Zilla
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and
Jens said on his twitter the best estimate for 1.8 is September 8th. Fun.
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[hide=New Screenshots (Races)]
Argonian
Orc
Dark Elf
Khajiit
Wood Elf
Nord
Redguard
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I haven't seen a screenshot showing Altmer so I'll keep adding as I find them, and new information of course:
-Joinable Factions: Rebels with branching path quests (Stormcloaks) and Riverwood Tavern Warrior Clan.
-Pickpocket skill provides greater RP opportunities and much more realistic thievery for thieves.
-Myriad options for face-paint.
-Even minor NPCs have much more complexity and depth compared with Oblivion.
-Character Generation remembers your settings when switching between races
-You can persuade various random NPCs to accompany you and they feel like fleshed out, interesting companions.
-There are six different stages to crafting items. The first two are: Refining crude ore and Assembling materials.
-More realistic alchemy labs.
-In addition to alchemy ingredients there are also reagents.
-Some spells can be learned by reading spell tomes, while others can be bought from merchants.
-Hand to Hand attacks have a much improved gravity and physicality.
-There are more ways to complete quests.
-Lockpicking mini-game is improved.
-There are bards in the game.
-You can choose not to spend perk points each level, and hold onto them instead.
-During Character Generation you can add laugh lines to your character.
-There are dozens of sliders for character creation.
-Aurora Borealis is confirmed.
-You can have animal companions.
-Bosmer "Animal Allies" Racial Ability confirmed.
-NPCs can throw rocks if they are on a bridge above you
-Glow Worms confirmed.
-Killable Bees and insects confirmed (you can harvest bees from beehives).
-Fast Travel costs money.
-Perks do not stop at level 50.
-There are more types of poison.
-Bosmer are immune to most types of poison.
- Mud crabs are in the game.
- You can have as many or as few quest markers active as you like.
- Magicka, health and stamina slowly regenerate over time.
- You no longer need to sleep to level up.
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New picture featuring a Dunmer.
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Notch posted a new mob on his google+ account.
They look like creepy long armed monsters, and they can carry blocks too.
I'm scared guys. :unsure:
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Found this on NeoGaf:
Today we've got answers to the Skyrim fan interview!Big thanks to Todd Howard, Matt Carofano), and Bruce Nesmith for tackling the questions. Also want to thank Lady Neverar for helping grab questions from the community.
Without further ado...
Skyrim Fan Interview
Todd Howard, Game Director
Bruce Nesmith, Lead Designer
Matt Carofano, Lead Artist
1) Will the character be able to change into certain creature?
Todd: Weve done various things like that in our previous games, and its something that we probably wont be talking about specifically on this one. Dont read anything into that, we just prefer to not discuss this one. Wed like to leave that an open question until the game is out.
2) What sorts of cosmetic options, like beards, tattoos, or body proportions, are available? Can we edit them later in the game?
Matt:
There is large amount of customization available for each race. You can choose from multiple hair styles, beards, scars, and face paint. Each race and gender has a light and heavy build and you can pick any level in between. Weve completely redone our facial system, and were really excited to show off the results.
3) Is armor handled like in Oblivion (with each body part being welded together) or in Morrowind (with each body part separate)? Will you be able to wear both clothes and armor at the same time?
Matt: The armor system is very similar to Oblivions. The main difference is that the upper and lower body armors, the cuirass and greaves, have been combined into one piece. This helps create armor styles that have the look we needed for Skyrim. In most of the Nordic designs we created, the upper armor would completely cover the lower armor, making it unnecessary. We get much better visual results combining those pieces, and it renders a lot faster too, so we can put more people on screen, so that was an easy tradeoff for us. We can also make a lot more armors now, so the number and variation types are more than weve ever had.
4) Are the main and faction quests branching or linear? What about side quests?
Bruce: Weve focused on telling one story well. There are decision points in all the quest lines that can change things, but overall its a single story. Because the side quests are smaller stories, they are more likely to have major branches. For example, you can decide to save or betray someone, which changes the whole end of the quest. Overall the quest structure in Skyrim is closer to Oblivion than Fallout 3, in that there are many more quests, but they have fewer branches.
5) Are loot and quest rewards level scaled, like in Oblivion? Will there be any powerful un-scaled items?
Bruce: Were handling leveling stuff similar to how we did in Fallout 3, but with a few new twists that we hope players wont even notice. The enemies and loot are based on the encounter zone youre in, so it could be higher or lower level than your current level. We do have a new concept of epic or special loot that you can randomly find in many cases, regardless of the zone, and you will still get better stuff in the better zones with your level higher. Same goes for quest rewards. We try to make them appropriate for what you did. Sometimes that is random, sometimes that is a set item. Theres a lot of specific stuff that is very powerful, like the Daedric artifacts.
6) Will items present in Morrowind but not in Oblivion, such as spears, medium armor, and mark/recall spells, be making a return?
Todd: They are not in Skyrim for the same reasons we didnt include them in Oblivion. Ill address each one. First spears, the truth is wed love to do them, but it becomes a priority and development time thing for us. We feel its better to spend our time right now making sure the gameplay for the other play styles is really solid. That includes sword, sword and shield, two-handed weapons, and bows. You can also add magic to that list. Getting those all working well together, while feeling different, is our priority.
As far as medium armor, thats not a time or polish thing, its a design choice to focus on two armor types and making sure those feel different and the player appreciates them. We try to make your character move and feel different between light and heavy and having a 3rd one in the middle just muddies it up in how it plays, as well as visually. And even now, we still have to tweak those two armor types so they feel different, while remaining fun. Every time we slow down heavy armor more, it feels bad, but its the main way of balancing it. Weve added other ways of balancing it that feel rightlike different stamina drain rates when sprinting and such.
Mark and recall is one where its a lot of fun, but like levitation, was removed so we could design better gameplay spaces and scenarios. We were really limited in Morrowind because the player could recall or levitate out of many situations and break them. There was a lot of good gameplay and level design work that we just couldnt do and now we can. Back then it seemed like many good ideas we had were shot down when another designer would say oh yeah, I just levitate or recall away. So we got rid of them.
7) Will we be able to have relationships with the NPCs, romantic or otherwise?
Bruce: Absolutely! You make friends with people by doing things for them. Friends in the game will treat you differently. Some of them will even agree to go with you into dungeons and on adventures. You can even get married. If you own a house, your spouse will move in with you.
8) Are there any new armor/weapon materials unique to Skyrim?
Matt: One of the most prized and rarest sets of armor is made from dragons. It can be forged in both a light and heavy variant. Youll see a return of many armors from previous games, such as leather and steel, however these have been redesigned in the Nordic style.
9) Can we have some specifics about the PC version of the game? How will it's UI be different? Will there be a 64-bit executable?
Todd: 64-bit specific exe? Not at this time. As far as UI, it visually looks the same across the platforms, but the controls are entirely different. Theres also a lot of power user stuff we do with the keyboard from how favorites work, to quick saves, and more that is similar to what weve done before in that area. Were packing a lot of info on the screen and the whole interface is much less look at giant fonts! than, say, Oblivion. The PC version also gets higher res textures, larger render modes, and a bunch of other effects you can scale up if your machine is a beast. Last but most important, is the Creation Kit well be releasing for the PC. Modding the game and making it your own is very important to us and our fans, so were going to keep doing whatever we can in that area.
10) How will enchanting work in Skyrim? Will we have to constantly refill our enchantments with soul gems like we did in Oblivion, or will it be more like Morrowind in which the weapons recovered after a certain resting period?
Bruce: The method in Oblivion worked really well, so we kept it. Magic weapons use charges and have to be refilled with soul gems. Magic armor is always on and doesnt need to be recharged. Soul gems and their lore and usage are a staple of the Elder Scrolls.
We have revamped the enchanting system though. Enchanting is now a skill. The better your skill and perks, the better you are at creating enchanted items. Youll be able to find enchanting stations all over the world, which will make it much more accessible.
There are some changes from Oblivion, including the effects you can use when creating items, as well as how you learn effects. You now learn enchanting effects by breaking down a magic item you find, as opposed to them coming from spells you know. This allows us to separate enchanting from the other magical skills better.
11) What are the differences between the races? I guess they'll have different skill bonuses, but will they also start with different perks or have different "hard-coded" attributes, such as different running speeds or maximum encumbrance, etc.?
Todd: They each start with some skills that are higher by default, but those arent hard to overcome with another race in a short time. They also have different starting spells and each has its own passive abilities, like before, as well as powers, like before. So Khajiit can see in the dark, Orcs have a berserk power, Redguards have Adrenaline Rush, and so forth. They work differently in the new system, but the flavor is the same. We kept all the racial movement speeds the same, thats now a factor of what youre wearing and have equipped. And starting max encumbrance is the same and is based on your Stamina attribute.
12) Is there any game content (story, quests) that might be locked for a character based on race/faction/politics allegiances/morality/choices? Or one can experience all the content in one single play?
Todd: We do have some stuff that gets locked out based on decisions you make. Its wherever it felt natural. It wasnt a goal that you could or couldnt play everything with one character. The games honestly so big that we dont think about it much.
13) To what extent will our racial / gender selection at the start of the game will affecting our gameplay? Are there relationships affected by these choices?
Bruce: Your race is very important. Its more than just how you look. Each race has a bias toward certain types of characters. If you want play a wizard, it will be easier with a High Elf or a Breton. If you want to play a warrior, it will be easier with a Nord or a Redguard. However, just like in Oblivion, we dont force you to follow that bias. If you want to be a Nord wizard, thats completely viable.
Gender does not change any initial skills or abilities. There is nothing that men do better than women or vice versa in the game. Other characters will recognize your gender and address you properly. Some may have prejudices for or against a particular gender as a part of their character, but it wont change what you can or cant do.
14) Do you plan to include non lethal ways of defeating opponents??
Todd: Depends on what you mean by defeat. We have various stealthy ways of getting past people, and the various poisons and spells allow you to basically render enemies harmless to you, whether that is casting a calm or fear spell, knocking them down, or something else.
Oh, and we now have tavern brawls that are non-lethal! I love those.
15) Will boss fights involve interesting mechanics involved as opposed to just more health and hits harder?
Todd: We have many new combat behaviors in our AI that makes fights with certain enemies very dynamic and interesting. It matters what the enemy can do. Dragons, for example, can do lot of things from multiple shouts, bombing runs, picking guys up, and more. An enemy that has a sword and shield, a bow, magic spells, and potions will use all of those things, and those fights are the most interesting. But we also design some combat encounters where the player simply may get mobbed by more simple enemies, and those have a different pace and strategy.
16) Do companions have skill and perk trees we can train?
Bruce: No, you only manage your own. Though companions often have certain perks so they behave different or better.
17) Is the culture in Skyrim strictly Nordic, or are there places (like Cheydinhal in Cyrodiil) that show influence from other cultures nearby, like architecture, religion, etc?
Matt: While there are pockets of other races in the game, we focused on the Nordic culture and their regional differences. The architecture between cities is dramatically different and reflects how the Nords live in that area.
18) So, the dragons are big and powerful. Did you include some destructible environment so they could leave marks and scars everywhere they attack? Can they demolish buildings, break trees, start avalanches, burn houses, things like this that emphasize their power?
Todd: They do leave marks and scars everywhere, but as far as destroying buildings and such, its rare. It does happen, but not a lot. Systemically destroying our spaces is something we have not found a good way to handle yet, because its so dynamic. Were dealing with places that we have NPCs living, and providing quests and other game services. Its something we avoid in every game unless we can specifically wipe it off the map, like Megaton.
19) Will there be any difference between the animation sets of male and female as well as human-like and 'beast' characters?
Matt: The animation system is completely new and dramatically improved. You will notice huge difference from previous games. There are differences between male and female animations, and even beast races have some specific animations.
20) Will any sort of karma system be incorporated like there was in Fallout, or will it be the Fame/Infamy system of Oblivion?
Bruce: We dont provide a numeric score that you can track, but the game knows if youve been naughty or nice. We felt that a number really didnt do your fame justice. Characters in the world will acknowledge the specific things you have done rather than just a generalized reputation. If you are a criminal, theyll know that too. But if you pay your debt to society, all is forgiven.
21) Will crafting (weapons, armor) be effected by the tools you use as well as the ingredients used in the crafting? Such as the hammers and clippers, mastery level of the weapons and your level? Basically, will I be able to produce a more powerful, or even unique, weapon if I use a master hammer or clipper as opposed to novice?
Bruce: The blacksmiths shop includes a forge, a grindstone, and a smithing bench. You can improve your weapons at the grindstone. The higher your skill, the more you can improve them, and the more damage theyll do. Same thing for armor with the smithing bench, only the armor rating gets better. The forge is actually used to create new weapons and armor from raw materials.
22) Will your character have a voice? So that you can hear yourself having a conversation with other people?
Todd: You do have a voice, but you only here it in grunts and shouts. So we have recorded for each race and sex you can play, all the different combat grunts, as well as the dragon language shouts.
23) Obviously every character is "Dragonborn", but not every character will be playing the same way. The question is: Will dragon shouts support all types of characters? Are there long ranged shouts? Some kind of stealthy "shout"?
Todd: Yes, the shouts support all character types. Were not ready to talk about the other shouts yet, but soon enough.
24) Are there going to be places where you can use nature to your advantage? Like make a trap out of a falling tree or climb a tree to stealth attack an enemy?
Todd: Yes and no. You cant make things, but our environment is so dense, youre almost always using the natural terrain to get an advantage, especially with stealth.
25) Will you be able to carry on after the main story?
Todd: Yes, absolutely.
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Jens put up an image on Google+, same with Notch.
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http://notch.tumblr.com/post/7009276212/trickling-information-about-the-adventure-update
I wonder what kind of new combat mechanics they are adding. He did mention a while back that he wanted to have weapon swings do more damage if you're falling downward. So if you jump and then swing while falling down from it, you'll hit harder.
I'd like to see bows act differently, too. Something similar to the bow in TF2 would be nice.
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http://blogs.battlefield.ea.com/battlefield_bad_company/archive/2011/06/15/late-night.aspx
Console footage of BF3 tonight.
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I was making a reservoir in my world when this happened. Oh wonky water physics.
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Thinking about Halo:A it makes me wonder.. They said they are adding in easter eggs such as terminals, what are the odds of them adding other non game-breaking changes like wildlife? Anybody remember the Thorn Beast from the 2000 Trailer? I haven't been following HaloGAF for a while but I remember Frankie saying something along the lines of: "We have other things added we haven't talked about yet which will make you 5% happier"
What do you think they -may- have added? I sure wouldn't mind Alien dinosaurs wandering around.
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I found the same footage from before, but without any of that annoying commentary and higher quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW5egaQ1y4w
[hide= New Screenshots ahoy!]
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[hide= Some gifs]
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY9CDnf05Lw
40 Dollars and the same old Halo CE pistol. I think that confirms a buy for me. <3:
EDIT: If I heard it right, did he say that there would be something like a switch which lets you change it back and forth (HD/Classic) on the go?
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More info from the magazine:
- The city of Whiterun is surrounded by brown and green tundra
- Mammoths travel in herds, and usually with giants. Attack one mammoth, and you'll get the entire herd after you.
- An attacking dragon is decribed as "picking up a Giant's body in its claws"
- Dragons can sometimes back eachother up in combat (though it's not common)
- Not every dragon is a "fire" dragon. There are other types.
- One of the boss-level enemies is called a "Draugr Overlord"
- Ward spells are a magical "shield", and are an effective alternative to using a corporeal one.
- The three crafting systems in the game are enchantment, alchemy and smithing.
- The dungeons in Skyrim are Bethesda's way of making a more "scripted, dramatic" experience
- You can loot giant's noses and toes.
Minecraft General
in Off-Topic
Posted
I'm enjoying these rivers passing through mountain biomes quite well.