Cyan's *Must-Have* Skyrim Mod Recommendation Super-Gush Thread - daily updates

[Deleted member 11852]

I am a bit worried about the infinite quests as that reminds me why I quite Oblivion and Fallout, the quests mainly were boring and they weren't even procedurally generated.
I got sidetracked doing the sidequests and often forgot what that main quest was alla bout.
Hopefully the main quest is interesting in Skyrim.

Having played EverQuest, EverQuest 2, WoW and Oblivion I think it's fair to say that with a few exceptions, like highly scripted main story quests, the vast majority of RPG game quests tend to fall in a narrow range (kill a, steal b, infiltrate c, escort d, follow e, goto f, collect g) or variations of stringing one of more of these together. But if Bethesda have done a good job on the procedural quest generation, with the exception of missing bespoke voices, there's no reason that the generated quest should be any less interesting than main story quests. I'm trying to be optimistic here

 

[patsu]

What's happening with the UC3 disc?

His PS3 doesn't want to read his UC3 disc. Other discs work fine.

EDIT: Nevermind, problem may have gone away:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1596537&postcount=1442

 

[pjbliverpool]

How do you complete infinite quests!?! . Seriously though, this sounds good but I'm curious how deep it goes. If its simply go to X, then <random verb> Z then it will get old fast but if Radiant really is generating quests based upon your past deeds, reputation, faction and so on, that will be quite cool. I played Oblivion for several months but eventually exhausted the quests and you feel you are being artificially pushed out of an area through lack of meaningful things to do.

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

Sounds like an amazing idea IMO - as long as the procedural missions don't get in the way of the scripted missions and aren't used to pad them out. The ideal use of this for me would be that they only kick in once all (or most) the scripted quests in a given area have been completed.

I don't want to have to play 100 procedural quests just to finish the last of the scripted quests.

 

[Sigfried1977]

I really thought I was past the horrid waiting-for-the-new-game thing, heck I'm 40!! GTA IV was the last title I anticipated this much but man, I so want it NOW! House impeccably clean, all books read, no surplus tv left to watch. I'm killing time today reading the TES wiki and getting some background to the new world. Dragons check. Vampires check. Werewolves (quick YouTube search http://www.youtube.com/watch?src_vi...annotation_id=annotation_138363&v=6eoWsCISWvA) niiiice. Geography check, political system check.. plenty more to read now where's my damn package, Royal Mail!?!?

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

Hehe, tell me about it. In the knowledge that amazon.co.uk won't make the Friday release date for me since I live in Germany, I opted for the outrageously expensive 1 day shipping option. Monumentally stupid (it's almost the price of an extra game), but I couldn't help myself. Thank god the Pound to Euro exchange rate is almost 1:1 at the moment, so it's not that much more expensive than buying it here.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Having played EverQuest, EverQuest 2, WoW and Oblivion I think it's fair to say that with a few exceptions, like highly scripted main story quests, the vast majority of RPG game quests tend to fall in a narrow range (kill a, steal b, infiltrate c, escort d, follow e, goto f, collect g) or variations of stringing one of more of these together. But if Bethesda have done a good job on the procedural quest generation, with the exception of missing bespoke voices, there's no reason that the generated quest should be any less interesting than main story quests. I'm trying to be optimistic here

Mechanically that may be the case, but it simply won't be a match for custom made quests with well written back stories, and the Bethesda games had a surprising amount of those.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Mechanically that may be the case, but it simply won't be a match for custom made quests with well written back stories, and the Bethesda games had a surprising amount of those.

True, but procedurally generated quests could produce a far more personal questing experience. For example, in Oblivion some quest hubs only opened after you'd reached a certain point in another quest chain. No more, if the procedures take into account what you've done and where you've been, they could steer you in the direction or important nearby questing hubs - particularly nice if you're like me and get sidetracked easily.

Halfway through the main story missions but stuck on a particular quest? How about a procedurally generated quest hat rewards you in a way that will help you progress on the main quest. There are all sorts of ways this could enrich the environment. Mill in a town burned down? Quests to locate raw materials to rebuild resulting in rewards and rep. Then maybe a quest to find and recruit a new miller. It'll be interesting to see to what extent this works.

Note to self: burn down mills - in the name of science.

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Huzzah! A shiny disc full of dragons just plopped through the letterbox . Go Game and your habit of delivering all preorders a day early!

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

 

[Arwin]

Look forward to impressions. I never played any of these games, and am tempted to give this one a go sometime.

 

[djskribbles]

FWIW, here's a comparison video.
The texture bug is obviously present in the 360 version.
http://www.4players.de/4players.php...lls_V_Skyrim/PS3Xbox_360_Grafikvergleich.html

 

[BoardBonobo]

Just popped out to the shops and was stopped in the middle of the street by a friend clutching his copy of Skyrim and literally shaking he was that excited to get home and start playing. Lucky sod!

Then on the way past the game shop the owner came out and offered me the PS3 version. I was so close to saying yes, but I've pre-ordered mine and get maps and stuff with it. So I resisted.

 

[Antan]

Review scores are through the roof!!!!

 

[BoardBonobo]

FWIW, here's a comparison video.
The texture bug is obviously present in the 360 version.
http://www.4players.de/4players.php...lls_V_Skyrim/PS3Xbox_360_Grafikvergleich.html

Wow. That's quite a noticeable difference. I take it that the texture bugs is not present if you don't install the game? You just have to live with the slightly noisy 360 drive spinning all the time? That sucks.

 

[warcrow]

After 60+ hours, 577 saves and countless dragons slain I present to you my Skyrim Review. I tried to cover as much ground as I could with the time I had--hope you enjoy.

"It wasn’t until I ascended the frigid 7000 steps of the Throat of the World and made my way to the doorstep of High Hrothgar that I finally took a moment for myself. I stood there, gazing over the region atop the tallest mountain in the land thinking of my travels. I’d already ventured through several of the best dungeons Bethesda has ever made, looted relics from antiquated treasure chests, fiercely battled dragons and even visited a freezing Norse castle. But it wasn’t until this particular moment where from my rugged snowy perspective it hit me that Skyrim is a game that takes its time to show you all of it's riches. It’s an utterly fantastic experience that’s marred by only a few missteps."


http://eat-games.blogspot.com/2011/11/skyrim-reviewed.html

 

[assurdum]

FWIW, here's a comparison video.
The texture bug is obviously present in the 360 version.
http://www.4players.de/4players.php...lls_V_Skyrim/PS3Xbox_360_Grafikvergleich.html

Not so fairly comparison, but it seem to have the same difference of the previous chapter to my eyes: a little more high texture res on ps3 (but the video is really bad compressed, I can easily wrong), HDR on ps3 but not on 360 (whether the time lapse is the same) & a sort of AA (custom maybe) on the ps3 this time. Far opposite I'm expect massive lag on the ps3 occur in the chaotic scene (vsync seem drop more rarely) & a smoother fps on 360 how ever.

 

[kagemaru]

So is there any clear indication which version has turned out better? I put myself in a media blackout on this game and I can't view the link djskribbles posted at work, so I'm kind of behind on how each version turned out.

 

[AlNom]

So is there any clear indication which version has turned out better? I put myself in a media blackout on this game and I can't view the link djskribbles posted at work, so I'm kind of behind on how each version turned out.

Looks like PS3 wins the texture battle hands down again, at least with the 360 version running from disc. Later on, it looked like the texture bugs on 360 were fixed with it installed, so... dunno if that puts it at a tie between the two should you install it. A lot of the non-close-up views didn't seem to have a problem, so they looked kinda the same.

PS3 version looks a lot more aliased, probably the same situation as previous games from Bethesda (no AA). Effects and LOD transition looked about the same. Shadowing looked horrible on both platforms.

 

[Arwin]

Shame to hear MLAA was too much bother for them. It looked stunningly great for Dragon Age 2 and I think the graphical tones of Skyrim are perfectly suited for it.

Warcrow, thanks for that review, was a good read. I didn't read anything about the dynamic questing system that was mentioned by Bethesda recently and I thought really interesting. Is it so transparent that you don't notice it unless you are told? That would be quite impressive in and of itself.

 

[assurdum]

So is there any clear indication which version has turned out better? I put myself in a media blackout on this game and I can't view the link djskribbles posted at work, so I'm kind of behind on how each version turned out.

Watching the walkthroughs on the net, it's the same package of the previous bethesda job: maybe a bit better fps on the ps3 (compared to the previous), but I easily said 360 best fps & input lag controls (vsync drop in the struggle scene vs ps3 lag), ps3 seem to have a better IQ in general (& now custom AA, of course 4xmsaa on 360 is an another story), but the control sometimes become really clunky on the ps3. I can't to say honestly how has turned out better... I mean, from a playable perspective it's clear input lag it's all above the rest, but ps3 version is really attractive for the IQ...

 

[Cyan]

After 60+ hours, 577 saves and countless dragons slain I present to you my Skyrim Review. I tried to cover as much ground as I could with the time I had--hope you enjoy.

"It wasn’t until I ascended the frigid 7000 steps of the Throat of the World and made my way to the doorstep of High Hrothgar that I finally took a moment for myself. I stood there, gazing over the region atop the tallest mountain in the land thinking of my travels. I’d already ventured through several of the best dungeons Bethesda has ever made, looted relics from antiquated treasure chests, fiercely battled dragons and even visited a freezing Norse castle. But it wasn’t until this particular moment where from my rugged snowy perspective it hit me that Skyrim is a game that takes its time to show you all of it's riches. It’s an utterly fantastic experience that’s marred by only a few missteps."


http://eat-games.blogspot.com/2011/11/skyrim-reviewed.html

That was a fine read, thanks for sharing. I didn't see your score anywhere though. Talking of which, there's no review of this game until now scoring this game below 9, which is quite a feat on itself.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/critic-reviews

The Eurogamer review is really compelling and irresistible. For instance, this is one hell of a good point.

The end result is to leave you feeling heroic, yet vulnerable to both the world around you and the fickle motivations of its inhabitants (while also compelled to see things through to the end). That's an extraordinary achievement in itself. Success by no means feels like a given and, to my mind, only Ico has truly captured that same sense of fearful and uncertain heroism before.

This paragraph is worth mentioning too. I always admired Jeremy Soule's work and he is getting the recognition he deserves.

Composer Jeremy Soule's reliably outstanding handiwork adds an essential, subtle backdrop to Skyrim that contrasts with previous Elder Scrolls outings. The imperial pomp of Oblivion's music - while perfectly suited to the setting of that game - has been replaced by something far gentler and more fragile. It's an ethereal, pastoral fantasy score that's both stirring and sad.

Skyrim itself is a world of eternal winter, where foxes pad through the snow and the northern lights shimmer in the night sky. There's certainly no question that the misty mountain setting, complete will swirling fog and high-altitude snowstorms, has allowed Bethesda's technicians to pull off an extraordinary feat.

After reading the last paragraphs, I fear I might become a social hermit when this game arrives at home.

In weaving together the extraordinary craftsmanship evident in the music, storytelling, adventure and world design of Skyrim, Bethesda has created a very special game indeed - one that's likely to remain in the affections of gamers for many years to come.

It evokes a word that's overused in reviewing of all kinds: one that's best kept in the cellar in a plainly marked box and reserved only for the most special of occasions. For Skyrim though, I'd like to blow the dust off it, open up the lid, and enjoy a masterpiece with you.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-10-the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim-review

I am going to take a look at Gamespy review, 1UP, IGN, etc.