Trespassers will be shot; Survivors will be shot again...

... And I can't wait to hammer the sign into the ground, as I with great pleasure scout around for intruders on my new property.

...
Oh, did you think I meant in real life? No way - I'll probably live with my parents until I die, but that isn't really the point here. The point is that we WILL indeed have the pleasure of owning property (houses and the like) in Skyrim.

It was a grand touch to Oblivion to have a place of your own and in Skingrad you could even get a sla... I mean, maid.

What I would like to know is whether we will be able to purchase more than mere houses, 1 for each city. Maybe just a hunting lodge in the forest or a mansion in the hills would be nice! Given that they take great notice to the modding community, maybe we'll even have some better "museum" options in our homes, so that we won't tip over every dynamic object in an attempt to carefully black our black sword of infinite doom in a display case.

I'm not sure if you can have children, but you can definitely have your spouse moving into your home, should you decide that you want to settle down or that you merely want dinner ready at any given point when you're taking a break from your adventures. Otherwise the whole concept of marriage seems redundant.

Should you be able to undulate into the bedroom and make your own little screamer... Well then I guess there is no point in playing The Sims anymore, is there?

How many homes you can own is unknown ATM, but I have it on questionable authority that it'll be a more than in Oblivion.

Entertainment beyond belief

You know what? I am not going to spoil a thing!
Just click this link: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/118/1182292p1.html
And hop to it, people!

New pictures^^

About a week ago, some new pictures were released and I figured I'd just go ahead and post them here - You can thank me by sending me a smiley, 'cause I've run out. Oh, I'll also add them to the picasa web album, which you can find a link to on the right sidebar.

Here you go:

 As you can see, this is a camp. Fascinating, I know. Notice also the scaleable mountain in the background, which is a good example on how the world will feel better.

 If this isn't awesome, what is?

 This guy seems to be a Nord - apart from the clipping issue near his left hand, it is gorgeous! Check out the cool armor too!

 We finally got to see a screenshot of the dwemer ruins - excitement!

 By god, a Draugr! Looking good - It's nice that all the enemies don't look exactly like each other! Even the wolves can have different looks!

A dragon right outside Bleak Falls Barrow, which you can spot in the upper left corner.

Have some Class...

This is pretty much old news, which I for a great deal of time have neglected to write about, solely because of the fact that I forgot to - bummer.

The class system is simply put the most simple, realistic and brilliant system I have ever seen in all my years of gaming. In most western RPG's, you get to choose a class, which most usually specializes in either Melee combat, magic or stealth - A concept not lost on the previous Elder Scrolls titles. Since the poll on this site clearly states that the majority of gamers began their adventures in Tamriel with Oblivion, let's use that as an example.

In Oblivion we could pick one out of several classes, after our tiring endeavours under the Imperial City prison, or we could create one ourselves - again choosing a specialization of either combat, magic or stealth. Then we picked out 7 major skills, causing us to level up when we used them.

The Elder Scrolls has also been about immersion and being who you'd like to be, which is why the developers takes it to the next level this year and completely remove all classes from the game, which saves us the trouble of having to greatly regret our choice at the beginning of the game, as we suddenly figure out that we want to be something else.

This also means that there'll be no major or minor skills, holding you back - suddenly have a change of heart and want to change your days of dirty close-combat to something that seems more dignified and sophisticated like, say, a pyromaniac magic-user? No problem!

Mai'q the Liar

I thought about coming up with a fun pun for the name of this article, but the mere thought of Mai'q is enough to bring everyone more joy than Santa Clause and Pokémon put together.

Mai'q as he appeared in Morrowind

For those of you who don't know who Mai'q the Liar is or his purpose in the game, allow me to illuminate your minds - It'll be my pleasure. Then you can tell me in the comment section, why you learn useless information like when the second world war was or how much time passes before your brain register that you're full, instead of checking up on important stuff like Mai'q!

Mai'q the Liar is a Khajit who first appeared in Morrowind, with the purpose of admitting some company humor to the game - kind of an Easter Egg. What Mai'q does is simple - He lies and spread deceitful rumors about things that fans wanted to be in the game or complained wouldn't be in the game, prior to its release.

Take for instance this one quote of his: "You wish to become a lich? It's very easy, my friend. Simply find the heart of a lich, combine it with the tongue of a dragon, and cook it with the flesh of a well-ridden horse. This combination is certain to make you undead." Which is a reference to a wish among the fans, granting us the ability to become a lich. None of the ingredients actually exists in the game.

Mai'q also returns in Oblivion, running at an extreme speed between cities. Everytime you meet him, he has a different quote for you - A good one is this: "I do not wish to fight on horseback. It is a good way to ruin a perfectly good horse... which is, to say, a perfectly good dinner." Which is a reference to the lack of mounted combat, which won't be included in Skyrim either, surely making hundreds of fans cry their eyes out.

Will Mai'q be with us in Skyrim? I gotta say, I don't believe he will. 200 years have passed since the story of Oblivion took place - How long do Khajit live? I have no idea, but I doubt that it's that long. Still, if he isn't in Skyrim, I am sure that they'll give us an equivalent that we will all enjoy!

Mai'q as he appeared in Oblivion

Lore: The Calendar

When I was playing Oblivion, I was often baffled by the calendar and all of the names I saw for weekdays and Months, so I decided to take up the project of re-creating that calendar with paper and glue - Needless to say, I didn't get farther than getting the paper before giving into the temptation of drawing characters from Dragonball Z and forgetting all about it.

Later on I wrote down the Months and days so that I could at least learn what the heck they meant - I was wonderfully close to our own calendar, called the Gregorian Calendar and also know as the Western Calendar.

I here present the equivalents of the two calendars:

Morning Star - January
Sun's Dawn - February
First Seed - March
Rain's Hand - April
Second Seed - May
Midyear - June
Suns Height - July
Last Seed - August
Heartfire - September
Frost Fall - October
Suns Dusk - November
Evening Star - December

As you can see, there is no fricken difference except for the names - The number of days are the same, even on leap years. Speaking of days, let us see what they are called:

Morndas - Monday
Tirdas - Tuesday
Middas - Wednesday
Turdas - Thursday
Fredas - Friday
Loredas - Saturday
Sundas - Sunday

Some of these names sound awfully close to the Danish names for each day, making me think that this calendar may actually have originated in Skyrim, given the "Viking" theme they have going on. If so, then all the better.

If you'd care to check your own calendar, you will notice that we are only a 104 days away from the release of Skyrim, or should I say, the meaning of our lives.

Why magic will be more entertaining!

Previously, being a magician has been dull - seriously!! In Oblivion, I tried to get some great RP experiences, so I decided to make a High Elf mage, just for the story telling. Needless to say, it quickly got boring to a point where I read my first non-mandatory book (The Templar Legacy.)

Why has it been so dull and joyless? I'm guessing it's partly because of the animations. They were all the same, you see. Apart from Fire, Lighting and Frost, which were slightly different, all other spell made the character raise his hand above his head and emit a shining light.

Magic is supposed to make you feel powerful, altering the fabrics of reality as well as destroying huge beasts with minimal effort. Like in most other RPG's, magic-users should be the guys dealing maximum damage, firing off great big fireballs with their fingers and creating storms by mere chanting, but still they would have to stay in the back of the group, 'cause a gnome with a feather-duster could take them down if it came in close. I am not saying that we should be THAT physically weak in The Elder Scrolls, I am merely saying that we should be able to feel like real powerful, badass spellweavers.

Alas, I finally think we can. Looking at the footage from various Skyrim demonstrations (1,) I have to say that the spells really are looking up. Not only does each spell feature unique animation art, but they also look powerful. Just seeing that fireball getting thrown out there, gets me more excited than the first time I watched Pokemon! You know, I caught the very first episode that aired in Denmark, by coincidence (fame.)

We can also actually DO things with our magic this time. We can lay traps, shoot of bolts and balls, create a wave of flames around us and furthermore, other spells than the destructive ones are useful too. Hats off, I never really figured out what the hell Frenzy was for in Oblivion, but in Skyrim, we have been given a splendid demonstration.

Todd Howard, or lets call him by his real name; God has given us an example at E3. 2 Marauders were standing guard at Bleak Falls Barrow and he used frenzy on one of them, from a distance mind you. Suddenly, the victim went Chuck Norris on his co-guards ass. Now if that doesn't make you feel powerful, I don't know what does!

Fishing?

For some reason I spend a lot of time on WoW, solely fishing. The reason as to why is beyond me.

Still, what I wanted to swing by you guys was the possibility that we might be allowed to go fishing in Skyrim. It is not something that the Devs have said as far as I know, nor anyone else for that matter. It is just that I noticed a little something.

Salmon Meat

As you might now, the lakes, the sea and other water crap will be teaming with life in the shape of fish, that are dynamic as far as I've gathered. Knowing this, I also happened to come across the picture on my right, featuring the meat of salmon, which is the most awesome kind of fish in the world.

Now this is just speculation, but could this mean that we will be allowed to fish? I mean, all of the meat should be  gatherable, right? And I doubt that there a salmon on the size of slaughterfish, so I don't see how else we should get a hold of it.

what do you guys think?

Meat makes the man

All men prefer a great big, bloody steak - Even those whom are allergic! Meat is the pinnacle of happiness, so don't you dare serve me vegetables! Mom!

Back when I played Gothic 3, there was an aspect that I found to be very RP engaging and that was the fact that you actually had to cook the meat in your possession, before it was edible. Or I guess it was edible, it just made you sick and restored like +1 health.

Once we sweep the beasts and animals of Skyrim off their feet (not in a romantic way, but in a stab --> push way,) we may want to cut off the lumps of their carcass known as meat, in order to eat --> Gain health. But hey, oh, hey, what, hey, yes, no, yeah - We have to cook it! It is raw! I simply LOVE that.

We all know cooking will be a job available to us in various cities, should we yearn to be old-school housewives, so I guess it isn't really a surprise. Yet, it is an enjoyable fact, so there!

So here comes my question. Something I have been pondering over. Since we have to cook our aquired meat now, does that mean that we can make campfires? If so: Excitement!

Tune in for more Skyrim Coverage, at a link near you! Or remember the URL... Or bookmark, or whatever. (Do it.)

Facebook, Forum, Fantastic

As you might've noticed, I've been expanding and changing stuff!
I've added a facebook "like" button at each post and I've made a facebook page, that I expect you all to go and "like" - Some people are already joining the coverage page, allowing me to update them quickly, as well as let them ask questions on the wall.

If you haven't been there yet, I suggest you head on over, or puppies will be hurt <--- I kid, of course: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skyrim-Coverage/137705802978253?sk=wall&filter=2
Remember to "like" it.

Furthermore, I've added a Picasa Web Album on the right - Just click the picture and it'll take you to a lush, online album filled with juicy Skyrim pictures.

And last but not least, my biggest feat so far: I've managed to create a forum on this very site! Just click the link in the sidebar on the right! Huzzah!

- McBraas

So it is actually possible to earn money without risking my life?

... Yes it is!

Granted that I haven't really pondered much over this before, I must say that most of these games have a very special way to be totally messed up. What did I do if I wanted big cash in Oblivion? Dungeon raiding! It is probably still the best way to make money, sure, but in Skyrim you will actually have the option to have a normal job! That's right! You don't need to risk your life and good health in order to gain some gold.

Not that I am complaining over the old system, mind you - I find it a decent trade-off for being able to survive without drinking and eating. Still, I welcome this new possibility with open arms and a neat doormat.

As I've previously mentioned, every NPC in the city will have a job. Evidently the citizens of Skyrim don't find it nearly as productive to prance around on the street all day as those in Cyrodiil do. Of course, you can sabotage their jobs completely. Mess up the wood chipper-thingy, or set fire to the crops - It really don't matter. The other nice aspect to see these "jobs" from is not that which sees them as a possibility to create chaos, misery and anarchy (which I know you will,) but the one where you say "Huh... Maybe I could be such a citizen too :/ "  - And you can!

Every job that you see a citizen do, is a job that YOU can do AND get paid for - It's like having sex, whilst having sex. That is, if you're into that kinda thing. Sticky.

So, enjoy the possibility of a normal job where all you risk is losing a finger (I kid of course, you won't lose a finger. More likely a Dragon will show up and scare the living S**t out of you.)

Ask and I shall answer

As some of you might have noticed if you've been on at least once in the past two days, I made a Q&A app on the right. You will now notice that it is gone - boom, just like that.

The reason for it's disappearance is three-fold
One: I didn't work. At all.

Two: Manipulating this site, in spite of my inferior skills, makes me feel like god.

Three: I made a facebook page and people are flocking to it (slight exaggeration,) so therefore I decided to move it there. If there is anything you would like to know, or would like me to research, please ask in the "Skyrim Coverage" page on facebook.

Also, I added a new background, since there were some complaints about the last one - Something about that it were annoying for the eyes and made it difficult to read properly.. If you don't like it, let me know.

- McBraas

Facebook page

So I've created a page on facebook for this website - Needless to say, I suck at it.
Please, to all my readers, if you have any decency or fanlove left in you, got to facebook and search for Skyrim Coverage and you'll see it pop up. I'd appreciate it if you would go there and "like" it.

If this works out, I'll be able to update people on facebook, as well as this blog - I figured that a lot of people would wanna have their news delivered to them in neat little blocks of text, on the page which sucks in people like a vacuum cleaner sucks in dust.

I've also added facebook "like" buttons on the site, which from my point of view, is quite the feat.
So, guys and chicks, get to facebook, like the page and make the world a better place for all of us! Huzzah!

- McBraas

Time flies when you are having fun (Fast travel)

Oh god, a lot of people on the internet has a problem with the fast travel of Oblivion and so do I. Not saying that it sucks, but... Okay, yeah it does!

Apart from the cities, you had to find the place first, but as soon as you had, you could feel free to magically zap your way over there screaming "BaZiNg!"
Not to say that Morrowind didn't have flaws, 'cause you could practically find yourself spending an hour or more getting to wherever you needed to go.

Many, many folks who actually do like the way they handled it in Oblivion, often argue with the fact that if we don't like the fast travel, then we shouldn't use it. Now, as NextMasterMind neatly enough pointed out, there is one problem with that statement: It's stupid. (I'll link his video in the bottom of this post.)

I will use his example, 'cause it is good: Asking us to not use fast travel, is like asking the fat kid to choose between a carrot and a cake. Our other options are walking and riding by horse, which isn't much of an improvement - That only leaves the unsatisfying fast travel option.

I did like Morrowind better - they had boats, striders and Astral Recall.
But how is it being handled in El Skyrimo?!

I shall tell you! It is a mixture of the two, huzzah! There will be boats for travelling between coastal cities, which is just great. Mind that we won't be able to enjoy our voyage across the sea - it is fast travel after all. Of course this isn't Morrowind, so we need to be able to say goodbye to the Striders, as they are ugly and don't really fit in. However, there are other options. You can jump aboard a travelling merchants carriage and either choose to sightsee the entire trip, or you can skip that and go straight to your destination.

Now we reach the point where I am not entirely sure how it works, but the way that I've understood it, we also have the option we had in Oblivion: If you've been a place before, you can return there by clicking it on your map. I do know that we can't do that with cities, until we've been there, like we could in Oblivion.

But what about the astral recall? Sorry to inform the fans, but no. After consideration they decided not to include it, due to the bad touch they felt it gave Morrowind. There were some situations where you could just use it, when you just weren't supposed to. So no. Sorry.

All in all, it looks to be good - should I have the Oblivion option, I will mod it out, I think. Still, I am sure that those who want are more than happy to hear that it is back.

Oh, and here is the link I was talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nXO4gLxfgQ
Enjoy

Makeover Princess

I know next to nothing about any sort of coding or website managing / creation. I once fooled around with Ruby, but that's it. Even here, where google practically comes up and smacks me in the face with pre-made layouts I stare and drool more than a young teenager looking at a girls boobs for the first time.

You'll noticed that I've changed the site a bit. I've but the poll in the top, I've added a Picasa web album on the right, so I can share all of my Skyrim photos with you. I've also added a little A&Q box, so if you have any questions or something that you'd like to discuss, feel free to use it. All for you.

I've changed the clock in the bottom. Strangely enough I became dissatisfied with the large orange field, with small-ass letters and numbers. This one is prettier, easier for the eye and has a better setup.

Apart from that, I've put the archive under the clock and added a facebook "like" button at each post (biggest challenge of my life.) The tags / keywords are still on the right, I figured it would be best not to move them.

There are still videos at the bottom, as well as follow options.

Now, back to me being retarded on the subject - If anyone has any suggestions to make the website more... smooth, then go ahead and contact me on my mail: madsbraas@gmail.com

Now let us move away from the world of Skyrim and move on to other projects - I also lead a coverage site on Saints Row the Third (solely because I was asked to,) and if you've been to it, you'll notice that it is quite empty. Why is that? Because I know less about Saints Row than Blizzard knows about holding their release dates. I will gladly recruit anyone who is willing to help on that project, 'cause I have never felt more handicapped.

For anyone interested in Naruto, I am also handling the coverage of Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations - That I can do, so I don't need any co-writers there (not that you aren't welcome, if you want.) Links are in the bottom left as always.

Thank you
- McBraas

Why and where you should preorder Skyrim (PAL)

I wouldn't wait around for some sot of special pre-order edition, 'cause that probably won't happen. Just preorder now!!

Why should you? First of all, Skyrim is awesome and there'll be a brutal battle for being the first to play it and post crap about it on the internet. You could be that douchebag! Huzzah!

Should you preorder, you will get an authentic map of Skyrim in a nice, woven material. If you don't, you'll get it on stupid paper.

If you decide to buy it, and you can completely ignore what I write now if your region code is not PAL, you should preorder it from shopto.net
If you preorder it from shopto before November 9th, you'll receive it on the release date, not to mention that it is cheap - both the game and the delivery.

Personally I save more than 50% by preordering it from Shopto. So that was just a neat little webstore that I'd like to inform you of. Take it or leave it.

You did the crime (of course,) now how do you do the time?

A little follow-up to my crime article.

Amidst my adventure through life, I realized that I had not explained what happened if you are a fool and get caught. You assume jail time? Correct. Although there is more to it than in Oblivion.

As I explained previously, there are 9 regions in Skyrim, each with their own, individual bounty for your luscious head. If you do a bad thing in region A, there won't be a bounty on your head in region B. Simple as that.

Should you wreak havoc across each and every region and fail to make sure that the witnesses are sleeping with the fishes, then you might find yourself in a situation where escape isn't an option.

You eventually get caught and need to serve some time, given that you can't pay up. Now here is the difference: Each region have different jails. We don't exactly know what types of jails yet, but there are at least 9 different, so I kinda want to set fire to crops and rob merchants just to find out what they look like on the inside. You can of course serve your time as intended, or you can try and make a daring escape (probably via lockpick.)

So who is excited to enter the world of Skyrim to assassinate Nobles and take their money to give it to the poor? I know I am, 'cause I can't wait to see the poor peoples faces when I kill one of them and take it back, as well as set everything on fire as a follow-up.

I kid, I kid. Of course I won't do that. Would you?

Horker!

If any of ya'll played Bloodmoon, you'll know what this is all about! There'll be Horkers in Skyrim! HORKERS! WONDERFUL! Okay, I may be overreacting a bit, but I love horkers! So cute!

They are like little seals :')
Of course they have a tentacle-like mouth and will probably  try to eat ya, but you still wanna get in there and get a good hug before it sucks out your brains. Okay, I don't know if they actually do that, but they look like they might. Still cute though. You know... Brain-eating cute.

How did I, among approximately 3-10.000 others, notice this little detail? It's plain and simple. Watching a bit of the E3 demo, we saw a glimpse of the inventory menu, which I'll write about later on. Anyway, there was meat, but most importantly X in there, but that I have already written about. There was Horker meat in ze Inventory!
Yae!

Will the Horkers once again be the peaceful creatures that's actually way to easy to piss off, or will they be lovely critters with anime eyes? Or maybe strong, masculine seals of death, still maintaining an air of cuteness about them?

Tune in on 11.11.11 to find out!

Ze Blade!

I'll consider this an "equipment topic finisher."

It'll shortly be about the swords. As I mentioned about armor, it'll only be Heavy and Light, without a medium option.

But people also ask whether we'll see short swords, medium sized swords and long swords. The answer is the exact same: No.
There'll be one-handed swords and two-handed swords. Expect the one-handed to be shorter than the two-handed. That it is, folksies.

By god, let the lord almighty smite me if there is anything left out now. Of course I mean Alduin, not God.

A dedicated Rubrics cube

I have solved my newly acquired Rubrics cube and I dedicate this lovely occasion to the already legendary game of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Huzzah!

Skyrim will be out in 122 days and I suggest to you all that you do as I and make this your browsers home page: http://skyrim2011.info/

Simply because of the awesomeness.




- McBraas

Look over yonder!

Just another short one.
I'd like to comment on the brilliant landscape of Skyrim.

In the previous installment: Oblivion and even the Fallout games, we could draw a line on our map and say "I want to go there!" And then just start walking in a straight line until you got there.

In Skyrim we'll not only be able to see further over yonder, but we can go anywhere we want - Not in a straight line though! There are mountains blocking your way, which you'll have to scale in order to move on. And get this: Every mountain in Skyrim is completely scaleable. You CAN reach the top on everyone of them!

This is mainly the reason that Skyrim will feel bigger than Oblivion, in spite of having approximately the same map size.

This idea is a genius worthy and I fully endorse it. Whomever made that decision should have chocolate and flowers placed as a surprise on their beds - Along with a naked Mr. T of course.

Pad my shoulders

This'll be very short and work as a finisher for my armor articles, which the last couple of articles have been about.

There a couple of fine gentlemen on the internet whom believes that there are an additional piece of armor to equip, other than what I've already mentioned here (Body armor, Boots, Gloves, Helmet.) That piece of equipment is shoulder pads.

The reason for this is that they've no doubt spotted the shoulder pad, covering the left shoulder of our friendly neighbourhood Dovahkiin.

It is, however, wrong. This isn't World of Warcraft, where we can all enjoy the luxury of fourteen hundred equipment slots. The shoulder pad is part of the Body Armor (the combined greaves and cuirass.)

Now I think I've covered all armor-related questions, so hopefully I'll be able to move on with new articles... And solving my rubrics cube.

The Viking Helmet

Believe you me, I am a huge fan when it comes to helmets with horns. They are intimidating and they look brutally awesome. Wicked cool. It looks fresh. Will Smith wouldn't be the prince of Bel-Air without one. I'm totally sure that he does have one!

Anyway, when I was a kid, growing up, as kids do, I went to elementary school. Of course, since I am Danish, we had to learn a bit about our history and heritage. Hint: Vikings. In the books there were illustrations of big, brawly men, wearing helmets with horns.

Also the latest games that had been focusing on Norse culture, as Skyrim does and as World of Warcraft did, have illustrated people wearing horned helmets.

Notice the two pictures in this article. The Draugr overlord and the Dovahkiin, both wearing them. See?

A lot of people have also come to learn about Norse culture and the fact that there is a little spot on the map called Denmark, which isn't just the capital of Sweden.

I think it is great that it'll be part of the game. It makes players feel epic. Just a little notion --> Vikings didn't wear horned helmets, just regular ol' leather helmets.

That is all, Thank you.
-McBraas

Overtopic!!

Seriously, it's the same things being asked over and over on the forums. Oh, this is not news, it's just me talking BTW. Or writing... Actually.

I check in regularly on the forums and there are a lot of the same topics being created CONSTANTLY!
The most common ones I see are:

• Can my computer run this? (Often replied to with a load of crap)
• What is the first thing you will do in Skyrim?
• Are there spears?
• What races will we be able to choose from?

That last one blows my mind completely. I figured that THAT would be the thing that everybody knew. I found out what races there would be in Skyrim before I found out the true meaning of foreplay (stalling.)

Worst thing is that all of these questions has already been answered a lot of times! A lot, a lot! More times than Phoebe Buffay has asked out guys!

I wrote an article, here on this very site, about the so called "estimated" Pc requirements, which should be our best base ATM.

Anyone worth his salt will of course put on a dark robe and fire off a poisoned arrowed, right in the kisser of a mean looking guard, in an attempt to impress the Dark Brotherhood, whom we will naturally assume will be watching.

And no there will most definitely not be spears. I do request that people stop blabbering over how much that sucks. It has been clarified many a time why there aren't in the game - Besides, it's just a stick with a knife at the end. How awesome is that? Not a lot. Know what an awesome weapon is? A spoon blade! Here, have a look: http://dontevenreply.com/view.php?post=84

And what races will there be? Hmm... The 10 that we saw in Oblivion:

• Imperial
• Redgaurd
• Khajit
• Argonian
• Nord
• Altmer
• Dunmer
• Bosmer
• Orsimer
• Breton

If you really wanna know all'o this and you don't know any sites, you can use the magical tool named "google." To all of you who don't know "google" - It is a search engine, the best there is. You only have to type in words and then it'll search ze wholz Intawebz. Here is a link: http://www.google.com/

I am not saying that I have a problem with it being asked over and over again. It doesn't affect me, in person. I think it is unnecessary, but by all means go ahead. There are no silly questions, just silly answers - that I provide.

- McBraas

Armor is the new Black

So I've written about armor and weapons in a previous article.

A quick summary on the armor:
We have 4 pieces of armor. Helmet, Boots, Gloves and then the now combined Cuirass/Greaves, which we'll just call "Body Armor."

Allow me to briefly expand upon the whole armor thing.

The devs have promised us more varied armor. This means that we won't have a definite look attuned to our level and neither will the mobs. (Like all the Marauders in Oblivion wearing Glass Armor in the end.)

Now here is where I answer a question: Will there be medium armor again?
As much as I love playing classic D&D 3.5 I am not to sorry to reply: No, there won't.
There will be Heavy and Light Armor only.

Of course there is nothing wrong with heavy armor, for the big brutal Warrior. That is just cool! The light armor for the swift, sneaky assassin is the pinnacle of awesomeness.

Why the medium armor? No reason!
I say that we will survive with the other two, don't you!

How others spend their time - Part I

Practical as I consider my blog to be, there are also others who are doing their part for the Elder Scrolls community. There are loads of stuff to read everywhere. I figured that I would direct you towards some of them from time to time.

A fellow Gamespot user, calling himself Assassin-Ninja, have done a little summary. I skimmed through it and it seems like a very nice read. One might not guess that he has that a creative side when looking at his username, but he writes really well. Have a look at his "summary" here: http://uk.gamespot.com/users/Assassin-Ninja/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25938836&tag=all-about%3Bblog1

I also came upon another person doing approximately the same thing as me: Do a blog on Skyrim. If you're looking for something that isn't here yet, then I suggest heading over to the http://theskyrimblog.com/
Evidently we think alike, having both made articles named "Will you marry me?" - Luckily I came first and shall be suing him for copyright soon (joke.)

Wake up in the morning, I brush my hair. Getting dressed to meet my friends, but what EQUIPMENT should I wear?

Anyone familiar with the term "combined equipment?" If not, a short example is in its place.
Back in Morrowind, each piece of equipment was equipped individually. This means that as opposed to having "a pair of boots" or "a pair of gloves" as in Oblivion, you had just "Two gloves" or "two boots." This also means that you could equip, say a leather boot and a metal boot at the same time, which means that you could look pretty damn stupid.

Still, the freedom was nice. Not that freedom is for everybody. Luckily those people aren't welcome here.

In Oblivion, we had these options:

• Helmet
• Cuirass
• Greaves
• Gloves (pair)
• Boots (pair)

Very nice, very nice. A step down for some, a step up for others. Definitely not a big step for mankind, Neil Armstrong.

What weapons did we have in the last game, then? Well, we had One- as well as two-handed Sword, Maces and Axes. Then we had daggers, to stab the naughty stable keepers when they asked for an unreasonable sum of gold for their crappy horses. Also there were staves, for the kinky magician and a bow with arrows, to be awesome with.

I'm sure a lot of ya'll want to know what will be available in Skyrim. At least there has been people asking around on forums, so I guess that that is good enough!

First, the non-weapons!

Skyrim will feature non-individual piece of equipment, just like Oblivion did. Sorry folks! I know that a lot of you have read the "The Elder Trolls: Source" (as I call it) and had come to believe that it would be like Morrowind, but sadly for you: no.

It actually takes the over-all thing a step further. The Cuirass and the Greaves have actually been combined. There are two main reasons for this: First of all, it looks more awesome and epic that way! (The devs mentioned that in the nordic styles of armor, the cuirass would often cover the Greaves, which made them unnecessary.) Second of all, it renders faster (simple language: loads faster,) meaning that there can be more NPC's on-screen on the same time.

Now, now, don't feel bad. Nor good, actually.  Indifference is awesome. Anyway! I bet a lot of you are concerned that it'll mean less variation. Fret not! The devs have promised many more variations of armor styles, so we won't all look like each other. Unless we want to.

Evidently, there won't be cloaks / capes, so to all of you people out there, still keeping your hopes up, or haven't learned anything at all from watching The Incredibles, you'll have to wait for the mod.

The weapons then!

The weapons are the exact same as in Oblivion. No more no less. Apart from the magic feeling a lot more like an actual weapon and not cheap street-peddlers entertainment, there are no real new additions.

Maces, Axes, Swords (still in both one-handed and two-handed,) daggers, staves and Bows.

But there is something else you can fight with: A torch! Many time sin Oblivion, I came upon a troll whilst carrying a torch and thought: "BURN, BITCH, BURN! IN A RESPECTIVE MANNER; WHILS'T WE BOTH RETAIN OUR SELF-RESPECT AND SENSE OF GENTLEMAN PRIDE!!"

Unfortunately, I couldn't use it back then! But I can now!!

There are also different bows. Some take longer to string than others, but needless to say, they also do more damage. Whether we will actually be able to fight with our staves remains to be seen. From footage experience, I'd say that they work like in Oblivion as well.

So that is it folks. No spears, no crossbows and no guns.