Digital Gaming Arena Forum

Man I am seriously hooked on this game.  I was so-so with Oblivion but Skyrim has been a vast improvement for me. The combat is still a bit janky but an improvement.

I couldn't get into Oblivion, but I am playing Skyrim.  I like the world better.  I like the combat better, although I do agree it is still not great.  I doubt I will get really far into it, but it is a nice getaway a couple nights a week.

Sign me up for some DLC. I just finished the main quest and while I still have plenty of quests and misc quests, I just can't get enough of this game.

B, what kind of character did you play?  I picture you as a straight up melee guy.

Nord - Focus on One Hand, Light Armor (currently Glass) with an emphasis on smithing and lockpicking.  I use magic pretty often, especially with dragons but the main focus was building a strong one handed sword (glass) and armor.  Working on getting smithing to 100 so I can get the Dragon armor.

What kind of character are you going with Ted?   

Also forgot to mention that for the first time in my life I got married, sure she is in a video game but she gives me 100 gold a day and a free meal.  ^-^

 :))  I'm an ORC!  Started off 2 handed and now am doing a little dabbling with bows and with magic.  I don't really have a focus right now.

So do other characters become "Dragonborn?" or is that left simply for Nords.  That is what is so amazing about the game is there are so many different factions that you can join. For me it was between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks.  I ended up going with the Imperials even though they did try to execute me. Did not care for the Jarl in charge of the Stormcloaks.

There is not a spoiler tag but this is early on and should not really give anything away but shows how detailed this game is.  When you head out for the Golden Claw you pass a house with an old lady, which seems innocent enough.  Well something just seemed odd so I killed here and found a basement in the house and come to find out she is actually a witch.  Upon further examination she has a sister, which I figured would come back to haunt me.  So after I slay the first dragon and head back to tell of my victory I get randomly attacked by hunters.  After taking care of the three hunters in one of the searches I find a letter, a bounty on me from the sister of the witch I killed.

Yes, I am dragonborn.  I think that is the main line of the game so everyone is.

Patch is up

Update 1.3 Notes (all platforms unless specified)

    General stability improvements
    Optimize performance for Core 2 Duo CPUs (PC)
    Fixed Radiant Story incorrectly filling certain roles
    Fixed magic resistances not calculating properly
    Fixed issue with placing books on bookshelves inside player purchased homes
    Fixed dragon animation issues with saving and loading
    Fixed Y-look input to scale correctly with framerate

I'm rocking a female Nord, specializing in archery, sneak, and lockpicking. I love the THUNK of an arrow shot from the shadows and hitting flesh (for bonus damage!).

For the Nords!

I think by the time it is said and done I will have at least 200 hours into this game before I am done with it. I just love finding new caves and pillaging. Joined the Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood and I got a dog.  Dogs are great as they can't die and enemies seem to focus on it instead.

Currently at level 35 with a 100 in smithing and block.  Getting ready to build some sweet Dragon armor but I really like the glass so I might just store it in the house.

Oh wait, did I say Nord? I mean Imperial. Nords are racists.

Long live the empire!

Quote from: Slumberland on December 21, 2011 @ 10:30:13 AM

Long live the empire!

Short live those arrow to the knee jokes.  ^-^

Should I be concerned that every time I go to my house I find my wife using the Alchemy table?  ;D  I think I am going to pass on her home cooked meals.

You have a house, a wife, and an alchemy table?  I guess there is a lot you can do in Skyrim.

You need to get a house. Great place to store stuff.  There comes a point where there is nothing really to buy when you get above a certain level aside from potions.  The crappy part of playing on a console is you can't have a mod that makes the vendors carry more cash.  I have like 50+ dragon bones/scales and 200+ weapons, staffs and jewelry in my chests because they are priced to high to sell.

Cannibalism, betrayal and getting to Lvl 40.  Twas an exciting night. I have like 50 things on my quests/misc to do and I still cant wait for some DLC.

Boy it gets really glitchy once you get up near level 50. I deleted my last character after finishing the Imperial storyline.

New character is Bjorn The Borg  (nord) and I will side with the Stormcloaks this time. Going to stick to one handed and light armor with a bit more alchemy time and enchanting.

What do you mean by glitchy?  Did the quest lines get messed up?  Did the combat get weird?

I was getting some slowdown.  A few quests were broken, a few would not go off my list (misc quests) even though they were already completed.  The biggest reason for restarting is an issue with the Thieves Guild. I screwed up and sold the armor that you first get from them (not like I needed it) but the catch is that you need to keep it (or store it away) because later on you will be required to give an article of it to continue the story line and get an upgraded set.  Bethesda said they would not be fixing this from what I read and it is BS.  If they meant for this armor to not be sold they should have made it unsellable, like other quest items.  Even worse is the character who does this is the fence for the Thieves Guild, so you can't use her to sell stolen items as the dialog is stick at her saying you need to bring her a piece of this armor.

On this go around I plan to do a few quests differently to avoid certain issues popping up.  Especially the one that has a serial killer in my house and nothing I can do about it, since there is a glitch in the game that slipped one of the steps (showed it completed, though I never did it).

It is all for the best as I did rush through a few things and this time I am going to loot everything in sight and just store a bunch of it away for enchanting and to sell. I also plan to use the speech tree this time to get more money for my goods and eventually invest into the shops so they have more money available all the time. Plus you can eventually sell anything to any vendor, etc, etc.


I have seen at least half of the bugs on this list (360 bug issues).  I realize the game is BIG but for cripes sake some of the bugs make you wonder if they even listen to the QA team.

http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1326952-xbox-360-bug-report-topic-v2/ (http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1326952-xbox-360-bug-report-topic-v2/)

My two biggies

-"Under New Management" Selling the Thieves Guild Armor prior to being told to upgrade it makes it impossible to become Guild Master
-"Blood on the Ice" the game skips the step to Patrol the Streets to finding the murderer

also

-Frequent and Extreme Lag, consistent around 20+ mb   (I was only at 10mb and it was noticable)

I got a good laugh at this.

http://youtu.be/YEMD28MMtNg (http://youtu.be/YEMD28MMtNg)

 ;D

No date yet but they have come out with the changes in the next patch.


Current 1.4 Changelog (all platforms unless noted)

NEW FEATURES

    Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

    General optimizations for memory and performance
    Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequin’s in player’s house. (PS3)
    Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
    Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
    Memory optimizations related to scripting
    Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
    Fixed crash in Haemar’s Shame if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
    Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
    Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
    Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
    Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
    Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
    Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
    Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any furnishing.
    Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
    Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
    Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
    Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
    Fixed memory crash with container menu
    Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
    Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions
    Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally not fail
    Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks

QUEST FIXES

    The Unusual Gem inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
    In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
    Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
    Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly.
    Fixed issue progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests.
    In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
    In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
    Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
    In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
    “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
    Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
    Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
    In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
    In “Under New Management”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
    “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
    Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
    “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
    Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
    In “The Coming of the Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
    Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
    Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
    “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
    Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
    Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
    Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine woud block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
    Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
    In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
    In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
    Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
    Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

I've never played an RPG in my life, but I am curious to try Skyrim.
Hopefully the patch helps with all of the bugs.

Don't let the RPG moniker scare you. It plays closer to a Zelda game than it does a traditional RPG (D&D, Final Fantasy, Ultima, Dragon Quest, etc).  The way I play it you could consider it more of an action adventure.  There has not been a baddie that I could not beat with only a sword and shield (there are exceptions where a shout is required).  You play the game how you wish to play it. Even if you never worked on building up on the magical areas, it is still available to play with. Honestly most games have RPG elements to them. If you play a FPS you are always trying to upgrade weapons and such.  Sports games, when you delve into a franchise mode and take the virtual form of a coach or owner is Role Playing.

I could not recommend this game more.  Keep in mind this is the 5th installment of the Elder Scroll Series, so you have a ton of backstory in the game. There is no need to go back and play all the other games (Obilivion is the only game I played and I hated the combat so I never got close to finishing it).  I just recommend you get an idea what people are talking about when they reference things from previous game.

A short read but sums the whole series up nicely. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls)

A great site for beginners to the game and is basically an online game guide.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Skyrim (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Skyrim)

Wow just looked at my Skyrim stats. Yikes.  (This does not even include my lvl 45 character I deleted to start over)

Bjorn the Borg  lvl 48

Full Dragon Armor (light) Armor rating 823  plus enchantments on each
Deadric Sword (Legendary) 91 damage + 52  plus enchantment on this my Deadric bow and Dagger (all Legendary)

Same wife as the last, she is glitched and does not sleep and stopped cooking but I will take a free 100 coins per day.

Stats

Locations Discovered - 169
Dungeons Cleared - 64
Days Passed - 269
Gold Found - 635,823
Most Gold Carried - 146,740
Chest Looted - 876
Skill Increases - 640
Skill Books read - 56
Food Eaten - 20 (I just sell it)
Houses owned - 4  (about to be all 5)
Barters - 9240

People killed - 865
Animals killed - 287
Creatures killed - 284
Undead killed - 419
Daedra killed - 39
Automatons killed - 109
Critical strikes - 1142
Weapons Disarmed/Backstabs - 0 (Face to face baby)
Bunnies Slaughtered  - 1  (need to find more bunnies)

Spells Learned - 37
Dragon Souls Collected - 40
Words of Power - 35
Shouts Learned - 16
Times Shouted - 131   favorite - Dragonrend

Weapons made - 367
Magic items made - 106
Armor Made - 87
Potions used - 405
Ingredients harvested - 977


proving that I am a good Dragonborn  (for now)

Total Lifetime bounty - 11,760
Highest - 2040
Fines Paid - 3,500
Locks picked - 182 (99% are chests/doors to unlock to get to chests)
Pockets picketed  - 1
Jailed - 0
Itens Stolen - 47 (majority are due to quests)
Assaults - 73
Murders - 17
Trespasses 10


Fortunately they so not show the amount of hours involved.  ;D

Forgot the skill tree

Speech 97
Enchanting 78
Smithing 100
Block 100
One Hand 100
Archery 36
Light Armor 109 (perks completed - over 100 due to matching set bonuses)
Sneak 33
Lockpicking 80
Alchemy 35

Everything else is under 30

Funny little story about how developers can make the game a bit too real.  I spent an hour trying to figure out how to buy the house in Riften.  I have spent a ton of time helping the people in the area, did all the requests from the Jarl and Steward, still no mention of the house.   So I jump online to see who I need to talk to get my house, become a thane, get me a house carl and all the wonderful glory that goes with it.  Come to find out one NPC is required to start a chain of events to get all this fun stuff. Problem is, and I recall this happening early in the game on my first visit to Riften. A dragon attacks me just outside Riften in the Fishery. It is early and it was an elder dragon so it took some time to finish him.  During this time a few guards and one lady die in the attack. That lady happens to be the one who sets the chain of events. 

I have seen a few NPC's die in dragon attacks but why would you have one that is so important to the storyline die?  >:(

If it was real the house would be in probate and you could buy it from the estate.   ;)

I just figured out that you can find out how many hours you have played by highlighting a save file (have no clue how I missed that).  Just over 95 hours on this character.  I would imagine at least 75 on the first one.  Bugs and all, safe to say I got my moneys worth with this game.

I have never fully completed a game with all the achievements/trophies until now.  1000 gamerscore on Skyrim complete!!!  Only took a few hundred hours but it was worth it and this is from someone who could care less about such things. Damn you Bethesda for making the Deadric Quest Achievement so easy to miss and forcing a person to restart with a new character.

You doing another play-through or are you hanging up your sword?

I am going to finish off all the missions with this character and clear each cave but at a slower pace and take the time to play some of my other games. Will be first in line for the DLC when it hits.

i wish I could go back and play Oblivion for the story but it is just so outdated in comparison, especially in terms of combatc I could probably live with the graphics.


Did you ever purchase the game Brad?

Not yet, but the price is getting to be right now. With no multiplayer, I may just get it on PS3.
Evidently, the last patch helped the memory leak issues.

Only advantage (with the PS3 getting fixed)  to getting the 360 version is the first two DLC's are timed exclusives. I doubt that will affect you as you will just be digging into the game but just an FYI nonetheless.

I put 80 hours into my first character and am going to let her rest for a while, but I created a new two-handed bruiser and will side with the rebellion this time. Funny how right from the outset I'm finding different stuff than my first go-through. Plus I know what people are talking about now. Why on earth would I have sided with the empire that first time? That General Tigh was psyched to kill me and then before I knew it I was gleefully working for him. But the characters just didn't sink in that first time, I had little idea who was who. Now I'm sort of starstruck... wow, Ulfric Stormcloak's sitting next to me in this cart!

Problem with Ulfric is he is kinda a dick and a wee bit racist. I overlook his racist rants and just fight with the Stormcloaks to keep The Thalmor out of Skyrim.

Talos be Praised!   ;)

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Skyrim-DLC-Might-Announced-Next-Week-41831.html (http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Skyrim-DLC-Might-Announced-Next-Week-41831.html)

Hurry that DLC up Bethesda. I need more Skyrim.

First DLC info tomorrow, unfortunately it will only be a small tidbit of info.

Also for those with a Kinect here is a PDF file with all the commands that can be used when the patch hits tomorrow.

http://cdnstatic.bethsoft.com/akqacms/files/tes/extras/skyrim-kinect-voice-commands.pdf (http://cdnstatic.bethsoft.com/akqacms/files/tes/extras/skyrim-kinect-voice-commands.pdf)

I had to laugh a bit at the whole speak in English/Dragon options.

To speak in English do not press RB
To speak in Dragon press RB
To speak in Spanish as a Dragon...  ;)

Well this was worth the wait

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/01/skyrim-39-s-first-dlc-has-a-name.aspx (http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/01/skyrim-39-s-first-dlc-has-a-name.aspx)

A name.  >:(  Guess we have to wait until E3 for more info.

I am playing again with a two-handed weapon and lightning slinging bruiser of a Breton. Planning to join the Stormcloak rebellion this time, put the kabosh on the Dark Brotherhood, only carry what I'm wearing at a given moment and avoid fast travel. Sort of a streamlined run with more role-playing. It's still fun!

I always wanted to try playing without fast travel but there is way too much having to go back and forth to the same place in much of the storyline.



Skyrim DLC Dawnguard video

"Dawnguard will be available for download for 1600 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE this summer."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UHGyY3yHVw#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UHGyY3yHVw#ws)

Quote from: Brent on May 31, 2012 @ 03:19:04 PM
I always wanted to try playing without fast travel but there is way too much having to go back and forth to the same place in much of the storyline.

I want to feel that drudgery!  We'll see how it goes.

I also realize I'd already posted much of my last post at an earlier date. But hey, I got some time in last night and was excited.

Dawnguard... I don't know. I like crossbows but vampires not so much. I guess I'll hunt them.

Quote from: Slumberland on May 31, 2012 @ 03:39:13 PM
Dawnguard... I don't know. I like crossbows but vampires not so much. I guess I'll hunt them.

Same here, that said it is more Skyrim and that is fine by me.  t::u

http://dawnguardbeta.elderscrolls.com/form.php (http://dawnguardbeta.elderscrolls.com/form.php)

Beta signup for Skyrim DLC (360 owners).

I always wondered how melee characters dealt with dragons, and now I know it's by BEATING ITS HEAD ABOUT WITH A TWO-HANDED HAMMER.

Fun.

I used to use magic but once you get a descent sword, in my case one handed, bashing is the way to go. Daedric sword with just under 400 damage only takes two to three hits.

New screens of the DLC

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=477111 (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=477111)

Dawnguard available now for 360.  1600 points   581.70MB.

Downloading now!  :)

Looks like I shall hang up Skyrim.  Once you get to level 81 the load times are just awful and it took me going back to playing the DLC as a reminder (had gone a few months w/o playing it).  Could care less about Vampires and Werewolves and it was probably a waste of $20 but for the 300+ hours I put into this game I really cant complain.

So glad I kept the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvhQZoyZn1g#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvhQZoyZn1g#ws)


I am easily amused.

Are you going to cook pastry tarts in the oven with your muscle bound freak like that other muscle bound freak in the video?

Nope, going to use my lesbian character, Olivia The Wilde (and she looks exactly like her)who has a wife to do all the cooking for her.

I must say that the latest DLC Dragonborn has been a terrific purchase.  While I moderately enjoyed the previous DLCs, this one shines in every place except for actually riding a dragon, which is not enjoyable. Outside of that downer and the inability to use the spears, everything else is a blast.  Just FYI there are two more DLC's coming and will add in a spear skill set and the ability to reset you skill points.

Back to Dragonborn, there area ton of new enemies, new Dragur and even a few new annoying spiders.  A few of the puzzles are even fun and require a little thought to them. I came into it with a level 81 character and a heads up as many of the new enemies you run into in the South and when you read the black books are much tougher than those on Skyrim.  The are a ton of places to go and quests to conquer and a little twist here and there.  I have put well over 10 hours in and while I finished the main part there is still another 10+ hours worth of things to do.

Also if you have a level 81 character there is a Black Knight who challenges you to a final fight in Skyrim and this one is the toughest character I faced. Went through at least 6 ultimate healing potions just to defeat him.

Just found out one of the Black Books lets you clear your skill points for each skill. Real handy for someone wanting to switch things up.