» Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:29 pm
Lets bottom line it, folks. Skyrim is going to look good, but not great, because it is still targeting the same hardware as Oblivion. It will have all the same limitations as the original, with the exceptions of problems that can be solved with clever programming - same CPU, same RAM, etc.
The PC version will look marginally better, because even the cheapest video cards alive today have more resources than an xbox 360, but there will likely be no PC exclusive features. This is because they want the game to "feel" the same on all platforms, and so making it look super pretty on the PC is not only more money, but violates the principle of all versions looking equivalent.
However, I can practically guarantee that within a month of so, there will be an equivalent of QTP3. As soon as the modelers figure out the new skeletal model, there will be new NPC models with hyper realistic features and skin textures. In short, modders will do all of the stuff you are assuming (incorrectly) that Bethesda will do.
This was true for Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and it will be true of Skyrim.
And this is fine - as long as the underpinnings are solid, and the game is good, I can wait for the modders to do their magic. I would much rather see a solid game core with less than stellar graphics, than a graphically stunning game that looks like a roach motel under the hood.