As good as they look I've always been troubled since this screenshot came out.

Compare Oblivions scenery and waterfall to Skyrims and you might just see what I'm talking about. Please tell me why skyrims looks so much better because all i can really notice is the shading and ripples in the water lol.


Skyrims - http://www.elderscrolls.com/skyrim/media/screenshots/lake-waterfall/

Oblivions - http://www.freakygaming.com/gallery/role-playing_games/elder_scrolls_iv:_oblivion/small_waterfall.jpg

After side-by-side comparison?

Water is hugely improved, waterfalls look like white water, trees branches look better, rocks have detail and texture, the landscape has realistic slopes and erosion evidence, dynamic lighting is actually in place, and colors are more natural and less cartoonish. Plants look mostly the same.

Skyrim pic is at least 3 times better looking than the Oblivion pic, imo.

At first glance, it's hard to tell the difference, but the waterfall pic in Skyrim does look much better

Notice how the waterfall in Oblivion looks somewhat bent to flow in a certain path, whereas Skyrim's looks more natural and free flowing

As long as people's faces don't look like prunes and the women don't like men I'll be happy with the graphics.

If you wouldn't tell me I might had a problem to find myself which is which.
The only thing that would make me say that Skyrim's pic is from Skyrim is because in Oblivion there weren't pine trees at all.

I'm fine with oblivion waterfall, just that its resting water looks like blue sheet of plastic

Looks better to me. I don't see the point.

The shading and the ripples in the Oblivion pick is worse...

What the **** is up with people and water? lol seriously, since when has moving water been the key visual aspect that epitomizes the graphical improvement?

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/689/689581/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-20060217051123331.jpg

vs

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149185/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211094543003.jpg

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/115/1158651/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110330052320824.jpg

there are 8 months left to go bethesda will work on it and again i find myself reminding people the trailer was filmed on a 360

Lighting looks much improved, grass amounts create a nice real effect, textures are better (particulally rock and grasss)

Can you believe it? We made the only 2 posts here that recognize the obvious. And to think, I thought we'd never agree. :tongue:

Skyrim's graphics are a lot better, all around. Threads about them are dumb.

I do think the graphics are improved some. But some of it looks troubling, some of the parts look very poorly drawn in.
The water looks better, apart from where the waterfall and the lake meet. Part of the bottom of the waterfall looks like someone pasted rapids poorly, which could be an error in the early renderer im sure (Its not like they were pasted to hide the clipping thats present, because its clipping as well indicating its in the 3d environment, looks like a sprite pasted poorly to me)

Yeah im pretty sure thats whats wrong with this picture, the early renderer (im assuming its not their final version). A lot of the pictures just look pasted in poorly, most people can do better work in MS paint.

I'd say I like the direction, except that that image looks like it was taken from a 2d game using sprites, but im sure thats just because (im assuming) its an early renderer.

Of course, we all have to keep in mind the screens are from early builds. Also, everyone needs to remember that even with DX11 "support", things like tessellation may not be in at all due to the fact that Todd said all the platforms must have "equal" graphics(IGN interview 3/31/11). Therefore many textures, including on plants and rocks, may look similar to Oblivion's tech. I'm sure they will try to add more features for the PC if possible, but don't count on it. Todd always makes things sound too ambiguous in his interviews.....

what the hell is wrong with people? The skyrim pic is miles better than the oblivion one! There is a huge difference, whoever says that they can't tell them apart is either lying or needs their eyes tested. The graphics in skyrim look absolutely amazing to me, but when your 30 years old and you grew up playing alex the kid, sonic the hedgehog and the first doom game i guess they would. The textures, shadows, lighting, trees and water effects in the skyrim pic are all hugely improved over the oblivion one, open your eyes people! Not to mention both pics are took off the same console!

I would say its a huge improvement. The water looks choppy (instead of syrupy), and the reflections are more convincing... Though neither is transparent.

I'd be impressed with the water (very impressed) if it has more then a circular ripple around the PC when they tread through it. It may too... They have Havok behaviors... Though admittedly this not something I have any experience with yet; So I don't really know that it applies.

I agree. Either way lets just accept what we get from bethesda,it will be a great game regardless. And once we are all there sat playing it,we'll porbably wonder what we were moaning about in the first place

It all looks great to me.

As I've said before:

As long as Skyrim's graphics are just a little bit better than Oblivion's, I don't mind!

But, that's not the case. Skyrim's graphics look great IMO.

While I will agree that it's not that big of a deal, but when people see beautiful, flowing water it gives a sense of "wow" at times.

Back when I played LOTRO, I was truly amazed at the water textures. However, it lacked the ability to go underwater as you could in Oblivion and most likely Skyrim so that may of had something to do with it.

http://img77.imageshack.us/f/screenshot00099op2.jpg/

http://img236.imageshack.us/i/screenshot00092zu0.jpg/

The Skyrim shot does look a bit better, but nothing revolutionary. It is mostly just a change in scenery and minor texture improvements. The lack of speedtree in Skyrim is also an improvement, as it eliminates the paintbrush look of the tree foliage.

I think the biggest improvements we will see in Skyrim are: 1) Character models. 2) Animations. 3) Level of detail scaling. Other than those 3 things, this is the same Gamebryo engine (albeit with a new name) and the same artists we have seen before. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.

Well of course it's not going to be a revolutionary change as they were both built with the same hardware in mind. You won't see a huge change till ES VI, essentially when the next gen consoles come out.

You are forgetting about a major added graphical feature, shadows.