Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion screenshots and official website update

[Everlost_MI]

Shacknews (http://www.shacknews.com/) has three new screenshots (http://www.shacknews.com/screens.x/tes4/Elder+Scrolls+IV:+Oblivion/1/120705) of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for your viewing pleasure. And is reporting the codex on the game's official website (http://www.elderscrolls.com/codex/codex_combatskills.htm) has been updated.

This game is just so damn pretty.

[ezzkmo]

mmm...yummy.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Oh, it's...the church. The one we've seen from every angle except a top-down view. :p

That final shot looks a little off to me - anyone else notice that it looks a little fishy?

[Averic]

I cant wait. I can never get tired of looking at those screens. The intro music is awsome! It Gave me chills. PC version here I come.

[Rirath]

Ya know, I wish there was some art direction in screenshots sometimes. I mean, it just seems like it's quantity over quality. Or programmers showing off little things which are only nifty if you know what's going on. Not just here, but in general. As said, we've seen the church. Random house in a random field is nice, sure, but we've seen kind of thing too. Stats? Seen em. What's new here? Some icons on the stats screen? Guild Wars strikes me as some of the most exciting and visually pleasing screenshots to come out, but even then there were a fair share of duds.

Now to nitpick a bit, since we've little else to do while waiting and very little news to read... shot #2 looks rather jaggy to me. Note the fence and the tree leaves. Honestly, this is about the level of quality I've been waiting to see. The "real" game, not the overly pretty random groves and such. Shot #2 is basically what I'll expect the game to look like in the real world.

And yes, it still looks dang good.

[SMES]

It's been said, but that's the same sword and armor combination I've seen in every screenshot of the game.

The detail level is beautiful and all, but I hope there is more to the game than churches and gold-lace steel armor.

[abso]

Wonder if they are ever going to release recommended PC specs...

[Beelzebud]

God I can't wait to see what they do with the Fallout liscense.

[thecrazyd]

God I can't wait to see what they do with the Fallout liscense.
I agree. I can't wait til they start releasing the same two screenshots ad nauseum for over a year before the game's release for Fallout.

[Captain Awesome]

That armor design is hilarious, that's one fabulous set.



:D

[Deadend]

Well, that might just be the game I get a 360 for, depending on how my PC wants to treat it.

[snubber]

God, with such talent it's frustrating as all hell that they get so many things wrong.

For one, their animators SUCK. If you see this game in motion, you'll know what I mean. Have to be the same guys who did Morrowind, which also suffered from stiff animation.

And the 3rd screentshot looks fishy because it's WRONG. The reason: most of the face would be in shadow. It's the uncanny valley. We used to be tolerant of bad graphics, and the imagination would fill in for what was missing in those little sprites of yore. But as graphics approach photorealistic, as that face in the 3rd screenshot clearly does, we expect it to mesh fully with reality, and when it doesn't, it looks very odd.

It's WAY too bright, and looks just like a photo pasted on. That helmet should be shadowing the face. So frustrating that they get so close to an almost "visually perfect" game for what the current technology can deliver, and they fall short of things like this.

[Sazime]

That armor design is hilarious, that's one fabulous set.

:D

Come on now, won't ya, hey? It's Ebony! The second or third most bad ass set in the other games! It's down right purdy!

[Deadend]

God, with such talent it's frustrating as all hell that they get so many things wrong.

... So frustrating that they get so close to an almost "visually perfect" game for what the current technology can deliver, and they fall short of things like this.

Ah... that's what it was. Maybe, hopefully, shadows are turned off in the stats screen to better allow you to see your face? The armor also looks too tight and too loose at the same time. Some parts look to thin, other parts (such as that helmet) look like they are floating over the head.

But, it looks like the game is final, and it will probably be buggy... again.

[Mason]

Complaining about a lack of self-shadow? Cripes.

I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that's prettier.

[Captain Awesome]

Come on now, won't ya, hey? It's Ebony! The second or third most bad ass set in the other games! It's down right purdy!

Im sure the set is lethal, but the models/textures for it are terrible, it looks like a cheap supermarket halloween costume :o

[Captain Awesome]

Complaining about a lack of self-shadow? Cripes.

I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that's prettier.


http://www.projectoffset.com/



:)

[snubber]

Complaining about a lack of self-shadow? Cripes.

I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that's prettier.


Well, yeah, I guess I went overboard (I was a few drinks deep last post). I think it's just that the closer games get to being photorealistic -- without actually being so -- the more those type of errors stand out.

Think of the movie Polar Express. The characters were amazing looking and close to photorealistic -- light years ahead of 3d graphics say even a few years prior. But because they were so close -- and yet so far -- they just looked damn CREEPY.

I think this generation we're definitely tumbling headlong into the Valley.

http://www.slate.com/id/2102086/

[Rirath]

Complaining about a lack of self-shadow? Cripes.

I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that's prettier.

Quite honestly, I've seen several. I'd say Quake 4 and Doom 3 are both prettier, especially when dealing with people and shadows. I'd say the Unreal 3 engine demos are prettier, including Gears of War. And I'm going to guess there's a good deal of people who'd say ICO and/or Shadow of the Colossus is prettier, depending on personal tastes. Heck, maybe even Dragon Quest 8: Best cell shading I've ever seen, incredibly clean overall.

In my opinion, games don't reach a certain level of "pretty" to which all other flaws are instantly forgiven. A self shadow seems like an obvious thing to have, when you -are focusing on showcasing the character-, if nothing else. And the animation? Come on, surely you'd agree there?

[Rirath]

http://www.projectoffset.com/

*hmm, interesting...* *...Oh, sneak videos...*
GAH, WTF is that? That's beautiful.

* An epic fantasy FPS. A fps with character classes.
* alone, coop, team based objective or deathmatch.
* Persistent EXP is a big part in the game design.

This game looks to be must have.

[Liquidize105]

You're right about the animation, I really REALLY hope the gaps will be filled before the big debut.

Here's a topic: Massive freeroaming games like Oblivion, Gothic3, STALKER should have coop support from which the players would team up or split up.

[The_Darr]

is "stalker" dead? ive been scared shitless its died...

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

I dont even think Oblivion looks that good.

[BleedTheFreak]

I dont even think Oblivion looks that good.

The gameplay footage I've seen is great, and it's all like 6 months old. Someone mentioned animations, I don't think I would have noticed that if it hadn't been pointed out, but now that it has I guess I'd prefer they add more "transition" animations than not.

I really don't like the static picture of the guy in his armor, it looks too much like a regular model with the equipment of the player tacked on, looks like photoshop. I guess I was hoping the avatar would blend better with whatever he was wearing. I do hope someone was right about the shadows just being disabled for that build, but I'm not holding my breath.

Besides, it's an RPG, that it looks this nice is really just cake. Unless they sacrificed gameplay, but wouldn't the animation/art all be a separate team anyway?

[Taco]

If this was a game with random turn based encounters, feminine males, a generic epic save the world story, no spoken dialouge whatsoever, an automated pointless skill system and a travel screen where you get a birds eye view of your character 10 miles away no one would be complaining.

People suck.

[AntB]

By far Morrowind was my favorite RPG for one reason, you get better at what you do most, not what you choose on some menu. If I choose to be a warrior, but then use mostly magic, my magic will upgrade and I would be able to use the XP for freaking "strength" instead of magic.

[AlmostSente]

I want the damn game now, get it done already... :)

[Magnanimous Gnome]

If this was a game with random turn based encounters, feminine males, a generic epic save the world story, no spoken dialouge whatsoever, an automated pointless skill system and a travel screen where you get a birds eye view of your character 10 miles away no one would be complaining.

People suck.


That just isn't true bud. I don't even follow those types of games at all - they bore me to tears.

I'm simply complaining about the graphics because, as someone else noted above, they are so pretty yet so ugly at the same time. When you hit a certain graphical fidelity all the errors start to really stand out and become unforgivable.

Morrowind is a great example. The game frustrates me so much because it is so close to my dream game, yet it is filled with bugs and design decisions that just kill the immersion for me.

That guy in the 3rd screenshot looks like one of those pictures where someone's head is pasted over someone else's body. Not exactly breathtaking. :p

[Beelzebud]

Someone call the WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHmbulance...

[F3nyx]

If this was a game with random turn based encounters, feminine males, a generic epic save the world story, no spoken dialouge whatsoever, an automated pointless skill system and a travel screen where you get a birds eye view of your character 10 miles away no one would be complaining.

People suck.That kind of game isn't worth complaining about. I try to save that for games like this one, which are on the brink of being good, but flawed.

[thecrazyd]

Complaining about a lack of self-shadow? Cripes.

I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that's prettier.
Zelda: Windwaker

A little stylization (just a little) would do this game wonders, and wipe away the obvious graphical flaws.

[ezra]

http://www.projectoffset.com/



Yeah, looks great, but stinks of "that beautiful game that will never be" syndrome. There's very little chance that this game will resemble any of its concept art or any of its current aspirations when it comes time to press the discs.

Let me modify masons original statement to more accurately reflect what he's trying to say:

"I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that is only months from release that's prettier.

[Mason]

Quite honestly, I've seen several. I'd say Quake 4 and Doom 3 are both prettier, especially when dealing with people and shadows. I'd say the Unreal 3 engine demos are prettier, including Gears of War. And I'm going to guess there's a good deal of people who'd say ICO and/or Shadow of the Colossus is prettier, depending on personal tastes. Heck, maybe even Dragon Quest 8: Best cell shading I've ever seen, incredibly clean overall.

In my opinion, games don't reach a certain level of "pretty" to which all other flaws are instantly forgiven. A self shadow seems like an obvious thing to have, when you -are focusing on showcasing the character-, if nothing else. And the animation? Come on, surely you'd agree there?

Gears of War is on par, definitely. Not even close on the other games.

Complaints about Oblivion's animation come from the E3 video, which just keeps getting older. Maybe they'll be like that in the final game, maybe they won't. But it's goofy to call that a dealbreaker when we don't know if that's a flaw in the final game or an artifact from a year ago in development.

And as I recall, the monster and soldier animation was all pretty good. It was just the scene with the woman and dog which looked so bad. And even then, any given action didn't look wrong, it was just the transitions between them which were jerky. A bit more work on the AI to smoothly transition between states would hopefully clear that up. Not guaranteed to be fixed obviously, but then they've had a long time to dink with it.

[Mason]

Yeah, looks great, but stinks of "that beautiful game that will never be" syndrome. There's very little chance that this game will resemble any of its concept art or any of its current aspirations when it comes time to press the discs.

Let me modify masons original statement to more accurately reflect what he's trying to say:

"I'll complain about Oblivion's graphics when you show me a game that is only months from release that's prettier.

Yeah, I validate your modification. I wasn't laying it out as an eternal challenge, just trying to make a point. People either responded with heavily stylized games (which misses the point) or games even further off than TES4. Thus, nitpickery about Oblivion is pointless, particularly based off of ancient footage.

As a side note, typically a smart company will fork off a new code branch for a demo months before showing it off, so that developers can keep adding to the main codebase while fixing any show-stopping bugs specific to the demo, without the two goals interfering. After the demo is finalized, bug fixes can be merged back into the main project. So one would expect that the code exhibited in the E3 movie is in fact from several months prior to E3.

[chingtastic]

I would say, if anything, there have been very few screenshots of Oblivion as it has progressed.

[orgndonr]

I enjoyed MW thoroughly and I look at Oblivion to be greater due to the Radiant AI and the improved combat system. Ya improved graphics are great and a lot of it looks pretty, but for me that is just icing on the cake. No way is it a deal breaker for me if a shadow doesn't line up or an animation is a bit jerky. This is going to be a great game that I will get 100's of hours out of. Way to go Beth!