Are dragons around when you're not? : V

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 4:23 am

It's been said that dragons can attack random villages and the like, for some time now. My question is whether this means that they can burn a village when you're on the other side of the country, and have you come back to it with nothing but charred remains left? Or can they only do this within a certain radius of the player character? My guess would be the latter, but thoughts are appreciated.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 3:00 am

Dragons won't be destroying villages (unless there's a special scripted event).

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:54 pm

No confirmation yet but giving the fact that npc's have died in OB without you being anywhere near them I'm gonna say that I sincerely hope that the dragons are also radiant.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:36 pm

Dragons won't be destroying villages (unless there's a special scripted event).

There's the Dragon attack on Helgen.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:44 pm

There's the Dragon attack on Helgen.

Do you think that would be an unscripted event, considering there's dialogue related to it?

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 5:37 pm

Nothing is around when you aren't. The game doesn't concern itself with what characters in regions not occupied by the player are doing.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:27 pm

Dragons won't be destroying villages (unless there's a special scripted event).

I'm SO relieved to hear that. Is it confirmed?

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:23 pm

Nothing is around when you aren't. The game doesn't concern itself with what characters in regions not occupied by the player are doing.

Actually, it does. In Oblivion, NPCs went about their business all over the province no matter where you where. A few of them even travel between cities.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 6:21 pm

I am assuming that they are still using the cell system on this engine. Dragons won't just show up in random cells when you aren't around. Only a handful of cells surrounding your character are actually actively running. So if you are heading toward a village, a dragon might show up and start its attack about the time you arrive, but you won't have to worry about towns being attacked if you are no where around, unless it is scripted or part of a quest.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:15 am

Actually, it does. In Oblivion, NPCs went about their business all over the province no matter where you where. A few of them even travel between cities.

It doesn't really work like that. In most likelihood it just checks where they should be when they are required to be streamed into the game. Otherwise you'd have massive overhead for updating every character in the game.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 11:57 pm

Actually, it does. In Oblivion, NPCs went about their business all over the province no matter where you where. A few of them even travel between cities.

In the Oblivion Construction Set, NPCs have a checkbox called 'No Low Level Processing'. When this is checked, which it is for most of the NPCs, the game does not process any of the NPC's AI unless the player is in the same cell as the NPC.

There are a few NPCs who don't have this box checked, which allows them to travel around the world and such even when you're not there (like M'aiq), but this certainly isn't the case for every NPC as that would lead to performance issues.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:07 pm

Is it known if dragons will have their own "agenda" like every other npc/animal? As in, could we be on the side of a mountain and look back on the lowlands and see them flying around or attacking something, or what have you. ?

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:37 am

Dragons won't be destroying villages (unless there's a special scripted event).

What do you mean by villages? Because for all we know, dragons could randomly appear in the game world at any time near a village and happen to wander too close....

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:17 am

if a dragon burns down a forest and no one is there to witness it, does it make a sound?

:whistling:

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 3:06 am

Is anyone else a little worried that dragons are going to randomly kill some minor quest-givng NPC's and that you'll miss out on several quests by chance?

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:46 am

I'm more curious if dragons will actually perform neutral functions...like say:

Eating and drinking.

Resting.

Speaking/interacting with other dragons.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:16 am

Considered the Elder Scrolls series is unique for having NPC's continue to do things all around the world wile your not around I would guess so.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 3:07 am

Is anyone else a little worried that dragons are going to randomly kill some minor quest-givng NPC's and that you'll miss out on several quests by chance?

That's not possible - Radiant Story assigns the quest givers based on who is alive when you enter the cell for the appropriate town, etc.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:33 am

That's not possible - Radiant Story assigns the quest givers based on who is alive when you enter the cell for the appropriate town, etc.

What if everyone's dead?

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:33 am

What if everyone's dead?

New NPCs are created.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:45 pm

New NPCs are created.

Randomly out of nowhere? I doubt it.

» Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:30 pm

i hope not,that would piss me off

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:16 am

Randomly out of nowhere? I doubt it.

I can't remember how it was said it works but I think (don't quote me on it though) they are created away from where they should be and then walk there, so they don't just pop up straight away.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 1:37 am

Nothing is around when you aren't. The game doesn't concern itself with what characters in regions not occupied by the player are doing.

This. The action only starts when you are there to see it but the range is so huge you don't realize it. This is the reason your first save game size is tiny.

» Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:30 am

Dragons won't be destroying villages (unless there's a special scripted event).

there was news yesterday, that they could attack cities and towns, not destroy buildings and such, but they can attack the townsfolk