[Lisa]

-it has a lot of dynamic scenery elements: moving plant life (probably in the wind lol), flowers you can pick, animals running around, rapid waters with fish jumping out of them

YES! And birds I hope!

[Jessica Lloyd]

Sweet. Thanks for the post. Enchanting and alchemy in towns only, that makes a lot of sense. Individual attacks,spell effects, Yay!

Don't like it, alchemy and crafting is something you can do everywhere. Yes the equipment would be so heavy you want to leave it at home as you did with most alchemy equipment in Oblivion but having to go to the mage guild to make a restore health potion would be a setback.

[Princess Johnson]

Just think it would have been really easy for Bethesda to double the world size and brag about how big it is, while keeping the same content in it. So it would seem a bit bland (like Red Dead Redemption).

[Marilú]

YES! And birds I hope!

From what I remember, the French or Italian magazine said there would be birds. Was pretty odd in Oblivion there were no passive animals other than deers
And that you could hear birds singing, but see no birds

Anyway, I really like a natural and flourishing wildlife. Birds, fishes are one part. I'm hoping for a lot more passive (friendly) animals as well :happy:

[Laura-Lee Gerwing]

YES! And birds I hope!

I think birds were confirmed in the Italian or French magazine.

Edit: Not again! :ninja:

[Susan Elizabeth]

Don't like it, alchemy and crafting is something you can do everywhere. Yes the equipment would be so heavy you want to leave it at home as you did with most alchemy equipment in Oblivion but having to go to the mage guild to make a restore health potion would be a setback.

I disagree. If I give a smith a hammer, the metal and tell him to make me a sword in the middle of the woods he won't be very successful.

IMO it's a good call because you have to think and plan out what you do; this is not pro-realism argument, mind you, it's about requiring the players to plan out their journeys. It's better to not be able to just craft arrows for example (this is a made up example, we don't know if we can craft arrows yet), you have to think how many you take with you. Same goes with alchemy. You can't just create health potions in a dungeon, you'll have to use the ones you have wisely.

[James Potter]

I disagree. If I give a smith a hammer, the metal and tell him to make me a sword in the middle of the woods he won't be very successful.

IMO it's a good call because you have to think and plan out what you do; this is not pro-realism argument, mind you, it's about requiring the players to plan out their journeys. It's better to not be able to just craft arrows for example (this is a made up example, we don't know if we can craft arrows yet), you have to think how many you take with you. Same goes with alchemy. You can't just create health potions in a dungeon, you'll have to use the ones you have wisely.

This.

[Janeth Valenzuela Castelo]

I disagree. If I give a smith a hammer, the metal and tell him to make me a sword in the middle of the woods he won't be very successful.

IMO it's a good call because you have to think and plan out what you do; this is not pro-realism argument, mind you, it's about requiring the players to plan out their journeys. It's better to not be able to just craft arrows for example (this is a made up example, we don't know if we can craft arrows yet), you have to think how many you take with you. Same goes with alchemy. You can't just create health potions in a dungeon, you'll have to use the ones you have wisely.

Yeah I agree fully as well.
Repairing was especially weird..

1. Broken sword.
2. Find hammer in dungeon.
3. Smash with hammer on broken sword.
4. Sword now not broken.

It would require a bit more than a hammer to fix a broken sword...
It's logical you'd have to go to villages and towns to get the necessary equipment in order to actually repair something.

[anna ley]

Maybe this will make you think twice before leaving without any backup weapon. I like it.

[Assumptah George]

If the crafting/enchanting is like FO, where you could find a workbench underground, maybe for example a conjurer's lair could have an enchanting/alchemy lab. Makes sense, and it's one more hand placed reward in a way.

[Laura Shipley]

I wonder what it means "game world adapts to your play style." Does it mean if I play really terribly that the game will be easier or does it mean that if I play a thief that the game will give more items to steal and more equipment and loot based on what type of character I'm playing and towns might become more vigilant and suspicious of thieves.

Happy to learn about the size of the game. Hopefully towns will feel occupied and bustling... more like assassins creed or gta where the cities feel completely alive due to high amounts of randomly generated street folk.

[Floor Punch]

Just got my hands on it (Micromania magazine)

Article also includes a new image with one dragon at the top of a pillar (not the one from the GI article!). My personal opinion: dragons look effing awesome!

Screw the dragon, did you see the backround!? The distant land look amazing, the best in any game I have seen(including Crysis). It really looks awesome.

Morrowind seem to be larger than it was because you could not go in a straight line while in OB you can travel in a straight line almost anywhere, you quickly become faster in MW, so that is a 2ndary reason at best. I hope with Skyrims terrain they will take clues from MW and other open worlders like Gothic 3(which had very well designed world for all of the games faults).

[naomi]

It's probably referring to the Radiant Story.

[Bee Baby]

I disagree. If I give a smith a hammer, the metal and tell him to make me a sword in the middle of the woods he won't be very successful.

IMO it's a good call because you have to think and plan out what you do; this is not pro-realism argument, mind you, it's about requiring the players to plan out their journeys. It's better to not be able to just craft arrows for example (this is a made up example, we don't know if we can craft arrows yet), you have to think how many you take with you. Same goes with alchemy. You can't just create health potions in a dungeon, you'll have to use the ones you have wisely.

If the crafting/enchanting is like FO, where you could find a workbench underground, maybe for example a conjurer's lair could have an enchanting/alchemy lab. Makes sense, and it's one more hand placed reward in a way.

I agree completely.

Although it is more realistic (that will matter more to some people than others), it's also something that'll place greater emphasis on preparation, planning and resource management, which are all things I've found to improve adventuring and exploring, even in a heroic fantasy environment. However, I do hope it's implemented in such a way that we don't have to find a big city just to do some metalwork; the opportunity to find abandoned workbenches while exploring, use a tiny settlement's smithing tools, or take advantage of your enemies' resources (bandits might have a crude forge set up in their lair) is necessary to make the most of the change.

[+++CAZZY]

From what I've read on sources throughout the Internet, it seems that Oblivion was 41 square kilometers, and Morrowind about 26 square kilometers.

The reason Morrowind felt bigger, is according to me:

- Draw distance was much much much smaller as you said.
- The speed of the character was a lot slower
- There were small mountains (or rather big hills, hehe ) everywhere, often forcing you to run zigzag.
- The landscape was a lot more unique and varied, so wherever you went you felt like you hadn't been there before.

In any case, I really think that, with today's standards, Skyrim should be bigger than about 41 square kilometers...
Most other games actually are.
But then again Skyrim has more dungeons, quests, and such. I think it's a lot detailed, which is good.
But... still. It hurts a little that it's the same size as Oblivion. I was hoping for 70-100 square kilometers.

I agree with all that you say, but i felt Cyrodiil felt small for one big reason. got out and stand next to a tree in Oblivion. note how almost all trees are about 4 times as big as your whole character in girth. having trees so large, and therefore less of them, with a running speed so fast, helps make the land seem small. having the running speed be the same in Oblivion as it was in morrowind, complaints would have been "takes forever to get to what's right in front of me". I think Oblivion's map is big enough. so long as there is something interesting in all parts of it, I am satisfied.

heck FO was almost half that, and still feels big. FO:NV is same size, but with about 1/2 the map accessible, and that starts feeling a bit cramped.

I'm happy with all the info so far. my only concern if I hope there are no NPCs called "Solitude citizen" or "Graybeard Acolyte", and all NPCs have names. (save for bandits, they can be bandits) I'm good with the names being "citizen" until you learn their name though! and they could change their clothes from time to time too.

[Natasha Biss]

That was one of my disappointments with FO3 actually. I couldn't talk to everyone anymore. Although it's not like the unimportant NPCs had interesting stuff to say.

[Lakyn Ellery]

Well if alchemy is limited to towns then what they can make a mage drink potion wise is extremely limited.. so most fights cant require a single potion at all.

[Daniel Holgate]

I disagree. If I give a smith a hammer, the metal and tell him to make me a sword in the middle of the woods he won't be very successful.

IMO it's a good call because you have to think and plan out what you do; this is not pro-realism argument, mind you, it's about requiring the players to plan out their journeys. It's better to not be able to just craft arrows for example (this is a made up example, we don't know if we can craft arrows yet), you have to think how many you take with you. Same goes with alchemy. You can't just create health potions in a dungeon, you'll have to use the ones you have wisely.

I agree. This sounds much better. :thumbsup:

[Mizz.Jayy]

-map the size of Cyrodiil with 5, and I quote, "really big" citties, 24-25 smaller settlements and about 120 dungeons.

They tried really hard to stress how big the cities are.

[YO MAma]

Thanks for posting the info. It doesn't really seem like there was too much new information though.

I still question the accumulation of snow. I realize that they used the word in the article, but if you look at all the pictures they have put out, there doesn't appear to be any accumulation. I suppose that the theories of how they are going to do it with pixel shaders could still be called accumulation. But that snow is still only one pixel deep. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[marie breen]

Thanks for the info, OP

Some new bits of information here and there.

[glot]

@ Silverglade
Still have that doubt myself. I guess we'll be in the shadows with it till either a dev explains how it works or we play the game.

[lilmissparty]

I think I'd rather have the large draw distances for realism and the feeling of being part of a world. In NO way, should they take a step backward, by decreasing the draw distance. I have never heard, in the years I've played video games, someone complaining about draw distance being to far! The human eye can see for a very long way, especially at higher altitudes looking on lower altitudes. Oblivion never felt small to me, as a matter of fact it felt and IS huge. Skyrim seems to be getting more naysayers by the day. Keep up the good work, Bethesda.

[koumba]

That would be awesome...

Player to Vendor, "Hey I'm looking for some potions I ran ou... [loud screech] What was that?!"
Guards, "Dragon! Arm the posts!"
Player, "I'll take care of this... Fus... Ro ... DAH!

dragon: :flame:
vendor: :bolt:
player: :flamed:

btw thanks for the info HellKnight

[lauraa]

"they talk about potion/poison making and enchanting (crafting basically) as if you'll only be able to do it in towns."

Wow this is really worrisome. So now messing with alchemy out in the wilderness? Lame...