemage I found absolutley no challenge at all, which is scary. I only died once because of an inescapable poison filled room that I got trapped in. My question is....what am I doing wrong.....because I know that many of you also know your way around an Elderscrolls game and are obviously finding challenge in the game???

The main storyline is satisfactory but I'm glad that it's out of the way because now I get to go exploring and completing the gazillion side quests!!

[aaron7]

Hope my PC can play it!

Athlon XP 3200+
1.5gb PC3200 DDR
Radeon X850XT 256mb AGP

I remember when my system was the shit LOL :(

[nik]

Just finished the main game last night. I'm indifferent towards it. As a level 15 custom battlemage I found absolutley no challenge at all, which is scary. I only died once because of an inescapable poison filled room that I got trapped in. My question is....what am I doing wrong.....because I know that many of you also know your way around an Elderscrolls game and are obviously finding challenge in the game???

The main storyline is satisfactory but I'm glad that it's out of the way because now I get to go exploring and completing the gazillion side quests!!

It's the side quests, and some quests are kind of guessing games almost.

[meancode]

Fun stuff. And the Umbra sword is one handed, and seems to be a faster weapon than in Morrowind.

Is that the sword from Morrowind where... tryng to remember... there was this guy hanging out in some out-of-the-way mountain pass and he said something about despairing of ever finding somebody strong enough to beat him? Then if you can kill him, you got that insanely powerful sword? Umbra sword just sounds so familiar...

Yes, that was the quest. It was some orc in that mountain pass who wanted someone to kill him. I believe in Morrowind though, it was two handed. It did the same thing as well, soultrap on strike.

Yep it was two handed in Morrowind. I also notice that in Oblivion that the Umbra Sword degrades faster. I just spent nearly 2000gp to fix it. I really need to get Armorer up so I can fix enchanted weapons.

I just finished the mages guild quest last night. I am not exactly sure about the ending. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I will not discuss that here.

jdc - I find the game a bit too easy too. I had to ramp up the difficulty slider a lot. I think this goes with the watering down of everything else in the game -- they are trying to make the game more accessible to non die hard fans -- and in the process this is what happened.

[FantasiaWHT]

Is there a quick sell button? Or a way to turn off verifying selling something?

[-hellvin-]

Just finished the main game last night. I'm indifferent towards it. As a level 15 custom battlemage I found absolutley no challenge at all, which is scary. I only died once because of an inescapable poison filled room that I got trapped in. My question is....what am I doing wrong.....because I know that many of you also know your way around an Elderscrolls game and are obviously finding challenge in the game???

The main storyline is satisfactory but I'm glad that it's out of the way because now I get to go exploring and completing the gazillion side quests!!

Honestly, this game is as easy as you make it. Many people who are having problems are stealth varied characters. They spend all their time working on skills to sneak, steal, pick locks, and mercentile better, and pretty soon they're level 15 - 20 and so weak that daedra start spawning and BEAT them down. Even a bear or a wolf possibly. It's a flawed system for SURE, but what can you do? If you beef up nothing but your combat heavy skills, or attack spells, then you will probably not have a hard time at all rocking everyone's face, even at level 20 or higher.


I really need to get Armorer up so I can fix enchanted weapons.

You should defenitely go buy about 50 hammers and keep them on you. In heavy battles with Daedra, your armor will erode FAST. Then you pop in and just start repairing like crazy. Armorer will level incredibly fast that way, be cheaper, and soon you'll be able to work on your magical weapons as well ;D. You'll also probably get continuous x3 or x5 modifiers for Endurance on level up, doing so much repairs.

It works so well just picking up a horde of hammers and clicking away after battles. Wish I had been doing it since game start...I foolishly paid for repairs for so long, haha.

[jdc]

Having played Morrowind for so long, I made it a fast rule right from the very start in Oblivion to break out the hammers and repair at the end of every dungeon floor and after a few skirmishes in the woods. My armorer skills skyrocketed in no time. Same with constantly munching items for alchemy. I gather til I'm overencumbered then pig out.

I have the main storyline quest out of the way.......will joining the brotherhood with this character make people shun me when trying to complete the mage and fighters quests? I found myself screwed over with some NPCs in Morrowind to some extent when I went "bad". I was thinking of starting a second Oblivion game as a Khajit thief who solely does the thieves guild and brotherhood stories. Damned 360 Achievement points!!! LOL

[FantasiaWHT]

Can you safely leave items in a chest in your guild hall (fighter's guild mage's guild, etc.)?

[Dobie]

if your 360 is reseting you need to send it back because it's fuxxored

Thats why I said I can't play for 2 weeks.

It shouldn't even take two weeks. Mine died last Monday. I called them up right away, and got a box on Tues, sent it to them on Tues, and they recieved it on Wed. It got swapped out, and mailed out on Friday, and I got my 360 back on Monday. 7 days, and the only reason for that was UPS doesn't deliver on Saturdays to residential addresses. Super fast service, and they kept me clued in through emails throughout. Very professional.

[aaron7]

UPS comes to my house on Saturday all the time....?

[Dobie]

UPS comes to my house on Saturday all the time....?

From UPS's site...

"Yes, UPS generally delivers to residential addresses Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and to business addresses during their normal business hours."

Also...

"For shipments tendered to us on Monday through Thursday, the next business day is the following day, except for holidays. For shipments received on Friday, the next business day is Monday, except for holidays. For shipments received by UPS on Saturday, the next business day is Tuesday, except for holidays. If an earlier delivery date is requested, shipments are subject to advance arrangements."

They will deliver on Saturdays to residential for an extra charge, I think. Apparently, overnight delivery isn't enough. Doesn't matter anyways. MS was fast. UPS was slow.

[Trebuken]

Vampirirsm sucks....

Unless you want it...

Later,
Trebuken

[jdc]

That's why I played a battlemage. I simply cured my vampirism as soon as I was bitten.

Don't you guys be doing too many side quests.......cos each one that you do is going to bite you in the ass when you hit the end. You'll regret every side quest that you've ever done. LOL Judging by your posts there are some of you that will find it difficult to be able to finish the game. It will be almost impossible to do what you have to do. The stronger you are, the worse it gets.

Finish the main game first.....quest later. You'll be so glad that you did!!

[nik]

if your 360 is reseting you need to send it back because it's fuxxored

Thats why I said I can't play for 2 weeks.

It shouldn't even take two weeks. Mine died last Monday. I called them up right away, and got a box on Tues, sent it to them on Tues, and they recieved it on Wed. It got swapped out, and mailed out on Friday, and I got my 360 back on Monday. 7 days, and the only reason for that was UPS doesn't deliver on Saturdays to residential addresses. Super fast service, and they kept me clued in through emails throughout. Very professional.

Gives me hope, but I am in Canada, and our postal service is total crap...

[PDorr3]

I have been so busy playing oblivion that I havent even posted about it yet. I am about 70 hours into the game, have all guild quests done, and am holding off on doing anymore of the main quest for now after you deliver the daedric artifact. I really love every bit of the game. Sure the dungeons look the same, the load times are horrible sometimes, and the lack of unique armor are complaints, but it does little to hrt the overall experience. I just bought the 25k house in skingrad w/ all upgrades and spent 2--3 hours just now just arranging my items around the house, tons of fun.

I play a character that is a mix of everything, but mainly melee. I find the role of stealth to be the most fun outside of dengeons, but once I min a dungeon I like to just beat everything down with my sword.

Love the game so far, I just hope the misc and daedric quests can keep my interest after Im done with the main quest. Also the dark brotherhood is the most awsome guild questline...

[meancode]

That's why I played a battlemage. I simply cured my vampirism as soon as I was bitten.

Don't you guys be doing too many side quests.......cos each one that you do is going to bite you in the ass when you hit the end. You'll regret every side quest that you've ever done. LOL Judging by your posts there are some of you that will find it difficult to be able to finish the game. It will be almost impossible to do what you have to do. The stronger you are, the worse it gets.

Finish the main game first.....quest later. You'll be so glad that you did!!

What is the fun in that? I could have finished the game 50 hrs. ago. But I want a challenge.

[FantasiaWHT]

So the type of monsters that show up in each dungeon is directly related to your level? Cause since i've started over with a new character (with major skills more matching what I actually want to do) I'm seeing lots more trolls instead of bandits, and wild boars instead of wolves. I don't like it :P

Don't you think that encourages people to purposefully pick skills they DON'T use? Make blunt and heavy armor your major skills but actually use blade and light armor, etc?

[meancode]

So the type of monsters that show up in each dungeon is directly related to your level? Cause since i've started over with a new character (with major skills more matching what I actually want to do) I'm seeing lots more trolls instead of bandits, and wild boars instead of wolves. I don't like it :P

Don't you think that encourages people to purposefully pick skills they DON'T use? Make blunt and heavy armor your major skills but actually use blade and light armor, etc?

Yes, just like in Morrowind, *most* enemies in dungeons, ruins, caves, etc., etc., are "leveled" to your abilities. The loot that you find is leveled too, btw.

What you describe sounds like a great way to cheat yourself out of $60, if you ask me.

[Nesmaster]

I have to disagree with those saying the more side quests you do, the harder the end game is. I tackled the main quest last, and was level 30 when I did so. The last "battle" was severely underwhelming and easy, at least for me...

[jdc]

I had heard that the higher your level, the nastier the monsters would be that were waiting for you at the end, since the monsters swap out as you go higher and higher. Once I got into the big tower those guys were coming at me fairly aggressively and doing a great job of blocking me from running through. They were still pounding on me pretty hard and reducing my HP bar as I "grabbed" the orb and I had to heal myself one more time just before the game annimation took over to warp me out. The skeleton key would have been nice to have. LOL

[aaron7]

I'm a few hours into the game, and have had a few glitches.

1. Some dungeons I can see thru walls if I rub up against them.

2. Once my keyboard didn't do anything, my sound cut out, and I was stuck running. My mouse worked fine and as normal. I had to hit the reset button!

3. It doesn't look like the preview videos (as I can't crank it up... weak)

This is RE the PC version, obviously.

[Trebuken]

I had heard that the higher your level, the nastier the monsters would be that were waiting for you at the end, since the monsters swap out as you go higher and higher. Once I got into the big tower those guys were coming at me fairly aggressively and doing a great job of blocking me from running through. They were still pounding on me pretty hard and reducing my HP bar as I "grabbed" the orb and I had to heal myself one more time just before the game annimation took over to warp me out. The skeleton key would have been nice to have. LOL

I think it is probably much easier for a character who favors warrior rather than mage or thief. If you get above level 18 or so I think the monsters kinda' max out, though you might see more of them at once. A warrior with Master Blade skill (Soul Trap for bonus), Max armor (85 I think), an a high endurance can walk through any monsters. The final battle could be tough if you stand around and fight though...

I did the Mage Guild Quests (the ones after the reccomendations) in just a couple hours...the Necros went down in about four swings.

Good stuff anyways...

Later,
Trebuken

[nik]

booya, 360 is back, TIME TO ROCK SOME.... deadra?

WHATEVER THOSE UGLY BITCHES ARE!

[Juganawt]

I just finished the main quest yesterday... now onto all the guild quests and the hundreds of side quests too... I'm gonna be playing this for the next 2 - 3 months.

[jdc]

I just finished the Brotherhood quests last night. That's the most fun I've had in a videogame in years. I wouldn't mind seeing a seperate Brotherhood game.

Now it's just the Thieve's quests and trying to dig up all of the random quests. I think I'm just going to kick back, level up and adventure/ loot for a bit. Buy a few more houses.

[meancode]

I am in the middle of the Dark Brotherhood quests myself. They are pretty fun.

I have the guild quests done already. I want to finish the Brotherhood up before I finish the main quest.

[Trebuken]

The problem with finishing the main quest is that it closes all the 'optional' Oblivion Gates. I am not sure how many there are but more than half of them are optional. It's fun to play through them just to grab some extra sigil stones and some extra leveling maybe...

I can't get into the Dark Brotherhood and Thieve's Guild quests. Been playing the good guy too long I think.

How come the guards in the cities don't die? Kinda' annoying...

Later,
Trebuken

[nik]

There's a main quest? :embarrassed:

[jdc]

Don't worry about being "too good". MY guy was a freakin' SAINT....and he got into the brotherhood no sweat. Just enter a random farmhouse outside of a city (no chance of guards)...but NOT the farmhouse outside of Bruma, for God's sakes. It's needed for a Brotherhood quest later on. Kill the occupant of the random house and then when you next level up and sleep.....you'll get the invite to join.

Brotherhood = hella fun. :evil: Awesome story line too.

[meancode]

There's a main quest? :embarrassed:

Good one. 8-)

[meancode]

Don't worry about being "too good". MY guy was a freakin' SAINT....and he got into the brotherhood no sweat. Just enter a random farmhouse outside of a city (no chance of guards)...but NOT the farmhouse outside of Bruma, for God's sakes. It's needed for a Brotherhood quest later on. Kill the occupant of the random house and then when you next level up and sleep.....you'll get the invite to join.

Brotherhood = hella fun. :evil: Awesome story line too.

Ha! That quest would be quite hard to do if you killed her prematurely.

I just got to one of the twists in the Brotherhood storyline, it is a very cool story.

[nik]

does joining the brotherhood stop you from joining other factions? Like the mages guide?

[meancode]

does joining the brotherhood stop you from joining other factions? Like the mages guide?

No. Bethesda has even gone so far out of there way to make sure you are not killing off fellow guild members if you are in the mages. fighters, or thieves guilds.

I just finished the Dark Brotherhood questline and I am pleased with it. It had a couple twists. Well done.

Now I just have two more achievement points to go for a full 1000. Off to close the Oblivion Gate outside Anvil...

[jdc]

Another cool thing happened during this morning's session....

I was in a fort and was getting set to battle with three wraiths that were clustered together. In between us was an open "old door" that was activated by one of those barbell shaped switches on the floor, which happened to be on THEIR side of the doorframe.

I start wailing on them with Wizard's Wrath, one of them floats over and activates the switch, closing the door between us in order to stop the onslaught!

This afternoon I was sneak/stalking a minotaur who was sneak/stalking two deer.

I couldn't help but laugh. Ingenious AI programming. This damned game isn't ceasing to amaze anytime soon. The funny moments ARE truly worth experiencing.

[hezeuschrist]

I had heard that the higher your level, the nastier the monsters would be that were waiting for you at the end, since the monsters swap out as you go higher and higher. Once I got into the big tower those guys were coming at me fairly aggressively and doing a great job of blocking me from running through. They were still pounding on me pretty hard and reducing my HP bar as I "grabbed" the orb and I had to heal myself one more time just before the game annimation took over to warp me out. The skeleton key would have been nice to have. LOL

The enemies are hard, sure, but at level 23 I was pretty much invincible. They could have thrown all of every plane of Oblivion at me at once and I'd have been fine.

And I was fine. Martin wasn't. Ever. I already hate escort quests of any kind and the last one was the worst. I had to turn the difficulty down just to get him to live long enough to get to the temple.

Other than that though, the game was an absolute blast. It took me something like 90 hours to get through pretty much everything. Now I can finally move on to something else, heh.

[Nesmaster]

That reminds me, I lost Shadowmere. I've checked all the stables and he wasn't there. Where the hell did he go? LOL

[jdc]

THAT reminds ME....I forgot to claim him when he was given to me!! Damned horse is probably still standing there waiting for my ass to show up.

[jdc]

Well, I've found a few other quests that are "broken" to me, for lack of a better term, so I've just made a new character. I actually wished that I had of left the gates open for longer than I did, since the first time I just went almost straight for the end of the main quest.

Question is this...to get going quicker, can anyone remember what I did to get the skeleton key? It was so long ago I can't recall. LOL

[captain nintendo]

Question for everyone......

How many times if any did the game freeze while loading? In roughly 30 hours of game play, I have had this happen twice. Seems completely random :/ Once was while going through a door, while the other time was going from one area to another via fast travel. :hmm:

[jdc]

Yeah it happens. Funny though....I was over at my 360-owning nephew's house comparing Oblivion notes and he discovered (and demonstrated) that holding "A" during a load screen actually makes it go faster.

I've had less freezes since running a disc cleaner through the drive.

[njiska]

NEW QUEST AVAILABLE FOR 150!!!

[nik]

expensive quest

[captain nintendo]

Yeah it happens. Funny though....I was over at my 360-owning nephew's house comparing Oblivion notes and he discovered (and demonstrated) that holding "A" during a load screen actually makes it go faster.

I've had less freezes since running a disc cleaner through the drive.

Thanks for the answer, and have a little meseta too ;)

[Trebuken]

It's the glitciest console game I think I have ever played. It froze on me all the time. I learned to save often (I think I am almost at 500 saves).

Holding 'A' clears the Hard-Drives cache, espeacially during startup.

Is the new quest a challenge for a high level character?

Later,
Trebuken

[jdc]

Aha.....so THAT'S why holding "A" works. Makes sense.

I'd say that Morrowind outglitches Oblivion though. THAT game was perilous. I used to save every 15 minutes without fail, just in case. @_@

Refound the info earlier in this thread regarding the skeleton key quest. I THOUGHT I saw it in one of these threads. That thing comes in SO handy!!

[PDorr3]

I havent played this game in months sadly, got 80 hours in and strangely just stopped playing (I believe I played battlefield 2 instead on 360) but I have been getting the urge to go back and play it, I still need to finish the main story, and the whole game still has many quests ahead for me (I finished every guild questline). Would you say the 360 downloadable content is worth buying if I still have a HUGE chunk of the game to explore/do quests?

[jdc]

Forget the download. If you want to go ahead and get 100% completion in Oblivion it's going to take you an EXTREMELY long time. The better part of a couple hundred hours at least. It gives me a migraine just thinking about it all. LOL There's far, far more than just the four guilds and the main story, as you already know......those are just the obvious parts for those that want to simply beat the game and nothing more. The game is incredibly deep and huge in scope.....if you're willing to dig into it all the way.

[meancode]

I finished 100% of the missions at around 150 hr. mark (all guilds and main questline). The DLC have kept me coming back for more, they are pretty good, the latest one though, the one for 250 pts., that has been the best one. I also enjoyed the pirate ship one.

But it sounds like you should finish the main game first!

Oh, and Pete -- you need to lay off the Final Fantasy XI man, it pains me to see you playing that every time I login to Live. :P

[THATinkjar]

I really didn't expect to be saying this... but I ordered my copy of Oblivion (for the PC) tonight.

I had pretty much ignored this game up until now, but having read a feature on it in this month's PC Zone... I just couldn't help myself.

Any advice would be most welcome.

[jdc]

Well......if you've played Morrowind....DON'T make a Morrowind character in Oblivion. It's the skillsets that you don't figure you'll bother with that are the handy ones this time around. The enemies level up with you, so be careful to use a nice balance of fast and slow growing skills as majors so that you don't level TOO fast. You get to control your levelling more this way. You'll most likely create a character and play for about 20 hours then scrap it for a new better character anyways.

Save often and remember to turn the game off and sleep sometimes. LOL

Oh yeah, don't go closing all of the Oblivion gates too quickly. Take your time with them so that there's always a few open across the land until the time comes where you feel like "beating the game".....then close them all.

[-hellvin-]

Here is my advice. Learn Illusion up to 50, get to where you can make enchanted items in the mage's guild, fill up some grand soul gems and make a 100+% chameleon suit. Have fun punching minotaurs in the face in non sneak mode while they search for the cause of their slow demise. Oh yeah, and it's nice not hearing that bastard from the arcane university call me "their newest member" all the time since he can't see you. I'm THE !@#$ING ARCH MAGE.

[boatofcar]

Up from the depths...

Do you think the GOTY version is worth getting? I've never played a game like this before (first person RPG). Do you think I'll want all the extra stuff?

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Not that I should be speaking here, because I don't own a 360 or ps3 (and have only played the game a little bit) but... I know the original morrowind on xbox had a game of the year with extra content, which was well worth it... It had extra areas and added a lot of gameplay. And Oblivion can either be played in a third or first person perspective, which is pretty cool.

[Trebuken]

You should buy the GOTY edition if you think you are going to enjoy the game. You can buy things separately so you could decide later but the level of addictiveness of Oblivion suggests GOTY.

Oblion without Shivering Isles can go well over 100 hours...I am not sure how much play time the additional content adds...

[heybtbm]

Do you think the GOTY version is worth getting? I've never played a game like this before (first person RPG). Do you think I'll want all the extra stuff?

The GOTY edition is worth it...if for only the convienence of having everything together in one package. Oblivion is the type of game that everyone needs to play at some point in their gaming life. I'm a bit biased seeing as I've put ~150 hours into it (including all the expansions).

At first I was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things you could do the moment you leave the sewers (1/2 hour into the game). It quickly become one of those rare games where you completely loose yourself in the experience. It was fun just to roam around the wilderness and explore.

[Ed Oscuro]

I tried it for a few more hours recently. It's gotten kinda flat, but it was a long ride.

I think Morrowind lasted longer. I'd still be playing it if my save wasn't getting buggy - hate restarts and punching stuff into the console all the time. Actually, I'll probably play it again sometime, just because there's still loose ends to tie up.

[G-Boobie]

The game of the year edition is definitely worth it. I'm a bit biased, since I actually own the game on PC, 360, AND PS3... But yeah... Oblivion is the game I play most often, I think... Even beating out SotN and Morrowind.

The reason I own so many different copies of the game is because of how glitchy it is on 360; prepare yourself for crashing, freezing, and corrupted saves. My PC is barely able to run the game, so I went with a PS3 GotY edition.

If it's an option for you, the PS3 version doesn't crash or freeze nearly as often, though the DLC for the PC and Xbox Live isn't available for it... A small price to pay for a game that doesnt crash though :)

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I didn't realize that the game was so buggy.

[Leo_A]

Beyond a floating horse and slowdown once that was cleared by clearing the cache, I've encountered none of those bugs and I've never heard of glitched saves besides on the PC version.

[boatofcar]

The glitched save thing worries me....has anyone else had that happen to them on the 360 version?

[G-Boobie]

To be fair, the problems with Oblivion on my 360 could have been caused by the hardware; both 360s I played the game on have died via RROD, and the game has been patched since too.

I don't want to scare anyone away from this game. It's a masterpiece regardless of platform.

[heybtbm]

The glitched save thing worries me....has anyone else had that happen to them on the 360 version?

I have over 550+ saves (the game keeps track of the number for each save) on the 360 version with no problems.

[boatofcar]

Just wanted to say that I'm about 55 hours into the game and I'm still really liking it, although I didn't start the main quest until the 40 hour point. I'm hoping that doesn't come back to bite me later on with the concurrent levelling your enemies do...

[heybtbm]

I'm hoping that doesn't come back to bite me later on with the concurrent levelling your enemies do...

I wouldn't worry about it. There's always the sliding difficulty bar in the menu.

[carlcarlson]

I passed the 90 hour mark today and have yet to start the main quest. I've gone into the Oblivion gate at Kvatch a number of times throughout the 90 hours, but I've got my butt kicked every time. Kind of makes me nervous, but I'm having a great time anyway.

It's kind of funny, I really hated this game at first but stuck with it because I liked Morrowind so much. I started feeling decent about my character at about the 50 hour mark. That's a loooong time to play while feeling inferior. Goblins still whoop me pretty good, as do a number of the Daedra, but I can take on human opponents toe to toe now, which is something I couldn't do for a long time. I had to jump up to high spots and pull out the bow.

[digitalpress]

I passed the 90 hour mark today and have yet to start the main quest. I've gone into the Oblivion gate at Kvatch a number of times throughout the 90 hours, but I've got my butt kicked every time. Kind of makes me nervous, but I'm having a great time anyway.

It's kind of funny, I really hated this game at first but stuck with it because I liked Morrowind so much. I started feeling decent about my character at about the 50 hour mark. That's a loooong time to play while feeling inferior. Goblins still whoop me pretty good, as do a number of the Daedra, but I can take on human opponents toe to toe now, which is something I couldn't do for a long time. I had to jump up to high spots and pull out the bow.

Goes to show how deep this game is.

I've played through it twice, and both times at 50 hours I was either a bad-ass brute or nearly impossible to hit (or hit me and you're doing more damage to yourself, I love that), depending on which character we're talking about. On both sessions I completed all of the guild quests as well as the main quest. And I'd do it again - this game is THAT good.

[carlcarlson]

Goes to show how deep this game is.

I've played through it twice, and both times at 50 hours I was either a bad-ass brute or nearly impossible to hit (or hit me and you're doing more damage to yourself, I love that), depending on which character we're talking about. On both sessions I completed all of the guild quests as well as the main quest. And I'd do it again - this game is THAT good.

See now that makes me think I'm doing something wrong. I am neither bad-ass nor impossible to hit. I did level up all of my stealth stuff first, but still. I'm level 35, have 80 strength and 90 blade skill, and get owned by goblin warlords. It kind of sucks because for the most part being a stealth character is only good for the first hit, and after that you're toast. If I could one-hit stuff it would be a different story, but that only works for rats, mudcrabs, and the occasional wolf. Sometimes a cave will be dark enough that I can clear the whole thing of humans without ever being detected, but that's rare. Maybe I need better gear?

[boatofcar]

I hate those dinosaur things--they're the only enemies so far in the game that give me problems. I have to use enchanted weapons to beat them, and I'm still not a Jouneyman of repair (or whatever you call it) so I can't repair them myself.

[Berserker]

See now that makes me think I'm doing something wrong. I am neither bad-ass nor impossible to hit. I did level up all of my stealth stuff first, but still. I'm level 35, have 80 strength and 90 blade skill, and get owned by goblin warlords. It kind of sucks because for the most part being a stealth character is only good for the first hit, and after that you're toast. If I could one-hit stuff it would be a different story, but that only works for rats, mudcrabs, and the occasional wolf. Sometimes a cave will be dark enough that I can clear the whole thing of humans without ever being detected, but that's rare. Maybe I need better gear?

Since everything in Oblivion is leveled, the difficulty slider really comes in handy for tuning the game if you find it's more difficult than it should be.

Also, there are mods that expand on the experience for stealth characters. Check out the Thieves Arsenal (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9655).

[Volcanon]

I suppose in five years I'll have a computer capable of RUNNING Oblivion.

In any case, I used a giant fat ogre and smashed stuff 'cuz smashing is fun.

[carlcarlson]

I hate those dinosaur things--they're the only enemies so far in the game that give me problems. I have to use enchanted weapons to beat them, and I'm still not a Jouneyman of repair (or whatever you call it) so I can't repair them myself.

You can also use a Daedric weapon, which you'll be able to repair. I had the same problem for awhile, but finally stole a Daedric shortsword off the guy who owns the haunted house in Anvil.


Since everything in Oblivion is leveled, the difficulty slider really comes in handy for tuning the game if you find it's more difficult than it should be.

Also, there are mods that expand on the experience for stealth characters. Check out the Thieves Arsenal (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9655).

Yeah, I REALLY wish I was playing this on PC so I could get mods for free. I would really like to have the Knights of the Nine and the Shivering Isles going as well as the other little official mods. I need to upgrade to the GOTY before too long.

I have toned down the difficulty a bit and feel pretty good about it. When I first started I had it maxed since I figured I was a pro at Morrowind and didn't need no stinkin favors. After probably 30 hours of being frustrated I remembered the slider and put it at about 2/3. Now I can handle most things, but Goblins and anything that uses magic are still problems. Goblins just block so often and they're freaking fast, I think that's why I have so many problems with them. I think I need to look into getting some stuff enchanted, as I haven't done any of that yet (96 hours in).

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Anyone still playing this game? I picked it up after I finished playing the main quest in Fallout 3. I haven't checked to see how many hours I'm in, but I just finished closing the Great Gate- which is 2 or 3 missions before the final for the main quest. I know I'm a level 27, and I created a custom class called a Ninjadick. The game hasn't been real buggy for me- so that's a big plus.

Anyway I just found the easiest way to close an Oblivion gate, is to run all the way through it and avoid most of the creatures. They're tough and although you get some pretty good loot from them, it takes a lot less time.

Anyone just pick the game up? Just like Morrowind, there's a lot to do and I love it. And although the scaling of the enemies is a little annoying, I haven't found it to be a major problem- it still keeps the game challenging this far in.

[heybtbm]

Anyone just pick the game up? Just like Morrowind, there's a lot to do and I love it. And although the scaling of the enemies is a little annoying, I haven't found it to be a major problem- it still keeps the game challenging this far in.

Remember, there is an in-game difficulty slider. I didn't know of its existence until I was almost done with the main quest. Although, I'll admit to turning it way down after getting my ass handed to me by Umbra. I went exploring in a cave I really shouldn't have been exploring in.

[Lady Jaye]

I plan on picking this game in a not-too-distant future, once I get my Xbox 360 (I'm on a Mac G5, hence the 360 route). I'll definitely contribute my thoughts once I do play it. :)

[jdc]

Fantastic game, way different than Morrowind....I believe that I'm on my 7th run through now. Once you get to know the game, forgetting the difficulty sliders, you'll find that you can make the game insanely difficult or stupidly easy depending on the skillsets that you choose at character creation. For an easier game, what you want is a character that does NOT level up easily. Choose skillsets that are hardly used. Ignore most of the guild quests and side quests, and do the central storyline to completion ASAP once you hit level 19 or 20. If your character levels up too fast, you're going to be in a world of hurt before you know it, since the monster sets get swapped out for tougher ones every 10 of your levels. It CAN be fun to have the entire world of Oblivion custom made to be extremely dangerous. To do this, choose skills that you'll always be using with little effort, you want to be levelling up almost constantly.....and do all of the guild and side quests before going in to close the main gate. You can goof around with the sliders too.

[FrakAttack]

Slicker, prettier, but not as deep as Morrowind. The interiors feel extremely cookie-cutterish and the overall design is not as quirky as the last outing. The lazy dungeon design seems to have prompted them to remove teleportation/levitation abilities, but the fast travel option is nice.

Honestly didn't have as much fun as with Morrowind, but it's still a decent game.

[Berserker]

Anyone still playing this game?

I haven't in a while, but I did recently get back into Morrowind. It's amazing how many people are still actively involved in modding that game, and they've accomplished a lot over the years.

Between world/creature/armor/weapon retextures, head/body replacers, and more recently things like Morrowind Graphics Extender which enables goodies like HDR/Bloom and Distant Land, Morrowind is now able to look at least as good as vanilla Oblivion. On my machine it actually looks better, since even with all the retextures and added things I can still run it much more smoothly than Oblivion, so I'm able to crank the Anisotropic Filtering all the way up and see way more detail.

They've also been working on making the game more stable. For all the bugs/glitches that can't be fixed with plugins, there's now the Morrowind Code Patch project that keeps saves clean, prevents game-crashing bugs and other good stuff. There's also high quality realism mods, and mods which populate the outside world dynamically (as opposed to placing everything by hand statically) with air, land and sea critters, as well as a project to give every NPC in every town personalities and individual lives, and plenty of quests to work with the drama and interplay that go with that.

There's a lot of depth that can be added to the game world now, without having to wildly alter the original feel of it.

[Nebagram]

If it weren't for Fallout 3 I'd be happily adding to the 160+ hours I've lavished on my Level 37 Nord Tank... even after I've discovered just about everything and done every quest in Cyrodiil... haven't cleared out the Shivering Isles yet though... when's ES V coming out again? ;)

And on a side but not entirely unrelated note, whatever happened to the Oblivion game for the PSP?

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Remember, there is an in-game difficulty slider. I didn't know of its existence until I was almost done with the main quest. Although, I'll admit to turning it way down after getting my ass handed to me by Umbra. I went exploring in a cave I really shouldn't have been exploring in.

I'm really resisting the urge to move the slider. I moved it some in Morrowind, when it became increasingly difficult. I've made it a personal resolution lately to play at least everything on a Normal difficultly, because in the past I've always put everything on easy. That way it takes away some of the guilt, that I'm not that great at video games. But after hearing the below statement, I might be tempted to slide that fader in about 3 levels.


If your character levels up too fast, you're going to be in a world of hurt before you know it, since the monster sets get swapped out for tougher ones every 10 of your levels.




Slicker, prettier, but not as deep as Morrowind. The interiors feel extremely cookie-cutterish and the overall design is not as quirky as the last outing. The lazy dungeon design seems to have prompted them to remove teleportation/levitation abilities, but the fast travel option is nice.

One thing I'm happy about them adding to this game is the ability to fast travel. I hated having to trek around morrowind, for hours to travel to places I had already been to. Sure you could take the striders from place to place, but you had to remember which strider in which town went where.

It also maybe my fault for not really understanding spells and enchantments when I started the game. As I never really used the marker spells or teleportation abilities that game had to offer. I do miss some of the levitation abilities that game offered, as I'd imagine being able to easily float over some of the walls in the oblivion gates.

I've advanced so far in that game with 80-100 hours, I almost feel bad about restarting it now. But now that I'm starting to understand Bethesda RPG's better, maybe the game would have been more of a breeze? That and there's that main quest I've been neglecting.

One thing I do not like about Morrowind, is the ability to kill a NPC that you may need later in the game. Ever since I had found that out I've been wary about exploring for fear of killing someone that advances a main plot point. Oblivion seems to addressed this by placing markers on essential characters, and by my understanding making them impossible to kill if they are integral.




I haven't in a while, but I did recently get back into Morrowind. It's amazing how many people are still actively involved in modding that game, and they've accomplished a lot over the years.

There's a lot of depth that can be added to the game world now, without having to wildly alter the original feel of it.

I hadn't realized that there were so many mods available for that game. It sounds like a lot of the things I had wish were improved in it, have now been fixed. I certainly wish I had a PC capable of running it, but I don't think my G4 mac mini is capable. Too bad they don't mod it for the XBOX. It sounds very appealing with the Oblivion-esque graphics.

With that in mind, I wonder what they'll do to Oblivion over the years?

[Gentlegamer]

re: Morrowind mods

My favorite is the Tamriel Rebuilt project that is adding the mainland of Morrowind to the game. Presently, the Telvanni areas are added.

[Berserker]

With that in mind, I wonder what they'll do to Oblivion over the years?

They've already done a fair bit. There's already plenty of graphic mods, texture mods, realism mods, and then you've got the huge megamods like Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul.

My own feeling however is that Morrowind will probably have more longevity in that regard, as for one it's slightly more modder-friendly. For example, if you wanted to make a new NPC in Morrowind that blended in seamlessly with the rest of the game, you just spawn a new character and type in some dialog responses for them. In Oblivion it's harder to blend things in that seamlessly, because every NPC has spoken dialog for every possible topic/response.

Also, it's kind of a unique world. It's not totally traditional medieval fantasy like Oblivion; It's got this slightly alien feel to it. The gameplay itself is just different, the combat isn't completely scaled and there are more obscure factions and groups you can join. I think Morrowind must have some sort of unique charm going on, because I know a lot of people who HATE Oblivion, but LOVE Morrowind. I like them both, but I can understand that charm.

So for a combination of those reasons I can see it more likely to have the kind of active modding longevity that something like Doom has, where people are still making stuff for it 10-15 years after it came out. Oblivion might go that way too, but I have a feeling that it'll probably peter off earlier.



re: Morrowind mods

My favorite is the Tamriel Rebuilt project that is adding the mainland of Morrowind to the game. Presently, the Telvanni areas are added.

I also find that whole project really interesting. It's an absolutely MAMMOTH undertaking, but a lot of the people involved in that project are the "old-school" guys from the Daggerfall days, and some who came later by way of Redguard and early Morrowind. Those are the guys whose main interest lies really with the lore that makes up that whole universe.

To my mind they're kind of like the equivalent to retrogaming enthusiasts of the ES community. They're in it for the long haul... I just hope that's long enough yet to finish something that daunting.

[BHvrd]

Honestly didn't have as much fun as with Morrowind, but it's still a decent game.

Agreed. Morrowind had a much more broad scope and felt more adventurous.

Oblivion is a bit linear in comparison.

[carlcarlson]

Agreed. Morrowind had a much more broad scope and felt more adventurous.

Oblivion is a bit linear in comparison.

I don't know if "linear" is the right word, but I agree that Oblivion lacks some of the spark that Morrowind had. Both are great games but if I had to choose one I would definitely go with Morrowind.

[Daltone]

I got the GOTY version for Christmas and picked it up a couple of weeks ago. I really really didn't like Morrowind, I thought it was lifeless and dull (Oddly, loved Daggerfall, so don't know if I had too high expectations.)

So far I'm enjoying Oblivion. It's early days yet, but I'm finding it more immersive than Morrowind was. I've just come off the back of The Witcher (great game, really really stupid camera though) so it may help that I'm in the mood for a bit of hacking and / or slashing.

[Lady Jaye]

I picked the GOTY edition for the 360 last week, and I really like it. I guess that by default, the game's difficulty is set at normal, although it's definitely not easy...

This game is not really melee fighter-friendly: without some long-ranging weapon or spell, some enemies can be on the challenging side. Mind you, I'm not very far in the game, and I've already died a few times.

I've never played any of the other Elder Scrolls games, so I can't compare with Morrowind or any other game in the series. However, I like the risk linked with stealing certain items -- I even accidentally stole an item and ended up in jail!

I prefer playing in third-person mode and switch to first-person to search corpses.