Oblivion on One Disc Confirmed

[bapenguin]

A posting (http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=214742) on the official Elder Scrolls Forums from developer MrSmileyFaceDude confirms that The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion will indeed fit just fine on a single DVD-9 disc.

Found via the way of Joystiq. (http://www.joystiq.com)

[Vandenh]

Was this ever in doubt?

Procedural asset generation FTW!

[Grimgrock]

For the first question of the post that need not be asked, what is "DVD-9"? I know what DVD is but I've never seen "-9" added to it at the end.

[Oddmaker]

YaY! \o/ _o/ \o_ \o/

[bapenguin]

For the first question of the post that need not be asked, what is "DVD-9"? I know what DVD is but I've never seen "-9" added to it at the end.

DVD-9 is the dual layer version which is 8.5 or so gigabytes. I believe the other version, DVD-5, is 4.8 GB.

[codswallop]

what is "DVD-9"?
The numbers after a DVD refer to it's capacity as well as indicating the type of physical disc it is:





DVD-5 = 5GB (about 4.7GB for writable discs); Single-sided, single layer disc (most common)
DVD-9 = 9GB (about 8.5GB for writable discs); Single-sided, dual layer disc (also very common) -- has one regular layer and a semi-transparent layer through which the laser can focus
DVD-10 = 10GB; Double-sided, single layer disc (rare to see any of these still in production except for the occasional 'x number of movies on one disc' pack) -- created by 'gluing' two DVD-5s back-to-back
DVD-18 = 18GB; Double-sided, dual layer disc (very rare, I think there's less than half a dozen commercial discs, a T2 edition was one) -- created by 'gluing' two DVD-9s together
Hope this clears things up for you. The double-sided ones are not often seen any more.

For more information, check out the DVD FAQ (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.3).

[KarmaGhost]

Ya know, the next generation optical drives are coming out and most titles still don't come on DVD standard. WTF.

[Grimgrock]

So with the DVD-9 disk of Oblivion, do I need to be concerned about compatibility with my current system? The drive came in my XPS 600 system bought in October 2005.

This is the only game (I can think of) coming out in the first half of the year that I am even remotely interested in.

[QueQueg]

DVD-9 is typically used for movies. There should be no compatibility issues with your current DVD reader, as I'm sure it reads DVD movies just fine.

[GigaFuzz]

Ya know, the next generation optical drives are coming out and most titles still don't come on DVD standard. WTF.

I don't understand why America still gets most of its games on CDs, in cardboard boxes (AFAIK), while in Europe they nearly all come on DVD, in DVD-Movie style cases.

Does anyone have a valid reason for this?

[Wonka]

This makes me wonder whether most PS3 games will actually ship on the newer (and probably initially more expensive to make) blue ray discs. I mean, if they didn't need the capacity for this game, how many PS3 games will actually need it? This game should have been pushing the capacity envelope pretty hard with all the audio that it's purported to have. Maybe a few RPGs with HD video might need blue ray, but will anything that is primarily real time really need it?

[Worldcrafter]

I don't understand why America still gets most of its games on CDs, in cardboard boxes (AFAIK), while in Europe they nearly all come on DVD, in DVD-Movie style cases.

Does anyone have a valid reason for this?

Mental retardation caused by eating paint chips as a child as far as I know. I think (if you couldn't tell) it's pretty stupid as well.

I was really impressed that Bethesda managed to fit the entire game of Morrowind on one CD, so I expect they could do the same with Oblivion on a disc that holds about 12x as much data. I wonder how full that disc is going to be, cause that's an awful lot of data!

[Talanvor]

Heh, yeah, actually using compression, what a friggin concept.

Of course if the HD was standard then a dev could load the most often used textures/sounds into a cache... nah, that's just stupid.

[absolut taco]

So with the DVD-9 disk of Oblivion, do I need to be concerned about compatibility with my current system? The drive came in my XPS 600 system bought in October 2005.

This is the only game (I can think of) coming out in the first half of the year that I am even remotely interested in.
I'm confused now. Is this about the X360 version or the PC version or both?

I think every DVD-ROM drive ever made can read dual layer DVD-9 discs, but don't take my word for it. With DVD burners, you have to pay a premium for one that can burn DVD-9 discs.

[NoName]

DVD-10 = 10GB; Double-sided, single layer disc (rare to see any of these still in production except for the occasional 'x number of movies on one disc' pack) -- created by 'gluing' two DVD-5s back-to-back
I remember back when games on DVD was a novelty, and I got Wing Commander V (I think five...) on a duel sided DVD. It was so amazing how much they could fit on one disc.

Now what amazes me, rather than the new HD formats, is that they can fit a gig on my XD picture card. Wow that thing is small.

[dotbomb]

Now all I have to decide is PC or 360 version...

[bapenguin]

I'm confused now. Is this about the X360 version or the PC version or both?

I think every DVD-ROM drive ever made can read dual layer DVD-9 discs, but don't take my word for it. With DVD burners, you have to pay a premium for one that can burn DVD-9 discs.

I'm pretty sure it's both, though I wouldn't be surprised to see a 12 CD version of this.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

I'm not sure to be happy that they found a way to fit it all on one disk or worry that somehow the game has been hacked down and pieces of it are lying in a bloody pool along some editors floor...

[SMES]

I'm not sure to be happy that they found a way to fit it all on one disk or worry that somehow the game has been hacked down and pieces of it are lying in a bloody pool along some editors floor...

Unless there is some real indication that there's a reason to worry, I will take the statement that it will fit "just fine" as indication that there is plenty of room on a DVD disc.