I miss the atmosphere of Oblivion. : V - Skyrim

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 12:07 pm

Developers ever explained why they made Cyrodiil so generic?

Not officially, they probably just wanted to appeal to the masses and make "accessible". :/

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:03 am

When I arrived in Skyrim I thought it looked a bit visually dull ("what? a whole game of Bruma?") , but then I got caught in a heavy snowstorm for the first time and that's when that monochrome world began to feel ... beautiful to me. I think that with Oblivion Bethesda wanted to craft a very good-looking world, so that when the Oblivion crisis started you would find the destruction of all that natural beauty appalling. But Skyrim is just very unwelcoming, both as a terrain and in terms of the Nords themselves. I think that the landscapes in both games serve their purpose; and to be honest I'm not sure that I would actually want to live in either land!

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:10 pm

You should check out the reach (westernmost area of skyrim) if you want more pretty and colorful scenery, it is very lovely there.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 4:24 pm

I understand where you're coming from, and the feeling is intended. When we look back and think about Skyrim after the next elder scrolls release we'll be thinking... Damn, Skyrim was a harsh, dangerous place. And I believe that's exactly the feel Skyrim should take on in the big picture.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:33 am

I prefer the atmosphere of Skyrim but I admit that I miss Cyrodiil a little bit.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 12:14 pm

I'm with the OP. Although I don't have Skyrim yet so can't comment on it, I do know what it is to feel more at home in Cyrodiil and prefer the lush, green landscape and dense forests. I never felt "comfortable" in Shivering Isles and couldn't wait to leave and get back to the medieval charm and warmth of Cyrodiil. I hope the atmosphere of Skyrim will grow on me because I've been looking forward to this next installment in the Elder Scrolls saga.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:34 pm

I loved Oblivion but honestly I don't miss the generic feel it had. I loved the green wonderland and all just like the rest of us, but the beauty and realism Skyrim has overshines the lack of greenery. Actually Skyrim has a fair amount of semi green areas, like Riverwood and Falkreath areas are nice woodlands that seem a little reminiscent of Oblivion.

But yeah, fallout 3's bleakness is what drove me back to playing Oblivion after only one play through. Skyrim has a touch of that, but not bad enough to make me miss Oblivion at all.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 5:16 pm

Nah Oblivion was too pretty for me

While its nice to have a traditional RPG world Skyrim for me feels alot more realistic! I love the ruggedness, and it still has beauty even though it is this! Tell me you have not stopped and stared in awe at a sunset or sunrise, or a beautiful vista or view? I was wondering across the Tundra the other day and was stopped in my tracks at the beauty of rolling grassy meadows when a storm rolled in, everything went from day to night! Then soon after I had finished some bandits with thunder and lightning dancing about the storm passed and the sun came back out... it was amazing

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 4:50 pm

I am the complete opposite. Oblivion offered no atmosphere but 16 km2 of copy/paste generated meadow with nothing interesting or life to be found in the world or NPC's. Skyrim offers me exactly that, something more grounded and 'realistic'.

This

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 8:30 am

Point of correction: Oblivion had no atmosphere.

Unless you're talking about the atmosphere of Disney Land or your local Denny's.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 5:32 pm

It's a matter of taste, I like them both and I'd miss them both. Here's hoping for the day in a distant future where we get to travel across every province of Tamriel with this same level of detail. Single player still, of course.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:06 am

What's great is that you don't have to give up Oblivion. I stopped my Oblivion game to play Skyrim and it's such an awesome game that I'm sure I'll be playing it for years. That doesn't mean I won't play Oblivion again though because I love Oblivion. The best of both worlds, eh?

:tes:

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:21 am

I've seen vids on S, and obviously its mega-impressive. But I fail to see O as boring and repetitive. I liked it very much, and actually thought its beauty was one of its strong points...

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 5:48 pm

I personally abhorred the design of Oblivion's landscapes. It wasn't even the generic medieval motif per se (which I liked in the older games), so much as it was the color palette. The grass was absurdly vibrant, almost resembling a plastic, neon color. Castle walls looked like they were made out of cake icing, not actual stones. The Ayleid ruins themselves seemed incredibly washed out and all of the lighting was comprised of overwhelmingly deep blue-hued light sources emnating out of nowhere, giving the hallways a very unrealistic colorized look.

Skyrim has a considerably more wholesome and balanced color palette by comparison, although I do agree there's room for improvement here and there. Some of the forests could look more lush, and it would be nice if more of the interiors and their furniture were constructed out of deeper woods - i.e. mahogany. The dry, cracked out look makes it almost look as if nobody has been actively maintaining the appearance of their homes in years.

But as a whole, I'm loving the atmosphere.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 3:05 pm

I miss the Third Era, the Septim Dynasty and especially Uriel

Always been the focus for the empire for past games. Now I feel... lost.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:31 am

I get the exact feeling when entering a dungeon and a cave alone. It's scary, thank god I finished the main story, so now I can try to avoid going in anymore.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 4:25 am

What's great is that you don't have to give up Oblivion. I stopped my Oblivion game to play Skyrim and it's such an awesome game that I'm sure I'll be playing it for years. That doesn't mean I won't play Oblivion again though because I love Oblivion. The best of both worlds, eh?

:tes:

Exactly. Nobody's saying you have to completely abandon Cyrodiil. If you want to roam the pretty, medieval fantasy-esque land again, just pop in Oblivion. You're not gonna hurt anyone's feelings. 8) Though I, personally, prefer Skyrim's rugged terrain.

I do miss the Septim Empire, though...

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:57 am

its much more morrowind much less oblivion but i really really like it

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:27 am

First off and most important I love skyrim. It is one heck of a game. It's absolutely the meaning of perfection. Graphics, gameplay, eveything is made with love and is done just right, of course there are minor things that bug me but I'm not one of those that thinks the game was made for me, no reason to even bring them up.

One thing that I miss from Oblivion. It's not that it makes Skyrim a bad game it's actually what makes it good. I miss the feel and atmosphere of Oblivion. I know Skyrim is dark and dreary and Bethesda did a fine job at portraying that but I really loved the greenery and feel of Ovlivion, the morning you'd walk around and see the locals tending to their gardens and livestock, the music that made you feel like on a great adventure that's full of rainbows and unicorns(joking), except of course when you stumbled across one of damn gates but even then the enemy's even felt a little sunny and Zelda-ish. Now with Skyrim I get the feeling of being a little scared when in a dungeon or up on a snowy mountain, even the music scares me, I could almost feel the cold going through my body. Of course I'm being a little dramatic.
Skyrim's feel is perfect for Skyrim, it's how I would of imagined it. Oblivion's feel is perfect for Cyrodiil. If they would have mixed the two it would of worked. I have not gotten that far into Skyrims world yet so I'm hoping I see some of these places later on.

Anyone get what I'm saying. I almost want to pop in Oblivion just to get out of this dark mood. Once again not complaining just a down. The way that I feel means Bethesda did their job, thanks guys. It's funny how you can pay 60 bucks for a game and play it for 8hrs or you can spend the same 60 and play one for years and always find something new. Skyrim gets a 10 from me. My tens don't mean perfect because nothing is perfect, they just mean I'm having a blast.

This is going to sound odd but I found oblivion scarier and erm.. Creepier. Something about moaning zombies behind secret passages hissing skeletons and ghosts and ghouls that cannot be damaged with normal weapons amids this happy fantasy setting. I feel in Skyrim I run into the dungeon and blast my way to the end get my treasure and leave. While in OB I constantly questioned whether its worth going on or should I turn back now and I really didn’t want to go deeper and deeper into the dungeon but I already went that far... The sky turning red and going into creepy gates I mean I though the monsters were goofy but the setting and the environment gave me a bad feeling.

As for Skyrim talking dragons do not help the setting... That being said I just wondered into a ruin filled with mechanical enemies and insane people that ended up killing each other in their sleep (read from leftover diaries) surrounded by bloodstains, this sort of gave me a bad feeling.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:11 am

I miss the Third Era, the Septim Dynasty and especially Uriel

Always been the focus for the empire for past games. Now I feel... lost.

As do I. Even with Morrowind being set in a rugged frontier, the Imperial presence helped to preserve some sense of homeyness, and the game was great at throwing you into unfamiliar situations whilst still making you feel welcome and as though there was some semblance of order and safety for foreigners. I'd love an Elder Scrolls game set in the second era, like Redguard.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:02 am

Turn up the contrast on your TV. :teehee:

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:03 pm

Skyrim seems to me to be like a cross between Oblivion & Fallout 3.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:38 am

The are around Riften and The Rift are pretty cheery seeming.

I think overall the game just seems less innocent. Which honestly, with the main theme being dragons and them destroying the world and enslaving all mortals, in my opinion fits a little better.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:20 pm

I hated the feel of Oblivion for the most part. It hit a few key things very well, and was way off the mark on everything else. Skyrim nailed the atmosphere department about as well as Morrowind did. I'm really loving it.

» Sat Dec 17, 2011 8:23 am

oblivion was my first elder scrolls game that i played properly (on 360).i will always love oblivion,and i plan on going back to it.skyrim though has totally blown me away.the richness of the detail,the wildlife,the scale of the world e.t.c,e.t.c :thumbsup: it is stunningly beautiful (have 360 version). i must admit to my favourite part of cyrodill being bruma and it's surroundings though :thumbsup: