The OFFICIAL Anandtech Forums TeS V: Skyrim Thread

[Beev]

I do plenty of all three, but I lean toward the bow as well. Have always played cowardly archers in RPGs . And the bow in TES games is deadly. I love one-shotting Thalmor guards from a hillside.

I love sniping. Arcing a shot way up and later finding out that you hit the guy in the face from, like, 1/4 a mile away is a great feeling.

 

[Markbnj]

I love sniping. Arcing a shot way up and later finding out that you hit the guy in the face from, like, 1/4 a mile away is a great feeling.

I'm getting better at shooting dragons that circle but refuse to see me and attack (I once fus ro da'd right at one as he swept overhead, and he was like "Dragonborn? Yawn."). You really have to lead em.

 

[s1njin]

So I have my archer at level 11. Took down my first giant and mammoth yesterday. Kiting them wasn't working because I'd run out of stamina - so I led them to a hold where I could shoot them down from the hold's walls or from within the hold's doorway. It was nice to have to use the environment to my advantage.

Had to venture into Broken Fang cave (or whatever that is). I couldn't take the lead vamp down no matter what I tried. He'd close the gap so fast on my archer and than pummel me. I tried potions. scrolls, etc. Just couldn't go toe to toe w/ him until I dropped the difficulty from adept down to fuzzy bunny. My guide book says thats a level 6 dungeon; maybe for a heavy army class but not for leather.

???

 

[JackSpadesSI]

What factors contribute to an increase in save file size? I think my save file size (~12 MB) is what's causing my game to freeze up with increased frequency.

 

[Markbnj]

What factors contribute to an increase in save file size? I think my save file size (~12 MB) is what's causing my game to freeze up with increased frequency.

The way the TES games work, the save files represent the delta in state between the master ESM and everything you've changed since you started playing. So the longer you play, and the more stuff you change in the game world, the larger the save files will be.

 

[terry107]

So I have my archer at level 11. Took down my first giant and mammoth yesterday. Kiting them wasn't working because I'd run out of stamina - so I led them to a hold where I could shoot them down from the hold's walls or from within the hold's doorway. It was nice to have to use the environment to my advantage.

Had to venture into Broken Fang cave (or whatever that is). I couldn't take the lead vamp down no matter what I tried. He'd close the gap so fast on my archer and than pummel me. I tried potions. scrolls, etc. Just couldn't go toe to toe w/ him until I dropped the difficulty from adept down to fuzzy bunny. My guide book says thats a level 6 dungeon; maybe for a heavy army class but not for leather.

???

Did you have a companion with you? Lydia has been a great meat shield for my stealthy archer.

 

[s1njin]

Did you have a companion with you? Lydia has been a great meat shield for my stealthy archer.

No, I haven't figured out where to actually pick a companion up. I was in that cave as part of my first 'errand' of the companion line of quests. It looks like I now have a follower for the 2nd part of that quest.

I must be missing something.

 

[zinfamous]

No, I haven't figured out where to actually pick a companion up. I was in that cave as part of my first 'errand' of the companion line of quests. It looks like I now have a follower for the 2nd part of that quest.

I must be missing something.

there are usually a couple of people in each hold that can be companions--complete a simple quest or just spar with them when they challenge you. Those are probably the quickest--once you beat them to the ground, they will offer to follow you. that lady in the Whiterun tavern is one of the earliest that you can take--you can also hire mercenaries, like that dude in the archer's shop at the Whiterun main entrance. Actually, I think the first follower is in Riverrun--whatever that town is called. Just choose either the bard or the archer dude in that questline, and one of them will follow you afterward.

House carls (like Lydia in Whiterun) are obtained once you become thane and purchase a house. I'm pretty sure you don't need to purchase the house, though--at least in Whiterun.

that follower that you now have is one of the companions, and is part of that quest--you're attacking silverhand, probably? Whenever Companions show up to be follower, they will override whatever follower you may currently have (that first follower will simply return to wherever you picked them up). Once you finish the Companions quest line, you can ask most of the main story companions to follow you.

 

[thespyder]

there are usually a couple of people in each hold that can be companions--complete a simple quest or just spar with them when they challenge you. Those are probably the quickest--once you beat them to the ground, they will offer to follow you. that lady in the Whiterun tavern is one of the earliest that you can take--you can also hire mercenaries, like that dude in the archer's shop at the Whiterun main entrance. Actually, I think the first follower is in Riverrun--whatever that town is called. Just choose either the bard or the archer dude in that questline, and one of them will follow you afterward.

House carls (like Lydia in Whiterun) are obtained once you become thane and purchase a house. I'm pretty sure you don't need to purchase the house, though--at least in Whiterun.

that follower that you now have is one of the companions, and is part of that quest--you're attacking silverhand, probably? Whenever Companions show up to be follower, they will override whatever follower you may currently have (that first follower will simply return to wherever you picked them up). Once you finish the Companions quest line, you can ask most of the main story companions to follow you.

So do you find the companions to really be of any benefit? I haven't actually taken any with me even though several have offered, mainly because they don't seem of much use. I have actually had a couple of quest related followers (you have to complete the quest and keep them safe) where they either go running off and get themselves killed or they get "stuck" in previous rooms, or they block passages and leave me boxed in. Even when I summon/raise a summonable, the amount of actual help they provide is minimal at best.

Am I missing something? is the AI better on the actual companions over the summonables or the tag-along (bodyguard quest)?

 

[JackSpadesSI]

The way the TES games work, the save files represent the delta in state between the master ESM and everything you've changed since you started playing. So the longer you play, and the more stuff you change in the game world, the larger the save files will be.

Is there any way to decrease the save file size? I keep a lot of stuff in the containers in my house (I never bother to sell anything). Would selling a lot of that stuff reduce the save file size? Any other options?

Failing that, is the 1.4 patch supposed to address the save file size/ freezing issue?

 

[shortylickens]

I have maybe 3 or 4 of the masks. Does something special happen if I get all of them?

 

[shortylickens]

Is there any way to decrease the save file size? I keep a lot of stuff in the containers in my house (I never bother to sell anything). Would selling a lot of that stuff reduce the save file size? Any other options?

Failing that, is the 1.4 patch supposed to address the save file size/ freezing issue?

Selling junk would not immediately decrease your file size, cuz its still registered in the shop keepers inventory. You'd need to wait until their loot refreshes.

ALSO: The core data of the game says what junk is in what containers, scattered all over the world. Your save game also states what containers have been emptied. That too requires data. So no, for the most part as you interact with the world and take some things and make other things disappear, your saves simply keep getting bigger. Yet another reason I wish they had fewer containers with more stuff in them. Ditto any dudes you've killed.
Almost all RPG's have that problem, KOTOR and BG were especially bad.
Even ones that dont let you go back to earlier areas, like Deus Ex, keep getting larger.
Diablo 1 was the same. As you cleared levels of loot and monsters they had to set data saying certain things were cleared.
Diablo 2 solved this by simply respawning everything randomly every time you loaded up your game. But somehow the saves still got slightly larger over time. I guess saying the quests were completed, but those should only be one-byte flags, nothing more. They werent multi-stepped, multi-layered flags like in more complex games.

 

[Markbnj]

Is there any way to decrease the save file size? I keep a lot of stuff in the containers in my house (I never bother to sell anything). Would selling a lot of that stuff reduce the save file size? Any other options?

Failing that, is the 1.4 patch supposed to address the save file size/ freezing issue?

No, I don't think there is any practical way to reduce the save file size, and I would be surprised if your issue was actually due to the save file size. My saves are almost 11 megs, and I haven't seen any issues.

 

[Skott]

The archer guy (Name starts with a F) in Riverrun is the first useful companion you can get. I never have tried to get the bard. Once you get to Whiterun and do the first dragon quest the Jarl will name you Thane Of Whiterun. Then you can get Lydia. You don't need to buy a house. Just need to become thane. You can also get some other companions there as well. I always drop the archer guy and pick up Lydia. She's pretty useful compared to him.

 

[s1njin]

The archer guy (Name starts with a F) in Riverrun is the first useful companion you can get. I never have tried to get the bard. Once you get to Whiterun and do the first dragon quest the Jarl will name you Thane Of Whiterun. Then you can get Lydia. You don't need to buy a house. Just need to become thane. You can also get some other companions there as well. I always drop the archer guy and pick up Lydia. She's pretty useful compared to him.

Ah. I have the dragonstone, I just didn't complete the quest b/c I don't want to rush through this. I think that quest is part of the main quest right? Maybe I should finish it. I need me some meat shield or DPS or basically anything besides my short skirt girly archer.

 

[zinfamous]

So do you find the companions to really be of any benefit? I haven't actually taken any with me even though several have offered, mainly because they don't seem of much use. I have actually had a couple of quest related followers (you have to complete the quest and keep them safe) where they either go running off and get themselves killed or they get "stuck" in previous rooms, or they block passages and leave me boxed in. Even when I summon/raise a summonable, the amount of actual help they provide is minimal at best.

Am I missing something? is the AI better on the actual companions over the summonables or the tag-along (bodyguard quest)?

by "companions," are you referring specifically to The Companions (e.g. Aela, Vaskar, etc), or anyone that offers to follow you?

I have relied mostly on Lydia or 2 of the other House Carls, and they are pretty much the same. The AI problem I have with them is that Lydia often likes to charge ahead and aggro things that I don't want to aggro in certain situations, even if they aren't on screen, but appear a bit off the radar map. Some followers are range or caster-oriented, and won't do this...or so I've read.

As for the actual Companion followers, I don't believe you can give them any items or change their default preferences (Aela and her bow, for example), but that may be different after you complete that quest line. I haven't tried to pick any of them up since completing it.

 

[thespyder]

by "companions," are you referring specifically to The Companions (e.g. Aela, Vaskar, etc), or anyone that offers to follow you?

I have relied mostly on Lydia or 2 of the other House Carls, and they are pretty much the same. The AI problem I have with them is that Lydia often likes to charge ahead and aggro things that I don't want to aggro in certain situations, even if they aren't on screen, but appear a bit off the radar map. Some followers are range or caster-oriented, and won't do this...or so I've read.

As for the actual Companion followers, I don't believe you can give them any items or change their default preferences (Aela and her bow, for example), but that may be different after you complete that quest line. I haven't tried to pick any of them up since completing it.

By "Companions" I mean anyone that will go along with you. Not just "the Companions". Also to include summonables/undead.

And yes, that is exactly the behavior I am seeing. Either they will charge/aggro something I am not ready to attack, or they won't run away and draw the creatures to me in a manner that allows them to be killed, or they hang back/get stuck passing through narrow places, or they block me in and won't get out of my way. Or they block off my line of sight such that I can't get in a good hit on the bad guys. In short, particularly in close quarters, they are less than useless and end up being more of a hinderance in my experience.

Was wondering if others were having the same issue.

 

[Beev]

When I was playing on my PS3 I never used a companion. They were housesitters . I plan to do the same when I play it on the PC.

 

[SMOGZINN]

By "Companions" I mean anyone that will go along with you. Not just "the Companions". Also to include summonables/undead.

And yes, that is exactly the behavior I am seeing. Either they will charge/aggro something I am not ready to attack, or they won't run away and draw the creatures to me in a manner that allows them to be killed, or they hang back/get stuck passing through narrow places, or they block me in and won't get out of my way. Or they block off my line of sight such that I can't get in a good hit on the bad guys. In short, particularly in close quarters, they are less than useless and end up being more of a hinderance in my experience.

Was wondering if others were having the same issue.

They are excellent pack mules.

Overall you simply have to learn to work with the AI. I use Lydia. Lydia tends to pull a 2-handed weapon and charge in, so I have to be really careful casting big AOE spells that might hit her. So instead, I summon a atronach or zombie and stand back and wait for her to engage then move around and toss lightningbolts into the fray while she hacks away. If she goes down, I pull out my axe and sparks spell and finish them off.

Overall, if you equip them well they can be powerhouses. My Lydia has a full set of ebony armor that I enchanted along with a enchanted glass battleaxe and she often kills everyone before I'm even finished summoning my atronach.

 

[zinfamous]

By "Companions" I mean anyone that will go along with you. Not just "the Companions". Also to include summonables/undead.

And yes, that is exactly the behavior I am seeing. Either they will charge/aggro something I am not ready to attack, or they won't run away and draw the creatures to me in a manner that allows them to be killed, or they hang back/get stuck passing through narrow places, or they block me in and won't get out of my way. Or they block off my line of sight such that I can't get in a good hit on the bad guys. In short, particularly in close quarters, they are less than useless and end up being more of a hinderance in my experience.

Was wondering if others were having the same issue.

yes, these are common problems. How many times have I mashed F9 because I lopped off Lydia's head instead of that Deathlord, as she happens to step in front of my sneaking self at the last second?

sigh...

 

[Gheris]

Quick question as I never used a companion with a sneaky character. Can companions be detected while I am sneaking and kill my attempts to sneak around? It would make sense.

 

[Markbnj]

They are excellent pack mules.

Overall you simply have to learn to work with the AI. I use Lydia. Lydia tends to pull a 2-handed weapon and charge in, so I have to be really careful casting big AOE spells that might hit her. So instead, I summon a atronach or zombie and stand back and wait for her to engage then move around and toss lightningbolts into the fray while she hacks away. If she goes down, I pull out my axe and sparks spell and finish them off.

Overall, if you equip them well they can be powerhouses. My Lydia has a full set of ebony armor that I enchanted along with a enchanted glass battleaxe and she often kills everyone before I'm even finished summoning my atronach.

Yeah, I've head good luck with mine too. Although I did get Lydia killed. Currently The Bulwark is my best-equipped guy. I don't take him everywhere, but I find him useful as a pack horse, and I have him equipped with a good bow and he will jump in on ranged combat. In dungeons I know he'll charge in, so I stand back and either plink, or nuke and throw heals on him while he tanks and shouts insults.

 

[Skott]

Utegerd and Janessa seem to have less problems than Lydia when it comes to path finding and getting in my way it seems to me. Just something about Lydia though that makes me choose her over the others. Her personality I guess.

 

[IGemini]

Quick question as I never used a companion with a sneaky character. Can companions be detected while I am sneaking and kill my attempts to sneak around? It would make sense.

They can. They have their own sneak values but the pathfinding can work against them. I've heard varying results.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Quick question as I never used a companion with a sneaky character. Can companions be detected while I am sneaking and kill my attempts to sneak around? It would make sense.

Yes, Lydia in sneaking her heavy armor sounds like a walking percussion band. Clump-Clump-Clump. Maybe a muffle spell would help.
I think that different followers have different skill in sneak. If you want to be sneaky, you need to find a sneaky follower.