Bard's College of Solitude : V - Skyrim

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:31 am

It's not criticism, just expressing my disappointment.

And 1 such quest in 100 doesn't justify the other 99 not even being worth starting by this type of character.

Let's hope that the fact there is even such a thing as a Bard's College in Skyrim is a promising sign.

Also promising is the fact that instead of a persuasion mini-game, we will have FO3-style dialog checks that unlock unique dialog options based on speechcraft skill, perhaps also other skills, perks relevant to the conversation, or whether we've completed quests related to the NPC we're speaking with..

*crosses fingers*

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 1:28 pm

I can think of quite a few decent quest ideas, actually. If the Bard's College isn't a playable faction, I'd like to work on a mod for it. I'd start writing scripts and gathering voice talent now if it were confirmed to not be in . . . :confused:

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:49 am

I can think of quite a few decent quest ideas, actually. If the Bard's College isn't a playable faction, I'd like to work on a mod for it. I'd start writing scripts and gathering voice talent now if it were confirmed to not be in . . . :confused:

Great to hear :celebration:

Please let me know if I can be of help in any way.

I'm working on a similar mod for Necromancers, but waiting to see how the vanilla version of the game treats this faction.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:09 pm

Yeah, it's hard to say right now. Plus we don't know what Skyrim's quest scripting is capable of, either -- although I'd like to believe the devs have taken a good look at OBSE and what it can do, maybe they haven't.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:31 am

I can think of quite a few decent quest ideas, actually. If the Bard's College isn't a playable faction, I'd like to work on a mod for it. I'd start writing scripts and gathering voice talent now if it were confirmed to not be in . . . :confused:

Great to hear :celebration:

Please let me know if I can be of help in any way.

I'm working on a similar mod for Necromancers, but waiting to see how the vanilla version of the game treats this faction.

Oh, shush, please! Some devs may see it and decide that "okay, since modders are going to do it for us anyway, we can ditch the whole college thing and use our spare development time to cut a few more features and add more dragons" ^^

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:13 am

Yeah, it's hard to say right now. Plus we don't know what Skyrim's quest scripting is capable of, either -- although I'd like to believe the devs have taken a good look at OBSE and what it can do, maybe they haven't.

So far, here is what SmkViper had to say on this matter:

As to everything else in your message, well, I wish I could say more, but I can't, sorry! Though I don't seem to remember Bethesda intentionally making hooks for the OBSE, I was under the impression that they hacked it in themselves. The OBSE guys will probably have their work cut out for them with Skyrim, though it's my hope that they will be less 'required' for people to do awesome stuff.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 4:52 pm

Oh, shush, please! Some devs may see it and decide that "okay, since modders are going to do it for us anyway, we can ditch the whole college thing and use our spare development time to cut a few more features and add more dragons" ^^

They're already in crunch time; no new features are being added anymore, it's all bug removal and play-testing now. If it's not in already, it's never going to be. :sad:

EDIT:

I'm wondering what the 12-20 perks for Speechcraft will look like, and whether any might be helpful for this sort of quest.

I think a few might increase how much NPCs like you, and a few will probably replace Mercantile's functionality. It wouldn't matter if they didn't affect dialogue options, as even in Oblivion's vanilla scripting you could check against an ability score.

A bit off topic, but I wonder if Speechcraft will include ways of encouraging your companions in order to make them more effective. I realize that companions are optional, of course, but if you're going to choose to work with people than it makes sense to take and use Speechcraft as a skill in order to communicate/interact with them better, and possibly improve their morale and efficiency. A bit like a traditional D&D bard, actually.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:02 am

I see bards as reliant on their speechcraft/mercantile scores, or whatever skills have replaced them. Here's a few bard-y quests off the top of my head:

Quest 1: The College has been commissioned to play at a party for Lord Blahblahblah. However, Lord Herpderp has also commissioned the College to find intelligence on Lord Blahblahblah. You are sent to do both. Upon arriving, the Lord is very tight-lipped, but there are a number of drunk party-goers. You talk to them, and the quest can go a few directions from here:

a) After a few speechcraft checks, partygoers tell you that his Lordship is fond of a very particular type of wine -- bring it to him, and he gets drunk and tells you what you need to know.

b)If you failed your speechcraft checks, you might have to sneak into someone's private quarters and read their diaries/letters for the information.

c) If you fail your speechcraft checks very very badly, a partygoer might challenge you to a duel -- if you win, he agrees to tell you the information, in return for keeping his defeat a secret.

Quest 2: A young man is desperately in love with a young woman, and has commissioned the College for a bard to a play romantic ballad he wrote for her. Talking to him, he's very very shy, and wishes to remain an anonymous admirer. Upon playing the requested ballad, the young woman is struck by the sincerity of the ballad, and expresses her desire to find out her admirer's identity. The young man, having eavesdropped on this interaction, is overjoyed and asks you to help him woo her. There are a number of tasks you can do to help him, and if you complete most of them, the young lady is won over. If you complete all of them, the young lady become completely infatuated with the young man, and the young man rewards you with an additional item.

Tasks may include finding out what her favorite flower is and gathering a bouquet, arranging a new ballad for her, coaching the young man on how to act more confidently, etc.

Minor Quest 1: The College of Bards is recruiting, and has their eye on a number of talented individuals. You are told to convince them to join.

Minor Quest 2: You are commissioned to deliver letters back and forth between a lord and his mistress, but the lord's jealous wife is suspicious and tries to find ways to interfere (maybe a quest ending could having you aiding the wife because the lord is an arrogant cheating [censored] anyway).

Like these ideas particularly quest 2. I'd be tempted to include a Cyrano de Bergerac option for it where the bard falls in love with the woman hes romancing on anothers behalf.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:21 am

music soothed the savage beast (or how ever that saying went) so idc if there will be quests (but if they are in i will love bards all the more) but i am looking forward to playing my lute for a dragon and starting one of them dragon partys we all want to go to

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:23 pm

Like these ideas particularly quest 2. I'd be tempted to include a Cyrano de Bergerac option for it where the bard falls in love with the woman hes romancing on anothers behalf.

Or the lady falls in love with the bard! Maybe that would be the consequence of failing all of your tasks. :evil:

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:17 am

music soothed the savage beast (or how ever that saying went) so idc if there will be quests (but if they are in i will love bards all the more) but i am looking forward to playing my lute for a dragon and starting one of them dragon partys we all want to go to

Right here, there is clearly someone playing a musical instrument that looks like a lyre.

http://youtu.be/PjqsYzBrP-M?hd=1&t=1m33s

Todd has said that any animations the NPCs can do, we can also do, so I would take this to mean we can pick up instruments like this and play them as well.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:31 pm

That is because you lack "imagination".

indeed

man I wish it is an interesting place and not some generic no quest no character land mark

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 2:30 pm

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:21 pm

I'd love to see it. But I don't think we will, for some reason. Call it a hunch.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:57 pm

I'd love to see it. But I don't think we will, for some reason. Call it a hunch.

Do you believe that the UK and French OXM magazine articles were wrong?

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:33 pm

Whether I believe it or not, I had to vote yes, voting no would be too upsetting.

This.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:34 pm

Exactly.
Aren't bards basically travelling musicians?
What sort of quests would you even do if it were joinable? Does anyone have any ideas?

In real life, yes they were. In The Elder Scrolls, there pretty much adventures, exploring and fighting for the sake of knowledge.

I would imagine going out to find out more about the Dragur and other ancient cultures to be part of a Bard's Collage quest.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:39 am

Do you believe that the UK and French OXM magazine articles were wrong?

I believe we won't be able to join them.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:54 am

I believe we won't be able to join them.

Yes, I think it's more likely there will be a few quests and interesting NPCs, maybe we would only be able to "join" this group to the extent that we could "join" the Kings, or the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout: New Vegas.

In other words, we would likely be able to do quests for them and engage in dialogue to increase our reputation with the faction, but not "rise through the ranks" to the extent possible with the Thieves' Guild or the College of Winterhold.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:42 pm

Bards Confirmed: Additionally, there are new features such as...requesting a bard to play a song in a tavern. Now, if only you could get him to follow you into a bandit cave and abandon him.

Source: http://www.destructoid.com/first-ever-hands-on-with-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-207990.phtml

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:11 pm

They sound like spies to me. A network of spies. Bards get into noble households and attend court. They'd be steeped in intrigue and politics.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:57 am

Could these Bard's have something to do with "The Music of Life"?

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 4:33 pm

Can we play music ourselves ?????? that'd be uber awesome !

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:39 am

Could these Bard's have something to do with "The Music of Life"?

Reading this and thinking of the skull door of evil....it's seems Bards are SRS BSNS.

» Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:18 am

This type of bard, going on TES lore and real life bards, would essentially be playboy librarians, an example of which would be Richard Francis Burton. it basically seams that this college is a bunch of influential well educated people, but who also seem to want to explore and generally have a good time. In a nutshell, imagine your nations most regarded university (in my case, this would be Oxford and Cambridge) and now imagine it was also a bit of a party Uni... that's what these guys are, smart and charismatic