This is... Elder Scrolls?

Post » Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:42 am

i love skyrim, great game, knocks the socks off of oblivion. but...

you people decided that skyrim was game of the year before you even played it. you lack the ability to accept any criticism about a game whose series is known for excessive bugs, inhuman NPCs, and major balance issues (the proliferation of online multiplayer has not suddenly given single player an excuse to not present a fair challenge). you also refuse to believe that complexity, in any form, warranted or otherwise, requires more thinking than something simpler.

simplified does not always mean dumber; that does not mean it NEVER means dumber. skills have been removed and consolidated not because they were too complex, but for... no real reason at all. to make things go by faster i suppose, to give you less control, and thus less to worry about. what exactly did removing spellcrafting accomplish? was this completely optional system really so complicated? you pick an effect, slide left to right to adjust the cost/ power ratio. THATS IT. sliding left and right! there is no calculus formula you have to solve in your head to figure this out: the more you put it one way, the stronger it is, but the less you can use it.

most of what was removed was unnecessary padding, that is true. but guess what? this entire series is unnecessary padding. do you really play these games for the story? for the engrossing plotlines and deep characters? no, you play TES to explore, to dungeon crawl, to make your OWN story, to find characters with that one and only hilariously memorable character trait, to kill a bunch of townsfolk for no reason and to seek out such memorable rarities as a crab fighting a demonic crocodile. the strength of the TES series is always in its side content; everything you DONT have to do; so why remove any aspect of what you dont have to do? to make room for the marriage system? im not saying athletics and acrobatics were critical skills that added a whole different layer of depth to the game, but what did we gain from removing them? its not like i cant still just jump up an 80 degree incline to get wherever i want. we have a sprint function; it would seem perfect for athletics to reduce the cost of sprinting or something; its not much, but you lose nothing by having that option for people to RP someone trained to physical perfection... ive seen more specific characters, believe me.

this was never a complex series. i highly doubt even the 12 year-olds among us would struggle to comprehend morrowind if they tried. we played these games as kids ourselves. there is little to streamline, only things to simplify for its own sake. the freedom given to you by the TES series can be very daunting, and beth's attempts to make it more approachable unsurprisingly can remove what made it such a content-filled wonderland to begin with.

but that doesnt matter... as ive said, you people arent shaping your opinions based on what you see, your shaping what you see based on you opinions and finding any and every excuse to blame someone other than beth for its problems, presenting hackneyed workarounds to somehow make it the player's fault. it is not my job to fix the game; it is beth's.

great game. plenty of problems, but it says so much more that despite MASSIVE and amateurish flaws(and my TV cutting off the sides of the screen obscuring everything that pops up in the corners), there is still plenty of fun to be had.

im a console gamer by the way :spotted owl: .

Well said, and I agree.
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luis ortiz
 
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Post » Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:45 pm

Completely agree. I can't understand the hate. I myself have a few small issues, but even as hyped as I was, the game completely blew me away. I understand those that love the game are probably just playing the heck out of it right now, while those who don't are probably all on here complaining.

All issues aside (both small and large), I think everyone should at least take the time to appreciate the amount of obvious effort and love that went into this game. You might disagree with some of the design decision (or marketing decisions), and I have no problem with that. However, I have the utmost respect for everyone who worked on this game (artists, sound people, programmers, etc) and want to thank them for creating one of the best game worlds I have ever seen! I might make a few complaints here and there, but I ALWAYS preface them by saying how amazing this game is. Great job Bethesda! Keep making games like this, and I will be happy.


The classic problem of skewed perspective.

X complains about feature A, but pretty much enjoys the game. He praises features B and C.
Y complains about feature B, but mostly enjoys the game. He's really keen on features A and C.
Z complains about feature C, but all in all really likes the game. He specifically appreciates improvements made to A and B.

Casual Observer comes in.
He notices, quote, ?People complaining about every single feature in the game?.
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Emma-Jane Merrin
 
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Post » Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:31 pm

I understand why some feel Skyrim is simplified. I think that may stem (in part) from all characters initially feeling exactly the same.

Not enough differences between races, in my view. Yes as you level up you must choose what kind of char you will be (stealth/magic/combat/or hybrid) but it still feels like something is missing in terms of diversity of experience. Perhaps my view is skewed from heavily modded play of other TES games.

On a positive note, I feel like Skyrim dungeon atmospherics and layouts are a huge improvement over Oblivion. Also, for me at least, Skyrim is very stable, whereas Oblivion was a crash machine, modded and unmodded.

Overall, Skyrim is a major accomplishment that should only get better with quality mods.

Side note: can people settle down a little and not lob personal insults at forum posters they disagree with? Get a grip!
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Lewis Morel
 
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Post » Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:36 pm

No, seriously, what have I said that was so arrogant or elitist?

There never were spreadsheets in any ES, ever. lol at hyperbole. Only a complete simpleton wouldn't be able to understand games as easy as ES games are.

A major influx of casuals? Whats your point, and why are you even quoting me?

You're kind of a big deal on the Internet, we get it.
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Veronica Flores
 
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Post » Fri Dec 09, 2011 2:08 am

balance issues? this term cropped up with the influx of idiots who play wow. There is no balance for a single player game, you either can handle the game or you svck at it... your the kind of person that benchmarked [censored] against crysis didnt you


Hee, I agree. Balance issues are certainly connected with WoW. Heck, I played WoW for a time and all I read and heard about was 'balance issues'.
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J.P loves
 
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Post » Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:38 am

i love skyrim, great game, knocks the socks off of oblivion. but...
-snip-

im a console gamer by the way




this game was made for people like you: the console gamer. it was made for the reviewers and journalists: the arcadey rpg fans that want things quick and simple.

this game was not meant for people like me. when i look at oblivions stat system that needed spreadsheets and planning to work properly, i love it. i enjoy complexity. i enjoy difficulty. when i look at skyrim's system, i see aesthetics. it looks nice and is shiny. thats about it.


dont get me wrong, skyrim is a fun game, but its not a fun 300 hour game and THAT is what i find wrong with it. theres nothing wrong with a great 100 hour but its just not what i expected...
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IM NOT EASY
 
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