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Oblivion

Sharkull's picture

Has anyone else here checked out Oblivion? I've been playing it for the last month or so, and I'm stunned by this game. It has a huge game world (literally hundreds of caves / ruins to explore, and tons NPC's to interact with...), amazing graphics (highly customizable for performance tweaking), a deep gaming experience, with many effective play styles and it's incredibly mod friendly too. It does take a while to get used to / learn the combat interface, but I like that... it takes skill to fight effectively (even at higher levels). An in-game toggle of first person / third person view is handy sometimes, with character models that are amazingly life like (especially if you download some mods to improve on the originals...). A main quest line, plus four guild quest lines, and even more miscellaneous quests scattered around leave you with many options of what to do. Hop on your horse and explore, or take on a quest... it's completely open. And the outdoor world has no load screens either (there are load screens when going inside / outside, entering / leaving a city, or fast travelling though). Occasionally there is a quick message about loading the next area when moving quickly, but considering the size of the world I think it works surprisingly well.

There are drawbacks of course, one being a certain aspect of the levelling system (it encourages odd playing practices) but that's adjustable with a mod... The game also requires a powerful machine to run smoothly during intense battles with lots of combatants (lots of rendering of moving characters, with special effects that go along with certain enemies / weapons / magic use). Such large battles are very rare though, so that's not a big problem.

Right now, I've explored most of the ruins / caves moving on to closing Oblivion Gates (almost 20 so far) having completed the Fighters Guild and Mage's Guild quests, as well as the Knights of the Nine mini-expansion questline. I have yet to visit the Shivering Isles (I bought the GOTY edition) but I'm probably going to wait until I've finished the main quest line first. After that I might check out the Thieves Guild, but I don't know about joining the Dark Brotherhood... the whole assassin for hire thing is kind of a turn-off for me. That being said, I might briefly try an evil character just to check it out... possibly becoming a vampire as well to see what that's like (and to go through the cure quest).

Anyways, I've rambled enough for now... Smile

forums: 

I haven't had the chance to play it yet, but it sounds intriguing. Know some of the mods have to be good, because that is where SnowFox went when he left Dungeon Siege. Smile

Sharkull's picture

Lots of quality mods for sure... (Note: you have to sign up for a free membership to view / download the ... ahem ... "adult" mods).

The excellent built-in interface for mods (very user friendly), plus the construction set, and all the other tools make Oblivion the most mod friendly game I've ever played. DS beats it when considering custom maps (mapping is much more complex in Oblivion), but otherwise it's no contest... which is not surprising because it is a much newer game engine.

Oh, there is even an unofficial game patch that's over 47MB!!!

Ya if space siege fails me and they dont make a DSIII then im done. lol

yes..
http://www.siegetheday.org/?q=node/690
- excellent camera-control and breath-taking scenery in places..
- it's a magnificent achievement..

- Shivering Isles is a crazy place
- all the residents are half mad..!!

Jeremy Soule's compositions for Oblivion are just so-oo beautiful
I'd rate Morrowind, Oblivion, DS1 & DS2 as the best soundtracks for fantasy games

- I also really like the Max Payne theme - very haunting..

incidentally, for the last 2½ years I've also been playing X3:The Reunion, it has
complexity like you've never seen before - well worth the money.. :woot:

Sharkull's picture

...I do remember that thread now that you link it in. Smile

We agree 100% on the music... top notch for sure (and no unpacking to get at the mp3's). I haven't tried Morrowind, but if I see it for a good price somewhere I'll probably pick it up.

After a quick look it appears like X3 is something similar to Civilization but in space (build, trade, combat...). If so then that would seriously eat into the very little free time I have left... :P Seriously though, if I ever want to take on such a game I'll consider X3 for sure (on your recommendation). I don't think that's going to happen for a while though... I still have some time left on my current first journey into Oblivion, and I'm going to want to try another character for sure.

...then there's Space Siege to consider too...

Looks like the X series is the modern successor to Elite (from 1984). I had a BBC micro with that game and pretty well used up all my enthusiasm for that genre getting to Elite status on it.

Elite was an amazing feat for a 16-bit machine, especially the split-screen display with two different screen resolutions at the same time to reduce memory. Pity you couldn't mod it.

Right now I have too many unfinished projects going on for DS2/BW to get started on another game, especially one you can mod.

- there aren't many games that remain on my PC from original installation:

- X3:The Reunion (..complexity gone mad - utterly brilliant!!)
- Unreal Tournament 2004 (..with the community bonus packs - knocks spots off UT3, IMO..)
- The DS1 and DS2 series (- including Mageworld and Hyperborea)
- Half Life2 (- up to episode2)
- Oblivion (..such a beautiful game - plus all those add-ins..)

- longevity is the key..

- I've recently tried:
- Crysis (which, despite it's finery, is a pretty boring experience..)
- Painkiller (..a kill-fest and not much else, really..)
- NWN2 ( - a pretty poor GUI, and very "clunky" to play..)

- those were just passing fancies, lacking depth - no longer on my rig..

** where are you in Oblivion at the mo', Sharkull..??

- can't wait for Space Siege, hope it's a good story..

Sharkull's picture

Level: mid-30's (important attributes maxed). Main quest: "The Path of Dawn"... I know where the sanctuary door is, but wanted to stock up on Sigil Stones before continuing the quest. No more gates are opening up now though (closed 26) so I think it's time to continue on questing... I have a 100% chameleon set of gear, with enough resist magic stones and other key items to make a set of gear for being invulnerable to all but ranged damage.

Oh, I've bought and stocked all the houses too. Smile

Also working on a little mod:
http://thenexusforums.com/index.php?showtopic=60054

Did you play the earlier ones, or just leap in at Oblivion? I've been considering trying it, but I'm uncertain where I want to start.

How easy is it to stop playing? I have two TC's for DS2/BW in progress, so I can't really afford the playing time, it's taking away modding time!

Sharkull's picture

This is my first TES game (wish I had tried one sooner).

I find Oblivion easy to stop playing whenever you want because there is an excellent "save anywhere" save-game feature. That doesn't mean I don't often get into the game and lose track of time though... (it happens Smile ). The way the map is designed the dungeons are the right size for bite-sized gaming sessions. Before I enter one I check the clock and think about how much longer I want to play, and if I don't have the time: save and exit. Quest progress is tracked well in-game so you don't have to worry about losing your progress in a quest either.

But I note that the price of the GOTY edition at my local store is the same as that of buying the two separately (Oblivion + Shivering Isles). Is there anything extra in the combo? The Knights that say "Ni"?

Sharkull's picture

The GOTY version comes fully patched, and with the smallish add-on "Knights of the Nine" (extra quests and items). KotN is also available online for download, and packaged with other Official Mods in a boxed product as mentioned on the bottom of this page: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Official_Mods

IMO, if you want to buy just the original first (to check out the game / modding) then possibly buy SI later, missing KotN content is not a super major loss.

- it's so immersive - you can wander all over the place..

- try leaping off the bridge going East out of Imperial City..!!
..or go mountaineering in the Jerrol range - it's fabulous at night..

..the bows are brilliant and the physics makes it possible to get
really good at aiming over long distances at the higher levels..

- I also like the tweak that removes the boundary of the Cyrodill map
- you can journey on for miles and miles - no flora or fauna, but great climbing..

- if you don't talk to Joffre at the Priory, you won't get those ugly Oblivion Gates
scarring the landscape - I was quite shocked at first, to see the beautiful woodlands
being desecrated by those ugly beasts roaming around..

- all in all, it's an absolute masterpiece!! :woot:

Sharkull's picture

Blondin235 wrote:
- if you don't talk to Joffre at the Priory, you won't get those ugly Oblivion Gates scarring the landscape - I was quite shocked at first, to see the beautiful woodlands being desecrated by those ugly beasts roaming around..

I just avoided Kvatch until I wanted to take on Gates... hunting Nirnroot is easier without Daedra always chasing you. ^^

- when I said East out of Imperial City - I meant West, er..

- I did an underwater tour of Cyrodill as well, once..

- just for fun..

Sharkull's picture

How about jumping off of Dive Rock! Shock :nervous:

(Weeeeeeeeee... *splat*)
:silly:

I bought a copy of Oblivion at the weekend and fired it up. I wasted a bit of time with a test character getting to know the controls, and how the game basically works, and then started a fresh one that I intend to play through the whole thing.

I'm still trying to figure out what details are actually relevant to success. With the mobs adjusting to your character, there seems to be little benefit in advancing your level and you may even be better off avoiding that and spreading your experience as thinly as possible across the whole spectrum. Is that what Sharkull referred to earlier?

I'm uncertain whether it would spoil the game to know too much in advance, but things like "don't talk to Jauufre, and the Oblivion Gate won't appear" change the flow of the game quite a bit. especially as you can't reverse that sort of decision. Should I read all the reviews and forums, or avoid them until I've done the main quest? Should I be asking this question?

you'll discover things as you go - wouldn't want to deprive you of the fun..

but I wouldn't worry too much about levels at first - just practise the skills

and you'll improve with time - it's pretty tough to begin with, but it soon settles down

- upping your skills is the most important thing, IMO - the manual helps a lot..

It seems like the early levels are extra hard in Oblivion. In Dungeon Siege, you just needed to avoid mobs of five or six until you got a few more skills, but in Oblivion it's hard to survive a one-on-one encounter a lot of the time. With enemy levelling, you can't just leave a fight until you level up a bit, because they're stronger when you go back!

On my first level-up I got two +5 increments due to careful choice of skill use, but it's too easy to use a Major in extremis and level up before you've rebalanced, so my second wasn't as beneficial. After that one, everyone I meet can kill me.

I may have to add the mod that Sharkull mentioned, or just move the difficulty down a notch or two for a while (and avoid the temptation to start making my own mods until I've played more).

I haven't done all the calculations, but it doesn't appear that a character can specialize to the extent one could in DS. A mage has to spend a lot of time swinging an axe or mace in heavy armor because they need points in those skills to get the level-up bonuses in things they need.

Sharkull's picture

Yes, the early levels are hard... especially when learning the combat interface and developing some effective combat strategies. Depending on what your combat style is (magic / melee / stealth ranged...), some stats are more important in the early levels than others (Endurance!!!). I found that there was a time when things started to get MUCH easier though... probably partly due to improved familiarity with the game, partly due to better loot (magical weapons, better armor...) and partly due to improved character stats.

RE: character development,
The +5 thing is a pain (expecially with the cost of training and cap on the # of allowed training sessions per level). I'd recommend either using a mod to change this to your liking (there are many options), or reading up on some character development suggestions:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Character_Creation
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Leveling
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Efficient_Leveling
Note: these pages have some minor spoilers, so if you want to be 100% surprised I can direct you to some key non-spoiler parts (like "The Levelling Problem" section on the Levelling page linked above). Be carefull reading the UESPWiki though... while it contains some great information, it's filled with spoilers.

Another option regarding the +5 thing, is to use the console to "fix" any stats that were less than +5 when you levelled.

Tip: patch the game, and get the Unofficial Patch(es) too... for the many bug fixes.

Hope this helps, and happy gaming.
Smile

I'd actually read those earlier (but after I'd already started a character, so I didn't know that you needed to do a custom class) so I have been watching my stats and forcing a few with pointless casting and hammering. I could go back and roll a fresh character (again) but the more hours I play, the less I want to undo those. So I'll leave that until I've taken this one as far as possible.

The Spellsword class lets me get +5's if I work on the Armorer skill as much as possible for the Endurance, and Intelligence can be obtained by using a lot of "cast on self" spells, but I'm still trying to figure out how to use spells for offense without levelling too soon.

Since the Willpower skills including Destruction and Restoration are all majors for that class, it means I have to avoid all the other major skills to get the Willpower +5. That includes Block, so defense is tricky. Wierd that a Spellsword can't afford to use any swords for fear of not getting a good level-up, but at least I can use spells!

Strength is hard to get, again because of having to avoid major skills. I also need to do some "Alchemy for fun and profit" to start building up my cash, or I'll never get a decent horse and houses.

Resisting add-ons for now, but if I hit a known bug, I may go for the patches.

Sharkull's picture

ghastley wrote:
... but I'm still trying to figure out how to use spells for offense without levelling too soon.

Use spells with more damage, so you can cut down on the number of casts per kill. Joining the Mage's Guild will help with this because you can make your own custom spells... Spoiler tip (highlight to read): (a "100 Drain Health for 1 sec" spell is a great finisher... add soul trap for easy enchanting / weapon recharging).

For Strength, find a boar and use it as a punching bag (hit, take a step back...). HtoH is hard to train, and this is the easiest way I've discovered. When I really want the levels, I would even heal the boar in between punches. }:)

For Endurance, make sure you're wearing only Heavy Armor in the beginning. Speed (with Light Armor) is super easy to level anytime.
[edit]Oops. Heavy Armor is a Major for Spellswords. Yikes. Endurance is important for every class, and (IMO) Willpower development can be sacrificed (or delayed) if you have high Intelligence and some magicka potions when needed. [/edit]

One other thing, a mod I won't ever play without:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2804
It cuts down on the need to Wait or spam Restoration spells between battles... especially helpful if Restoration is a Major skill. I also find that it speeds up gameplay.
Smile

Edit2:
If you want to change the class for your existing character, take a look at the "showclassmenu" instructions on this page:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Console#Other_Commands
I'd save before trying though, because it may screw up your character's stats...

Using Blunt as much as possible (to avoid premature levelling by spellcasting) plus spamming conjure spells for the Int, and doing all my own repairs to up the Armorer and hence Endurance, things are progressing OK. Done the Mages' Guild recommendations and got University access now. I need to start Soul Trapping now I can use the results.

I bought the house in Anvil, but I haven't done the last step of killing the ancestor. It seems to me I have most of the house benefits now, so I may wait for the right weapon, and go find the cash for a horse next instead. He may also be easier to kill once I get a bit more Endurance from a level or two, or harder as he levels? Anyhow, I need a blunt weapon that does fire damage, and don't have one yet.

I've started getting quests that appear to require stealing/murder/whatever to complete them and haven't yet looked into the pros/cons of those, so I've ignored them until I do so. I assume you can do them, and restore your good name afterward, but I imagine there will be conflicts between quest objectives while they're in progress.

Sharkull's picture

Quest specific enemies level up as you do, so the only real benefit of waiting will be your combat effectiveness and possibly the quality of any rewards / drops.

Stealing and murder quests are part of the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines (respectively). Doing them earns you Infamy instead of Fame (if you care about that), and they are completely separate from the main questlines. Do them or not... they shouldn't affect the rest of the game (except possibly some NPC reactions / conversations, and the ability to use Wayshrines if you have lower Fame than Infamy). I wouldn't do both the TG and DB quests at the same time though... it may screw up your TG questline.

If you want to clear your good name after obtaining Infamy, there is a way with the KotN add-on (a pilgrimage).

Big hint: find Azura's Star (helps with Soul Trapping).

Custom stuff made at the Arcane U definitely changes things in a big way. I can now train myself in private to rebalance my stats, summon creatures to soul trap them, etc. No need to venture outside except to advance quests!

The amount of time I'm spending doing this is making the game resemble real life. (Now how can I have the character play Diablo II in the study?)

Beware of completing the Thieves Guild Quests before the Mages Quest, as I
believe it involves killing a high-ranking Mages Guild member, IIRC..

Yep, I got the impression that being good does no harm for starting the "dark side" quest series, but vice versa would be a problem. So I'll run through all the Mages Guild, Fighters Guild, and main quest sequences before I do the Thieves and Dark Brotherhood ones. I'm not sure they'll be worth the effort at that stage, even after levelled rewards, as it looks likely that you'd max out the rewards before getting that far, and have equivalent goodies from the quests already done.

If the "naughty" quests don't have to be done in sequence, I may cherry-pick the interesting ones.

I don't think I'll get to the point of addiction where I have to do all the quests, buy all the housees, horses and collect one of each item, max every stat etc., but I am getting tempted to check out making custom mods.

started again..
Buggins the WoodElf Thief, born under the sign of The Thief

- just emerging from the palace sewers for the first time.. :woot:

I'm trying to resist making a mod for the game just to see how it works.

I've downloaded the construction set to look inside and it does look very moddable, and I've already thought of a few possible additions that wouldn't break anything...

But I really need to complete my DS2 mods first!

Sharkull's picture

Simple gameplay variable tweaks are super easy (I made a couple)... but I assume you've looked at existing mods too? TES Nexus has an incredible collection. Lots of things have been done already.

(And yes :bat: , I want to see a swimming Lara in DS2 Laughing out loud ).

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