Oblivion

pH

I wanted so much to like this game, but the whole leveling thing is in the back of my mind constantly while playing. It's pretty, but there is no credibility or sense of immersion. Its a set of linear quests that run side by side if you want to.

The game looks incredible, not just the graphics but the spells and the movement.

Reviews done by people who've done more than stare at the shiny graphics are starting to see the gameplay issues:
http://www.computergames.ro/site/p/articles/o/review/lng/en/artid/748/page/7/lng/en/articles.html

The Radiant AI is certainly not what was initially touted

And finally, why can't games make use of the Havok engine, except to ragdoll corpses? Yes the traps are OK, but comeon! we all played the last levels of HL2 - now imagine what should be achievable using a cool magic system and Havoc!!!!

Dooom

CiDeRmAn wrote:

A dumb question perhaps but the combat seems so random, just flailing about with a sword until one of us, usually me, is dead.
Any ideas?

Block and Power Attacks are your friend. Wait till the enemy attacks, block and then when he's stunned momentarily from the block, smack him.
Also, if you get the distance and timing right, a power attack can knock out an enemy in one hit.
Depends on strength and some other abilities though. Stealth also can be handy, sneak up on an enemy, and either melee or range attack him and it'll give you a damage multiplier.

I'm loving this game though. Currently playing as a custom class and working as an assassin/thief/gladiator. I'll get around to joining the Blades eventually when I've stopped being so evil.
My only complaint about this game is the life-sappingness of it - started playing yesterday at about 9pm, when I next looked at my watch, it was just after 12am.

Not to mention the graphics (1280x1024, everything maxed, HDR but no AA). Smooth as butter, bar a few bits.
Was coming back from the Cloud Ruler Temple last night, and as I was coming down a hill towards the Imperial City, the sun was rising.
Nearly brought a tear to my eye.

Ri_Nollaig

well that 84 was a lowest ive seen with the highest been 10/10, which overall says to be "an incredible game". there are always things that could have been done just that bit better but its impossible to please everyone, like what you could have prefared someone else could have hated. i was browsing throught elder scrolls fourms and i saw someone complaing about the having to wait for certain times to meet people and complete quests! i personaly love that idea but just shows. i have a few problems with the game, but only slight and more nip picking then anything.

pH wrote:

Its a set of linear quests that run side by side if you want to.

so what exactly is non-linear?

So Glad

Good news. Mods and patches have been releases. Get them here:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/downloads.html

mcgovern

I shouldnt have read this
CDWOW ****ed up on my pre-order, so probably wont have it until next week some time....
I WANT IT NOW!!

madrab

just cancel your booking & bite the bullet & buy it in xtravision, its only 40 ish

Headshot

Irish GrumPy wrote:

yeah, he has actually.

no i havent
have i said where the glades are and who tells you to go there etc

does any body know how i get these tears

BlitzKrieg

oo i just became a vampire...fun fun fun.

there's some estate north of anvil, went to sleep in his slave quarters woke up the next morning with neck bite? so uhh crap. b*sterd turned me. I think...

mcgovern

madrab wrote:

just cancel your booking & bite the bullet & buy it in xtravision, its only 40 ish

Its for the 360 since my PC still refuses to turn on (would have been nice to see it on that, high enough powered machine) so 65-75, and they posted it (eventually) yesterday so can't cancel anyway

FranchisePlayer

I got oblivion yesterday and I have played it for four hours so far.I am a dark elf with sword skillz and thiefery.I joined the dark brotherhood and the blades.A very good game.I have got a horse aswell.

Zillah

BlitzKrieg wrote:

oo i just became a vampire...fun fun fun.

there's some estate north of anvil, went to sleep in his slave quarters woke up the next morning with neck bite? so uhh crap. b*sterd turned me. I think...

Its done very well isn't it?

I love how the more you feed, the more human you are. If you don't feed you become more and more vampiric but become more and more powerful. Class.

Also, super spoiler: The emperor is a daedra!

Nah im lying. That was fun tho.

Dooom

Quick question for ye vampire folk:

If you become a vampire, and not feed for a while - ie. become more vampiric, can you revert back to a more humanlike stage by feeding? Or is it a one way ticket?

Pugsley

Spike wrote:

Quick question for ye vampire folk:

If you become a vampire, and not feed for a while - ie. become more vampiric, can you revert back to a more humanlike stage by feeding? Or is it a one way ticket?

Vampirism is a disease, that starts off at 25% (confers +5 to all skills, no sun damage, immune ti disease), then goes to 50% after a day (10 to all skills, 1 sun damage), then 75% after another day (15 to all skills, 4 sun damage), then 100% after another day (20 to all skills, 8 sun damage, nobody will talk to you). After 100% there will be no further change, you will stay at 100% until cured/fed, when you feed you go back down to 25% and the timer starts over again, you never reach a stage it cant be reversed.

mcgovern

Holy crap, some Irish guy has all 1000 points for this already....

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=Sycther

Illkillya

I wrote what I thought about it on my site here. Initially I was disappointed, because it to me it felt almost the same as Morrowind and the boredom I experiened after playing Morrowind to death for 8 months now carried through to Oblivion.

The Arena changed that... the fighting is so much better in Oblivion, theres actually skill and strategy required, rather than just stats. I was a lowly level 3 with no magic items when I went to the arena, and fought my way to champion in one session, gaining a few levels and 4000gold along the way. More importantly, I learned how to adapt my fighting strategy to different opponents. When my shield broke against some fast attacker, or when I had to switch to dagger against the 3 argonians, I was so caught up in the fight that it reminded me of descending into the volcano at the end of Morrowind, or into that scary place in Daggerfall where you get the quest from someone surrounded by Vampire Ancients/lichs. I didn't think Oblivion would be able to offer this, since it looked like I'd seen it all before (same oul mages guild, same oul fighters guild, same oul rats, scholar lost in mountain cave, find me some herbs, find me a book, etc.)

One thing though.. whats the story with murdering people? I tried to kill a woman on the inn-boat while I was at sea, but I could only knock her unconscious and then she'd come back to life afterwards.

madrab

Illkillya wrote:

I wrote what I thought about it on my site here. Initially I was disappointed, because it to me it felt almost the same as Morrowind and the boredom I experiened after playing Morrowind to death for 8 months now carried through to Oblivion.

The Arena changed that... the fighting is so much better in Oblivion, theres actually skill and strategy required, rather than just stats. I was a lowly level 3 with no magic items when I went to the arena, and fought my way to champion in one session, gaining a few levels and 4000gold along the way. More importantly, I learned how to adapt my fighting strategy to different opponents. When my shield broke against some fast attacker, or when I had to switch to dagger against the 3 argonians, I was so caught up in the fight that it reminded me of descending into the volcano at the end of Morrowind, or into that scary place in Daggerfall where you get the quest from someone surrounded by Vampire Ancients/lichs. I didn't think Oblivion would be able to offer this, since it looked like I'd seen it all before (same oul mages guild, same oul fighters guild, same oul rats, scholar lost in mountain cave, find me some herbs, find me a book, etc.)

One thing though.. whats the story with murdering people? I tried to kill a woman on the inn-boat while I was at sea, but I could only knock her unconscious and then she'd come back to life afterwards.

think its story dependant characters cant be killed, but randoms can

Tank Top Fever!

mcgovern wrote:

Holy crap, some Irish guy has all 1000 points for this already....

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=Sycther

think he has the 1000 from Perfect Dark Zero aswell, dedicated oul gamer

Cravez

Does anyone know what the "grab" button does? iv tried using it but to no avail

CiDeRmAn

Thanks for the earlier advice, the game seems to simply soak up every available gaming minute, getting Animal Crossing for the DS tomorrow and expect my time away from the 360 to be just as packed!

On a complimentary notem having skimmed through the pages of this thread, it's nice to note no signs of snobbery between 360 and PC owners of this game, refreshing seeing as fan-boys can often spoil cross platform releases.

That said, wonder how it would play on a revolution with THAT controller amd on the the PS3 with that sort of graphics power and a standard hard drive, lets not forget that on the 360 it runs without it!

ShiverinEskimo

Anyone come across someone who can train folk in heavy armour?

I can barely pick up anything because of all the heavy armour i'm wearing but without the heavy armour i'm a dead man. I think a journeyman in heavy armour begins to reduce the weight on each piece...

Cant find the trainer anywhere.

Cravez

ShiverinEskimo wrote:

Anyone come across someone who can train folk in heavy armour?

I can barely pick up anything because of all the heavy armour i'm wearing but without the heavy armour i'm a dead man. I think a journeyman in heavy armour begins to reduce the weight on each piece...

Cant find the trainer anywhere.

At the "Best Defence" armour store in the market place of the capital city is the guy who sells heavy armour, he trains you in it also.

Pugsley

ShiverinEskimo wrote:

I think a journeyman in heavy armour begins to reduce the weight on each piece...

You get a 50% weight reduction at Heavy Armour skill of 75 (expert), and 100% reduction at 100% (master), however this only applies to the armour your wearing, as for training it, as Cravez said, 'The Best Defence' in the market district is your best bet, he can train you up to 70, managed to get my alt up to 100 heavy armour skill by level 15 by using him pretty regular (between using the Argonian in Chorrol to level up my Merchantile).

Michael Cravez wrote:

Does anyone know what the "grab" button does?

Think of it like a short range version of the HL2 grav gun, you can pick up things and move them around, can be useful is theres a body lieing over a weapon you want to pick up, you can also pick up weapons/armour and drop them on traps to set them off, not that useful 99% of the time, but is necessary from time to time.

[CrimsonGhost]

mcgovern wrote:

Holy crap, some Irish guy has all 1000 points for this already....

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=Sycther

Ehh, can someone explain to us PC gamers what exactly that is about?

Vegeta

A very useful way to use the grab button is if you are close to being encombered(sp?) but want to bring that ebony curiass back to a village just pick it up with grab walk to the market place.

If fast traveling be sure to put it in your inventory first then drop it when you get to your location and use grab again. Its not implemented very well though, they haven't used the havok engine half as well as they could have

Vegeta

[CrimsonGhost] wrote:

Ehh, can someone explain to us PC gamers what exactly that is about?

When you join guilds or get promoted within guilds or in general complete important missions you are awarded a number of points, i believe each game for the 360 has 1000 points to be unlocked. These points add up for all games and eventually you can have thousands of points to show how much of a hardcore gamer you are.

Tank Top Fever!

Vegeta wrote:

When you join guilds or get promoted within guilds or in general complete important missions you are awarded a number of points, i believe each game for the 360 has 1000 points to be unlocked. These points add up for all games and eventually you can have thousands of points to show how much of a hardcore gamer you are.

or ten thousands

Vegeta

Tank Top Fever! wrote:

or ten thousands

Nice one, you must love EA sports games

Tank Top Fever!

Vegeta wrote:

Nice one, you must love EA sports games

feel free to have a gander at my live profile, just NBA Live in there that I scored points off (Tiger Woods is also there, but I brought it back after a day)

anyway, silly argument, back to Oblivion

Karl Hungus

Where's a sword trainer?

ShiverinEskimo

It would seem I have opened a flood gate of where is x trainer.

Surely there's a list constructed somewhere.

In light of these questions the map should have had a number of options attached for identifying trainers/types of merchant/guilds etc - colour coded or what have you.