Beta Update for Skyrim

The 1.4 update for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is currently still in development, but you can apply the beta version now, through Steam.

As this is a beta version of the update, Bethesda note that you apply the update at your own risk, and back up your save games, or at least avoid overwriting them.

Full instructions for applying the beta, and removing it again, are available on the Bethesda Blog, along with the patch notes.

Skyrim Creation Kit Coming

Bethesda have shared some details about the Creation Kit for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, along with the 1.4 update which aims to fix some of the most common issues players have encountered.

The Creation Kit will first be available as a beta on Steam, to allow players to opt into and back out of as they need.  The 1.4 update and Creation Kit are currently undergoing testing, with plans to release for the PC on Steam next week, along with submitting console versions for certification.

More information will be available soon.

Bethesda and the Fallout MMO

The ongoing legal dispute between Bethesda Softworks and Interplay, publisher of the original Fallout series, in regards to the Fallout MMO, is finally over.

Interplay had already planned to make a Fallout MMO before the 2007 sale of the franchise to Bethesda.  As part of this agreement, they retained the right to develop the MMO, although with specific requirements for funding and deadlines.  Unfortunately, it seems that Interplay were unable to meet these requirements, and the companies have reached a settlement in court which reverts the license for the MMO back to Bethesda Softworks.

Although Bethesda now have the right to go ahead and make the Fallout MMO themselves, there has been no indication from the company that they will do so.

More Skyrim

After picking this up at the weekend, I’ve played almost nothing else.. though non-gaming things have arisen to keep me from playing as much as I’d have expected by now 😉

I’ve now tried out woodcutting and mining, and I’ve been learning the Smithing trade along with Alchemy.. nice ways to make money.  I also make money in less nice ways.. lockpicking, if I find something reasonably unattended.. and if I come across bandits, I make sure to take all their possessions too!

Looting dungeons actually feels far more dangerous than in the previous games, with traps and slightly smarter enemies.. in my first dungeon, I was scared by the Draugr who played dead till I got up close, and in another, I had a fierce battle with a Giant Frostbite Spider..

As planned, I have progressed to dual-wielding swords, although I still dabble in Destruction for a few enemies.. in the past I have concentrated on magic, only carrying an enchanted weapon just in case, so this makes a change.  I’m loving the power moves, and have my eye set on certain of the perks in the One Handed Weapons tree which will allow me to decapitate my enemies!

I even have a follower, named Golldir!

I met him in a tomb while taking cover from a dragon I just couldn’t defeat.  He had problems of his own: a Necromancer who was fiddling with his ancestors.  After I helped kill him, he joined me in my travels.. he now fights for me in battle, and of course, I make him carry the loot 😉

My only complaint so far has been about the menu system and inventory.. I like having an unobstructed view of the game world while playing, but to change weapon or equip a new piece of gear I’m forced to start clicking and scrolling.  All the lists start near the bottom of the screen as well, which virtually guarantees that hateful scrolling will be needed.

We have large monitors and high resolutions now.. why not just use more of the screen and let us see our inventory at a glance?  In the previous games, equipped items all moved to the front of the list, but in Skyrim they remain where they are.  As you can’t even see your character on this screen any more, any accidental unequipping can easily go unnoticed as you don’t get that quick visual clue that something’s wrong!

I guess you can’t have it all, though.. and the rest of the game is fantastic..

I didn’t like monster-levelling in Oblivion, as enemies levelled with the character.. after a while, the wildlife was all replaced by high-level creatures, so it didn’t even seem to fit in with the area any more.  I was also finding myself accosted by bandits wearing top-notch gear with expensive swords.. with that kind of gear and ability, they should have been wiping out the nearby village instead of trying to mug me for my cash!

As for the effect on the story.. I levelled up a way before entering my first Gate, so when I was sent in with a few companions, they were struck down immediately by the over-powered enemies inside, and again, it felt wrong.

In Skyrim, I’ve only really struggled with a few larger enemies, such as the Dragon, and the giant spider.. these felt like a decent challenge, while attacks by wild wolves started off difficult and are now easy, as I’d expect as I’m now a bit more of a seasoned warrior.  All 12 levels’ worth 😉

Skyrim!

I was going to delay my purchase of this game, for financial reasons and in order to try and finish up a few other games first.

However, everyone has been talking about it.. and I found it harder and harder to avoid spoilers, even amongst friends who knew I was avoiding reading anything to do with the game.

I saw some trailers and other game info a long while back, and even then I only skim-read what I found, as I knew I wanted the game anyway.. based on my love for the previous games in the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion and Morrowind, and before we even come to Bethesda‘s other offerings, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

Dragons!  I was glad of this one..

Once left to my own devices, I wandered off the road slightly and very soon found a campsite complete with bandits.  Surprisingly, I was able to take them on.. providing me with new armour, weapons, and the odd bits of loot in the camp too.  Further along, I discovered three Standing Stones.. and a fantastic view!  I had forgotten how beautiful the game was in the months since I first saw screenshots 🙂

I’m playing more with sword than magic this time, although to start with I’m taking advantage of dual-wielding to allow me to use a sword plus magical attacks.. later on I’ll probably ditch the magic and go for two differently-enchanted swords, saving magic for a second play-through 🙂