*official* Oblivion Thread, opinions?

[Mem]

You also get the Pocket Guide to the Empire and the bonus Making Of DVD.

Yep ,my Collectors Edition in the UK was only £5 more ,so no brainer to buy the CE version,I've just installed the game so shall report back later on my opinion,as to Gothic games meantioned above ,yes they rock,as a RPG junkie I loved them all .

 

[Zap Brannigan]

Originally posted by: apoppin
Did anyone realize that Oblivion's EULA allows "a backup copy for archival purposes"?
:Q

i just used Nero and have my BU copy . . . the original goes into a DVD case.
:thumbsup:

are they not worried about piracy? no Starforce?
:shocked:

They know they made a great game and that will are going to buy it because it's such a great game.

 

[Litchfield285]

I love this game so much. I'm having so much fun sneaking into peoples houses in the middle of the night and stealing everything that I would be able to fence. Wonderful stuff.

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: alphaz
I just decreased the difficulty of the game to about 25% as it was like 50% before (by default) and I got killed too many times and now I can actually fight without dying and just finished the Gate of Oblivion stuff. So I'm getting more used to it

Originally posted by: microAmp
Does anyone have any problems going toe to toe against an enemy? I'm a thief wearing leather with shield. I'll get my ass handed to me, so I just kite the foe and shoot arrows up their ***. I'm thinking about going to heavier armor if it allows me to use my sword instead of bow, but want to know if anyone can do it toe to toe, especially in the arena.

Yea, I was asking about that in my last post, I couldn't ever fight without getting at least 70% of my health knocked off (or better yet, getting killed). I decreased the difficulty on it... I just didn't know how to manage fights or I simply suck at the combat part but I'd rather make the game playable rather than getting my butt kicked every few minutes.

I would prefer not to decrease the difficultly, but may not have a choice. Even with a shield for blocking I'll still get my ass handed to me. I'd use heavy armor, but would like to stick to the ideal armor for my theif. But maybe I'll go buy a suit of heavy armor after I save and run a test. I got 6500 gold to play with.

Side comment, Black Horse 5000 gold!

 

[Smilin]

Runs well.

Athlon XP 3000, 1gig ram, 6800GT

Running at 1280x1024. I might crank that back one notch though. Actually I think this is gonna be the killer app that makes me do some long overdue upgrades


So far it looks as advertised... beautiful. If I assume graphics are the only improvement over Morrowind (which isn't the case) This should easily be the best RPG ever made.

If a single player RPG is your cup of tea stop wasting time trying to get feedback...just go buy it. Waiting for more info will just be time you could have spent playing.

Not sure how the whole review thing is gonna go down...this will take a LONG time to finish.

 

[trmiv]

Ugh, I'm sick that my POS old machine can't handle this game. I've been waiting for this game forever, but the tech has passed me by. I'm thinking of upgrading my 512 megs of PC3200 to 1GB and see if it flies, but somehow I think the Athlon XP 2400 and the Radeon 9700 pro are what is going to kill me.

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Originally posted by: Litchfield285
I love this game so much. I'm having so much fun sneaking into peoples houses in the middle of the night and stealing everything that I would be able to fence. Wonderful stuff.

Oh this so makes me wanna play...lol.
Alas, I cannot find a decent card for a decent price around here. No frys either.
So I am going to have to wait until next week for newegg.

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: MetalMat
Not as good as morrowind imo

There is no way you could possibly know this yet so STFU perhaps?

 

[BenSkywalker]

I'm making decent progress in advancing myself(lv24 atm) and wanted to throw an important tip for those playing-

Take your multiplier bonuses during level up!

This may sound self evident to those not familiar with the ES series but in Morrowind using the level up multipliers on attributes prevented you from reaching anywhere near your potential top level(ie- your attributes would be @100 long before your job skills peaked). I ran through the numbers and I am going to reach a max level of 45 with all of my major job skills @100(minor skills do nothing to level you up in this game unlike Morrowind as I'm sure those familiar with the series have noticed). I don't know if there is a workaround for this yet as there was in ES:III(fortify attribute then train with a master trainer for 10 straight would get you around it in Morrowind) but I can't think of any the way this new system is set up.

 

[MBrown]

Was just playing it for a while. Its boring imo. I just can't get into it. You spend half your time walking around and picking stuff up.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker
I'm making decent progress in advancing myself(lv24 atm) and wanted to throw an important tip for those playing-

Take your multiplier bonuses during level up!

This may sound self evident to those not familiar with the ES series but in Morrowind using the level up multipliers on attributes prevented you from reaching anywhere near your potential top level(ie- your attributes would be @100 long before your job skills peaked). I ran through the numbers and I am going to reach a max level of 45 with all of my major job skills @100(minor skills do nothing to level you up in this game unlike Morrowind as I'm sure those familiar with the series have noticed). I don't know if there is a workaround for this yet as there was in ES:III(fortify attribute then train with a master trainer for 10 straight would get you around it in Morrowind) but I can't think of any the way this new system is set up.

Level 24?! How long have you been playing?

And I didn't understand a word you said regarding the multiplier bonuses and leveling up.

<----Elder Scrolls no0b

 

[Arkane13131]

game is alot better than morrowind...anyone who thinks otherwise...can just go play morrowind.

this game is bigger...broader...slightly more confusing as to what to do. i can follow the story but...i have been playing 6 hours and have no idea where the fighters guild is...or thief's guild. atleast morrowind was dense enough to easily locate places like that.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Level 24?! How long have you been playing?

About twenty hours, I was at level two after my first six or eight hours though. I'll likely clear level thirty within another four hours of playing or so. Things speed up a lot once you get to be more powerful(not to mention vastly superior equiptment and far more entertaining quests open up).

And I didn't understand a word you said regarding the multiplier bonuses and leveling up.

Trying to think of the simplest way to explain this.....

In order to level up you need to increase a total of ten points for your major skills
Each skill has a 'governing attribute'
You take how many points you upgraded each skill between levels and divide that by two and you will be given a multiplier when you level up that correlates with its governing attribute(ie 4 points for Blunt Weapon= Strength x2, 10 points for block= Endurance x5 etc). If you select an attribute without a multiplier that skill increases by one point, if it has a x4 multiplier it increases by four points etc.

The multiplier is generated using all skills- so you can for example give yourself a multiplier of 5 on strength by boosting a minor skill that has a governing attribute of strength.

The difference can be huge over the course of the game-

Use no multiplier bonus for my character= +132 attribute points
Use all 5x multiplier bonus for my character= +660 attribute points

In Morrowind you had three different skill sets- major, minor and not related(I can't remember what they were actually called, but that is what it meant). Either your Major or minor skills would level you up and your minor skills started off around 20- so each one of them could get you eight levels by themselves. What frequently ended up happening is people would get all of their attributes to 100 long before they had all their job skills at 100. Elder Scrolls(Morrowind and Oblivion) give you a HP bonus based on your Endurance for each level- so you wanted to slow down your attribute growth rate or you could end up missing out on several hundred potential hit points.

Edit

i have been playing 6 hours and have no idea where the fighters guild is...

Once you have made sure the VIP is in a safe location travel to any town and talk to a guard(they tend to be handily placed right inside the gates) and ask him for directions. Imperial City has no actual guilds(although the mages have their University their).

or thief's guild.

You need to be found by them- certain actions will attract them to you(same with the Assasins guild/Dark Brotherhood- although different actions obviously). Law is a bit more serious then it was in Morrowind and hence they can't be as open as they were there.

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker
I'm making decent progress in advancing myself(lv24 atm) and wanted to throw an important tip for those playing-

Take your multiplier bonuses during level up!

This may sound self evident to those not familiar with the ES series but in Morrowind using the level up multipliers on attributes prevented you from reaching anywhere near your potential top level(ie- your attributes would be @100 long before your job skills peaked). I ran through the numbers and I am going to reach a max level of 45 with all of my major job skills @100(minor skills do nothing to level you up in this game unlike Morrowind as I'm sure those familiar with the series have noticed). I don't know if there is a workaround for this yet as there was in ES:III(fortify attribute then train with a master trainer for 10 straight would get you around it in Morrowind) but I can't think of any the way this new system is set up.

Level 24?! How long have you been playing?

And I didn't understand a word you said regarding the multiplier bonuses and leveling up.

<----Elder Scrolls no0b

I believe BenSkywalker is saying that, when you rest to level up, you get a screen to increase the main attributes. Such as, Strength, Intelligence, Willpower, Agility, Speed, etc. When you sleep to level, you'll see a x3 or x2 near one of those, use the x3 1st instead of something that gives you x1 increase. So if your Strength is 55 and has a x3 there, you click on to increase it it'll jump to 58 unlike Luck 35 which might have x1 (no x2 or x3) and you choose to increase that would only be to 36.

 

[ArchAngel777]

*Potential Spoiler*

So, I went to this village and EVERYONE was mean to me... Anyway, I go inside a house and trade with a lady, she was mean. So I went to look at some objects (I don't steal in this game, or try not to at least) and I accidently picked up something and she yelled "Thief"! I panicked and killed her. Then I felt bad, but guards came in to slaughter me... I ran outside, got on my horse and took off. When I looked at my stats it doesn't say that I have ever murdered anyone... Isn't that odd?

Also, Father Laufre? I think his his name... Well, one of his guys said I could use his horse anytime I wanted too. So, then I went to check for his horse (found it) and it was marked with a "red" hoof... Hmm, so basically I stole the horse, even though I had permission. Now, whereever I get on my horse people try and kill me because they stink I am stealing it again :-( This blows... I guess I am going to have to restarted my game, becase 1) I don't like killing people and 2) I don't like to be a thief. But the main question is, and perhaps BenSkywalker can answer this, is it a bug that I was unable to get the horse? Was it also a bug that it shows I have not murdered anyone? :-( I am so sad... Well, wife is gone tonight, looks like a LONG night of Oblivion!

 

[BenSkywalker]

ArchAngel-

Potential Mild Spoiler-

When you go to get the horse there is sometimes three or four of them there depending on apparently random factors- what does your horse look like? The horse I almost took at first would have had me labeled a thief also, but I wandered around and found the horse with the yellow hoof after a bit. Not that it matters now for me...... make sure your horse is clear before unloading a couple of 70 damage fireballs towards an enemy.... $5K for my replacement horse......

/Mild Spoiler

Your bounty issue- this gets a bit tricky.

When you commit a crime it has to be seen and reported in order for their to be any bounty. I have stolen things on accident myself and ended up with a bounty at which point I went up to a guard, paid my fine(got searched) and was turned loose at the local Imperial station. I have also had a woman freak out on me(I picked a lock, noone was around but she was on the other side) and I retreated out into the street at which point the guards killed her- I looted her body after she was dead with the guards standing there(she had ~100 gold on her too, heh).

If someone sees you steal something and you kill them before they can report it to a guard then you are clear. I have even killed an Imperial soldier(was involved in a conflict on a road, he jumped off his horse and I was at a distance so I started reigning fire down on him also thinking he was another bandit...oops) without having a bounty placed on me. There was noone around for him to report it to, so when he died so did any evidence of my involvement. I still show no murders but that is because I was involved in battle when the guard entered into the melee. As it was active combat, it doesn't count as murder.

When the shopkeeper freaked out on you for stealing merchandise if she did anything to harm you before you took a shot at her then you didn't commit murder by Oblivion law. Self defense is absolute. A thief is not attacked by the guards, nor is a murderer for that matter- unless you resist arrest(BAD idea- guards are freakin strong in this game)- likely why you were attacked by the guards is there was an active combat situation and one of them got hit by you during the fight(not sure that is what happened, but under those circumstances it isn't a crime- but your best bet is certainly to run off and let them cool down and then come back).

 

[ArchAngel777]

*Potential Spoiler*

Thanks for the tips. As for the horse, I looked around the entire monastary and didn't find any horse with a yellow hoof. In fact, when you have your pointer over the horse, it says what horse it is and who it belongs too. It did belong to that fella and before I took it (It was red) and went back in the monastary and made sure I had read him correctly, I did and clicked again just to make sure. But sadly, it was still red :-(... I am not so quick to call it a bug, since in all reality, the person watching over the horses might not have known that I was given permission and reported it as a crime... But I did everything I could...

As for the murder... After I killed her, I thought "Well, now that she is dead even though I didn't want to do that, I mine as well search her and take stuff in her house. While I was doing this about 3 minutes into this, two guards came in and started beating on me. I was able to flee the house, jump on my stolen horse and get away. But, I have a feeling I will never be accepted in that town again, though, I never was accepted in the first place, since they were mean, everyone was off the bat.

But I am REALLY enjoying the game so far... Very fun but overwhelming as well. The lock picking is rather odd rating system. For instance, some of them have 3 to do, but are labeled L9 and "easy" others have one one to adjust, while rating at 12 and as "hard" despite the fact the 12 was easier than the 9 in every way. I guess I don't quite understand that part of it yet.

Thanks for the information Ben.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Sounds like the horse might have been a glitch for you- I've seen that section played through a few times now and it appears you did everything right. PITA that you have to deal with the horse thief issue all the time though. When you end up upgrading that will improve though.

What race are you btw? Certain towns in Oblivion are quite racist, the neighboring province only banned slavery fairly recently. That may have been why you were not welcome(all pure Elf races, Khajiit, Argonian and Orc have major issues while the Imperials and Nords run into it at a lesser degree- mainly from each other).

The locks I haven't figured out yet- I just do the auto attempt and buy as many lockpicks as I can(at least until I can pick up a level 100 unlock spell).

 

[MBrown]

How do you find out what stage you are at? I am at the point where you go up to the top of the mountain and there is a castle with the firery gate and two friendlys. What stage is that?

 

[imported_Imp]

Well, apparently my old Hitachi GD-7500 was just plain sucking, I tested out Brothers in Arms DVD in it, and it also couldn't read it. I tried letting Oblivion sit in it for 20+ minutes and no dice. So I sucked it up and finally reinstalled my RMA'D SHW-160P6S and what'd ya know, detected the disc in 10 seconds. Just hope the drive isn't screwed, it has S01 firmware and won't install S09 since it thinks firmware and drive don't match. Crossing my fingers that I won't need to mess with firmware... Off I go for first launch of Oblivion, too bad the auto-run spit at me and detected low quality settings for me.... here I come new VC...

 

[CTho9305]

The locks I haven't figured out yet- I just do the auto attempt and buy as many lockpicks as I can(at least until I can pick up a level 100 unlock spell).

I do it manually - I really like how lock picking and speechcraft involve actual skill and not purely random die rolls. Any hints on where to buy many lock picks? I need a lot .

 

[Litchfield285]

Originally posted by: CTho9305

The locks I haven't figured out yet- I just do the auto attempt and buy as many lockpicks as I can(at least until I can pick up a level 100 unlock spell).

I do it manually - I really like how lock picking and speechcraft involve actual skill and not purely random die rolls. Any hints on where to buy many lock picks? I need a lot .

I'm in the Thieves guild, and buy mine from the guy I sell all of my stolen goods to. I heard somewhere that if you aren't in the Thieves guild there is a shady vendor somewhere that does sell them, but I haven't looked into that.

 

[Conky]

This game is a first for me too. I am figuring out all kinds of stuff I never imagined being a noob to RPG's and Elder Scroll's.

Things I have figured out... it's slow until you get a horse, and once you do get a horse be careful when resisting arrest and do not accidentally hit your or anyone else's horse... the horsies get quite pissed and are hard to lose and even harder to kill, lol.

Only 3 or 4 hours in and I still haven't met jeafre or whatever his name is... too much other business going on. :roll:

This is the first non FPS I've ever actually had fun at. I tried Morrowind back whenever and DiabloX back whenever but they were just clickfests. This I am digging... I hope it continues to get better. :thumbsup:

 

[MBrown]

This game is hard. I just got into the tower in the middle of the castle and all of a sudden this dude in all armor comes out and strikes me with a ligtning bolt.

 

[BenSkywalker]

How do you find out what stage you are at? I am at the point where you go up to the top of the mountain and there is a castle with the firery gate and two friendlys. What stage is that?

I would call it the introduction stage. Pretty much you are about half way through the introduction of the game IMO.

This game is hard.

You can adjust the difficulty level if you want to.