[360] - The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Hands on Preview [Archive]

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bapenguin

10-13-2005, 07:21 AM

The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Hands on Preview
by: Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo, Editor-in-Chief

The one game everyone has been asking me about is Oblivion. As the only RPG coming out in the launch window there’s a lot of fans banking on this title being a solid addition to the series. So will it live up to expectations? I’m really not quite sure yet.

I got to sit down and play through some of Oblivion at the show. The rep told me it was a slightly older build of the game, and it was limited. I could only play through the character creation process, but I still got a pretty good feel for the game.

Like previous Elder Scrolls titles, in Oblivion your character starts out in jail. You start by choosing your character’s race, and then customize your character’s appreance. There’s a ton of customization options here and virtually unlimited faces you can create with the tools given to you. In fact, all the faces in the game were created with this tool so no two NPCs look alike. After setting up your character’s appearance the story starts. The Emperor’s sons have been killed, so the Emperor is being taken away to a safe place. Of course, the secret passage out for the Emperor is right through your jail sail. The Emperor (voice by Patrick Stewart) sees you and talks about how he’s seen you his dreams and how great things will happen to you.

After he leaves you are free to take the secret passage as well. When you get to a certain point the Emperor and his guards get attacked again and the battle ensues. Here’s where you can get your first weapon, a nice long sword. Attacking seemed fairly similar to Morrowind. Clicking a button swings the weapon, but the difference is combat is contact based not just based on underlying numeric game rules. I was surprised at how well the game controls on the Xbox 360 controller. I played through Morrowind on the PC and wasn’t sure how well it would translate to the Xbox, but I can say the controls were tight and responsive. Everything felt natural.

At anytime you can access your inventory and equip various objects and items. Since I was in such a dark place I equipped a torch that I had found. This really showed off the lighting system. It’s amazing how the shadows are cast off objects and the way the room gets lit up. Even the way the light glimmers off your sword is very convincing.

Most objects in the game are governed by physics as well, chains react to hitting them, and objects fall off tables realistically. There’s a well with a hanging bucket you can hit and watch it swing realistically. It’s all well and good, and helps keep the immersion factor up, but I didn’t see any use for the physics in game play.

Your first task of course is to fight off some rats as you make your way through the underground passage. No RPG would be complete without big rats to kill. More or less you keep working your way through this area picking up various objects and seeing various aspects of the game. There’s a bow and some magic spells that can be acquired as well. All this is part of the character creation process. When you get to the end of this section the game will suggest your character type based on how you played through the beginning of the game. You can then choose that type or pick another, it’s up to you. It’s a very intuitive way of doing this. The only problem I see with this method of character creation is for replay ability, when someone comes back and knows the kind of character they want, they’ll be forced to go through this early part of the game. And it’s by no means short, it’ll take a good 45 minutes to an hour to get through the creation process.

Update: It's been brought to my attention the solution is simple for readoing character generation:At the end of the "character generation" dungeon/sequence, you're given a chance to redo all your character options over again - face, class, skills, etc etc. If you make a save right before that point, then when you want to start a new game you can load right there and pretty much be ready to instantly create a character and get out into the world.

I was kind of disappointed I was limited to this area of the game, I didn’t get to see any towns or outdoor environments. I really wanted to check out more of the alchemy system as well as some of the stealth type missions. I really wanted to see the Radiant AI in action as well. I also managed to lock the game up twice while playing it, so maybe the recent delay isn’t such a bad thing. From what I saw the graphics were top notch and the game play seemed a bit refined. The game isn’t a drastic departure from the previous titles, but there’s enough new stuff to try out to keep it fresh.

Overall from the demo I’m not completely sold. But if all the things promised from other previews hold true this will be a solid RPG for the Xbox 360.

MadHiro

10-13-2005, 08:03 AM

The only problem I see with this method of character creation is for replay ability, when someone comes back and knows the kind of character they want, they’ll be forced to go through this early part of the game. And it’s by no means short, it’ll take a good 45 minutes to an hour to get through the creation process.

And this sums up precisely why I'll be waiting for the PC version of the game, and why I won't be buying an XBox 360 at launch. This is the game that would sell the system for me this christmas, but it will be so much more functional on the PC. I can bet that there'll be a mod that skip fowards past the character creation process, just like there was in Morrowwind. So much of the appeal to this game is its modability, and I'm just not convinced that this will be translated to a system without a hard drive by default.

Nesta

10-13-2005, 08:26 AM

Aye, PC for me all the way. I have a higher end machine, but even so, I would rather play it on lower settings than play it on the Xbox. About 6 months ago, I made the mistake of picking up Morrowind GOTY for Xbox and I hated it. I saw the PC GOTY edition in Target a few weeks ago and picked it up. After downloading the nice mods out there, it simply blew away the Xbox version and seemed to be less buggy and more intuitive with mouse/keyboard control.

kathode

10-13-2005, 08:53 AM

The only problem I see with this method of character creation is for replay ability, when someone comes back and knows the kind of character they want, they’ll be forced to go through this early part of the game. And it’s by no means short, it’ll take a good 45 minutes to an hour to get through the creation process.At the end of the "character generation" dungeon/sequence, you're given a chance to redo all your character options over again - face, class, skills, etc etc. If you make a save right before that point, then when you want to start a new game you can load right there and pretty much be ready to instantly create a character and get out into the world.

Taco

10-13-2005, 09:05 AM

There should probably be an option to skip to that point. I remember doing the same thing with another game for the same reasons(I forget which). Saving and loading worked fine, but I'd rather not have to worry about overwriting that save.

King Drewsky

10-13-2005, 09:17 AM

360 is the only version of the game I am interested. I spend enough time at the computer at work, there is no way I am attaching myself to the thing in my free time as well. Gaming is for the couch.

Nice review, bap. I'm looking forward to the game.

bapenguin

10-13-2005, 09:19 AM

At the end of the "character generation" dungeon/sequence, you're given a chance to redo all your character options over again - face, class, skills, etc etc. If you make a save right before that point, then when you want to start a new game you can load right there and pretty much be ready to instantly create a character and get out into the world.

Ah good point. Thanks for cleaing that up kathode!

Rakael

10-13-2005, 09:27 AM

kathode is teh haxor1!

AspectVoid

10-13-2005, 09:54 AM

I'm going to go PC version. Frankly, I don't see myself getting an XB360 until at least the first price drop. On the other hand, I'm an RPG addict. That means the PC version will be a far cheaper option for me.

Abednigo

10-13-2005, 10:00 AM

I can't wait for the PC version. But this is a little annoying, from the Oblivion website.

What are the PC system requirements?
We don't know at this time, but it will certainly look the best on the latest hardware available when the game is released.

The game comes out in about 4-6 weeks right? Why don't they have minimum specs yet? If I need to upgrade my system I'd rather know far enough in advance instead of scrambling to buy new hardware at the last minute.

Atorak

10-13-2005, 10:08 AM

Ugh, I already pre-ordered an XBox 360, and I am DYING to play Oblivion...but I can make a case for either system.

XBox 360:
+ Will supposedly look as good as it can out of the box
+ Comfort of gaming in front of a TV
+ Supposed to get major mods available in the marketplace (for free?)
- Will not have all the mods the PC community will
- Controller might not be as user-friendly as the PC

PC:
+ Slightly cheaper (10 bucks, correct?)
+ Tried-and-true mouse+keyboard gaming
+ Access to countless mods, probably all of which aren't available on the X360
- Probably needs an insane computer to run at full capacity (matters to me)
- Have to settle for a smaller monitor compared to a huge HDTV

UGH, which to choose?!

goc_sin

10-13-2005, 10:20 AM

It's the PC version for me for sure. My machine could already run this fine, but it gives me an excuse to upgrade. I am one of the people who actually enjoy upgrading machines.

Taco

10-13-2005, 10:29 AM

Everyone enjoys upgrading. It's the money part that's a bummer ;).

MrWonderstuff

10-13-2005, 10:36 AM

Out of interest is the movement of your character more realistic? I mean with Morrowind it felt you were floating around with no discernable head bob or feeling of weight.

MadHiro

10-13-2005, 10:47 AM

+ Comfort of gaming in front of a TV
+ Supposed to get major mods available in the marketplace (for free?)

I don't understand why people that want to game on their TV don't just stick their PC in their living rooms. I don't regret doing so, playing WoW while sitting on a couch makes the grind a lot less irritating, because at least you're comfortable.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "Major Mods". The few official mods for Morrowwind were incredibly minor, and added things like birdsong to marshy areas of the game world. There is no comparision between the amount of mod content generated by Bethesda and by fans. As such, I'm not sure how Microsoft would successfully distribute a bunch of content that they didn't make, and didn't have the rights to.

bapenguin

10-13-2005, 10:47 AM

Out of interest is the movement of your character more realistic? I mean with Morrowind it felt you were floating around with no discernable head bob or feeling of weight.

Hmm, from what I can remember there was no head bob.

Wonka

10-13-2005, 10:47 AM

Another thing to consider is that the last Morrowind game was really designed for the PC, and then later ported to the Xbox as more of an afterthought. But what happened next was that they sold A LOT of copies on the Xbox, so many copies in fact that they decided to make the Xbox 360 a primary sku. alongside the PC for this new version. This time, the console version will not be a ragedy looking port of the PC version since they will have designed the game to run on both systems.

joruussuun

10-13-2005, 10:49 AM

Yes... PC version for me... I think my PC can handle it (3500+/x800xt/1gb RAM)... and for all those people who say they would rather play on their HDTV and couch... that's what I do! My PC is hooked up to my Samsung 46" DLP HDTV with wireless keyboard and mouse, so I think I am getting the best of both worlds.

Edit: Yes... agreeing with MadHiro...

Rakael

10-13-2005, 10:51 AM

joruussuun

10-13-2005, 10:54 AM

Yeah, but that PC is a LOT more expensive than a 360, and thats where I'm comming from here. I'm poor.

Yeah I know where your coming from... heh, it's just that I frequently make poor economic decisions with regard to electronics... :D
And I already had my PC in February (my old one died, so I HAD to build a new one...) so I wasn't specifically upgrading just for Oblivion, but it certainly helped.

Taco

10-13-2005, 10:59 AM

Yeah I know where your coming from... heh, it's just that I frequently make poor economic decisions with regard to electronics...

You and me both.

/Paid 10% of annual income on PC last year

Mister Pie

10-13-2005, 11:12 AM

I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard!

Magnanimous Gnome

10-13-2005, 11:22 AM

Ugh, I am so torn on this title.

I can't afford to upgrade my PC, and the Xbox 360 is just too much for me, what with all the "premiums" placed on the systems cost.

I'll be able to run the game on my PC I am sure, but my computer was cutting edge when Morrowind came out - so I doubt it will look or run all that great.

I'm also nervous about bugs in this game, especially concerning the Xbox version. There are bugs in the final, completely patched version of Morrowind on the PC - so what happens to the 360 version and the nearly inevitable bugs there? Patches over Live!?

Edit - I'm going to have to pray to the Videogame Fairy for a solution here.

reimomo

10-13-2005, 11:27 AM

Yeah, but that PC is a LOT more expensive than a 360, and thats where I'm comming from here. I'm poor.

Right, but how much did your big screen HDTV cost?

Magnanimous Gnome

10-13-2005, 11:34 AM

Right, but how much did your big screen HDTV cost?

It doesn't cost ANYTHING if you steal it. :cool:

Rakael

10-13-2005, 11:50 AM

Right, but how much did your big screen HDTV cost?

It will cost about $1500. That is really besides the point in my case though. I would rather have an HDTV than a new computer anyways (I'm wanting to do the whole home theater thing and have lil parties at the house). Also, its going to be for both my wife and myself, which changes things a bit. Where the computer would mostly be for me, and she would then want one too.

Now, I could either spend another $1000 to $1500 on a monster gaming rig, or around $500 on a 360 and the game.

And that my friends is the last bit of explaining I do in regards to how I spend my money. Sure I would rather have a mega computer, I just don't see any way to do that in the near future. The 360/HD setup however, looks very do-able and my wife even likes the idea. That in itself is enough to make the decision for me, as she usually doesn't care for me spending assloads of cash on toys. :rolleyes:

Rakael

10-13-2005, 11:51 AM

It doesn't cost ANYTHING if you steal it. :cool:

Ohhh, I like your way of thinking. While your at it, snag me one too!

MadHiro

10-13-2005, 12:00 PM

It doesn't cost ANYTHING if you steal it. :cool:

Last time I tried fitting a 46" TV into my pants, it was... awkward.

merlinchang

10-13-2005, 12:12 PM

mad- hahaha. quote of the day for me.

Totally going Oblivion for PC. Its the only way to play it.

TheBrainKills

10-13-2005, 12:25 PM

"- Have to settle for a smaller monitor compared to a huge HDTV"
As said before;
I've got my AMD64 3000+, 1gig Ram, Radeon 9800xt hooked up to my 50" DLP through the DVI connection. So, I think I could run it at low to mid settings, I would have to buy a high end card to run it right. Up here in canada that runs around $400 to $600.
From now on no more upgrades to my computer so it looks like I will buy a Xbox499.(thats canadian ... we get the higher model numbers ;))

ShankTheChicken

10-13-2005, 01:24 PM

I'm all for the PC version. My only reason for this is the controls. I owned Morrowind for Xbox, and quickly lost interest due to the awkward controls. A friend later re-introduced me to the PC version of the game, which I played for several months and still dust off for a couple days at a time even now. People can say that the 360 controls are tight and responsive, but a console controller only has so many buttons. A keyboard offers greater flexibility and a mouse more precise aiming than any analog stick. While aiming is more important in an FPS, anybody wishing to play a bow character in this game will find the added precision helpful.

Magnanimous Gnome

10-13-2005, 02:44 PM

Last time I tried fitting a 46" TV into my pants, it was... awkward.

True. There's already so much bulk sitting in the front of my pants that I doubt I have the room. ;)

Even if I do manage to sneak it out of the store, the main problem then becomes fitting it into my 1993 Ford Probe.

MadHiro

10-13-2005, 04:23 PM

Funny story. I had just moved away from home, and I don't own a car. For christmas, my mom gives me a blank check to buy a TV. So I wind up having to haul a 30" TV back from Best Buy -on the bus-. Do you have any idea what it's like having to carry one of those monsters across a parking lot, let alone to the nearest bus stop? And the looks you get... oy.

Pumped'Up

10-13-2005, 06:35 PM

I'm all for the 360 version. Don't wanna blow $500 for a video card upgrade.

As well, Oblivion is more reason to own a 360.

thecrazyd

10-13-2005, 06:44 PM

I'm all for the 360 version. Don't wanna blow $500 for a video card upgrade.

As well, Oblivion is more reason to own a 360.
Why the hell would you need to pay $500 for a video card to play the game? I am sure the vanilla 6800 I dumped $200 on a year ago will run it fine.

Benny

10-13-2005, 08:57 PM

kathode is teh haxor1!
Can someone translate this into English for me, please?

Magnanimous Gnome

10-13-2005, 09:18 PM

Twigz'N'Berries

10-13-2005, 10:12 PM

It locked up on you?
...same old console version of Morrowind. Not too good to see that some things never change.

MadHiro

10-13-2005, 10:33 PM

Wow, I hope for your sake that it was a light TV, such as an LCD or something. My 27" Sony WEGA CRT weighs 190lbs!!

Nope, CRT. I'm just lucky I was in shape then. Not that I am anymore; something about owning a nice TV and a slew of consoles/PC games seems to result in a loss of muscle tone.

TrackZero

10-14-2005, 01:56 AM

Damn bap, you're getting all the good hands on previews lately! Lucky bastard.

novicius

10-14-2005, 02:49 AM

Hmm, I'm not hearing much choice regarding choosing whether to play male or female characters -- choosing a character's sex is still in the game, right?

:confused:

bapenguin

10-14-2005, 06:10 AM

Hmm, I'm not hearing much choice regarding choosing whether to play male or female characters -- choosing a character's sex is still in the game, right?

:confused:

Yeah...I should have mentioned that. You can be male or female.

Ludoc

10-14-2005, 06:12 AM

I wouldn't worry, I think the only reason you haven't heard much about it is because it is a feature that is understood to be there. Like the ability to wear different helmets, we haven't heard directly about that but we all know we'll be able to choose the head gear we each find to be the most stylin'.

Rirath

10-14-2005, 06:27 AM

I still want to get myself a decent TV sooner or later, plain ol 27" CRT at the moment with a bit of burn in. Trouble is I really have no interest in playing in the living room, unlike a lot of people. It's colder out there, all of my gaming stuff is in the computer room, and how the heck am I suppose to check out gamefaqs? I don't see the appeal of the couch either, I'd rather have my comfy computer chair.

My main problem with a good sized TV is that it'd take up far too much space in this computer room. Plasma has a host of issues, chief of which is cost. If I wanted LCD, I'd be better off with my monitor. DLP still costs a bit more than I'm willing, and CRT has burn in. 47"~ Tabletop sets are easier for smaller rooms, but then I'd be dropping a few hundred on a stand.

All that aside, I have issues with computer games on the TV. My videocard clones the display to the TV, and most computer games just don't look right to me. Maybe it's simply a quality issue at this point, though. I'm definitely going for the PC version.

Rakael

10-14-2005, 08:22 AM

Uhm, CRT has the least amount of burn in from what I've read. Unless you meant rear projection?

novicius

10-14-2005, 10:53 AM

Yeah...I should have mentioned that. You can be male or female.
Ahhh, baps! :D

TheBrainKills

10-14-2005, 01:06 PM

Uhm, CRT has the least amount of burn in from what I've read. Unless you meant rear projection?

LCD does not have burn-in, direct view as well as rear projection; DLP does not have burn-in. All CRT's are susceptible to burn-in. Plasma as well.

Do the boobies bounce?
hehe my spell checker passed boobies :)

Rakael

10-14-2005, 01:24 PM

I had heard that LCD gets burn in as well as Plasma and that Rear Projection is the worst. I guess I may have to do more in depth research though before buying.

Magnanimous Gnome

10-14-2005, 01:31 PM

It locked up on you?
...same old console version of Morrowind. Not too good to see that some things never change.

To be fair, the PC version has issues as well. It sometimes crashes, even fully patched. I've had about equal problems with the two versions to be honest. I guess the only area where the Xbox bothers more than the PC is in the horrendous load times.

Nope, CRT. I'm just lucky I was in shape then. Not that I am anymore; something about owning a nice TV and a slew of consoles/PC games seems to result in a loss of muscle tone.

Ah, that's my excuse too. ;)

orgndonr

10-17-2005, 07:35 PM

I hope to see some better armor in oblivion. I like to mix and match and found that a lot of the stuff in the original doesn't go well. It seemed it was all or nothing. Game makers need to realize we want stuff that looks cool and tough!

Judo

10-18-2005, 04:27 AM

I'm getting the XBox 360!

Oblivion is going to need some monster machine to run on, and I'd rather just pay for the Xbox 360 and Oblivion rather then trickin' out my computer for an equal or way above price (video cards, ram sticks, and what not). I personally don't want to go through that kind of hassle. Also, I can play XBox 360 on my big screen or on the projector... to put lightly, that would be g0dlik3 pwnag3!!11!11 I know I can play the game when I get the Xbox, when you get the PC version, you might just not know. As for people worried about the controller, testers have said it was quite comfortable, that it felt natural and the movement was tight...

:) my tow and a half cents for ya'll

ilovemorrowwind

10-19-2005, 08:06 PM

i personally would prefer the pc version i have a really tricked out comp for extreme gaming plus i have a connector to hook up to my big screen tv, So no small screen and more comfort!

Skjef

10-19-2005, 11:39 PM

Anybody else use the console (command menu, '~') extensively in Morrowind? I found the game so much more enjoyable when you can actually fix the things that bug you.

Stuff like:
Getting rid of Cliff Racers. Damn annoying buggers, but a simple 'sethealth 0' fixes things.
Killing a particularly annoying NPC and resurrecting them, over, and over, and over... heheheh.
FIXME! This simple command has gotten me out of so many jams I can't list them all.

This is actually going to be a selling point for me, oddly enough. I'm not planning on getting an X360 in any event, but if the PC version doesn't support console commands, I don't think I'll get it.

Worldcrafter

10-20-2005, 09:12 AM

Anybody else use the console (command menu, '~') extensively in Morrowind? I found the game so much more enjoyable when you can actually fix the things that bug you.

I can't tell you how many times I used the command "coc balmora". It was fun at first to go wandering through the landscape, but after the 100th time, the trek got old. I'm really glad the map in Oblivion now supports warping to a previously traveled destination.

sabinraijin

10-21-2005, 08:12 PM

I don't know what everyone's talking about when it comes to the PC upgrade being more expensive than buying an Xbox 360. Xbox 360 costs - at bare minimum - $300 (400 if you want the upgraded edition, which could have all easily been included in the $300 pricetag with Micro$oft still making plenty of profit).

Chances are, if you've an Elder Scrolls player, you already have at least a 2ghz CPU (or at least a 2200+ AMD), and at least 512 worth of DDR ram. That means you probably only need a video card upgrade and maybe 512 more ram couldn't hurt.

So let's break it down.

www.pricewatch.com

There are plenty of video cards there under $200 capable of playing Doom 3 at max specs with no slowdown whatsoever. I, myself, have a Radeon X800 Pro (AGP 8x) which I play Doom 3 and FarCry at max specs smooth as silk when coupled with an Athlon XP 2800+ and 1gb of DDR400 ram. Right now, the lowest cost of that card at a PriceWatch site is about $160 after shipping.

That leaves you with at least $100 more to upgrade your ram. With that much, you could get an extra gig.

So there you go, a decent upgrade that will more than likely play Oblivion at max specs with little problems. Unless, of course, the programing is crappy and it runs slow on even the best systems. But knowing Bethesda, it'll run fine on the aforementioned specs.

Ludoc

10-21-2005, 09:20 PM

The Iron Weasel

10-21-2005, 09:27 PM

(1) Profit?

(2) How do you figure that? That's like saying chances are if you play Ninja Gaiden you drive an imported car.

I have ninja gaiden....but no car.....*cries*

sabinraijin

10-22-2005, 11:42 AM

(1) Profit?

The extra features found in the upgraded 360 aren't exactly expensive things to add. The $400 pricetag could have been much lower.

(2) How do you figure that? That's like saying chances are if you play Ninja Gaiden you drive an imported car.

If you're a Morrowind player, chances are your computer has at least a 2ghz CPU and 512 of DDR ram. That's not a random occurance that I figured. I don't know many Morrowind players with anything less. So.....I guess an imported car helps you play Ninja Gaiden?

CPU doesn't matter much anymore when it comes to games. It's mainly about video card and ram now. You can get by using a 2-3ghz CPU with any current game as long as your video card is up to spec. Any ram above 512 gets by just as well.

Ludoc

10-22-2005, 12:08 PM

Unless you are one of the many people who play Morrowind on the Xbox. I don't have the sales stats in front of me but considering it was released in three version on the Xbox and is launching simultaneously on the on PC and the 360 I think it is fairly safe to say that there it sold very well on the Xbox. Ergo, not everyone, perhaps not even most, who played it has/have the computer you think they do.

Having a fast computer doesn't help run Morrowind on the box, just like driving a car from Japan doesn't increase. your ninja abilities.

sabinraijin

10-22-2005, 02:59 PM

orgndonr

10-24-2005, 09:18 PM

I played all the morrowind games on 950 mghz, 256 ram and a geforce2 graphics card. I had to turn it all down low, still got some great gaming out of the old tower.

banneth

11-04-2005, 01:30 PM

It's Xbox for me even though Bethesda have yet to release a TES game that didn't need a plug in of some kind to make it playable. Arena, Daggerfall, Battlespire, Red Guard and Morrowind all made problems when they shipped - maybe the guys at Bethesda might actually have a go at testing this time round but if not, hopefully there will be an XBOX patch. My PC is seriously underpowered and the ATI X850 XT costs just as much as an XBOX 360.

*Legion*

11-04-2005, 01:42 PM

Right, but how much did your big screen HDTV cost?

And how long is it going to last you compared to computer hardware? Not to mention that an HDTV is *hardly* a games-only purchase.

Tronikx

11-23-2005, 10:38 AM

Ya PC here, And ya the games shipped with some bugs BUT even with the bugs they played great.Considering the scope and world detail in those games ya got to expect a few bugs.

Personally... I wish they would re-hash daggerfall on the new engine.Or ceate a Elderscrolls MMO... they would make millions....

Artamist_9128

12-09-2005, 08:15 PM

the game is posted to come out on 3/20/06

InstaPete

12-09-2005, 08:34 PM

Clicking a button swings the weapon, but the difference is combat is contact based not just based on underlying numeric game rules.

I was always a little confused about this. Does that mean that the animations are more reflective of the underlying game mechanics (ie, you roll a hit, it plays a hit animation, etc), or if you hit the right button at the right time, you hit?

does that last sentence even make sense?

Artamist_9128

12-15-2005, 11:59 AM

pritty much it is supposed to be based on the same controls as morrowind (u pull the trigger it attacks), but, it also depends on the distance u r to ur target. if u r in range and u r using a sword, it then depends on the skill lvl u have with that weapon, the higher the lvl, the greater chance u have of hitting ur target. it isn't based on a roll, but more of a skill, and the more u use that skill it getts higher.

thecrazyd

12-15-2005, 12:03 PM

sTubbs

12-15-2005, 12:09 PM

I was always a little confused about this. Does that mean that the animations are more reflective of the underlying game mechanics (ie, you roll a hit, it plays a hit animation, etc), or if you hit the right button at the right time, you hit?

does that last sentence even make sense?

From what I have read, the player stats only determin things such as damage and effect and so on. The actual attack success is based purely on the actions of the player. So, the player controls their character and manages to hit an enemy (so far no dice rolls have been going on in the background). When a hit is registered, then there is a dice roll or whatever to determine the damage done and so on. I hope that clears things up a bit.

InstaPete

12-15-2005, 12:34 PM

From what I have read, the player stats only determin things such as damage and effect and so on. The actual attack success is based purely on the actions of the player. So, the player controls their character and manages to hit an enemy (so far no dice rolls have been going on in the background). When a hit is registered, then there is a dice roll or whatever to determine the damage done and so on. I hope that clears things up a bit.

That's exactly what I was wondering. Makes sense. Thanks!

AnneXu

12-09-2006, 11:07 AM

Jack B

12-09-2006, 11:14 AM

I am playing this game right now and am enjoying every single minute of it. I love the mini-game they made lockpicking.. no more raw luck, if you get the timing down pat, you can unlock any lock even if u got a level 1 thief

I enjoyed that as well, but you did know this thread had been dead for since December of 2005, right...? :) I thought it was a new content preview. This is like a time warp. :D

My guess is you just bought a 360. If so congrats. At EvAv we sometimes get caught up in the "latest" game craze like Gears of War and forget there are a lot of great games, that are "brand new" to this holiday's 360 owners. There isn't much talk of Oblvion these days, but it's a lot of fun.

Kameo, Dead Rising, Fight Night... Not sure of your tastes, but enjoy and welcome to EvAv!

fitbabits

12-09-2006, 11:23 AM

Farking hell, this thread was almost one whole year old! And now it's new again.

Haemorrhage

12-09-2006, 12:02 PM

Man, this post totally threw me off. I thought it was about the Knights of the Knight expansion.

Oblivion is an amazing game. I played the hell out of it and was the main reason I first bought my Xbox 360 back in March. Now KotN, may just rope me back in again.

Guess good old threads never die.

Spigot

12-09-2006, 12:26 PM

Well, now that we're talking about Oblivion again, I just picked up the Knights of the Nine disc for the PC version. Busy installing all the new content (well, they're new for me because I didn't want to pay for them separately).

NOW I can start to work on Oblivion for true. Considering I upgraded my computer in March in order to play this farking game, it's about time I actually spent some time on it.

PS. What's with all of the necro-threads here? I need my Zombie Survival Guide to protect me from all of the resurrected threads.

Food Nipple

12-09-2006, 12:41 PM

I'd much rather have these necrothreads show up than have 10 topics on the same subject all on the front page. This guy has 2 posts under his belt and he's already using the search button, I welcome him with open arms.

Cranberry

12-24-2006, 12:38 PM

GunnyMo

12-24-2006, 12:47 PM

I just "rediscovered" Oblivion. I stopped playing May with 885 saves and close to 100 hours and I still wasn't done. The free Mehrun's Razor brought me back this week and it's even better than before.

Other than GoW I've yet to see a game on 360 that looks better. Oblivion is so immersive and expansive that I'm still wowed by it seven months later.

I've finished the Goonies mod (which was fun), started Knights of the Nine and am in the middle of Mehrune's Razor. Btw, Cranberry, Mehrune's Razor is anything but "mini". :D It's huge!

pooty-tang

12-24-2006, 12:57 PM

Btw, Cranberry, Mehrune's Razor is anything but "mini". :D It's huge!
qft

i just got the razor and boy was i surprised what i was in for. i thought the dl would just pop the little dagger into my inventory. the massive dungeon was a welcomed surprise. i officially beat the game about a month ago but ive now gone back trying to do every little thing like the one or two guild missions i have left. and then theres the knights of the nine i just got. boredom control for christmas break.

GrinR

12-24-2006, 01:00 PM

Well, my first 360 died taking my Oblivion game saves with it, so I've had to start from scratch, which is OK, but a way off getting the new expansion pack.

What I would say to 360 owners is, in case they missed it, there is one of the mini expansion packs (MEHRUNES' RAZOR) available on Live for free download at the moment. It goes back to costing money in the new year.

It's a dungeon, apparenlty. I've downloaded it, but not looked at it yet as it's supposed to be more fun at higher levels.

It's a bit hard to find on Marketplace, but go to All Game Downloads and find Oblivion and it's in there.

Xport 360 Backup dock (for the HD) - worth every penny of the $40 (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Datel-Xport-360-Xbox-360-Docking-Station/sem/rpsm/oid/164595/catOid/-16483/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do).

You can also plug in a xbox memory card and transfer your xbox saves to the 360 with this thing. f'n nice!!!

GunnyMo

12-24-2006, 01:03 PM

My only regret is that I cannot finish the Thieves Guild missions as the one I am on is bugged and I'm unable to complete it. :(

Cranberry

12-25-2006, 05:28 PM

Xport 360 Backup dock (for the HD) - worth every penny of the $40 (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Datel-Xport-360-Xbox-360-Docking-Station/sem/rpsm/oid/164595/catOid/-16483/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do).

You can also plug in a xbox memory card and transfer your xbox saves to the 360 with this thing. f'n nice!!!

Yeah, I need to get one. The day it bust though was Gears of War release day, so I just boxed it up and took it back to the retailer to swap. To get the Saves would have meant an extra day without GoW.

I made a balanced choice and lost the saves, but got GoW!

This time around, I may actually do some of the main quest, rather than going to the top of each guild and thinking "Hmm, so I want to help bring in a new emperor, why exactly? All is mine, mwwhahahaha..."