[Sourcegamer8]

May 3rd, 2012: Elder Scrolls MMO announced for 2013!

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/05/03/june-cover-revealed-the-elder-scrolls-online.aspx

May 1st, 2012: Skyrim DLC, Dawnguard announced!

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/skyrim-dawnguard-dlc/ Only announced for the 360 so far, with more details coming to an E3 near you.


The Elder Scrolls is a well-known, if not famous open-world RPG series created by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The current website for TES is is http://www.elderscrolls.com/

But now, a little bit of history about the major releases in the series.

Arena

The first of the series released in 1994 for good old MS-DOS. The game started out as an arena combat game, but the game somehow shifted into an RPG. Infact, the Elder Scrolls subtitle was a last minute throw-in to actually see the game made sense.
Download this game for free off of Bethesda themselves: http://www.elderscrolls.com/arena/

Daggerfall

The second of the series also released for MS-DOS in 1996. This game was essentially a more polish version of Arena, but bigger, bigger on almost every term. Bethesda claimed the game world was the size of Britain.
You can also download this game for free from Bethesda: http://theelderscrolls.wiwiland.net/...erfallSetup_EN (credits to hypno-toad for telling)
Battlespire and Redguard

These two games were designed to be bigger, yet on a smaller scale. Battlespire was heavily focused on combat and only featured dungeons, and Redguard a completely linear third-person combat instead of open worlds.
Battlespire and Redguard are not available to download from Bethesda.

Morrowind

Morrowind went back to the open-world action RPG as the first two games, and Bethesda went all out on it. It released in 2002 for Windows and the original Xbox, a GOTY proceeded in 2003, featuring the two expansion packs, Bloodmoon and Tribunal. It was also the first game in the series to use Gamebryo, being the successor the Bethesda's own made, XnGine.

Oblivion

Oblivion was the fourth game in the series, releasing in 2006 for Windows and the Xbox 360, with a PS3 port coming a year later. A GOTY was yet again released with the two expansions, Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles.

Skyrim

The fifth and most recent release, Skyrim was here 2011 with a new "engine", a modified Gamebryo engine, looking significantly better and bigger. As of 24/4/12, no expansions/DLC has released.

Skyrim's map (shamelessly copied)

The Skyrim Workshop! http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...esort=toprated
Creation Kit tutorials: http://www.creationkit.com/

Video tutorials on their channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BethesdaGameStudios

Skyrim's steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/
Skyrim's official texture pack: http://store.steampowered.com/app/202485/

Good mods for Skyrim
General Fixes and Improvements
Unofficial Skyrim Patch; Steam Workshop, Nexus
Midas Magic (Spells for Skyrim); Steam Workshop, Nexus
House Map Markers; Steam Workshop, Nexus
Dynamic Merchants; Steam Workshop, Nexus
Reduced Distance for NPC Greetings (Do you get to the Cloud District often?); Steam Workshop
Chopping Block/Wooden Fires fix; Steam Workshop
Life Another Life - Alternate Starts; Steam Workshop, Nexus
Racial Bonuses in Character Race Description; Steam Workshop
Enhanced High-Level Gameplay (Enemies level past 25-30); Steam Workshop, Nexus
SkyUI (Requires SKSE: http://skse.silverlock.org/); Steam Workshop, Nexus

More mods shall be added later.

Previous thread: http://facepunch.com/threads/1160408

Still somewhat a WiP, other things may be added.

[BloodFox1222]

Woman on the cover of arena looks like a nexus character mod, Shows how far we've come.

[Sharker]

I thought Bethesda had some good skyrim news for us this month, where is it?

[proch]

So, my Friend who I showed Oblivion (and previously Morrowind) would love to play it, but her PC is really crappy. She doesn't care about graphics, not in the slightest. So, are there any ways to lower Oblivions graphics somehow even more than the standard settings allow?

[Mr. N]

Sharker posted:

I thought Bethesda had some good skyrim news for us this month, where is it?

Kinect support obviously.

[MeltingData]

I vote the thread title is "lies lies lies forever"

[Eriorguez]

Everything in the thread is true, specially the lies?

Anyway, I'd love to see more of Tamriel in the historical setting of Skyrim, to see how the broken empire pans out; still, reunificating Tamriel, breaking it further apart, or just handing it over to the Nazielves would make following games hard to come up with, unless large timeskips become commonplace.

I still want to go to Morrowind since that "you can't go any further" message popped up...

[IrishBandit]

Although the Arena cover was stupid, the covers have been getting less descriptive. From a shot showing characters you could be to a logo and a title.

[proch]

Skyrim has infinite quests!

Edited:

And Over 70 voice actors!

[Raptortheawesome]

Thread music

[Arvuti]

proch posted:

Skyrim has infinite quests!

Edited:

And Over 70 voice actors!

Skyrim does have over 70 voice actors, they made it so that most of the main characters have an unique voice unlike only the main quest characters having unique voices and other character sounding identical.

[UntouchedShadow]

proch posted:

Skyrim has infinite quests!

Edited:

And Over 70 voice actors!

[Biotoxsin]

The OP is coming along nicely, glad to see a quality one has been made

Feel free to reuse anything from my thread as you want (not really anything of my own, but it's a good resource for OP construction I'd like to think)

[Ripper Roo]

proch posted:

So, my Friend who I showed Oblivion (and previously Morrowind) would love to play it, but her PC is really crappy. She doesn't care about graphics, not in the slightest. So, are there any ways to lower Oblivions graphics somehow even more than the standard settings allow?

There was some project called Oldblivion if I recall correctly, makes it look comparable to Morrowind. Check it out.

[Frewb]

NEW THREAD WHAT THE FUCK

Edited:

I decided to play again and it's even more fucking awesome.

[Dovahkiin]

hello everyone, been killing some dragons and stuff, my back hurts a little. any new mods since last month? my ISP decided to fuck me up and I don't know if I lost some cool stuff.

[RocketSnail]

Great op, but you said oblivion was released for PC/xbox360/ps3 in 2002.

[KorJax]

IrishBandit posted:

Although the Arena cover was stupid, the covers have been getting less descriptive. From a shot showing characters you could be to a logo and a title.

Personally I love the covers for the modern elder scrolls games. They exhibit a sense of depth, mystery and lore to them. Skyrim's is kind of the red-headed stepchild though, it's pretty much just a symbol on a black background. Same with the title screen. All done in the name of the ~modern simplicity~ their graphic design department decided to take with Skyrim... which just ends up looking a little amature and out of place instead (such as the font they use, Futura).

Skyrim's box art/main menu style would have been so much cooler if it actually conveyed coldness and nordic stylings, like the stone artwork of Alduin's Wall except done in the elder scrolls book cover style. Instead they just decided to bandwagon on tacky graphic designer trends.

[Doneeh]

Guys, remember when the Dunmer actually used to look cool?

[UntouchedShadow]

-Snip-

Nevermind, the Nexus was more helpful than Facepunch, surprisingly.

[demoniclemon]

Doneeh posted:

Guys, remember when the Dunmer actually used to look cool?

The art-style reminds me of art drawn for Majora's Mask for some reason.

[Antdawg]

Doneeh posted:

Guys, remember when the Dunmer actually used to look cool?

I reckon the Dunmer in Skyrim were fine, but the Dunmer in Oblivion were such a downgrade from Morrowind.

[bunnyspy1]

but but
skyrim DID have infinite quests
even if they were shitty "go there, steal x" or "go there, kill x"

[Skyward]

Doneeh posted:

Guys, remember when the Dunmer actually used to look cool?

God I loved the Dunmer in Morrowind. Just the style of Morrowind and their culture was awesome.

They were fucking stupid in Oblivion, they looked awful (thought everyone in Oblivion did), and their voices were just horrendous given how cool they sounded in Morrowind.. They were improved in Skyrim but they still didn't have the awesome voices. Still, nothing tops the Morrowind Dunmer. Probably my favorite fantasy race. They just felt so alien in Morrowind, I mean yeah they were elves, but they just felt like no other elves I'd seen in fantasy.

[ROFLBURGER]

How many unique characters are there in skyrim? (Characters with names, not like "Bandit Outlaw")

[Jimpy]

So a mod was able to fix rain clipping in Morrowind but they couldn't fix it for Skyrim. I don't want to complain, but I am. I do like to feel some immersion when I'm not stuck in a wall and guys on horses float straight off in to the sky.

[Clunj]

I don't have near as many bugs as I hear about.

Edited:

Although I do have an awful shadow/shader bug of some sorts, flickering darkened areas, kind of irritating.

[Jimpy]

Clunj posted:

I don't have near as many bugs as I hear about.

Edited:

Although I do have an awful shadow/shader bug of some sorts, flickering darkened areas, kind of irritating.

Wait for the no face bug where you walk up to an NPC and all you see are two bulbous eyes and a fleshy grin.

[NorthernFall]

That Thalmor Justiclar in Underkeep was seriously annoying me, so I found a quiet spot to go werewolf up and punched him so hard he cleared two flights of stairs down from the throne

[AnalAnnihilator]

I think the worst bug is the living mannequins bug. Freaked the shit out of me the first time it happened.

[rinoaff33]

AnalAnnihilator posted:

I think the worst bug is the living mannequins bug. Freaked the shit out of me the first time it happened.

That's not a bug, it's a feature.

   I wish it actually was.   

On an unrelated note, I just spent thirty minutes designing a unique character only to have the game crash upon entering the character's name. Damnit, Skyrim. Maybe this time it'll only take twenty minutes for Argonak Gro-Fist to see the light of day...

[MeltingData]

AnalAnnihilator posted:

I think the worst bug is the living mannequins bug. Freaked the shit out of me the first time it happened.

And that's why I had to reinstall skyrim, folks. I freaked out and uninstalled it.

[SlickBlade]

You know, I was just thinking, the draugr you fight after you learn your first shout word, how he uses the full Fus Ro Dah shout, I'm sorting thinking that he was a past dragonborn. Considering as well it says they are past nords cursed to live forever

[proch]

AnalAnnihilator posted:

I think the worst bug is the living mannequins bug. Freaked the shit out of me the first time it happened.

Never heard of it. Care to explain? It sounds quite interesting.

[Antdawg]

AnalAnnihilator posted:

I think the worst bug is the living mannequins bug. Freaked the shit out of me the first time it happened.

Ever since I moved into a house with mannequins in it I've always been worried that they would come to life... especially when I get my character to sleep. Hasn't happened to me yet though.

[mark6789]

Cmon Bethsada release some Skyrim DLC already. Or at least a release date.

[DrasarSalman]

proch posted:

Never heard of it. Care to explain? It sounds quite interesting.

Mannequins are technically NPCs scripted to not move, the problem is that the script doesn't quite work correctly leading to some creepy situations. If you leave and enter your house or sleep, the mannequins will move and freeze again, sometimes even getting stuck mid-animation or being seen off their pedestal.

It gets quite creepy, giving you sort of a weeping angel feeling.

Edited:

Now I want to modify the mannequin script to move if you do not look at them.

[EcksDee]

SlickBlade posted:

You know, I was just thinking, the draugr you fight after you learn your first shout word, how he uses the full Fus Ro Dah shout, I'm sorting thinking that he was a past dragonborn. Considering as well it says they are past nords cursed to live forever

One can attain the Voice with a buttload of training IIRC. Not just the Dragonborn and the Dragons that can use it.

[Lexinator]

So what's the best lighting mod out there that doesnt make the nights and dungeons impossible to see in even with a torch

[Timenova]

Linked image in this post is a possible spoiler for the main questline, beware.

Began a serious confrontation with    Alduin    earlier as he    resurrected Sahloknir   . I prayed to Talos, and He heard me. For He sent forth from the heavens a mighty champion to lend aid to me...The Mammoth!

I don't think he saw that coming. Come to think of it, neither did I.