[PC/360/Ps3] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Impressions, tweaks and more!

[CeeKay]

the Macho Men mod: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Bifmj1O3D24

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Downloading now.

[rebon]

Damn, guess I will haveto give it a go although I could not complete the main quests on Morrowind, so I would imagine I will enjoy and fail 

[Caine]

40 new spells come to Skryim:  Midas Magic

[Purge]

40 new spells come to Skryim:  Midas Magic

I've held off on this one as there are balancing issues and bugs. I look forward to creating a dark elf mage my next-go-round with this mod though.

[CeeKay]

Skyrim 2012   www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YEMD28MMtNg

[Bullwinkle]

Preorder placed at Steam! Also here hoping that it unlocks at 12 midnight on Thursday night. It'll download overnight and I'll be able to play it with a cup of coffee on my Friday holiday morning. 

I believe they're offering preload a few days before the release.

I'm kind of torn now.  I was going to go PC (and probably still will) but the allure of gaming from my couch is so damn attractive with the elder scroll series!

Vote with your wallet man- show them PC gaming ain't dead!

Also, mods > horse armor.

Listen, I wanna play pretty little pony with my warhorse, who are you to tell me no?  I'm still upset at the lack of hair dryers in the gd game!

I don't know if you can play pretty little pony yet.

However, you can play My Little Pony with Dragons

[Purge]

Is that a video link? Careful, Hark will deduct points for it not being in the youtube thread.

[Bullwinkle]

Is that a video link? Careful, Hark will deduct points for it not being in the youtube thread.

Isn't there some kind of Hark deduction for being bitter?

[Purge]

Is that a video link? Careful, Hark will deduct points for it not being in the youtube thread.

Isn't there some kind of Hark deduction for being bitter?

You can't take away from nothing. It's impossible to OWE Hark Points.

[CeeKay]

so, I'm head of the Thieves, Mages, Companions and Dark Brotherhood, married to Aela and just one shotted a skeletal dragon with a backstab.  I think it's time to finish this-  oooh, Bard College?

Blackreach was very cool BTW, and huge:

Spoiler for Hiden:

didn't realize how huge until I came up in an elevator and found myself a quarter of the map away from where I went in 

[CeeKay]

finally faced the big baddie:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Alduin was a lot tougher than I expected him to be, especially with Dragonrend.  and I have to fight him again?  I think I may take my time to get to 50 after all.

[CeeKay]

well just finished the main quest at 82 hours, with some stuff left over.  I feel kinda rudderless now, after spending that much time on a game I feel kinda lost as to what to do next.

[EngineNo9]

well just finished the main quest at 82 hours, with some stuff left over.  I feel kinda rudderless now, after spending that much time on a game I feel kinda lost as to what to do next.

What you do next is Saints Row The Third.  

[EngineNo9]

It looks like the 1.4 patch is live on Steam, contents in the Spoiler:

Spoiler for Hiden:

New Features:

Skyrim launcher support for Skyrim Workshop (PC)

Bug Fixes:

General optimizations for memory and performance
Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequins in player’s house (PS3)
Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
Memory optimizations related to scripting
Fixed issue with dangling scripts not properly clearing from memory
Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
Fixed crash in “Haemar’s Shame” if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally block other scripts from properly firing off
Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
Fixed memory crash with container menu
Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks
Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
Fixed bug related to hitching between cell boundaries
Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions

Quest Fixes:

The Unusual Gem that was inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly
Fixed issue where progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests
In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
“The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
In “Revealing the Unseen”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
“Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
“Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
In “The Break of Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
“Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

[Caine]

Fus Ro[ck] Dah!

[CeeKay]

creation kit and a 'surprise' are supposed to hit Tuesday.

[CeeKay]

could the surprise be..... a hi res texture pack?

[shon]

Downloading the texture pack now. 3 gig download....

[hepcat]

If you get a "Server is busy" when trying to launch the game, or the pack isn't downloading after clicking on the install button, try changing your region in SETTINGS -> DOWNLOAD.  Just remember to change it back after the pack is downloaded or you're done playing for the day.

[CeeKay]

figures, I just uninstalled Skyrim a day before they announced that there would be a surprise today.

[Arkon]

figures, I just uninstalled Skyrim a day before they announced that there would be a surprise today.

Why in the nine hells would you ever uninstall Skyrim...you heathen!

[Arclight]

Just ran the game with the Hi-res textures installed. Slap me upside the head and call me Cletus....but I can hardly see a difference.
Ive been running the game on max settings since the beginning using the 580GTX vid card. Anyway if someone want to do a comparison screen shot post that would be great.
I'm no good at that type of stuff.

[Destructor]

Not all textures got updated (water, some world textures, etc, didn't get touched) but weapons, armor, a lot of the items in the world, all got updated. I noticed the change right away. Glad to see Bethesda did it as they no doubt had higher resolution textures to start with, before they got downgraded to fit into the much more limited memory of the 360/PS3.

[hepcat]

I had the same experience as Arclight so thanks for the info.  I was about to uninstall and reinstall the entire game because some of the textures were still pretty bad (ice patches inside Windhelm city walls have some pixellation, the stones in the walls and street look pretty crappy still, etc.).  But I looked at some armor and weapons and saw a difference after the high res pack was installed.

I'm REALLY stoked for the workshop.  There's already hundreds of mods up there and they can installed with a click.  I grabbed the Midas Magic mod and plan on combing through the others this weekend. 

[Destructor]

There's already thousands of mods that can be installed (mostly) in one click (well, more like 2) via the Nexus Mod Manager.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/

Keep in mind that most of these mods were done without the benefit of the Editor, too. Talk about dedication.

[hepcat]

There's already thousands of mods that can be installed (mostly) in one click (well, more like 2) via the Nexus Mod Manager.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/

Keep in mind that most of these mods were done without the benefit of the Editor, too. Talk about dedication.

Someone on Steam's forums disagrees with even two clicks:

Downloading a mod via the nexus:

Click mod
Click download
Find most recent file
Click file
Click mirror
Wait
Click download
Download (with capped speeds because they want you to give them money)
Extract
Copy/paste files
Open launcher
Check files

Installing mods with Workshop:
Click file
Click subscribe

[EngineNo9]

Someone on Steam's forums disagrees with even two clicks:

Are you sure?  It looks like they're pointing out how much easier it is to download the mods with Steam Workshop.

[hepcat]

I thought that's what I was saying?  

[EngineNo9]

I guess when you say he "disagrees with even two clicks" it sounded like you were saying that he thought two clicks was still too many.  I have no idea what you really meant.

[hepcat]

Destructor posts something about Nexus mod manager and implies it's as easy as workshop (he says it requires two clicks).  I post something from the steam forums from someone who says Nexus mod manager takes quite a bit more than that (in his opinion) and that workshop is much easier.  So the person IS saying that workshop is easier BECAUSE Nexus mod manager takes more than two clicks to use.  What part of that wasn't clear?  

p.s. i'm not being snarky, i'm just honestly curious as to how you got confused.

[EngineNo9]

Let's just say I skimmed Destructor's post thinking it was talking about the Workshop and then...or let's just call me a moron and move on.  

[Purge]

Yeah, but the mods on Nexus are ... less restricted.

[hepcat]

Let's just say I skimmed Destructor's post thinking it was talking about the Workshop and then...or let's just call me a moron and move on.  

   it happens to all of us so don't feel bad.

[Clanwolfer]

I actually stopped playing Skyrim because of Nexus Mod Manager. Wanted to do a UI mod, but Nexus wouldn't do anything but crash. Two installs and reinstalls and I said 'screw it' and went back to Saints Row.

Workshop sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

[CeeKay]

it would be very cool if Bethesda released some of these ideas from their annual Game Jam. 

During his DICE 2012 keynote, Bethesda Games Studios game director and executive producer Todd Howard discussed an annual tradition at the company: a game jam, where staff are allowed to create anything they want on company time for one week. This year, the only stipulation was creating something within the recently released Skyrim.

what did they come up with?

    Seasonal foliage
    Flow based water shader
    Spears as weapons with a new animation system
    Kill cams for ranged combat (follow the arrow!) and magic
    New stealth options like water arrows and assassinations
    Guards relight areas
    Paralysis runes
    Moving platforms and hanging structures in dungeons
    Water current in dungeons
    Dark dungeons, requiring you to light your path as you progress
    New companion options like switching combat style, getting them to train and even craft for you
    List favorite followers in the game's menu
    Build your own home from scratch
    Adopt children
    Combine magic to create new attacks
    Goblin enemies
    'Way Gate' fast travel
    Epic mounts like a flaming horse
    Mounted combat on horses
    Dragon mounts
    'Soul bug' familiar
    Kinect-enabled 'shouts'
    Enhanced water effects
    Footprints in the snow
    Better animations for fabrics
    Varied enemies, like fat giants
    Ice and fire arrows
    Werebears!
    Lycanthropy-specific (werewolf) skill tree
    Become a flying Vampire Lord
    New Vampire imp minions
    New Mudcrab animations
    Giant Mudcrab enemy

[hepcat]

I'm having a merrry old time with the mods so far.  The only one that has given me any issues was the Quality Lighting mod.  Every time I'd turn to face any light source, my framerate would just plummet for a few seconds.  Easily fixed though since all I had to do was right click on it in the launcher and select delete.  Ah, convenience.

I'm looking forward to getting into the Midas Magic Mod this weekend.  It looks great.

[CeeKay]

video of the aforementioned Game Jam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxIHPfi-yI

[Destructor]

I'm having a merrry old time with the mods so far.  The only one that has given me any issues was the Quality Lighting mod.  Every time I'd turn to face any light source, my framerate would just plummet for a few seconds.  Easily fixed though since all I had to do was right click on it in the launcher and select delete.  Ah, convenience.

Make sure you don't have AA turned on (or turn it down if it's set to something absurd). I had the same exact issue until I hit the launcher and realized I was running at 8xAA. The core game was just fine - but too many lights in one area brought Skyrim to its knees.

[shon]

I've put on about 20 mods with Nexus and haven't had any trouble, some mods require the SKSE scripting code. I tried the Workshop but really like the Nexus manager it's easy to use and does take about 2 clicks.

The SkyUI mod is a must have and also Categorized Favorite menu, it really makes it easy to see everything.  With the SkyUI mod you can filter everything so it's easy to search for all swords and it just lists them. 
Real Ice - Makes the Ice look really cool and there are 8 different variants.
Increased Character Height -  I always thought my character in first person view was just too short and this allows me to change that.
Skyrim HD -  You can use this along with the Bethesda Texture pack and it looks really nice
Xbox Controller mod - Able to do just about everything with the controller except for the search function in SkyUI.

I really wish there was a mod where you could see a model of your character and see what gear is equipped.  Really surprising that wasn't in the vanilla game.