The Elder Scrolls VI

[cheapchips]

Mods are all very well, but Skyrim is last gen game console. That is what Bethesda were developing for. It's just happens to have a PC version.

Enhanced edition for current gen vs mods is a different discussion. How many more copies would that have sold if they spent more to add in some of the things the mods do. I'd wager it wouldn't have been worth the time/money.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

How many more copies would that have sold if they spent more to add in some of the things the mods do. I'd wager it wouldn't have been worth the time/money.

Indeed, why take the risk to spend time (=money) doing something that modders may well do for free anyway? I am grateful Bethesda make the SE version of Skyrim, more so because I double dipped Skyrim (first on PS3, later on PC) so SE was 'free' for me through Steam as I had the prerequisite DLC.

 

[Malo]

Ok so Bethesda don't really need to try very hard to produce a high quality current gen game because eventually the modders make it much better anyway. Got it.

FYI it takes years for the mods to progress to that level. Bethesda provide the creation kit but the tools themselves and what the game provides is far from capable of what the modders provide. There's a lot of hacks that are created over time to add the necessary framework required, which is all done in people's spare time out of their passion for gaming. It's only very recently that SE modding hit the same level as the original mods and it was even harder for them due to what Bethesda did with SE, it took years.

 

[cheapchips]

Ok so Bethesda don't really need to try very hard to produce a high quality current gen game because eventually the modders make it much better anyway. Got it.

Come on, that's not what I'm saying. SE/Remasters shouldn't be compared to a current gen title.

As the only current gen Creation Engine titles, Fallout's kind of it's own thing. It's not like 3 and Vegas were attractive titles compared to Skyrim.

 

[eastmen]

TES6 being a few years away, even after their "next gen" Starfield, I think it's fair to expect it to be a on a new engine now.

well the engine is 21 years old now . So if we expect star field in 2020 we will have a 23 year old engine powering their game. I had hopes when they bought ID they would use one of their engines or have ID develop one for Bethesda games. At this rate however I don't hope for much anymore. I didn't buy fallout 76 and I will most likely wait for star field to be in the bargin bin if its based on the gamebryo/creation/ immersive engine

 

[Malo]

Come on, that's not what I'm saying.

Sorry, that was more to DSoups comment.

 

[AlNom]

passion for porn

fixed.

 

[Malo]

fixed.

Yep, pretty much That and screen archery. It does create a really nice immersive experience though, far more than Skyrim did originally when combined with some gameplay mods. RDR2 is an example where such amazing realistic visuals, physics, animation and character models/hair creates a far superior immersion into the world.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

FYI it takes years for the mods to progress to that level. Bethesda provide the creation kit but the tools themselves and what the game provides is far from capable of what the modders provide.

Creation Kit for Fallout 4 launched six months after Fallout 4 itself and very quickly there was mods reworking the game's weather system, UI, weapons, animation, game balance as full environmental overhauls like Resurrection.

Fallout 4 mods took off fast because it was an unencumbered new game, new engine and CK launched quickly unlike Skyrim SE, where - and I've been a Nexus user for almost ten years now - I recall that was much gnashing of teeth and consternation about expectations of modders having to port their mods to the new engine and how this would splinter the modding user base and make everything worse for everybody. It felt like a lot of unnecessary drama because modders have the power about what to spend their time on.

Your point of "Bethesda don't do anything close to what the modders have done with their own game" is true but I'm betting that Bethesda targeting the performance of their base game to run on the widest array of hardware because that is what's profitable. And for people who want to more, that is exactly why there is innate mod support.

 

[Malo]

Creation Kit for Fallout 4 launched six months after Fallout 4 itself and very quickly there was mods reworking the game's weather system, UI, weapons, animation, game balance as full environmental overhauls like Resurrection.

The initial mods were all using the creation kit only really, with people adding their own textures, models and animations. Relatively speaking, the "easier" parts. The amount of extra work coming from things like SKSE, new bodies with lots of additional bones, greatly extending the physics systems, adding all the features the ENBs were eventually able to achieve. None of those things came overnight. Nothing done within 6 months of Skyrim or Fallout's release pushed the games beyond what they were capable of at release to any real extent, not to the level I'm referring to for a fully modded Skyrim.

Your point of "Bethesda don't do anything close to what the modders have done with their own game" is true but I'm betting that Bethesda targeting the performance of their base game to run on the widest array of hardware because that is what's profitable

The window of supported capable PCs is always shifting as years go on and developers target higher levels of game fidelity. It's always been like that with PC games, especially with larger publishers. Looking at Fallout 76, that window is barely shifting at either end. The argument is that their engine, and/or their unwillingness to dedicate time to re-work a lot of it (more than they have) is not allowing them to push into a level of fidelity that gamers expect nowadays. If their games were as polished as most other games are, there probably wouldn't be as much criticism and backlash. But the constant buggy half-ass releases compound the problem.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

The initial mods were all using the creation kit only really, with people adding their own textures, models and animations. Relatively speaking, the "easier" parts. The amount of extra work coming from things like SKSE, new bodies with lots of additional bones, greatly extending the physics systems, adding all the features the ENBs were eventually able to achieve.

I'm confused what you're unhappy with. I thought you were talking about Creation Kit but you seem to be talking about modding games beyond what Creation Kit (and Bethesda) offer and support. The onus is not on Bethesda to support that level of modding, what other game dev does?

The window of supported capable PCs is always shifting as years go on and developers target higher levels of game fidelity. It's always been like that with PC games, especially with larger publishers. Looking at Fallout 76, that window is barely shifting at either end.

Bethesda and Blizzard and similar in this respect. They're obviously targeting the widest possible user-base as possible - from a technical perspective. Maximising potential profit drives decisions like this.

 

[Cyan]

When Breath of the Wild can pull off volumetric fog on the Switch, TES6 should be able to pll off the same feat on machines 20 times as powerful I'd say. Not even Bethesda levels of coding sloppiness should be able to get in the way here.
They've had the volumetric fog since FO4 by the way.

Fallout 4 was released after Skyrim. Excuse if I am wrong and didn't mention the game you meant -FO4=Fallout 4?-.

I mean..., before Skyrim I had never ever seen anything like this in a videogame, it was really beautiful.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

"We do view it, and always have by ourselves, on a case-by-case basis," he says. "We'll do that as part of Microsoft as well. They've been pretty open on other platforms and not just within Xbox. This is an outside perspective, but if you go back ten years at Microsoft, you wouldn't expect them to have a full Office suite on an iPhone either.

"I can't really project where things will be except to say we've done those sort of exercises ourselves as an independent. If you look at every Elder Scrolls game, there has been some exclusivity on Xbox or with Microsoft. We've partnered with every game. Morrowind was basically a console exclusive, Oblivion was a long timed exclusive, Skyrim's DLC was exclusive for a long period of time. We'll decide what makes the best sense for our audience when the time comes, and I can't really project today what that looks like."

Microsoft has already said it will honour the previous PlayStation exclusivity deals for Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop, and has shown over the years it's not averse to some Microsoft-owned titles releasing on other platforms. Minecraft is perhaps the most obvious example, but even the Ori titles and Cuphead made it to Nintendo Switch.

Ultimately it's hard to imagine that, despite the power Microsoft now has over Bethesda, it could restrict The Elder Scrolls 6, for example, to its own platforms -- especially given the running joke that its forebear Skyrim is available on every device imaginable, including Alexa.

"I would agree that is hard to imagine," Howard smiles, but offers no more on the matter.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-10-28-todd-howard-the-next-generation-is-about-access

 

[pharma]

According to this video Elder Scrolls VI is planned for release on Xbox and Windows. Is it still the case no release is planned for Playstation or did that change with the planned MS/Activision merger?
June 3, 2023

 

[Malo]

According to this video Elder Scrolls VI is planned for release on Xbox and Windows. Is it still the case no release is planned for Playstation or did that change with the planned MS/Activision merger?

I think you're confused on who makes Elder Scrolls games.

 

[pharma]

I was thinking that Microsoft might have a unified strategy on what platforms their subsidiaries (Bethesda) released their games and whether there was any change in the decision not to release on PS to placate some regulatory agencies.

 

[eastmen]

I was thinking that Microsoft might have a unified strategy on what platforms their subsidiaries (Bethesda) released their games and whether there was any change in the decision not to release on PS to placate some regulatory agencies.

My assumption is that games which rely on a large player base and weren't previously exclusive or are new ip will be multiplatform. Think about what Sony/Bungie is doing with marathon or what Ms plans to do with COD if the purchase goes through.

However Single player focused games like Starfield / Fable / Avowed will be xbox exclusive and steam. There will be some games that skirt the issue. I am sure something like a new doom or wolfeinstein will be exclusive also. Those tend to now be single player focused with smaller online death match modes


For those who are holding out hope for Elder Scrolls to release on playstation I wouldn't bother. It's going to likely show up in time for the next gen console releases and something like elder scrolls is big enough to be a market share gainer if launched early enough in the launch cycle of a new console. Esp if they can recapture the skyrim feeling for a lot of people.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I'm still willing to bet that the next Elder Scrolls if it is a console exclusive at launch will just be timed exclusive. Say a year of exclusivity. Alternatively it could be longer if they only start working on a PlayStation version after the Xbox version releases.

So, IMO, it'll eventually arrive on both PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.

Regards,
SB

 

[Seanspeed]

I'm still willing to bet that the next Elder Scrolls if it is a console exclusive at launch will just be timed exclusive. Say a year of exclusivity. Alternatively it could be longer if they only start working on a PlayStation version after the Xbox version releases.

So, IMO, it'll eventually arrive on both PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.

Regards,
SB

It's never going to Playstation, much less Switch.

Microsoft bought Bethesda so they could build buy a better library of exclusives. That was genuinely the whole point. Unlike say, Activision where they are trying to buy purely for the massive revenue and profitability.

All new Bethesda games going forward are gonna be exclusive to Xbox/PC. Full stop, no exceptions.

 

[eastmen]

I'm still willing to bet that the next Elder Scrolls if it is a console exclusive at launch will just be timed exclusive. Say a year of exclusivity. Alternatively it could be longer if they only start working on a PlayStation version after the Xbox version releases.

So, IMO, it'll eventually arrive on both PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.

Regards,
SB

There really isn't a reason for that to happen. Elder Scrolls will sell more than enough on xbox/pc for it MS to justify it not being on other consoles. I think esp with something like gamepass and a steady flow of new content Elder Scrolls and Starfield can be ever green releases. Once a year or even twice a year push out new content that will get people to resub to game pass or purchase the additional content.

It's never going to Playstation, much less Switch.

Microsoft bought Bethesda so they could build buy a better library of exclusives. That was genuinely the whole point. Unlike say, Activision where they are trying to buy purely for the massive revenue and profitability.

All new Bethesda games going forward are gonna be exclusive to Xbox/PC. Full stop, no exceptions.

Well def not switch since it will be dead and burried by the time it comes out. Maybe a switch successor but I highly doubt it. MS is going to milk platform exclusivity for all its worse