Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

[Zergadooful]

I had the same question as you, but one of friends is letting me borrow it and it's rather awesome.

It's a lot different from Fallout 3, as you never have to worry about radiation or health, just pop a few restoration spells and keep on fighting and/or jumping off cliffs. That and there are authorities that will fine/imprison you, so it's not as easy to slaughter an entire town.

It's still a really fun game, and it's definitely worth joining guilds, as you get crazy good weapons and armor.

 

[Wayneguard]

Now given that the game is going to be 4 years old this year, will the experience at all be tarnished by playing more advanced titles like Fallout 3 and New Vegas?

I played it for about 5 minutes yesterday and was overwhelmed at the amount of information there was to take in. I felt so lost. But I am sure I will pick it up.

If you've played fallout 3 and NV then you shouldn't be overwhelmed by oblivion.

For $12, I know I can't go wrong, but I still want to know if it is actually worth playing.

Yes... yes God yes play them all!!!!

 

[archvile93]

It was okay, other then the huge world there's really little that's special, and the level up system is, well it's just broken. There's a reason those jokes are going around saying it's bad to level up. Make no mistake though, there are some fun missions to be had. The Dark Brotherhood really stand out, especially searching the house for that gold. For $12 yeah I'd say it is.

 

[Wolfram23]

It's a pretty shitty and boring game. Don't bother.

Just kidding. Some people like it, maybe you will too?

 

[Sozac]

I recently lost my copy of that game :'(, so i hope i can find a deal that good. And yes it is worth getting, most of the glitches are fixed, its just up to you to get into the game.

 

[badgersprite]

Well, I replayed it out of excitement for Skyrim not that long ago, and I still loved it. Mind you, I'm never bothered by changes in graphics, I knew exactly what to expect from the game so it's impossible for me to be disappointed by expectations, and I'd mastered how to min-max the levelling system, so my replaying of a game I already loved isn't necessarily going to be the same as a new person playing for the first time.

My advice: don't go in expecting a huge epic story. It's a freeroaming RPG. Do whatever the hell you want for a while. Go around and loot houses if you want to play as a thief. Go do some guild missions, or stumble across some random quests. Go raid a dungeon. Just have fun. Roleplay and make sure your character feels right for you.

There'll be little or no continuity between Oblivion and Skyrim that won't be explained at the start of Skyrim, so you're probably not missing out if you never finish, but, still, it's great fun to just explore the world and run through the forest or swim through Niben Bay or go wipe out those marauders in the Aleyid ruins nearby.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Also, are there any hints on how to persuade people? All I did last night is piss people off.

And Thoromir (?) I had no clue of how to get him to spill the beans about his stolen stock!

The most important thing to know about persuasion is ... it doesn't matter if you screw up.
So, rather than attempt to watch the faces (which takes time and doesn't help all that much anyway), I start each persuasion thing on clicking four times on the smallest bar.

That will tell you which 2 options lower disposition, and which 2 raises it.

Then the fastest way to max disposition is probably to figure out how to use the small bar on tne negative options, and getting the maximum gains you can (sometimes it isn't much).
Just repeat a few times and you'll get some gains.

Also, it REALLY helps to get to level 25 in speechcraft.
The 1 extra rotate is awesome.
(and you can get to level 25 by just repeatedly clicking on random choices)

 

[rmb1983]

I was at Gamestop yesterday and saw that Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was $12 used, so I finally decided to buy it.

The only reason I bought it was because of how cool Skyrim looks, and I don't want to be left out of that excitement.

Now given that the game is going to be 4 years old this year, will the experience at all be tarnished by playing more advanced titles like Fallout 3 and New Vegas?

I played it for about 5 minutes yesterday and was overwhelmed at the amount of information there was to take in. I felt so lost. But I am sure I will pick it up.

Is this game worth playing now? Or should I just wait for Skyrim and play that? Is there continuity?

For $12, I know I can't go wrong, but I still want to know if it is actually worth playing.

Personally, I'd say it's worth the time investment. It does have its hitches, but the game, overall, is a fantastic experience. It will be overwhelming at the start, as the game is so expansive and open-ended; as many suggested, try to start by working on quests in one of the smaller cities, then go from there.

As with all of the TES games, so far, there is no real continuity between them. There are references made, but each game's story is independent, and the references will not reflect your characters' actions.

Also, are there any hints on how to persuade people? All I did last night is piss people off.

Yeah, persuasion sucks. I've very rarely actually used it successfully, get used to paying people and using spells to make them like you.

I wasn't ever really for or against the Persuasion mini-game, as it was interesting but really chipped at the Fourth Wall, but it really wasn't all that difficult to use. I was going to get into it, but since someone already has, the main point for advice is to cycle through the quarters and watch the NPC's facial expressions to get a good read on which two comment types they like, and which two they dislike. From there, you can plot your choices on the wheel to yield maximum benefit and minimum loss. Sometimes you have to take a medium hit to make a decent gain, or use a smaller gain to avoid a huge loss. Just remember that, and you should manage fine after tinkering with it a few times.

 

[Altorin]

I wasn't ever really for or against the Persuasion mini-game, as it was interesting but really chipped at the Fourth Wall, but it really wasn't all that difficult to use. I was going to get into it, but since someone already has, the main point for advice is to cycle through the quarters and watch the NPC's facial expressions to get a good read on which two comment types they like, and which two they dislike. From there, you can plot your choices on the wheel to yield maximum benefit and minimum loss. Sometimes you have to take a medium hit to make a decent gain, or use a smaller gain to avoid a huge loss. Just remember that, and you should manage fine after tinkering with it a few times.

I'm sure the Persuade mini-game looks great on paper. It's sort of like Social Combat in some pen and paper RPGs. Match wits with a person, convince them to be your friend using jokes, coercion and just animal magnetism. But it was a horrible abortion in the game. For one, it's way too easy to bypass - either through bribes if you have the money or magic if you don't (A Fortify Speech/Charisma 100 Self, Charm 100 touch spell was stupidly easy to make and made the entire mini-game moot), and it just wasn't fun. Persuading every single person in the game was exactly the same - you opened it up, figured what they liked and disliked, and then played the little mini game and just watched the numbers.

Ideally, it should have been something like Samara's loyalty mission in ME2, but better. Find out what the person likes.. what they really like, and then drop lines about it in conversation with them. Not spin a pie chart around until you reach 100 points.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

Yeah, my first three characters were a total mess. But the mistakes I made and the things I learned helped my fourth character become epic. Until I completely fucked up my levelling and I was being raped by Daedra by level 10

It's got a bit of a learning curve, but it's different for everyone.

 

[putowtin]

it's great, best advice, take it slowly to begin (20 to 30 hours) and get into the guilds, there's some great weapons/spell/stuff to be had!

 

[rmb1983]

I wasn't ever really for or against the Persuasion mini-game, as it was interesting but really chipped at the Fourth Wall, but it really wasn't all that difficult to use. I was going to get into it, but since someone already has, the main point for advice is to cycle through the quarters and watch the NPC's facial expressions to get a good read on which two comment types they like, and which two they dislike. From there, you can plot your choices on the wheel to yield maximum benefit and minimum loss. Sometimes you have to take a medium hit to make a decent gain, or use a smaller gain to avoid a huge loss. Just remember that, and you should manage fine after tinkering with it a few times.

I'm sure the Persuade mini-game looks great on paper. It's sort of like Social Combat in some pen and paper RPGs. Match wits with a person, convince them to be your friend using jokes, coercion and just animal magnetism. But it was a horrible abortion in the game. For one, it's way too easy to bypass - either through bribes if you have the money or magic if you don't (A Fortify Speech/Charisma 100 Self, Charm 100 touch spell was stupidly easy to make and made the entire mini-game moot), and it just wasn't fun. Persuading every single person in the game was exactly the same - you opened it up, figured what they liked and disliked, and then played the little mini game and just watched the numbers.

Ideally, it should have been something like Samara's loyalty mission in ME2, but better. Find out what the person likes.. what they really like, and then drop lines about it in conversation with them. Not spin a pie chart around until you reach 100 points.

While I agree that the concept behind the mini-game is definitely one of those "Great in Theory, Awful in Practice" ideas, it was at least an interesting concept. However, it wasn't just that simple. Each NPC had a maximum disposition value you could reach via Persuasion and/or Bribes. The spell system, sadly, did allow you to cheapen the effort, but I personally ended up using it simply because the game pigeon-holes you into using it, in some cases (as certain NPCs require particular Disposition levels towards you for some information, quests, etc).

Like I said regarding the original topic: The game is definitely worth a good play. It does have a few flaws, but has a lot to offer, and is overall a great experience. It's not necessary for Skyrim, but will contain lore that'll hint at what Skyrim's lore will be like, and Skyrim is bound to make plenty of TES I - IV references.
I personally didn't find the Persuasion game all that trying, but it does get a little boring after using it as much as I did (ferreting out every single NPC I could Persuade just to be loved pretty much the world-over), and I happen to be a bit of a number cruncher, in games. I crave learning about a game's mechanics, what can I say?

 

[Aphex Demon]

Yeah, my first three characters were a total mess. But the mistakes I made and the things I learned helped my fourth character become epic. Until I completely fucked up my levelling and I was being raped by Daedra by level 10

It's got a bit of a learning curve, but it's different for everyone.

Daedra - low level - *shudder*

As you wish, Lord Inglip

 

[Altorin]

I wasn't ever really for or against the Persuasion mini-game, as it was interesting but really chipped at the Fourth Wall, but it really wasn't all that difficult to use. I was going to get into it, but since someone already has, the main point for advice is to cycle through the quarters and watch the NPC's facial expressions to get a good read on which two comment types they like, and which two they dislike. From there, you can plot your choices on the wheel to yield maximum benefit and minimum loss. Sometimes you have to take a medium hit to make a decent gain, or use a smaller gain to avoid a huge loss. Just remember that, and you should manage fine after tinkering with it a few times.

I'm sure the Persuade mini-game looks great on paper. It's sort of like Social Combat in some pen and paper RPGs. Match wits with a person, convince them to be your friend using jokes, coercion and just animal magnetism. But it was a horrible abortion in the game. For one, it's way too easy to bypass - either through bribes if you have the money or magic if you don't (A Fortify Speech/Charisma 100 Self, Charm 100 touch spell was stupidly easy to make and made the entire mini-game moot), and it just wasn't fun. Persuading every single person in the game was exactly the same - you opened it up, figured what they liked and disliked, and then played the little mini game and just watched the numbers.

Ideally, it should have been something like Samara's loyalty mission in ME2, but better. Find out what the person likes.. what they really like, and then drop lines about it in conversation with them. Not spin a pie chart around until you reach 100 points.

While I agree that the concept behind the mini-game is definitely one of those "Great in Theory, Awful in Practice" ideas, it was at least an interesting concept. However, it wasn't just that simple. Each NPC had a maximum disposition value you could reach via Persuasion and/or Bribes. The spell system, sadly, did allow you to cheapen the effort, but I personally ended up using it simply because the game pigeon-holes you into using it, in some cases (as certain NPCs require particular Disposition levels towards you for some information, quests, etc).

Like I said regarding the original topic: The game is definitely worth a good play. It does have a few flaws, but has a lot to offer, and is overall a great experience. It's not necessary for Skyrim, but will contain lore that'll hint at what Skyrim's lore will be like, and Skyrim is bound to make plenty of TES I - IV references.
I personally didn't find the Persuasion game all that trying, but it does get a little boring after using it as much as I did (ferreting out every single NPC I could Persuade just to be loved pretty much the world-over), and I happen to be a bit of a number cruncher, in games. I crave learning about a game's mechanics, what can I say?

Yeah, I wouldn't sell Oblivion short because of the persuade mini-game. I mean, you literally can avoid it the entire game if you don't mind make making a cheap little spell. All that being said, the persuade mini-game is horrible for many many reasons, but most horrible of all is that it's not fun. It's sort of a hilarious mockery of what it could have been.

 

[RuralGamer]

Is this game worth playing now? Or should I just wait for Skyrim and play that? Is there continuity?

For $12, I know I can't go wrong, but I still want to know if it is actually worth playing.

Keep playing it man; it gets better once you start to get the hang of it more and getting into the world may help make Skyrim less overwhelming when you start it; at least you'll have a vague idea of what's going on. Personally, I'd have to advise you don't give up on it now; start with the main story then wander off the beaten track and do the other parts of the game; the main story does help explain most of the game's systems.

 

[rmb1983]

Yeah, I wouldn't sell Oblivion short because of the persuade mini-game. I mean, you literally can avoid it the entire game if you don't mind make making a cheap little spell. All that being said, the persuade mini-game is horrible for many many reasons, but most horrible of all is that it's not fun. It's sort of a hilarious mockery of what it could have been.

I don't recall laughing...

ZING!

 

[Broderick]

Take it slow and go explore places, you dont have to go into ruins or anything, just mark em on your map for later. Go into any major city and join a guild. Fighters guild for any standard fighter(melee or otherwise), mage's guild for magic users or hybrids, and the theives and dark brotherhood questlines for those sneaky folk( might be a tad hard to find for begining players). Do random quests, kill monsters. Go crazy.

If your trying to make the best possible character, make sure none of your major skills are unused. Try to keep things in your area of expertise too(warrior wearing plate with sneak skill as a major is a tad weird). Enemys scale with your level so as you level it will get easier or harder to kill enemys(mostly based on your gear, its sometimes quite hard to upgrade new gear if you dont know where to look, this is especially prevelant in later levels when its impossible to gear up further).

even if you dont use alchemy as a major skill, its good to use; you can make all sorts of potions that heal and restore fatigue, as well as poison.

I would also reccomend getting a silver weapon sometime, if you dont have a magic one, as ghosts can only be harmed by magical or silver weapons.

All in all, just explore, join a guild, do dungeons, go nuts. Eventually you will get the hang of it, as learning through experience can be the best kind of learning. If all else fails, look it up!

So yes...for all its critisisms, its still WELL worth it to play. If you got it for pc you have the luxury of getting mods as well. Elder scrolls has a dedicated and well recieved mod community, so after you play the game for a while, go give one a shot.(i mean hell, one group basicly overhauled morrowind with graphics better than oblivion's.)

 

[Altorin]

Yeah, I wouldn't sell Oblivion short because of the persuade mini-game. I mean, you literally can avoid it the entire game if you don't mind make making a cheap little spell. All that being said, the persuade mini-game is horrible for many many reasons, but most horrible of all is that it's not fun. It's sort of a hilarious mockery of what it could have been.

I don't recall laughing...

ZING!

I laugh at how utterly bad it is all the time. I'm laughing right now. In practice, how could anyone look at that and say "Yeah... I think we got it. This is what our persuade mini-game is going to be, it's perfect."

 

[Purple Shrimp]

it is an incredibly overrated game that largely feels extremely unpolished, but I guess it's worth $12