Skyrim: PC, 360, PS3

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 10, 2011, 6:40 pm

Metacritic has started off with a 96 rating for this game. (except on the PS3 which is 93 for obvious reasons)

52 critics and it still has a 96 on the 360. Looks promising.

90 is the lowest score on any platform. That's impressive considering some of the asshats that are reviewers.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360 ... s-v-skyrim

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 10, 2011, 9:54 pm

Stunning reviews so far, no doubt. All the gaming podcasts and websites are gushing over it. I'm officially on board the hype train.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 10, 2011, 10:30 pm

Ditto. I'll be going straight to best buy when I wake up.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 11, 2011, 1:38 am

I'm playing Skyrim on the PC.

It's early but I can say without a doubt, these are the best looking necks on avatars I've ever seen. Nice and stretchy realistic skin, especially on the lizard guy.

Edit:

I was a little disappointed in the UI of this game on the PC...that is until I saw that it worked with a 360 controller...it's soooo much better using a controller. It's pretty frustrating creating a character and maneuvering through the menus using keyboard/mouse. This game was definitely made for a controller. I suggest you buy it for 360 or PS3 if you don't have a 360/PC controller. Stuff you can manipulate in 3D with the controller is not possible with the keyboard mouse. The only thing I've seen with the mouse you can do is zoom in/out of first person with a few levels of zoom. Controller has 3rd person and 1st person.

Lets see....

VERY early into the game:

Character creation

It takes work, but you can create the face you want. Hair styles are pretty good for females at least. With mouse/keyboard, character creation is buggy. I had to keep clicking in an out of my choices if I used the mouse to move my head around. There are plenty of sliders for face, nose, mouth, chin, brow, etc etc. characters look a ton better than Oblivion.

Humans look good. Lizards, Orcs, Cat people, Elves (elves are freakish looking,both high and dark) are to your own taste. Elves look strange though.

Immersion

Excellent. In cut scenes you can move your camera around about 180 degrees and up/down. Good voice acting. So far, nice flow to the game. Even in the cut scenes the physics don't repeat exactly. I restarted the very first cut scene and while a particular character died running from archers, he fell a different way the second time so while scripted, it has some variables.

World

The world looks outstanding. I'm wondering how they got everything into less than 6GB for the PC version. I jumped in a river and the current started taking me down the river. Night is as long as daytime which is a long time. There's a way to fast forward time which I may do often as I don't want night half the time. I'm currently in a snowstorm that's making me feel very very cold. Extreme blizzard.

Edit:

I fell like 10 feet off a staircase and died in the blizzard. Seems like this game is going to be pretty harsh on falls...anyway, it restarted me from the last checkpoint and what do you know...no blizzard this time, just windy. Interesting. Seems like there are a lot of things that are randomly generated as you go. Cool.

Loot on NPCs random as well. I restarted another scene and two minor NPCs had different loot on them the second time. I hope this doesn't cause a lot of people to keep restarting sequences until they get the loot they want. It's single player so I guess it doesn't matter.

Menus, inventory etc are all nice once you get the hang of them although much easier using controller.
------

Biggest take away early is that you'll really want to play this game with a controller if you get the PC version and that it looks like it will be worthy if it's high rating.

edit:

early in the game I took some random quest and it took hours to complete. I ended up completing a couple other quests that I found out about later.

This game is epic, huge, challenging. I wanted to take a bazillion screenshots but won't post any.

Prima's Guide for Skyrim is 592 pages long.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 11, 2011, 1:35 pm

This story from the Escapist review gives a good idea of how unscripted some of your open world encounters can be:

I was creeping up to take on a group of enemy mages living beneath a shattered watchtower. As I climbed the hill leading to the tower, I noticed a passing dragon had discovered the guards posted outside and decided he wanted to eat them. He was making low passes over the scattered stones of the watchtower, and the mages were flinging fire bolts at him as fast as they could. I decided to take advantage of the situation by letting them weaken each other before creeping in and finishing them both off. Unfortunately, I moved in too soon and found myself in a three way fight between a handful of enemy wizards and one seriously pissed off dragon.

I took out the guards first, because it was honestly harder to hide from them among the tower ruins, and then turned my attention to the dragon. I fired a couple of arrows and a few spells at him before he disappeared over the top of a nearby hill. When he didn't come back right away, I went looking for him. Without giving anything away, you really need to kill dragons in this game and I didn't want to let this one get away.

On the other side of the hill, I discovered my dragon locked in a life-or-death struggle with a giant. Again, not wanting to simply let this one go, I rushed in, trying to kill the dragon and stay out of the giant's way. I managed the first, but not the second, so I soon found myself racing back to the safety of the tower as the giant pounded after me. I jumped down a set of stairs leading beneath the tower and turned to wait for the giant appear. As soon as he did, I realized the entrance at the top of the stairs was, unfortunately, just slightly larger than giant sized. In the seconds before his club came crashing down, my last thought was, "When's the last time I saved my game?"

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 11, 2011, 3:40 pm

I just bought the Prima Skyrim Guide. It's 655 pages not 596. What a monster. The world map is enormous. (number of locations, etc)

I prefer online game guides but with how wide open Skyrim is, I figured an indexed game guide would be helpful with so many items, locations, quests, etc. It will take awhile for the wiki's etc to catch up.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 11, 2011, 4:12 pm

I'll be looking for it online so I can get it on my iPad.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 11, 2011, 10:36 pm

Good video comparing quality of PC, 360 and PS3 Skyrim:

http://youtu.be/o921p4TIzH4?hd=1

Best: PC
2nd: 360
3rd: PS3

Watch in 1080P if you can

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 12, 2011, 9:40 am

This game is Oblivion with better inventory management (at least for consoles). Environments are beautiful, character models are another story. The virtual world is huge, the quests are plentiful, and the combat has been tweaked but remains largely the same. The combat tweaks is comparable to the changes from Bioshock 1 to Bioshock 2. Spell effects and lighting are great. I think you can carry more stuff too. Skyrim is a Bethesda single player MMO, just like Morrowind, Oblivion, and Fallout 3. The fine tuning is both noticable and appreciated. I just hope I don't run into any "Bethesda Bugs" this time around. Keep multiple saves!

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 12, 2011, 11:16 am

I've found a good number of bugs, some hat are irritating, but nothing that forced me to load an old save yet. However in the reviews I read they said there were several times when things got bugged and they had to reload.

There are definitely improvements, but some of the things are the same. Running around still isn't smooth, you get caught on jagged edges and shit that isn't there. I've had a lot of times where I open one of the menus and it freezes up for 10-20 seconds.

The graphics arent honestly as good as I was expecting. Not to say they're terrible, but I really just want a open world rpg on consoles that looks like the witcher 2 on the pc. The character models are pretty bad.

The combat leaves a lot to be desired for me, especially coming off of dark souls. No target lock makes melee sloppy, you still basically just throw a block in while you're slashing away at shit now, so it has little depth. I might start putting more points into magic. Not sure yet.

Overall I like it so far, but there are a lot of glaring problems and poor design decisions that they had more than enough dev time to deal with.

I just want a super good looking open world rpg with good textures, no rough edges or shitty character models, basically amazing graphics (not just for a console), with the combat system and challenge level from dark souls, and the level of detail and lore from Bethesda games. Wake me up when that happens prs.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 12, 2011, 11:45 am

Funkmasterr wrote:The graphics arent honestly as good as I was expecting. Not to say they're terrible, but I really just want a open world rpg on consoles that looks like the witcher 2 on the pc.

You're not going to get console graphics that look as good as PC. At least not with the current generation of consoles. Just not possible!

Zygar_ Cthulhukin · Post by **Zygar_ Cthulhukin** » November 12, 2011, 1:14 pm

Buy it on PC, then wait for the patches and all the upcoming mods that are sure to be available...problem solved.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 12, 2011, 1:18 pm

Buy it on console, play it, if you ever intend on playing it again, buy it for 4$ during next years Steam sale.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 12, 2011, 1:22 pm

Not only that but you can use 360 controller for the PC version.. So it would be basically the same experience only better (graphics, faster load times, autosaves, etc). Minus the Achievements.

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » November 12, 2011, 2:02 pm

Elder Scrolls games need to be played on the PC. I never understand anyone buying it for a console if they have a PC capable of running it. There's really no arguing this point, as many of the things discussed in this forum are quickly fixed by the PC modding community.

Modding for these games creates an unending stream of content, fixes, and changes that will ensure the game never goes stale. Oblivion had a mod released within two weeks of release in 2006 that cleaned up the graphics and released hi-res features for much that was lacking in the initial game's release. Morrowind was playable for years even after next-gen games had come out: people released their own expansions that were compatible with previous saves, so there were always new areas to explore and content to beat. Skyrim will have an unending flood of player-created content that means you can always have something new to do, even if you've covered every inch of the release content.

You will never have access to this on a console.

9 hours into the Skyrim release, the PC community had already released an unofficial patch that fixed many of the issues that people are experiencing with the game. I won't get to play it for a year, as my gaming rig is back in the States, but my brother has kept me informed of what's going on, and his CTDs, glitches, and freezes were 90% cured by player input and small files in the first day.

I've been watching some videos on youtube, and the gameplay looks promising. Unfortunately, a lot of people releasing videos have had to tone down their video quality in-game to allow a decent framerate while recording, so I haven't gotten to see a great video look at the game. Screenshots look pretty, and I can only wait till the hi-res release from players comes out. It seems that Bethesda kept the game a year or two behind on graphics to appeal to a larger audience, but the hi-res patch will change that.

Aslanna- I'm pretty sure there are achievements on the PC version through Steam. Can anyone confirm that? I was pretty sure I saw an unlocked achievement on a PC video I watched. I guess they don't mean as much as Gamer Points on Xbox (not that those really mean anything either) but achievements for the sake of having them should be in the PC version.

Kwonryu DragonFist · November 12, 2011, 2:20 pm

Soon able to make Glass-armour!

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 12, 2011, 2:33 pm

I don't now I don't use Steam. Besides.. Steam achievements aren't real achievements!

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » November 12, 2011, 2:55 pm

Right, because having 28,000 gamer points means you get to unlock the 'Awesome Life, GG' trophy later on. None of them mean anything, whether they're on a console or Steam.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 12, 2011, 3:06 pm

I'll choose console over PC gaming any day of the week if given a choice. By the time all of the hi rez user made content comes out for Skyrim, I'll be on to playing other games on my consoles. Besides, finding that stuff, DLing and installing it, all the hassle with drivers and other incompatibilities is just a waste of time anymore. I would rather be playing than tinkering. The trade off between having to game at my PC or from my couch or bed is easily worth it. Sitting alone at my desk is reserved for PC gaming at night, not cross platform gaming!

Besides, the PC version doesn't have achievements!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 12, 2011, 3:07 pm

Aslanna wrote:Not only that but you can use 360 controller for the PC version.. So it would be basically the same experience only better (graphics, faster load times, autosaves, etc). Minus the Achievements.

This. Use a controller on the PC version and you're set. I'd get pretty frustrated if I had to deal with the UI using a keyboard. You can still use the keyboard for quicksaves, etc.

As for graphics. My nVidia 285 is showing its age finally. Skyrim has very high possible settings that get rid of the blocky shadows, etc. My PC/285 destroys anything in consoles so I can imagine how hard it is for the skyrim developers to come anywhere close to PC graphic quality with hardware from 2006, especially with the newer video cards out.

BTW, I just found out I've been playing in 1280x720. Looked great anyway! I'm switching to 1920x1080. One thing I really appreciate in games is the ability to stretch window to the exact size you want. Aion and SWTOR have this option and it rocks. UI's automatically adjust. Windowed modes are fucked up with the majority of PC games. If you choose your monitor size for windowed mode, it makes the screen that size and then with the frame, shit is off the bottom of the screen, etc. If you choose something smaller, then you lose a ton of screen space. SWTOR/Aion, when window is dragged and resized, redraws the screen within a second or two and you're all set. I play games on my large screen TV which is directly connected as my second screen. These developers , even today, never consider that people might actually like to play games on screen #2 without having to make it the primary screen for full screen viewing (no option to choose screen #2). This isn't a fault just with Skyrim but with a lot of PC games in general.

After trying a female um... (checks guide) Redguard out for a few hours, I don't see any benefit to playing a female (ass and boobies flying around). Your head is covered within minutes of the game starting and there's probably never a reason again to not be wearing a helmet/hat of some sort for stats. I rerolled an Orc. Their racial berserk ability (60 seconds take half damage/dish out 50% more melee damage) seemed the best for a fighter type class. It's early but using a two handed weapon with my Orc, I see a lot more criticals (cut scene, finishing blow) happening. I also have no clue how to use my racial ability or if it's automatic the first 60 seconds after entering a battle stance.

This was my first attempt at making a character. Humans aren't bad. I don't have an issue character models. Some of the races aren't bad.

This is my Orc. It's just slightly modified from one of the presets.

I like that when you loot things, the things you loot are actually removed from the corpse. I wonder if those undies were white to begin with.

My Orc. Within minutes of the game starting, you're already decked out in decent looking armor and helms are such a big part of the game that hairstyles, etc aren't going to factor in much.

The blur-cam critical finishing moves are actually kinda cool.

Get used to seeing a lot of almost black and white scenes for half the game when it's night! The game atmosphere really is outstanding and, as you can see from the comparison video I posted, takes advantage of the PC's power over the aging consoles. The landscapes are so well done. Even wandering off the beaten path where some players may never go, the developers took care to make the land/world feel alive. i didn't care for Oblivion but Skyrim is shaping up to be a fun/long game.

My suggestion is if you're serious about the game, get it on PC but use a controller.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 12, 2011, 3:20 pm

Kaldaur wrote:Right, because having 28,000 gamer points means you get to unlock the 'Awesome Life, GG' trophy later on. None of them mean anything, whether they're on a console or Steam.

No need to take it personally.

I don't really use my 360 so achievements don't mean anything to me. Besides, Trophies are where it's at!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 12, 2011, 3:21 pm

I don't mean this to be condescending, but do you ever have friends over to your home? I have friends at my house, like 3-4 days a week. We play games a lot, and not always co op. I will play and they will sit and shoot the shit the entire time. When I die, they get the next turn. We look up info on the net about whatever game we're playing. We're all gamers. Sitting at a PC is very anti social. I only play games there when I am alone. This includes after the family has gone to bed.

Even if I had a free copy of Skyrim on PC I would still be playing it on one my Xboxes because that way I can still interact with people all day.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 12, 2011, 4:11 pm

There are plenty of "social games". Skyrim is a single player game. If you don't have time for it, that's fine but with so many other multiplayer games out there, I play it on a PC. You should also look into hooking your PC up to your main TV as well. I've been doing everything (entertainment) on my PC using my large LCD TV for years now. The "computer geek" stuff is left to my smaller screens. That's why I bitch about games not providing options for "full screen on display 2" or decent windows modes.

BTW, I switched to the proper 1920x1080 mode for skyrim and it looks a hell of a lot better. That was my bad, not the game's fault.

Skyrim is one of the games where it's really starting to look like consoles are outdated. Even with Arkham city, which looks great, I noticed the jaggies that won't be there on the PC version. For that game, I don't think it warrants waiting for the PC version but for the epicness that is Skyrim, for sure it's worth using the better graphics with PC game controller.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 12, 2011, 4:15 pm

The lesser graphical complaints I made aren't going to change my mind about the game, and neither is unlimited user created content. The amount of time it'll take me to get all of the achievements in this game will probably border on too much for my taste. I don't have the desire to sink 750 hours into one game like I did back in the earlier days of console gaming.

The kill cam cut scenes suck, the physics are shit, they've looked really akward to me very time I've seen them.

No need to be a condescending little bitch about achievements. Some people do like to compete with them between their friends. I guess that attitude is to be expected from a pc elitist though, I shouldnt be surprised.

Like fair said, by the time all that shit comes out for the pc version, if I'm not on to the next game I will be soon.

Now if the pc supercool guys find Away to add combat that doesn't look and feel like shit, including target lock, timed parry/riposte, etc, I might give it a shot on the pc.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 12, 2011, 4:18 pm

I've seen people hook their PCs to their TVs. All I can think is that these guys must be single or have no kids! Not worth the effort for me personally, but to each their own!

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » November 12, 2011, 5:21 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:I'll choose console over PC gaming any day of the week if given a choice. By the time all of the hi rez user made content comes out for Skyrim, I'll be on to playing other games on my consoles. Besides, finding that stuff, DLing and installing it, all the hassle with drivers and other incompatibilities is just a waste of time anymore.

Fair, finding and installing custom mods for Elder Scrolls games takes exactly as much time as it did for WoW. When you play(played?) WoW, do you do it vanilla style or do you use mods to increase your viability during raids? It's in effect the exact same thing. The only difference is, these mods increase the content available to you for free, rather than adding another DPS bar in the upper right corner of your screen.

Funkmasterr wrote:
No need to be a condescending little bitch about achievements. Some people do like to compete with them between their friends. I guess that attitude is to be expected from a pc elitist though, I shouldnt be surprised.

Like fair said, by the time all that shit comes out for the pc version, if I'm not on to the next game I will be soon.

Now if the pc supercool guys find Away to add combat that doesn't look and feel like shit, including target lock, timed parry/riposte, etc, I might give it a shot on the pc.

PC elitist, haha. Right. I prefer games on consoles for the exact reason Fairweather mentioned--relaxing while playing. It is so much more fun to sit on the couch and be comfortable, or playing multiplayer games with friends in person via a console. So no, not an elitist. But for Skyrim, PC is the best way to go, hands down, for new and expanding content. Content that is free, and doesn't cost you 60 bucks for the hottest new single-player released with over 7 HOURS OF STORYLINE, ZGASM.

That's fine that you like to compete with your friends. That's fine you like achievements. Here's your medal. They add nothing to the game, and picking a game based on the fact that Microsoft recognizes you climbed the highest mountain or killed the most NPCs with buckets of their heads means you're an idiot.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 12, 2011, 6:28 pm

Nowhere did anyone say the only reason they picked a console version was because it had achievements. Exaggerate much?

And actually they do 'add' something to a game. They give you challenges to go for above and beyond just playing / finishing the game. If they mean nothing to you that's fine. This world isn't one size fits all.At least not in mine. Apparently yours very well could be.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 12, 2011, 6:35 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:I've seen people hook their PCs to their TVs. All I can think is that these guys must be single or have no kids! Not worth the effort for me personally, but to each their own!

How fucking hard is it to attach an HDMI cable from your PC to your TV? Wow, lotta effort involved there! Hi tech! I use the exact same wireless 360 controller to play the game on the PC...you can sit on your ass, on your couch and play PC games...amazing! Nay...magical!

Not sure what Funk is smoking. Skyrim is fucking awesome. Physics, game play, immersion, are all top notch. Complaining that you can't sink 750 hours into a game is a joke. What's your rush? Does someone beside you care that you completely finished a game? Hint: No one besides you gives a shit what medals you have or games completed. Skyrim may not be your type of game but it deserves its 96 rating...oh hell yes.

This game is too overwhelming for clowns looking for their achievements (lol). This game is for those that appreciate RPGs. Exploring castles, catacombs, wilderness with no direction or rush to get to the next medal/achievement point. I sat there watching a worker processing wood through a sawmill for 5 minutes. Just amazed at the attention to detail. This game isn't for you as you pursue the next level up. This game is for the adventurers and explorers out there that appreciate the attention to detail of this monster world. The comments from NPC I get while randomly walking around town and the way the game maintains such an open world feel while having a campaign is so well done. I've already gotten sidetracked for long periods of time with one thing leading to another that had nothing to do with the main story. Oh no, I say sell this game back to anyone that is addicted to achievements. This game is badassness for any old school RPGer.

Skyrim keeps track of stats galore that you can view but you're not going to seem them posted on some awards board online.

Back to CoD for you. Boom! Headshot! Next game!

Really liking my Orc. Putting points into heavy armor and two handed weapons, and stamina so far to build a base. With there really being no forced classes, it also must drive those achievers fucking looney...omg! what do I do? What's the ultimate build!?1!

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 12, 2011, 7:16 pm

Winnow wrote:I just bought the Prima Skyrim Guide.

Did you buy the game too? If not you're giving your money to the wrong people!

How fucking hard is it to attach an HDMI cable from your PC to your TV?

Some people don't have their PC right next to the TV. For example my PC is upstairs.. TV isn't.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 12, 2011, 7:51 pm

Winnow wrote:
Fairweather Pure wrote:I've seen people hook their PCs to their TVs. All I can think is that these guys must be single or have no kids! Not worth the effort for me personally, but to each their own!

How fucking hard is it to attach an HDMI cable from your PC to your TV? Wow, lotta effort involved there! Hi tech! I use the exact same wireless 360 controller to play the game on the PC...you can sit on your ass, on your couch and play PC games...amazing! Nay...magical!

Not sure what Funk is smoking. Skyrim is fucking awesome. Physics, game play, immersion, are all top notch. Complaining that you can't sink 750 hours into a game is a joke. What's your rush? Does someone beside you care that you completely finished a game? Hint: No one besides you gives a shit what medals you have or games completed. Skyrim may not be your type of game but it deserves its 96 rating...oh hell yes.

This game is too overwhelming for clowns looking for their achievements (lol). This game is for those that appreciate RPGs. Exploring castles, catacombs, wilderness with no direction or rush to get to the next medal/achievement point. I sat there watching a worker processing wood through a sawmill for 5 minutes. Just amazed at the attention to detail. This game isn't for you as you pursue the next level up. This game is for the adventurers and explorers out there that appreciate the attention to detail of this monster world. The comments from NPC I get while randomly walking around town and the way the game maintains such an open world feel while having a campaign is so well done. I've already gotten sidetracked for long periods of time with one thing leading to another that had nothing to do with the main story. Oh no, I say sell this game back to anyone that is addicted to achievements. This game is badassness for any old school RPGer.

Skyrim keeps track of stats galore that you can view but you're not going to seem them posted on some awards board online.

Back to CoD for you. Boom! Headshot! Next game!

Really liking my Orc. Putting points into heavy armor and two handed weapons, and stamina so far to build a base. With there really being no forced classes, it also must drive those achievers fucking looney...omg! what do I do? What's the ultimate build!?1!

Lol, you guys are funny. Hint, I've completed (not just beat) shit way more difficult than you ever get downloading and playing a game for 3 hours. I've sunk more time into console RPGs than anyone I know hands down.

I said that because he was mentioning content being added on as mods, and completing this game is going to be long enough for ne, there's never been a console game I play long term like its a mmo.

Yes, there is a high level of detail to a lot of aspects to the game. But if you can spend some time with dark souls combat and then tell me melee isn't clunky and generic in skyrim you're either a liar or a complete fucking moron. I want that level of refined detail to the combat system, which doesn't seem like its asking too much for a game like this. Fundamentally, not having target lock is completely unacceptable to me.

And stating that no one else cares what medals/achievements you have is incorrect. Most of the people on my friends list are like me, and ate constantly comparing achievements with each other as they play through games. It gives games more depth by adding goals, and some people are competitive.

But yeah I should go back to CoD. Lol, how about trying to patronize someone who isn't better than you at every and any genre of games, not to mention pays for them. Fucking retard.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 12, 2011, 7:57 pm

Also, if you seriously think the physics are great, you may be retarded. Watch the kill shit animations close. It looks like you trip and fall into each other and your sword bumps into them. Your hands don't grab onto them, your weapon doesn't look like it actually goes through their flesh, it just looks crappy and there's no way around it.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 12, 2011, 8:01 pm

Winnow wrote:How fucking hard is it to attach an HDMI cable from your PC to your TV? Wow, lotta effort involved there! Hi tech! I use the exact same wireless 360 controller to play the game on the PC...you can sit on your ass, on your couch and play PC games...amazing! Nay...magical!

My PC is downstairs, my TV is upstairs. I would have to unplug my printer, modem, speakers, 4 external drives, and cables for shitloads of other devices, haul it upstairs, set it up there, and for what? I have a better monitor setup at my PC! It's crazy talk!

Both you and Kaldaur cannot seem to understand that people do not live in your exact situations. Therefore, opinions like "It is the only way to play the Skyrim" are laughably incorrect!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » November 12, 2011, 9:01 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:Both you and Kaldaur cannot seem to understand that people do not live in your exact situations. Therefore, opinions like "It is the only way to play the Skyrim" are laughably incorrect!

Pot -> Kettle

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 12, 2011, 9:25 pm

Getting back to the actual game itself... (target lock is for pussies)...ok now back to the game!

I just made the journey to see the Greybeards and it gave me the same feeling of crossing Norrath. I made it at night, cold blizzard. There are things that one shot you. The biggest difference is you can reload your last save, unlike EQ!

This is an amazing RPG. I've played all the recent fantasy RPGs and they don't hold a candle to Skyrim. (as an example, Dragon Age is a joke compared to this) I'd say the only requirement to enjoy this game is that you're not in a rush. I spent 30-40 minutes traveling to a location and only killed a few stray wolves...also got one shotted by a giant, a snow creature of some sort, helped some NPCs kill a troll. Discovered a bunch of new places, and couldn't believe how freaking long the trail/path was to the top of the mountain where I needed to go. It ranged from road, to steps, to small hiking trail...all detailed and original looking. It wasn't put there to waste your time. You can tell how much effort was put into making that journey interesting without having to kill a ton of stuff. For someone who needs to kill things or have something going on all the time, this game won't work. You don't get the feeling of going from location x to location z, and when I got to my destination, as with all the dialog everywhere else, it was excellent. No cut scenes necessary in this game. They did an great job of having shit take place while you're in the game. When I was trained in "X" after my journey, it felt special as opposed to running up to the nearest trainer.

It's easy to tell if you're too low to complete a quest because you die really really fast : ) Someone wanted a mammoth tusk. Didn't sound so bad until I got out there and got beat down. The giant in the picture kept an eye on things and watched me and my companion as we circled around him to get to the mammoth but he didn't attack. It's nice that everything doesn't immediately agro you. Later on my journey to the greybeards, I ran into a giant and I stopped a little ways away from him. He didn't like me being so close so lumbered toward me but as I backed off a little bit, seemed satisfied and went back to what he was doing.

At the same time, like in EQ, there are things along the way during a quest you can complete that you need to avoid or die. Keeps you on your toes.

Hit F5 a lot! quicksave will prevent frustration in this game.

The attention to detail combined with the size of the world is mind boggling. With the little I've experienced so far and amount of time I've played, and considering the massive size of the guide and world, this has a chance to be one of the all time great games.

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » November 13, 2011, 12:30 am

Funkmasterr wrote:And stating that no one else cares what medals/achievements you have is incorrect. Most of the people on my friends list are like me, and ate constantly comparing achievements with each other as they play through games. It gives games more depth by adding goals, and some people are competitive.

I didn't say that no one cares about them. That would be incorrect. I said they're fucking stupid to use as a gauge of completion. 'Defeat this game on Uber Hard with One Hand On Your Cock', eloel, that was challenging. WTG.

If you want the most content for your money (and that's the gauge we use for most games, including MMOs and console games with DLCs) then you get this for PC. There's no question. Anyone else arguing is just arguing for the sake of being a twat.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 13, 2011, 1:04 am

No one in this thread made any comment that could be taken as a claim that the console version is more content rich. You made the assumption that that's the most important and deciding factor everyone uses when choosing the platform they want the game on. Then you went on a ignorance laced tirade about achievements. Let me help you out here since you aren't getting it on your own; it's time for you to shut the fuck up.

And you're right. Games typically have achievements to beat them on the hardest difficulty (which is a good measurement of ones prowess in a game) and others to complete all the side quests, find all rare items, etc. but that's not a good gauge of completion, amirite? Jesus Christ you're fucking stupid.

Achievement Unlocked - Break it down for a retard (50 points).

Bagar- · Post by **Bagar-** » November 13, 2011, 4:54 am

I don't give a shit about the console vs. PC debate going on here, but don't try to play this game with a mouse and keyboard. Holy fuck, what an exercise in frustration.

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » November 13, 2011, 9:04 am

Bagar, are you getting the mouse lag that some people have been referring to? Apparently, there have been some issues with AMD cards causing video lag and scroll lag. I don't know if AMD has released a new driver yet or not, but NVidia had one out the day before that was designed for Skyrim adjustments.

Dakanaf · Post by **Dakanaf** » November 13, 2011, 11:34 am

How big is the install on pc?

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » November 13, 2011, 11:54 am

I think I saw 5.5-6 gigs tossed around as a figure.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 13, 2011, 12:15 pm

Bagar- wrote:I don't give a shit about the console vs. PC debate going on here, but don't try to play this game with a mouse and keyboard. Holy fuck, what an exercise in frustration.

That's one thing that probably won't get better either. Apparently in all the previous games the menus were the one thing that was locked down and couldn't be modded.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 13, 2011, 2:09 pm

I finished my first quest, and it was amazing fun. I think this game may have it's hooks in me. You can tell Bethesda learned a lot from Oblivion to Fallout 3 and now to Skyrim. Each game has just enough in common to tell they are related, but enough changes to see that Bethesda is learning and refining as they move forward. I decided to do the opposite of what I normally would and made a female Imperial (for the gold!), going 75% magik (destruction) and 25% melee (1 handed). I am currently wearing heavy armor too, but I may switch to lighter depending on how well my spells work. So far, fire and sword are doing very well together because enemies take more dmg when on fire. I am going to get my bow skills up too because that is a fun way to start off battles. In the past I just would've made a Norse melee and been done with it!

The first 15 minutes all I could think of was how much like Oblivion it was. After the first real dungeon, the game has clicked with me and I'm really enjoying myself now. My wife watched me play a bit and said she may start a character of her own! My kids thought everything was "creepy" and there were a lot of "Eeewwwwws" being thrown around as I killed skeletons and zombies.

Kwonryu DragonFist · November 14, 2011, 12:36 am

Wait til ya meet Draugr Deathlords with the Disarm-Shout!

You'll be lookin on the ground for your weapons

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 14, 2011, 2:03 am

Having a blast with this game.

Couple tips:

Don't forget about fast travel once it's open to you. Going to the top of the mountain to see the Greybeards is a cool journey but instant fast travel there when it becomes available is a good thing. The Dragon Shouts are cool.

Get some hired help. for 500 gold you can get the dark elf (Jenassa) at the Drunken Hunter in Windhelm (right near the entrance to the town) Best 500GP you'll ever spend. She hasn't died yet and I've fallen off of ledges leaving her to fend off multiple mobs, had her on the boss mob while I took out the extras. She seems to be pretty durable, seems to set off every trap in the dungeon but still lives, and you can equip her with whatever you want. I ditched her cheesy sword and gave her a decent two hander sword and upgraded her bow...just do it whenever you find loot in dungeons. 500 gp is chump change for having a permanent companion that will help a lot in battles. This comes in handy especially if you specialize in two handed weapons like me since once in awhile you run across something you can get to that's firing arrows or something my trusty companion takes them out eventually. She will fall behind as you travel but always catches up eventually.

Another thing is figure out enchantments. You need to destroy something that is enchanted in order to learn what it was enchanted with. I destroyed an Axe I got early on with frost damage and then applied it to my more powerful weapon. You need soul gems which aren't hard to come by.

My Heavy Armor and Two Handed skills are around 40 right now. One thing I'd like to do is get my speech skill to 50 so you can sell items to any trader. Right now it's a real bitch to offload weapons and armor. Taverns wont take it. You end up losing a lot of money because you just cant carry enough stuff. Also, load up your companion with crap. They can carry stuff too. You max out your weight limit fast in dungeons and leave a ton of crap behind.

The dungeons are outstanding. They have depth to them. can start out in just a little room or two and then branches out into catacombs, and then deep down unfinished areas, some huge underground areas. Really fun to explore with the basic puzzles and traps which are enough to make you think but not frustrate.

There's the hired help Jenassa. Elves are kinda ugly so I stuck a helmet on her. You can also have romantic interests and people assigned to look after your affairs in various towns. I lost my 1000 horse the same day I bought it but my trust 500 hired help has been around the whole time. You can also see an enchanting table I used inside a dungeon. You'll find them in towns and various other places scattered around.

Cool that you need to destroy something in order to learn an enchantment. Also kinda nice that you can destroy your old weapon and re enchant your new one.

A mere flesh wound! That arrow was stuck in my neck for about ten minutes. Also cool that you can dodge arrows in this game...maybe not cool if you use a bow, but cool if you're being attacked by one. I sidestep arrow attacks a lot. You'll find your arrows stuck in corpses and can reuse them like in oblivion.

Bagar- · Post by **Bagar-** » November 14, 2011, 3:52 am

Kaldaur wrote:Bagar, are you getting the mouse lag that some people have been referring to? Apparently, there have been some issues with AMD cards causing video lag and scroll lag. I don't know if AMD has released a new driver yet or not, but NVidia had one out the day before that was designed for Skyrim adjustments.

I was getting cursor lag, but as Winnow and Funk have noted, it's mostly for the menu clusterfuck that happens when you use a keyboard / mouse with this game.

I buy games for the PC because I generally don't like using console controllers, but this game is one of the few exceptions to that rule. Luckily i own a wired Xbox360 controller. Cursor lag and terrible menus aside, the gameplay itself feels more conducive to using a controller.

On another note, what are most people playing on the first playthrough? I'm playing a mage-type guy, and I have to say that the magic system in the game is far better than previou Elder Scrolls, but I do miss custom spell creation.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 14, 2011, 10:59 am

Using a controller is the way to go. Besides the menus sucking really bad with keyboard, this is a long game and it's nice to be able to sit back in your chair/couch and relax while playing instead of hunch over a keyboard/mouse.

Bagar- wrote:
On another note, what are most people playing on the first playthrough? I'm playing a mage-type guy, and I have to say that the magic system in the game is far better than previou Elder Scrolls, but I do miss custom spell creation.

Having not played Oblivion more than an hour or two, I wasn't familiar with much so went with a brute force melee character. Orc for their special ability (50% melee damage/+50% armor for 60 seconds, usable only once a day so it's not critical)

Heavy Armor and Two-handed trees have skills that let you beef up your protection and damage quickly, especially with power attacks (hold trigger instead of tap). I put my points into stamina so I can do multiple power attacks and then also put a point in another skill that reduced power attack stamina requirements by 25%.

The downside is ranged combat which hurts with Dragons. You have to wait for the dragon to land while taking blasts of fire, etc. Having a companion with you is easy and standard in the game so I'll just make sure I have a ranged one. Also, the Dragon Shouts are magic attacks as well and that bolsters my abilities beyond melee.

The cool thing about Skyrim is how wide open it is. You can take a completely different strategy by using a caster, stealth, etc.

For non combat, I've been considering beefing up Lock Picking, Speech and Enchanting. There's a lot of chests to open that require skills, you get a really shitty exchange rate for loot at stores unless you improve speech as well as hard to find specifiv merchants, and enchanting looks worthwhile.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 14, 2011, 11:53 am

My secondaries are Enchanting (I think) and stealth. I chose 1H combat, Archery, and the the casting tree dealing with direct dmg, whatever it's name is. I tend to open with archery from stealth and get a couple of shots in before swapping to fire and sword. If it is a group, I pause after the first kill and summon a zombie to fight with me. It's working well so far. 1H combat seems like the most flexible. I figure I can always duel wield or use a shield if I really wanted/had too. Once I am further up the stealth tree, opening on mobs from stealth is pretty much a one hit kill!

Post by **Sylvus** » November 14, 2011, 12:53 pm

What do you need to buy in order to use a 360 controller with a PC?

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » November 14, 2011, 1:13 pm

pretty sure nothing, unless you plan on using wireless. There is a wireless 360 accessory module that plugs into a USB port which works great. It was hard to find when I originallly bought it (for ShadowRun), but might be a bit more available now.

Post by **Sylvus** » November 14, 2011, 1:19 pm

Yeah, I don't have any wired 360 controllers, so I figured there had to be some sort of receiver for it that you connect to your PC. I wonder if my old piece-of-shit computer will even run Skyrim. Maybe I should just go with the console version.