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Well, at least we won't run out of dragons in Skyrim
As if the concept of defeating just several dragons in Bethesda's forthcoming Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim wasn't enough to get your dragon-murdering blood going, maybe this little bit of info from producer Todd Howard will: "There is an unlimited number of dragons" in the forthcoming game, he told Norwegian magazine Gamer.no (according to a fan translation on Bethesda's forums). Not only will dragons appear in scripted encounters, but they'll also be randomly generated in the gameworld. The translation also notes that "all dragons speak" in the game, with Howard fu rther explaining "it's actually what they do when they are spouting fire." He hinted that some dragons will be able to communicate with the player in "the common tongue," though we're distinctly worried about what happens when a dragon can't remember the "common" word for something. Does he try to pronounce it in dragon, and accidentally set ablaze whoever he's speaking with? Either way, it sounds dangerous.
Skyrim 'mostly a DirectX 9 game,' PC mods could make it to consoles
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Bethesda's Todd Howard discussed the differences between the PC and console versions of the studio's upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- or, rather, the lack thereof. "The game looks the same," Howard said, though he later added, "With the PC, the texture sizes are going to be as big as you want to make them, and you can pump the resolution up, obviously." As far as the visual nitty-gritty (yes, that's a technical term), Howard explained that Skyrim is "mostly a DirectX 9 game in terms of how the shaders work." Sure, that may mean that the game could lack some of the technical punch of DX11, but there's an advantage to Skyrim's platform neutrality. Speaking to Edge, Howard said that the user-generated content authored by the game's PC players could be made available to console gamers, as well. "We'd like to see it happen, because it works, it's how we made the game," Howard said. We'd like to see it happen, too -- but only if it results in us getting those pretty environmental updates, and not the creepy ones that make everyone so very naked.
Skyrim preview: Sky's the limit
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim looks superb. I don't think I'll be alone in saying so -- Skyrim was the only title presented at Bethesda's "BFG 2011" press event in Park City, Utah last week to elicit a round of applause. The hands-off demonstration began with the player character, Dovahkiin (Dragonborn) strolling down a detailed mountain path in Skyrim, the northernmost province of The Elder Scrolls' fictional continent of Tamriel. The game takes place some 200 years after the events of Oblivion, and dragons have mysteriously emerged in the world once again.%Gallery-121459%
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim still unconcerned about giant flying beasts
We were worried that you couldn't get through another day without the reassurance that, somewhere in Maryland, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is being made -- even before the SkyNET Kinect sequel! And yes, it still looks incredibly impressive. And maybe inspires us to want to fight dragons. Maybe. %Gallery-120207%
New Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim footage is better than we deserve
We thought we couldn't be more excited for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but the just-debuted first in-game footage for the game has proven us terriffically, comically wrong. Dragon fights? Beautiful environments? The kind of score that makes you want to leap out of your chair and just LARP? It's all here. Come with us after the break. Come, have a boner ... or a lady boner.
Bethesda proves it's really serious about Skyrim baby name contest
Bethesda wants your baby to be named Dovahkiin if it's born on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's launch date of November 11, 2011. The company is offering up an unspecified prize pack for those who take up the challenge. We frankly thought it was a joke until an update today to the company blog specified one of the prizes up for grabs: A Steam key granting free access to "every ZeniMax/Bethesda game - past, present and future - for life." Note to the sort of parents who would name their kid Dovahkiin for free Bethesda games: If we were making a list of the times when it would be the least prudent for you to have a baby, the day the new Elder Scrolls game comes out would be like, right near the top. Just right up there. "My parents were great," said 10-year-old Dovahkiin in 2021. "I didn't meet them in person for the first few months, but after that, they were swell. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three appointments to be savagely beaten during recess today, because my name is Dovahkiin."
Bethesda releases fresh Skyrim concept art
We don't know what you have in the way of weekend plans, but ours have just been made. You enjoy your bars, your temples, your massage parlors; we'll spending our time writing fan fiction about this very Nordic batch of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim concept art that Bethesda just released. Take the above image, for example: What treasure could so entice this viking that he'd be willing to do battle with a bear with tentacle legs? ... We don't know right now, but we've got the whole weekend to come up with something. %Gallery-116324%
New Skyrim screens show off ugly beasts and not-ugly humans
We've had to suffer four whole iterations of the Elder Scrolls franchise featuring characters with gaunt and terrifying faces. However, a recent flood of screens from OXM UK and PCGames.de give us hope that Skyrim's NPCs won't be quite as upsetting to gaze upon. Check out the new Skyrimages below.
Harry Partridge is pretty excited for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
We're not going to say the news of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had the same effect on us that it did on Harry Partridge -- actually, we doubt anybody could be as excited for something as Harry is for Skyrim. See what we mean by checking out the video past the break!
Skyrim's 'dragon shouts' explained
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim director Todd Howard recently revealed one of the ginormous RPG's fresh, new mechanics to Game Informer -- he also inadvertently provided us with the name of our new speed metal band. They're called "dragon shouts," and they're extremely powerful enhancements to your other combat powers which you invoke by -- you guessed it -- shouting certain sets of three words from a long forgotten Draconic language that you and few others can comprehend. It's like Esperanto! It's exactly like Esperanto. There's plenty of info about the lore of this ability in the Game Informer article, but the takeaway is this: Players will collect these power words by slaying dragons and absorbing their power, or by finding and deciphering ancient runes hidden in the depths of the deepest dungeons. So, yeah, Bethesda has basically put Pokémon in our Elder Scrolls. We are doomed once this bad boy comes out on Eleven the Eleventh of Eleven.
Bethesda confirms Skyrim mod support, will release Creation Kit
Bethesda's fifth Elder Scrolls game, like Oblivion before it, will allow for extensive player customization, according to the developer. "We've always been impressed with what the community has done with our tools," a rep for the company said on its forums, revealing, "Like the Elder Scrolls Construction Set for Morrowind and Oblivion, we plan to release [a] Creation Kit so you guys can mod Skyrim." The immediate predecessor, Oblivion, has seen countless mods -- everything from new characters to online play. We can only imagine what the Skyrim community will manage to create while we wait for Bethesda to finish the most ambitious Skyrim mod, Fallout 4.
Bethesda talks Skyrim tech, first screen released
Game Informer has rolled out yet more Skyrim coverage, this time discussing some of the technology behind the upcoming Elder Scrolls sequel. Of particular interest is Bethesda's new Creation engine, which replaces the aging Gamebryo engine used to craft its recent titles Fallout 3 and Oblivion. Bethesda rewrote "every major system" for Creation, improving draw distances and lighting in the process. The game features an "overhauled" foliage system as well, with the article noting that artists can now manipulate the animation properties of trees, allowing them to whip around in the wind, for example. A new precipitation system will also facilitate realistic snowfall, something you're likely to see a lot of in Skyrim, a much colder land than Oblivion's Tamriel. Character animations and interactions have been upgraded as well. Oblivion players will be happy to hear that the game world no longer freezes when a conversation is begun. Now, instead of entering a one-on-one closeup with another character, the usual camera angle is maintained while the character continues to go about his business while conversing. As an example, a bartender may clean the bar while talking with the player. Skyrim also utilizes a new "Radiant Story" quest system, which allows the game to personalize side quests for each individual player. Rather than simply offering a prescribed list of quests in certain locations, the game can tailor quests to each player based on where they are, which characters they've met and what their skills are. Finally, Game Informer has released the very first screen of Skyrim. Chances are good that you already saw it before reading this far down. Check out Game Informer for more details on the tech behind Skyrim.
New Skyrim details scrolled across the Wall
It turns out that fancy, moving wall in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim teaser is kind of a big deal in the game. Called the Wall of Alduin, Game Informer reveals that -- like all the best walls -- it tells a story. There are several events depicted on the wall, all of them revolving around Alduin, a dragon that once terrorized the gameworld of Tamriel and has now returned to finish the job in Skyrim. Remember when you opened those Oblivion gates in Elder Scrolls IV? Yeah, well, you let Alduin back in. Good going. Head over to Game Informer to check out an interactive version of the Wall of Alduin, which highlights and explains its different sections.
Skyrim behind-the-scenes video isn't what you hope it is
First up, no, there is no gameplay footage in Game Informer's Skyrim behind-the-scenes video. If you're still reading this, you should know the video goes behind the scenes of Bethesda's actual studio with Skyrim director Todd Howard. Also, there are a few tidbits from Skyrim, like some nifty concept art and the world map seen above. Head over to Game Informer to check it out.
Skyrim details begin to rain down from Game Informer
Are you excited to start throwing entire weeks of your life down the hungry gullet of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? We assume your anticipation will ramp up significantly after reading the next issue of Game Informer -- the magazine contains an expose on a number of new features for the franchise. One such change is the leveling system, which no longer binds players to a class defined by a set of skills. Players can pick and choose from the game's 18 abilities (down from Oblivion's 21), which level up with use while simultaneously unlocking new perks with each level. Enemies will still scale to the player's level, but using a more balanced metric, resulting in a Fallout 3-esque approach as opposed to the near-impossible Oblivion approach. Of course, foes will likely be easily bested using another of the game's new features: Dual wielding. Players can equip any item or spell to either hand, using both simultaneously in combat. Though, we'll almost certainly put a Charm spell in our left hand, and Fortify Personality in our right, because that is how we do. For more info on the game's new features, including a weapon-crafting system and improved character creation tools, check out the upcoming issue of Game Informer.
Bethesda's new game is for current platforms, 'pretty far along'
After two years of silence, Bethesda is very used to deflecting questions about its next, still unannounced game. But executive producer Todd Howard finally shared some info about the forthcoming project at this year's QuakeCon, telling Eurogamer that it's "pretty far along." Around 90 people are working on the game, and Howard predicts that the stretch between the project's announcement and launch will be the "the shortest it's been for us" (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was announced in September 2004 and released in March 2006, and Fallout 3 was announced in July 2004 but not released until October 2008). Additionally, he pointed out that the upcoming project will run on existing consoles and is built on the same engine that powered Oblivion and Fallout 3. "That's our starting point -- the Fallout 3 tech. It started with Morrowind, we went to Oblivion, we did a lot between Oblivion and Fallout 3 because now we had final hardware -- with Oblivion we had six months on final hardware, so Fallout 3 technically does a lot more than Oblivion. The new stuff is an even bigger jump from that," he said. He wouldn't get too specific on when we'd hear more, saying he didn't want to disappoint people by announcing an ... announcement that might shift later on. Hopefully, Mr. Howard knows that disappointment will be harder to avoid if that announcement turns out to be anything but Elder Scrolls V.
Rumorang: Elder Scrolls MMO three years into development
According to VG247's "very reliable" source, Bethesda Softworks is already three years deep into development on an Elder Scrolls MMO. Recent court documents in the ongoing Bethesda/Interplay lawsuit have allegedly revealed that Bethesda has "close to 100 people working on a secret World of Warcraft-type MMO" -- a tasty piece of info that it's said to be currently fighting to have redacted from a 218-page court transcript. Furthermore, the unannounced MMO is said to be "very close" to being unveiled. We could even be seeing a release of the purported title later this year, as the transcript is said to also reveal a four-year development cycle (starting in late 2006 would put that either later this year or early 2011). Bethesda has commented in the past that it is currently not working on an MMO, though ZeniMax Online (another studio under Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media) is working on a currently unannounced title. We contacted Bethesda for comment and were told, "We aren't talking about what that studio is working on and don't comment on rumors and speculation." Source 1 - VG247 Source 2 - Duck and Cover Forums
Random House teases first few pages of Elder Scrolls novel
Are you in the mood for some reading that's a bit heavier than the video game news post you're currently digesting? We suggest you check out this Random House page to read an excerpt from the first chapter of the Elder Scrolls-based novel, The Infernal City. The few pages of text introduce us to what will likely be the book's plucky protagonists, Annaïg and Mere-Glim. It's a pretty intriguing kick-off for the novel's plot -- however, the excerpt doesn't exactly sound like our usual experience in the Elder Scrolls world. See, in our version, the heroes would systematically rob everyone on the planet blind, and then, once bored with that, would just start killin'. It may not win any Pulitzers, but at least it's authentic.
Elder Scrolls novel listing mentions next game, set 200 years after Oblivion
Though Bethesda's bigwigs have gone back and forth on the existence of another installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, an excerpt from online book retailer Waterstone's product listing for Elder Scrolls: The Infernal City seems fairly certain of the series' continuance. The listing -- which was recently edited to remove the following savory quote -- mentions that the novel takes place 45 years after Oblivion, adding that "it partly bridges the gap for the next game, which is set 200 years after the Oblivion crisis." As promising as this sounds, we find a major flaw with this claim -- see, we've already clocked over 200 years of playtime into Oblivion (and still haven't beaten it!), meaning we're technically playing the sequel right now. We've contacted Bethesda to ask them about the book listing, and to see if 200 years of technological progress will bring about unimaginable advances in equestrian fortification.
Bethesda clarifies MMO claims, Elder Scrolls V statements
Rather than let the statements made at QuakeCon 2009 by Elder Scrolls executive producer Todd Howard rest as they are, Bethesda's Pete Hines has clarified a few things on the company's blog. First and foremost, he wants to make sure that people know that another Elder Scrolls game will eventually be released. "Both Todd and I have said repeatedly that, of course, we're going to do another Elder Scrolls game," Hines outright states. Rather than comment directly on what Bethesda is currently working on, he instead notes that, "We aren't going to confirm or deny or comment on speculation, nor are we going to give hints about anything ... if you know us by now, you know we don't really do that." Hines additionally points out that Bethesda Softworks (the game studio) isn't working on an MMO at the moment, per the speculation surrounding a possible Elder Scrolls MMO. ZeniMax Online Studios, however, is working on an MMO, though "they have not said anything about what game they are making." It looks as though an upcoming Elder Scrolls MMO may be more likely than seeing numero cinco anytime soon, folks. What happened to that "possible 2010 release," eh, Bethesda?
