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Author Topic: Skyrim  (Read 21566 times)

kryyst

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« on: November 11, 2011, 11:30:40 AM »
Shall we start the discussion?

I'm not going to do a full all encompassing Review of the game. It's huge, my time is limited and there are already many good reviews out there. So instead I'll just keep updating this thread with my observations and interesting experiences as I go along.

I've started my journey into Skyrim (360 version). Unfortunately I've only had a chance to play for about an hour which was enough time to make a character get out of the intro area and do a little exploring.

Comments so far:
Graphically it's a definite improvement from Oblivion. Everything has more detail to it. The level designs feel more organic in every way. Ruins are crumbling, bricks are missing, stuff is scattered around a tunnel will change dimensions as you walk through it. Oblivion did this pretty well, but Skyrim just does it much better.
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Now here is the biggest change (at least in my opinion) 3rd person. The game is fully playable in 3rd person. So far I've flipped between 1st and 3rd and I actually find that not only is 3rd person playable I prefer it to 1st person. Running around in 3rd person shows off your character and his armour. Not to mention a better sense of your surroundings. Combat in 3rd person also is completely possible and fun as is general interaction in the world. So 3rd person fans rejoice. Skyrim will work well for you.

You can read the rest of my comments here
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Narf the Mouse

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« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2011, 01:33:53 PM »
*Is installing Skyrim now* :)

Oh, hey, I'm a "Senior Member". *Grasps an imaginary cane* "When nine hundred years old you are, look this good, you will not."
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thedungeondelver

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« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2011, 11:19:22 PM »
Can't stand third person but I understand the want/need with the inferior first-person controls you get on a console.  I've been playing it off and on all day and am enjoying the hell out of it.

I just beat the living crap out of a bard with my bare hands.   He was harassing a local merchant (who was also a widow) and she paid me 250gp!

I guess money's not as tight in Skyrim as it was in Cyrodiil or Morrowind.
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kryyst

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« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2011, 12:35:31 AM »
First person works well on the console 3rd person is just a preference.  I find myself more connected to my character when I can see them.  Regardless of the which format is better battle.  The game rocks.
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daniel_ream

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« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2011, 01:31:18 AM »
First person on a console always feels like I'm playing through the wrong end of a telescope.  I'm glad to hear the third person support exists and is playable.

Apropos of nothing, one of the hardest core gamers I know cannot stop raving about, of all things, Spyro's Skylanders.
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Narf the Mouse

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« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2011, 01:35:47 AM »
Quote from: kryyst;489300
First person works well on the console 3rd person is just a preference.  I find myself more connected to my character when I can see them.  Regardless of the which format is better battle.  The game rocks.
Huh, with me, I connect more with my character in first-person than third-person. Possibly because it feels more "doing", less "watching".

Also, Dragons! :)
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Ghost Whistler
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« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2011, 07:16:45 AM »
Tis big and lovely, but i haven't installed due to some weird bug with textures not loading (console version).
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danbuter

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« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2011, 07:32:48 AM »
I have the PC version, and I've already cleared four big dungeons and am a member of the Companions. I'm having a blast.

The game is buggy, though. I've had it quit and drop to desktop five or six times now.


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Silverlion

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« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2011, 10:28:34 AM »
I hate you all (not really), because I am poor and cannot afford it.
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thedungeondelver

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« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2011, 01:41:07 PM »
Quote from: Silverlion;489354
I hate you all (not really), because I am poor and cannot afford it.


On the upside it's on Steam, so look for it around the holidays; it may hit the $30 mark PDQ.
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Mcbobbo sums it up nicely.

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crkrueger

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« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2011, 06:59:23 PM »
Haven't bought it yet (although it is inevitable), I have two friends playing it now on the PC who say the interface and controls are obviously console-ported and so are awkward compared to what you would get on a true pc-designed title, but they also say after a while you get used to it so it's not a deal-breaker.
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danbuter

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« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2011, 02:49:49 AM »
I've been playing the heck out of the PC version.

- Turning controls are really awkward with a mouse.
- Occasionally I get dropped to desktop for no apparent reason.
- The game is beautiful and a lot of fun.
- Leveling is much better now, as skills only go up with use. You can choose skill bonuses when you level to specialize.
- You can die very easily in combat.
- SAVE EARLY, SAVE OFTEN. I'm kind of annoyed a regular auto-save isn't implemented.
- Some quests are confusing and not well explained. And going into the quest log does not help, as you just see the objective, but not the text from the quest-giver.
- You can set steam to run in offline mode, which I do.
- What happens if steam goes bankrupt tomorrow and shuts down?
« Last Edit: November 13, 2011, 03:31:50 AM by danbuter »
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danbuter

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« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2011, 04:22:25 AM »
A good hotkey for PC explanation. Read the comments for various known bugs you may find:  http://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comments/m8tnk/guide_how_to_use_18_hotkeys_for_items_and_spells/
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Pseudoephedrine
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« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2011, 05:28:12 AM »
I'm a werewolf treasure-hunting alchemist who screams people off of cliffs. In human form, I look like an ex-marine turned thrill-killer, with a white handprint across my face, bloodshot eyes and a receding hairline. I've killed three dragons, cleared a bunch of dungeons (over a dozen by now), and am debating going into politics.

Boss fights are a drastic improvement over Oblivion. Each of the four dragons I've faced acted differently - one didn't even come down to engage me, it just circled overhead menacingly before soaring off. The undead bosses in the barrows have been interesting as well. Leveling is slower, and the power seems flatter than Oblivion. It has actually made melee combat interesting (especially once you start unlocking moves) and useful (invest in a few of the low level perks and upgrade your sword to sky-forged with a superior edge). God-tier builds are less obvious (it is almost impossible to not beat Oblivion handily as a Breton sorcerer with conj-resto), though Breton resto-warrior is working well for me.

I find the game easy, but I'm coming off of Dark Souls, so my perception may be skewed. I've only died a handful of times, and those are mostly at the same spots multiple times (the robbers at Nifheim, the Silver Hand leader) until I figure out the optimal strat. Alchemy is still the way to beat the game's economy, which I'm still fine with (currently sitting on around five and a half thousand gold just from random grabs as I journey around). The game's compass icons are totally incoherent, with many of them making little sense. Two similar things may have totally different icons, while two extremely different things may have the same icons.

I am attempting to be less obsessive about Bethesda games, so I have vowed not to engage in a gridded search involving opening every door and container in the game (which I did in Fallout 3, no hyperbole), but I am enjoying exploring a new world, always the most fun part of the game for me.
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Narf the Mouse

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« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2011, 12:41:04 PM »
Quote from: danbuter;489515
I've been playing the heck out of the PC version.

- Turning controls are really awkward with a mouse.
- Occasionally I get dropped to desktop for no apparent reason.
- The game is beautiful and a lot of fun.
- Leveling is much better now, as skills only go up with use. You can choose skill bonuses when you level to specialize.
- You can die very easily in combat.
- SAVE EARLY, SAVE OFTEN. I'm kind of annoyed a regular auto-save isn't implemented.
- Some quests are confusing and not well explained. And going into the quest log does not help, as you just see the objective, but not the text from the quest-giver.
- You can set steam to run in offline mode, which I do.
- What happens if steam goes bankrupt tomorrow and shuts down?

"...That looks familiar. *Checks* Huh, yep. Same person."
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.