Skyrim...

[Excel]

Didn't Bethesda take the open lock spells out after Morrowind? Those things were kinda game breakers if you knew how to use them right.

Nah, they were in there.

Not attacking your post at all, but the arguments stating that certain elements were/can be game breaking kinda doesn't make sense to me. It's an RPG. If one wants to break the game and use skills that make the game easy, then so be it. The argument that the game is too easy comes from people who haven't limited themselves to certain builds than do not enjoy the exploits that these games inevitably contain.

Part of the huge draw to me for this type of game is exploit it in my first run, learn the engine, then purposefully limit myself in future playthroughs to skills which I consider more difficult to use - in regards to "easily" completing the game. And when you do complete the game in this manner, it is all the more rewarding.

Oh, I wasn't complaining. I used the hell out of those spells whenever I had them. I just thought I heard someone from Bethesda say they got rid of open lock spells because they are so deadly when used well.

Whoa...you can use them to kill people?

For some reason I never used magic much in these games...dunno why.

Anyhow what do you guys think of the crafting aspect they built into Skyrim? Like the ability to use the forge to create/refine armor, weapons etc...fire to cook food and so on?

Personally I don't see the value in it if I can just buy the stuff from the merchants in the towns...am I missing something? So far I've only used them to upgrade my armor and weapons to "fine" or whatever it is but so far I'm not really impressed with it. If I get my skill level up and obtain the right material can I craft unique items or is what you see what you get?

There's a bunch of awesome stuff you can do with these things at higher levels - brew really powerful potions, create dragon and elven armor, super powerful weapons, etc. It's all about the role-playing element; a lot of that stuff you can just find or buy or whatever, but people love doing it themselves.

Well I'll have to try it then...Dragon armor sounds bad a$$. Already have elf armor though...I just killed some random guys for it. I really need to play a quest or two, I haven't done one in like 5 or so game hours...just been wandering around discovering stuff.

 

[strigori]

Didn't Bethesda take the open lock spells out after Morrowind? Those things were kinda game breakers if you knew how to use them right.

Nah, they were in there.

Not attacking your post at all, but the arguments stating that certain elements were/can be game breaking kinda doesn't make sense to me. It's an RPG. If one wants to break the game and use skills that make the game easy, then so be it. The argument that the game is too easy comes from people who haven't limited themselves to certain builds than do not enjoy the exploits that these games inevitably contain.

Part of the huge draw to me for this type of game is exploit it in my first run, learn the engine, then purposefully limit myself in future playthroughs to skills which I consider more difficult to use - in regards to "easily" completing the game. And when you do complete the game in this manner, it is all the more rewarding.

Oh, I wasn't complaining. I used the hell out of those spells whenever I had them. I just thought I heard someone from Bethesda say they got rid of open lock spells because they are so deadly when used well.

Whoa...you can use them to kill people?

For some reason I never used magic much in these games...dunno why.

Anyhow what do you guys think of the crafting aspect they built into Skyrim? Like the ability to use the forge to create/refine armor, weapons etc...fire to cook food and so on?

Personally I don't see the value in it if I can just buy the stuff from the merchants in the towns...am I missing something? So far I've only used them to upgrade my armor and weapons to "fine" or whatever it is but so far I'm not really impressed with it. If I get my skill level up and obtain the right material can I craft unique items or is what you see what you get?

There's a bunch of awesome stuff you can do with these things at higher levels - brew really powerful potions, create dragon and elven armor, super powerful weapons, etc. It's all about the role-playing element; a lot of that stuff you can just find or buy or whatever, but people love doing it themselves.

Well I'll have to try it then...Dragon armor sounds bad a$$. Already have elf armor though...I just killed some random guys for it. I really need to play a quest or two, I haven't done one in like 5 or so game hours...just been wandering around discovering stuff.

There is a huge benefit from improving weapons and armor also by smithing. For example, elven gauntlets are an armor 18, at around 40 smithing skill(and the elven perk) I increased the armor to 28 on the same gauntlets.

 

[Excel]

Didn't Bethesda take the open lock spells out after Morrowind? Those things were kinda game breakers if you knew how to use them right.

Nah, they were in there.

Not attacking your post at all, but the arguments stating that certain elements were/can be game breaking kinda doesn't make sense to me. It's an RPG. If one wants to break the game and use skills that make the game easy, then so be it. The argument that the game is too easy comes from people who haven't limited themselves to certain builds than do not enjoy the exploits that these games inevitably contain.

Part of the huge draw to me for this type of game is exploit it in my first run, learn the engine, then purposefully limit myself in future playthroughs to skills which I consider more difficult to use - in regards to "easily" completing the game. And when you do complete the game in this manner, it is all the more rewarding.

Oh, I wasn't complaining. I used the hell out of those spells whenever I had them. I just thought I heard someone from Bethesda say they got rid of open lock spells because they are so deadly when used well.

Whoa...you can use them to kill people?

For some reason I never used magic much in these games...dunno why.

Anyhow what do you guys think of the crafting aspect they built into Skyrim? Like the ability to use the forge to create/refine armor, weapons etc...fire to cook food and so on?

Personally I don't see the value in it if I can just buy the stuff from the merchants in the towns...am I missing something? So far I've only used them to upgrade my armor and weapons to "fine" or whatever it is but so far I'm not really impressed with it. If I get my skill level up and obtain the right material can I craft unique items or is what you see what you get?

There's a bunch of awesome stuff you can do with these things at higher levels - brew really powerful potions, create dragon and elven armor, super powerful weapons, etc. It's all about the role-playing element; a lot of that stuff you can just find or buy or whatever, but people love doing it themselves.

Well I'll have to try it then...Dragon armor sounds bad a$$. Already have elf armor though...I just killed some random guys for it. I really need to play a quest or two, I haven't done one in like 5 or so game hours...just been wandering around discovering stuff.

There is a huge benefit from improving weapons and armor also by smithing. For example, elven gauntlets are an armor 18, at around 40 smithing skill(and the elven perk) I increased the armor to 28 on the same gauntlets.

Sounds like I've been neglecting an important bit of the game....

 

[VectorVictor]

Oh, I wasn't complaining. I used the hell out of those spells whenever I had them. I just thought I heard someone from Bethesda say they got rid of open lock spells because they are so deadly when used well.

Open Lock is still in the game--it's just on one of the stone blessings now, and it's a once-a-day open lock for any lock Expert or below (read: not Master, which is usually story or dungeon-breaking).

Personally I don't see the value in it if I can just buy the stuff from the merchants in the towns...am I missing something? So far I've only used them to upgrade my armor and weapons to "fine" or whatever it is but so far I'm not really impressed with it. If I get my skill level up and obtain the right material can I craft unique items or is what you see what you get?

Get one of the recipe books, as there are good recipes that provide benefits that are on-par or outstrip some of the potions. For example, Beef Stew provides a 20 point/second replenishment of stamina for 300 seconds--perfect to chow down on before you take on a boss (like in the case of Meridia's Temple, which has a horribly tough necromancer boss). And the stew is made with commonly found ingredients, unlike some of the higher-level potions.

On a related note, some good (somewhat funny) Skyrim footage, including glitches:

On a related note, I had a moose wipe out a bandit camp single-handedly while I talked with an Empire officer NPC...

 

[Bradr]

Regarding crafting, there is something strangely satisfying about it.

I was leveling a marksman assassin in the woods, just killing wolves, deer, and various wildlife. After each kill, would loot the corpse and not think much of it. When I got into town to buy more arrows, decided to try out the tanning rack and forge. Tanned all the pelts I had, crafted a full suit of armor, a few more pieces, and sold the rest of the armor for a tidy profit. The armor I crafted was even better than the one I was wearing. It was one of those moments, where you look at the game and say "wow". I just spent an hour playing a fighting RPG, but just turned it into a hunting simulation right out of the 1700's frontier.

My favorite moment so far was finding about the: " sneak attack animation for backstab. Since then, I have gotten my multiplier up to 30x damage and have one shotted a dungeon boss. Good times. " (whited out minor spoiler).

Loving this game.

 

[Enhance]

More than likely going to get this game two weeks before finals.

 

[strigori]

More than likely going to get this game two weeks before finals.

might want to wait til after the finals. Its a very consuming game

 

[Bradr]

More than likely going to get this game two weeks before finals.

Get it the day after finals. Definitely after.

 

[VectorVictor]

My favorite moment so far was finding about the: " sneak attack animation for backstab. Since then, I have gotten my multiplier up to 30x damage and have one shotted a dungeon boss. Good times. " (whited out minor spoiler).

Loving this game.

Holy crap...and to think I've been going in guns (magic and swords) a blazin'. No wonder I've been having a hell of a time.

Perhaps when I roll my next character, it needs to be an out-and-out thief.

 

[Bradr]

Perhaps when I roll my next character, it needs to be an out-and-out thief.

It is very rewarding and a very different play style. I'm usually a fire throwing, monster summoning mage who walks into a room and creates an inferno. There is a lot of thought that goes into scouting, being in good position when you initiate combat, making distractions to separate groups, picking off lone enemies, knowing when to use bow vs dagger, and properly utilizing potions such as invisibility and poisons. Definitely a slower game, but its pretty awesome when you walk out of a castle, knowing you just killed everything in it without ever having been spotted, and half the people in there have slit throats. :box

It is truly amazing how now matter who you talk to, everyone is playing a different style and seeing completely different things. I regularly visit the forum and hear about ll kinds of things that sound great, that I will in all likelihood never even see or do.

Very well made game despite the humorous and occasional debilitating bug.

 

[Army Husker]

Have a gripe. Lock-picking was too easy in the last game...kicking my a$$ in this one.

 

[Excel]

Have a gripe. Lock-picking was too easy in the last game...kicking my a$$ in this one.

I hear you, way too many lockpicks have shattered by my hand...

 

[strigori]

Have a gripe. Lock-picking was too easy in the last game...kicking my a$$ in this one.

I hear you, way too many lockpicks have shattered by my hand...

They really put an emphasis on the lockpicking perks if you want it to go smooth.

 

[Bradr]

There's also a astral sign stone (or whatever they are) that allows you to open one lock a day

 

[Landlord]

You guys are struggling with lockpicks? I find it pretty easy to be honest...maybe it's a difference of joysticks vs. keyboard and mouse?