Modding assumption: Console Condolences

Yes, I chose to roll PC this time around, just for Skyrim - but console wise, there's still something that is bothering me. This is just an assumption,but I get the feeling, from the way Bethesda's folks have been talking about it lately, that what we were told would come to pass, will not.

I talk about modding for consoles. Howard told us back in July that they would integrate modding to consoles - In fact they already could, they just didn't have a decent security system for it - They hadn't even begun working on it (Which is fine.)

It's just they way they talk, when modding's on the table - It's just a feeling; A hunch - I'm just saying: Don't get too down, should it turn out to be an empty promise. I'll keep you posted on the topic - from now on, I'll be watching it closely.

Spriggans!

Are you a total hippie? Then you might wanna turn your heads away, 'cause this shit iz gonna' get uglay'! From the great forests of Skyrim, the spriggans make their return and they are by far more devious than ever. By that, I mean that they ain't pathetic chicks that summons bearcubs not even worthy of the name "Winnie the Pooh!" He was more deadly than they'll ever be, and that's saying a lot!

No, Spriggans make a return, more rugged (<-- Random adjective) and more male-ish than ever. Being the pretty mean forest spirits that they are, we'll have no choice but to slay them and light them on fire! As well as the forest where they resided prior to their death. You know.... Just to make sure.

Say hello to my little (Dragon)friend!

It's been said, but yet to been done. I'd like to put emphasize on a really peculiar event that Howard recently spoke of: the befriending of a dragon.

 [Guess the movie reference in this post's title]

If you don't know yet, it just so happens that we will, presumably through the main quest, get a chance to get all social with a dragon, which we then eventually will be able to call to come and aid us in combat, with a dragon shout called "Animal Allegiance." It is the third and final word in the shout, which means that you'll have to find and master the two previous words before you'll be able to summon this fire-breathing son-of-a-bit.. Son-of-a-dragon.

How we meet it and how we persuade it to join our side, I have no idea of. I honestly didn't expect this. At this point I also feel like I should mention that you won't be able to ride him. Oh, and of course you can only summon him outside.

I really hope that we have to defeat him before he joins us, just to prove that we're more badass than him. It's actually just so I won't feel like a pansy for calling on him.

That aside, I've noticed something interesting about him - It might just be me that's colorblind, but I felt like I should throw my observation out there. Kinda like I throw soda cans after armadillo's. Only.
I'm weird, but Todd said that there were 6 main types of dragon, of which I think we've classified in another post, though it is not official, just observation.

If our list is right, then this fellow is one of the "unique" dragons, that differs from the other, typical (yet not quite so dull,) dragons. When I paused the video for the 132th time, I noticed that he was kind of a dark-blue / Purple color <--- So what kind of dragon is that supposed to be? A Jill? I don't think so, 'cause they are supposed to be black.

Who is this dragon? Why is he different? Why is he on our side? People, tell me - What the fuck is going on?

The indomitable power of children

A highly debated topic for TES fans ATM, is the whole thing with children being unkillable. Why is it like this and how will it affect our game experience.
Whilst some NPCs unfortunately is essential (unkillable,) it is a necessary evil that we must endure, so that we can reap the benefits of many wonderful quests and stories - But children ain't really all that important on that account, are they?

A guy on the TES forums came with a good example for the con list. He spoke of an annoying, un-immersive scenario that he would hate to happen to us. Should he kill the denizens of an entire town (for reasons unknown,) he would not want the children to continually run away from him as he approached a town that should be un-populated.

That is undoubtedly a mighty fine argument for why we should be able to violently butcher innocent children, but alas, we must take everything into account.

When Hines was asked on Twitter, I distinctively remember him answering that a lot of the people who work at Bethesda are fathers, and wouldn't feel comfort or joy in letting any harm come to children, virtual or otherwise.  This is fairly understandable, and whilst a concentrated population of internet trolls and bullies would argue that Bethesda consists of a bunch of pussies (not my opinion,) but lets not forget a secondary argument, which I am sure that Bethesda has also thought of. Should they have done it in spite of being uncomfortable with it, they would have been staring straight at lawsuits and riots, consisting of angry, displeased parents  (Them I don't like, though.)

This could all boil down to a matter of taste. Some can take it; Some can't. But I guess where I am going with this explanation, is that I want peace on the matter. The verbal fight that rages across forums is a war unnecessary - And you know why? Because 5 days will pass after the release and we'll have a mod, making the offspring of Skyrim quite potentially dead.

Don't have a PC? Well, then I guess you've got to rethink your life a bit.

Why you should choose the path of: Melee

We've been back and forth, done magic and stealth, but here is the last, and I expect, least sought out path: Melee. Now I can understand why you'd want to be a deadly assassin, moving through the landscape unseen and unheard, as you make your way to your target, successfully making his death look like an accident.
I can also see why you'd might want to be a powerful mage, watching your inferior enemies tremble in fear as you begin to set everything around you on fire, as well as enjoying their failed attempt to run away after you've iced them.
But people! We're forgetting the oldest kind of hero! The Knight! (The oldest actually is demigod, but nevermind that!) The big, strong, presumably handsome man, whose ability in close combat outmatches the brute force of any adversary, be that a brute orc commander or a fierce dragon that roars with fiery death! One who's not afraid to get up close and battle it out - And you know why? 'Cause that son of a bitch can take it! Every single punch, kick and swing you take at him, he just brushes it off and kicks ass. Sort of like Batman. Now, who wouldn't want to be him?

Bring it, bitches!
Unlike the two other paths, the tools (weapons) of the warrior are not limited to specifics, but he has a wide array, which brings me closer to the point - It'll just be a minute. The thing that keeps the warrior alive is the hardcore armor and the crazy amount of health, giving them the ability to absorb heaps of damage before finally falling over whilst dying a necessarily bloody death, preferably by dragon, so that there is a good excuse. This all means that he can get in close and make use of one of the more enjoyable aspects of melee combat in Skyrim: Finishing moves.

This is where the ability to mix and match all sorts of weapons, comes in play. It works like this: Dovahkiin has a different finishing move for every weapon and every enemy in the game - Surely you've seen the mace dual-wielding hero in some of the recent footage, whom slays a troll in the most awesome of ways. Now it is even cooler than... Batman!

No need to be careful
Why walk around with a shield spell in hand - Or crouched in the darkness, when it ain't necessary? You could be awesome instead! One of the great perks of rolling warrior style, is that when we scout through the dark cave, or through the trees of the autumn forest, we don't have to watch out, 'cause if anything jumps on us, we don't give a shit. We. Just. Kill. It.

... Or tame it, if it's a bear!!

Crafting skill: Smithing
This is just rad. Unlike Oblivion's armorer skill, this isn't about repairing our disintegrated fur boots with a hammer - Our equipment doesn't disintegrate anymore, so there's not really much to repair, now is there, Timmy? Didn't think so! No, instead we create, upgrade and sharpen stuff to make our armor tough and our blades deadly! Once we master this fine skill, we'll be able to create stuff out of even Dragonbone! But keep in mind that these bones are insanely heavy, so you may have to kill a couple of dragons in order to get enough bones back to the forge town.

Guild
The Companions - soon to be your companions, my brute friend! This is the warrior guild, equal to the fighters' guild in Oblivion, consisting of melee fighting mercenaries. They are primarily seated in Whiterun, but they have several sub-divisions elsewhere - I personally know of two: The Shield Brothers and The Circle. As you travel through the wilderness of Skyrim, you may come upon a farmstead, where a bunch of Companions are fighting a giant. Should you help them, their leader will thank you; Should you not, she'll be displeased with you - either way she invites you to go to Whiterun to join the companions.
Whether you have to prove your merit in Whiterun, or taking down a giant is enough, is unknown.

McBraas Responds: Thoughts on the new Dark Brotherhood

If you are anything like me, you'll never forget what an incredible experience it was to be woken up by a man, wrapped in a pitch black robe, giving you the chills as he lends the creepy, yet talented voice of Wes Johnson. It was thrilling and exciting, as he granted you the Dagger of Woe, with a goal; A purpose. After the death of Rufus, Lucien LaChance sent us to Cheydinhal and as we first entered the Sanctuary, we knew that we were not alone - We had a family.


Sure, eventually we had to assassinate every single one of them, but that's not really the point, now is it?
Point being - Joining and working with The Dark Brotherhood is probably one of the most memorable RPG experiences that I have lived through and I can only hope that it will be just as epic in Skyrim.

So what do we know so far? Well, we no longer grab their attention by killing an innocent. Although it was a cool way to spark their interest, it's fair to say that it was also easy - That is if you do not have a conscience.
Bethesda decided to up the stakes a little, and it seems that we really have to stand out this time around - As far as I've gathered, we have to receive a quest from some stupid kid somewhere (might be random due to Radiant Story) and that quest will take us on a dangerous, yet epic journey somewhere potentially painful and lethal - Which is no more than a normal day for Dovahkiin! All we can hope is that it doesn't interfere with our afternoon spot of tea.

Grabbing them by the beard and shaking it aside, it looks as if they've gotten a new design, expanding their previous, already vast choice of clothing and style (black.) How do I know this? Well, I've obviously acquired a super secret video (public on YouTube) and taken some pretty hardcore screenshots. It seems that they wish to emphasize what impact blood has on their career, should we choose to reflect on the dark red color, mixed with the classic black. How do I feel about this? Well it's just our friend Tony the Tiger always says: Greaaa-at!

Apart from one little detail, that about covers it. What little detail? What, McBraas?! Be nice and tell us, please! Please!! We're dying to know! If you don't tell us, we will have to lock ourselves in the back of our minivans (which everyone has) and get our non-awesome, non-skyrim friends and or comrades to take us to the nearest lake and dump us in there, along with them and the van, in shame and agony, after stopping at the local gas station to fill up the tank on the van, as well as a quick dummy beating behind the dumpsters, reminding us that we really don't have a place in this world; this universe even!

Well, when you ask like that, who could say no? We know what their entrance looks like. I used my keen memory and the magic of sight to spot that the symbols on the door in a certain screenshot, matches the carvings on the door to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. I also recalled several reviews (3,) where the journalists found this door and mentioned that the skull asked them several riddles, which they didn't have the wit to answer correctly. Given that three people found it by coincidence, I'm thinking that it is rather easy accessible and we know that it ain't located in a city this time around.

I dream that we once again can enjoy the ecstatic and blissful ride of a long series of tasks along our dark brethren - Maybe this time around, we'll even get to do jobs along with some of our brothers and sisters. We can't know for sure, until the game is out; However, One thing we do know for sure is: As soon as Skyrim is out, we've got a family to join - And may the joining be bloody!

You've got to be kidding me!

You know, I love spoilers; Most of the time, anyway. I look at spoilers for several mangas every week and it is good! But the fact that someone would leak the Skyrim manual against Bethesda's will was appalling, yet I couldn't help myself. The horror and glee, mixed together in a pot of tension, rises up again today, a mere 5 hours before writing this - And do you know how? Maybe you've heard already? Someone leaked the first 20 minutes of Skyrim, which is to say: "The intro." And not some intro video with enthusiastic music, no, the real fucking intro! Execution and interruption - Everything.

Guy with sword = ZeniMax
Bear = YouTube accounts

Once again I felt a small surge of negative energy flowing through me, as I thought of how disloyal whomever leaked it is! Did it stop me from watching? no.

I just got home and found out, as ZeniMax was closing down YouTube channels for showing their game intro before the official release - It was less than 10 minutes before it was closed down that I found the first part, covering 13 minutes, and started streaming it, allowing me to watch it. As far as I can tell, all of the video sources have been closed and it is no longer accessible.

That said, if anyone so desires, I will describe what I saw in the video - But for that you've got to tell me first. If you want me to, I'll make a post about that and make sure to mark that it is spoilers.


-
McBraas

Flame Atronach!

Hahahaha!!! I laugh at the poor design of Oblivion's flame atronach, which by the by, I hated! That was the enemy we got the least response from when we hit and it ruined the image of an epic battle for Kvatch that I had in my head, time and time again.

But let the complaining stop (for now) and the epicness begin! The Frost Atronach were among the first revealed enemies, leaving the question: Will there be more atronachs? Uummm... Yeah, there will! I've taken the liberty of acquiring some recently released footage and there was a flame atronach and... Yeah, well just look at the pretty pictures.


So far it is going a little like this:

Cool Frost Atronach ---> Awesome Frost Atronach
Crappy Flame Atronach ---> Rad Flame Atronach
Storm Atronach ---> ?

Skooma?

I'm confused - We've had months and months to ask for details about Skyrim and yet no one has asked if there is Skooma!

Don't know what Skooma is? Skooma is an illegal, liquid drug manufactured from refined moon sugar, which we saw from time to time in Morrowind and Oblivion - We could even find the Skooma Den in Bravil.
Originally it was banned by The Empire, due to its usually devastating effects, but I'm thinking: 200 years later!

It's not that drugs are all of that, but it just sort of adds to the immersion that they also have illegal street medication, like us non-fictional people do (I'm not saying that we literally have it in our possession, but that it exists.)

I like the idea of finding out that the well respected noble is a Skooma addict, by accidentally stumbling upon his private room, fall, and by sheer coincidence having our lockpicks fall out of our pockets and into our hands, whilst it slowly approaches the lock on his chest and just happens to lock it up in the process.

Anyway - I was just wondering.

Grab it!

Was it Z? I think it was Z.
Am I talking about V's twin brother, whom I just made up saying this sentence? hah! No!
I am talking about the button we had to press on our keyboard in order to pick up stuff and move it in Oblivion.

So are you like me? Do you need your home neatly decorated with eye-catching artifacts and ill-gotten goods, but am afraid that we no longer have that option? Well, fear no more my friend, 'cause with Skyrim you can do it all on your own terms - Move a flower pot, let your sword lean up against the wall for display, or drag the civilian you "accidentally" killed into a river and watch her float away!

Skyrim - Buy it today, if you're awesome

Da-da-dam-daaaaam-
 - Because You're worth it!-

Too cool for school

There are awesome people out there. So awesome that they let their children off of school so that they together can direct their full attention on saving the world from Alduin - The World Eater - Bane of Kings! Sounds too good to be true?

I suggest you direct your attention to this letter I've obviously planted in this post . Coolest. Dad. EVER!

Can I haz child?

Is it human nature to wish for a future, where you come home to a warm cozy house, a loving wife or husband, and of course your offspring, eagerly awaiting your arrival with a hug at the ready? It sounds nice to you, doesn't it? - Nah, I know what you're thinking: It sounds like fucking hell, or Desperate Housewives without the 90210 elements which keeps it going, but in spite of that, there are tons of people out there screaming for answers! Can we have children in Skyrim?!

Why you would want to spawn a money-draining, time consuming piece of offspring is beyond me, but I guess it is not my place to judge and I may not be the proper guy to do that either, given my reaction to Fable 3's relationship system which went a little like this:

- You can bang? ----> I wanna try that!

- You can get married? ----> Let's see what that entails!

- I got married ----> Fail!

- Now what ---> More sex!

- Wife is pregnant ---> FUCK!

- Child grows up ---> To be annoying

- Wife has divorced me and left with child ---> I guess the game ain't that bad after all

But that aside, we had a question to be answered! As far as I've gathered, Bethesda has released no answer to this question, and I've been watching carefully (Until security found me and threw me out of their building,) but let us just take a minute to think about it people, please!

How long does it take for women to process a child (Yes, I call it that) - Approximately 9 months (right?)

Then there is a baby! Then baby grows up - Years goes on! This also means that all the other children grow up and become adults and that the young people grow older and eventually die. Does this sound like an Elder Scrolls game? No! Time doesn't actually pass in Skyrim! The world is static in that way! Beth just can't do that, which is why I suggest that we all drop the subject and go home.

As a few comforting words for the people that I've just upset: If we could have had children, I would've named mine: Snotlocker. What would you have named yours?

6 Gigs?

If Pete ever snaps from taking crap, I won't blame him, given the massive rage against Bethesda that has occurred after the release of the very late PC specs. It is quite common for people to act in an aggressive manner when fear strikes and it seems that the fear of Skyrim being small, ugly or having lack of content is no difference.

I am of course referring to the fact that Skyrim only will take up approximately 6GB of space on your hard drive, which have gotten people worried.

For months, I have been answering your questions and gathering intel, but now I think it is time for me to ask you one - From all you've seen and all you know of Skyrim and the team behind it, how can you ever, EVER doubt that this game will max out on the epic scale? Time and time again, Bethesda has proven that they go above and beyond - Always!

So why does Skyrim only take up 6GB? As Pete stated: They use a new engine and they have simply become very skilled at compressing.
My advice: Be happy - Don't look a gift horse in the mouth - Leave Pete alone.

PC Requirements - Part 3: The Official PC specs

The moment all of us PC users (awesome people, Chris; Awesome) have been waiting for: The PC specs! Sir Hines took the liberty to post them on his twitter account earlier and I gladly reaped what he sowed.
We both have the min. requirements and the recommended requirements, so rejoice; I will post them both!

Also, If you are not a computer whiz and ain't sure what it means or whether you can run it or not, feel free to post a comment and ask. Then you shall receive my wise answer.

Anywho, here it is my friends!


Minimum Specs

• Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
• Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor
• 2GB System RAM
• 6GB free HDD Space
• Direct X 9 compliant video card with 512 MB of RAM
• DirectX compatible sound card
• Internet access for Steam activation

Recommended Specs

• Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
• Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
• 4GB System RAM
• 6GB free HDD space
• DirectX 9 compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1GB of RAM (Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher).
• DirectX compatible sound card
• Internet access for Steam activation

Skyrim Live-action trailer

Recently there have been sightings of some real-live action pictures on Skyrim's facebook page and as expected, they were hinting at a live-action trailer - And get this: It is already done! I've taken the liberty to add the video to this very post! Enjoy it!

The Scenery of Skyrim

And here we've got a little collection of pictures, featuring the scenery of: Da-da-da-daaaaam - Skyrim

Why you should choose the path of: Stealth

Continuing on from where we left on with magic, it's now Stealth's turn to show up on our radar and get a chance in the spotlight. Stealth has always been my favoured method of combat in every game, probably explaining my never-ending love for Assassins Creed, but more importantly, The Elder Scrolls have been no exception to my stealth addiction, which is why excitement should arise around this post! I'm excited - Are you?

Remain unseen and unheard
Stealth was nice in Oblivion, but it had its flaws. For one, it was easy to be forced into it, simply not to be noticed by enemies who shouldn't even be able to spot you in the first place. But as with everything else, stealth has been improved in Skyrim, finally allowing us to utilize our ninja potential.

Stealth or no, if we're not in line of sight, enemies won't spot us and that is it! Hur-f'ing-ray [Insert happy smiley!] Also, in contrast to Oblivion, the stealth-marker is no longer just "visible" or "invisible," but actually it is shaped like an eye, opening as you get closer to being spotted and of course it closes the other way around, allowing you to adapt to the movement of your enemies.

As always, the factors to take into account when you are sneaking is three-fold:

1. Line of Sight
2. Darkness
3. Noise

As said, if you are not in their LoS, they won't notice you, unless they're around the corner and making a big racket - If you are, then you're not ninja anyway! I think the best way to describe it, is that it'll be realistic and just leave it at that. The amount of darkness you are standing in can also benefit you; The darker, the better.

Then there is noise - This is where you want to use small weapons and light shoes to remain undetected.

Deal some serious damage!
If attacking whilst stealthed, you can multiply your damage. Also, Bethesda finally pays heed to the classic stealth rule and makes daggers the preferred weapon, granting not only more bonus stealth-damage when attacking with it, but also making it less likely to produce loud noise.

McBraas suggests: Dagger and Bow

Lockpicking
People (Brad) has been asking for info on this and I gave it to them (him,) but I will hurl ya'll an explanation here, given that lockpicking is a classic skill of the stealth-user (ninja.)

Did you play Fallout 3? Or perhaps New Vegas? If so, then you already have the answer as to what lockpicking will be like in Skyrim, 'cause it is completely identical - You use turn the pin around until you find the right spot and then you just crack it open; If you got the wrong spot, the pin breaks.

Crafting skill: Alchemy
Alchemy has now become the primary crafting skill of the Assassin, or thief, or whatever. It is quite the surprise, given that it commonly resides to the magicians to make potions. Unfortunately, I never get the one potion I want, transforming people into pigs - but I'll live.

In order to brew the radest poison, you'll need to travel all over Skyrim, due to the 7 different major climates of the land. Exactly what kind of poisons, other than damage dealing ones, we can brew - Well... That's exciting.

Guilds
The sneaky types will have two guilds speaking to them.

For the more peaceful types, we have the Thieves' guild, located in the sewers beneath Riften. Nothing beyond that is known about the guild so far. Hopefully most of the heists will be as big and epic as the last one we did in Oblivion. That. Was. Epic.

For the more awesome types, we've got The Dark Brotherhood, making their return of awesomeness. As we seep into our dark robes, sit down in our optimal-comfort chairs, boot up our personal computers and double click the Skyrim icon on 11.11.11, the first thing dwindling in our minds is this: Where the fuck do I find My family? My Brotherhood?! - And why will we be doing that, exactly? Well, we're pathological escapists, but foremost we see the brotherhood for what it is: Awesome!
Anywho, as far as I've gathered, we need to do a specific quest, gained from a child, which will catch their attention, meaning that killing an innocent will no longer cut it. Not that I'm stopping you, mind you.

Takedown
Like the melee path, stealth features takedowns, "one-shotting" your victims with your vicious blade.
There are several types, so be excited!

Just adding some screens...

... Revealing your full-blown, naked... Skyrim fanatasy!
Most of these are screenshots of the GTTV footage, which I stole from another site that wrote on the "weapons," which I really don't care about TBH. There's also a screen I haven't seen before, but evidently it ain't new.