Is three years enough time to make a game like this? : V - Skyrim

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:46 pm

They originally had around 60 people to work on Oblivion. Now their development team has around 90 I hear. So yeah, 3 years will be enough I'm sure.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:30 am

The art people, storytellers and engine programmers, they could have been working on Skyrim during Fallout 3 production. I mean, once the level-designers were starting to build Fallout 3, all the art/code must have been finished. What were the art-people doing then? Just hanging around?

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:37 am

Think about it. Fallout 3 was a great game, and it only took Bethesda about two years. Bethesda's team is way bigger now, they have 90 plus people, all of whom have been focusing on Skyrim for over two years. I'd say Bethesda's all but done with the game. It's not their style to announce something before they are ready... I don't expect delays...

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:09 am

To be honest, I hope there will be delays. Sure, I want to play the game BUT I also want to play a good game. I hope that they take their time finishing the game, and take advice from Gabe Newell: "We would rather release a late, good game than a bad game."

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:33 am

90 people and 3 years means that it isn't really that impossible to pull it off, to say the least. Consider that IW used to pump out a new CoD every 1.5 years, which has a massive number of assets in each.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:50 am

I started playing the ES series with Morrowind. How does beta testing usually work for Bethesda? I assume there will be beta testing and it will last six months or something? No, less than that I guess.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:45 pm

I'll bet anything they been working on it for more than 3 years, pre-production was probably being worked on since oblivion was ended and they started making the actual game once fallout was released. Hopefully they learned not to set a release date if they even have a doubt in there head. But seeing that they waited so long to announce that they even were working on the game, that they have a pretty good idea if they would be finishing it on time. I guess we just have to wait and see, I have a good feeling that they will

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:01 am

Hopefully, they'll have used their time well.

It reminds me of Gran Turismo 5. Even though that game took so long, in the end it could have actually done with a bit more work. It leaves you wondering they spent their time on. If Bethesda spend their time well, it should be good

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:03 pm

Whilst the gap between Morrowind and Oblivion raises some doubt, also consider that Morrowind was announced in 1998 and released in 2002. A similar four year gap, though in this case Bethesda also had to spend time creating the construction set and mastering an unfamiliar engine. People certainly don't seem to scrutinize Morrowind's quality too often. It's just a matter of how Bethesda paces themselves and how imaginative they are along the way. Assuming that their latest iteration of Gamebryo started development as far back as Shivering Isles or at least Fallout 3, I'm fairly confident that Bethesda has had plenty of time to perfect this game.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:13 pm

90 people and 3 years means that it isn't really that impossible to pull it off, to say the least. Consider that IW used to pump out a new CoD every 1.5 years, which has a massive number of assets in each.

You've got to consider also that their games are also incredibly similar to their prequels.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:57 pm

How do you know that a core team did not start development on Skyrim right after development on Oblivion ended?

Yeah, I'm guessing they had another team working on Skyrim while FO3 was being produced.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:57 am

Didn't they even hire Oblivion modders (e.g. Obscuro) for their new projects (like NV or Skyrim)?

I'm pretty sure that those guys will do a nice job.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:37 am

Between Oblivion, Fallout 3, and F3:NV they probably have a very experience team of guys working on the technical aspect of Skyrim, and they've probably been working on the creative aspect of Skyrim after Oblivion was released. I have confidence in Bethesda, they know this isn't some football game they're pushing out. A lot of people hold ES very dearly and I think they know that. Of course you always run the risk of rushed games when a series goes popular.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:22 pm

Do we know for sure that they started Skyrim after FO3? or could they have started it after Oblivion?

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:13 am

The fact that they've kept this so well under wraps for so long means that we at least have a reason to put some faith in them. Doing all that means that they can announce the game when they're ready to do so, and thus ready to give us a release date, as opposed to announcing it early and having the media and the fans pressure them for weeks and months into giving them a date that they're nowhere near ready to commit to.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:17 pm

I believe Todd Howard said it would be the shortest time for these type of games for us. 'Nuff said

Now if it does get delayed, I expect no more than a 6 month delay

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:35 pm

If you think about it Skyrim will probably have the same stuff as Fallout graphics wise, but Skyrim had what 2 more years than Fallout. Also look at the improvement between Morrowind and Oblivion huge difference in terms of graphics. And it is 4 years, almost 5

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:52 am

I think it's 4 years, not 3.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:53 pm

It only took 2 years for them to make FO3, and that was an excellent game.
Its already been 2 years of them making TESV, with a bigger team. Plus they also have another year until release. I think that there wont be any delays.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:19 am

The initial idea was thought of 5 years ago, and a small Skyrim team was assembled before game production started to get things set up. Going into it like that, with a team more than double the size of Oblivions team, I think it's perfectly manageable.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:39 pm

Todd said they have been planning it and doing early stuff since right after Oblivion. They picked it up alot more after Fallout. And yes, 3 years is plenty if you know what your doing. And they do.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:30 pm

Three years is plenty of time when you throw in the fact that Bethesda has many years and plenty of successful titles under their belt. The more experience you have in a trade the more efficient you become. They don't regress to slobbering morons at the beginning of every project.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:38 pm

I'll admit that I hadn't considered the size of the development team when I made the OP- if there are now 90 people working at BGS, where they had a mere 60 whilst developing Oblivion, then I can see how three years would be enough time.

Take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC4ddhw5Mtg. It gives some insight into how the team is developing the game this time around. They have a team of around 100. That makes a big difference.

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:30 am

http://badasspanda.com/tesv-skyrim-has-been-in-development-since-oblivion/2299
http://download2.zenimax.com/bethblog/podcast/TheBethesdaPodcast_06.mp3

Bethesda game director Todd Howard has revealed that Skyrim has been in development since the release of Oblivion.

After the exciting announcement of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim last week, fans have been trying to get as much information in about it as possible. We have a few news nuggets to share with you.

First of all, in the latest Bethesda podcast (which you can listen to here) game director Todd Howard revealed that Skyrim has been in development since after Oblivion was finished 4 years ago. That’s right, 4 years. That will make it a total of 5 years in development when it hits shelves on November 11th. In the podcast, Todd Howard says:

» Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:46 am

I sure hope it doesn't get delayed, I'd hate to wait 'nother 100 years...

:nope: ... after all they gotta release it on 11.11.11 which only happens once every hundred years...