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Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim


lazygecko
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I think the dungeon variety this time is a lot better than in Oblivion and even Morrowind. But sadly it's true that Bethesda are just plain sub-par at game design/balance and they never seem to get better at it. Not just the awful level scaling, but also the fact that if you even give the slightest thought to minmaxing, the game quickly crumbles into a ridiculous exploit-fest.

Mods are pretty much essential for Beth games, I couldn't ever imagine actually enjoying them on a console. Having Obsidian make a Fallout game with their engine really showed just how much better other devs can be apart from the world design.

The biggest leap forward for Skyrim was the presentation. I never found Oblivion all that impressive thanks to the butt-ugly aesthetics and animation quality 1 generation behind the rest of the industry. Other things were slightly improved, or same as in Oblivion, or actually worse as is the case with the so obviously rushed and shallow quests. They really should just let Obsidian handle that stuff for them, but it seems unlikely as Elder Scrolls is their "baby" unlike Fallout.

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the beautiful thing about skyrim (and why it is so popular, acclaimed, and financially successful) is, ironically, everything the screencap ragefag noted. Bethesda lays out a plethora of axes for the gamer to function upon, but does not force the gamer into any role at all. The gamer is completely, absolutely FREE to do whatever he wants, and to set the parameters of his own adventure. What this guy is mad about is not the game, but his own laziness and inability to step out of his usual role as merely an audience. A game like skyrim is simply NOT for him, whereas a game like, say... World of Warcraft, would be his cup of tea.

Skyrim is not about presenting the player with an adventure, but to empower the player to craft his own adventure.

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I disagree quite a bit with that post. I think combat is fun/varied, the world is gorgeous (and fun to travel through), there's tons of customization, etc. He's right that the dungeon design is a little lame since there are few archetypes, but given how good everything else is... I can't complain. Easily one of the best games I've played in awhile.

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I disagree quite a bit with that post. I think combat is fun/varied, the world is gorgeous (and fun to travel through), there's tons of customization, etc. He's right that the dungeon design is a little lame since there are few archetypes, but given how good everything else is... I can't complain. Easily one of the best games I've played in awhile.

i usually play thief character so sneaking and killing in the shadow is my way to go, but with skyrim i like the Shield / 1H weapon system so far.

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I'd like to say that this is the first game in the series to really pull me in, and a lot of that has to do with the immersion factor. The world just feels... alive to me. After 200 hours, I had to call it quits for a while.

Also, the new character designs rock. I can finally be a proud Khajiit without looking like a total moron.

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Creation Kit is coming out any time now, but there's been some noteworthy mods released still without it.

Wars in Skyrim - This dramaticly overhauls the random encounters you get outside the cities. Very customizable/modular. It's also updated fairly often with many additions so it's worth keeping an eye out for updates.

Extended Slider Colors - Now you can make an orc with actual green skin. Or a pitch black dark elf. Or a pink khajit.

Realistic Ragdolls and Force - I haven't had any awkward ragdoll positions after installing this.

Categorized Favorites Menu - A favorites window that actually makes sense for PC.

Various Guard Outfits - Gives the guards actual unique uniforms as opposed to mere palette swaps.

This Japanese blog is worth browsing for mostly cosmetic mods. They list more than just the ridiculous anime stuff.

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  • 3 weeks later...
^Great looking dungeon! Beyond designing the architecture, what all goes into something like that / what's left? Item and enemy placement, insertion into the world somewhere...what all is involved with finishing something like that?

Cluttering is the catch-all term for placing items, furniture, candles, rubble and all that sort of detail. Then there's navmeshing which is basicly AI pathfinding for NPCs. Then you need to do the lighting, sounds, scripts, and finally optimizing so it runs smoothly.

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