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Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Hands On Preview
Chris Leyton
02/03/2006
The wait is nearly over as TVG grabs a five-hour whistle-stop tour of Cyrodiil...
Prior to 2002 I would never class myself as a hardened RPG fanatic; the odd occasional game of Diablo, Final Fantasy and Deus Ex, but that's about as far as my knowledge of classes, experience points and the finer details of the d20 combat system extended. All of that changed however when Bethesda unleashed the world of Morrowind. Never had a game encapsulated a gamer within such a believable world, provided the platform for a completely non-linear experience and created such a sense of adventure in the process. The sheer scale of the game was nothing short of intimidating, and still remains to this day one game to continuously return to, discovering new areas and attempt to finally lay to rest - despite one concerted gamer accomplishing this feat within a magnificent seven minutes (something that any Elder Scrolls fan simply needs to see).
Morrowind became a huge success for Bethesda, but more significantly gained enormous popularity amongst Xbox circles, garnishing a Game of the Year adaptation and endearing hardcore RPG's to mainstream gamers in the process. So when Bethesda lifted the wraps on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion back in September 2004, promising to extend the free-roaming nature of the series, evolve the AI and deliver state-of-the-art visuals, they had one TVG member who'd already begun to dream about the possibilities.
Fortunately the wait is coming to an end as we approach a release date that can't be talked about as of yet, officially at least. That wait however came to an end for TVG recently, for five hours at least, when invited to play the latest build of the PC version. This isn't the first time I've had the pleasure to go hands on with Oblivion, having enjoyed the briefest taster of what lies in store on the Xbox 360 at last year's X'05 event. Today was however all about the PC; a chance to play the game from the beginning and see what five hours worth of gaming would bring in the Imperial province of Cyrodiil.
Fans of Morrowind will be accustomed to the way in which Oblivion begins. Cast as a prisoner whilst a fellow inmate makes aspirations towards looking after your wife upon his release, the player's fate is immediately woven into the central storyline with the arrival of the Emperor, Uriel Septim VII, being escorted to safety by his trusted Blades bodyguards. Since witnessing this scene back in October I've played it out a million times over in my head; the sense of atmosphere embodied by the lighting, the expressions on the characters faces and the chains swinging around courtesy of the Havok physics engine. Still the chance to hear Patrick Stewart once again was reason enough to have the hairs rising on the back of my neck; Oblivion gets off to a great start.
Set during the closing days of the third era, the introductory sequence finds Uriel Septim recognising the player from his dreams, a sign that his time in the mortal realm is coming to an end and an opportunity to escape from a lifetime behind bars. Perhaps by fate rather then coincidence, your cell contains a secret passage which the Emperor and his blades are using to escape to safety via the city's sewage works. This introductory sequence acquaints Elder Scrolls veterans with the many changes that Oblivion brings and provides a chance to bring newcomers up to speed.
The widespread appeal of Morrowind has evidently ensured Bethesda are looking at ways to improve the series accessibility. Right from the start it's obvious that Oblivion plays at a much faster tempo then its predecessor, whilst the inclusion of a handy compass with waypoints is subtly implemented.
Despite its many qualities, even the biggest Morrowind fan would look at the combat system and identify numerous ways in which the hack and slash technique, largely devoid of any real skill, could be improved. Fortunately that appears to be one of the first aspects that Bethesda has taken onboard, not only enhancing the visceral nature but also its level of accessibility. No longer are you slashing away at Mud Crabs with little success at the start of the game, Oblivion appears to get the balance just right when it comes to laying down a challenge but at the same time not feeling like Cyrodiil's entry into the Mr. Universe tournament.
Immediately combat packs more of a punch then ever before, there's a sturdy sense of impact behind every blow along with agonised screams of pain that accompany every attack on the player. Combat was a means to satisfying greater needs within Morrowind, plain, simple and to the point; Oblivion changes all of that with a wider variety of techniques based upon your current skill level with a particular weapon. Although five hours is never going to be long enough to discover everything Oblivion entails, such techniques as charged attacks with a homing motion similar to Halo 2 Plasma Swords were witnessed along with a sliced finishing combo with accurate timing, whilst a hint from a loading sequence suggested proficiency in blunt weapons can paralyse opponents. Conversely Bethesda have also paid attention to the defensive options, implementing the ability to accurately defend with a shield or the hilt of a weapon. The combination shows every sign of improving upon Morrowind's offering immensely, bringing in a system that excites and introduces a further element of skill when it comes to blocking and opening up an opportunity to attack.
The decision to remove thrown weapons and concentrate exclusively on bows was questionable, however it appears that Bethesda were completely spot on, implementing a system that is thoroughly refined with the close integration of Havok physics. Arrows have a believable sense of trajectory, and bounce or stick into objects dependant on a variety of factors such as speed and the target material. It seems Bethesda have had fun playing around with Havok and the possibilities it provides, one other such example early on in the game finds you unpegging a group of logs to roll down a hill and crush unsuspecting goblins below.
A catchy mini-game now governs picking locks within the game, requiring players to tap each tumbler up and move to the next before they drop. Although this was fairly routine on the most basic of locks, it did cause a few issues later on, so it's a good job to find an Auto-Attempt option available. Stealth within the game has also been immeasurably improved and provides the chance to gain a 4x multiplayer on the total amount of damage dealt. Crouching low to the ground, the standard crosshairs is replaced with an eye, which becomes lighter and darker depending on visibility and such aspects as whether shining armour is being worn or not.
Captivated by what Bethesda had managed underground, it was nothing compared to the first moment you step outside into the luscious realm of Cyrodiil. Greeted with a rolling hill down to a babbling river, the view extended into forests beyond and an icy mountain range in the horizon; HDR lighting gleamed in the blue sky, casting a striking shine against the silhouette of the landscape. Luscious is perhaps the best word to describe Oblivion, from the ferns, flowers and plants that carpet the floor and sway in the wind, to the impressive use of SpeedTree to create some of the most believable forests ever seen in a videogame. Once again it seems exploring the world which Bethesda has created will prove just as compelling as the main game. Day passing into night remains as awe-inspiring as it was in Morrowind, even more so as night now brings a greater sense of trepidation. Atmosphere appears to be one of Oblivion's most noticeable traits thanks largely to the focus on small details; crickets and owls come to life in the dark, clouds reflect in the water below and star constellations illuminate the night sky.
On a strict schedule to get a sampling of everything Oblivion has to offer, it's not long before finding yet another major improvement in the shape of Radiant AI. Given the bold claims of Radiant A.I and the lack of significance placed on scripted events, one such event that seemingly highlighted its strengths occurred on a road to the Imperial City. Coming across a travelling merchant in the dawning hours of the morning, our subsequent conversation must have alerted a nearby bandit, who promptly jumped in with his axe raised high, ready to pounce on whatever he could get his hands on - thankfully my two-handed claymore had a different idea. Further examples of Radiant A.I at work included couples chatting to one another only to stop once I drew near and a group of people gathering in the local inn during a heavy rainstorm.
The five hours simply wasn't long enough to get a sufficient handle on just how advanced Radiant A.I will be, however the illusion was certainly there on the small cast of characters we did come across and suggests that Oblivion will better Morrowind in every way, likely resulting ion one of the most believable game worlds around. Certainly putting this amount of power into every characters AI was a risky choice and presumably a nightmare to test against the various eventualities; thankfully there's not many like Bethesda who are geared towards taking such a leap.
Conversation within Oblivion has been developed into a catchy mini-game that comes across as a careful balance of skill and luck. The traditional Admire, Joke, Boast and Coerce options are divided into quadrants of a circle, each of which have to be played once within a round of conversation. The art comes in telling when to play each option, watching for the change of expression on the character's face and identifying how much of the quadrant is filled; thus a fully filled quadrant that the character doesn't appreciate will reduce your score and vice-versa. Further options come in the shape of bribes, which can add a certain amount of points to the total score, which in turn dictates the level of friendship or animosity shown between the player and an NPC. Closely tied to speechcraft, Oblivion develops the concept of bartering with NPC's, switching a slider to indicate how easy or hard your bid and displaying the buy and sell prices at various percentages.
Surprisingly one of Oblivion's most noticeable introductions and perhaps the most awaited appears relatively early in the main game. With a land-mass greater then the size of Morrowind and without a Silt Strider in sight, horses provide an appropriate sense of transport throughout the world. At this late stage horses do appear to move slightly strangely, transitioning between trot and gallops almost instantly and having a few difficulties when navigating across haphazard terrain, however there's little doubt they're very much welcome. Intriguingly I was unable to fight whilst atop a steed, instead having to make a decision of rushing through or disembarking every time, and it also seems like you cannot be knocked from your steed.
One slightly more contentious issue, but one naturally aimed at ensuring Oblivion is far more accessible then Morrowind, is the ability to Quick Travel to certain directions. Personally I'm of the opinion that it breaks the sense of illusion somewhat, and when you've got such a luscious world to explore and a horse to do it on, why bother? However it invariably serves a purpose, and looks as though Bethesda have incorporated it subtlety, ensuring the game doesn't just become about completing quests and warping to the destination of the next.
Further noticeable changes from Morrowind include stamina no longer being tied to running but instead closely linked to combat; a move that invariably picks up the overall tempo of the game and a nod towards those who don't class themselves as Elder scrolls fanatics. Equally Magika now replenishes over time much like Health and Stamina. Certain spells have been removed and the skill list appears to be slightly condensed compared to Morrowind, but thankfully nothing to concern yourself about. Additionally Unarmed and Medium Armour skills have also been removed, likely as a means to streamlining the experience somewhat for potential newcomers.
A scout of the map revealed at least nine towns of various magnitude (Bruma, Imperial City, Cheydimhal, Leyawii, Kvatch, Anvil, Chorrol, Bravil, Shingrad); though five hours simply didn't provide enough time to check these all out, there appears to be a good sense of diversity, from the humble dwellings to be found in Chorrol to the majesty and epic size of the Imperial City.
The way in which quests are presented to the player also promises to be a little more dynamic then the "Fed-Ex" style traditionally imposed in RPGs. One particular situation saw a quest opened when stepping into a house, to identify where its owner had disappeared to; other examples included characters wandering up to the player in the street, wanted posters adorning the walls of the Imperial City and eventually being invited to join the Thieves Guild after going on a stealing rampage.
Speaking of which if you do find somebody's items rather attractive you are likely to spend time behind bars. Much like Morrowind, when caught by the guards you'll have the option of paying the fine, resisting arrest or going to jail; Oblivion differs by presenting an actual cell for players to spend their time in, with one lockpick providing the only opportunity to escape. Unfortunately my lockpicking skills just weren't good enough, so at this stage it's hard to say what benefits skilled thieves may be able to discover - I'd be surprised if there wasn't some reward for the dextrous thief however.
The adventure was finished with a run out in the Arena. As you'd probably guess from the name, this section of the game puts players into gladiatorial combat, fighting round after round to appease the betting crowds and accomplish higher ranks. Electing to wear either Light or Heavy suits, the Arena is a welcome introduction, heightened by the brutal nature of the new combat system, though we can't help but feel the sense of atmosphere would only be heightened if there were more spectators in the stands.
So a whistle-stop tour of at least some of what Bethesda has in store with Oblivion. Naturally there's lots more, particularly the fact that upon the developer's request no media have been allowed to progress significantly into the main game and explore the world of Oblivion, which looks likely to remain a mystery until the game hits the shop shelves. What I did manage to get a sneak peek of was the first Oblivion gate, an experience that shows every sign of defining what the game is all about. Striding atop a horse to a walled settlement atop a hill, the sky dramatically turns red as what appears to be a flame in the distance rapidly grows in size to become a fully blown portal. Some suggest Oblivion will be a series of randomly generated sections, similar to the dungeons in Elder Scrolls II and trying to capture the infinite nature of Oblivion; I'm quite happy however to keep it a surprise until the final copy arrives.
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