The OFFICIAL Anandtech Forums TeS V: Skyrim Thread

[mple]

I've discovered that it's pretty easy to overpower yourself with Alchemy and Enchanting, without exploits.

I don't even think you need alchemy. Enchanting and Smithing alone can make the game a breeze on the hardest setting. Skyrim really should be experienced with limitations set in place.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Alchemy is the single easiest way to make money. You find ingredients absolutely everywhere, and if you sit down and spend a few minutes putting together potions, you can end up with 100,000+ gold worth of potions in no time. It's a little bit ridiculous, honestly. Enchanting / smithing is great for creating superior gear for yourself, but it doesn't hold a candle to alchemy for an endless revenue stream. Granted, you'll spend the equivalent of 25 years fast-traveling around between merchants to sell everything off, but still.

 

[Face2Face]

I went back to the Soul Cairn to fight the reaper last night. He looks pretty awesome. He has quite a bit of health, he just doesn't seem to hit very hard. Not sure why Bethesda will make a high level Ice mage tougher than a Boss? Anyway here are some pics.

Oh yeah, I got tired of the ENB so I removed it. I like the Vanilla lighting better now.

 

[dennilfloss]

Something beautiful just happened.

My pet dragon tossed a named dragon, Vulthuryol in Blackreach. I had to exit the game, start FRAPs and reload that sequence 4 times for the finishing move to re-appear but I got it recorded in the end. Unfortunately, my video converter changes the vertical resolution from 1200 to 1080 but I don't think it shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GezlrE9Hjs

 

[Madia]

Some more details about Dragonborn and additional screenshots were released over at IGN today. (Sorry, it won't let me link)

It's confirmed that you're returning to the continent of Morrowind. I'm excited to see a change in location and have high hopes for this DLC. I just wish they'd release it on the pc at the same time as the xbox 360.

 

[Face2Face]

Something beautiful just happened.

My pet dragon tossed a named dragon, Vulthuryol in Blackreach. I had to exit the game, start FRAPs and reload that sequence 4 times for the finishing move to re-appear but I got it recorded in the end. Unfortunately, my video converter changes the vertical resolution from 1200 to 1080 but I don't think it shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GezlrE9Hjs

Badass! I love blackreach too!!

 

[Bateluer]

Does anyone have a working fix for Skryim's CTDs? I can't continue the game's main quest because it crashes every time I attempt to speak to the Greybeards for the first time. And I can't roll a new character because the game crashes during the intro when the dragon first appears.

Doesn't matter whether I have any mods installed or not, same crap. Every single time.

i5 SnB, 8GB DDR3, Radeon 6950 2GB, Cat 12.10s.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Does anyone have a working fix for Skryim's CTDs? I can't continue the game's main quest because it crashes every time I attempt to speak to the Greybeards for the first time. And I can't roll a new character because the game crashes during the intro when the dragon first appears.

Doesn't matter whether I have any mods installed or not, same crap. Every single time.

i5 SnB, 8GB DDR3, Radeon 6950 2GB, Cat 12.10s.

Have you tried reinstalling the game? Could be some leftover file from a mod that is causing the issue. Maybe verify the game cache with Steam and see if the CTDs keep happening. If so, backup your savegames and completely uninstall/delete everything, then redownload it and run it without mods to verify that the main game files work.

 

[Markbnj]

Badass! I love blackreach too!!

Yeah, Blackreach is awesome. When I first stumbled down there I was amazed. Never did explore all of it.

 

[AlexAL]

Silly Q, but I have to ask. What is better, Skyrim, Kingdom of Alamur, or Two Worlds 2? I just got Two Worlds 2, and I feel the first two games might also get some good sales soon. Love these kinds of games.

 

[Bateluer]

Have you tried reinstalling the game? Could be some leftover file from a mod that is causing the issue. Maybe verify the game cache with Steam and see if the CTDs keep happening. If so, backup your savegames and completely uninstall/delete everything, then redownload it and run it without mods to verify that the main game files work.

Did a full uninstall and reinstall, but it kept all the plugins. Game looks like ass without the texture mods though.

 

[crunkzilla]

Has anyone experienced this bug? My character on screen looks like he is crouching all the time. I can no longer sprint or sneak around. I tried remapping the crouch key toggle on both xbox 360 controller and keyboard but still wont come out of crouch.

 

[pashbe1]

Heres a question for the seriouse RPG minded Skyrim aficionados. I'm on my second toon since the first one got permanently bugged, and have about 100 hours on each one with both being about level 35. The only part of the central story that I have done is talk to the Graybeards, and I haven't joined either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials.

Here is my dilema. I don't want to choose sides in a civil war. I am the Dragonborn, my purpose is above this fratracide. While I see the why each side feels the way it does, as a Nord, I am not going to help one brother kill another. How much of the game am I losing by not picking a side? If I have to choose, make a case for which side?

Yeah, its just a game, but it is more fun with an emotional commitment. It's the old school pnp gamer in me that refuses to die.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Heres a question for the seriouse RPG minded Skyrim aficionados. I'm on my second toon since the first one got permanently bugged, and have about 100 hours on each one with both being about level 35. The only part of the central story that I have done is talk to the Graybeards, and I haven't joined either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials.

Here is my dilema. I don't want to choose sides in a civil war. I am the Dragonborn, my purpose is above this fratracide. While I see the why each side feels the way it does, as a Nord, I am not going to help one brother kill another. How much of the game am I losing by not picking a side? If I have to choose, make a case for which side?

Yeah, its just a game, but it is more fun with an emotional commitment. It's the old school pnp gamer in me that refuses to die.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone doesn't mod it so you don't have to (kinda the reverse for joining just one great house in morrowind to joining them all)

 

[zinfamous]

Heres a question for the seriouse RPG minded Skyrim aficionados. I'm on my second toon since the first one got permanently bugged, and have about 100 hours on each one with both being about level 35. The only part of the central story that I have done is talk to the Graybeards, and I haven't joined either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials.

Here is my dilema. I don't want to choose sides in a civil war. I am the Dragonborn, my purpose is above this fratracide. While I see the why each side feels the way it does, as a Nord, I am not going to help one brother kill another. How much of the game am I losing by not picking a side? If I have to choose, make a case for which side?

Yeah, its just a game, but it is more fun with an emotional commitment. It's the old school pnp gamer in me that refuses to die.

It is really like any of the other extended side quests--generally unnecessary. However it does lead to some rather "cosmetic" changes in the game world but overall, it is sort of a null reaction as your ability to do one thing over the other (quests, unique items) doesn't change.

I only started the civil war well after I had finished the main questline. I was absurdly overpowered, so doing any of those missions was just way too easy. (Storming a castle? OK...how about I bring along my dragon friend at the front of our army--admittedly, that was quite thrilling to watch)

But for your sake, you probably will miss out on the satisfaction or shame of the results dependent the side you pick. Actually, when I first started playing, my impression of the sides changed drastically. Through much conversation and engaging in the various storylines, it became clear to me which group was best for the people of Skyrim, so I had no trouble choosing them.

 

[zinfamous]

Silly Q, but I have to ask. What is better, Skyrim, Kingdom of Alamur, or Two Worlds 2? I just got Two Worlds 2, and I feel the first two games might also get some good sales soon. Love these kinds of games.

haven't played TW 2, but Skyrim is far superior to Amalur. Amalur is fun for a while, but I eventually got burned out and never finished it--probably never will. It has some interesting mechanics to the class building system and combat that is fun--at first. The combat does get stale and repetitive, though. The voice acting is actually pretty good in Amalur, but the game is just too cartoonish and "zony" for my tastes now.

To me, nothing can really compare to TES games for immersion and outright satisfaction. I used to hate them because I felt too bogged down and distracted by all the quests, but then realized that is the point. I don't have to do everything, and I really shouldn't. But if I want to get distracted and make my own way in the world, then I very well can do that, and I generally lose nothing for it.

 

[Martimus]

I know what you mean by being bogged down. I have 150+ hours in, and I have never been to Dawnstar, Falkreath, or Morthal, and I just went to Riften for the first time.

 

[Madia]

haven't played TW 2, but Skyrim is far superior to Amalur. Amalur is fun for a while, but I eventually got burned out and never finished it--probably never will. It has some interesting mechanics to the class building system and combat that is fun--at first. The combat does get stale and repetitive, though. The voice acting is actually pretty good in Amalur, but the game is just too cartoonish and "zony" for my tastes now.

I agree. I bought Alamur on sale a while back and put in maybe 20 hours or so but it just didn't hold my interest. It's a decent game but after a while I just rather play something else. It's biggest plus is the combat which is fun but I never got into the story. It's probably worth a try if you see it for something like $5 or $7.50 but don't be surpised if it doesn't hold your interest until the end.

Skyrim is a great game, well worth the full retail price. I'd highly recommend picking it up especially with the upcoming holiday sales.

Also I have to mention the Witcher 2. If you haven't checked it out yet I highly recommend it. It's one of the best rpg's ever but it's also a very adult title and really earns it's mature rating. It's very difficult at first but gets easier later in the game. About 2/5 through the game you make a choice between two very different paths so there's also a good amount of replay. The first Witcher is a polarizing game with people either loving or hating it. You can skip it without missing out on anything.

 

[pashbe1]

It is really like any of the other extended side quests--generally unnecessary. However it does lead to some rather "cosmetic" changes in the game world but overall, it is sort of a null reaction as your ability to do one thing over the other (quests, unique items) doesn't change.

I only started the civil war well after I had finished the main questline. I was absurdly overpowered, so doing any of those missions was just way too easy. (Storming a castle? OK...how about I bring along my dragon friend at the front of our army--admittedly, that was quite thrilling to watch)

But for your sake, you probably will miss out on the satisfaction or shame of the results dependent the side you pick. Actually, when I first started playing, my impression of the sides changed drastically. Through much conversation and engaging in the various storylines, it became clear to me which group was best for the people of Skyrim, so I had no trouble choosing them.

And they is the Thalmor. But what you say about a side becoming apparent from the interactions makes sense. So far I have only heard tales of woe from both sides. I will follow this path and wait for the right choice to become apparent. Thx!

 

[zinfamous]

And they is the Thalmor. But what you say about a side becoming apparent from the interactions makes sense. So far I have only heard tales of woe from both sides. I will follow this path and wait for the right choice to become apparent. Thx!

Oh yes--I would murder any and every Thalmor that walked near me, and I wouldn't be shy of nearby NPC's knowing about it, much less care how they reacted.

And that is how I chose:

Spoiler

what's his name--the excellently voiced Jarl up in, what's it called..the Nord purist, anyway. the one that is captured at the very beginning of the game. your fellow prisoner. that guy. He's a total patsy of the Thalmor. The only way to truly rid Skyrim of the Thalmor is to ally with the Empire, the way I see it. That, and all he wants to do is consolidate power to himself, not for the people of Skyrim.

 

[Face2Face]

Oh yes--I would murder any and every Thalmor that walked near me, and I wouldn't be shy of nearby NPC's knowing about it, much less care how they reacted.

And that is how I chose:

Spoiler

what's his name--the excellently voiced Jarl up in, what's it called..the Nord purist, anyway. the one that is captured at the very beginning of the game. your fellow prisoner. that guy. He's a total patsy of the Thalmor. The only way to truly rid Skyrim of the Thalmor is to ally with the Empire, the way I see it. That, and all he wants to do is consolidate power to himself, not for the people of Skyrim.

You should travel to the Thalmor Embassy. Turn up the difficulty to Master and raid the Embassy. You might, just might get your butt kicked..?

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki...on.bmp/468px-Thalmor_embassy_location.bmp.png

 

[lkailburn]

Uh oh. I'm getting weird graphical glitches in the night sky. Like parts of the sky will just flash a random solid color. Just blips. Rebooted the compuer no change.

Haven't made any changes to skyrim in some time.

Played a few minutes of another game and didn't notice any graphics issues so might be something within skyrim gone funky

 

[NoSoup4You]

I have over 115 hours in Skyrim and the only cities I've been to are Whiterun, Windhelm, and Markarth. I'm not very far into the main storyline, though I did get far enough to learn all three parts of the Fus-ro-dah I stopped almost immediately after that.

That's just my preference, I was the same way in Oblivion...etc. The problem is, despite how much I like Skyrim, it's a game that simply didn't hold my interest nearly as much as Oblivion and I think it boils down to the complete lack of difficulty. You might say, well there are mods for that and I did download some of them, but I never found one I felt was acceptable. There was a good dragon balance mod though, I did use that. It made dragons devastating, capable of wiping out 20-30 guards...etc. But not overwhelmingly so. It also gave them much stronger resistances to magic...etc. Great stuff.

But the game in general... it was such a cakewalk that I grew bored. Immersion can only take you so far when there's no challenge. Maybe it was my playstyle, a mace + shield, heavy armor warrior... I just crushed everything in my path after maybe level 15 onward.

Maybe there's an OOO for Skyrim or some type of equivalent. I haven't checked... but I know I could totally get back into it if there was. Some balance mod universally accepted as awesome...etc.

 

[Face2Face]

Uh oh. I'm getting weird graphical glitches in the night sky. Like parts of the sky will just flash a random solid color. Just blips. Rebooted the compuer no change.

Haven't made any changes to skyrim in some time.

Played a few minutes of another game and didn't notice any graphics issues so might be something within skyrim gone funky

Mine does it too. It's not a huge deal - Remember it buggy Skyrim.

 

[Face2Face]

I have over 115 hours in Skyrim and the only cities I've been to are Whiterun, Windhelm, and Markarth. I'm not very far into the main storyline, though I did get far enough to learn all three parts of the Fus-ro-dah I stopped almost immediately after that.

That's just my preference, I was the same way in Oblivion...etc. The problem is, despite how much I like Skyrim, it's a game that simply didn't hold my interest nearly as much as Oblivion and I think it boils down to the complete lack of difficulty. You might say, well there are mods for that and I did download some of them, but I never found one I felt was acceptable. There was a good dragon balance mod though, I did use that. It made dragons devastating, capable of wiping out 20-30 guards...etc. But not overwhelmingly so. It also gave them much stronger resistances to magic...etc. Great stuff.

But the game in general... it was such a cakewalk that I grew bored. Immersion can only take you so far when there's no challenge. Maybe it was my playstyle, a mace + shield, heavy armor warrior... I just crushed everything in my path after maybe level 15 onward.

Maybe there's an OOO for Skyrim or some type of equivalent. I haven't checked... but I know I could totally get back into it if there was. Some balance mod universally accepted as awesome...etc.

What difficulty level? I had to bump it up to Expert when I hit level 30- thinking about going to Master now on lvl 62..