The OFFICIAL Anandtech Forums TeS V: Skyrim Thread

[RebelCapitalist]

Huh? Shouts have cooldowns of 15-45 seconds...

Hmm. Just started and have one shout. Thought it said once per day. Perhaps that's the other magic thing. Still figuring it out.

Enjoying this game though. Good tip above about left clicking to forward the conversation.

Bring a companion, conjure up a being to fight for me and take cheap shots at the enemy. Fun.

 

[CottonRabbit]

I figured I could remap the attack keys. I was just trying to avoid that. Basically I just want my dude to be left handed with his weapon so left click swings the weapon on the left side. This probably works great on a console controller because the right trigger is typically your fire/attack button in most games. It seems like it was somewhat overlooked for the PC.

Remapping the attack button doesn't affect anything else. Menus and everything else will still be left click.

 

[Locut0s]

Ok so the sound fix in the OP didn't do anything for me. But I looked it up on the net and that is only supposed to fix a specific crash that seems to happen right at game launch or just as the game is starting. The crashes I've been having are random and happen some time into the game, usually an hour or so in. I quit a bunch of running background apps and now it seems stable. Had a 4 hour session last night with no crashes. So anyone else with random crashes close as many apps running in the background as you can. To help nail it down to a specific app here's a list of what I quite:

Dropbox
Gizmo Drive
Asus Sync
Boinc client
Logitech Gaming profiler (for a gamepad)
uTorrent

RavenSEAL: would it be possible to add this list to the OP with a note asking other people with stability issues to check if they have any of these running? Maybe we can narrow it down to a specific app or combination of apps? Anyone else that manages to get it stable by quitting background apps/tasks let us know what you quit. Thanks

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Hope the levelling is better than Oblivion. You really had to do efficient levelling (or just level non-main skills to complete the game at Level 1).

I have to say though, Oblivion + Qarl's Texture Pack + Nature Mod looks close to Skyrim.

 

[Locut0s]

I'm so tempted to buy Skyrim, but I feel like I'll end up feeling ambivilant towards it.

I played Morrowind and gave up after wandering around for a few hours feeling lost and bored
I played Fallout 3 and gave up after wandering around for a few hours feeling lost and bored
I played Oblivion and gave up after wandering around for a few hours feeling lost and bored

I feel like I should love these games because I'm a huge RPG fan and everyone I know raves about them, but I'm trying to sit on my wallet until I can pick it up for a price I won't feel guilty about it I get bored an hour in.

Yeah don't get it then. It's very very similar to Oblivion, only implemented better and with nicer graphics. If you had that reaction to those games you will have the same to Skyrim.

 

[Locut0s]

Hmm. Just started and have one shout. Thought it said once per day. Perhaps that's the other magic thing. Still figuring it out.

Enjoying this game though. Good tip above about left clicking to forward the conversation.

Bring a companion, conjure up a being to fight for me and take cheap shots at the enemy. Fun.

You need to kill a dragon first before you can use shouts. Likely you got your first word of power before killing your first dragon like me. If you try to use it at this point it will tell you you first need to get a dragon soul.

 

[PrayForDeath]

Only other thing it the shadows and the way they behave with the movement of the sun. Every 5-7 seconds shadows flicker, it's annoying but nothing game breaking.

I found this to be extremely annoying. Not only do the shadows look blocky and awful, but their movement with the sun is very distracting.

 

[Cuda1447]

No. Skyrim is pretty playable on my Alienware M11x (mostly medium settings), which is running a 1.7GHz C2D (it's overclocked from stock), 4GB RAM, and a GT 335m I believe.

Your CPU and GPU are both more powerful than mine, so I'm not sure what's up. Drivers? Did you try turning off AA/AF (and FXAA)? Turning shadows down to medium or low?

That's what I'm talking about. People telling me that my machine can't handle this I don't think know what they are talking about. I have tried all kinds of setting tweaks. Even when I turn most everything off and down to low I still don't exceed 30 FPS.

I'm sure there is something else causing problems here, I just can't figure out what.

 

[Anteaus]

I'm level 10 and I just had my first encounter with a dragon outside of the story line. Long story short, my butt got handed to me. Should I be able to kill them at my level or am I missing something?

Another question, is there a shortcut to switch between magic and weapons without going into the menu?

Thanks in advance.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I'm level 10 and I just had my first encounter with a dragon outside of the story line. Long story short, my butt got handed to me. Should I be able to kill them at my level or am I missing something?

Another question, is there a shortcut to switch between magic and weapons without going into the menu?

Thanks in advance.

When you hover over items/spells in your inventory you can hit the F key which will add them to your favorites list. When you are in game pressing Q brings up things you have added to your favorites. The game pauses when you press Q and you can select different weapons and spells from from your list. I really wish you could just bind them to number keys, but this is the only alternative in this game.

 

[Wardawg1001]

That's what I'm talking about. People telling me that my machine can't handle this I don't think know what they are talking about. I have tried all kinds of setting tweaks. Even when I turn most everything off and down to low I still don't exceed 30 FPS.

I'm sure there is something else causing problems here, I just can't figure out what.

I would assume you are running into an issue that isnt related to the power of your GFX card. It seems like it would at the very least be able to run decently at low settings, probably even medium. Its listed as a 'Class 2' graphics card on notebookcheck.net. Its certainly not top of the line, but it isn't THAT old and it even has DX11 support. Benchmarks show it can run Crysis 2 at medium settings with 30+ fps, CoD BO at high with 40+ fps, and some a number of other games that would seem to be more graphically demanding than Skyrim.

I can't even begin to troubleshoot your problem, but don't give up hope, keep trying things, and ignore these silly trolls that are just talking out their ass, probably PC snobs who still think laptops are incapable of good graphics.

 

[Wardawg1001]

Put in a marathon last night... Really starting to get into it now. Liking it. Combat is better than Oblivion where I usually got sick of blocking and just started mashing LMB. Everything feels more intuitive than both Oblivion and Morrowind, kind of like the improvement Fallout Vegas made over Fallout 3 - minor, but important changes.

For those that have taken on dragons. Ummm, they go down awful easy, no? I'm on medium difficulty. I've had more trouble with giants so far - sent to the moon more trouble.

Spoiler

The first dragon you fight, outside of Whiterun, did seem fairly easy. I just ran into the tower and pelted it with arrows while it killed all the guards (I wish I had let more of them die before killing it though, so I could steal their stuff). The dragon did fly up and blow some fire at me, but it wasn't that damaging and I just ran down a level till it left. I assume future dragons wont be so easy because you won't have 5 people with you distracting it. I can't even imagine trying to kill that dragon with just me and my follower, especially if there wasn't a tower to hide in.

 

[Wardawg1001]

When you hover over items/spells in your inventory you can hit the F key which will add them to your favorites list. When you are in game pressing Q brings up things you have added to your favorites. The game pauses when you press Q and you can select different weapons and spells from from your list. I really wish you could just bind them to number keys, but this is the only alternative in this game.

Press a number key while you are hovering over an item in your favorites list.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Press a number key while you are hovering over an item in your favorites list.

Thank you sir.

 

[PrayForDeath]

According to a Reddit user, changing fShadowDistance from 8000.0000 to 2500.0000 will make the shadows seem a lot less blocky.

Before

After

I tested this and it works.

 

[waggy]

I have put in 4 hours so far. it needs a hell of a patch though.

 

[RebelCapitalist]

You need to kill a dragon first before you can use shouts. Likely you got your first word of power before killing your first dragon like me. If you try to use it at this point it will tell you you first need to get a dragon soul.

Yeah, got it figured out now. Also it's a magic spell that's once per day (mine is one that surrounds me in fire).

Hope I can find another companion. The previous two met with unfortunate circumstances. :'(

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I'm level 10 and I just had my first encounter with a dragon outside of the story line. Long story short, my butt got handed to me. Should I be able to kill them at my level or am I missing something?

It's tough to beat them at that level. I met my first one (other than the initial encounter, which was easy) at level 11 and barely survived. Took a lot of heal spells along with some magika and health potions. It ended up killing my companion and my horse too. I was between the Shrine of Azura and Winterhold when it happened so it was great fun trying to get to Winterhold while avoiding the packs of ice wolves along the way.

 

[Locut0s]

Yeah, got it figured out now. Also it's a magic spell that's once per day (mine is one that surrounds me in fire).

Hope I can find another companion. The previous two met with unfortunate circumstances. :'(

The AI for fired NPCs s bad enough that I wouldn't bother using them i you can avoid it.

 

[ParadoxDenmark]

I've played about 20 hours, so far.

Overwhelming amounts of stuff to do. I'll run through the wilderness to a quest and a random stranger hands me another quest, which takes me off in a different direction, and before I reach that destination, I get distracted by something else.

Great attention to detail, no matter which direction you go.

Game looks and plays well. The UI is horrible and annoying, and the quest journal could offer more information.

The voice over isn't of the highest quality, but there is so much of it.

The dungeons are cool, as far as atmosphere goes, but a little too linear. Too many bandits and undeads, but maybe that changes later.

The AI is about as smart as a dull rock and can easily be exploited. Sometimes, they seem rather glitchy and don't even fight back. Your allies are often more in the way and extremely suicidal at times.

Playing on hardest difficulty, I have no trouble killing everything with my archery/dagger thief/murderer. Still, it's good fun. Though I'd like to try again, when the balance/combat tweak mods arrive.

A lot of the negatives were expected.

Overall, I'm having a lot of fun with it. Far more than Oblivion.

 

[KentState]

Played a little more yesterday. I'm looking forward to a hi-res texture pack. The wood on my shield looks worse than the fake stuff in a 90's GM car.

 

[HeXen]

Played a little more yesterday. I'm looking forward to a hi-res texture pack. The wood on my shield looks worse than the fake stuff in a 90's GM car.

me too. its pretty bad. but i don't even think upscaling the textures would help them their so bad.

 

[LgFriess]

Playing on the high settings the game picked when installing. Running with my old e8400, gtx280, 4gb ram at 1920x1200. I think it looks great and runs very, very well. So well in fact I'm now going to wait until the 7xxx/6xx wars sort themselves out before I upgrade. I may try SWTOR but I can't imagine I need to upgrade yet for that either.

The game has been a blast. A few of the little bugs everybody has noticed... mammoth dropping from the sky, dragon bones dropping. I have an issue where I cannot change the volume from within the game. I have to exit, turn the sound to where I want it, then log back in. One CTD. Nothing game breaking. Yes the UI sucks but I'm getting use to it. Still would prefer the old school rag doll/grid inventory system.

I haven't enjoyed playing a game as much as I have this one in a long, looooong time.

 

[HeXen]

i'm not much involved in the story. it just seems somewhat confusing with the stormcloaks, battle bards or whatever the heck these weirdo's are called, their stupid war over what is it again?
but yeah, i find myself rushing through the dialogues cause i find it tedious and didnt help that i didnt keep up with who is who.

i read through one book and tried a few others, again they didnt capture my attention.
Gameplay similar to Oblivion which is great, but i steal un noticed yet come back to town later and every single person tries to kill me??? now i'm running to a guard begging to be arrested or pay the stupid fine. (wish life had choices like that)

I'm dissapointed i havnt seen the AI NPC's do anything interesting, like steal, or get chased by guards...etc. kinda boring people really.

i do like the exploring. vista's are georgeous but close textures are really bad and some areas lack detail or look rough cut.
I don't see myself finishing this game.

 

[coloumb]

Intro [tutorial - about 15-20 minutes?] was pretty impressive. I'm just glad the camera doesn't zoom in on the character like it did in Oblivion.

I did a bit of exploring in the village I "escaped" from, ran into a hunter who wanted to sell me some things and made it to the first town I was directed to go to in the quest.

I really don't like the menu system [map, skills, etc] - a bit too consolized for my tastes...but so far that's about it.