Tes 4: Oblivion Preview

EpidemicEpidemic Dark Force Gorge Join Date: 2003-06-29 Member: 17781Members
edited October 2004 in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Yeah!</div> <a href='http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/558955p1.html' target='_blank'>GameSpy</a> just made a 5 page long preview article on the newest installment in the TES serie. www.elderscrolls.com have also updated with a concept art, an update and some screens <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Here's some teasers
Concept art
<img src='http://static.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_concept/ob_concept02B.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<a href='http://static.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_concept/ob_concept01B.jpg' target='_blank'>http://static.elderscrolls.com/images/art/..._concept01B.jpg</a>
Screenies (actually in-game)
<a href='http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/558/558955/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063829484.jpg' target='_blank'>http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/articl...21063829484.jpg</a>

<a href='http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/558/558955/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063825657.jpg' target='_blank'>http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/articl...21063825657.jpg</a>
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Comments

  • RustySpoonRustySpoon Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18069Members
    O.M.F.G

    Pwn yer ponce?

    Eagerly expecting this one. Hope they do something about the AI though.
  • DragonMechDragonMech Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <b><i><u>WEWT!!!</u></i></b>
  • JimmehJimmeh Join Date: 2003-08-24 Member: 20173Members, Constellation
    Maps look purdy like before, but if the characters still look like **** then someone will die.
  • RustySpoonRustySpoon Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18069Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-Jimmeh+Oct 22 2004, 12:50 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Jimmeh @ Oct 22 2004, 12:50 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Maps look purdy like before, but if the characters still look like **** then someone will die. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I dare say, they look like secks, judging by the OMG screens
    in the review I saw in some magazine some time ago.
  • EpidemicEpidemic Dark Force Gorge Join Date: 2003-06-29 Member: 17781Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-RustySpoon+Oct 22 2004, 06:46 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (RustySpoon @ Oct 22 2004, 06:46 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> O.M.F.G

    Pwn yer ponce?

    Eagerly expecting this one. Hope they do something about the AI though. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Read the article! It state how the AI will be handled along with alot of other things, I think it really sounds good <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->

    It's going to be based on PC/xbox2 and POSSIBLE ps3 <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • coilcoil Amateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance. Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Agreed; the characters in morrowind were terrible. Speaking of which, I ought to reinstall that now that I have a non-crap computer.
  • KungFuSquirrelKungFuSquirrel Basher of Muttons Join Date: 2002-01-26 Member: 103Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Looks fantastic, but needs to tone down the bloom. I imagine it'll look better on a TV than in these screens, though.

    I still gotta play Morrowind... Doh. And a friend is even releasing his own campaign for it this weekend...
  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    <a href='http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/558955p1.html' target='_blank'>Here</a> is the review...

    Indeed it looks absolutely beautiful. Here are some more screenies, courtesy of bandwidth stolen from Gamespy. Not really new, but still just absolutely breathtaking.


    <a href='http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/558/558955/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063817080.jpg' target='_blank'><img src='http://media.ign.com/thumb/971/971600/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063817080_thumb.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /></a> <a href='http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/558/558955/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063818924.jpg' target='_blank'><img src='http://media.ign.com/thumb/971/971601/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063818924_thumb.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /></a>

    <a href='http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/558/558955/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063820658.jpg' target='_blank'><img src='http://media.ign.com/thumb/971/971602/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063820658_thumb.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /></a> <a href='http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/558/558955/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063822751.jpg' target='_blank'><img src='http://media.ign.com/thumb/971/971603/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20041021063822751_thumb.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /></a>

    But what I find to be even more amazing is what the team intends to pull of in terms of gameplay...

    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->"We've realized how much combat people really do in a game like this and made it more of a priority to get it right," Howard continued. The Oblivion team actually developed three entirely new combat systems and did extensive testing on them all before settling on the one that will be in the final game. The basic idea of Oblivion combat is to impart the 'kinetic energy feeling' of guys bashing each other with swords. The game will have a number of special moves available and blocking is actively under player control, not automatic. As a result, timing moves, shielding yourself, and responding to the enemy becomes a key strategy in fighting.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Still, if there's one thing that reveals the game as a next-generation product, it would be the forests. Anyone even remotely familiar with game technology understands why RPGs like dungeons more than forests. Dungeons mostly consist of straight lines; forests, on the other hand, consist of trees -- and trees, with their millions of different sized and shaped leaves, are an absolute nightmare to render with any speed. That's what makes the forests of Oblivion so remarkable: the fact that they look so unremarkable. Looking at a forest in Oblivion is pretty close to looking through a window in Bethesda's office. The technology used to create these landscapes combines procedural generation of the ground based on soil type and years of erosion, places trees based on species and random growth clustering, and make a grass base on regional patterns, all of which create randomized yet realistic woodlands. When combined with full canopy shadows from the trees, Oblivion truly takes you to another place.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->"We're really focusing this time on how people in the world react to you, because that's the most fulfilling thing about being good or bad or in-between." The game sports a new "Radiant AI" system that Howard says is best described as a combination of Ultima 7 and The Sims. Rather than following pre-scripted paths, every NPC is given a set of general goals they'd like to achieve, but the details of fulfilling that goal is entirely up to them. If a citizen is hungry, they'll look for a way to get food. They might buy food, hunt it, or steal it, then find a place to sit to eat and so on. This means that every one of the game's 1,000 NPCs follows a full 24/7 schedule that continues whether or not the player is there to witness it. It also means that the NPCs react to each other, so a townsperson who decides to steal a loaf of bread in full view of the guards may find himself under arrest.

    It also means that everything the player does in the game that's witnessed by NPCs is processed and remembered by them, who will then use that information to decide how to react to you. Interactions are governed by what the player has done to them, what groups or guilds they're both a member of, whether the player has messed with anyone in their family and what their general reputation in the Empire is. Players who just watch the NPCs going about their daily lives will often witness townsfolk in unscripted dynamic conversations gossiping about what's going on in the kingdom and what rumors and news is currently hot.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I didn't even like Morrowind, but this info has really got me excited. If they actually deliver this stuff as promised it has the potential to revolutionize the entire RPG genre.
  • CrSCrS Join Date: 2004-03-03 Member: 27096Members
    Could anyone plz tell me when we could expect this game to arrive in stores? Those screenshots look absolutely amazing. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    2005-ish. Maybe 2006 if (or the next-gen consoles) get delayed.
  • esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
    A little more eye candy (Which is now my desktop image)

    <img src='http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/obliv/obliv02B.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

    This game looks un-freaking-believable, and the proposed game changes and such are all awesome. I loved Morrowind to pieces, and i'm sure i'll love this one just as much. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    I like the low res tombstone texture.

    I'm just foolin' with ya. This game looks pretty enough to be almost as good as the Unreal 3 engine. But not as good. Certainly not as good.
  • EpidemicEpidemic Dark Force Gorge Join Date: 2003-06-29 Member: 17781Members
    Uh, it was a tech demo with creatures up to 6 million polies.. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • LikuLiku I, am the Somberlain. Join Date: 2003-01-10 Member: 12128Members
    Holy sh*t. Awesome. I wonder if it'll come with an editor like TES3.
  • booogerboooger Join Date: 2003-11-03 Member: 22274Members
    morrowind was nice, and this seems to take the cake. i sure hope it does. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • ZelZel Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12861Members
    Liku, it says it comes with an even better editor, because the first time around the designers didnt expect anyone to want to use the editor, this time they know better and are trying to make it stronger and more useful.

    im not excited about the graphics, everything has graphics, but the review said that the NPC AI would be fully interactive, the townspeople can rob stores and be put in jail, the guards can have real conversations with each other, and shopkeepers will remember your being nice to their families!

    wowow
  • Soylent_greenSoylent_green Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11220Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--QuoteBegin-Epidemic+Oct 22 2004, 07:58 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Epidemic @ Oct 22 2004, 07:58 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Uh, it was a tech demo with creatures up to 6 million polies.. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    The UT demo had creatures with a few thousand polygons each. The high polygon meshes with millions of polygons that they showed you where NOT in game, they where used to generate normal maps.
  • Marik_SteeleMarik_Steele To rule in hell... Join Date: 2002-11-20 Member: 9466Members
    edited October 2004
    Guys, guys, you're forgetting what's really important here. Forget The Elder Scrolls 4.
    <i>Bethesda is making Fallout 3</i>. The screenshots are nice, but the news about what will make TES 4 better than TES 3 is what's really getting my attention. The moment I see the proposed improvements to NPC interactions in Bethesda games, I'll be much more confident in their ability to make the sequel to 2 of the 4 best RPG's of all time.
  • DragonMechDragonMech Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--QuoteBegin-Marik_Steele+Oct 22 2004, 10:59 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Marik_Steele @ Oct 22 2004, 10:59 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Guys, guys, you're forgetting what's really important here. Forget The Elder Scrolls 4.
    <i>Bethesda is making Fallout 3</i>. The screenshots are nice, but the news about what will make TES 4 better than TES 3 is what's really getting my attention. The moment I see the proposed improvements to NPC interactions in Bethesda games, I'll be much more confident in their ability to make the sequel to 2 of the 4 best RPG's of all time. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    <b><i><u>DOUBLE WEWT!!!</u></i></b>
  • GWARGWAR Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2297Members, Contributor
    <!--QuoteBegin-Jimmeh+Oct 22 2004, 11:50 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Jimmeh @ Oct 22 2004, 11:50 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Maps look purdy like before, but if the characters still look like **** then someone will die. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    <a href='http://www.psychodogstudios.net/' target='_blank'>http://www.psychodogstudios.net/</a>

    Better Bodies and better heads, probably the best plugins you can get for MW.


    .... I want TES4 <b>BAD</b>. I was addicted to MW for the longest time, Oblivion must be like heroin for gamers <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • ZigZig ...I am Captain Planet&#33; Join Date: 2002-10-23 Member: 1576Members
    so this one's supposed to be fun? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->

    kidding, it looks awesome.. i just didn't enjoy morrowind because i have such a combat fixation and the combat didn't do it for me. have they said anything about that aspect of the new one..?
  • SoulSkorpionSoulSkorpion Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 423Members
    edited October 2004
    Sif link to the screenshots but not the actual review <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->. Thanks, Doomy.

    Now, as for the article itself...

    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Blocking a blow is manual, for instance, but the effectiveness of that block is determined by your character's block skill -- things like how much damage the block absorbs, how much fatigues it causes and so forth. Striking an enemy with a sword is no longer random, but the amount of damage caused is a function of strength and weapon skill.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    ...and...
    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->...This means that every one of the game's 1,000 NPCs follows a full 24/7 schedule that continues whether or not the player is there to witness it. It also means that the NPCs react to each other, so a townsperson who decides to steal a loaf of bread in full view of the guards may find himself under arrest.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Thank Azura! About freaking time.

    The one thing more I would like to see is <i>some</i> dynamically generated content. I'd like to be able to, say, accept fighter's guild missions on a regular basis without the supply drying up. Oh, and it'd be nice if it were possible to obtain respectable amounts of gold through remotely normal means (other than harvesting uber items from daedra to sell), and to obtain respectable equipment by, say, buying it from a shop (rather than harvesting uber items from daedra).
  • coilcoil Amateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance. Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    <!--QuoteBegin-GWAR+Oct 23 2004, 01:58 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (GWAR @ Oct 23 2004, 01:58 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-Jimmeh+Oct 22 2004, 11:50 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Jimmeh @ Oct 22 2004, 11:50 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Maps look purdy like before, but if the characters still look like **** then someone will die. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    <a href='http://www.psychodogstudios.net/' target='_blank'>http://www.psychodogstudios.net/</a>

    Better Bodies and better heads, probably the best plugins you can get for MW.


    .... I want TES4 <b>BAD</b>. I was addicted to MW for the longest time, Oblivion must be like heroin for gamers <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    The link to Better Heads doesn't seem to be working... any ideas?
  • DragonMechDragonMech Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--QuoteBegin-coil+Oct 23 2004, 12:53 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (coil @ Oct 23 2004, 12:53 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The link to Better Heads doesn't seem to be working... any ideas?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    It worked for me - try this link: <a href='http://fantasyfreak.netfirms.com/' target='_blank'>Linky</a>

    It should be an option (top row, on the right)
  • coilcoil Amateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance. Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Ah, I see. I hate poorly laid-out webpages.
  • DefianceDefiance Join Date: 2003-12-01 Member: 23847Members
    Wow... leet screenshots...

    /me wants
  • SuddenFearSuddenFear Join Date: 2003-06-21 Member: 17571Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Bethesda doesn't want "hundreds of hours of gameplay" to consist of a few minutes of fun punctuated by hours of boring traveling. Instead, the game will include a revised fast travel map that will hopefully eliminate a great deal of the annoying repetitive travel over long distances.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Pfft, for me that was what made Morrowind so absorbing. Many of my best moments came from shrugging off the silt striders and boats, instead travelling over long distances via the trusty foot. Get off the boring road as quickly as possible, climb a slopey mountain and see how many joyous views and discoveries I can find on the way. The only problem were those damn cliff racers.. ;/

    But yay for a combat system that isn't pure suck. Thief had an excellent and simple combat system back in <i>1998</i>, even though the swordplay was always for a last ditch escape. Frustrated me on how no RPGs (that I know of) picked up on it and instead kept relying purely on random dice rolls.
  • Bosnian_CowboyBosnian_Cowboy Join Date: 2003-06-07 Member: 17088Members, Constellation
    Suddenly I don't feel so bad about these guys making the next Fallout game.
  • moultanomoultano Creator of ns_shiva. Join Date: 2002-12-14 Member: 10806Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    Those forests pwn my pance.
  • tankefugltankefugl One Script To Rule Them All... Trondheim, Norway Join Date: 2002-11-14 Member: 8641Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    <span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>!</span>
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