"Shouts" as a means to Fast Travel in Skyrim

Post » Sat May 28, 2011 8:36 pm

As for other people's comments, Morrowind's fast-travel was no different in the immersion aspect. I fail to see how paying a person and fading out from your character's life for a short journey is any more immersive than just fading out from your character's life for a short journey. Time passes in both games. Events, encounters, and the showing of the actual travel part are skipped in both games... and cliffracers would not stop attacking a person just because they're on a ship or a giant bug.


Because your traveling had a context, you were a guy paying for a service on getting on this vehicle, it saved you time and thus gave it value and a cost. I wish there was a thread for fast traveling where we could discuss this because it's getting off topic.
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Marcus Jordan
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 8:54 pm

So then we are forced into the role of the Thu'um-using Dovakhiin?


On another note, I don't get what people find so unimmersive about Oblivion's travel. Your idea sounds good and I'm not trying to bash it, but I'm okay with the idea of my character travelling without me for a short period of time and just having the mechanic be the mechanic it is.


I can understand that you're fine with the past system, but my idea doesn't affect the past system except to speed up the time that passes using the Shout Travel. This shouldn't even be an issue as far as I'm concerned.

Hell, they could even give us the ability to refuse the ability when it's presented to us, letting us stick to the normal Fast Travel method, and allow that to go to the in game pool of dragons you killed to earn offensive/defensive shouts.

And there is no use of saying, "forced this" or "forced that", as 9/10, Bethesda is going to "force" certain aspects, or story elements on us at the begging and littered throughout anyway.
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Tanya Parra
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 4:01 pm

Oh, and Wyvern, you can feel free to talk about the Fast Travel system here all you want. I don't mind at all lol
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DAVId MArtInez
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 7:11 pm

Time passes. But not a 1 second 50000lbs feather spell. And I think most of us that wants services want *improved* services, where you *actually* ride a silt strider (or more likely, a mammoth), ride a boat, sit in a dilligence or whatever it may be - with a skip button or time multiplier thingy. Services which you may improve the quality of through questing.

Think "Improve the services" instead of replacing them completely with this ridiculousness. Morrowinds wasn't perfect, especially for the "casual player", since you'd pretty much had to get to know how everything was connected, make maps etc. If services *only*, it could start out MW like, and using quests you could expand the coverage of the services to the point that every major and minor city can connect to every major or minor city rather than a couple of destinations.

Even RDR have much higher level of immersion. Sure, you can fast travel by building camps, but hey, you have to build a camp. But also other options like taking a train etc. I don't mind a slightly more believable fast travel (camp, remove the spell exploit). But they shouldn't have this as only means of travel, despite the small size of the land. If RDR can do it, which is a bloody action game ffs, why can't and shouldn't BGS with a proper role playing game?

Edit: I'd like to use the proposed system in a slightly different way.
"So then we are forced into the role of the Thu'um-using Dovakhiin?"
Yes, this is pretty much established by Todd iirc - "some event", remember?
If this means of travel is the first we learn, or we actually get to choose since it's the first time, I think it could very well replace the propylon index system. You do the shout, but instead of picking destination you pick one of the places you killed a dragon. So even if there IS a fast travel system, it gives us haters an alternative.
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Samantha Wood
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 12:42 pm

I'd like a link to the source that says the shouts are linked directly to the main quest and can only be acquired by do the main quest. As far as I've read and heard, dragons can be found at any time in the wilderness and slain (if you're capable...). You can also acquire words from stone inscriptions in dungeons, which was said in either the GI magazine interview or the Todd interview. Check the Nexus forums, the sticky thread has all of the up-to-date info, with sources, that you need.
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Marlo Stanfield
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 8:47 pm

I personally don't care one way or the other about fast travel. If you use it great, if you dont fine too. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything though all we're saying is you would get the best of both worlds if you incorporated some sort of caravan/animal to take you there. In a game where you cannot help but get svcked into your character by even the slightest bit, opening a map and clicking on a destination even if you havent been there before seems almost a crime.
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Stacyia
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 5:13 pm

Because your traveling had a context, you were a guy paying for a service on getting on this vehicle, it saved you time and thus gave it value and a cost. I wish there was a thread for fast traveling where we could discuss this because it's getting off topic.


A fast travel thread is useless. People who want quick point and click fast travel and other people who want an immersive system of fast travel will never agree. I just want both systems in place so it will actually be optional this time around.
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Tracy Byworth
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 3:51 pm

I wouldn't really want that, waste of a dragon shout, we should just put in a chance of random encounters into the skyrim fast travel. I guess it could be cool for transporting to specific points you couldn't go with regular fast travel, but it shouldn't replace the current fast travel.
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Sarah Edmunds
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 4:52 pm

Personally I dont see why they don't just bring siltstriders back and then everyone is happy. Mages can teleport and the rest of us can fast travel in peace without someone complaining there immersion was broken.

I see why: This isn't Morrowind and it shouldn't be Morrowind.

I think using the shouts for travel is a cool idea. I wouldn't mind Oblivion style fast travel though. I often traveled on foot and had a great time doing so, and I appreciated the option of fast travel when I felt the desire to use it.
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Laura
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:14 pm

I think this is a good idea if executed properly. One efficient way would be if the Graybeard Esbern grants you this shout at the beginning when he rescues you, or something like that
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Sakura Haruno
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 5:12 pm

I think this is a good idea if executed properly. One efficient way would be if the Graybeard Esbern grants you this shout at the beginning when he rescues you, or something like that


Exactly. That's one of the things I was saying.

We know 9/10 some sort of story elements will be told to us regardless, and "force" our hands at the beginning, so it could be implemented then.
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how solid
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:12 am

I think fast travel is fine the way it is as a base mechanic its simple and works. I do see that there should be a more realistic second mode of travel other then foot or horse to get around but thats it a second mode of fast travel not the only way to do so.
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Isabel Ruiz
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 12:48 pm

In the old ADnD spell lists, you had Blink, which would put you behind someone for an edge in combat, Dimension Door which might get you out of a dungeon, and Teleport, which could send you miles. Pretty sure any shout which teleports will be in the Blink category,a way to gain tactical advantage or escape, but limited to LOS.
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meghan lock
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 6:22 pm

I think its a nice idea for a more morrowind system.

It'd be nice with that system, in addition to relying on boats, mammoth(I wish), mark+recall, mage tellies and etc.)
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NIloufar Emporio
 
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Post » Sun May 29, 2011 12:50 am

Kinda off topic

Why do people get fishy sticks but never not me?
Ive been modest not saying anything about anything and kinda hoping, dreaming..
..

Ive gone ahead and posted myself that link..
I guess for some of us true fishyness is too much to grasp for.

(Mumble, grumble, Im a good cook too, I know sauces.)

On topic: I think it would be cool if a travel perk was unlocked by slaying a dragon. But it shouldnt be fixed, like, kill this one get travel to this city.
It should be free, like, kill this dragon get a telly to important sites.
And then scouring Skyrim for that dragon that gives you 'dragon travel'. :)
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Margarita Diaz
 
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Post » Sun May 29, 2011 12:28 am

I see why: This isn't Morrowind and it shouldn't be Morrowind.

I think using the shouts for travel is a cool idea. I wouldn't mind Oblivion style fast travel though. I often traveled on foot and had a great time doing so, and I appreciated the option of fast travel when I felt the desire to use it.


Well. This isn't Oblivion and it shouldn't be Oblivion ;)
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leni
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 9:51 pm

Good news: It was already told by the developers that one of the shouts makes you teleport :biggrin: I can't recall where or when but I think it was in GI
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Marlo Stanfield
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 9:16 pm

what are the chances that anyone from Bethesda would even read and implement this idea? lol

You would be surprised at what the 'band of Todd' understand! If something is part of canon the boys at Beth will know about it.
The only limiting factor is game limitations, time constrants and whether they can be bothered!

I am willing to bet that the team comes up with something close to what you are saying. Fast travel / recall is a huge discussion these days.
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Alexandra walker
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:58 pm

Kinda off topic

Why do people get fishy sticks but never not me?
Ive been modest not saying anything about anything and kinda hoping, dreaming..
..

Ive gone ahead and posted myself that link..
I guess for some of us true fishyness is too much to grasp for.

(Mumble, grumble, Im a good cook too, I know sauces.)


Aw...Someone offer this kind soul a fishy stick. :sad:


Good news: It was already told by the developers that one of the shouts makes you teleport :biggrin: I can't recall wher or when but I think it was in GI



Really? I'll have to re-read that issue then.
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Samantha Mitchell
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 4:37 pm

You would be surprised at what the 'band of Todd' understand! If something is part of canon the boys at Beth will know about it.
The only limiting factor is game limitations, time constrants and whether they can be bothered!

I am willing to bet that the team comes up with something close to what you are saying. Fast travel / recall is a huge discussion these days.


I sure hope so. I do have a lot of faith in these good folks though, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
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kyle pinchen
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:43 pm

The shout that makes you teleport is more like a Blink spell, letting you close the distance on an enemy quickly.
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Mark Hepworth
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 10:03 pm


On another note, I don't get what people find so unimmersive about Oblivion's travel. Your idea sounds good and I'm not trying to bash it, but I'm okay with the idea of my character travelling without me for a short period of time and just having the mechanic be the mechanic it is.


First, I want to start off by saying that I like fast travel and don't want it to be removed from the game. However, what bothered me about Oblivion's fast travel mechanic was the lack of costs, consequences, or limitations whatsoever. Not to mention the fact that it didn't really simulate walking or riding your horse. So, all in all, it felt more like a cheat, or at a minimum, a poorly implemented game mechanic. Here are a few points to consider with regard to Oblivion's fast travel mechanic, just as food for thought:

A: Walking or riding your horse would actually take longer than using fast travel*.
B: You bypass any enemies or obstacles you might have encountered along the way, and arrive at your destination without any fatigue, magicka, or health depleted.
C: No potions are 'used' from your inventory to simulate replenishing the aforementioned resources.
D: You manage to completely bypass any locations that you would have otherwise discovered during your journey.
E: You are somehow able to stretch a feather potion/spell for the entire duration of your journey while using FT, but somehow can't manage to perform the same 'trick' while travelling by horse or foot.

* I've recently tested this 'theory', and in every scenario, using FT was faster than running or riding a horse by at least an hour of in-game time. This leaves me to conclude that travel time is calculated by drawing a straight line from point A to point B when using FT, which, BTW, is not always possible due to obstacles in your path.

So, when you look at the 'evidence' (and I am using the term loosely here), fast travel as it was implemented in Oblivion was more akin to using, say, a 50 point levitation spell. That is about the only way I could rationalize why my character was able to circumvent any of the situations or obstacles listed above. That is until I remember that levitation doesn't exist is banned in Cyrodiil (although somehow thieves continue to steal, and necromancers still raise undead, despite both activities being illegal). And yet, that still is not an adequate explanation to address how I am able to make it all the way to my destination without having to use additional feather potions and/or deplete at least some of my magicka reserves while being overburdened with loot. Lastly, transportation services existed in some form in both Daggerfall and Morrowind, so it is a bit perplexing why they were completely absent in the capital of the Empire.

Now, Morrowind's FT mechanic was not perfect by any means, but I was able to rationalize to some extent why I was able to carry heavy loads over a long distance, or why my character was not attacked by cliffracers or bandits. I could say the same for Daggerfall. When it comes to Oblivion's FT, however, I have to make excuses rather than rationalizations. That is why, IMHO, Oblivion's system fails to suspend my disbelief, and is, therefore, 'immersion breaking'.

As for other people's comments, Morrowind's fast-travel was no different in the immersion aspect. I fail to see how paying a person and fading out from your character's life for a short journey is any more immersive than just fading out from your character's life for a short journey. Time passes in both games. Events, encounters, and the showing of the actual travel part are skipped in both games... and cliffracers would not stop attacking a person just because they're on a ship or a giant bug.


Even if that is true, and I personally don't completely agree that it is, why not use a FT system similar to Daggerfall's? All the tedium is removed while keeping a system that, at a minimum, puts a few minor limitations on the mechanic and allows for some suspension of disbelief.
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Dean Ashcroft
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:28 pm

Now we know the game has "Shouts" which, Dovahkiin epically used on the dragon in the trailer, but I was thinking that using the lore of the Nords, Bethesda could use those Shouts much like the way it's described above to allow us to fast travel to visited places in dramatic fashion.

The Game Informer magazine preview of Skyrim states that there is a stealthy shout "that sends you instantaneously from one place to another" (p. 58). Because that particular shout is said to be useful for sneaking up on things, it may not be useful for covering fast-travel distances. We can still hope for an alternative shout, though.

I do not agree with replacing fast travel with a shout. That would be too much like taking away our characters' legs because we give them horses.

Fast travel robs you of the exploration experience, plus it has no consequences nor explanation.

One significant consequence of fast travel is that you get where you're going. The explanation is that you walked or that you rode. That you know the location and are familiar both with the route and with the local hazards provides you the justification you need for taking your safe arrival for granted.

A: Walking or riding your horse would actually take longer than using fast travel*.
B: You bypass any enemies or obstacles you might have encountered along the way, and arrive at your destination without any fatigue, magicka, or health depleted.
C: No potions are 'used' from your inventory to simulate replenishing the aforementioned resources.
D: You manage to completely bypass any locations that you would have otherwise discovered during your journey.
E: You are somehow able to stretch a feather potion/spell for the entire duration of your journey while using FT, but somehow can't manage to perform the same 'trick' while travelling by horse or foot.

Also:
F: You do not improve in any skills even though you are likely using them aplenty while you travel.
G: You do not gain any loot -- no gold, nor crafted items, nor alchemical ingredients, nor potions -- that you would have otherwise acquired or created on your trip.
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Kayla Keizer
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:35 pm

The Game Informer magazine preview of Skyrim states that there is a stealthy shout "that sends you instantaneously from one place to another" (p. 58). Because that particular shout is said to be useful for sneaking up on things, it may not be useful for covering fast-travel distances. We can still hope for an alternative shout, though.



Someone else mentioned this. I can't wait to try them all out.



I do not agree with replacing fast travel with a shout. That would be too much like taking away our characters' legs because we give them horses.


Well the Shout Travel is still FT, it's just a bit faster in my thinking. So it replacing FT wont hinder anything.

Also, as I said earlier, it still all boils down to choice. If you want to travel by horse or by foot and not FT, then you have that freedom to do so. But if you want to use FT, that's also fine. My idea is to make this game more unique and add a bit more visual flare and reasoning to us arriving at our desired destinations as quickly as we do.

As you tested above, you know that using FT get's us to our location a little too fast, compared to how long it would take going by horse or by walking/running. So with that in mind, wouldn't having a Shout Travel which is based in magic be a better explanation as to how we get there so much faster?
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Skrapp Stephens
 
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Post » Sat May 28, 2011 11:04 pm

Gothic 3 has a nice system of fast travelling. Every place has a rune stone that is hidden somewhere in that place. When player finds it and takes it, he can use it to cast a teleporting spell that takes him to that place.
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Natalie J Webster
 
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