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Convince me to play Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
elocke
Member UncommonPosts: 4,335
Please don't flame me. I must be one of a very small percentage of people who just doesn't "get" the hype or excitement over the Elder Scrolls games. I've played the beginning of Morrowind and the beginning of Oblivion and it just felt boring to me. Now, before you all get in a huff, I'm just asking politely for different perspectives on this. I WANT to like the games because I am a huge RPG fan. I grew up playing Zelda, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Forgotten Realms games on PC, Bards Tale on PC, early Ultima games, Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale(my favs) and so on. These newest RPGs, for the life of me, if they aren't MMORPGs I have a really tough time getting into them.
So if anyone has ANY advice or ways to change my perspective, or how to approach the games, please share. Thanks.
Comments
1. The Elder Scrolls-games offer you a huge open world, unlike the linear one that can be found in most RPGs.
2. The Elder Scrolls-games offer you a somewhat dynamic world where NPC's walk around and do other activities on a daily basis.
3. The Elder Scrolls-games do not require you to follow the main quest in order to advance from location to location, thus giving you far more roleplaying options.
4. The Elder Scrolls-games have completely abandoned the turn-based combat of most RPGs and make use of faster-paced
real-time combat.
5. Roleplaying: want to play a thief? You can pick the lock of almost every house in game and sell the items found inside, in addition, there was a Thieves' Guild in both Oblivion and Morrowind. Other criminal activities include killing people for what every reason you like, followed by guards arresting you and sending you to prison. Since Oblivion all NPCs use voice-acting instead of walls of text.
From the list of games you've played I don't think any of them have the freedom of the Elder Scrolls series. I could be wrong since I can't recall all those names.
The magic in the series has to do with the freedom to do what you want when you want. While most epic RPG games like the FF series force you down a certain path the ES series does not. If you play the game expecting to be told what to do when then of course you won't enjoy the experience. You need to be willing to explore in ES games, just as much as you need to be able to make your own goals.
For me my love of the series has to do with the epic storylines... the freedom to do whatever I want and be whoever I want. I suppose I also find enjoyment in the landscapes they create.
So if I were to advise anything it would be to go back and play the games without thinking about what you need to do next. Just play and go wherever you want and if by chance you decide you want to focus down some quests you can easily do just that. Elder Scroll games are the closest thing there is to a living / breathing world in the RPG realm of gaming. Most MMO don't even match the scope of the ES games.
Full Sail University - Game Design
Taste. I like the action and the way i can do when i can do the way i want to do in Elder Scrolls.
now: GW2 (11 80s).
Dark Souls 2.
future: Mount&Blade 2 BannerLord.
"Bro, do your even fractal?"
Recommends: Guild Wars 2, Dark Souls, Mount&Blade: Warband, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
I too have struggled with "if they aren't MMORPGs I have a really tough time getting into them." However the Elder scrolls games are the exception to that rule. Since i picked up everquest in 99 pretty much any single player game has felt dead to me. But the elder scrolls games are different due to the massive immersion one feels while playing. I can see if you just played the first 5 hours or so of the game how it could be somwhat boring. Once you see your character start to progress and NPCs react differently to you the world really feels alive even without other players in it. Go into the game realizing thats its not and mmo and that you are the ONLY real hero in this game where as in an mmo everyone is the "hero." For me they are a nice break from the mmo crowd when they start to get on your nerves. Try picking up oblivion again and play till you get into an oblivion gate if that doesnt fullfill you then the games are not for you
C
Just be content with the fact it's just not your cup of tea and go on. I've tried Mass Effect 1 twice and Mass Effect 2 and hated them, and they're universally praised. Morrowind seems to be liked by everyone, but I never could get into it, but I love Oblivion.
diff'rent strokes...
I have a lot more respect for people who like bethesda games than those who don't. I think it shows a baseline level of intelligence and sophistication.
As it's a single player game, I don't see any reason whatsoever to try to convince anyone to play it. It wouldn't help my experience in the least. I could be the only one who plays it and be just as happy.
Even though MMORPGs are far more complex than singleplayer RPGs, the quality of their features are below those of singleplayer RPGs. We're talking about combat, questing, graphics, lore and roleplay (and for me immersion, I hate the fact that I can see XxX Narutopower XxX dancing in front of me with nothing but his underwear).
Edit: The PC-versions of all of our latest Elder Scrolls-games are easily moddable and often come with a rather easy-to-use modding kit.
I got nothing. I figure the Bethesda games aint for you if you have to make a post like this. With that polite awnser being said..can I flame you now please....pretty please
No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
From the single player RPGs you listed as the games you like I would have to say that you probably wouldn't like Skyrim or any TES game. This is because you seem to gravitate toward a more structured linear type of RPG. I think the reason you found the previous games 'boring' is because once you get through the tutorial you are just sort of thrust into the world and left up to your own decisions as to what to do next. You seem to like games where there is a clear set path laid before you to the end where as in a TES game this path can be very undefined at times. I don't think anyone here is going to convince you to like the Elder Scrolls games as they just aren't something you enjoy to begin with.
Bren
while(horse==dead)
{
beat();
}
Those RPG games you (and I as well) grew up on are loooooong gone. If you only played the beginning of Morrowind and/or the beginning of Oblivion then you didn't even begin to experience the expansiveness of the world and the gameplay. The beginnings of those games are weak compared to the rest of the gameplay experience. The Elder Scrolls games have all the RPG-ness of those old games plus better visuals, greater immersion and more epic-ocity.
Skyrim is going to up tha ante for the Elder Scrolls games it looks like, by improving the visuals, character animation, action as well as totally changing the interface/HUD so it is no longer the clunky, awkward interface of the previous games.
Well, the best way for me to get someone into the Oblivion/Fallout/Skyrim RPG immersion factor is by saying;
It's not an MMO. Period.
No linear advancement
Noone spamming 'LFT' or 'Need PL, please'
No Chuck Norris jokes
No Ignore list to continually update
No grind
No RMT's
No guild 'cliques'
Play when you want, however you want to
AFK all you want, without being nagged at
And, of course, be the ONLY hero around
In my case, MMO's are secondary to my gaming needs, since a good, solitary RPG beats any MMO. I don't need others to have fun playing games.
Watch the e3 skyrim gameplay on g4tv and make your own assumptions based on it.
Fair enough, BUT, I truly think "enjoyment" lies in perception and mindset. So how do I change my mindset when I fire up Oblivion in order to not be put off by being thrust into the world and no true set patch given to me. I mean, I enjoyed SWG at launch immensely and their wasn't a ton of direction in that game, so I CAN adapt to the game if it pulls me in enough or if my mindset is in the right spot. My other favorite MMO where it's a bit open ended on how to go about things is FFXI. I loved metagaming in that, researching all the things I could do and then getting into the game and having a blast persuing very hard goals that the game hardly hand holds you through, if at all.
I'm loving the answers in this thread, by the way. Thanks all for being polite and understanding, even those who were walk the line between flaming and not, hehe.
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-elder-scrolls/714852#comments_top This video say's it all. Skyrim will be the best rpg of the year or years to come.
I loved oblivion, But skyrim seems so much better
You can dual wield swords( FINALLY)
The constallation thing where you upgrade thing was awesome
You can trigger two magicks in both hands and combine them
Dragons are dynamic
Looks flipping Amazing
Dragonborn skills look sexy
The world actually looks alive, instead of 4 npcs walking around( The imperial city)
Maps are huge
Weather dynamically changes
Probably a whole lot more, But thats basically what i picked up from the 13 minutes of gamplay trailer
From the list of games you posted it sounds like you prefer the older games, those with turn-based strategy rather than faster-paced combat and huge open worlds. I actually am a fan of JRPGs but I enjoyed Oblivion as well. Part of the fun was the exploration; finding a new cave and seeing whats inside it, knowing there were literally hundreds of additional things you could do that had nothing to do with the main storyline. I've actually never beaten Oblivion, I kept getting sidetracked.
Anyway, it really may not be your kind of game, that's all. There's nothing more to it to explain. Even if every other gamer in the world wants it, that doesn't make you wrong or the oddball because you don't. Chances are if you didn't like the other games you won't like Skyrim, so you may as well take it off your radar and look to other games. Dungeon Siege 3 you may enjoy more, and I think I heard of a Bard's Tale sequel in the works.
"Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."
Open world
Create your own story
The "epicness" feel, so far only found in Bethesda games
Oblivion but better
Dragons done right for the first time in the history of video games
just a few
I forgot to add dual wielding weapons enters the Elder Scrolls series for the first time, something long awaited by me personally.
Well I don't think I'm qualified to tell you how to 'enjoy' a game as that is very subjective to the individual. I can however give a piece of advise that may or may not be benificial. Since the structure in an Elder Scrolls game has to be discovered by the player I would suggest sticking to the many quest lines the games have to offer. Do them one at a time as each quest series has it's own story to tell. Depending on what type of character you choose find the apropriate guild and do the associated quests. This will give you some set goals and you may find some other interesting side quests along the way.
The truly great thing about the Elder Scrolls series is they truly are whatever you want them to be. They can be as structured or as unstructured as you make them depending on how you decide to play. The best way to explain the type of game they are is many themeparks within a sandbox framework. This is what makes them the the greatest games ever for some and the worst games for others. While some embrace the freedom to play how you choose some can't get over the lack of direction or structure. Like all games The Elder Scrolls isn't for every player or every playstyle.
To enjoy them you have to find that playstyle that 'clicks' with you. No one can find that for you.
Bren
while(horse==dead)
{
beat();
}
Over 150 dungeons and you get to kill dragons!
I think that the elder scrolls games are most fun when you decide to screw the story, and screw the main quests in the game, and just decide what cities you can pillage. I have enjoyed setting up silly scenarios, such as killing EVERYONE in an important town by getting them to attack me (thus avoiding becoming a criminal), or just flying over towns and raining fire on everyone.
Its not that the story is bad, but you can really go crazy with the elder scrolls games games.
I went a year and a half in morrowind before REALIZING that there was a main quest line.
I used to TL;DR, but then I took a bullet point to the footnote.
probably only available by way of DLC the day after release - it is bethesda after all
won't purchase until after the GOTY comes out and the mods are available that can strip out all the compromises made for the xbox kiddies
I would simply stick to the main quest line for 10 hrs in Oblivion and see if your mood towards Elder Scrolls changes...if it doesn't then skip Skyrim and head to Mass Effect 3.
I dont understand your post? Its companies like Bioware that offer the DLCs with things that should already be in the game. (Remember the DLC released on launch day for Dragons Age?). If they are saying its in the game then it is in the game. I've not played a Bethesda game where they stripped features and stuck them in a DLC. Anything that was added to Oblivion was done Post launch and wasnt a bunch of stuff they had stashed in the server banks. Also, I never saw anything stripped from oblivion or Fallout for the "xbox kiddies" so if you could elaborate.
I would like to say that your "xbox kiddies" isnt always accurate. Maybe in COD it is though. But I know many of my friends who own an xbox simply because they can not afford a shiny pc as they are paying for college and normal student stuff. I wont deny there are a lot of kids on xbox live, but I dont run into them very often in games other than Halo and Cod.
horse armor only a $1.99 - woohoo
doors (well, at least one door) that won't open in main game without DLC.................
Player made mods. Mods are the reason i still get lost in Oblivion for hours. After seeing how Skyrim is coming along, just thinking about how far modders will push the game kind of blows my mind.
i enjoy playing games that do not force me in a certin direction, and i HATE maps that tunnel me around a landscape that should be massive. TES games offer a large, explorable map (and the map interface on skyrim is vastly improved into a 3d map, just a cool detail i decided to mention)
other than the intro, you can totally cut yourself off from the main quest. i usually make an assassin/theif 1st thing and hustle moreso than be the hero on my first toon. (i say 'usually' because i have had the game since it came out, over 3 different rigs, the 1st two of which could not play game on max settings. i never actually BEAT the main story until maybe a year and a half ago because i always had a lot of fun playing the game my own way)
honestly, this is pointless, because my personal reason to want Skyrim so badly is because of how much i love Oblivion, and Skyrim looks like it offers everything great about TES4 and more. if you did not like Oblivion, i don't see why this game would have a different effect. UNLESS, timing has something to do with it.
if only mmo's get your attention these days, then why are you 'trying' to find reasons to like Skyrim? You 'thought' you would love Rift, but tired of it very quickly. i admit, Rift hit a roadblock with me due to the dull endgame zones, and the lack of drive to roll alts. since i am an alt-whore, that factor really pushed me away. if Rift had a few more races, housing, alternate beginning zones, and an altogether seperate Defiant option than just being a time-traveling clone, it would have kept me longer. but i'm geting sidetracked. i brought that up, because you say that only MMO's draw you in, yet this draw does not seem to last for you as long as it used to. for whatever reason this is, maybe it has caused you to want something new. maybe, Skyrim can deliver this. as i said above, timing could have everything to do with it. (there is much conjecture in this paragraph, but i am trying to relate with how you feel, not berrate, all the while of course, trying to sell you Skyrim)
as one person said, it is not an online game, so why should i care if you play it or not. this makes much sense, but i also feel that anyone who is compelled by the magic of a fantasy world should try out this game. i don't have a RP experience in a MMO that has come anywhere close to how immersed i get into the minds and lives of the characters i make in Oblivion.
best advice i have is try out Oblivion again, and play depending on what playstlye you like (hero-power seeking mage-assassin-theif are my main archetypes for TES4 but you can even be a vampire if you want, among many other roles). visit sites like 'planet elder scrolls' and 'tesnexus' and find what mods you feel will enhance the game to your liking. if you do this with an open mind, and still have no desire to play, than unfortunately, TES5 might not be for you either. but who knows? only you can decide in the end, not random people on a website
sorry for rambling on for so long.