Hi folks.

After I found out that Elder Scrolls V was announced, I decided to pick up the GOTY Deluxe Edition of Elder Scrolls IV on Steam.
It's currently downloading, and I was hoping I could get some assistance.

You see, I've never actually played an Elder Scrolls game. Open-endedness generally scares me, but I decided to see if there was a set path or something I could follow on Vanilla ESIV GOTY to make my life easier and less frustrating.

Can anyone offer me advice on playing the game, basically? or tell me what to expect when the download completes?

Thanks again!

Save a lot, and at key points you can go back to.

Consider looking at the UESP wiki. We use it as our bible and it is an amazingly helpful site: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion

Be prepared to start your character over many times at low levels as you learn.

Be prepared to invest loads of time into this wonderful game. It is not a casual experience.

Open endedness is great, and there is nothing in the game you must do. If you would like some structure however, the developers have provided a 'Main Quest' and the game will kind of point you along the way of that track if you like.

Thanks for the tips, along with the wiki link.

Once upon a time I found open-ended games to be daunting too. But since I started playing Oblivion over a year ago now I feel quite the opposite. Games that are not open-ended are now the ones I shy away from. Give me the total freedom to do whatever I want. I makes for a measure of replayability that is just not found in linear games.

If I were you, however, don't overuse the wiki like I did. If you don't need it, don't touch it. Theres some nice little features in the game - and trust me - they're much more cool to discover when you discover them on your own.

Agreed.

Personally, what I love most about open-ended games is stepping into them without having a single clue as to what I'm (supposed to be) doing and then slowly discovering the world and its mechanics as I go along with childlike wonder. It's an acquired taste, I guess.

I will just second what Ni! says here. The Wiki is a great tool and Acadian is right to suggest that you read it. But Ni! is also right: be careful not to overuse it. Too much information - and too much of the wrong information - can possibly ruin the game the first time. Turn to the Wiki only when frustration threatens to ruin your game experience.

I think the Wiki (actually, any information source outside the game) is probably best used to look up game mechanics, not genuine spoilers such as quest walkthroughs. Elder Scrolls game mechanics are a little different than other roleplaying games (such as Dungeons and Dragons) and you may benefit from reading up on them a little bit. Just don't go overboard.

Don't be too worried about getting lost or not knowing what to do. Oblivion actually does a pretty thorough job (more thorough than the previous games in the series) of guiding players through the game's main quest, which is enough to get you started. After that, you'll probably know enough to make your own decisions.

Unlike in previous Elder Scrolls games, it's relatively hard to really screw things up. Bethesda tried very hard to make Oblivion idiot-proof. Relax, and enjoy!

My only advise is expect nothing and don′t ask people what to do in the game. Experiencing it on your own without someone else′s guideline is the only way the enjoy Oblivion

Welcome :goodjob:

Even though you mention you'll be playing a vanilla copy, I'd suggest you get a few basic mods like the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5296 and http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10763

The first fixes a lot of bugs in quests and such, while the second just makes the interface much much better for use on a PC.
Comparison screenshot with/without darnified ui:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/images/10763-2-1205949211.jpg
http://www.alquier.org/TES/images/Oblivion/inventory-list-vanilla-ps3.jpg

As you can see, using DarnUI simply makes it much more organized.

Personally i play an extremely heavily modded version of the game, adding lots of new items, quests, enemies and mechanics (i.e. crafting) to the game.
It does make the game somewhat more difficult, but by being a little careful (and because I've played TES games for hundreds of hours since Morrowind) I don't find that to be an issue. If necessary, you can always slide the difficulty-setting down at any time in the game,.

expect freedom

Refer to my links below in my signature. They will help you get started. Outside that feel free to PM me or contact me on MSN : metal7188@hotmail.com

I love Elder Scrolls and I love writing guides and helping people. I check this forum pretty often, and Ive done pretty much everything you can do in the game.

Wow! Thanks for the offer. I'll try making an Argonian Warrior and come back when I have more input. It just finished downloading!

Most of us 'crazy people' role play our characters these days. It is what tends to happen after you spend years trapped in Cyrodiil. :ahhh:
It is not necessary to play that way from the start, but keep it in mind if you want to 'go all the way!!' http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Roleplaying

I would also suggest that you understand the process of repairing magical items, soul trap and entry into the Arcane University. These things can trip up those new to Oblivion.
Good Luck!!

All of the above is great advice. I would only add that you should expect to make a lot of mistakes with your first character. Don't worry about being the perfect this or the best that. Explore the world, join a guild, make some potions. Above all . . . relax.

Have fun.

My suggestions: try to decipher how the leveling system works fairly early in your initiation to Oblivion. There are a ton of sources, with the Wiki being the most notable.

I'd say the leveling system is the most counter-intuitive aspect for those new to the game, and it has a considerable potential to 'spoil' game experience if you progress too far without realizing how it works, and how you'd prefer to adapt to it. Basically, if you take the most intuitive approach to a character, and specialize in "Major Skills" that make sense from a roleplay perspective, you are likely to gain levels quickly and the game will become harder faster. Low level monsters will disappear as you gain levels, and tougher monsters will be spawned in their place. There are mods that work around this dynamic in various ways, but it is best to get a feel for how the vanilla system works before deciding to take the plunge on any of those I think.

Have fun!

With respect to the leveling system, it makes perfect sense as long as you do not make assumptions about it based on what other role playing games have done in the past. Specifically, the system simulates real life (i.e., you get better by using skills). Also, "major skills" does not mean "skills used most often" (this is where many new players make assumptions based on other gaming experiences). All that the major/minor skills indicate is which skills determine level progression, not which skills may be most used by the character.

As previous posters have said, you should try to figure out everything for yourself. If you overuse these forums or UESP for help you'll rob yourself of the joys of exploration and discovery.

That's why I'm going to try to resist the temptation to read anything about Skyrim. I want to go into the game not knowing a single thing about it.

First thing I did when I got the game was make an Orc and take all of the combat skills as my majors....the game rocketed in difficulty very fast. At least you always get loot that matches your level so you do not have to worry about being out-geared by your opponents too often.

I found after doing it on the hardest difficulty that playing at the default difficulty and not spending any time planning and nit-picking how you level skills to be a ton more enjoyable.

Sorry for the late reply. Was a bit busy finishing real life stuff.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. I made a save point right before exiting the sewer, so I'm hoping to get the most out of the game by doing so. Cheers!

Lol, it's like sending someone of the school for the first time. :hugs:

Should I make after action reports or something?

OH! Almost forgot...

How do I show the character's face, and how do I take screenshots/ where do I find saved Screenshots? Is it still Print Screen?

One of the keys on the keyboard lets you switch between 1st and 3rd person. I don't remember the default because I changed it to tab (got used to tab from Morrowind) and set the journal hotkey to J.

Anyway, if you keep that key pressed you are in vanity mode and you can move your mouse to view your character from different angles. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out.

For screenshots you have to enable them in the .ini file. go to My documents/My Games/Oblivion and open Oblivion.ini. Search for the line bAllowScreenShot= and set it to one, like this:

bAllowScreenShot=1

Then you just press PrintScreen to make a screenshot. But the screenshots will be in bitmap format and rather large. So I prefer to use special programes for making screenshots, such as Fraps.

Being a weekend warrior (7 kids, 3 grandkids, two jobs, husband, etc. etc.) it took me over three years to play completely through Oblivion. I loved every second of it. Played one character only. When I got the Bethesda email annoucing Skyrim, I was estatic! Obvlion has been the best game I have ever played and only the second in my entire life that I played all the way through. There has only been one game I actually played twice through (Ultima VII - yes I'm that old).

I decided to play Obvliion through this coming year. It is my goal to finished sometime shortly before 11-11-11.

What to expect? Immersion. Excitement. Unexpected things happening (I have seen things in the two days that I've started playing again that I have never seen before!). Awe. Stop to look at the scenery. It is truly spectatular (especially if you have a computer that can handle the "Ultra Graphics" setting). There are three advlts living in my house who all play Oblivion and everyone has different experiences, goals, and adventures. Yes the game is open-ended but you do get direction with quests and being pointed here and there. I personally love the Prima guide and use it to keep track of where I am with each faction, main question, etc. I put little pencil dots next to completed quests. Then at the end I will go back and make sure I haven't missed anything. I didn't really do that the first time through but want to make sure I have experienced it all before I move on to my next obsession on 11-11-11.

Safe journies!

Ok. Dumb question time: where does it put the screenshot? I get a little announcement at the top that says Screenshot file: "ScreenShot2.bmp" created. But where? I've searched my computer for it and cannot find it.

Look at the Oblivion.ini file. The folder for the screenshots is in there just like the switch to activate it.