Wasn't the comcept art based on the screenshot though? Cause, I remember that they started from the ingame pic and then the artest started to do their thing in timelaps. So, if the art was done in 2009, wouldn't the screenshot have to be taken in 2009 as well?

I'm talking about a very very very low-detailed texture. Honestly, it looks terrible. Am I really the only one seeing it?



Well that's kind of what I was hoping for when I said "something's not right". But by release, if the textures look that bad even on the console I will be seriously disappointed.

While I think Skyrim will look great -- especially in motion, on a gaming PC, at a higher resolution -- I also agree with many of the criticisms people have brought up. There are certainly faults here and there that are quite disappointing to see, if only because I expect "fantastic" rather than "pretty good."

I know more than average about what goes into producing game graphics, and I don't know enough to really comment on how they ought to be improved, or what will change from platform to platform or older build to newer build, from an artist or programmer's perspective. So I won't try to be any more technical than to say these screenshots look great - but not good enough for Skyrim to blow every comparable game out of the water visually. I hope that at release, on PC, the game is significantly better-looking in a number of ways.

What I do love about these higher-res screenshots are the positive things they imply about the game overall; the art style, creature, environment and item design, and the character models look superb. The slight asymmetry of the Nord lady is what makes her look so natural and such a huge improvement over Oblivion's NPCs, I think... and while everyone seems to be not quite mentioning it, I'll just come out and say that her chest is modestly but beautifully modeled and proportioned. Bethesda, your character artists are awesome.

The poses of characters and creatures don't tell the full story on the animations (we won't know till we see a video), either, but they do seem to imply a vast improvement in that regard.

Because in 2009 there existed at least one screenshot (that we have never seen), all screenshots of the game must be from 2009? I don't understand the logic of this.

I completely agree with Umrahel that Bethesda will only show the newest and prettiest screenshots they have.

The art was drawn over a screenshot, it wasn't concept art made out of thin air.

Edit: http://twitter.com/#!/DCDeacon/status/34772515112886272 you go, your skepticism can be curbed now.

3 things ive noticed.

1. thats an elk he's hunting, not a horse like previously thought.
2. environment is very pretty
3. the only thing that does't look that great is the hair.

the waterfall shot also doesnt look very good. plants have bad textures and the water doesnt look realistic.

I don't understand why people are arguing about the dates of the screenshots. They look good, that's all that needs to be said...

Hadn't seen those screenshots in that high rez before. A must admit in someways the higher resoulution makes them look worse, since before I could imagine detail were it turned out there wasn't any.

The Dragon looks great, as have all the shots of the dragons, great models, hopefully the animation will do them justice. Now that I see a clear shot of the mountains my fears of the size of the map have been realized. All the mountians are too small, too jagged (not realistic looking) and too steep. Even the furtherest mountain hill looks only a stone's throw away, and I'm assuming the taller mountain is the tallest in the game, it just doesn't fit with the rest, the whole scene looks more like a stage set than an actual place.

But the screenshot in question is not part of the 24 screens (in my count) we have so far seen. My only pont was that there ist no correlation between a video of a concept art from 2009 and the screenshots we discuss right now.



Thanks, that's what I wanted to know.
Unfortunately the link to OXM is broken. What screen was it? The waterfall and lake screen?

The water does look funny, but I seriously think it will look great in action and on screen. This is a RPG with a big open world made for current generation consoles. The tech is going to reflect that. Most systems will not support a super realistic world, this is made towards a larger audience who want to play a fun game on their consoles and their current medium to high end computers.

I think we can agree the aesthetics or art direction is 10x better than Oblivion.

Actually, I think the cave in the timelapse video is the same one that the barbarian adventurer is going into when he has the sunlight on this back and there is a zombie down the tunnel from him.



Waterfall and pond screen yes.

I'm pretty sure we saw all of those pics before the scandinavian mag.

Yep.

TRUE. but not in HIGH-RES.

Seen all in game informer :tongue: :rolleyes: but even so the screens still look amazing and I can't wait to see some gameplay!

marginally better?
lets compare shall we

mountains
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/080/e/6/Oblivion___Mountain_top_by_phrostie.png - http://www.gamestar.de/_misc/images/original.cfm?pk=2198717
Npcs
http://images.uesp.net//c/c4/OB-npc-Signy_Home-Wrecker.jpg - http://cdn.medialib.oxm.co.uk/screens/screenshot_17302.jpg
Troll
http://www.igniq.com/images/elder_scrolls_oblivion_troll_190305.jpg - http://cdn.medialib.oxm.co.uk/screens/screenshot_17304.jpg
Undead
http://members.iinet.com.au/~amills/MM22-hoarde.jpg - http://www.gamestar.de/_misc/images/original.cfm?pk=2198718
Forests
http://12pastnorth.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/obliv01B.jpg - http://www.gamestar.de/_misc/images/original.cfm?pk=2198719 http://cdn.medialib.oxm.co.uk/screens/screenshot_17301.jpg

not trying to flamebait. just trying to show people how much the graphics are upgraded

Many movies depict dragons as wyverns. I think it's a more "realistic" design (like a bat) than traditional dragons with 6 appendages. That said I do hope there's more than one type of dragon in the game, at least one with 4 legs and no wings.

Well we know there are dragons with 4 legs and wings at least because there is a really sweet two page screen of the hero fighting a dragon on the ground breathing fire. If anyone still hasn't picked up the GI mag, I really think you should, there are so many good screens in it that still haven't been released anywhere else.

I agree most things are an upgrade from Oblivion. However i think Oblivion forrest looks better, but forrests look way more realistic in Skyrim. Still i have to say oblivion forrest' are prettier to look at.

Good effort on finding the pictures

This is an open world game. There are limits to the technology of open world games.


I think the graphics of Skyrim look comparable to Red Dead Redemption, it's just that RDR is primarily 3rd person (so you never get close enough to notice any los-res textures and such. RDR looks amazing, and from what we've seen so will this.

i think your right
oblivion's forest are much more idyllic and pretty , were as skyrim's look rough and gritty. with more details as you said

yeah the trees kind of looked better in oblivion but now the forest look realistic,i think the reason they dont look as good it because now they move because of wind.

I think that we should wait to make judgements on the trees...

I hope that wasn't a cliff racer. Please let that have been a dragon, please let that have been a dragon. I did see another picture of a dragon somewhere in there. But if there are cliff racers, I don't think I'll get this game. I had to go to the construction set to delete every cliff racer in Morrowind. I can't do that for Skyrim, my computer svcks words I can't type.