Elder Scrolls V

[Charlie]

I thought Fallout 3 pretty ropey performance wise too so a new engine is excellent news.

[icarus0]

While I'm ecstatic to hear the news, I'm just a bit worried that being set in Skyrim the game world will be all ice and snow and lack the variety of Morrowind and (to a lesser extent) Oblivion..

[Rossco]

Has Skyrim been in ES before then? I don't know anything about the series from before Oblivion.

[Neon Ignition]

Thank god, that's one of the three main concerns addressed already with a year to go Maybe they're put a new engine out as they've looked at the current industry and clocked that new hardware isn't coming anytime soon. A new engine for Bethesda doesn't need to be too much of a powerhouse as the old engine is so haggered, just bringing it up to the competitions visual standards would secure them this game and likely Fallout 4 before having to worry about another new engine for the next gen standards.

[PeteJ]

Can't wait for this, hope the new engine has been designed for polish as I don't want another buggy mess!

I don't know if Skyrim has been in ES before, but I did find a map!

[abigsmurf]

It's quite amusing just how generic those town names are.

[Malc]

Of note, Skyrim has been in both The Elder Scrolls: Arena and II: Daggerfall.

Here's what it may have looked like in Daggerfall:



I'd imagine that Bethesda will add a lot more towns/places of interest, and maybe even rename a lot of it as it seems The Elder Scrolls V will be set right after Oblivion, which is a lot more recent in the game's fiction than when that Skyrim map was first drawn up.

[Brad]

I remember visiting Skyrim in both Arena and Daggerfall.

EDIT: As Malc has already said

[PeteJ]

Details from the GameInformer reveal are hitting the net, along with scans etc.

>World three times the size.
>Skyrim is at war with High Rock (visitable).
>Story 150 years after Oblivion.
>Society is experiencing a mini-renaissance as Dwemer advancements are studied and incorporated.
>Procedural animation, global dynamic lighting and "physics-based combat" also physically-modelled weather (will blow objects around in blizzards, lightning will even strike prominent metal objects, implied this can factor into really powerful magic spells)
>No more Oblivion gate bull****.
>Max Von Sydow, Morgan Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Kelly Macdonald, Ian Holm and Sam Witwer star.
>Over 100 voice actors.
>Indoor/outdoor transitions are seamless, levitation is back, exotic mounts are in.
>Same stats (sneak is retooled, see below) along with; engineering and navigation.
>Teleportation instead of fast-travel, requires teleportation runes that are rare.
>No word on level scaling but inference is that it's there but only within limits.
>Supply-demand dynamic economy (that also reacts to the progress on the war front).
>Unless mitigated by magic, endurance and athletics, the armour and clothes you wear (you can now wear capes, furs and tonnes of different, customisable decorations) will effect your character's body temperature and fatigue.
>Stealth is retooled, sneak skill only changes between tiers (journeyman, master, etc) to facilitate a more realistic sneaking system (at 100, you can't be perma-invisible in broad daylight).
>Less dungeons but more uniqueness to each, greater focus on settlements and various custom areas.
>Race and gender choice have more effect.
>Characters more naturally converse with you and you can break up most conversations with sudden violence or an attempt to do so.
>Soundtrack is Inon Zur and Jeremy Soule collaborating.

Edit - these details appeared before the (low quality) scans started appearing, I'm not sure how true some of it is.

Don't like the idea of it being bigger than Oblivion, but everything else sounds great.

[Catmoo]

Sounds great definitely looking forward to it

[Matt]

Cool. Let's hope the streaming is improved, and the character faces don't look crap.

I'm actually glad fast travel is gone. I took great joy in having to ride or walk to my destinations. I gave up with it eventually, but for a while there it added immensely to the sense of being in a different world.

[wonderboy]

Great news, really played Oblivion to death. Even with it's faults it was still a lot of fun. Yeah, i much prefered to walk too ! With invisability and paralyse abilities, i wasn't to worried who i'd bump into, but fun watching the guards along the roads (not)deal with situations. More voices in the new one sounds good, add more variety to the ordinary folk in it. With Morgan Freeman in it, i'd be too tempted to call my character, "Andy"...

[PeteJ]

Character faces look much better this time around. Not sure about the 'no fast travel' thing, the article seems to suggest that it is actually back this time but the full thing hasn't appeared online yet!

Also confusion over level scaling. The article mentions it is in the game but in reference to random quests, not sure if the world scales with you again (hopefully not, by far the worst thing about Oblivion).

edit - devs have confirmed level scaling is the same as Fallout.

confirmed info:

-A variation of level scaling.
-Dynamic Shadows
-Overhauled Combat-system
-Improved Faces/Improved Models Example: Faces have been dramatically overhauled. Characters now exhibit more emotion show of distinctions between different races and just plain looks better.
-Radiant AI
-Updated Engine Snow falls dynamically (not as a basic texture on the ground)
Trees and branches move independently with the wind
Water flows
-Randomly generated quests.
-Beards
-You can't run backwards as fast as you do forward.
-10 races to choose from (Holy crap thats a lot of races)
-confirmed creatures: zombies, skeletons, trolls, giants, ice wraiths, giant spiders, dragons, wolves, horses Elk, mammoth, saber-toothed cats
-presumeably open cities (as dragons can attack)
-Hud-free first-person view and improved third-person perspective
-very unique landscapes! Also unique dungeons! In other words, lots of uniqueness!
-Character creation improved, body features customizable
-2-handed weapons and duel wielding confirmed.
-Finishing moves, unique to each weapon and enemy you fight.
-Kids
-The game takes place 2 centuries after Oblivion
-Sprint is added !
- Dialog will pop up when you approach an enemy
- cooking/farming/mining/woodcutting/blacksmithing
-18 skills.
-Perk picking at every level-up
-5 Magic Schools Destruction Alteration Conjuration Restoration Illusion.

Levelling
No more class selection at the start of the game. Every individual skill you level contributes to your overall level (the more you do something, the better you get). Each level-up will automatically increase your health. And then leave you with the choice to either further increase your health, or increase your magicka or stamina instead.
Each level also brings you perks/unique abilities.
Levels 1-50, level 50 is soft-capped so you can continue to advance your character after that.

Skills
Mysticism incorporated into other Schools of Magic.
Enchanting returning.
18 different skills.
Skills system accommodates players who want to specialize in a certain profession (Mage, Thief etc), while at the same time leaving room for players who like to do a little bit of everything.

Story
Set 200 years after the events of Oblivion. Set in Skyrim, a region north of the Imperial City, where the Nords live.
The Dragons are returning. You are trying to stop the wicked Dragon God. You are a Dragonborn, a Dragon hunter. Your mentor is voiced by Max Von Sydow.
Skyrim is in civil war, the King is dead.
Enemies include were-yeti's, trolls, giants, giant spiders, dragons and other cool creatures.
"Dragons won't be some legendary concept left dangling before players until the end of the game. Dragons are real and regular threats in the game world. They fly into battle at unexpected times. They ravage towns. They wield awesome power. And you'll have to face them repeatedly in single combat. "

Combat
Revamped to make it more dynamic and tactical.
"The core change is the addition of a two hands/two options approach to combat. Every weapon or spell in the game can be equipped in either hand at any time, leading to limitless combinations of attack options. Dual wield two of the same weapon, or put a dagger in one hand and a mace in the other. Fight defensively with a shield in one hand and a cracking ball of electricity in the other. Set two completely different spells in either hand or the same spell in both hands, letting you combine the spells to extraordinary effect. The choice is yours"
You can use stamina to sprint.
Emphasis on really improving the feel of combat this time around, aiming for each weapon type to have a different feel.
Can't run full speed backwards any more.
You can duel any NPC on the streets.
Finishing moves, unique to each weapon and enemy you fight.

Quests
Quests are much more dynamic. They are influenced by how you build your character and your actions during the course of the game.
"The game eventually logs a huge storehouse of knowledge about how you've played, and subsequently tailors content to your capabilities and experiences. Entering a city, a young woman might approach you and beg you to save her daughter from kidnappers. The game will look at the nearby dungeons you've explored, automatically set the mission in a place you've never visited, and designate opponents that are appropriately matched to your strengths and weaknesses."

Conversations
Conversations aren't done in a zoomed in static shot any more.
Start a conversation with someone and they will act more realistically than in previous Elder Scrolls games, looking at you occasionally, maybe walking around a bit or continuing with a task they were doing when you began talking to them.

Other
Completely re-done engine and a new rendering system.
Dynamic Shadows.
Incredible draw distance, foliage, water and snow effects. Snow falls dynamically, trees and branches move independently with the wind, water flows.
Six or seven different environments: rugged mountains, tundra, glaciers etc.
Humans look more like humans. Improved faces and models. Characters now exhibit more emotion and there are clear distinctions between different races.
Character creation improved, body features customizable.
10 races to choose from.
Beards!
There are children in the game.
Skyrim's level scaling is similar to Fallout 3's, not Oblivion's.
Completely new interface.
HUD-free first person view.
Third person view has been improved.
Dialogue will pop up when you approach an enemy.
5 massive cities, more variation in caves and underground stuff.
Fast-travel still available for those who want to use it.
Wildlife includes Mammoths and Sabre-tooth Cats.
When you kill a shopkeeper, his/her family member will inherit the shop and will react negatively to you.
"Your hero can also engage in more activities within the towns, which helps the world feel more genuine. Stand at the forge and craft new weapons from red hot metal. Mix alchemical substances to create poisons or potions. Enchant items with new magical effects. Explore the mundane through farming, mining, woodcutting or even cooking."

[Rossco]

Excuse the French but this sounds ****ing awesome!!

My most anticipated game now bar none. Literally cannot wait. Some of the screens just look stunningly beautiful. Did anyone see a release date anywhere I can't remember hearing one?

[gaz@manc]

I'm sorry if this has been covered multiple times before, but does anyone know of any UK retailers that stock Game Informer?