Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

[Murgos]

They are still in the promise the world phase but I can't help but get excited every time I see some new info on this game.

Game Banshee Interview

I STILL have Morrowind on my hard drive and even fired it up a few days ago (though only for a few minutes to check out a mod).  If Oblivion can live up to its promise and is as modable as Morrowind I am sure it too will spend years on my harddrive.

[Rodent]

If the game offers me a large world like Morrowind did but without the need to jump a million times to increase my strength, and added likable characters and a story I actually give a rats ass about this game could be really really good.

The screenshots are pretty though.

Edit: While not vital, here's hoping it won't crash every 15 minutes either.

[geldonyetich]

Here's hoping they adequettely tweak it this time.    Morrowind was missing a complete rebalance or three to really be all that enjoyable.   Good thing they included the world building kit.

[schild]

Morrowind sat on my hard drive for years until last week. Intensely boring, empty, and depressing would describe that game for me.  As open ended as Grand Theft Auto with the vast emptyness of space.

Bo-ring.

Somehow, I'm excited about Oblivion. I don't understand it myself.

[Kenrick]

adequettely

[geldonyetich]

adequately.  I imagine if I type that about 50 times my fingers will remember that well enough.   Ah well, at least I didn't flub an easy word.    My spelling is, if nothing else, adequate.

[Kenrick]

On second glance, that image I posted is blatantly pedophilic... and it's hosted on an elementary school's website!

[trias_e]

In my opinion, while there were other flaws with the game, the only thing that kept Morrowind from being a good game was the godawful NPCs, and hell if they can fix that but keep the huge gameworld then I'd be pretty happy.

[Megrim]

Yea that dress is way too short. Maybe she isn't a kid though, just a midget (this is how i plan to excuse myself, yes).

 - meg

[Rasix]

In my opinion, while there were other flaws with the game, the only thing that kept Morrowind from being a good game was the godawful NPCs, and hell if they can fix that but keep the huge gameworld then I'd be pretty happy.

The amount of running around didn't help much either.  Bad quest journal, crappy combat, stupid mob AI, bad skill buiding, quests that go nowhere..

Game just needed a lot more polish and a hell of a more interesting main plot to be worth it.  I think everytime I ended up trying to dive into the main plot, I'd make it a little past getting cured then just give up in boredom.

The level of freedom and diversity in play style, however, was amazing. I wish more games would leave it as up to you as Morrowind did.

[sidereal]

Gothic was a better Morrowind.  Worse graphics, but it managed to weave a good story into an open world.  And you could buy weed.

[trias_e]

Always wanted to play that.  How was Gothic 2 as well, and would you recommend playing them both in order?

[Ardent]

They better choose a readable font for the in-game text this time. I mean, good Christ, what were they thinking??

[Windurst]

Um...  I can read that font just fine.

[Signe]

The gazillion bugs I suffered from in Morrowind made me cry.

[Sobelius]

I was given the GoY Ed. and was really hoping to like it. So far it just hasn't really grabbed me. The amount of background/world detail was also overwhelming and I kept thinking -- which of these things should I feel like paying attention to? Am I expected to hold any of this in my own mind/memory or just completely forget about it between play sessions? In the end, there was no real drama -- nothing pushing me forward, nothing to compel me to move on.

And looking at that screenshot -- yikes! Talk about designing in a million shades of brown.

[Alkiera]

Morrowind had a similar effect on me.  I think part of it is their skill/stat/level system.  It blows.  Lots.

Alkiera

[Calantus]

I loved morrowind, but the first development of a character nearly killed me everytime. I'm not a powergamer who has to power a character through a game unless I desperately want to be in the endgame (UO when I restarted ages ago for instance). But I have to make sure that my character isn't permanently weakened ever, and that they don't miss anything I might regret later. This made morrowind hell because you get HP as per your endurance, and you cannot retroactively get HP through endurance gains. This meant every damn character had to spear enemies, and have fishies beat on them while wearing medium and then heavy armor in order to raise endurance the max amount evey level. Then I had to raise the other 2 stats by 5 every time. It was muder, and I couldn't stop. That's why it's on my harddrive but I never use it. I want to play it, but I can't bear making a new char and going through all that shite again.

[trias_e]

That sounds like a problem with being obsessive, not necessarily with the game itself  ; )

[kaid]

Morrowind was basically a huge solo mmrpg. The world was very similar to most mmrpg in size and things to do but running around all by yourself you quickly can see the gaping nothingness of it.

Also I cannot believe they spent that long making the world pretty and had the most asstastic character models I have ever seen. It says something when the first thing people mod are faces that don't make you want to stab your eyes out.

kaid

[Paelos]

Morrowind was fun for me since being a thief/assassin was pretty cool in a world where you could steal pretty much anything. My main gripes were the sucky map, the selling cap issues, and the overall story line being too easy to complete. The world was really cool and immersive, and the thieve's guild missions were by far my favorite.

[Righ]

I loved morrowind, but the first development of a character nearly killed me everytime.

I went through exactly the same thing. I threw out my first character when I realised how the level-up worked. The second character was made in the way you described. However, I soon discovered that it was wholly pointless, as a few choice items were all an ordinary character required. The next time through I just went and picked up the good items, as I knew where they were. You also don't need to spend weeks standing at the vendor buying and selling so that you can make a fortune, although you do the first time you discover the trick.

I do think that both the character development and vendor limits are things that should have been changed. I did enjoy the game, even though I hated the palette, and wasn't enamoured with the graphics.

[AcidCat]

I really liked Morrowind. I enjoyed just exploring the countryside and taking over houses and redecorating them with odd items.... it was relaxing in an odd way.  I never got too far in the main quest and eventually just got bored. Really looking forward to the sequel though ... with this and Battlefield 2 it may be time to finally get a new PC.

[Calantus]

You also don't need to spend weeks standing at the vendor buying and selling so that you can make a fortune, although you do the first time you discover the trick.

Fun fact:

You can make millions upon millions of gold making and selling potions at lvl 1. You can also drink down a whole bunch of INT potions, make more powerful INT potions (INT increases potion effects), drink, make more potions, etc. Then you make some END potions that boost your endurance by multiple thousands and last for weeks. Then you level up and gain thousands of HP per level. Then you can use your money to make spell effects that can cover whole towns and do enough damage to kill everyone living there several times over, and have the mana to cast it.

Unfortunately the character is then worthless for play beyond a few gankfests so it defeats the point. But it's fun the first time.


EDIT: Oh, and my point. If Oblivion is setup in such a way that I can just play the game without having to worry about gimping my char (whether this is true ot not my mind wont allow me to let it go), then I'll definately get it. Otherwise it's not worth my sanity.

[WayAbvPar]

I dug Morrowind. I am EKA, so the big ass map was interesting to me. Trudging to the same town for the 400th time was a bit less so, but it sounds like they have addressed that in Bolivia (as Mike Tyson might say). I will buy it on day one.  As long as there are no fucking cliff racers.

[sidereal]

How was Gothic 2 as well, and would you recommend playing them both in order?

Have not played it.  The reviews are baddish, for what that's worth.

[Sky]

I still have to get back to finish Gothic II, it's a fun game. The engine holds up better, I have it drawing out to an absolute sick distance. I'm about a third of the way into it, many, many hours. I'd say it's as good or better than the original so far.

In hindsight, it's one of my favorite franchises of all time, since Garriot apparently forgot how to make good games back in the 90s and Reynolds is making RTS.

If anyone hears of a an english version of the expansion to Gothic II, please let me know! I'd love to get it. And Gothic III is in the oven. And looks great. Some really good development coming out of Europe last few years.

While I was grabbing that jowood press release, I didn't realize Nival (evil islands, etherlords) made Silent Storm. Coolness.

[Bunk]

I loved morrowind, but the first development of a character nearly killed me everytime. I'm not a powergamer[/u] who has to power a character through a game unless I desperately want to be in the endgame (UO when I restarted ages ago for instance). But I have to make sure that my character isn't permanently weakened ever, and that they don't miss anything I might regret later. This made morrowind hell because you get HP as per your endurance, and you cannot retroactively get HP through endurance gains. This meant every damn character had to spear enemies, and have fishies beat on them while wearing medium and then heavy armor in order to raise endurance the max amount evey level. Then I had to raise the other 2 stats by 5 every time. It was muder, and I couldn't stop. That's why it's on my harddrive but I never use it. I want to play it, but I can't bear making a new char and going through all that shite again.

Based on that paragraph, yes you are a power gamer.

Most of my characters have never had above 30 endurance. If I want to play a tank, I make an orc and start with high end. If I play a mage, I don't care what my hitpoints are, the plan is to never let anything get close enough to hit me.

If balance is a worry, there are tons of mods available to make the game harder, easier, whatever floats your boat.

[Nebu]

Morrowind sat on my hard drive for years until last week. Intensely boring, empty, and depressing would describe that game for me.  As open ended as Grand Theft Auto with the vast emptyness of space.

Bo-ring.

Somehow, I'm excited about Oblivion. I don't understand it myself.

Aren't you the one that called Morrowind a "walking simulator"? Maybe that was Haemish.  

I too had Morrowind sit on my hard drive for years never getting enough ambition to play it more than in bits & pieces.  It seems to be a nice, open-ended game for those that enjoy that sort of thing.  I found many of the quests to require endless strolls in the countryside unless I was willing to look on some hint sight... which I wasn't.  That and the dark tone of the game made me move on to new things.  

On the whole, I really enjoy games that are social or test my puzzle solving skills... this game seemed to offer neither. It's very well made.  I just never got sucked into it.  I'll wait and see what the rest of you say about this expansion before I reinstall the game.

[HaemishM]

No, I called Project Entropia a walking simulator, because that was all you could do without spending money.

[Nebu]

No, I called Project Entropia a walking simulator, because that was all you could do without spending money.

I misquoted Haemish about the wrong game while managing to say something stupid.  

Quick, what do I get for hitting the trifecta?

[HaemishM]

We'll start calling you a bisexual furry.

[Polysorbate80]

All I want to know is, will pixelized boobs be making a comeback?  That's why I never bought Morrowind; they cheesed out on including the nudity.

....

No, I'm not kidding.  Pathetic, is it not?

[Murgos]

All I want to know is, will pixelized boobs be making a comeback?  That's why I never bought Morrowind; they cheesed out on including the nudity.

....

No, I'm not kidding.  Pathetic, is it not?

Other people added it back in, quite well too.

[Riggswolfe]

I have a love/hate relatiosnip with Morrowind.

The world is loads of fun to explore. You can find things to do in the weirdest places. The expansions added alot more as well. I also enjoyed alot of the fan made mods.

However, the NPCs were boring. The world really felt like an MMO in its death throes. I kept expecting to run into one or two other people somewhere.

I am tempted by Oblivion but they have to make the NPCs actually seem something vaguely like a person. If they do that I'll give it a chance.