Cobbett on Oblivion (Oblivion by bullet-points)

[Hazelnut]

http://www.richardcobbett.co.uk/codex/totallynotblog/filingcabinet/oblivion_by_bulletpoints/

This made me chuckle anyway. Wish he was the reviewer PC Gamer (UK) used for OB rather than the fanboy who simply chronicled some of the 'cool' questing he'd done, no doubt whilst slobbering all over his keyboard. Probably not gonna renew my subscription after 8 odd years due to a continuous decline in quality, but I digress...

 

[dongle]

No, let's say you take the underground passage and I'll defend the empty courtyard.

Pretty funny, actually. . . .

 

[Nog Robbin]

Quite an amusing take on the game. Still can't believe people enjoy the paranoia quest - it was really quite lame. Wouldn't have been quite so bad if there were some twists, maybe after killing Glarthir (who thoroughly deserved it anyway) it turns out there was some conspiracy or something. But nope - nothing like that.

 

[Richard]

Quite an amusing take on the game. Still can't believe people enjoy the paranoia quest - it was really quite lame. Wouldn't have been quite so bad if there were some twists, maybe after killing Glarthir (who thoroughly deserved it anyway) it turns out there was some conspiracy or something. But nope - nothing like that.

I wouldn't rule out that that's what I liked about it. You're expecting something out there and Deus Exy, but no, he's a nutcase.

 

[Nog Robbin]

Quite an amusing take on the game. Still can't believe people enjoy the paranoia quest - it was really quite lame. Wouldn't have been quite so bad if there were some twists, maybe after killing Glarthir (who thoroughly deserved it anyway) it turns out there was some conspiracy or something. But nope - nothing like that.

I wouldn't rule out that that's what I liked about it. You're expecting something out there and Deus Exy, but no, he's a nutcase.

True - but the quest in itself was dull. Wandering around for three (game) days watching cardboard NPC's walking around and occasionally talking bollocks to other cardboard NPC's isn't in the slightest entertaining. Even less so when it doesn't matter if they see you or not, or even if you speak to them. Was it actually any more fun than a standard fex-ex quest? Probably not. Was the story line at least a bit different? Yes - I will concede that. Extra points for not having to rely on combat during the quest... up until the end anyway

 

[Hazelnut]

Yeah - I was pretty hopeful about that quest too. I actually followed all three people!!! I just couldn't believe that whoever had made the quest would really have that be all there was to it - especially with a givaway name like 'Paranoia' I was determined not to miss the twist. Even as obvious as, you know, first two innocent, last one - actually out to get him. Otherwise why name the quest thus??? Being surprised would have been a bonus. Maybe it was just reverse psychology.

I hated killing him actually, but he was punching the living daylights outta me. Would have been nice if he'd run away at low health or something, but no all of a sudden my nice clean good ranger was a killer of the innocent.

 

[Nog Robbin]

I hated killing him actually, but he was punching the living daylights outta me. Would have been nice if he'd run away at low health or something, but no all of a sudden my nice clean good ranger was a killer of the innocent.

Alas, there is no care in the community in Cyrodiill.
I may go back to an earlier save just to see if I can pacify him - even if it means yielding to him. I must admit, I don't hold out much hope for it.

 

[Richard]

Yeah - I was pretty hopeful about that quest too. I actually followed all three people!!! I just couldn't believe that whoever had made the quest would really have that be all there was to it - especially with a givaway name like 'Paranoia' I was determined not to miss the twist. Even as obvious as, you know, first two innocent, last one - actually out to get him. Otherwise why name the quest thus??? Being surprised would have been a bonus..

But you WERE surprised. And for a boring quest, it's memorable ;-)

 

[Vault Dweller]

Memorable, but not in a good way. It was something like that: I have to follow these boring people all day, and I can't fucking believe that that's all the developers have got. Similarly, Oblivion is also a memorable game because it was hard to expect such level of suckage.

 

[suibhne]

On the plus side, one of the people you had to follow liked to use her garden hoe on stone walkways.

Anyway, I didn't kill him. I ran straight to the guards, who did the job for me. It was the captain of the guard who finally dispatched the bugger, in the middle of a public street, but when I asked him about Glarthir the next day he just said "It appears that someone killed him."

Yep, someone did (wink wink nudge nudge). See, RAI is so advanced it can even do innuendo!

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

I guess I liked the quest because I ended up not doing it. I agreed to meet the guy. I went to bed and got an unexpected visit by the chief of the guard warning me and wanting to enlist me, I had an option to play dumb and he warned me to talk to him if Glarthir aproached me (that was the first unexpected and rather cool part). I went to meet G. and he seemed nuts to me, so I refused the quest and went back to bed. He went away muttering about his conspiracy (cool part nubmer 2). The next morning talk was all over town that he had killed these people and had in turn been killed by the guards. It was my first side quest and an example of actual choice and consequence, and I was pretty impressed. Of course it turned out to mostly be the exception to the rule.

 

[Hazelnut]

Yeah - I was pretty hopeful about that quest too. I actually followed all three people!!! I just couldn't believe that whoever had made the quest would really have that be all there was to it - especially with a givaway name like 'Paranoia' I was determined not to miss the twist. Even as obvious as, you know, first two innocent, last one - actually out to get him. Otherwise why name the quest thus??? Being surprised would have been a bonus..

But you WERE surprised. And for a boring quest, it's memorable ;-)

Yep, I agree - it is actually one of the better quests I've done in the game, and I put having to kill him down to me doggedly expecting a twist that never came... so I got my undesired end. I should have bailed before that and taken some action really. I didn't want to turn him in until I was sure he was nuts. I do wish that the name of the quest hadn't been so leading though. It may have been boring, purely because the 3 people did nothing, but that was the point I guess.. shame they didn't do things which may have looked suspicious, but upon a closer look were completely innocent. Anyway, it sure beat the 'go get your mage staff' quest (I know, I know - char's a ranger so I shouldn't be doing mage quests, but frankly without increasing my mana for healing and light spells I couldn't have fought any of the mobs after about level 5, so I wanted the spellmaker to customise them) which had the *surprise* twist. When I got the quest to get the staff wood I thought "Oh god, another friggin dungeon to hack though" whilst hanging my head, before thinking "nahhh, surely this will be safe and more about making a choice that will affect the staff" - imagine my joy when I entered the tunnel and was attacked by a necro... combat, again! Oh, joy. Being a mage in Oblivion seems such a combat only profession for some reason.

H.

 

[Crichton]

I do wish that the name of the quest hadn't been so leading though. It may have been boring, purely because the 3 people did nothing, but that was the point I guess.. shame they didn't do things which may have looked suspicious, but upon a closer look were completely innocent.

I actually reported one of the guys as a conspirator because I wasn't sure. He mentioned G. in conversation and I didn't know if it was supposed to be incriminating or not (I wasn't really paying attention). It turns out that it was just random blather, sheer chance that this guy got the random "G. is completely nuts" line that's common to all the NPCs in that city.

 

[dongle]

It was my first side quest and an example of actual choice and consequence, and I was pretty impressed.

I tried to make that happen, I really did.

I talked to him, talked to some folks in town, captain showed up and told me to report any oddness. Then I ignored to whole thing for at lest a few weeks in-game (I wait a lot :D ) I know I slept, but I didn't sleep -in- Skingrad, maybe that was the key? Anyhow I finally met him behind the chapel, got his story, and immediately reported him to the captain. I swear I re-loaded and tried every dialog option with him and the captain. Only result I got was the same thing; Follow three people, kill Glarthir. I'm glad to hear there is an alternate outcome, but whatever the trigger it's too subtle for me to consider it a result of player choice.