Admiral Rimjob POOBUM
Arcane
Oh, I am, I am. I wasn't disgruntled with the ESF itself, I mean.
I'm with Lumpy on this.Lumpy said:They didn't necessarily lie. When Developers talk about their games, they are usually enthusiastic and exaggerate about them.
Vipera said:I'm with Lumpy on this.Lumpy said:They didn't necessarily lie. When Developers talk about their games, they are usually enthusiastic and exaggerate about them.
That is actually true. If you talk to a Mages Guild member while wearing Necromancer's robes, you get response.Darkflame said:Lumpy said:They didn't necessarily lie. When Developers talk about their games, they are usually enthusiastic and exaggerate about them.
[Todd] "The clothing you wear does affect certain NPC's, but not in a big way, it’s subtle."
Oh sure... so subtle that it the effect isn't even in the game... LIAR!
How can you honestly say these guys didn't lie?
Enthusiasm is one thing, blatant lies are something else. See the quotes in my review for more details.Vipera said:I'm with Lumpy on this.Lumpy said:They didn't necessarily lie. When Developers talk about their games, they are usually enthusiastic and exaggerate about them.
Look, they lied to us right from the moment the Todd posted his blatent bullshit about how "crossbows and throwing weapons" were going to be the only things removed from the long list of stuff in MW, because they were going to be pimping bows/arrows to a ludicrous degree. That was the first blatent lie they told.Vipera said:I'm with Lumpy on this.Lumpy said:They didn't necessarily lie. When Developers talk about their games, they are usually enthusiastic and exaggerate about them.
This is true.[Kathode] "All screenshots we've released are 100% in game showing stuff we've already got implemented. We haven't done any special poses or anything like that, with the exception of magazine covers."
This isn't a statement that can be construed either as a lie or the truth.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "I'm sorry, but what part of "without losing our hardcore rpg fans" don't you understand?"
In my opinion, this is correct. The misc. quests in Morrowind were rather dull, and Oblivion improved that.[Slateman] "Each of the faction lines in this game have plots and quests to much greater depth over MW. Quality, not quantity."
This isn't something that can be proven.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "I know you don't want to hear it, but you're just going to have to trust us that the dialogue is better than Morrowind's."
A good example of this is the part of the 'Path of Dawn' quest where you have to retrieve a copy of "Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes: Volume 3".[Todd] "As you play, you start to figure out what you can do with these NPCs, and how you can influence their behavior, and when doing a quest, it really comes into play. A simple 'get the diamond from that guy...' quest can be done in hundreds of ways now."
Very, very close to an outright lie. I've seen the occasional butterfly, and hawks and seagull calls can be heard in certain areas, but I've never seen (or heard) a mouse or cricket. If this statement was made during the initial development phase, then such features could very well have been planned, but were never implemented.[VSXX] "We have everything from mice to moles to crickets. The most fearsome you have ever seen even! You thought sleeping at night with a singing cricket outside your window was bad. You wait till you meet the one that plays a 14 piece drum set outside your window."
Since he even states that this is his opinion, it cannot be argued.[Pete] "Honestly, and this is just my opinion, I think the hardcore RPG guys are going to love what we have in store for them in Oblivion. The depth, the level of polish...it crushes Morrowind. That doesn't mean that other people won't want to buy it and play it because it's a beautiful game that has fun combat and cool quests. We'll make enough copies for everyone."
I think this is an exaggeration, but by no means an outright lie.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "You'll be reading LOTS of stuff. All of the quest lines are much more in depth, challenging and interesting. And there's a heck of a lot more to the game than just the guilds and the main quest. Lots and lots of other things to do that haven't been mentioned. Stats play a huge, huge role. Class actually has meaning this time. The game is better balanced. You have more rewards for advancement besides just getting better at things. The dungeons are better designed, the NPCs are more interesting, the dialogue is better written.
If you think this is a simple, dumbed down hack & slash, you couldn't be more wrong."
Another exaggeration, but most NPCs do have a unique dialogue when asked about the city they live in.[BlueDev] "For Oblivion, there's a very concious effort to avoid too much random information spewing by NPCs. Fear not--there's still the same amount of info to be found in the game. In fact, the NPCs probably have more than ever to say; it just makes more sense for them to say it."
I don't agree, but since I'm sure that someone, somewhere, does agree, it cannot be labeled a lie.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Oblivion is infinitely superior to Morrowind in every conceivable way."
It could have been planned in the initial development stage, but as of the time of release, this is a lie.[MattRyan] "So for all of you thinking that it would be neat to steal something, and then take off on your horse....guess what? An NPC can do the same dirty trick to you as well. "
I explained this quote in my above post.[Todd] "The clothing you wear does affect certain NPC's, but not in a big way, it’s subtle."
This is another thing that they could have planned on including, but didn't.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Broken shields and weapons are automatically dropped and they clatter to the ground using Havok physics. Broken armor stays on, but is ineffective and you'll know if you're wearing broken armor or not."
Yep, level scaling.[Slateman] "While I cannot go into detail, rest assured that even players who max out a bunch of skills will discover challenges in this game. We didn't leave you guys out "
Darkflame said:Vipera said:I'm with Lumpy on this.Lumpy said:They didn't necessarily lie. When Developers talk about their games, they are usually enthusiastic and exaggerate about them.
Do you ever have any actual opinions of your own, or do you just latch onto other people's like flies to shit? Is it too mentally challenging to explain in your own words why the list at the beginning of this thread is "enthusiasm" and "exaggeration" rather than absolute BS?
Jim Kata said:Darkflame said:Do you ever have any actual opinions of your own, or do you just latch onto other people's like flies to shit? Is it too mentally challenging to explain in your own words why the list at the beginning of this thread is "enthusiasm" and "exaggeration" rather than absolute BS?
I agree with darkflame.
What that Inziladun guy said. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.Inziladun said:Jim Kata said:Darkflame said:Do you ever have any actual opinions of your own, or do you just latch onto other people's like flies to shit? Is it too mentally challenging to explain in your own words why the list at the beginning of this thread is "enthusiasm" and "exaggeration" rather than absolute BS?
I agree with darkflame.
I'm with Jim Kata and Darkflame on this.
Vault Dweller said:What that Inziladun guy said. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.Inziladun said:Jim Kata said:Darkflame said:Do you ever have any actual opinions of your own, or do you just latch onto other people's like flies to shit? Is it too mentally challenging to explain in your own words why the list at the beginning of this thread is "enthusiasm" and "exaggeration" rather than absolute BS?
I agree with darkflame.
I'm with Jim Kata and Darkflame on this.
I disagree with what Darkflame and Inziladun said, but agree with Jim Kata's and Vault Dweller's comments -- or possibly its the other way around...Vault Dweller said:What that Inziladun guy said. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.Inziladun said:Jim Kata said:Darkflame said:Do you ever have any actual opinions of your own, or do you just latch onto other people's like flies to shit? Is it too mentally challenging to explain in your own words why the list at the beginning of this thread is "enthusiasm" and "exaggeration" rather than absolute BS?
I agree with darkflame.
I'm with Jim Kata and Darkflame on this.
Vipera said:This is true.[Kathode] "All screenshots we've released are 100% in game showing stuff we've already got implemented. We haven't done any special poses or anything like that, with the exception of magazine covers."
This isn't a statement that can be construed either as a lie or the truth.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "I'm sorry, but what part of "without losing our hardcore rpg fans" don't you understand?"
In my opinion, this is correct. The misc. quests in Morrowind were rather dull, and Oblivion improved that.[Slateman] "Each of the faction lines in this game have plots and quests to much greater depth over MW. Quality, not quantity."
This isn't something that can be proven.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "I know you don't want to hear it, but you're just going to have to trust us that the dialogue is better than Morrowind's."
A good example of this is the part of the 'Path of Dawn' quest where you have to retrieve a copy of "Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes: Volume 3".[Todd] "As you play, you start to figure out what you can do with these NPCs, and how you can influence their behavior, and when doing a quest, it really comes into play. A simple 'get the diamond from that guy...' quest can be done in hundreds of ways now."
Very, very close to an outright lie. I've seen the occasional butterfly, and hawks and seagull calls can be heard in certain areas, but I've never seen (or heard) a mouse or cricket. If this statement was made during the initial development phase, then such features could very well have been planned, but were never implemented.[VSXX] "We have everything from mice to moles to crickets. The most fearsome you have ever seen even! You thought sleeping at night with a singing cricket outside your window was bad. You wait till you meet the one that plays a 14 piece drum set outside your window."
Since he even states that this is his opinion, it cannot be argued.[Pete] "Honestly, and this is just my opinion, I think the hardcore RPG guys are going to love what we have in store for them in Oblivion. The depth, the level of polish...it crushes Morrowind. That doesn't mean that other people won't want to buy it and play it because it's a beautiful game that has fun combat and cool quests. We'll make enough copies for everyone."
I think this is an exaggeration, but by no means an outright lie.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "You'll be reading LOTS of stuff. All of the quest lines are much more in depth, challenging and interesting. And there's a heck of a lot more to the game than just the guilds and the main quest. Lots and lots of other things to do that haven't been mentioned. Stats play a huge, huge role. Class actually has meaning this time. The game is better balanced. You have more rewards for advancement besides just getting better at things. The dungeons are better designed, the NPCs are more interesting, the dialogue is better written.
If you think this is a simple, dumbed down hack & slash, you couldn't be more wrong."
Another exaggeration, but most NPCs do have a unique dialogue when asked about the city they live in.[BlueDev] "For Oblivion, there's a very concious effort to avoid too much random information spewing by NPCs. Fear not--there's still the same amount of info to be found in the game. In fact, the NPCs probably have more than ever to say; it just makes more sense for them to say it."
I don't agree, but since I'm sure that someone, somewhere, does agree, it cannot be labeled a lie.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Oblivion is infinitely superior to Morrowind in every conceivable way."
It could have been planned in the initial development stage, but as of the time of release, this is a lie.[MattRyan] "So for all of you thinking that it would be neat to steal something, and then take off on your horse....guess what? An NPC can do the same dirty trick to you as well. "
I explained this quote in my above post.[Todd] "The clothing you wear does affect certain NPC's, but not in a big way, it’s subtle."
This is another thing that they could have planned on including, but didn't.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Broken shields and weapons are automatically dropped and they clatter to the ground using Havok physics. Broken armor stays on, but is ineffective and you'll know if you're wearing broken armor or not."
Yep, level scaling.[Slateman] "While I cannot go into detail, rest assured that even players who max out a bunch of skills will discover challenges in this game. We didn't leave you guys out "
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Just because you can attempt to bribe someone does not mean they'll automatically accept it."
[MattRyan] "We are gamers. We have given tons of time toward the balance of gameplay. Asside from the designers, artists, programmers, and producers.... our staff of QA testers are extremely good at exploiting our game systems and looking for loopholes in gameplay, or shortfalls in fun vs. realism.
In conclusion, to completely cut out any adjustment to difficulty in enemies would not be fun, just as making all creatures off-set to your level would not be fun."
[Slateman] "Yep. To second MSFD, we don't auto-level exactly to your level. We have all sorts of adjustments available. If we didn't the game would be boring "
[MattRyan] "If everything was leveled then you'd have no fear of anything in the game ('I can beat everything!') We plan on scaring the heck out of the player by higher level creatures."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "You're walking through a seedy part of a town in Western Cyrodiil. People mill about, some engaged in conversation, others minding their own business, out on their own errands. Suddenly, an ugly man decides he doesn't like you. Maybe he's drunk, maybe he's just a bully, maybe he's just showing off in front of his friends -- but for whatever reason, he has taken your measure and decided he can best you.
He comes charging at you, with a nasty looking mace in his hand and a look of hatred on his face. Onlookers move back to make room for what should be an entertaining fight.
Quickly drawing your sword and shield, you wheel around to face him. He's upon you pretty quickly though, and you barely have time to raise your shield (hold right mouse button) before his first blow thunders down upon you.
But you block well, and as he recoils from the collision, you quickly perform left & right slashes with your sword (left click, pause, left click). The bully realizes this isn't going to be easy.
He backs off a bit, and starts dodging around you. First to the left, then to the right. You maneuver to keep him in view, looking for an opening. Suddenly he steps back, raises his mace in both hands, and steps forward, bringing the mace towards your head in a crushing blow!
But you're quick -- you step to the side as he attacks. As he passes by, you execute a spinning maneuver and slash him in the side (hold left mouse button and left maneuver key). The hit is solid, and your foe staggers from the blow.
But it's not over yet. The bully swings his mace wildly -- his first swing misses, but the next one connects for a blow that sends you staggering. Pressing his advantage, the bully bears down on you with a power attack of his own. OUCH. This isn't going well. You take a glance at your health meter, it's getting a bit low. You quickly back up out of the bully's reach and raise your shield (hold right mouse button).
He's hurting, too. You circle each other for a time, looking for an opening, trying to recover some fatigue. Finally the bully charges forward with a devastating overhead blow, perhaps hoping to break your shield. But the shield holds and the recoil send him staggering back. This is your chance! You perform a mighty forward power attack (hold the left mouse button, press forward) and connect solidly. The blow staggers your foe once again, and you perform 3 slashing attacks in rapid succession (left mouse button, pause, left mouse button, pause, left mouse button), and finally the bully collapses to the ground, defeated.
The crowd disperses, going back to their own business."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "We happen to think that console gamers are smarter than that, and the success of Morrowind on Xbox proves that console gamers actually ARE interested in games with MORE depth and complexity than some people seem to think they are."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "I absolutely guarantee that they'll be able to make mods that will completely blow away anything we saw for Morrowind, using the new Construction Set."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "You can only use the map-based fast travel to go to places you've already been. So you'll HAVE to walk to each possible location AT LEAST once."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "We could make traditional creatures that looked like every other depiction of those creatures you've seen in books, movies, or other games, but then where's the originality in that?"
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "NPCs would have to be told to go into your house via Radiant AI. And even if they WERE, you could always lock your door..."
[Slateman] "Trust me, you're going to get lost if you wander in these forests and don't use the compass or map."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "you can enter every interior."
[Pete] "There isn't a magazine on the planet that hasn't gotten information if they've asked for it."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Resurrected NPCs are not themselves. They're basically mindless automata who will follow you around and fight for you."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Oblivion is an extremely rich, complex game with a tremendous amount of depth, compelling quest lines, interesting NPC characters, a huge variety of player character types and intricate character progression set in a huge, varied game world. Combat, magic, and AI have all been dramatically improved to enhance gameplay while still providing a balance between player skill and character skill, because after all, Oblivion is a role playing game. Yes, some things that were present in Morrowind are not in Oblivion -- but a lot more has been added than removed, and the goal has always been to make a game that is both more accessible to first-time RPG players, and is also challenging and rewarding for more experienced players."
[Pete] "We will continue to support the mod community as best we can and let them do the great things they do, just as we did with Morrowind."
[Sentinel] "The sad fact is that many development studios can't afford to bankroll their own game development. So they rely on publishers to give them the money to create these games. The problem with this is that the publisher then feels they should have input into the game since they are spending the money. Hence Atari and EA have such a big influence on a game they publish.
Just glad here at Bethesda we are our own publisher and developer and have free reign to make what we want."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "We're NOT going to slap in features that don't work well just to say we have them."
[Pete] "Holidays this year"
[Pete] "You know if you have a 360 it will look as good as it can possibly look. If you have the latest, greatest PC with the best video card, etc., it will probably look the same as the Xbox 360 version."
[MrSmileyFaceDude] "The compass, the quest marker and compass icons, are NOT the hand-holding, dumbing down babysitter some folks paint them out to be."
[Hayt] "We're around on a daily basis, and we're reading. When we're ready to comment on things, you'll all know."
Vipera said:I didn't 'forget' them, I just used some of them to make a point. But if you insist, I shall explain them.
Just give me a few minutes. :D
Another of those things that may have been planned, but weren't included.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Just because you can attempt to bribe someone does not mean they'll automatically accept it."
Consider hiring a few more QA testers next time.[MattRyan] "We are gamers. We have given tons of time toward the balance of gameplay. Aside from the designers, artists, programmers, and producers.... our staff of QA testers are extremely good at exploiting our game systems and looking for loopholes in gameplay, or shortfalls in fun vs. realism.
[Slateman] "Yep. To second MSFD, we don't auto-level exactly to your level. We have all sorts of adjustments available. If we didn't the game would be boring "
I'm not entirely sure how the leveling works, so I can't answer these.[MattRyan] "If everything was leveled then you'd have no fear of anything in the game ('I can beat everything!') We plan on scaring the heck out of the player by higher level creatures."
While some portions of this are slightly exaggerated (perhaps to add to the atmosphere), I would say this is true. The "Bully" sounds like one of the Mythic Dawn 'sleepers'.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "You're walking through a seedy part of a town in Western Cyrodiil. People mill about, some engaged in conversation, others minding their own business, out on their own errands. Suddenly, an ugly man decides he doesn't like you. Maybe he's drunk, maybe he's just a bully, maybe he's just showing off in front of his friends -- but for whatever reason, he has taken your measure and decided he can best you.
He comes charging at you, with a nasty looking mace in his hand and a look of hatred on his face. Onlookers move back to make room for what should be an entertaining fight.
Quickly drawing your sword and shield, you wheel around to face him. He's upon you pretty quickly though, and you barely have time to raise your shield (hold right mouse button) before his first blow thunders down upon you.
But you block well, and as he recoils from the collision, you quickly perform left & right slashes with your sword (left click, pause, left click). The bully realizes this isn't going to be easy.
He backs off a bit, and starts dodging around you. First to the left, then to the right. You maneuver to keep him in view, looking for an opening. Suddenly he steps back, raises his mace in both hands, and steps forward, bringing the mace towards your head in a crushing blow!
But you're quick -- you step to the side as he attacks. As he passes by, you execute a spinning maneuver and slash him in the side (hold left mouse button and left maneuver key). The hit is solid, and your foe staggers from the blow.
But it's not over yet. The bully swings his mace wildly -- his first swing misses, but the next one connects for a blow that sends you staggering. Pressing his advantage, the bully bears down on you with a power attack of his own. OUCH. This isn't going well. You take a glance at your health meter, it's getting a bit low. You quickly back up out of the bully's reach and raise your shield (hold right mouse button).
He's hurting, too. You circle each other for a time, looking for an opening, trying to recover some fatigue. Finally the bully charges forward with a devastating overhead blow, perhaps hoping to break your shield. But the shield holds and the recoil send him staggering back. This is your chance! You perform a mighty forward power attack (hold the left mouse button, press forward) and connect solidly. The blow staggers your foe once again, and you perform 3 slashing attacks in rapid succession (left mouse button, pause, left mouse button, pause, left mouse button), and finally the bully collapses to the ground, defeated.
The crowd disperses, going back to their own business."
I don't pretend I know what the devs think, so this is another one I can't answer.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "We happen to think that console gamers are smarter than that, and the success of Morrowind on Xbox proves that console gamers actually ARE interested in games with MORE depth and complexity than some people seem to think they are."
It's a matter of opinion/personal taste.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "I absolutely guarantee that they'll be able to make mods that will completely blow away anything we saw for Morrowind, using the new Construction Set."
Each city, and some quest objectives can be fast traveled to, but this statement is mostly true.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "You can only use the map-based fast travel to go to places you've already been. So you'll HAVE to walk to each possible location AT LEAST once."
Most of the creatures are from a mudane/generic fantasy setting.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "We could make traditional creatures that looked like every other depiction of those creatures you've seen in books, movies, or other games, but then where's the originality in that?"
Possible planned feature.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "NPCs would have to be told to go into your house via Radiant AI. And even if they WERE, you could always lock your door..."
Nope, I can't say that's true. I played 150 hours on one character, and completed most of the quests without the compass. Though I would have liked better directions.[Slateman] "Trust me, you're going to get lost if you wander in these forests and don't use the compass or map."
Mostly true, only a couple of things, like the Orrery, can't be entered.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "you can enter every interior."
I don't run a magazine, so I can't say.[Pete] "There isn't a magazine on the planet that hasn't gotten information if they've asked for it."
If he means with the Staff of Worms, then yes.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Resurrected NPCs are not themselves. They're basically mindless automata who will follow you around and fight for you."
Standard hype.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "Oblivion is an extremely rich, complex game with a tremendous amount of depth, compelling quest lines, interesting NPC characters, a huge variety of player character types and intricate character progression set in a huge, varied game world. Combat, magic, and AI have all been dramatically improved to enhance gameplay while still providing a balance between player skill and character skill, because after all, Oblivion is a role playing game. Yes, some things that were present in Morrowind are not in Oblivion -- but a lot more has been added than removed, and the goal has always been to make a game that is both more accessible to first-time RPG players, and is also challenging and rewarding for more experienced players."
From what I've seen, they do. There's even an entire section of the ESF devoted to them.[Pete] "We will continue to support the mod community as best we can and let them do the great things they do, just as we did with Morrowind."
I don't keep up with game politics.[Sentinel] "The sad fact is that many development studios can't afford to bankroll their own game development. So they rely on publishers to give them the money to create these games. The problem with this is that the publisher then feels they should have input into the game since they are spending the money. Hence Atari and EA have such a big influence on a game they publish.
Just glad here at Bethesda we are our own publisher and developer and have free reign to make what we want."
I haven't found any features that fit that description.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "We're NOT going to slap in features that don't work well just to say we have them."
Possibly planed for.[Pete] "Holidays this year"
Obvious marketing tactic.[Pete] "You know if you have a 360 it will look as good as it can possibly look. If you have the latest, greatest PC with the best video card, etc., it will probably look the same as the Xbox 360 version."
They are rather annoying, but I don't (and am not forced to) use them. I would prefer the concept be scrapped in any upcoming titles, however.[MrSmileyFaceDude] "The compass, the quest marker and compass icons, are NOT the hand-holding, dumbing down babysitter some folks paint them out to be."
True, I see a dev post at least once a day.[Hayt] "We're around on a daily basis, and we're reading. When we're ready to comment on things, you'll all know."
Lying twice, and lying about everything, are completely different.Darkflame said:Vipera said:I didn't 'forget' them, I just used some of them to make a point. But if you insist, I shall explain them.
Just give me a few minutes. :D
Since above you've already conceded that the dev's lied in atleast two instances, you don't really have to explain all of the remaining quotes... that is, unless for some reason you believe that lying atleast twice doesn't actually constitute lying at all...
I suppose lying twice isn't really lying, since the lies both cancel eachother out, right?
Admiral jimbob said:Vault Dweller said:What that Inziladun guy said. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.Inziladun said:Jim Kata said:Darkflame said:Do you ever have any actual opinions of your own, or do you just latch onto other people's like flies to shit? Is it too mentally challenging to explain in your own words why the list at the beginning of this thread is "enthusiasm" and "exaggeration" rather than absolute BS?
I agree with darkflame.
I'm with Jim Kata and Darkflame on this.
You're probably right.
Yeah!micmu said:We have a new Volourn!
If I were 100% dedicated to Bethesda, would I be here pointing out the flaws I find in Oblivion? Admittedly, I find few flaws, but that doesn't mean I'm a Bethesda fanboy.OccupatedVoid said:Yeah!micmu said:We have a new Volourn!
Instead of 100% Bioware dedication, it's 100% Bethesda dedication!