Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Rasix]

You'd be surprised how much you start playing on your computer once it's hooked up to a TV or, in my case, to a home theatre system.

Fuck that, I need my batcave.

[Soln]

Bought it.  Impressed with start.  Had a CTD at the very beginning where you have to choose who to go with, but it was fine since it was midnight on a work night.

Someone got any links to UI controls or help?  And no, I'm not trying to be an ass  

EDIT: oh and freaking Steam download I think took only 2hrs?  Wow.  It was screaming fast.

[Bunk]

Hit F to set as favorite in inventory or spell menu. Can only hotkey favorites.

Q to open quick menu, 1-8 to set hotkeys in that menu, or click with the mouse button you want it on.

Same hotkey twice to equip to both hands for spells.

Current statuses/debuffs are under the Magic Menu

Shouts, and where you spend dragon souls to activate them are on the magic menu.

Option in the setup to switch which mouse button does which hand - may or may not feel more natural for you.

Hold down E while pointing at an object to manipulate it in the world.

[tmp]

Not sure if it's glitch or a spoiler so spoilered just in case. About dragon lifespan.

[Ingmar]

Playing on the 360 I have no problems with the UI other than I do miss the paper doll, I really can't understand why it wasn't included.

Wait, no paper doll at all ?  Not even a piccie ?

No, as is par for the course for Bethesda games now, you can spend all kinds off effort getting your character to look just right, and then you never see it except occasionally in brief flashes with kill shots and such.

[Samprimary]

Well, okay. I got through the honeymoon phase. I'm happy to say that the general mechanics of Skyrim are wonderfully upgraded, and this game is leagues better than Oblivion for multiple reasons. To the extent that I'm guaranteed to actually finish this one.

However, whoever's consistently in charge of these games still has the same general problems they've always had as designers. They really get married to terrible ideas because they sound good and then stick with it no matter how many opportunities they have to be shown that the initial concept is really shitty and/or frustrating and drag a lot down with it.

This time around, it's the UI and the visual and interface structuring of the game, in particular the perks system! They're all like "see the skill trees should be like the star constellations!" and they latch themselves to the idea wholesale, and in the end the perk system is not designed intelligently around making tree investments relative to their general utility, it's designed around making the tree investments look like a constellation. So it's incredibly shitty to navigate around, and entire chunks of the whole thing are really stupid. Like, for instance, the lockpicking tree has to look like a lockpick! Making an already dubious investment dead-zone completely and utterly retardedly avoidable, because it's such a weird sequence of chaining towards perks that are completely not worth the investment to climb up the tree. You also can't navigate the whole thing worth a shit; it's pretty frustrating. Good job, guys. You made the skill trees look like star constellations, just like you wanted. And ignored everything that was bad about this just to stick with the idea.

[stray]

Playing on the 360 I have no problems with the UI other than I do miss the paper doll, I really can't understand why it wasn't included.

Wait, no paper doll at all ?  Not even a piccie ?

No, as is par for the course for Bethesda games now, you can spend all kinds off effort getting your character to look just right, and then you never see it except occasionally in brief flashes with kill shots and such.

I play it almost full time in 3rd person (which feels a lot better than oblivion btw), so I see my character enough. If you sheath your weapon, it's easy to spin around and view them too.

I'm on the 360 though. Maybe it's easier here?

[Tannhauser]

On PC, I can easily go to rotate my camera around my character and see him and even play in 3rd person so I'm not sure what the issue is.

[Paelos]

On PC, I can easily go to rotate my camera around my character and see him and even play in 3rd person so I'm not sure what the issue is.

What would be easy is hitting "I" and seeing what you are wearing.

[Tannhauser]

OK I see.  Also, is anyone playing a dual-wield toon?  I'm interested in how that is.

[stray]

OK I see.  Also, is anyone playing a dual-wield toon?  I'm interested in how that is.

I was tempted to in the beginning. On the controller, it was easy enough (corresponding triggers for each weapon). It would have been my second choice, but I figured I should save the idea if/when I make a more rogue-ish character.

[Ingmar]

It isn't clear to me what the advantage is of having the second weapon - does it swing faster?

[tmp]

You can attack with both weapons so that's in theory twice as much damage, and there's a combined power attack you can trigger holding down the attack keys for both hands, iirc.

[Ingmar]

Ah I don't think it occurred to me to try to swing both of the weapons simultaneously since THAT MAKES NO GODDAMN SENSE. Ahem.

[stray]

You could get two spell effects too (although so far, I'm not sure how much difference that makes. I'm still happy with a vanilla steel sword  ).

[tmp]

I dunno if it's possible to do it together, but maybe you can alternate left-right swings for higher combined damage? I only played with it for few minutes and went back to my 2-hander

[stray]

Also, don't forget that you can dual wield staves or combo with sword and spell in one hand.

[Ingmar]

I dunno if it's possible to do it together, but maybe you can alternate left-right swings for higher combined damage? I only played with it for few minutes and went back to my 2-hander

Right what I'm wondering is why swinging left-right-left-right would be more damage than just swinging right-right-right-right - unless it lets you get more swings in less time that way, or whatever, was just wondering if the game actually does anything with that.

[Samprimary]

You could get two spell effects too (although so far, I'm not sure how much difference that makes. I'm still happy with a vanilla steel sword  ).

Heh, dual-wield lifeleech on swords would probably be a far better defensive benefit compared to wards and shields.

[tmp]

Right what I'm wondering is why swinging left-right-left-right would be more damage than just swinging right-right-right-right - unless it lets you get more swings in less time that way, or whatever, was just wondering if the game actually does anything with that.

Yeah i was thinking maybe it'd allow to start the left-swing animation before the right-swing animation would end or something to this effect, but from some quick testing it doesn't really seem to be the case. Aside from the hold-both-buttons special there doesn't appear to be any benefit then, unless the game simply combines the weapon damage, or smth... well, maybe if you have each weapon enchanted with different effect but that's quite situational.

[stray]

I wonder if there are "types" of damage (piercing, slicing, crushing)?

Probably not...

But I did notice with a sword and dagger, for example, that the dagger lunged more. Kind of like a renaissance dueling style. It didn't seem easy for opponents to parry.. I was getting more killshot animations with it.

[Tannhauser]

Under the 1H tree are two dual skills: Dual Flurry and Dual Savagery.  DF boosts attack speed and DS stacks with other power attacks boosting  damage.

[Sky]

You'd be surprised how much you start playing on your computer once it's hooked up to a TV or, in my case, to a home theatre system.

Not sure if it's glitch or a spoiler so spoilered just in case. About dragon lifespan.

I believe it's a glitch. The skeleton was embedded in the front door to Whiterun one day and stayed there for maybe a game day (boogying around) and then it collapsed out of the air into the courtyard where it stayed for another game day or so, now it's gone.

[stray]

I've clearly played too much DA2. In addition to recognizing Fenris, the elf Elenwen is the actress who did Meredith.

[Nija]

You'd be surprised how much you start playing on your computer once it's hooked up to a TV or, in my case, to a home theatre system.

Yeah, same.

Unpaused so there is some strange looking idle animation motion blur going on.

106", shot taken at about 15 ft from screen. Batcave.

[rk47]

Man, the UI....I'm getting this tonight on PC, let's hope mods will fix it.

[Soln]

Hit F to set as favorite in inventory or spell menu. Can only hotkey favorites.

Q to open quick menu, 1-8 to set hotkeys in that menu, or click with the mouse button you want it on.

Same hotkey twice to equip to both hands for spells.

Current statuses/debuffs are under the Magic Menu

Shouts, and where you spend dragon souls to activate them are on the magic menu.

Option in the setup to switch which mouse button does which hand - may or may not feel more natural for you.

Hold down E while pointing at an object to manipulate it in the world.

many thanks!


EDIT: how do I exit the take-inventory screen??  And what does "store" do?  Is there a manual?  Im on Steam so will look in a bit.

[Sky]

Tab out of windows. On the loot screen, R puts the selected item into the container. In the inventory screen, R drops it.

[NiX]

Don't get too excited. I moved it back to my desk tonight because "big comfy couch mode" actually isn't comfortable for me.

[Cyrrex]

Just do what Nija is doing, then.  It's what I do.


Seriously people, why you don't all own a projector is something I wll never understand.  Greatest toy ever.  If I was single, I would never own a real TV or monitor.

[Sophismata]

Not everyone likes the couch gaming set-up.

Not sure if it's glitch or a spoiler so spoilered just in case. About dragon lifespan.

I believe it's a glitch. The skeleton was embedded in the front door to Whiterun one day and stayed there for maybe a game day (boogying around) and then it collapsed out of the air into the courtyard where it stayed for another game day or so, now it's gone.

[stu]

inc Skyrim bebbeeeeehh

http://www.ripten.com/2011/11/16/couple-completes-real-life-skyrim-quest-name-baby-dovahkiin-sam-n/

...own a projector is something I wll never understand.  Greatest toy ever.  If I was single, I would never own a real TV or monitor.

I always heard stuff about games overworking the bulbs on projectors and never found out for myself. Seems kinda silly now that I think about it. I'd love to get one.

[Sky]

How do you figure the dragon skeleton moving twice isn't a glitch?

Also had a generic blood dragon I killed near a sawmill suddenly appear (still dead) on a bridge.

On projectors: too limited imo.

[Cyrrex]

On projectors: too limited imo.

How do you figure? 

In my former house in the US I had a double ceiling in my living room.  I could whip out the projector and play games on something like a 250" screen (complete with great surround system, of course).  There is no comparable gaming experience, period.  I love my 52" Samsung LCD, but it does not have near the fun-factor of the projector.

[koro]

So someone mocked up a vastly improved UI for Skyrim:


It's sooo good, but now I'm actually kind of mad that it's going to be months (if ever) before we get something approaching that level of usability.

Edit: And for any pure mages out there who are thinking of or already have grabbed the Dual Casting perk for Destruction, don't bother. I just discovered it's a 10% damage increase for 40% extra magicka cost. It is just not worth it unless you have the perk that lets your dual casted Destro spells stagger an enemy; even then, if you are fighting something that's so tough and has so much HP that you need the stagger to keep it away from you, you're going to run out of magicka before you kill the thing anyway due to the extra costs outstripping the damage bonus.