General Malaise "vs." reading comprehension ; also some talk of skyim and the elder scrolls (2 Viewers)

[Claydon]

So this game would look better using an Xbox hooked up to a 50 inch plasma via HDMI, rather than playing on a computer/monitor?

Best graphics are available on computer, but you need a heavy-duty gaming rig.

My pc is a gaming rig, but certainly not heavy duty. 3-4 years ago maybe lol. Plus as I said, it's dying a slow death. Can't afford another for quite a while.

I'm currently downloading it to my PC that was a decent machine (not top of the line but not terrible) 2 years ago. I'll let you know how it runs.

I bet it will...while the NPCs and characters look better, the textures are still quite bland like oblivion when you are close up.No doubt they will be releasing mods to really make this game look amazing.

 

[Copeman]

So this game would look better using an Xbox hooked up to a 50 inch plasma via HDMI, rather than playing on a computer/monitor?

Best graphics are available on computer, but you need a heavy-duty gaming rig.

My pc is a gaming rig, but certainly not heavy duty. 3-4 years ago maybe lol. Plus as I said, it's dying a slow death. Can't afford another for quite a while.

I'm currently downloading it to my PC that was a decent machine (not top of the line but not terrible) 2 years ago. I'll let you know how it runs.

Thanks, that would be appreciated. I fear I won't be able to play it on mine though as the pc always crashes when I play newer graphics intense games. For example, I can play old games, and the most recent game I can play without trouble is the original Left 4 Dead. Left 4 Dead 2 crashes my pc. As does any video I watch (Hulu). Not sure if its the vid card, HD, PS, or chip. Trouble shooting has been a mixed bag.I figure playing on my 50 inch plasma would be pretty cool, so maybe I'll spend the $200 (cheaper than a new pc) on an xbox. Plus I can then play other games on it eventually, while sitting on my couch. But yeah, eventually I will get a new gaming rig, as I'm a pc gamer at heart.

 

[Smoo]

I've started a second build, because I wanted a character that cared about the politics. So I built a Nord Tank, a complete William Wallace rip-off. Sword and shield, you can never take my freedom, blah blah blah. I even started the game taking the attitude that I wanted to stay out of it and just start farming. But those damned Imperials have dragged me in, so death to them all.

Oh, and this guy did go a little further into the main quest. So my William Wallace is also shouting and killing dragons. Fun!

 

[AcerFC]

I'm in some dungeon right now that is frustrating the hell out of me. Always 3 bad guys in each room. Poor Lydia bit the bullet. I've died a bunch of times. I need to defeat this by the end of the night

 

[jwb]

I'm in some dungeon right now that is frustrating the hell out of me. Always 3 bad guys in each room. Poor Lydia bit the bullet. I've died a bunch of times. I need to defeat this by the end of the night

You can lower the difficulty for the one fight. Yea, I know it's not the greatest solution, but sometimes in these games, you do get trapped into a corner (I did in Oblivion - have yet to here, but it's been close).

 

[fasteddie_21]

I've started a second build, because I wanted a character that cared about the politics. So I built a Nord Tank, a complete William Wallace rip-off. Sword and shield, you can never take my freedom, blah blah blah. I even started the game taking the attitude that I wanted to stay out of it and just start farming. But those damned Imperials have dragged me in, so death to them all.Oh, and this guy did go a little further into the main quest. So my William Wallace is also shouting and killing dragons. Fun!

Awesome.

 

[WalrusMan]

I'm in some dungeon right now that is frustrating the hell out of me. Always 3 bad guys in each room. Poor Lydia bit the bullet. I've died a bunch of times. I need to defeat this by the end of the night

Lydia died for me and her body seems to have vanished. I was fighting 6 mages and numerous conjured atronachs at once and I just blew fire all over the room and killed her (and everything else). I lost a bunch of ingots :( .

 

[dharmapunk]

I'm in some dungeon right now that is frustrating the hell out of me. Always 3 bad guys in each room. Poor Lydia bit the bullet. I've died a bunch of times. I need to defeat this by the end of the night

You can lower the difficulty for the one fight. Yea, I know it's not the greatest solution, but sometimes in these games, you do get trapped into a corner (I did in Oblivion - have yet to here, but it's been close).

Cheese.Think it through, GB. I've yelled at my TV a number of times in situations like that. Then I calmed down, reevaluated my tactics, and eventually won. The victory felt great.

Shoot me a pm if you want specific advice.

 

[Smoo]

I lost Meeko somewhere. If you don't know who or what Meeko is, I'm not going to tell you.

 

[Smoo]

Cheese.Think it through, GB. I've yelled at my TV a number of times in situations like that. Then I calmed down, reevaluated my tactics, and eventually won. The victory felt great.

Agreed. Try to think outside your character model. Like if you're a tank, this solution may be found by sneaking or with a cleverly-used spell.

 

[dharmapunk]

I'm in some dungeon right now that is frustrating the hell out of me. Always 3 bad guys in each room. Poor Lydia bit the bullet. I've died a bunch of times. I need to defeat this by the end of the night

Lydia died for me and her body seems to have vanished. I was fighting 6 mages and numerous conjured atronachs at once and I just blew fire all over the room and killed her (and everything else). I lost a bunch of ingots :( .

I don't know about her body, but I got an odds on favorite where her skull is...

 

[joetrow]

Sounds like a really cool game. Worth it to buy an Xbox? I mean, I am sure I would buy other games eventually as well. I've had only about an hours worth of my life taken away from playing an xbox at a friends. I'm mainly a pc gamer guy. How hard would it be to get used to an xbox controller for a game like this?

If I'm gonna play this, I want to play on my big screen, thats why I don't wanna buy it for pc.

Also, would one of those cheap xbox's suffice for this game (the $200 xbox)?

?

You're probably better off buying an HDMI card for your computer and connecting it to your TV. Seems cheaper that way. Keep in mind that with past Elder Scrolls games there have been some really good mods that come out that are only available on the PC.

Thanks for the reply, I will think about that.However, if I were to buy an Xbox, would the $200 Xbox suffice for this game? As far as storage for saved games etc...

I'm playing on an xbox that I bought back in 2006. No upgrades. I've had a couple freezes but other than that no problems with the game.

Would the 4GB model be ok for the saved games etc....?

I wouldn't get the 4GB. You can get a re-manufactured 120GB from Best Buy for the same price (might have been $50 cheaper even). If I remember correctly Oblivion's DLCs took up about 1Gig. Go for the 120 IMO.

 

[Drifter]

Sounds like a really cool game. Worth it to buy an Xbox? I mean, I am sure I would buy other games eventually as well. I've had only about an hours worth of my life taken away from playing an xbox at a friends. I'm mainly a pc gamer guy. How hard would it be to get used to an xbox controller for a game like this?

If I'm gonna play this, I want to play on my big screen, thats why I don't wanna buy it for pc.

Also, would one of those cheap xbox's suffice for this game (the $200 xbox)?

?

You're probably better off buying an HDMI card for your computer and connecting it to your TV. Seems cheaper that way. Keep in mind that with past Elder Scrolls games there have been some really good mods that come out that are only available on the PC.

Thanks for the reply, I will think about that.However, if I were to buy an Xbox, would the $200 Xbox suffice for this game? As far as storage for saved games etc...

I'm playing on an xbox that I bought back in 2006. No upgrades. I've had a couple freezes but other than that no problems with the game.

Would the 4GB model be ok for the saved games etc....?

I wouldn't get the 4GB. You can get a re-manufactured 120GB from Best Buy for the same price (might have been $50 cheaper even). If I remember correctly Oblivion's DLCs took up about 1Gig. Go for the 120 IMO.

Amazon will have a PS3 bundle deal next week. Don't know all the details. Just an fyi.

 

[Smoo]

Spoiler

WAS THAT THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN?!? WTF?!?

(cool random encounter)

 

[AcerFC]

I just looked in the guide at the quest that is troubling me. It says I should be a level 18, Im a 7 (just leveled up to it)

anyway, for those that are wondering its this quest

Spoiler

Frostflow Lighthouse: What Lies Beneath. Just so many stupid poisonous charus

 

[dharmapunk]

I just looked in the guide at the quest that is troubling me. It says I should be a level 18, Im a 7 (just leveled up to it)anyway, for those that are wondering its this quest

Spoiler

Frostflow Lighthouse: What Lies Beneath. Just so many stupid poisonous charus

FWIW, when I was level 7-8 I was mainly still battling around Riverwood.

 

[Jobber]

Man do I need a house. I'm a bit of a hoarder. I wonder if I can find a spot somewhere outside to stockpile my stuff. I might try this and see if anyone walks off with my crap.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Man do I need a house. I'm a bit of a hoarder. I wonder if I can find a spot somewhere outside to stockpile my stuff. I might try this and see if anyone walks off with my crap.

For those that need a house, I'd recommend doing the first 2 Companions quests. The first is meh, but the 2nd, provided you make trips to town to sell stuff, should get you enough to buy a house. HTH.And I just had my first random dragon encounter. Scared the #### outta me when I heard it screech as it almost landed on me. But the best part of the fight wasn't defeating it...nope, it was when the dragon landed near a stream, 2 mudcrabs came in to DEFEND THIS HOUSE! Sadly, they fared poorly against the dragon, but I did avenge their deaths.

 

[TD32]

Can not stop playing........

 

[thecatch]

Saw a Giant looking forlornly at his mammoth that had died in the river. Great touch.

 

[dharmapunk]

I find it odd that I haven't knocked off a random house or shop. I just never bother.

Also, had a random dragon encounter with a ###### Dragon. Ok, it was actually a Blood Dragon, but the thing refused to attack. I shot arrows. I stood up in an effing clearing. It just kept circling around, making lots of noise, then went and attacked a bear and finally disappeared.

RESOLVED: DP is scarier than a bear.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Saw a Giant looking forlornly at his mammoth that had died in the river. Great touch.

Over by Riften?Edit: I snuck up on him and unloaded an arrow... and nothing.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Am I missing out by not rolling with a companion? As stated earlier, I'm playing a conjuring/destruction wizard. Obviously some fights will be easier with a tank or a blade, but do the companions add to the overall gameplay?

To me the benefit is not so much in fighting skills, but being my personal shopping cart. It's another person who can carry hundreds of pounds of stuff, so you can keep a much bigger inventory.

Yep, even though Lydia #####es and moans about it.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Finally playing. Lowest possible settings, ini file tweaks, looks like crap . . . . but I'm playing! No slide show lag (well lockpicking aside, and I'm patient enough for that). I'll probably start shying away from this thread as we're getting borderline spoiler in here and I really wnat to wander around and discover.

Cheers!

 

[thecatch]

Saw a Giant looking forlornly at his mammoth that had died in the river. Great touch.

Over by Riften?Edit: I snuck up on him and unloaded an arrow... and nothing.

Yeah. That area is such a death trap. I had died about fifteen times before I saw him, was in no mood to interrupt his grieving.

 

[orcinus]

Using a couple of the suggestions in this thread, I've come up with an easy way to earn some extra cash.

1. Instruct your companion to chop firewood. Make sure the pointer is dead to center on the chopping block.

2. Flip the TV over to the football game. Leave the wood whore to do your bidding.

3. Every thirty seconds or so, press the A button. Be careful not to hit any of the movement sticks in the process.

4. Your companion will faithfully chop wood through the fourth quarter, won't ##### and (most importantly) won't become burdened with the weight.

5. Go to sell the firewood to whomever fulfills that role in town, take the wood from your companion, and enjoy the sound of money.

Upon doing this for an hour or so, I turned around and immediately bought every last iron ingot and leather strip available, made 40-50 daggers, and boosted smithing enough to start making exquisite weapons.

Tebowing the grind.

 

[AcerFC]

I just looked in the guide at the quest that is troubling me. It says I should be a level 18, Im a 7 (just leveled up to it)anyway, for those that are wondering its this quest

Spoiler

Frostflow Lighthouse: What Lies Beneath. Just so many stupid poisonous charus

FWIW, when I was level 7-8 I was mainly still battling around Riverwood. I managed to get thru it with a lot of patience and a lot of arrows. Just finished a 3 hour session. I'm so into my college of winterfell quest that I haven't touched the main quest in 3 days. The personal adaptability of this game is awesome. Can't wait to play oblivion when I'm done with skyrim (which may be never)Still need the coin for a house but I guess I'll try to chop some wood. I hope you are resting well Lydia. Thanks for all the hard work and companionship. If anyone is looking for advice on hitting the books, let me know. I chose correctly tonight and if you don't, it could go bad for you.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

My next character will be named Tim Tebow.

 

[Smoo]

college of winterfell

Not hard to play "spot the George R. R. Martin fan" around you guys.

 

[Todem]

n00b question.This is my first venture into a game like this. Really dig it. Currently level 6 and played 5-6 hours. Is it worth starting over this early now that I have better knowledge of what I'm doing and do things a little slower?

Yah, it's not big deal. It's a game you will be playing for 50+ hours so if you feel like you can make a better character that your more happy with etc, than it's worth it to chalk the first 5 hours up as a learning experience.

I see myself playing this game for years. 300-400 hours. Multiple character builds. The amazing thing is all the random encounters. There are hundreds of ways to play this game. I am currently on my first quest for the Graybeards....but I am also just adventuring everywhere at the same time. I want to buy a house so that is my primary goal right now. I am also heading to the Mage school to start that factions quest line.The game is just a flat out masterpiece. I am truly lost in Skyrim. This is what we have been waiting for since the days of Zork.

 

[Todem]

My next character will be named Tim Tebow.

LMAO!!! Love it.

 

[Todem]

Can not stop playing........

It's a lovely sickness!I plan on playing a nice 7 hour marathon tonight. This game is a serious drug addiction for me. And in my spare time I am reading the hardcover guide on all the potions, spells, bestiary chapter. I am not looking at quest hints though unless I am at my wits end. The guide is amazing though. A nice companion piece and the map that comes with it is invaluable.

 

[dharmapunk]

I'm deep into the Thieve's Guild quests. Good storyline for a video game, much like the Oblivion guild quests.

Video games are starting to catch up to genre, and I'm loving it. Some of these story arcs in Oblivion and Skyrim are on par with fantasy novels in terms of character, suspense, and gripping plot (they're "page turners").

My dream of playing a video game on par with a literary novel may yet come true.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Dont want to give anything away, however if you play your cards right, you can get a dagger (at least thats what it looks like) that has a magic ability of a chance to instantly kill people on contact.

FEAR ME!

 

[Kirby]

That guy that runs the logging deal in riverland didn't come to work the morning after I chopped some wood... now I'm walking very slowly around the town trying to find him.

 

[AcerFC]

That guy that runs the logging deal in riverland didn't come to work the morning after I chopped some wood... now I'm walking very slowly around the town trying to find him.

This happened to me and was the most frustrating thing ever. Answer in spoiler

Spoiler

Pick the lock to their house and he will pay you

 

[hooter311]

Dove in last night, great stuff. Wandered off chasing that damn rabbit immediately after the intro. Spent 3 hours lost in the woods. Had fun though.

 

[dharmapunk]

Speaking of rabbits, anyone try to kill one?

I noticed one of the stats is "rabbits killed" (or something), so I tried to snipe one with my bow. ### #### do those little mofos move fast. Even with 1 rank of "25% slow time" I still couldn't nail it.

You probably need to use magic. Nuke'em.

 

[Copeman]

Can you play this game and succeed without using all that magical stuff? I mean, potions and stuff for healing or whatever are fine, but I mean the other stuff.

 

[hooter311]

Speaking of rabbits, anyone try to kill one?I noticed one of the stats is "rabbits killed" (or something), so I tried to snipe one with my bow. ### #### do those little mofos move fast. Even with 1 rank of "25% slow time" I still couldn't nail it. You probably need to use magic. Nuke'em.

You most certainly can't chase one down with a warhammer. I shot about 20 arrows at it too, I thought I was just an awful shot. Kind of silly that the "deer" are like giant caribou, but that is a minor detail.

 

[hooter311]

Can you play this game and succeed without using all that magical stuff? I mean, potions and stuff for healing or whatever are fine, but I mean the other stuff.

I plan on it. Despite reading 15+ pages of people raving about this, I was still skeptical. It is as awesome as it sounds and then some and I am not really a fan of the genre. My buddy had been asking me to get this to argue about and I half-jokily said that maybe I would just go out and buy Fable 3 instead and save $30.This is the game you never knew you always wanted to play.I did glitch myself into a mountain within my first three hours of gameplay. Am I not just supposed to run up the sides of these things or what?

 

[Worm]

Main quest, 1st dragon encounter:

Spoiler

So I kill the first dragon at the tower. Get my 1st shout (which I generally forget about during gameplay). Go back to talk to the Jarl, and his assistant is giving me sass about 'how can we believe that this guy is really a dragonborn?'. So, naturally, I figure that's my prompt to shout in his face. Unfortunately that was not the correct course of action and about 10 dudes attack and kill me instantly.

 

[The Hank]

What are dragonstones used for?

Found one last night in Bleak Temple.

 

[AcerFC]

Main quest, 1st dragon encounter:

Spoiler

So I kill the first dragon at the tower. Get my 1st shout (which I generally forget about during gameplay). Go back to talk to the Jarl, and his assistant is giving me sass about 'how can we believe that this guy is really a dragonborn?'. So, naturally, I figure that's my prompt to shout in his face. Unfortunately that was not the correct course of action and about 10 dudes attack and kill me instantly.

Lolz

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Speaking of rabbits, anyone try to kill one?I noticed one of the stats is "rabbits killed" (or something), so I tried to snipe one with my bow. ### #### do those little mofos move fast. Even with 1 rank of "25% slow time" I still couldn't nail it. You probably need to use magic. Nuke'em.

You most certainly can't chase one down with a warhammer. I shot about 20 arrows at it too, I thought I was just an awful shot. Kind of silly that the "deer" are like giant caribou, but that is a minor detail.

I know I've flame-killed a couple rabbits and I'm pretty sure I got one with a bow and arrow.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Main quest, 1st dragon encounter:

Spoiler

So I kill the first dragon at the tower. Get my 1st shout (which I generally forget about during gameplay). Go back to talk to the Jarl, and his assistant is giving me sass about 'how can we believe that this guy is really a dragonborn?'. So, naturally, I figure that's my prompt to shout in his face. Unfortunately that was not the correct course of action and about 10 dudes attack and kill me instantly.

 

[thecatch]

What are dragonstones used for?Found one last night in Bleak Temple.

Keep it, you'll want it on hand later.

 

[AcerFC]

Quick question for anyone who knows

Many of these quests are dual quests. What I mean is you can do it as a side quest or it can be part of a main or secondary quest. What happens if you do it as a stand alone and then it comes up in a main quest

 

[Ignoramus]

I just want to express what a pain in the ### the boss in the Staff of the Magus quest for the Mages' Guild is. Even with Lydia by my side I can't get him below abou 65% health before he fries my ###.

 

[The Gator]

Main quest, 1st dragon encounter:

Spoiler

So I kill the first dragon at the tower. Get my 1st shout (which I generally forget about during gameplay). Go back to talk to the Jarl, and his assistant is giving me sass about 'how can we believe that this guy is really a dragonborn?'. So, naturally, I figure that's my prompt to shout in his face. Unfortunately that was not the correct course of action and about 10 dudes attack and kill me instantly.

Did the same thing