Info from the new US OXM : V - Skyrim

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:52 am

' Each settlement has its own economy, and apparently you can, for example, 'ruin Riverwood's financial state by choosing to sabotage that sawmill.'

Absolutely love the fact you can influence the economy!!

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:11 pm

Thanks for the info. You included some new stuff/depth that was very interesting.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:11 am

And still, no werewolves. Thank you for this info

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:25 pm

Yup, its totally realistic to expect the world-eating dragons to just leave you alone for the whole game.

There is only one world eating dragon and it probably won't appear until it feels it needs to. Just becuase dragons have come forth, doesn't mean the world is near its end. Now, if you start killing said dragons, then perhaps the world eater will think something needs to be done about that fact and come forth quickly.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:11 am

Thanks for the read, a little more detail that I didn't really know about

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:02 pm

Just because a dragon flies by doesn't mean automatic death to you. When Todd compared them to big daddies, he wasn't kidding. This one quote says:
"In theory, you can engage a dragon whenever you see one simply by pelting it as it flies past, but make sure you're ready for the fight."
Basically that states that the dragons (not all of them, anyways) won't attack you immediately on sight. This also comes up again in a later point.
Telekinesis spell confirmed. I don't remember if it was just speculated or not, but it's confirmed to be in the spell list. Specifically, OXM said there were 80 spells, but for those of you keeping up with the news, there's certainly a lot more versatility in the spells now.
Speaking on dragonshouts: "The first strain of this new magic that we're shown is the ability to slow time. As you approach the carvings, one word in particular begins to glow. Once its been examined and equipped, a tap of RB slows the entire scene down for eight seconds, allowing you to casually plant arrows in the skulls of any surrounding enemies. Learn the rest of the phrase and you'll get even longer to play at being a medieval Max Payne."
It also mentions the Unrelenting Force dragonshout, which is of course the 'knockback' shout, and also briefly mentions there's a cooldown period after each shout you do. Then it says:
"Also, if you think you're the only one wandering around Skyrim with the ability to turn words into magic, think again."
Now are they referring to dragons, the graybeards, or something else (and by that something worse)? I'm interested.
The mag talks about how you actually feel like you're hitting the person with metal to flesh with each hit of the weapon. Nothing otherwise 'new.'
You have quick menus for each hand. The example they give is say, you switch your left hand immediately from a shield to a fire spell while retaining the sword in the other. Apparently you can switch from the gritty, up-close melee to magic in almost no time spent.
"Bethesda has struck a masterful balance between the straight-forward accessibility of placing items on each trigger, and a system that clearly offers depth and flexibility. Naturally, two-handed weapons do exist, at which point the left trigger may, for example, block with a broadsword or allow you to aim with a bow."
There's also new dragon screen. I think it's been mentioned before, but I had yet to see the screen myself. It's basically the dragon sitting on that stone pillar, much like the one at the end of the Official Trailer that it flies off of, the one in the GI mag. Only this time it's from under and from the front, with the dragon's wings partially outstretched and his head looking away, roaring.
"Skyrim is going to be a slightly less dangerous landscape to negotiate this time around. Rather than initiating a zany chase every time you wander near the local wildlife, many of the creatures (including giants) will simply ignore you unless you give them a reason to attack. Certain breeds are permanently pissed off, though, so don't go trying to shake hands with a frost spider."
The article retouches on the fact that everything is being designed by hand, from the world itself to the dungeons. For the dungeons mainly, they also reiterate what we've heard in that none will be exactly alike. They then mention 'burbling underground rivers, tree roots punching their ways through walls, and odd glimpses of light from the world above' in the 'ancient Nord catacombs.'
Supposedly Bethesda has also focused more on pacing and variety to ensure that you don't 'just find a dark corner to curl up in for a snooze.' The dungeon which they explored was Bleak Falls Barrow from the demo, and this time around there are 'far more traps and puzzles' in dungeons, which gave Bleak Falls section 'a distinctively Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vibe.'
*Spoiler here*
It says instead, as they went to exit a cave, they found themselves to face to face with 'an enormous, dark gray dragon.' They point out that you can't escape these looming baddies. At some point or another, you're going to have to take these bad boys down, and it's not going to be easy.
OXM then mentions how unlike in Oblivion, people will actually have proper jobs and schedules now. Like how, in the small town of Riverwood, it will feature such things as chopping wood, cooking, and running a sawmill. You can perform these jobs now too, 'so if you want your hero's story to include eight-hour days cutting up hundreds of logs, the option is there.' Each settlement has its own economy, and apparently you can, for example, 'ruin Riverwood's financial state by choosing to sabotage that sawmill.'
That whole 'drop a sword in the middle of a town' deal has more weight to it, too. If the NPC that picks up the sword and likes you, they might offer it back to you in case you dropped it by accident. A neutral-feeling NPC might ask if they can have it, and one who dislikes you 'might simply nab the weapon and take off.'
Then, if you choose to kill that person, the radiant story will then search for his/her relatives 'and may even send one of them in pursuit of you to avenge the murder.'
Also, OXM isn't even mentioning the hints Bethesda kept dropping during the interview. Apparently there's a lot more they want to talk about but can't yet. For example:
"We're expecting something very special from the faction system, which the team seemed to be itching to talk about."
And that isn't referring to the Dark Brotherhood as they mention that later. I don't know what stops Bethesda's pulling on the faction system, but I'm eager to find out.

And that's pretty much it on the 'new' info guys.

I posted this in another thread like a couple of days ago.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:44 am

First off beautiful Avatar. Kate Beckinsale is undoubtedly the hottest woman on earth.Secondly thanks for all this info. I'm going to add some of it to my Dragon thread right now and I'll probably go out and buy this magazine soon. Yeah i already know what it says now but I use to have a subscription to it and I enjoy the screens that go along with the articles. Plus you gotta have something for toilet material :blush2: right?I went a little bit into this in my dragon thread. They are definitely talking about the graybeards here. If you want to read more it's under my Dragonshout section in my thread. Link below. \/

Yeah I've seen the thread, crazy detail. Good work. And no doubt about Kate Beckinsale! Glad someone else sees the truth! haha

I posted this in another thread like a couple of days ago.

I found your thread mentioning dungeons, but that was it. Regardless, there's a lot of things people obviously didn't see, so I figured I'd let 'em know.

Power to the People! (bioshock reference for the 'big draggies')

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:15 am

I hope the job thing isn't the main way to get money or improve town economy. One guy works for a couple of days; massive economic growth occurs. Also, they'll be boring, I guarantee, so I don't want to be forced to play dem minigames for money.

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:48 pm

The more I read, the more hyped I get. Must stop...

I really like that they want to make it so that you don't get immediately attacked by every creature you encounter.

I just hope they actually implement it, and do it well.

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:19 pm

They had NPCs picking things up in Oblivion. The NPC would walk over to the object and crouch down, then the item would magically disapear and go into thier inventory. Is that how its going to be in Skyrim? or will you actually see them go over and pick the item up and see it in thier hand, and then walk over to you and hand it to you?

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:19 am

yay creatures dont automatically say to hell with the food chain this guys the main character

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:23 am

It would be awesome if you can customize the dragon's features and equip it with armor.

:lmao:

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:05 pm

*You are over-encumbered*

"Hmm, let me just drop this armor"

*NPC walks up and picks it up*
"Here's your armor back sir.

*You are over-encumberd*
"crap."

lol. Hopefully you can tell them they can keep it.

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:59 pm

Sounds great. Some nice info.

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:58 pm

i guess the floor in the middle of the Imperial City cant be my storage area anymore...

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:19 pm

Thanks I got a bit of new info and detail out of this.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:11 am

"Skyrim is going to be a slightly less dangerous landscape to negotiate this time around. Rather than initiating a zany chase every time you wander near the local wildlife, many of the creatures (including giants) will simply ignore you unless you give them a reason to attack. Certain breeds are permanently pissed off, though, so don't go trying to shake hands with a frost spider."

Supposedly Bethesda has also focused more on pacing and variety to ensure that you don't 'just find a dark corner to curl up in for a snooze.' The dungeon which they explored was Bleak Falls Barrow from the demo, and this time around there are 'far more traps and puzzles' in dungeons, which gave Bleak Falls section 'a distinctively Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vibe.'

These two were my favorite bits of info. I was really hoping there would be a lot of non-hostile enemies. I'm glad that even some typically hostile enemies like giants will ignore you unless you mess with them. That has always bothered me that EVERYTHING feels the need to kill me. Great news!!! Also love the fact that dungeons are more trap infested and filled with puzzles. The Indiana Jones reference sounds really exciting. I'm imagining spikes coming out of the walls, pitfalls, and giant boulders. I hope they have some great physics this time. Overall, article had some pretty good info, and has me excited to hear more.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:11 am

I'm interested to see what happens when a town's economy takes a dive. Or a bigger city, for that matter. Do more citizens choose to steal and murder to get by? That would be amazing :3

What I want to see is the degradation of buildings within the city to a poorer state if the economy dives, and upgrades if the economy is sufficiently good.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:32 am

Thats really great new info, many thanks to you.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:28 am

I wonder if the 'burbling river" is what we saw in the trailer...you know the one most people though svcked! Thanks for the post.

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:32 am

Thanks for the thread but from what you have mentioned and quoted, it is the exact same article as OXM UK. Thats a shame i was hoping for something new from the US version.

Thanks anyway though...

To elaberate on the wildlife part of the article... In the UK edition there was a Q&A section involving Todd and a couple of others. When asked about the wildlife and hostility of animals,

Quote Todd "One of our designers used some of the new AI stuff out on the wolves. They have a den, and a few times a day they go out and do a big patrol. If they find something they hunt in a pack... but if they kill it, that becomes the area they want to guard and they'll hang out there. If you go outside and they're on patrol they'll just go after you. If they're guarding this thing they've killed they'll just hang out there and not chase you down, because they want to protect whatever they've killed. Little stuff like that is fairly easy to set up, and makes it a lot more beievable."

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:58 am

Great info! There was a lot new info for me. Thanks OP for posting this.

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:22 pm

Thanks for the thread but from what you have mentioned and quoted, it is the exact same article as OXM UK. Thats a shame i was hoping for something new from the US version.

Thanks anyway though...

To elaberate on the wildlife part of the article... In the UK edition there was a Q&A section involving Todd and a couple of others. When asked about the wildlife and hostility of animals,

Quote Todd "One of our designers used some of the new AI stuff out on the wolves. They have a den, and a few times a day they go out and do a big patrol. If they find something they hunt in a pack... but if they kill it, that becomes the area they want to guard and they'll hang out there. If you go outside and they're on patrol they'll just go after you. If they're guarding this thing they've killed they'll just hang out there and not chase you down, because they want to protect whatever they've killed. Little stuff like that is fairly easy to set up, and makes it a lot more beievable."

I really appreciate you posting this, this made my day. Thanks!

» Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:35 pm

Quote Todd "One of our designers used some of the new AI stuff out on the wolves. They have a den, and a few times a day they go out and do a big patrol. If they find something they hunt in a pack... but if they kill it, that becomes the area they want to guard and they'll hang out there. If you go outside and they're on patrol they'll just go after you. If they're guarding this thing they've killed they'll just hang out there and not chase you down, because they want to protect whatever they've killed. Little stuff like that is fairly easy to set up, and makes it a lot more beievable."

OMG that sounds great :clap:

» Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:13 am

You have quick menus for each hand. The example they give is say, you switch your left hand immediately from a shield to a fire spell while retaining the sword in the other. Apparently you can switch from the gritty, up-close melee to magic in almost no time spent.

I'm actually a little disappointed about this. I'd prefer if it took a little time to switch from weapon to magic to represent how the PC would be putting it away. But magic or H2H to magic should be near instantaneous.