(10-26-2011, 02:59 PM)kandrathe Wrote:(10-26-2011, 02:41 PM)Jester Wrote: From what little I understand, Oblivion was only slightly better.Oblivion was better. They at least removed most of the unintended consequences of not having power level caps on stacking spell and potions effects (e.g. 10000 strength, 10000 intelligence, and 10000 magic power).
The biggest trouble I have with Oblivion is that you can get by with crappy skills for awhile using magic items, but there are some parts of quests where a specific skill is necessary. So, you chose to be a magic using character, and skip all the weapon and shield training? Good luck fighting these two minotaurs... I got so tired of having to use AI quirks, like, maybe if I quick run across and jump up on these rocks, and use 100 fireball spells I'll win this time. Oops, fell. reload. rinse. repeat. There, I finally won!
I did my WoW training and just kited the two minotaurs around until the staff ran out of charge (by which time the second was -almost- dead) and then I got out whatever melee weapon it was, but I hadn't trained any of her non-magic combat skills. I wanted to just play her straight up caster, no armor even. She was a caster in a dress and she's the only one that I took all the way through the game. Conjuration was just unfair.
The biggest issue I had between Oblivion and Morrowind is that they made thievery completely pointless. I stole my way through Daggerfall (didn't really play Arena), stole everything that wasn't nailed down in Morrowind, especially lanterns and torches, but in Oblivion, it just didn't matter at all so no super sneaky thief for me. =( I enjoyed Oblivion as my caster, but it lost some of that realistic feel for me. In Daggerfall, you're damned right I was leaning in my chair trying to get my character to just peek her head around a corner. Morrowind, I sort of did. Oblivion, really not much at all. The graphics have improved a great deal, but I feel less of a connection to the games because there's less opportunity for me to play exactly how I want to. I do wonder if it's just because I've gotten older, but I still lean and move in my chair for my FPS games. I'm hoping that with the minimized HUD, maybe some of that connection will come back, plus, being able to dual wield spells sounds really cool to me. =D
(10-26-2011, 05:36 PM)Zyn Wrote: The one thing that has bothered me about *all* ES games thus far - it is virtually impossible to play through the game without some element of melee skill. Casters just haven't been viable as a character archetype, and they take way too long to level. Judging by all the information I've dug up investigating the game, it seems that Skyrim may have solved that problem by allowing you to use a single spell with "both hands" to create a stronger effect, or wielding different spells in each hand for more utility.
I couldn't do a magic user in Daggerfall or Morrowind, but in Oblivion it was so easy to be a caster right from the beginning. I was so surprised at just how easy it was. Meleeing felt clunky to me in Oblivion (I did LOVE being able to one shot folks with a bow from stealth though
), so I tried a caster and expected her to be the same as the failed casters in the earlier TES games. I didn't let her have any weapons, not even a staff or shield. She blocked with her bare hands when I failed at kiting or ran out of room. Some fights were tougher than others (freaking hate the, shoot, wispy things that were basically invisible until they tried to attack you), but she did so much better than I ever thought she would. I never made my own spells, didn't enchant my gear. She had money running out her ears after buying and furnishing every house in the game so then I bought all the spells I could find. Now I've taken her, at level 32, into the arena for the first time. Basically what I have to do in there since the mobs are SOOO fast is cast my daedric lord and run around until he kills the mob, which is ridiculous, but that's what I get for putting it off for so long.
Intolerant monkey.