TES 4 oblivion info from new UK pc gamer.

[lonedawg]

damn uk got better things then the US pc gamer did .

Summary of pics/things:

- It appears you’ll get to hold a torch in one hand and a weapon in the other. No word on duel wielding, though.

- Oblivion is already up and running as a working world. Testers are on the case to put it through its paces right now “fleshing out the world”.

- Arrows will be physically modelled, and as has been mentioned already, you’ll be able to pluck them merrily from the fallen to top up your quiver.

- Regarding combat, Todd is quoted as saying the idea isn’t to make a “twitch game” but they’re trying to make the battles more “spatial event” and more involving.

- They’re hoping to make the ultimate thief, wizard and sword game.

- You should be able to go through the entire game without using a sword if that’s what you want to do.

- NPCs will chat amongst themselves and ALL of the dialogue will be spoken, leading to situations where you’ll be able to hang around and listen-in to private conversations.

- People will bear grudges hours later if you irk them in some way


And now for the screenshot descriptions, which are all frankly gorgeous:

Screenshot 1 Description: A humanoid-sized, monkey-type beast with a massive gaping mouth, three eyes (with three claws on each paw). It’s covered in what looks like orange-brown fur and it’s swinging its right paw at your character – very sinister.

You’re holding a torch in your left hand but the area is seemingly bright enough to see without a torch. Sickeningly green luminescence lights what looks like a dungeon environment. Cobwebs hang around the lower sections of the dungeon in the distance. The floor is bump-mapped to show off various cracks, and crevices and the ceiling is fairly low.
Rating: Creepy!

Screenshot 2 Description: Forest. Very similar to other forest shots, but the detail, lighting and composition are absolutely stunning. Light plays off all the foliage, the grass goes on all the way to the horizon; the resolution is just breath-taking. It just looks so solid and believable – I want to run around it!
Rating: You’d want to have a picnic here.

Screenshot 3 Description: Town setting. Set during the evening the real stars of this screenshot are the buildings themselves. I’m getting way too excited here, but who cares. People, this screenshot is just fabulous. The detailing on the uniquely medieval-style is gorgeous. Again, the thing that stands out is how solid the buildings look. Hewn from stone, with wooden balconies, I’ve not seen anything quite like it. Think along the lines of Bree from LOR. Lamps and signs hang down and there are even two people talking in the distance – one looks like a guard. The great thing here is the town isn’t flat, the road winds slightly to the right down into a lower area.
Rating: Alluring!

Screenshot 4 Description: 3 skeletons rushing the PC in a yellow-lit dungeon section. You can see right through their ribs as well. They’re incredibly-well detailed and look rather menacing. One skelly is directly in front of the PC, reaching out as if to scratch your eyes out, the others are dashing from a distance. Again they look about as good as a skeleton with attitude should. The dungeon is quite long and cages lanterns hang majestically from the intricately-carved stone ceiling.
Rating: rib-tickling

Screenshot 5 Description: the Gondorian-style knight stood in front of you wielding a torch in his left hand and the familiar, highly-decorative sword seen in older screenshots. Again, much emphasis should be put on how the lighting on the bizarre, church-like building he’s running out of. In fact it could be some kind of mausoleum… there’s an eerie glow coming from the entire structure.
Rating: gothic

Screenshot 6 Description: A close-up facial of a knight wearing a Gondorian (that word again!)-style helm. The detail of the carving and the way the light gleams off it is incredible. His facial features are highly-detailed (as we’ve come to expect from these shots) and he’s wearing impressively embossed green-gold armour.
Rating: Stately

Screenshot 7 Description: A shot of a deer in a clearing, with trees, and that ruined church behind it. The detailing of the harmless-looking doe is excellent. You can see the muscle structure and its posture looks spot on.
Rating: Cute

Screenshot Description: Town during late afternoon. The streets are cobbled and you get more of an idea of how tall some of these houses are. There’s no linearity to how they’re laid out – some are taller and wider than others. A high stone kerb runs along the edge of the row of buildings, and two people can be seen in the distance. Again the town is made up of mostly stone/wood constructions.
Rating: Better than we could have hoped for

Screenshot 8 Description: Long and twisty cave setting featuring an attractive female archer, with here hair tied back, holding a massive wooden longbow with an arrow loaded (probably with your name on it). Looks as if she’s some sort of smuggler as there are barrels and crates littered around the place. You’re holding a torch in your left hand and that golden sword in your right. Unlike some of the other shots, the use of colour here is really vibrant: she’s wearing tight red leather pants and a brown leather jerkin. There are a couple of arrows in a quiver on her back. The bump-mapped, grainy detail on her bow and on your torch and sword are amazing. There are also stalagmites hanging down from the back of the cave.
Rating: The female of the species is more deadly than the male!

Screenshot 9 Description: A dark, gloomy, green-lit section of what looks like the back of a cave, There are loads of stalagmites and stalactites hanging and growing everywhere.
Rating: Very dark and forbidding. There are many areas of pitch blackness around the cave, no doubt ideal of ‘stealthing’ around if you play as a thief.

Screenshot 10 Description: Like the screenshot with all that food on the table, but with two people (one sitting he other walking around). They look like they might be elvish folk judging by their ears. Not Dunmer, though.
Rating: Domestic

Screenshot 11 Description: Can’t be certain, but it looks like a winter setting. The screenshot shows a building not dissimilar to the hall in Thirsk (from Bloodmoon) on the left with the familiar looking church in front. There’s what looks like a snowdrift against a wall in front of the church and frosty looking roofs. There are a few plants and rocks strewn around as well. Nice shot.
Rating: Winter wonderland

Screenshot 12 Description: Inside what looks like a fairly humble abode. There’s a woman stood against one of the stone and wooden walls dressed in a basic long dress with leather bodice. She looks a bit like Arwen from LOR. Rope, bags and barrels lie around the place and a set of wooden stairs go up to the left. The bump-mapping is particularly effective on the crumbling wall sections. Could it be a brothel?
Rating: Student accommodation

Screenshot 13 Description: An angry-looking, red-eyed blacksmiths give you a bit of a grimace. There’s a huge kiln, together with bellows in the corner. A huge, roaring fire blazes away in the corner. It’s a particularly well-lit work space with shafts of light streaming through a bay window to the left.
Rating: Worst case of red eye I’ve ever seen (perhaps he’s a relative)

Screenshot 14 Description: The Minotaur: but we’ve all seen that.

thanks to Red-Eye from the TES forums for posting it in the forums.


Sounds great to me

Espically being able to hear npc's talking and they actually say things that might lead you onto things, etc instead of just mindless chitter chatter like most games do.

Now to just have one of you UKers on here get that DVD with the screenshots

[beavens]

man.. can't wait for this game!

gonna need a new PC, but i figure i'm due anyways

[sabrina]

How I would love to be a game tester for Bethesda

Too bad they are way too far away from me.

[Inf]

The UK pc gamer seems to get better stuff than the US one. Repeatedly.

This game is getting better and better as time goes by. Unlike most games in which the closer you get to the release date, the more promises are shattered.

[sabrina]

Originally Posted by Inf

The UK pc gamer seems to get better stuff than the US one. Repeatedly.

This game is getting better and better as time goes by. Unlike most games in which the closer you get to the release date, the more promises are shattered.

What I'm scared of is that it sounds way too much like what I wanted Fable to be. I hope it doesn't turn out like Fable (which was a pretty good game, but not at all what they made it seem).

[lonedawg]

Originally Posted by sabrina

What I'm scared of is that it sounds way too much like what I wanted Fable to be. I hope it doesn't turn out like Fable (which was a pretty good game, but not at all what they made it seem).

hah, there's no friggin way it's gonna be fable over again.

They already have the world made, it's bigger then morrowind (not daggerfall though, but that used generation).

It's open ended still, no pathways nothing that you are forced to follow.

another quote just posted by kathode:

forum guy: "patial event?o0

Could anyone explain that to me?:"

Basically means you move around a lot more, rather than just standing relatively still clicking over and over again like Morrowind. Stuff gets knocked off the tables by your sword, magics flying all around. A lot more movement and kinetic feel to things. Stuff like that.

[sabrina]

I wonder if those screenshots are posted anywhere yet...

[sp0n]

Sounds great
This is the only game I've looked forward to since..... well, since Morrowind.
I have been hooked on TES ever since I played the Daggerfall demo. If all developers would make games to this standard I wouldn't have any issues walking into a store and putting down $50 on release day (as I have with all TES games - excluding Arena, of course).

I've played Morrowind off and on since it's release and only a few months ago I actually beat the main storyline. My only hope is that the main storyline is much more interesting. The main problem Bethesda has with the TES series is that they leave way too much open in terms of storyline to keep it from pinning down your character's backstory. I would much rather have an interesting line and if my character doesn't fit, I can easily not follow it.

Dagoth Ur: YAARRRRR I'M EVIIIIIILLLLLL! WE ARE DESTINED TO FIGHT!
... disappointing

I have heard absolutely nothing about the story line (either details or devs talking about it's importance) for this game other than it's setting. I really hope they get it right this time. Has anybody heard anything?

[Inf]

The true value of TES games is that they remain interesting throughout the whole game, and can last for 400 hours(morrowind+expantions) even if you DON'T finish everything.

Also it's the first rpg where story wasn't the biggest reason I played the game

[mitul103]

Originally Posted by Inf

The true value of TES games is that they remain interesting throughout the whole game, and can last for 400 hours(morrowind+expantions) even if you DON'T finish everything.

Also it's the first rpg where story wasn't the biggest reason I played the game

Same here... And I would kill to see those screenshots right about now.

[Savenor]

Oh man. Sweet stuff.

[zippycut]

Daggerfall was the shit! So was Morrowind.

I'm excited.

[wolrahnaes]

Morrowind is the only RPG I've ever cared about, mainly because real time combat > *

Turn based =

The open storyline was great too. I wasted a lot of time just aimlessly wandering and stealing shit, though this did end up nearly fucking me over a few times when I finally did do the main quest.

[Zyzzyvas]

Needs screenshots stat.

[lonedawg]

Originally Posted by wolrahnaes

Morrowind is the only RPG I've ever cared about, mainly because real time combat > *

Turn based =

The open storyline was great too. I wasted a lot of time just aimlessly wandering and stealing shit, though this did end up nearly fucking me over a few times when I finally did do the main quest.

Umm, you do know morrowind had die rolls right?

Hence why you would literally hit someone point blank but it wouldn't register a hit.....

Oblivions combat is goin to be 100x better then morrowinds, real time, you hit someone then you actually hit them. No die rolls.