Elder Scrolls Skyrim thread

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:14 am

I am getting caught up in the hype despite having nothing at all resembling free time to play this. I want to wait until January when Modern Warfare multiplayer has calmed down, more Skyrim mods have come out, and there's a game release lull, but man, getting hard to hold off on a purchase.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:33 am

Yeah, I was avoiding this like the plague because I do not have the time to delve into such an epic RPG. But it is sooooo shiny. And Batman got delayed a week.....

Normann · Post by **Normann** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:40 am

I don't have gaming time at all this month except some past midnight gaming. So I was going to wait for the reviews here, then order a 580 for December if needed, perhaps wait for a patch, etc. Like reasonable folks would do. But as usual I have watched a few more videos today, read the forums, and it is almost pre-loaded. It is coming down at a good 1.5MB/s.

Apollo · Post by **Apollo** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:45 am

I paid for day of release delivery, then realized that November 11th is Veteran's Day.

Guess the 12th will be good enough since I won't have much time to play the game friday night anyway.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:49 am

YellowKing wrote:Yeah, I was avoiding this like the plague because I do not have the time to delve into such an epic RPG. But it is sooooo shiny. And Batman got delayed a week.....

Trying so hard to resist, strength fading...

Normann · Post by **Normann** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:55 am

So it unlocks in about 13 hours.

http://www.gamezone.com/news/confirmed- ... m-on-11-10" target="_blank

"In the US it's 12:01 ET on Steam," Hines responded when asked about the unlock for each region. Before this, there had been question as to whether the unlock will be local to each region or have one specific release time for each country. Now it's official and it confirms earlier predictions.

Releasing at 12:01 ET on Steam means gamers on the West Coast will actually have access to Skyrim on November 10th! The three hour difference makes it so Skyrim will unlock on November 10th, at 9:01 PM!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:59 am

Someone on GT posted verification that you can use a third party vpn service to connect to a server in Australia and unlock then play now.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:06 pm

hepcat wrote:Someone on GT posted verification that you can use a third party vpn service to connect to a server in Australia and unlock then play now.

That's awesome! I love gamers with dedication and motivation.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:10 pm

I am so tempted to go ahead and buy this. But I know I can save some $$$ if I just wait a few weeks. Thing is, I'm about to finish Divinity II. So tempting. I would definitely pull the trigger if my wife had found a job and we were good for holiday expenses.

Matrix · Post by **Matrix** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:25 pm

Wow i am just barely clearing recommended bar with about 1/3 in
http://d1ylr6sba64qi3.cloudfront.net/gl ... p_rf_3.gif" target="_blank

I guess i should be more surprised that i can still run it, rather than that its 1/3 of recommended line. My comp is 3 years old now, and i haven't had any real problems with any game yet. For the most part i can play at highest or close to highest settings without slow downs on all but most demanding games. My friend custom built me my comp, and it still is quiet a work horse.

Hmmm, get it or not.... i am tempted. Money is not an issue but time is and my comps hard drive as steam is on my smallest hard drive, and no matter what i do , i wasn't able to make it install games on my other hard drives. Which is super annoying since i constantly have to uninstall games if i want to try something new.

Mr. Fed · Post by **Mr. Fed** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:44 pm

Sarkus wrote:
Mr. Fed wrote:Hmm. With an Intel Core i7 Q720, looks like I won';t be able to run it.
Why do you say that? It's a quad core, so thats in the "recommended" range per Bethesda. The 2.0Ghz limitation only applies to dual cores.

I guess I'm dumb. That's a quad core? Is that what the Q stands for?

Sorry. Terribly computer illiterate, I guess.

I thought it wasn't even a dual core.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:53 pm

The i7's rocked not too long ago (last year? Crap, has it been 2 years? edit: Yeah, was released in fall of 2009, my bad) and they are definitely multi-core chips. I believe there is some variance between model numbers as to how many cores, and whether those cores also have hyperthreading technology (kinda like virtual cores), but I think the i7's were all 4 core and hyperthreaded, meaning they appear to the OS as 8 core thread chips. Been awhile.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:51 pm

I pass recommended specs - on everything but my old Core 2 Duo processor, which barely meets minimums. That's OK. My first Morrowind play-through had me struggling for FPS, as did my first Oblivion run.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:57 pm

I'm gonna have to run that evaluator tool on my PC when I get home. I'm pretty sure I'll do well - I just want to taunt myself to buy it in spite of tight finances. (not that they are tight now, but they will be by February/March if the wife doesn't find a job).

Archangel · Post by **Archangel** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:27 pm

I will get Skyrim for sure, but with a new rig coming in a few days I have decided to put it aside for later, meaning I might hold of getting it until next years christmas sale on Steam, or perhaps towards the summer. It looks very interesting, but since it is a SP game then I have no problem waiting as I do not have to fear a dying MP part for picking it up later.

So for me it is BF3 and the latest Deus EX coming up next.

I own both Morrowind and Oblivion, Morrowind I tried but not being part of the original batch that played it on release the graphics put me off, though I know there are mods, and Oblivion I never even installed. So Skyrim will be my first real visit into the Elder Scrolls world when the time comes.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:57 pm

You make a good point, Archangel. It is SP and I haven't gotten my mileage out of FONV yet. I have a backlog of other stuff to play as well.

My son is dying to get this for Christmas - its the only thing he really wants. He's definitely getting it. I don't really dare buy it before then or he will feel like I'm torturing him. I would probably have to play it in secret.

FWIW - he's told me that he's OK if I buy it, he'll just have to watch me play it. Personally, I think his Christmas present be better for him if I don't get it 6 weeks before he does. Heck, he and my daughter may get this for me for Christmas and he'll move his PC into my office and we will both play when I have the last week of December off (company holidays). That will truly be some good times.

My comments are all in good fun.

I'm just being a game masochist and taunting myself with this since it looks really good and I liked the previous games (loved Arena and Morrowind). I hope it lives up to my expectations when I finally let myself get it. Which I will, in December, if I don't get it for Christmas...on the day after Christmas...assuming I can find a copy - screw that I would buy it off Steam and start downloading as soon as the last present had been opened!

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:08 pm

Lookin' good...

Sarkus · Post by **Sarkus** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:19 pm

Good luck holding out guys. There are 46 reviews on Metacritic now that the review embargo has ended with the average score being 96 and the lowest score being 90. I may be weak for buying this, but if its that good then playing it in months would damage my gaming cred.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:30 pm

Sarkus wrote:Good luck holding out guys. There are 46 reviews on Metacritic now that the review embargo has ended with the average score being 96 and the lowest score being 90. I may be weak for buying this, but if its that good then playing it in months would damage my gaming cred.

Shhhh....

Mr. Fed · Post by **Mr. Fed** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:35 pm

I may need a new laptop for business reasons.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:37 pm

Sarkus wrote:Good luck holding out guys. There are 46 reviews on Metacritic now that the review embargo has ended with the average score being 96 and the lowest score being 90. I may be weak for buying this, but if its that good then playing it in months would damage my gaming cred.

Oh damn you!

F&@%ING RIOT!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:40 pm

...wait...you serious?

<hepcat knocks pen off table in show of support...immediately regrets his wonton act of destruction...puts pen back>

telcta · Post by **telcta** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:45 pm

I haven't ready any of the reviews yet but I'm curious, with so many reviews, are these mostly based off a pre-release or did the reviewers have final copies for some time now?

It's exciting to see all the glowing reviews and I have to admit, this is an extremely rare game for which I placed a pre-order with Gamestop and used up all my gift cards. I'm almost tempted to visit the store at 10pm, just to see what one of these release nights shindigs are like. You just stand around for 2 hours? Is there food, drink, booth babes, music, dancing?

Toe · Post by **Toe** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:54 pm

telcta wrote:I'm almost tempted to visit the store at 10pm, just to see what one of these release nights shindigs are like. You just stand around for 2 hours? Is there food, drink, booth babes, music, dancing?

None of that, but plenty of time for self-loathing.

tripcrow · Post by **tripcrow** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:29 pm

If you're looking to get a head start IGN has a nice guide with character building info.

http://www.ign.com/wikis/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim" target="_blank

Thank you for the "You can run it?" site. What a great idea that is.

Sarkus · Post by **Sarkus** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:35 pm

telcta wrote:I haven't ready any of the reviews yet but I'm curious, with so many reviews, are these mostly based off a pre-release or did the reviewers have final copies for some time now?

The console version went out to reviewers some time ago. It's not a "just got this yesterday" review situation. Hell, the street date issues have been such that people have been playing the game legitimately for almost a week now.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:42 pm

One thing a review just hipped me to that I found a bit disappointing. They took out the spell building from the earlier games. I used to enjoy combining spells for some weird effects in oblivion especially.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:46 pm

I'm sure by next week someone will figure out a way to mod it back in.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:49 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I'm sure by next week someone will figure out a way to mod it back in.

Yes, but initially the only spell you'll be able to build is one that allows you to "shout the tops off all the barmaids".

edit: by the way, what's the over/under on when the first nude mod will appear?

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:51 pm

hepcat wrote:One thing a review just hipped me to that I found a bit disappointing. They took out the spell building from the earlier games. I used to enjoy combining spells for some weird effects in oblivion especially.

Combat is two handed. You can equip different spells in left and right and combine when casting. They've just changed the mechanics of it.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:01 pm

Trying very hard not to get sucked in, knowing that someone will have it on sale for $30 or $40 by the holidays.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:03 pm

Cylus Maxii wrote:
hepcat wrote:One thing a review just hipped me to that I found a bit disappointing. They took out the spell building from the earlier games. I used to enjoy combining spells for some weird effects in oblivion especially.
Combat is two handed. You can equip different spells in left and right and combine when casting. They've just changed the mechanics of it.

Hmmm...so the spells will combine and create a new effect like the old magic crafting system could?

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:05 pm

Cylus Maxii wrote:
hepcat wrote:One thing a review just hipped me to that I found a bit disappointing. They took out the spell building from the earlier games. I used to enjoy combining spells for some weird effects in oblivion especially.
Combat is two handed. You can equip different spells in left and right and combine when casting. They've just changed the mechanics of it.

That has absolutely nothing to do with what hepcat is talking about.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:09 pm

So far, this is my favorite review...but mostly because the captions on the screenshots cracked me up.

Normann · Post by **Normann** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:12 pm

I am considering a late pm nap to be able to play a bit longer later tonight. Also my throat kind of feels soar. Cough, cough... I might have to call in sick.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:14 pm

Normann wrote:I am considering a late pm nap to be able to play a bit longer later tonight. Also my throat kind of feels soar. Cough, cough... I might have to call in sick.

I'm doing the nap thing as well for the same purpose, so don't think you're the only nerd out there.

p.s. another funny from the pcgamer review.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:32 pm

YellowKing wrote:Yeah, I was avoiding this like the plague because I do not have the time to delve into such an epic RPG. But it is sooooo shiny. And Batman got delayed a week.....

get batman on sale, it's a good game but not as good as the first one, and it's shorter (story wise)

Sepiche · Post by **Sepiche** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:38 pm

One thing I've considered about this new Elder Scrolls game, and it seems to be backed up by what I'm reading in various reviews, is that this is Bethesda's first TES game since it did Fallout 3. Despite it being such a different setting I always felt like they really made huge strides in perfecting their formula when they made Fallout 3 and it really looks like they've applied a lot of them here.

For instance, one of the biggest take aways from Fallout 3 seems to be in exploration. One of the best things about Fallout 3 was just picking a direction and heading into the wastes and seeing what you could find. It was always something different than you'd previously seen and completely unique. Try as I might whenever I went back to revisit Oblivion, I could never get over the relative sameness of even the entrances to all the different dungeons, let alone the internal layout.

Anyway, I hadn't been paying much attention to Skyrim up until recently, but it really looks great, and I'm definitely looking forward to giving it a shot later tonight.

Mr. Fed · Post by **Mr. Fed** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:39 pm

hepcat wrote:
Smoove_B wrote:I'm sure by next week someone will figure out a way to mod it back in.
Yes, but initially the only spell you'll be able to build is one that allows you to "shout the tops off all the barmaids".

edit: by the way, what's the over/under on when the first nude mod will appear?

There was a time when I would have been able to understand the appeal of a nude mod. That time is, at latest, 1989.

Now, with the internet, I don't get it. Unless the point is not merely to look at fake naked women, but to potentially buy alchemy supplies from them.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:40 pm

TiLT wrote:
Cylus Maxii wrote:
hepcat wrote:One thing a review just hipped me to that I found a bit disappointing. They took out the spell building from the earlier games. I used to enjoy combining spells for some weird effects in oblivion especially.
Combat is two handed. You can equip different spells in left and right and combine when casting. They've just changed the mechanics of it.
That has absolutely nothing to do with what hepcat is talking about.

Custom spells combined spell effects. Now you can just combine the spells. Its not as flexible (durations, radius, mana cost, etc) but it does allow for cool effects like an electrified fireball. For me, that will scratch the same itch.