The same graphics? Thanks Beth for betraying the PC fanbase. We pay good money on our PC for results yet you want us to be inferior like the consoles.

I didn't buy a 360, nor keep my PC relatively up to date to get "top of the line graphics". I do so that I may be able to play the games that are there I would have otherwise been unable to experience.
If an Xbox 720 does come around(I pray to God they don't use that name) I will buy it only after I see a game on it I want. Much like I did with my Wii, 360, or any other number of consoles I have.

I have, infact, more times than I would like to admit. And you can "Spare me the Embarrassment and public ridicule" all you like. The point has sailed over your head.


Oblivion WAS developed for next gen hardware, which is why it looked great. My statement was that it COULD have been developed for xbox, without many gameplay concessions, although it would then LOOK terrible. Not that it was. Two very different points.

Reading comprehension for the win.






Fair enough. Although you MUST know you are in the minority of gamers that DO want to see technology and immersion advance along with gameplay. Correct?

Why would they be able to better optimize for a PS3 (one of those consoles), with a game specifically designed with 360s in mind, than for a PC? By my understanding, a PC functions more like a 360 than a PS3 does.

I have a feeling that people will still say "Wow, that looks amazing" even if the game isn't as technically advanced as it possibly can.

Here's the thing, technical advancement is not all that determines good visuals. How you use the environment, what artistic and stylistic directions you take, all of those are key factors.

Look at a game like WoW. Froma technical standpoint, the graphics are terrible. However, the stylized visuals are holding up well with age because they look relatively cartoony. Granted they have been updated heavily in recent years, but my argument still holds I think. Another example is Torchlight, it's not the most technically advanced game from a graphics standpoint, but it still looks great because it has a very nice visual style.

This is true, but they're already going through the trouble of making an entire game, is it really that much more work to add in a few graphical tweaks for PC gamers? It may just be a few tweaks, but they will go a long way. And If money is what they care about, make the damned PC version double the price! I don't care, I would gladly pay that for a game properly made for the PC.

I get the feeling Bethesda is caring less and less about their original PC fan base as time goes on.

I'm not sure how much I exactly want to read into this quote to be honest. One thing Bethesda is known for is being innovative, and taking big risks. As the gentleman above stated, Oblivion had been in development since Morrowind, and the technology for next gen didn't even exist yet. Even with the unfortunate cuts of content that could have been in Oblivion, it was still a great game. By far it was the best next generation game on the market at the time, and easily deserved GOTY. Obviously, Bethesda doesn't want the game to look amazing solely on PC, and trashy on consoles. That would just be bad marketing, and they would be severely limiting their consumer base. The Creation Engine was built to better optimize the game and make it easier for developers to create it for a more quality and polished experience. Regardless of platform, the game is going to look great (it's pointless to judge the current screen shots as they probably aren't the final build of the game). Todd himself said that it would obviously look better on PC, and definitely mods will further increase the quality of the overall experience. We will just have to wait until we see some game play of Skyrim. Screen shots from a magazine just don't do it justice.

If anyone is still worried about the game not looking amazing, for those that have the GI mag, look at the screen of the adventurer in the cave at the top of page 49 and let your happiness sink in.

This. Part of why I think that in many places Morrowind looks better than Oblivion. Now with all those shiny mods, it's not technologically at the same level, but looks much, much better than vanilla OB.


I still wonder why people seem to think that Oblivion was good for the PC back then. How were those framerates at the "high PC quality settings" everyone wanted?
And I say it again... MOD SUPPORT. Sheesh.

Indeed, or all 3 screens on page 52 with all the wonderful shadows. The amazing sunrise over the mountains on page 48. Or the insane spread on 56-57 of the Dragonborn facing off with a Dragon.

This game will look STUNNING. Fret not.

While it's true that, in general, technical advancement is not always the largest factor in determining a game's visual appeal, I'm afraid that we're talking about Elder Scrolls here, and yes, technical advancement IS indeed the largest factor determining the success of the Elder Scrolls' visual style. Are you saying you would be okay with Skyrim adopting a less advanced, cartoony style? Of course not. The Elder Scrolls have always adopted a cutting edge, realistic graphical style that heavily relies on current graphical advances.

It's quite weird seeing PC users not wanting this. The way I see it, all pc users should want the development to account for the new technologies. Even if you don't have the setup now, it only means the game would look even better as your system gets better (you will be upgrading at some point). Having a PC equivalent to an XBOX (which is, like, 6 years old now) would probably mean you'd be able to play the game decently enough anyway, so it's no harm done to you. I can't imagine how potential for even better results whatever the area can be something you don't want.

Yep, I almost forgot about the dragonborn face off with the dragon, it is so amazing, it looks like a cutscene is so good.

Edit: Is anyone else having issues loading Twitter? I keep getting a blank page....

It's COMPLETELY different. In no way, shape, or form would the console industry have that much reliance on an old model. It's just a different type of industry. PS3 and 360 owners don't worry as much about upgrades because they know the potential for their consoles. While PC owners continue to ponder upgrading, console owners simple wait until the next big game hits the system they've grown accustomed to. No way of playing games is better than the other, each has its own pros and cons, just don't equate the PC market to the console market. I understand the meaning of this thread and I'm not saying that what you guys are complaining about is completely ridiculous.

Regardless, Skyrim looks beautiful and beauty comes with originality, scrutiny, and detail, not graphics cards or gaming consoles. If the experience is generally the same on all platforms, this gives Elder Scrolls fans more of a reason to unite under a single banner rather than a dissipated fanbase (PC modders, couch console players, etc). Let's love the game for what it is, embrace its amazing features, and indicate it's faults.

I beg Game Informer, and Bethesda for that matter, to ease the backlash: How about some HD screens? :thumbsup:

All i'm saying is that they never had any intention of making Oblivion for the original Xbox. Your generalization that all developers want to continue on outdated systems is very innaccurate. While computers can be updated on a regular basis to an ever-growing population of comp-dependant population, consoles have a certain life expectancy that they must meet before they can be overhauled and replaced.

In summary, development around consoles differs highly from that of computers in the sense of lifetimes and competition, and it is useless to complain about "unfair treatment of obviously superior machines like computers" based around a group that I would consider a minority in the gaming industry if looked at in comparrison to the number of console dominant users. I think that certain games should be designated to controllers and others to keyboards.

Alright, I'll give you that, but if you've seen pictures of this game, you can not say that it doesn't look amazing with a straight face.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I'm holding the mag right in front of me right now, and just looking at the screenshots, it all looks much better than Oblivion, and definitely an improvement over Fallout 3.

My expectations for Skyrim based on those screens are somewhere around the level of Red Dead Redemption... And this time I won't end up feeling sick due to the fact that RDR pulling off the desert-feel almost too well. I mean, just one look at a Skyrim pic, and it's pleasing to the eyes.

I wonder if all the Xbox users didn't care about graphics when they first bought their consoles in first place. When Oblivion and Mass Effect looked so realistic and Gears of Wars and Halo were breathtaking. Now it's like everyone is making up excuses to defend their old hardware instead of pressuring Microsoft and Sony to actually upgrade their rigs.

I bought my Xbox because some games I wanted to play were being made exclusively for consoles. And because some types of game are better played on the comfort of your couch, using a joysting. But you have to be really blind in order refuse that consoles -are- getting really old and there's little we can do as players about it. We could, however, express our desires to see consoles catching up with the latest technology instead of sitting here and saying very stupid things like "graphics don't matter" in a VIDEOgame. There are people actually saying well "Morrowind and Daggerfall didn't look so great but the its the gameplay made them entertaining". Those games looked IMPRESSIVE at the time they were released. This is the first time in the Elder Scrolls history where we won't see a GIANT leap in technology.

Visuals have always been the reason why videogames have evolved. Great characters, epic plots, and even gameplay have all existed before in other media. In books, table-top RPGs, Muds, mushes, immersion depended on your imagination. In movies and comic books, it's the imagery that gets you immersed, but you have no degree of control over what's going on. The combination of interaction and graphics is what defines a videogame. The fact you can interact with a visual interface has been the driving force of videogame evolution, otherwise we'd all be playing text MUDs and playing with Ataris.

There's no reason to bash consoles and the status quo of the industry, but for god's sake, how about rethinking that kind of conformist attitude that will get us nowhere in the next 5, 6 years? I can respect people who can't afford a PC that costs thousands of dollars, but that's no reason to expect your hardware will last forever. Long time PC users know all too well how fast things change, but it seems console users, especially those who didn't grow up in the golden era of PC gaming are actually settling for that.

What's the point of wasting millions of dollars on technology research for the next console gen if costumers are more than happy to play on a decade old system? Just keep selling the same stuff and take your profit from a stagnant industry.

I agree

I could not care less.

How much better looking can it really get, by current gaming PC technology, than what we've seen in screesnhots, anyway?

For Morrowind, Oblivion and newer Fallout games, the community has always released textures that are much higher quality than what's released with the original game. It takes time, but it's totally worth it.

Some people might also eventually make a graphic extender to improve the game graphically.
So I don't mind these news at all.

Again, this is not what I was getting at. One poster here insinuated that they would be fine if graphics had never advanced pass the PS1 days. I find it hard to believe that any gamer would hold this opinion, but he holds by his stance. A mans opinion is his own, and I wont argue that.

Still, logically I can't see any reason why a gamer would WANT technology to stagnate, when it is what drive much of the industry we love forward.


Maybe you thought I was trying to make a different point, or attacking oblivion? I assure you I am not. What I said was a self contained response to one or two posters sentiments. Not a blanket statement, or a statement about anything other than their opinions for that matter.







It is "could not care less". Could care less means that you do care.

True enough, the screens look awesome and I have faith the game will turn out amazing visually.
But despite this...there's this little voice in my head that I can't quite ignore, constantly whispering: "It could look better"
That could just be insanity though. The game will look great for sure.

Yay for running the game in power save mode. heck if it looks like that and can run on a mid spec pc then all the power to beth. Yes i run all my games, including Just cause 2 and BFBC2 in power save mode on my GPU.