Oblivion First Impressions

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

One more thing:

You can store things in your own house.  However, if you place items in a public chest (like the aforementioned Mage's Guild), it gets looted.  Kind of like reality, if you leave something out, someone will take it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes I found that out the hard way. Couple of K of stuff stored in the guild hall got replaced by some clothes. I expected to find everyone down the pub or something.

 

Wasnt actually that annoyed my own fault for storing things in a "public" place.

 

According to the icon though opening my own door is a criminal act

[Diogo Ribeiro]

One more thing:

You can store things in your own house.  However, if you place items in a public chest (like the aforementioned Mage's Guild), it gets looted.  Kind of like reality, if you leave something out, someone will take it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Does it actually get stolen or is the loot in the chest just reloaded with something else from a loot chart?

[Shadowstrider]

One more thing:

You can store things in your own house.  However, if you place items in a public chest (like the aforementioned Mage's Guild), it gets looted.  Kind of like reality, if you leave something out, someone will take it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Does it actually get stolen or is the loot in the chest just reloaded with something else from a loot chart?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Both. People do interact with objects they pass by, and take things from chests. However, after a certain amount of time, non-persistent containers are cleaned out.

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Thank you for the answer, and your continued input on the game btw.

[Kaftan Barlast]

I just had a curious AI moment. I was in a city looking for some naughty people, then I saw the guards rushing by so I followed them and they ran right to the people I was lookin for and killed them

 

 

Damn you radiant AI for stealing my quest!! *shakes fist*

Edited March 29, 2006 by Kaftan Barlast

[Shadowstrider]

I just had a curious AI moment. I was in a city looking for some naughty people, then I saw the guards rushing by so I followed them and they ran right to the people I was lookin for and killed them

 

 

Damn you radiant AI for stealing my quest!! *shakes fist*

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Now multiply this by 10, and you see why RAI had to be "toned down."

 

The game is not fun when NPCs begin arming themselves and completing quests. On the other hand if they don't you have people complaining about the NPCs being too stupid.

 

Lose/Lose.

[Kaftan Barlast]

But if the AI is in fact ruining the game, then it isnt especially well-made no matter how you twist it. An AI is there to simulate a person in a way thats fun for the actual player.

 

This has nothing to do with my example but; Any AI could detect that an action flagged as criminal has been occured at coordinate X,Y and cause all Town guards to move to that position and approach the offending PC in arrest mode.

 

A good AI would react if a townsperson was in the area, actually saw the crime being comitted(not just magicly detected it), ran to the townsguard and told them about it whereupon the available guards would follow the townsperson back to the scene of the crime and investigate. Then they would go door to door asking witnesses.. well, you get it

 

 

And that was really just a ramble. I think Oblivion is fine as it is, perhaps it would need more scripting around events, such as when you stumble across an Oblivion gate 150m form a city and there is NO way you can alert anyone that its there until you complete the part of the quest that flags that you can now discuss the Oblivion gate with the townspeople.

[metadigital]

After all that, what do I think?  I Love this game.  It's what Morrowind wanted to be.  This is the potential to which Bethesda aspired.  This is one of the best games of recent years.  You should but it, enjoy it, and thank me later for my excellent advice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fifteen hours in

Couldn't agree more. My biggest comnplaint is that my computer is having a tough time rendering the graphics!

 

There is no reason any RPGamer can't role play in Obsidion; it is a wonderfull sandbox to play in and the skill system is well balanced, the enemies are tough, and the quests rich.

 

I thoroughly recommend it: I have been struggling to even play a lot of games recently; they just haven't grabbed me: Oblivion, however, has scratched an itch that was irritating me. An RPG that is big and complex enough to play different ways, with different character classes and alignments.

[Shadowstrider]

But if the AI is in fact ruining the game, then it isnt especially well-made no matter how you twist it. An AI is there to simulate a person in a way thats fun for the actual player.

 

This has nothing to do with my example but; Any AI could detect that an action flagged as criminal has been occured at coordinate X,Y and cause all Town guards to move to that position and approach the offending PC in arrest mode.

 

A good AI would react if a townsperson was in the area, actually saw the crime being comitted(not just magicly detected it), ran to the townsguard and told them about it whereupon the available guards would follow the townsperson back to the scene of the crime and investigate. Then they would go door to door asking witnesses.. well, you get it

 

 

And that was really just a ramble. I think Oblivion is fine as it is, perhaps it would need more scripting around events, such as when you stumble across an Oblivion gate 150m form a city and there is NO way you can alert anyone that its there until you complete the part of the quest that flags that you can now discuss the Oblivion gate with the townspeople.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I don't think you understand what I said. The AI itself was "too human."

 

Let's get hypothetical. If you make AI "more human" NPCs run around purchasing goods from stores to the point where they are "sold out." NPCs complete quests as they arise, effectively taking away from the player's "fun."

 

As for a crime, the townsfolk already yell out for "Guards" and defend themselves. This isn't a modern game, if the guards in a medieval/dark/bronze/whatever era town saw a bunch of people attacking one guy, and heard people yelling guard, they aren't likely to yell break it up and give you a fair trial by your peers. They would come club you over the head, drag you away and let you rot in prison, more likely. In Oblivion, the guards demand your surrender first, unless you resist. When you commit a crime, it isn't "flagged" that you commit a crime at X,Y. The guards are notified via shouting that a crime has been commited and go towards the location, if you're still hanging around, you're the suspect. See explanation of "it isn't a modern police force" above.

 

If an Oblivion gate opened up near a town, NPCs would either a)"pack up shop" and move away from the town out of fear, or b) attempt to close the gate. If A the player would lose track of essential and unessential NPCs alike. If B, you run into the problem of the game being less fun. Most of the time, the townsfolk already know the Oblivion gate is there, but if they react to it in any other way than "Oh dear! I hope someone will help us close it!" you have game ruining elements coming into play.

[Judge Hades]

I like the AI. I hope they improve it in execution, if not intelligence. Keep in mind that the player is just one character in the setting. Other characters should interact and well "complete quests" if they are so inclined.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I like the AI.  I hope they improve it in execution, if not intelligence.  Keep in mind that the player is just one character in the setting.  Other characters should interact and well "complete quests" if they are so inclined.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well the character is just one more person in the setting. But the player is something else entirely. Of course there is a huge grey area when it comes to what people find fun. I wasnt really that bothered when most of my spare stuff disapeared from the mages guild. I havnt come across anyone solving quests yet. I've had people jump in and help out (which makes things harder since your trying to avoid them).

 

Someone should get it into their heads to solve the main quest. Now that would be funny.

 

I'm generally finding the same thing with Oblivion as with the other Elder Scrolls games. Too much wandering is having an adverse effect on the plot. I've just been told to go and find something that I've already found

 

It makes me wonder if this sort of game actually needs some sort of plot since the story isnt grabbing me at all and the more I wander around the more detached I become from it.

 

On the other hand the MMPORG elements work remarkably well.

[Judge Hades]

hey could try to solve the main quest but it would be hard to do when the PC holds the key artifact to trigger the events necessary.

[Llyranor]

Perhaps the non-toned down was too far ahead for the game design to catch up. Mayhaps a dynamic world/quests......?

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Perhaps the non-toned down was too far ahead for the game design to catch up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Or maybe the interplay between the gameworld's design and the AI wasn't fully considered? Most of what I'm getting from forums about AI inconsistencies come from situations which seem to suggest that. I don't think the issue is entirely about the AI being too human because in application there's times when it definitely doesn't feel like it. It gives off the feeling that behaviors were assigned to NPCs and then they expected them all to work out together without testing them... Reports of a captain of the guard pickpocketing a beggar, some NPC telling an approaching NPC they hate him but then discuss rumors plesantly, or a couple of soldiers fighting it out in the woods because one of them killed a deer while they were talking just strenghtens that notion.

[Llyranor]

There's a slight difference between 'too human' and attention to detail.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Easiest quest ever (main plot)

 

Go find place X and get item Y.

 

"Er you mean this item Y I have in my pocket" ?

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Or maybe the interplay between the gameworld's design and the AI wasn't fully considered? Most of what I'm getting from forums about AI inconsistencies come from situations which seem to suggest that. I don't think the issue is entirely about the AI being too human because in application there's times when it definitely doesn't feel like it. It gives off the feeling that behaviors were assigned to NPCs and then they expected them all to work out together without testing them... Reports of a captain of the guard pickpocketing a beggar, some NPC telling an approaching NPC they hate him but then discuss rumors plesantly, or a couple of soldiers fighting it out in the woods because one of them killed a deer while they were talking just strenghtens that notion.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Someone should teach the NPC's the yield command. Although I havnt seen anything particularly whacky except for some really bad pathfinding in combat.

[mkreku]

I've only noticed bad pathfinding whenever I have someone follow me. Sometimes I've lost them for like ten minutes and eventually had to reload the game. The creatures have been annoyingly difficult to make fun of in my experience so far.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I've only noticed bad pathfinding whenever I have someone follow me. Sometimes I've lost them for like ten minutes and eventually had to reload the game. The creatures have been annoyingly difficult to make fun of in my experience so far.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What level are you at now ?

[mkreku]

Not sure.. perhaps 35-36 or something. It slows down after you get to master in a few of your main skills.

[Krookie]

Easiest quest ever (main plot)

 

Go find place X and get item Y.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Every RPG is like that, except sometime's it's replaced with 'Go gind place X and kill Y.'

[Llyranor]

BTW, for all you naysayers, here is undeniable proof that Oblivion is a RPG, because labelling matters! http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...howtopic=315667

 

Er, yeah, for the record.... I did not edit the wiki subsequently.

Edited March 29, 2006 by Llyranor

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Every RPG is like that, except sometime's it's replaced with 'Go gind place X and kill Y.'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wasnt what I was getting at. I was just pointing out that the quest was solved before it even started.

[alanschu]

I've only noticed bad pathfinding whenever I have someone follow me. Sometimes I've lost them for like ten minutes and eventually had to reload the game. The creatures have been annoyingly difficult to make fun of in my experience so far.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I find it's only bad if I cut corners by jumping.

[Llyranor]

The best part is when baddies chasing you fall off cliffs/bridges/whatevers to their death.