Honestly, not really. They seemed to pick things we already had info about. Although they did go into more detail about things I wanted some more new Info. I want to know about apparel customization and more about towns and the setting. Some of the things were really dumb to if you ask me. "I didn't like Oblivion or Morrowind, but I liked Fallout. What will make me like Skyrim"? Really, what info does that give us.

Also, the Hud question was stupid too. They had a whole hub update on it. I understood it perfectly, I didn't see why they had to waste time on that.

Despite the fact I didn't like the questions, which I really can't blame GI for because of the number of comments, Todd did an awesome Job answering them.

I did like to hear about how the Perks will work out.

Meh

Overall, I'd say I am somewhat pleased. What I'm hearing is that this is a different game from what we've experienced in previous ES games. I am one of those who thinks that spears should be in and although he did say they are not in yet, I have my doubts. It's not the be all, end all for me though. Most of the time I'm sniping with a bow anyway. The magic system sounds like it's had a favorable overhaul, but I'm still left scratching my head as to how the rest of the game will shake out. I think a nice bit of game play will help remedy this.

Even better! Thanks! :foodndrink:

On the whole, yes. While I won't be entirely convinced that their broad sweeping changes will be super-effective until I can experience them firsthand, I still surprisingly like the direction they're taking with skill-perks versus skills, as well as pretty much every other primordial shift they discussed.

A small part of me cringed when they mentioned all the specific minutiae that's doubtful to make the deadline or not planned to be in at all, but I've come to terms with all that. Spears and Crossbows doth not a good game make, especially if new/changed alternative modes of experiencing the game are present.

And in all honesty, so long as the story and culture representation and world-building truly and honestly is a Return to Form, then they could turn the mechanics into "Press [Input Button] to kick ass" and I would scarcely care.

280 perks, holy moly thats great ! :celebration:

Just listened to the Podcast... some great info in there!... the way the perks are described sounds great!

Here's my comments though, based on what Todd said, and some additional thoughts I've had since playing thorugh Oblivion again in the past month:


The "Spreadsheet" Factor of Spellmaking - I love the idea of the perk system and specializations within each category, and what you said about the different types of fire magic... but I would not make the assumption that the "spreadsheet aspect" of spellmaking is bad... In fact, its one of the things I like the most about TES... the ability to "do the math" and still create very specific spells... and have that type of customization. I think you should still be able to play with the numbers and make your own spells, but then the perks can just add-on to that "spreadsheet based" spell construction. I want the ability to delve deep into the system and tweak and customize it.... that's some of my favorite parts of RPG, Strategy and Sim games.


Companions - Don't really care for them much... unless its done like Dragon Age where you really control the group and each companion's strategy and growth. Otherwise, I feel like it takes away from the experience of "being in control of your fights"... and they often just get in the way of the fights... I avoided keeping companions as much as possible in Fallout.


The Map - Include indicators or color reference on which dungeons/locations have been completed (explored at least 50% maybe) and which dungeons haven't been completed... so later in the game, you can easily see which dungeons/quests have still not been explored.


Creature Size Variations - I think it would be very cool (and relatively easy to implement) to really vary the sizes of each creature type more in Skyrim, in association with the Hit Points associated with the creature... So when you're fighting a Troll, you may run into one that's relatively short at 6ft tall (a young troll) or an overgrown 12ft tall one (a oversized advlt troll) ... and the smaller one might only have 1200 HP, and the oversized advlt troll might have 3000 HP... but they could still use the same model and textures... just use more sizing/visual cues for each type of creature and its associated Hit Points... so it feels like you're running into more unique creatures... If you see a 6ft Troll, you may think... "okay, I can kill this guy, he's not too big"... if you see a 9ft Troll you may think "whoa, another one of these guys, they're tough, I've been killed by one before"... and if you see a 12ft tall Troll, you may think "oh crap, this thing is a mutant monster Troll.... I better just run away until I'm more experienced or have better weapons"


New Magic Types - I'd love to see these new magic types:

Conjuration > Organic Virus - a (touch/target) spell that eats away at the skin/body/blood of the enemy... very effective against organic creatures only.

Conjuration > Swarm - a (touch/target) spell that creates a swarm of locusts/bugs that attacks the enemy... very effective against humanoid and organic characters, not against undead.

Destruction > Void Destabilization- a (touch/target) spell that creates an energetic buzzing around the enemy and does major damage to ethereal enemies (Nether Lichs, Ghosts, etc...)... also does massive damage to conjured creatures.

Destruction > Gas Cloud - a (touch/target) spell that creates a cloud of very destructive poison gas over a period of time (maybe the effect damage increases each second until the enemy is in it)... very effective against certain types of organic creatures, especially if you can corner the enemy or paralyze them in it.

Destruction > Earth/Matter - a (touch/target) spell where you can shoot rocks, dirt or meteors from the sky to rain down. Another elemental category like Fire/Frost/Shock.

Destruction > Wind/Vortex - a (touch/target) spell where you can summon the winds to attack an enemy... either in a direction or in a vortex. Another elemental.

Destruction > Energy Tapping - a (touch/target) spell that causes matter to rip apart into raw energy and does a minimum of 20ft explosion damage... very bright and loud... Think miniaturized atomic explosions that have a chance to knock the enemy down, but also knock yourself down and do damage to you if too close... (only really useful in ranged situations)... this may be a spell category that is not available until very high level (>75 destruction)... It would be cool to have some magic types that you don't even know about until you progress to later in the game... maybe a quest that appears once your reach lv. 75 destruction, with a rouge mage scholar that is experimenting with a new type of energy magic.

:twirl: :twirl: OH YEAH totally made my day :twirl: :twirl:

No problem. Enjoy.

I thought there could have been a lot better questions asked of Todd during this interview. Many of the questions chosen to be asked weren't that interesting.

They tried to ask the questions that had the most posts on the GI website. Only fair way to do it. I don't find Werewolves interesting, but 1200 posts on this forum alone puts me in the minority, so I'm glad they asked about them.

Rather disappointed, because it was mainly very boring information(why is level scaling and crafting so interesting? There are tons of other far more cooler things), and the answers were often very long, giving less time for more questions.

Yes radiant AI sounds pretty much like a random quest generator, a magnitude more then moders has touched it.
However I find Oblivion far more repayable than Morrowind because of the randomness, Morrowind play after a couple of years became to much of a checklist, only real checklist in Oblivion is to do the Mage guild recommendation and get Martin to cloud ruler temple early.
Stopped playing Morrowind then I found I had picked the mushrooms needed for the first mage guild recommendation quest in the staring town. And not remember that I had done it.

Honestly, there could of had been some better questions asked. Why would anyone care about achievements/trophies?
I also didn't like how the questions were dragged out and how they got a little off-topic sometimes.
No offense to the GI employees. They seemed rather surprised by all the attention their podcast has recieved by crazed TES fans (like myself).

I think the words


Can't Wait

come to mind because I don't know how I'll make it to November.

Each skill gets at least 3 different perk sets, each which you can upgrade 4 times. Which will add up to 280.

I don't think all perks will have multiple levels.

"As in Fallout 3, several of the perks have their own leveling system as well, allowing you to choose them multiple times."

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim/b/xbox360/archive/2011/01/28/skyrim-menu-system-overhaul.aspx

Im pretty meh, the quesions i wanted answered werent asked.

Im happy dragon mounts are extremely unlikely.

Okay now that I've listened to the podcast ( thanks to Andric ) I think can say I'm pretty happy with the news, especially about the perks and the Dragons. The whole dynamic quests idea sounds good, especially since the quests are still written well, and many quests aren't dynamic. And the mountains! You'll have to go around them and find passages! In OB you simply walked diagonally up a near 90 degree angle :facepalm: . Everything sounds good!

Edit: Oh, and I'm looking forward to gameplay! :biggrin:

I'm happy with the info. I'm glad he touched on spell making as something they're messing with or thinking of better ways to implement it. ^_^

Kinda disappointed over the haziness of spears, but the overall positive info was enough to overshadow that tiny disappointment.

Agreed. Actually it was only after listening to the podcast that I finally fully understood how the perk system works and I'm really pleased. About the spears, meh, I don't see them working well in gameplay :shrug:

I think spears are awkward, I don't know why people want them.

I am interested in the dragon portion. The behaviors sounded cool. They should should implement that "summon dragon swarm" as a fun gaffe. Take it to a major city to have some fun. The perks are starting to concern me though. Sounds like you can "rank up" most/all perks. Usually that means they are pretty generic I.E. passive +5% fire damage. If that is the route they are taking I call BS. It's unimaginitive and lazy developement. I would prefer the perks to be a bit more spectacular or character defining. The whole point of streamlining skills would be to add something else of value to the game. I don't want an empty shell of a diablo clone. Like Borderlands.

Incredible. Everything he said was gold (except perhaps that my main feature in Elder Scrolls, Alchemy has been moved under security/stealth skills. Not too worried though, it's gonna be awesome as long as there are lots of ingredients to pick :celebration: ).

What's the latest word on attribites, I think it wasn't mentioned in the podcast. In or out?

Sane people want what they can't have.