Oblivion Q&A with Pete Hines

[bapenguin]

Gaming Steve got a chance to sit down with Pete Hines, Vice President of Public Relations & Marketing at Bethesda to talk about the highly anticipated The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Steve and Pete chat for well over an hour and cover a wide range of topics including how the Oblivion Xbox 360 achievements and downloadable content will work, new details on the Radiant AI system, as well as what’s next for the Elder Scrolls series. Pete even talks a bit about Fallout 3 and their upcoming Star Trek games.

The interview and article can be found at Gaming Steve.com (http://www.gamingsteve.com/archives/2006/02/gaming_steve_ep_35.php)

Note this is an audio interview, not a written one.

[Atorak]

I just downloaded it, listening now.

Not sure how much overlap there is with the other interview he did last week, but I'll let everyone know in about an hour. :)

[joruussuun]

Can anyone hit the highlights for someone currently without sound? Is there any new info or just a regurgitation of old facts?

[Deathbane27]

If there's any new info contained therein, I shall regurgitate it here.

[Deathbane27]

Introductions... "Tell me about yourself"... Big sandbox game... Main Quest storyline summary... Pete stutters almost as bad as I do... Todd Howard is the big "graphics whore" of the company... Player choice... voice actors... No new info as of the 10 minute mark. Still listening.

Patrick Stewart has done videogame voiceacting before, Sean Bean and Terrance Stamp have not. That's something I didn't know...

A bit on the "ease of use" features and how annoying it was to find people and figure out Alchemy in Morrowind... yadda yadda... info is easier to digest but not "overly" helpful...

No new info as of 20:00...

Yet another rehash of Radiant AI...

This is looking like it's going to be entirely useless.

NEWS FLASH! Dear Gaming Steve and every other gaming site out there: NO ONE visits your site exclusively for ALL their gaming news! Stop asking the same questions as everybody else!

Guess you gotta do something to pay the bills...

No new info as of 25:00...

Long bit about setting the RAI so it wouldn't break the game... (Game first, world of AI second).

INFO AT 29:10.

Different towns sell different types of horses "I think there's 5 types..." They vary on speed and hitpoints (since horses can and do get attacked by wolves when you're in a dungeon, for example) (and they take falling damage).

That was more "recent" than "new", but anyway...

Long bit on the combat system... no horse combat because it didn't fit in with the melee combat system... Controls, item hotkeys... yada yada yada...

No more new info at 35:00...

A bit where Pete describes some bow vs. magical combat he observed one of the reporters playing... the enemy ran out of charge on her staff and mana and charged in to melee range... enemies will switch weapons based on range... yada yada...

37:00. Balance... stat/skill progression... super items were the main balance problem in Morrowind. Most of the items in the game are scaled more closely with your level to avoid getting overpowered and making the game boring just from picking up one new weapon... :p

Widescreen supported on PC version if your video card supports it.

Creatures and generic NPCs respawn after a certain number of game days (Pete doesn't remember exact number). Creatures move around a lot more so if you go back to the same place it feels more varied. Pete describes the combat situation changing a lot when the "boss" of a dungeon was found in different areas. Most dungeons will have some items that respawn with the monsters.

42:00. Level check for determining enemies and items when you enter a cell. Over 200 dungeons, so don't be going back to the same ones just because stuff respawns, mkay? (This ain't EQ. :p)

43:00. Guards will assist you if NPCs are attacking you...

43:40. Guards won't "detect" stolen items and arrest you for it, but if you're arrested for whatever reason, they will take all your stolen items. But they don't do random searches.

There are travelling NPCs, but most merchants have established shops.

46:00. Q: How long will guards take to respawn after you kill them? A: Not sure. (Named NPCs don't respawn, "generic" ones like guards and bandits do.)

Q: Mercantile skill raising? A: In MW, skill ups were on per-transaction basis. in Oblivion, skill ups are based on per gold basis.

Q: Armor wearing reducing Magic? A: Penalty to spell effectiveness. Amount not specified. Skill perk at high levels of armor skills that removes the penalty. Armor skill raises by getting hit while wearing it.

Q: Quest log? A: Much better organized this time. 3 sections in journal. 1 tab for completed quests, 1 tab for current quests, 1 tab for your "Active" quest (selected on Current Quests tab). Map/compass shows marker for Active quest (if it has one). Much more streamlined and helpful, no need for a notebook.

Q: Disarm and "neck strike" in hand to hand? A: Skill perks in power attacks for various weapon skills. Power attacks gain chance to disarm/paralyze etc. ("At like 100 skill", so not sure if there's one at 80...)

Q: Shadows? A: We showed a glimpse of the full-shadowing in the prison cell a the E3 demo... and that was the only place it worked, so it was never implemented in the rest of the game. All other places and screenshots are shown with the current shadow system anyway. Player/NPCs/Creatures and tree canopies cast shadows.

Q: Monsters getting stuck? A: Yes, our pathing system is much better.

Q: Character customization? A: Only face, hair, and skin tone customization. No fat/skinny characters.

Q: Content updates? How will that work? A: No current plans for downloadable Expansions. Looking at small but fun things for downloadable content. Plan is to have one available at launch (content peeps haven't been on the game for a while, it's all been bug testing) and to do regular basis updates for both platforms. Not going to talk too much about things until they're sure they're going to work.

Q: Hand to hand combat? Combos? Uppercuts? A: New animations, but not getting into Mortal Kombat or Dead or Alive. It's fisticuffs.

Q: Are there going to be mini-bosses in every dungeon? A: MOST dungeons have bosses and boss loot at the end.

Q: If you kill an NPC in front of a villager, will they react? A: Yes. Some NPCs will go to defend the one you're attacking. Some will run away. Some will watch. And they'll treat you differently afterward. Most respectable folks won't talk to you if you have a big bounty. You still keep infamy after paying off bounty.

Q: Looting towns and housing? Junk in barrels and crates strewn around? A: There's more clutter like paintbrushes lying around in the world, but we're more careful about not leaving large piles of gold in crates, but you'll still find a few stray gold pieces.

Q: Dungeons? Are they are harmful or are there "friendly" ones with merchants? A: They're all evil! :p

Q: Is skill training going to be more developed/interactive? Can you spar in the guild houses? A: Um.... uh... thinking... You can improve skills just by watching people train with eachother! Sweet! But no, no sparring partners. Go to the Arena.

Q: Will weapons actually "break"? A: No, it just becomes unusable?

Q: Weapons clash in mid-swing? Recoil? A: Staggering, yes. No weapons colliding in mid-air, though. You have to block.

Q: Inhabited area sizes? A: We've got big cities and smaller towns and settlements. Encampments... standalone inns... little of everything.

Q: Monsters? How many types? I saw 3 types of goblins... A: 40 or 50 something base monsters ("goblin") with lots of different types of each ("goblin shaman, goblin fighter...").

Q: Plane of Oblivion? Hush hush? A: Not a "you're not worthy, it's too awesome" thing, but more of needing to have some secrets. In Morrowind, it had all been seen before the game came out. We want some "first time" thing for people to see when they play for the first time.

Q: Achievements for 360? A: Had 100 at first, but they cap you at 50 per game. They had 6 at VERY first, but when they started playing the 360s and seen how other games used it, they added a bunch more micro achievements so it would scale better on the gamercard score.

Q: 16 square miles? What does that actually mean? DQ8 reference. A: We just told them so they'd stop asking how big the game was. What matters is the scale, how it feels once you're playing, how much stuff to do between points A and B, not whether the distance is X or Y miles. Pete likes how some people play the game for a bit, then pan around the world map and are amazed about how little they've explored. They've definately made it big enough.

Q: If you just do the main quest, about what % of world map will you have seen? A: We send you out a bit to explore as part of the MQ, use it as a point to send you out.

(No actual answer to that question. I somehow doubt anyone's decided to just burn through it and check yet. :p)

Q: Release date? A: Very Soon (TM). A couple of weeks away, probably, from announcing exact date. We have a date in mind, but it's not done until it's done. We've seen enough games that thought they were finished and had a few delays. We don't want to slip, we want to ship on that day.

Q: Regions? A: Simultaneous, but Europe will be a few days behind of course.

71:30. Side tracking. Goes into Fallout. No Fallout 3 at E3 this year... Bethesda is publishing 2 Star Trek games but it's an outside developer making them. Star Trek games will be shown at E3...

Ah, more Oblivion.

Q: What is your favorite feature in Oblivion? A: I don't know if I have one. I'm so close to it, done however many demos, years, seen other playing it... I do love the graphics, people will be playing and see something amazing like a waterfall in a cave and be awed. It adds a lot to the experience. If there's one thing I think I like the most it's how much we've improved on every part of the game from previous games. He likens the game to a pregnancy and they're at the stage where they just want to get it OUT. :p

Q: What's the longest you've heard of people playing Elder Scrolls games? I've heard 1500. A: Yeah, I've heard the 1500. I get all the email to Bethesda... Loves how much people love the game... That's more important than the 1500/1600 hours.

Q: Finally... Morrowind for the Xbox, Oblivion for the 360... Elderscrolls 5 for the Xbox720? A: No, we're hoping to do more than one Elder Scrolls game this console cycle. God help us. :p

Steve: I'm going to play some more now, mkay?

END INTERVIEW

[joruussuun]

Thanks for the play by play Deathbane!

[Mason]

bap, want to enlighten us about the new Radiant AI details?

[Felonous]

Someone transcribe, STAT!

[Ozymandias]

Someone transcribe, STAT!

Umm, yeah.

Go to it if you're that excited. ;)

[bapenguin]

This kinda pisses me off. They skipped right over EvilAvatar for this press tour. No chance for us to get a hands on, etc.

[Felonous]

Uhm, the request for a transcibe is because I can't listen to the interview at work...

Anyway, l see on the site that he got to play the game, and GWJ indicates they also got to play the game at a press event. So the question is...

Where is the Gone Gold anouncement???

[Mason]

This kinda pisses me off. They skipped right over EvilAvatar for this press tour. No chance for us to get a hands on, etc.
That's a shame, the earlier interview you did with them was top-notch.

But then this close to release, I'm sure their PR strategy is going for the big corporate sites above the community sites. Which doesn't explain Gaming Steve, hmm.

[bapenguin]

That's a shame, the earlier interview you did with them was top-notch.

But then this close to release, I'm sure their PR strategy is going for the big corporate sites above the community sites. Which doesn't explain Gaming Steve, hmm.

They were doing a press tour actually. I knew about a while a go, Pete had told me it was coming up. But when it actually came up and they came to NYC I was never told. :(

[bapenguin]

The one nice thing that comes from this interview is Pete's explanation of the Achievement system on the 360. The way he describes it shows the beauty of it when used correctly by the developers.

[Deathbane27]

First post was too long. :p

Preview of his preview: He was able to do a LOT more this time, and game is really looking fantastic, not just visually. Lots of fun. First 3 were very tough to get into, but this one almost has like a GTA approach in that it's very clear on how to get into the main quest, but if you want to just go around and dungeon crawl and whatever, you can. "Just enough" hand-holding, not going to feel shoved on you. Full preview next week! Blow-by-blow description of the game! I'm even more excited now than before! It's going to cure cancer! (J/k -Deathbane :p)

END

[Citizen Philip]

Thanks for the play by play. I'm glad I didn't download it to hear : Fallout 3, not at E3.

[GoblinToe]

Thanks for the summary, Deathbane. You saved me over an hour.

Couple thoughts on Oblivion:

1) This game is going to be modded on the PC beyond belief. The other day I thought about reinstalling Morrowind, so I went to the official forums to check out the mods available. WOW. Words can't describe how impressed I was with how the modding community has taken to Morrowind. It's possibly the most modded PC game next to The Sims franchise, I'd wager. That's a good thing. The modding community is still very much alive, and ripe for doing some serious work as soon as Oblivion is released.
Just in case someone from Bethesda is reading this, this is probably the single most reason why Morrowind and Oblivion are must have titles for me. Watching what the community does with the game is equally as entertaining as the original game was, sometimes even more so! The skills of the mod community are astonishing. The Rhedd's Heads mod, for instance. The first time I saw this guy's face replacements for Morrowind my jaw hit the floor.

2) Morrowind was awesome. Hands down. But the combat and magic system were abysmal. When I think of Morrowind, I can't help but think if they had just improved combat, balanced the game so you weren't a god at level 11, and added a party based system....holy shit, it would have been epic beyond words.

Also, for some reason, I always felt I was pulling a 1000 pound sack of rocks with me. Maybe it was the animations. Or maybe that I was encumbured. I'm not sure, but it sucked, and nothing in the game ever relieved that sensation. Even now I can't explain it, but I hope horses in Oblivion address this.

I finished the main quest in Morrowind, but the horrible combat kept me from moving on to the the two expansions. Probably my loss, though. Which is why I was considering reinstalling.

I'm hoping Bethesda addresses some of these issues with Oblivion (obviously not the party based system, though). Regardless, it's a day one purchase for me.

3) Azura's Star was awesome!

[Atorak]

Wow Deathbane, thanks for the info man. You just saved me an hour of my life!

Not much new info, but a few bits and pieces are good. Glad to hear they are really at the end of the 11th hour at this point. Maybe they will actually hit the March 20th shipping date?

Translation: ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION IN EXACTLY ONE MONTH!

[Deathbane27]

Maybe they will actually hit the March 20th shipping date?

Translation: ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION IN EXACTLY ONE MONTH!


If I could go back in time and remove my post at the exact moment you clicked on this thread, to punish you for you stupidity, I would.

[Atorak]

If I could go back in time and remove my post at the exact moment you clicked on this thread, to punish you for you stupidity, I would.

LOL! Harsh, but hilarious. Therefore, I shall let it slide. :)

[Rendelius]

This kinda pisses me off. They skipped right over EvilAvatar for this press tour. No chance for us to get a hands on, etc.

Neither for us at RPGDot, although this is because the european distributor failed to contact us after they were contacted by Pete.

[Rirath]

I love part where he says they have a release date in mind, are supremely confident they'll hit it, and may be ready to say what that date is in about two weeks. Current guess floating around the net from various German ads and clues is March 21st or 24th. Plus there's a whole lot of good info on here you just can't get from a quick transcribe. (Even though I agree every podcast should come with a text version.)

It's more than worth your time to actually listen to.

[Draft]

Thanks for letting us know there is actually no Fallout information at all.

[Deathbane27]

LOL! Harsh, but hilarious. Therefore, I shall let it slide. :)http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7114/exquisite.jpg