*official* Oblivion Thread, opinions?

[mordantmonkey]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
just to post in a non locked thread. apparently for 6800 and older cards, you can gain a big performance jump by installing coolbits and lowering "frames prerendered" (something like that) from 3 to 0.
stolen from elderscrolls forums, but i can't give link from work.. it's one of only 2 sites blocked wtf?

Yeah, I read that thread too. Seemed like it helped a lot of people. But it can hurt framerates in other games from what I read. Can you setup a "profile" for just one game and have the settings revert?

i think i read somewhere that maybe coolbits 2.0 can? i don't know i don't have my nvidia card yet. (Damn Monarch!!!!). But this is meant as a temporary fix until a patch/drivers come out. you can always change it back pretty quickly.

 

[datalink7]

I'm level 10 right now.

**Spoiler**

Just finished putting the emperors sun into the blade stronghold. Have some kickass magic items now. I'm playing an Imperial Knight.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: MBrown

Originally posted by: trmiv
I'm guessing playing this on an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ with 512 megs of PC3200 and a Radeon 9700 Pro is pretty much out of the question? I guess I'll wait until I can afford to upgrade or get an Xbox 360.

You might be able to play it. Just get a 6800gt and another stick of 512 and see what happens. This game seems to be playing rather well on low end rigs.

Damn, that would be pricey. I'd need two sticks of 512 for dual channel since right now I have 2x256. So around $67 for the memory at Newegg, plus $200 or so for the card. I might as well just wait and get a 360.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: trmiv

Originally posted by: MBrown

Originally posted by: trmiv
I'm guessing playing this on an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ with 512 megs of PC3200 and a Radeon 9700 Pro is pretty much out of the question? I guess I'll wait until I can afford to upgrade or get an Xbox 360.

You might be able to play it. Just get a 6800gt and another stick of 512 and see what happens. This game seems to be playing rather well on low end rigs.

Damn, that would be pricey. I'd need two sticks of 512 for dual channel since right now I have 2x256. So around $67 for the memory at Newegg, plus $200 or so for the card. I might as well just wait and get a 360.

What is it nforce2? I haven't ever done it, but I'm pretty sure if you put 2x256 on one channel and 1x512 on the other it'll work in dual channel mode.

 

[Miklebud]

It keeps crashing on me. Lots of errors, anyone else getting the random crashes? After about an hour of play, or 10 minutes...

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

LOL. I went to Fry's to pick this up for $38. Walked out instead with Starcraft + Brood Wars Expansion + X-Men Legends II.....satisfied I'd chosen titles I'd enjoy longer (I've always been an Ages guy rather than a *Craft so I missed out on SC). Got to my car. Paused. Went back in and walked out with Oblivion. :roll:

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: AdamSnow

Originally posted by: Dumac
I love this game. The world is huge - and feels huge - and the combat is spectacular IMO. Really an improvement since the past. The graphics are amazing, as well as the sandbox element. I am level four, and have played four probably 7 hours.

***weak spoiler***
I just spoke to Jauffre. I walked to the town, and after I talked to him I just dungeon crawled an d went exploring

Its a great game and I am loving it.

A few minor annoyances though..

1. Guards are always 10 levels higher than you. I find that kinda lame, but its not a big deal. Maybe it can be fixed in the CS.

2. Guards know all your stolen items. A carry over from the past, but this is one carry over I dislike. Again, not really a big deal.

And that is it for annoyances

How the heck are you level 4 already? I've walked to the town that Jauffre is in, talked to him... had to kill the troll that wanted me to pay to cross the bridge... etc... I'm still only level 1.

Am I missing quests somewhere? How do I tell what gives a quest/what quests I have???

*Frustrated* I don't understand... lol

well the game isn't linear so maybe he went to some dungeons and killed some monsters or people. i went into 2 or 3 dungeons before i made it to the town where jaufre is.
you also have to sleep to get your level up. i think you have to sleep in a tavern or at least a bed for it to work though.

 

[pm]

Originally posted by: AdamSnow
How the heck are you level 4 already? I've walked to the town that Jauffre is in, talked to him... had to kill the troll that wanted me to pay to cross the bridge... etc... I'm still only level 1.

Am I missing quests somewhere? How do I tell what gives a quest/what quests I have???

*Frustrated* I don't understand... lol

You don't get levels for killing things. You level by training your skills - like say, "blade" or "destruction" - and then going to a trainer for training. The trainer for "blade" will probably be in the Fighter's Guild. Trainer for destruction is in the Mage's Guild.

So, to level, you want do lots of things using your preferred skills for your class and then you should see something like "destruction increased", or "sneak increased". And then find the trainer for that particular skill - which is often the hard part - and train in it. Then you'll get a message that you need to "meditate on what you have learned." Then you go to sleep and when you wake up you are the next level. If a prime skill is "acrobatics" you can level just by running around and jumping... and then finding the acrobatics trainer. Nothing dies at all.


As far as comments about Oblivion vs. Morrowind... fundamentally little has changed between the two. Oblivion's graphics and sound are clearly vastly better and the game appearance is less foriegn/alien than Morrowind and thus more like "Lord of the Rings" or Harry Potter, rather than the sort of strange world of Morrowind. But whichever you prefer, fundamentally the game is identical - the gameplay is the same, the spell system is the same, the class system is the same, the quest system is the same, the loot system is the same, even the weapon and monster names are all the same.

If I have any disappointment with Oblivion it lies in how little the underlying gameplay has changed. I guess you don't "mess with success" but learning some things about a better combat system from games like "Dark Ages of Camelot" or "World of Warcraft" would be nice.

But I'm enjoying playing - similar to the way that I enjoyed Morrowind - and I think it's a great game. It just could have been better.

 

[datalink7]

So, to level, you want do lots of things using your preferred skills for your class and then you should see something like "destruction increased", or "sneak increased". And then find the trainer for that particular skill - which is often the hard part - and train in it. Then you'll get a message that you need to "meditate on what you have learned." Then you go to sleep and when you wake up you are the next level. If a prime skill is "acrobatics" you can level just by running around and jumping... and then finding the acrobatics trainer. Nothing dies at all.

Actually, that isn't true. You don't need a trainer. A trainer just helps increase your stats. You can only use a trainer 5 times per level (so 5 different skills, or one skill 5 times, or any combo of that). Once your skill goes up a whole level (fills the bar), then you just need to rest to advance it. I've advanced a skill in the middle of a dungeon.

 

[Sniper82]

Is everyone playing in first person view? How hard is the combat in 3rd person which I think I would prefer more? Haven't played the game yet.

Thx

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
just to post in a non locked thread. apparently for 6800 and older cards, you can gain a big performance jump by installing coolbits and lowering "frames prerendered" (something like that) from 3 to 0.
stolen from elderscrolls forums, but i can't give link from work.. it's one of only 2 sites blocked wtf?

I'm going to give that a shot. My laptop runs Oblivion FANTASTIC... i'm so friggin' surpirsed! I've got an Intel PM 2Ghz, 2GB ram, and a 6800Go Ultra... and i'm playing at 1600x1000 on high quality. At 1920x1200 it was a bit slow, so dropping it to 1600x1000 helped a lot.

As for the game itself... it's great! I didn't like Morrowind, i just hated the combat system. But this game has been great so far.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Sniper82
Is everyone playing in first person view? How hard is the combat in 3rd person which I think I would prefer more? Haven't played the game yet.

3rd person would be a pain. You wouldn't be able to target properly. I always play first person anyways, even in MMOs, so it's not a problem for me.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem
I have a AthlonXP 2500, 1 gig of ram, but no video card at the moment. I really want to play this game, but I don't know what card to get.
I was thinking a 6600 GT. It got pretty decent benchmarks. Any advice?

Well PM is playing it with a 6600GT right now, so it is doable. Personally though, if you're going to buy a 6600GT, you may as well spend a few more bucks and pick up a 6800GT/GS... maybe even a used one from the FS/FT forum.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: pm

Originally posted by: AdamSnow
How the heck are you level 4 already? I've walked to the town that Jauffre is in, talked to him... had to kill the troll that wanted me to pay to cross the bridge... etc... I'm still only level 1.

Am I missing quests somewhere? How do I tell what gives a quest/what quests I have???

*Frustrated* I don't understand... lol

You don't get levels for killing things. You level by training your skills - like say, "blade" or "destruction" - and then going to a trainer for training. The trainer for "blade" will probably be in the Fighter's Guild. Trainer for destruction is in the Mage's Guild.

So, to level, you want do lots of things using your preferred skills for your class and then you should see something like "destruction increased", or "sneak increased". And then find the trainer for that particular skill - which is often the hard part - and train in it. Then you'll get a message that you need to "meditate on what you have learned." Then you go to sleep and when you wake up you are the next level. If a prime skill is "acrobatics" you can level just by running around and jumping... and then finding the acrobatics trainer. Nothing dies at all.


As far as comments about Oblivion vs. Morrowind... fundamentally little has changed between the two. Oblivion's graphics and sound are clearly vastly better and the game appearance is less foriegn/alien than Morrowind and thus more like "Lord of the Rings" or Harry Potter, rather than the sort of strange world of Morrowind. But whichever you prefer, fundamentally the game is identical - the gameplay is the same, the spell system is the same, the class system is the same, the quest system is the same, the loot system is the same, even the weapon and monster names are all the same.

If I have any disappointment with Oblivion it lies in how little the underlying gameplay has changed. I guess you don't "mess with success" but learning some things about a better combat system from games like "Dark Ages of Camelot" or "World of Warcraft" would be nice.

But I'm enjoying playing - similar to the way that I enjoyed Morrowind - and I think it's a great game. It just could have been better.

I didn't like the stupid looking armor in Morrowind.... Also, it had a very barron wasteland feel to the game... I didn't like it. Oblivion's weapon and armor skins are soooo much better.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Have about ten-twelve hours in to the game ATM, currently working my way up the Mage guild ladder and enjoying it enormously.

Vague references of early parts, some may consider them spoilers-

When I brought a certain VIP to a certain location I was level two, that was after about six-eight hours. In the next hour and a half I made it to level seven. I dropped off the main quest at that point, didn't join the standard group that you do to advance the quest line yet, I will likely wait until after I am Grand Master of the Mage's Guild prior to starting on that.

pm-

There are actually several changes to the gameplay in Oblivion, although some of them don't become obvious until further into the game then it sounds like you have made it. You were talking about changes to the combat system- as a general example you learn different hand to hand techniques such as a parry/disarm move that you can perform once your skill level reaches a certain mastery. When you do this you can then grab your opponents weapon leaving them disarmed. Also, higher power weapons, spells and equiptment don't become available at all until you have reached a certain level. Another thing that has changed is the type of monsters that you run into. Overwhelmingly you need not worry about running into say a Golden Saint when you are level 5 anymore- the more powerful creatures don't appear at all until you reach a higher level. This makes exploring a lot more enjoyable. No more worrying about stumbling across a Dwemer ruin at a low level and getting obliterated by a team of Deadra(the Deadra you will run into will be quite weak until you are stronger).

It also appears that they have significantly toned down the peak power levels of mages in this game(unless I haven't figured it out yet). In Morrowind I could decimate Vivec being level 7 if I had had a chance to exploit the games quirks(stacking fortify intelligence potions- custom create spells that normally a level 100 character couldn't come close to casting etc). They also removed the unarmored skill completely- this puts mages at an enormous disadvantage compared to Morrowind(which I would say balances things better, Morrowind was far too easy as a mage). Another thing, so far I can only summon a single creature to battle at a time, if I summon a skeleton and then try summoning a skamp the skeleton is instantly gone- they really cut the mages down enormously in this game.

Also, and I find this a very important change in gameplay even if it may sound small- enemies follow you through doors- not just the simple ones but those that force loads too. Changes some strategy quite a bit over the first game.

The AI seems to be vastly improved for the stronger enemies also. While the lower level creatures are still idiots(they will all focus on a summoned creature no matter how many times you continue to summon it) the higher level enemies will completely ignore it and focus all of their attacks on you. They also seem to adapt to what you are capable of. At first almost all of the enemies in the game will rush me(no armor, no weapon) but if I am besting any of them using my hand to hand skill(a minor skill for me in this game) and they are capable of ranged attack they will fall back and try to utilize ranged attacks(either bow and arrow or magic- when that happens so far they have been easy pickings).

Most of that focuses on my personal experience as a mage, but there have been some huge changes to the combat system for the warriors also. In Morrowind their were 'dice rolls' going on behind the scene deciding if an attack would land or not, largely ignoring what you were seeing on screen. Those that got wasted by rats or cliff racers dozens of times in Morrowind will likely know exactly what I'm talking about. Oblivion is clearly based on physical interaction- no more battles where you stand swinging wildly for five minutes to kill something with four hit points. It also utilizes a fairly strong physics engine(it appears to be Havoc based on the rag doll physics- had my kids in hysterics after I offed a wolf at the top of a fairly steep hill and the corpse slowly slid down to the bottom) which takes into account height and angle based on everything I have seen(my oldest son is playing as an Orc warrior so I've had some time observing how the other half plays).

It is true at first glance the battle system may appear quite the same as Morrowind and there hasn't been the type of overhaul some people may have been hoping for(a Zelda esque combat system perhaps) but there have been some rather huge improvements over Morrowind, an awful lot of balancing and some very important overhauls to the underlying mechanics of the game.

 

[Ctrackstar126]

I think this is the first time I ever been sore from gaming. My arm is killing me and its a really good thing i went and got the G5 because I was using the mx1000 and the battery would died out on me because ive had it over a year.
I have to say though im not a fan of the G5 for FPS though. I much prefer my mx1000 but thats prolly cause Im used to it. But i like the design. Im about to play again but im seriously trying not to. Its not a simple hey let me play for a hour its really addicting. Theres a lot to do im a level 2 and ive played for a really long time. mostly just messing around.

Does anyone know of any mice that have the exact design as the mx1000 with a better DPI? The G5 is close but not exact.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: trmiv

Originally posted by: MBrown

Originally posted by: trmiv
I'm guessing playing this on an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ with 512 megs of PC3200 and a Radeon 9700 Pro is pretty much out of the question? I guess I'll wait until I can afford to upgrade or get an Xbox 360.

You might be able to play it. Just get a 6800gt and another stick of 512 and see what happens. This game seems to be playing rather well on low end rigs.

Damn, that would be pricey. I'd need two sticks of 512 for dual channel since right now I have 2x256. So around $67 for the memory at Newegg, plus $200 or so for the card. I might as well just wait and get a 360.

What is it nforce2? I haven't ever done it, but I'm pretty sure if you put 2x256 on one channel and 1x512 on the other it'll work in dual channel mode.

I've been trying to figure that out myself, but I can't find the answer.

 

[datalink7]

Does anyone know what advantages you get by advancing in a guild? I'm pretty decently far along (in the fighters guild), but they haven't mentioned any benefits. Seems like the only obvious one (free beds) you get just by joining.

Still fun doing the quests.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Does anyone know what advantages you get by advancing in a guild? I'm pretty decently far along (in the fighters guild), but they haven't mentioned any benefits. Seems like the only obvious one (free beds) you get just by joining.

Yes, there is. If you want to know the details for the fighters guild you can PM me and I'll tell you about it. I will say that you give the guild certain direction and you collect certain material gains on a regular interval depending on the direction you gave the guild if you work your way all the way up. Each guild has different benefits, but they all do offer you something(if it is worth it to you or not is up to you).

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
just to post in a non locked thread. apparently for 6800 and older cards, you can gain a big performance jump by installing coolbits and lowering "frames prerendered" (something like that) from 3 to 0.
stolen from elderscrolls forums, but i can't give link from work.. it's one of only 2 sites blocked wtf?

I'm going to give that a shot. My laptop runs Oblivion FANTASTIC... i'm so friggin' surpirsed! I've got an Intel PM 2Ghz, 2GB ram, and a 6800Go Ultra... and i'm playing at 1600x1000 on high quality. At 1920x1200 it was a bit slow, so dropping it to 1600x1000 helped a lot.

As for the game itself... it's great! I didn't like Morrowind, i just hated the combat system. But this game has been great so far.

I spoke too soon! I finally made it outside, and my fps dropped from 30 to 15. Gonna try the coolbits thing... i really don't want to lower any graphical settings if i don't have to.

 

[pm]

Thanks for the comments, Ben! It's good to hear there's more changed once I get deeper in the game.

And it's great to hear that they addressed the game balance issues - I found that once I'd figured out a bunch of tricks, I was invicible in Morrowind. That was probably my biggest annoyance with it - that it starts off as awesome, and then as time goes on, you figure out all sorts of tricks and "hacks" for the AI that spoil the fun... but once you know them, it's hard not to do them.

I appreciate your comments and look forward to getting deeper into the game.

 

[flashbacck]

Just out of curiousity, are custom alchemy and enchanting still in the game? And if they are can you still do the Int. stat boost -> alchemy loop? (i.e. make a potion that increases Int., drink that, make another potion, ad infinitium).

 

[imported_Imp]

Well, amaon shipped it yesterday by mail, and I found my CE on my carpet today at noon. One of the perks of living a few miles from the warehouse. I also got a french manual AND guide to the empire; first time I've seen a unified bilingual package.

So den I inxtall3d it and omfg it's so 1337 omg so kool. Graphix R da roxxorz.

I wish I could say that, but apparently my drive won't recognize the disk. The access light is on, it spins really slow and keeps hiccupping. Yes, it is a DVD drive. It runs all my other DVDs and the bonus of the CE edition. I'd blame the drive for being 5+ years old (and having no firmware update), but apparently A LOT of other people are having the same problem at the official boards. Unluckily, I have a new beige RMA'd Lite-ON SHS160PS(?) sitting on a desk behind me, but I am waiting on the black bezel so I don't have to take it out again when it gets here. So has anyone else been screwed over?

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
just to post in a non locked thread. apparently for 6800 and older cards, you can gain a big performance jump by installing coolbits and lowering "frames prerendered" (something like that) from 3 to 0.
stolen from elderscrolls forums, but i can't give link from work.. it's one of only 2 sites blocked wtf?

I'm going to give that a shot. My laptop runs Oblivion FANTASTIC... i'm so friggin' surpirsed! I've got an Intel PM 2Ghz, 2GB ram, and a 6800Go Ultra... and i'm playing at 1600x1000 on high quality. At 1920x1200 it was a bit slow, so dropping it to 1600x1000 helped a lot.

As for the game itself... it's great! I didn't like Morrowind, i just hated the combat system. But this game has been great so far.

I spoke too soon! I finally made it outside, and my fps dropped from 30 to 15. Gonna try the coolbits thing... i really don't want to lower any graphical settings if i don't have to.

Update on this... coolbits gave me about another 5fps, so it's decent.

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

If your frames are that low, try dropping all shadows - it should make a sizeable difference, maybe give you an extra 10 - 15 fps.