The OFFICIAL Anandtech Forums TeS V: Skyrim Thread

[zinfamous]

Yep, so I knew about the Dual casting thing. I pretty much exclusively do that. Still haven't noticed it being that significant an impact. But I plan on going back and paying closer attention to it.

About stealth, I have the perk that "Muffles" armor sounds. And I have enchanted my elven chain with stealth enhancing abilities. Both of which work great in most cases. And i have no complaints. Just this one Dungeon "Appears" to be antithetical to this as every monster notices me "Just" as i am attacking. I have noticed this phenomenon before as in another dungeon i would get a b-line arrow attack on someone from quite a distance away (i.e. no way they could have spotted me) and the target would invariably move just as I fired and this invalidating the X3 damage bonus. I think it is probably something written in to certain encounters to prevent stealth experts from ruling the game.

Is this the dungeon

Spoiler

for the Nightingale quest at the end of the Thieves guild quest line?

.

I don't think any manner of sneaking allows you to get past those spirits.

 

[thespyder]

Is this the dungeon

Spoiler

for the Nightingale quest at the end of the Thieves guild quest line?

.

I don't think any manner of sneaking allows you to get past those spirits.

Nope. Surprisingly enough. Haven't gotten to that one yet. And now I am a bit worried as if I am having trouble now, yikes when I get there.

This dungeon isn't anything special.

Spoiler

but I get the feeling there is a word of power at the end of it, so.... As I entered some woman told me that the chamber below had walking undead in it and that I needed to clear it out for her. Did that. Then there are two branches off the main chamber that I had to clear as well. Doing that now.

so nothing special. Just think that the programmers throw some stuff in to up the challenge level is all.

Of course I could merely be flubbing the approach and it is nothing more than a PEBKAC.

 

[Majic 7]

Beta 1.4 patch is available on steam. It is in settings. Getting constant 60 fps now in Whiterun. Everywhere, including the stairs at Dragonsreach.

 

[Markbnj]

These are reputed to be the 1.4 patch notes, though I can't vouch for them...

http://wolfsgamingblog.com/2012/01/19/skyrim-1-4-patch-notes-revealed/

 

[zinfamous]

OMG OMG OMG. havne't read yet, but Majic 7: I'm guessing the FPS increase is due to them enabling SSE?

hope my mods aren't compeltely broken.. (SSE, which is fine--and SkyUI--expected)

 

[zinfamous]

These are reputed to be the 1.4 patch notes, though I can't vouch for them...

http://wolfsgamingblog.com/2012/01/19/skyrim-1-4-patch-notes-revealed/

oo, sounds like a weiner.



I hope they fixed the clipping issues with Yngol's helm.

 

[s1njin]

So if you have modded, do,you have to uninstall your mods before patching? How does this work?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[zinfamous]

So if you have modded, do,you have to uninstall your mods before patching? How does this work?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If you're through Steam, Steam will autopatch, and I believe they have agreed to force auto-update, at Bathesda's request (meaning, if you have set Skyrim to not update automatically, it will ignore your setting and update anyway).

I don't know enough about how mods work, but I think they simply will not work when updated. Or, maybe, they will introduce some bugs or crashes. I think rule of thumb is to remove mods before any official patch. They are generally guaranteed not to work after new update.

 

[shortylickens]

OK, much like Oblivion and Morrowind before it, I am definitely getting bored. Starting to feel like a grind. Most quests no longer feel special.
I should probably start on the Brotherhood stuff.

 

[zinfamous]

OK, much like Oblivion and Morrowind before it, I am definitely getting bored. Starting to feel like a grind. Most quests no longer feel special.
I should probably start on the Brotherhood stuff.

ya, I'm trying to focus on more of the big quest lines. While dungeons are still unique in design, still a lot fo samey mechanics as the puzzles go, and depending on your character, it becomes the same type of play style--sneak through and whack on sleeping draugers, or storm through yet another Forsworn enclave and bash them into pious submission, rip out some hearts, run to the next encampment, etc.

Funny thing, I'm at level 54 right now, Illia Sword mistress or whatshername from Solitude is my current follower. I've decked her out with dual-enchanted dragonscale set and myself with Full ebony (plus Boethiah's badass Ebony mail and Yngol's helm), and either Dragonbane or a dual-enchanted Blades sword, smithed up to 104/106 damage. Now, when I approach a Foresworm camp, most of them run from me and cower in the corner as soon as get within striking distance, even if I haven't taken a swing. I don't even think the poison effect from my mail armor as touched them.

it's funny.

 

[shortylickens]

I'm at level 60 and I'm very tired of playing. Maxed Destruction, one-hand, light armor, enchanting, and smithing. I made some serious equipment and I can cast pretty much all spells for free just by swapping out my rings and amulets.

 

[Locut0s]

I'm at level 60 and I'm very tired of playing. Maxed Destruction, one-hand, light armor, enchanting, and smithing. I made some serious equipment and I can cast pretty much all spells for free just by swapping out my rings and amulets.

How many hours in?

 

[shortylickens]

Shit, like, maybe getting close to a hundred now. Dunno where it all went.
Have only completed the Mages college. Am still very low in the thieves guild, super low in the Companions. Next to nothing in the Brotherhood (aside from just being in it). Have only done a little work for the Storm Cloaks.
Killed about a dozen dragons.

I have been skill grinding but that really doesnt take too long if you train 5 points at each level. In fact it feels like it speeds the game up a lot. Less time practicing, more time engaging.

I'll tell you what does drag, two things: Grinding through long-ass dwemer ruins, and grinding through long-ass draugr ruins. They made those areas huge and repetitive to artificially lengthen gameplay. Do not like.

 

[Beev]

I bet this game plays totally different for non-stealthers. When I was playing on my PS3 I put in close to 200 hours and was very much not ready to stop. I love sneaking through dungeons and one shotting enemies, and I never once felt tired of being in a dungeon.

I can't wait to build my new PC at the end of this month and play this game the correct way.

 

[JackSpadesSI]

I'll tell you what does drag, two things: Grinding through long-ass dwemer ruins, and grinding through long-ass draugr ruins. They made those areas huge and repetitive to artificially lengthen gameplay. Do not like.

I completely agree. While the random dungeons aren't bad, the quest dungeons are WAY too massive. I have slightly OCD tendencies with games like this, so the larger the dungeon the more rooms in which I must check every dark corner and open every box. It gets really tiring really fast. Heck, it isn't like a bigger dungeon equals a better game - just a longer one (and at 115 hours in, this game is already plenty long!).

 

[zinfamous]

I completely agree. While the random dungeons aren't bad, the quest dungeons are WAY too massive. I have slightly OCD tendencies with games like this, so the larger the dungeon the more rooms in which I must check every dark corner and open every box. It gets really tiring really fast. Heck, it isn't like a bigger dungeon equals a better game - just a longer one (and at 115 hours in, this game is already plenty long!).

Yeah, there's already more than enough dungeons in the game. I think a good 60% of them could use some trimming.

What is both cool and obnoxious, though, are those harmless little spots that you happen upon, discover some event, then get sent (by your quest book) to investigate, only to find out that this piddly little map marker has some expansive never-ending cavern beneath it.

Spoiler

the goddamn lighthouse in the northern area near Dawnstar with that murdered family and the huge Falmer and Chaurus cave as their celler.

 

[thespyder]

Was playing last night when out of the blue I got attacked by this guy named

Spoiler

Skjor

and party. Since he charged me with no pre-amble while his archer started pelting me with arrows, I had no choice but to blast him into the next life. only he wouldn't die. Took him down to zero hit points and he went down (or so I thought) and then I took out the archer that was pelting me and was ready to track down the rest.... Suddenly he is back up and full health on the rampage again. So I cycled through this four times until I finally decided to run away.

So I did a search and found

Spoiler

he is apparently one of "The Companions" and a key character. My current character has no interest in joining the companions, so i don't see why he has to be unkillable, nor why he would blind attack me out of the blue.

I know that I didn't "Accidentally" attack him or his party as I had just recently entered the area and had not been in any combat yet.

Any ideas what happened here?

 

[Imp]

I completely agree. While the random dungeons aren't bad, the quest dungeons are WAY too massive. I have slightly OCD tendencies with games like this, so the larger the dungeon the more rooms in which I must check every dark corner and open every box. It gets really tiring really fast. Heck, it isn't like a bigger dungeon equals a better game - just a longer one (and at 115 hours in, this game is already plenty long!).

lol... Totally. I also OCD go through each and every dungeon I find - I've stopped lately to save them for later.

Anyways, I'm at about 150 hours in now. Level 79 currently, and I think I may have 1 or 2 levels left in me. Only skills NOT maxed are Sneak at 92, Light Armor at 76, One-Handed at 82, and Restoration at 92. I got the final on skills just yesterday by

Spoiler

doing that Dwemer book quest that has a 2500 value and gives you a boost to fighting/stealth/magic skills

.

There are only a few ruins left in the west portion of the map that I haven't cleared out at least once. Only major quest I have left is the last part of the main quest. Done all the guild quests. Dark Brotherhood one was definitely the most interesting.

So, it turns out that once you get past a certain point in the main quest, dragon encounters are less frequent - they appear that way at least since I can now go to Falkreath without having to fend off a dragon raping the entire town once I leave the trader's house.

Hear you on the Draugr and Dwemer ruins, by the way. Personally, I like the Draugr ones better because they are more interesting to fight, and the setting is nicer. The Dwemer ruins are shit because they're extra big/expansive, the Felmor are effing annoying, and Dwemer machines are even more so. But still, these dungeons are MILES ahead of the crap in Morrowing and Oblivion where every dungeon, except main quest ones, were carbon copies.

 

[thespyder]

Yeah, there's already more than enough dungeons in the game. I think a good 60% of them could use some trimming.

What is both cool and obnoxious, though, are those harmless little spots that you happen upon, discover some event, then get sent (by your quest book) to investigate, only to find out that this piddly little map marker has some expansive never-ending cavern beneath it.

Spoiler

the goddamn lighthouse in the northern area near Dawnstar with that murdered family and the huge Falmer and Chaurus cave as their celler.

I still find it a bit annoying the fact that every single dungeon is so linear. The number of times I have encountered a "Left or right" decision point that didn't lead to the exact same chamber on the next turn... I can't think of a single one, though I might be wrong.

Just seems that for a game that is so open sandbox, there would be a little bit of choice once you enter a dungeon. Or is that just me?

 

[JackSpadesSI]

So, it turns out that once you get past a certain point in the main quest, dragon encounters are less frequent - they appear that way at least since I can now go to Falkreath without having to fend off a dragon raping the entire town once I leave the trader's house.

Yeah, it really grinds my gears when a dragon spawns within a city. The thought of an NPC (other than a nameless guard) dying, and therefore possibly breaking a quest, give me shudders. It seems to happen a LOT at the College of Winterhold.

Usually, if I've fast-travelled to that city with the dragon I can just reload to before the fast-travel and go somewhere else and the dragon will magically be there, instead. However, sometimes it is like the game is just determined to spawn a dragon with a city.

I think once I've stockpiled enough dragon souls activate every shout in the game I'll just go ahead and complete the main quest so that they'll stop bothering me. Random dragon encounters aren't even a challenge anymore - just a nuisance!

Anyone have any idea how many dragon souls it takes to activate every shout (I know how many shouts there are, but since some of them are "free" I'm not sure how many dragon souls are actually required)?

 

[SMOGZINN]

I still find it a bit annoying the fact that every single dungeon is so linear. The number of times I have encountered a "Left or right" decision point that didn't lead to the exact same chamber on the next turn... I can't think of a single one, though I might be wrong.

Just seems that for a game that is so open sandbox, there would be a little bit of choice once you enter a dungeon. Or is that just me?

Making choices are so 2005. Modern gamers don't want to think about which direction to go or what buttons they should push. Spoon feed me! Let me win ever fight by hitting the (A) button at the right time, and if I hit the wrong button, or hit the right one at the wrong time have a pop-up that tells me, "Try Hitting (A) now!" even tough I'm using a keyboard and mouse. For variety let me hit the (A) button really fast, but don't make it really matter how fast I hit it, I don't want to tire out my button pushing finger. Mouse buttons work the same as Xbox 360 controller buttons right?

 

[Kev]

Making choices are so 2005. Modern gamers don't want to think about which direction to go or what buttons they should push. Spoon feed me! Let me win ever fight by hitting the (A) button at the right time, and if I hit the wrong button, or hit the right one at the wrong time have a pop-up that tells me, "Try Hitting (A) now!" even tough I'm using a keyboard and mouse. For variety let me hit the (A) button really fast, but don't make it really matter how fast I hit it, I don't want to tire out my button pushing finger. Mouse buttons work the same as Xbox 360 controller buttons right?

Meh, I like being guided along a path because I am OCD about not missing anything. I also don't like aimlessly wandering until I get to an obective.

 

[Markbnj]

I still find it a bit annoying the fact that every single dungeon is so linear. The number of times I have encountered a "Left or right" decision point that didn't lead to the exact same chamber on the next turn... I can't think of a single one, though I might be wrong.

Just seems that for a game that is so open sandbox, there would be a little bit of choice once you enter a dungeon. Or is that just me?

You know, I was beginning to think the same thing. Seems like most of the dungeons follow a pattern where you take one route in, possibly through to another cell, then out and back through a secret/inaccessible path to where you came in. Like a big loop.

But, this is the best RPG ever, so that must be the way to do it.

 

[zinfamous]

You know, I was beginning to think the same thing. Seems like most of the dungeons follow a pattern where you take one route in, possibly through to another cell, then out and back through a secret/inaccessible path to where you came in. Like a big loop.

But, this is the best RPG ever, so that must be the way to do it.

I actually don't mind the loop. As others have said, it helps my OCD by limiting all the backtracking and endless exploration if the game gave me too many choices in each dungeon.

Not sure if it's lame, or if I really do enjoy entering a dungeon and discovering the rock wall or barred door near the entrance that will be exit from the final chamber. it's nice, though, when you need to return to complete quests received after randomly exploring these places. You don't have to run all the way through the dungeon again.

 

[thespyder]

You know, I was beginning to think the same thing. Seems like most of the dungeons follow a pattern where you take one route in, possibly through to another cell, then out and back through a secret/inaccessible path to where you came in. Like a big loop.

But, this is the best RPG ever, so that must be the way to do it.

I wouldn't say "Best RPG ever" because I like BG: Series and Fallout (1-3) and NWN (1-2) among others. But I do have to say it is definitely in my top 5 (and probably closer to the high end than the low).

I look forward to the day when we can have some more depth to the same type of game and we look back and say "Skyrim?? yeah, but the NPCs were flat and the dungeons were way too linear".