Bethesda Softworks - Elder Scrolls 6 Confirmed

[rune_74]

What? Skyrim was weak in graphics? Were we playing the same game? It was really impressive when it came out. If you didn't have a decent machine to run it maybe? I remember climbing some mountains and thinking wow....

I guess you could say it wasn't as good as witcher 3 but there were a few years between those releases....

I'm at a loss here, or is this just another hate skyrim/bethesda thread?

 

[Ripper]

Not from my side - I love lots of aspects of the TES games. I'm quite keen on graphics and modding, though, and the Skyrim engine was quite creaky even in 2011. The Gamebryo engine dates back to the nineties, and Skyrim had to be designed to run on a console generation that came out in 2005.

Don't get me wrong, in some areas Skyrim created some lovely looking scenes, but it was frustratingly lacking in others, and quite frustrating for modders.

 

[crpgnut]

I think Bethesda wants to make another 20 million+ copies sold "mistake" like Skyrim. I think Witcher 3 and D:OS wish they could make a 20 million copy mistake, but they don't have the skills. All of their games since they started making them barely reaches 20 million in the case of Witcher and isn't even close in the case of Larian. I think Bethesda will keep their own counsel.

 

[TheMadGamer]

TES 6's ambition might be to be the one game selling a VR headset. People are used to upgrading or buying a new machine to play this or that particular game.

I don't really care if devs want to make their games compatible with VR technology. But for God's sake, I hope this doesn't become a major obsession.

Nintendo has spent the better part of a decade ambitiously pursuing the 'new ways to experience gaming' by way of their various controller hardware efforts. Look where it's put them... they barely can crank out a few games a year and the company has taken a pretty big hit.

I would love to see modern implementation of things like climbing up the side of a wall and sneaking through a window to steal stuff if you're playing a thief. This would require effort in having an engine that would support climbing and no cell loading for every little game space.

There's so much more fun things they could do with game mechanics I hope that's where the big effort goes.

 

[lostforever]

I think Bethesda wants to make another 20 million+ copies sold "mistake" like Skyrim. I think Witcher 3 and D:OS wish they could make a 20 million copy mistake, but they don't have the skills. All of their games since they started making them barely reaches 20 million in the case of Witcher and isn't even close in the case of Larian. I think Bethesda will keep their own counsel.

I just heard the sound of Todd Howard coming …

 

[wolfgrimdark]

Those are very carefully staged, and making extensive use of ENB and mods. They look amazing, but they are not really representative of the game. The standard game graphics are pretty limited by the need to squeeze the game onto last-gen consoles

I agree on all of this except the "carefully staged" which really depends on the type of image being made. Some are, of course, but many, many are not. Way to often news places and sites think all screenshots like this are all carefully staged. Not so. My game actually looks like most of my general shots while playing. Staged ones tend to be pretty easy to pick out. Yes I don't bother to show a shot where I might have some clipping from an animation on an armor or an area where a ground texture has a bit of a seam with the road but for the most part if you were to look at most of my skyrim images on Flickr they are me in the game world playing. Mainly because my style of screen taking is focused on just being in the world playing. I don't get into the artsy style that many people do - and those are very staged and heavily dependent on tweaks to ENB settings. But again easy to tell those shots from shots taken from just playing.

Just want to be very clear on that. Many screen archers do a great deal of staging with characters, some even edit things in PS (which I dislike as to me the point is to see what you can push the game to do), but many folks just have a very nice looking game.

All that being said I have such a nice looking game for four reasons:

1 - I have a powerful PC that can handle high quality graphics
2 - Modders have provided an awesome variety of textures and meshes to install to make the game look better and fix seams, clipping, and other issues in vanilla.
3 - Graphic Presets, primarily SweetFX and/or ENB. These are the most powerful tools to make the game look better.
4 - My own patience in testing and choosing the right mods and textures to work together to make the game look nice.

If you were to watch me play standing over my shoulder at the PC you would quickly realize my game pretty much looks like my shots minus those that are staged for effect - like using FOV 15 for a character close up or exaggerated DOF. I am mainly talking here of general landscape images and characters in action.

I took these shots just running around last night. No staging beyond using TFC so I could free up the camera to show off how nice the landscape looks.

However the vanilla game? Bleh. While I got over 400 hours on vanilla (was before I knew about modding or graphic presets) I could not go back to that ever again. Love the game but what keeps me playing still are the mods and graphic overhauls you can do with ENB.

PS - Sorry I always look for an excuse to post screen shots - bit of a junkie with them

EDIT: The above is also why so many still play. Even people with moderate machines can have a damn fine looking game with just a little effort in mods and taking the time to use an ENB preset.

Of course it is not vanilla but IMO the game is made to mod so you have to take that into at least some consideration when judging it.

 

[JDR13]

I think Bethesda wants to make another 20 million+ copies sold "mistake" like Skyrim. I think Witcher 3 and D:OS wish they could make a 20 million copy mistake, but they don't have the skills. All of their games since they started making them barely reaches 20 million in the case of Witcher and isn't even close in the case of Larian. I think Bethesda will keep their own counsel.

Are we attempting the "it sold more copies so it must be better" spiel again? As a Bethesda fanboy, it must be hard to acknowledge that Skyrim is inferior to Call of Duty.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

I think Bethesda wants to make another 20 million+ copies sold "mistake" like Skyrim. I think Witcher 3 and D:OS wish they could make a 20 million copy mistake, but they don't have the skills. All of their games since they started making them barely reaches 20 million in the case of Witcher and isn't even close in the case of Larian. I think Bethesda will keep their own counsel.

We'll see how this plays with Cyberpunk and other open world games and rpg's coming out in the same interval.
When you practically have a monopoly on a product designed to suit majority of customers, people will overlook a lot of things they normally would, in more competitive genres. That hardly guarantees it's quality.
One thing certain after Fallout IV is that Bethesda can no longer count on Scope! of their titles to impress people.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

Are we attempting the "it sold more copies so it must be better" spiel again? As a Bethesda fanboy, it must be hard to acknowledge that Skyrim is inferior to Call of Duty.

Crpgnut...crpgnut never changes.

 

[Dez]

Reading this thread makes me almost want to paste one of those Papaltine pictures. The hate against Bethesda so strong here.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

I'd rather do not want to have great story in TES 6. I'd rather want to have about 100 or 500 small stories instead. Why? I can enjoy one big great story one time only (provided I have no memory gaps ). With hundreds of small stories I can enjoy the game multiple times, because I can't remember hundreds of small stories even if my memory is perfect. So, yes, Bethesda is doing fine by providing me with this kind of entertainment.

Sorry, but what diverse, non-linear mini story lines in Skyrim are you talking about? Main story, dungeons, quests and characters were almost entirely disconnected from one another( except for "Radiant" material) and players actions hardly had a lasting, meaningful impact on anything.
To give a sense of roleplaying, Bethesda's "solution" was recording a ton of one liners for Skyrim guards, depending on player's race, class and on completion of certain quests. But ultimately these were trivial, shallow differences, like deciding on a different paint job for your favorite car in GTA.
An example: In a quest revolving Alik'r warriors abducting Redguard females, my own Redguard female had zero dialogue options on either side and zero alternate paths in how the quest plays out.
Only Civil war/Dawnguard had two paths and they were largely, in both content and mission structure design...exactly the same.
So it's Skyrim filled with blue guards vs. Skyrim filled with red guards, dilemma at the end.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

EDIT: Bah not worth it

 

[Lev]

Main story, dungeons, quests and characters were almost entirely disconnected from one another( except for "Radiant" material) and players actions hardly had a lasting, meaningful impact on anything.

And this is exactly what I like about it. I come evening emptyheaded from work, I launch Fallout 4 or Skyrim, quickly find someone who wants me to clear the nearby dungeon, listen to a small story behind his/her request. Clear the dungeon and go happy to bed. I don't need a long drama story 3 or 4 weeks long. I'd rather watch film or read a book if I feel like I need drama or comedy.

 

[rune_74]

I agree on all of this except the "carefully staged" which really depends on the type of image being made. Some are, of course, but many, many are not. Way to often news places and sites think all screenshots like this are all carefully staged. Not so. My game actually looks like most of my general shots while playing. Staged ones tend to be pretty easy to pick out. Yes I don't bother to show a shot where I might have some clipping from an animation on an armor or an area where a ground texture has a bit of a seam with the road but for the most part if you were to look at most of my skyrim images on Flickr they are me in the game world playing. Mainly because my style of screen taking is focused on just being in the world playing. I don't get into the artsy style that many people do - and those are very staged and heavily dependent on tweaks to ENB settings. But again easy to tell those shots from shots taken from just playing.

Just want to be very clear on that. Many screen archers do a great deal of staging with characters, some even edit things in PS (which I dislike as to me the point is to see what you can push the game to do), but many folks just have a very nice looking game.

All that being said I have such a nice looking game for four reasons:

1 - I have a powerful PC that can handle high quality graphics
2 - Modders have provided an awesome variety of textures and meshes to install to make the game look better and fix seams, clipping, and other issues in vanilla.
3 - Graphic Presets, primarily SweetFX and/or ENB. These are the most powerful tools to make the game look better.
4 - My own patience in testing and choosing the right mods and textures to work together to make the game look nice.

If you were to watch me play standing over my shoulder at the PC you would quickly realize my game pretty much looks like my shots minus those that are staged for effect - like using FOV 15 for a character close up or exaggerated DOF. I am mainly talking here of general landscape images and characters in action.

I took these shots just running around last night. No staging beyond using TFC so I could free up the camera to show off how nice the landscape looks.

However the vanilla game? Bleh. While I got over 400 hours on vanilla (was before I knew about modding or graphic presets) I could not go back to that ever again. Love the game but what keeps me playing still are the mods and graphic overhauls you can do with ENB.

PS - Sorry I always look for an excuse to post screen shots - bit of a junkie with them

EDIT: The above is also why so many still play. Even people with moderate machines can have a damn fine looking game with just a little effort in mods and taking the time to use an ENB preset.

Of course it is not vanilla but IMO the game is made to mod so you have to take that into at least some consideration when judging it.

I heavily moded my skyrim as well....I don't think it was a slouch at release, but it does look VERY VERY good now....I used some guide to install something like 250 mods....every scene looks good and isn't staged....people would be shocked at how good you can make th game look.

 

[Aubrielle]

Wolfgrimdark, those are breathtaking screens, btw. I love what you've done with your game.

 

[rune_74]

Use this guys:

http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.2.9.2

 

[Japol]

I have inside information that they are working on the super advanced technology of fully fledged dialogues.
Don't tell anyone.

 

[Caddy]

If Elder Scrolls 6 is indeed Valenwood, that place would be the bees knees to explore:

 

[Deleted User]

Gorgeous! ^

Reminds me of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, in a way. The starting area of Dalentarth.

 

[Caddy]

Gorgeous! ^

Reminds me of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, in a way. The starting area of Dalentarth.

That's what I was thinking too, except I think we'd get something a little less cartoony from Bethsoft