[W E I R D]

Ya the GI cover is pretty anti-climatic for me especially since I'm only 30 hrs into DA:O, and it's been out for less than a year. I guess the only silver lining in all of this that Bethesda might be working on paradigm shifting RPG. If they're NOT making a game-changer then I'd like to know why there's gonna be five years between games.

[Kristina Campbell]

I still don`t understand why they need to keep the development of the game secret. Don`t they care about their fans? Just a "yes we are currently working on TES V and we have been for few years now" would have been a weight lifted of my shoulder. These speculations: "Yes i think it will be shown at E3" or "Im 95% shure it is gonna be revealed in the GI" followed by a bunch of evidence that is barely holding water only does little good when it get shot down like today`s GI reveal. The disappointment gets bigger IMO.
If the TES V dont get shown at Quakecon or any news from Bethesda until then, im waving the white flag and surrender. There is no point using energy on a game that we dont know nothing about.
Yes Bethesda make good games, but they care squat about their TES fans. Bad, very bad

[Shelby Huffman]

I don't know, I'd say it is pretty boss. If I find a higher res copy I'd add it to my desktop rotation. I hope they make serious improvements to DA2. I enjoyed DA a good amount, but visually the game was sorely lacking - especially in comparison with Mass Effect 2 - after playing ME2, I couldn't gin up the desire to launch a third play-through of DA.

Pant-soiling is hyperbole, but thats what twitter and games journalism excel at. Perhaps artists at BGS (or on commission to them) will put them to shame someday soon, if we are very lucky

Aye, Mass Effect is on another level. I'm amazed at the continuity from game to game, that's a really cool aspect i'd love to see other companies apply to their own game series.

On topic: With Game Informer being a bust, and the next issue falling outside the trademark expiration date, it falls on Bethesda to announce it themselves. Technically that could happen but they do seem to love their GI covers, and considering that the trademark for the 'game' has been completely refreshed (god knows how, I guess we missed something big there regarding TM laws) I wouldn't be surprised to see their other Skyrim TMs being refreshed in the near future. I imagine the next TES announcement we get will be concerning the second book, with the next game being quite some time away, perhaps even next year's E3 season.

I guess Todd wasn't exaggerating when he said don't expect anything about TES:V soon.

[Dominic Vaughan]

I still don`t understand why they need to keep the development of the game secret. Don`t they care about their fans? Just a "yes we are currently working on TES V and we have been for few years now" would have been a weight lifted of my shoulder. These speculations: "Yes i think it will be shown at E3" or "Im 95% shure it is gonna be revealed in the GI" followed by a bunch of evidence that is barely holding water only does little good when it get shot down like today`s GI reveal. The disappointment gets bigger IMO.
If the TES V dont get shown at Quakecon or any news from Bethesda until then, im waving the white flag and surrender. There is no point using energy on a game that we dont know nothing about.
Yes Bethesda make good games, but they care squat about their TES fans. Bad, very bad

You think we're hounding and scrounging for information now? Imagine how much more pressure and attention the team will be under after they announce.

If they announce details early and have to backtrack, people whine about what could have been (it has happened).

Making games, particularly large complex and system-based games like TESIV and presumably TESV takes a lot of time. It may be they've been working on it for 2 year or longer now (resources redirected from the Fallout team as it wound down) and have nothing really show-able created so far. Just reams and reams of code and spreadsheets, with lots of placeholder assets. The pretty stuff comes pretty late when you have to code physics, faction interaction, inventory systems for a whole world, and everything else that goes into making BGS games into 'worlds' rather than 'backdrops'.

If you can't stand disappointment, you can't afford to get involved in speculation. We were wrong (the evidence was better than you say it was, but that is beside the point). We've been wrong before, and probably will again. Any dashed hopes are on you for speculating, not the company for being mute.

This 'they don't care about their fans' bunk is some of the worst kind of entitlement going...

[Ernesto Salinas]

I still don`t understand why they need to keep the development of the game secret. Don`t they care about their fans? Just a "yes we are currently working on TES V and we have been for few years now" would have been a weight lifted of my shoulder. These speculations: "Yes i think it will be shown at E3" or "Im 95% shure it is gonna be revealed in the GI" followed by a bunch of evidence that is barely holding water only does little good when it get shot down like today`s GI reveal. The disappointment gets bigger IMO.
If the TES V dont get shown at Quakecon or any news from Bethesda until then, im waving the white flag and surrender. There is no point using energy on a game that we dont know nothing about.
Yes Bethesda make good games, but they care squat about their TES fans. Bad, very bad

The easiest way to go about accepting this is to understand that the probability Elder Scrolls V is being worked on is REALLY HIGH. Like it was said somewhere before, you don't pay a game development staff to sit around and watch videos on the internet all day. Because we have heard nothing about it for the longest time, I am taking that as a sign that there is something going on that we just haven't heard about yet. Their two titles are Elder Scrolls and Fallout. We know where the next Fallout game is. That can only mean they're up to one thing.

The best thing to do is to go about your life without paying attention to any of this. You forget all about it and become occupied with other things to do, and by the time it does come around, you'll be pleasantly surprised. As for me, there is nothing going on in my life right now, so this is really the only way to pass the time when I'm not at work.

Besides, if you want a game company that does not care about its players, go take a look at Blizzard and the fiasco they've gotten themselves into. Compared to them, Bethesda seems saintly.

[JR Cash]

What happens if two game companies (Bioware and Bethesda) wanted their game to be on the August cover of Game Informer? The first one to say gets it?

What I'm trying to say is maybe Bethesda planned for an announcement in August's GI, but Bioware had reservations? I'm just wishfully thinking..

[Chris Johnston]

My concern isn't so much if they're actually working on Elder Scrolls V. That's pretty much a given. What I'm worried about is if we're going to see any kind of announcement on the game before hell freezes over.

What was it Pete said about QuakeCon in relation to Bethesda? I don't remember the direct quote. But if I remember the gist of it right, it gives me a little hope, but I'm very tentative after this Game Informer disappointment.

[Ross Zombie]

What happens if two game companies (Bioware and Bethesda) wanted their game to be on the August cover of Game Informer? The first one to say gets it?

What makes the world go round? I don't know for a fact, but it really seems like the kind of situation where cash or valuable favours would be involved in a barter process for the right of exclusive coverage on one hand, and valuable valuable publicity on the other, with perhaps a little of the ol' payola for good measure, but what do I know. Wheeling and dealing, to be sure.

[Eire Charlotta]

I wish I knew more about Doom 4's development. How likely is it to dominate Quakecon? Does Doom 4 being at QC make TES news unlikely at that show in itself?

It's true that Doom 4 may not get a big unveil, we might just get some preliminary information. However I still feel that QuakeCon is an unlikely event for announcing TES V.

I think Doom 4 will be presented at Quakecon this year, and probably Bethesda help to develop Doom 4 and a new engine, so don't expect TES5 soon. Maybe it will be announced next year or so.

As Stahlbrand said id and Bethesda won't be co-developing this title - we also know that Doom 4 will be using id tech 5 (like RAGE) so no new engine is required.

Gamescom 2010, Cologne, Germany, August 18-22 is certainly a potential place for an announcement.

Bethesda is listed as an exhibitor, with "Action / Adventure, Jump and Run, Role-playing games" as their details so far. Could just be New Vegas as the RPG, but TES games are insanely popular in Germany, as are all open-world RPGs. It's where Beth's main competition for the genre comes from. If you can call most, or any of it, competition.

New Vegas, Fallout 3, and Oblivion were all unveiled with magazine previews - Bethesda could certainly try something different but they seem to like this approach so I'm skeptical that they'd do this.

Germany does have a big show and Bethesda's been there recently but as with E3 I imagine they'll use this to show off Brink, RAGE, Hunted, and New Vegas.

Ya the GI cover is pretty anti-climatic for me especially since I'm only 30 hrs into DA:O, and it's been out for less than a year. I guess the only silver lining in all of this that Bethesda might be working on paradigm shifting RPG. If they're NOT making a game-changer then I'd like to know why there's gonna be five years between games.

Bethesda may be working on a next-generation title, in which case they're unlikely to announce it before MS or Sony have announced their next-generation consoles.

Bethesda may also be waiting for a more opportune time to announce BGS's new game - at the moment they're promoting a number of other games and they may want for the summer con buzz to subside before putting the spotlight on their next title.

What happens if two game companies (Bioware and Bethesda) wanted their game to be on the August cover of Game Informer? The first one to say gets it?

What I'm trying to say is maybe Bethesda planned for an announcement in August's GI, but Bioware had reservations? I'm just wishfully thinking..

If a magazine has arranged to have a game on their cover and someone else requests that space I don't see them snubbing the first guy.

[rae.x]

What was it Pete said about QuakeCon in relation to Bethesda? I don't remember the direct quote. But if I remember the gist of it right, it gives me a little hope, but I'm very tentative after this Game Informer disappointment.

"But as far as new announcements, I think we would either do those kinds of things and maybe be more inclined to do them at events like QuakeCon. That's now kind of an event that we're working with id to make bigger and better. One of the ways you make it bigger and better is you take some of your stuff and do announcements there rather than doing them elsewhere. So I think it still remains to be seen, but I wouldn't expect any big announcements from us at E3, although it is only April and it's two months away"

This was Pete Hines a while back, here's the link:
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/04/interview-bethesdas-pete-hines/

Call me the perpetual optimist (or masochist ), but I'm still quite hopeful for something at Quakecon. You never know!

Edit: Just saw above post, could it be that Mr. Hines was thinking of Doom 4 when he said this?

[Samantha Mitchell]

well there's always QuakeCon

[Kortniie Dumont]

Am I disappointed? Yes. Did I crap my pants? No. Is there reason to lose hope? No.

When (not if) Elder Scrolls V is announced, that will be the day. Another day after that is when it is released, but I have a feeling that an announcement is still in the works. QuakeCon is a likely starting point, but look at the dates... That is August 12-15. I have a hunch, that it is possible that the September issue of Game Informer will be known before QuakeCon. Days before, but it will still cause a massive surge in interest in The Elder Scrolls V if the cover story is in the September issue. By QuakeCon, everyone will be all ears. It is also possible that the initial announcement will be by Bethesda (could be something as tantalizing as a clue toward September Game Informer, or a full on reveal) and this could come at virtually any time.

After that, if there is still no word, I think the October issue of Game Informer is possible. It'd be 6 years to the day of Oblivion's announcement.

After that, November? Maybe not. December is possible, but January looks even better. After October, any issue between then and E3 2011 would be possible.

Another game to look out for is Project Offset, if anyone has seen it or heard about it. First and third person, fantasy game, crossbow and all sorts of graphics - the engine looks better than Crysis and incorporates havok physics and procedural destruction. There are Youtube videos demonstrating the game.

So, what I was thinking about TESV is the physics will be much better than in Oblivion. Procedural destruction seems likely, as both Offset and Oblivion use versions of Havok. Another thing is I was thinking how it might be possible for the engine to integrate simultaneous indoor and outdoor environments with little or no loading times.

For indoor environments, what could be possible is the windows to any building can be "used" to view inside the building, this would load the interior and a glimpse of inside the building would be possible - added effects such as glare or reflections from the sun, or frost on the edges of the windows, would enhance the realism. The basic concept is not new, in the original Ultima Underworld circular windows with grates could be used to look at the central core of the volcano that the Great Stygian Abyss was built around and as you got closer to the bottom level, the lava and the light from it would be more and more visible. Also using some crystal balls showed scenes elsewhere in the Abyss. One could simply open a door to the building and step inside, weather effects would be confined to outside and they no longer would show up even if you stepped underneath a pavillion or something of the sort. At night, indoors would be darker, windows would show the amount of light entering the building. Each window would show outside as well, not even needing to go up and "use" it.

For dungeons, it depends on the dungeon. Each cell would be loaded, but each time one nears a dungeon the dungeon's interior will be clandestinely loaded in the background and depending on the dungeon one would be able to get a look inside. Imagine a cave with no door, facing west and the midday sun shining straight inside. You walk in and your shadow is a long stretched figure walking into a mysterious cavern. That would look really cool, and it is doable in my opinion with today's technology.

[Jeffrey Lawson]

So it turned out to be da2 after all but I thought it was too early for that? Now I think that esv will be a next gen title and it is going to be a long time until we hear anything. Hopefully two worlds 2 and arcania gothic iv don't turn out to be complete trash...I need my open world fix.

[Dean Ashcroft]

Am I disappointed? Yes. Did I crap my pants? No. Is there reason to lose hope? No.

When (not if) Elder Scrolls V is announced, that will be the day. Another day after that is when it is released, but I have a feeling that an announcement is still in the works. QuakeCon is a likely starting point, but look at the dates... That is August 12-15. I have a hunch, that it is possible that the September issue of Game Informer will be known before QuakeCon. Days before, but it will still cause a massive surge in interest in The Elder Scrolls V if the cover story is in the September issue. By QuakeCon, everyone will be all ears. It is also possible that the initial announcement will be by Bethesda (could be something as tantalizing as a clue toward September Game Informer, or a full on reveal) and this could come at virtually any time.

After that, if there is still no word, I think the October issue of Game Informer is possible. It'd be 6 years to the day of Oblivion's announcement.

After that, November? Maybe not. December is possible, but January looks even better. After October, any issue between then and E3 2011 would be possible.

Another game to look out for is Project Offset, if anyone has seen it or heard about it. First and third person, fantasy game, crossbow and all sorts of graphics - the engine looks better than Crysis and incorporates havok physics and procedural destruction. There are Youtube videos demonstrating the game.

So, what I was thinking about TESV is the physics will be much better than in Oblivion. Procedural destruction seems likely, as both Offset and Oblivion use versions of Havok. Another thing is I was thinking how it might be possible for the engine to integrate simultaneous indoor and outdoor environments with little or no loading times.

For indoor environments, what could be possible is the windows to any building can be "used" to view inside the building, this would load the interior and a glimpse of inside the building would be possible - added effects such as glare or reflections from the sun, or frost on the edges of the windows, would enhance the realism. The basic concept is not new, in the original Ultima Underworld circular windows with grates could be used to look at the central core of the volcano that the Great Stygian Abyss was built around and as you got closer to the bottom level, the lava and the light from it would be more and more visible. Also using some crystal balls showed scenes elsewhere in the Abyss. One could simply open a door to the building and step inside, weather effects would be confined to outside and they no longer would show up even if you stepped underneath a pavillion or something of the sort. At night, indoors would be darker, windows would show the amount of light entering the building. Each window would show outside as well, not even needing to go up and "use" it.

For dungeons, it depends on the dungeon. Each cell would be loaded, but each time one nears a dungeon the dungeon's interior will be clandestinely loaded in the background and depending on the dungeon one would be able to get a look inside. Imagine a cave with no door, facing west and the midday sun shining straight inside. You walk in and your shadow is a long stretched figure walking into a mysterious cavern. That would look really cool, and it is doable in my opinion with today's technology.

If the September issue of Game Informer is TES V; the cover would be released in early August. So maybe Bethesda could make reservations for this before the next trademark expires (is this a Use in Commerce?). Then a trailer at Quakecon and a 10 page issue about the game in September bliviongate:

[Steven Hardman]

But as far as new announcements, I think we would either do those kinds of things and maybe be more inclined to do them at events like QuakeCon. That's now kind of an event that we're working with id to make bigger and better. One of the ways you make it bigger and better is you take some of your stuff and do announcements there rather than doing them elsewhere. So I think it still remains to be seen, but I wouldn't expect any big announcements from us at E3, although it is only April and it's two months away

It seems to me like Pete wouldn't add the last bit of that quote if there weren't some chance that there'd be an announcement at E3. And if there is a chance, no matter how small, then there must be something to announce. Which would mean that they were ready, or close to ready, to show us something. Right?

Right?

[James Shaw]

It seems to me like Pete wouldn't add the last bit of that quote if there weren't some chance that there'd be an announcement at E3. And if there is a chance, no matter how small, then there must be something to announce. Which would mean that they were ready, or close to ready, to show us something. Right?

Right?

I guess that sounds logical.

[Dark Mogul]

It seems to me like Pete wouldn't add the last bit of that quote if there weren't some chance that there'd be an announcement at E3. And if there is a chance, no matter how small, then there must be something to announce. Which would mean that they were ready, or close to ready, to show us something. Right?

Right?

I'm really sorry if it's already been stated, but would Doom 4 not count as a Beth announcement? If not, what else is there that could fall into that category? I thought everything except TES:V had been announced already :glare: Hmmm...

[x_JeNnY_x]

Bah, stupid. I was really pulling for ES:V.

Well, there's always QuakeCon. But, even then I'm doubtful. As past history has shown, Bethesda likes the GI cover. But, on the bright side, it's not like announcing it right now matters anyway. The game probably won't be out till 2012 anyway.

[Gen Daley]

Well, that's that.

I'm highly doubtful we'll hear anything about ESV at QuakeCon. They're going to spend the time again showcasing the four games Bethesda Softworks is publishing, and any announcements will be about Doom 4 and maybe anything else business-wise. John Carmack even said they'd talk a lot more about Doom 4 in an article I read a while ago on computerandvideogames.com I think.

Honestly, I don't think we'll get an announcement of ESV until late this year or sometime next year.

I'm out of here.


P.S. Brotha Spit, I know how you feel.

[Andrew]

Another game to look out for is Project Offset, if anyone has seen it or heard about it. First and third person, fantasy game, crossbow and all sorts of graphics - the engine looks better than Crysis and incorporates havok physics and procedural destruction. There are Youtube videos demonstrating the game.

The only unfortunate part about Project Offset is that it was cancelled. Something about new technology not working out.

But the years have gone by since Oblivion, and the technology has gotten better. The latest engine will probably incorporate entirely new features to work around concepts thought up in the early design phase, just as how Oblivion managed to upgrade itself out of Morrowind. Who knows, it might not even be for this generation of games. People would like to believe that the current generation is going to go on for a lot longer, but believe me, as soon as a company makes a console for the next generation, you'd better believe the competition will step it up as well to stay ahead of the game.

[Etta Hargrave]

Edit: Just saw above post, could it be that Mr. Hines was thinking of Doom 4 when he said this?

It could be, although I think he was talking more generally rather than specifically about QuakeCon 2010.

Could Bethesda announce an Elder Scrolls title at QuakeCon? Certainly. But with RAGE coming out soon and Doom 4 having some degree of unveiling I just don't think there's enough room in the spotlight for TES V as well.

Then again RAGE did very well at E3 and perhaps the Doom 4 unveiling will be quite small, in which case maybe there is room for a big announcement. :shrug:

Another game to look out for is Project Offset, if anyone has seen it or heard about it. First and third person, fantasy game, crossbow and all sorts of graphics - the engine looks better than Crysis and incorporates havok physics and procedural destruction. There are Youtube videos demonstrating the game.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1102241-project-offset-shut-down/page__view__findpost__p__16120761

[Eilidh Brian]

In my book TES V doesn't exist until I see a big picture with V on i or Skyrim, isn't that alll we really need? That GI cover was a bad thing to wake up to.

[Matt Terry]

Well im highly disapointed by the GI cover bein g DAII. Oh well ill be waiting for quakecon then, id imagine Beth would have something big to show if theyre hosting it, maybe an announcement along side Doom 4? and theres always Petes Hines saying to look to Quakecon for an announcement.

[x_JeNnY_x]

Bah! The news is all over Joystiq and Destructoid! When will it be our turn!?!?

[jennie xhx]

wait i just had an idea, though i dunno if its already been discussed - what if TES:V is taking along time to announce because bethesda is incorparating id's game engine(cant remember its name) into the work they have already done on it? With Zenimax's purchase of Id why not use the new software ya got?