Skyrim: The Post-Release *Spoiler-Free* Topic! NO SPOILERS HERE!

Dan_Theman · 2013-01-16T13:11:15.000Z

Brian Rubin:

That was a Daedric quest?

serious spoiler for the quest

Only if you wound up with the mask in the end

BrianRubin · 2013-01-16T13:53:54.000Z

Dan_Theman:

serious spoiler for the quest

Only if you wound up with the mask in the end

I did, but I have no plans to use it.

And why the hell aren’t spoiler tags working for me? Boo.

Dan_Theman · 2013-01-16T17:28:28.000Z

lol - well, at least you’re still on target for getting the Steam achievement. The pure number of magic items which I keep shelved is fairly mind-boggling, so I wouldn’t sweat not using any of them. Still neat to collect, however!

BrianRubin · 2013-01-16T20:29:04.000Z

So somehow I got infected with Vampirism, and didn’t notice until it was too late to go to a shrine! Ack! Thankfully I found the quest that cures it, but wow what a pain it was. At least I learned the soul capture spell correctly. Been using it wrong all this time. blush

cousine · 2013-01-16T23:39:05.000Z

If someone didn’t play Skyrim yet, he just have to try it! It’s the best game ever!

Rock8man · 2013-01-17T06:34:31.000Z

One thing that people kept bringing up throughout the year is how much they like the combat in Dark Souls better than this game. Right now I’m constantly switching back and forth between Demon’s Souls and Skyrim and I just don’t see it.

Both games have great satisfying combat using the controller. Both are very hard and you have to repeat many encounters when you die. Both have great use of force feedback with the controller. Both have satisfying power user increases over the course of the game as you level up and find better equipment. Both have powerful and satisfying ranged combat (though magic is a lot more powerful early on in DS than in Skyrim). I have no problems switching back and forth between the two games. Both have very satisfying mechanics, though Skyrim is more satisfying in ranged combat than DS and DS is more satisfying than Skyrim in melee combat.

BrianRubin · 2013-01-17T06:39:46.000Z

Well, that’s, like, your opinion man… ;)

The_Mad_Hatter · 2013-01-17T07:13:43.000Z

Brian Rubin:

So somehow I got infected with Vampirism, and didn’t notice until it was too late to go to a shrine! Ack! Thankfully I found the quest that cures it, but wow what a pain it was. At least I learned the soul capture spell correctly. Been using it wrong all this time. blush

The Dawnguard expansion completely changes that aspect of the game. Among other things, reach level 4 vampirism (where everyone is supposed to hate and fears you) doesn’t have any effect on town guardsmen or civilians.

The_Mad_Hatter · 2013-01-17T07:16:34.000Z

Rock8man:

One thing that people kept bringing up throughout the year is how much they like the combat in Dark Souls better than this game. Right now I’m constantly switching back and forth between Demon’s Souls and Skyrim and I just don’t see it.

Both games have great satisfying combat using the controller. Both are very hard and you have to repeat many encounters when you die. Both have great use of force feedback with the controller. Both have satisfying power user increases over the course of the game as you level up and find better equipment. Both have powerful and satisfying ranged combat (though magic is a lot more powerful early on in DS than in Skyrim). I have no problems switching back and forth between the two games. Both have very satisfying mechanics, though Skyrim is more satisfying in ranged combat than DS and DS is more satisfying than Skyrim in melee combat.

I find Skyrim to be mostly a click fest for combat. If my archer didn’t take them down in one shot or I didn’t backstab them, it was just click click click until the mob went down. Dark Souls on the other hand was almost like an art form in its mechanics. Just thinking about it makes me wish I hadn’t burnt out finally after all those hours.

robc04 · 2013-01-17T07:21:42.000Z

Rock8man:

One thing that people kept bringing up throughout the year is how much they like the combat in Dark Souls better than this game. Right now I’m constantly switching back and forth between Demon’s Souls and Skyrim and I just don’t see it.

Both games have great satisfying combat using the controller. Both are very hard and you have to repeat many encounters when you die. Both have great use of force feedback with the controller. Both have satisfying power user increases over the course of the game as you level up and find better equipment. Both have powerful and satisfying ranged combat (though magic is a lot more powerful early on in DS than in Skyrim). I have no problems switching back and forth between the two games. Both have very satisfying mechanics, though Skyrim is more satisfying in ranged combat than DS and DS is more satisfying than Skyrim in melee combat.

I can’t speak to ranged combat as I didn’t really do it in either game. I think what makes Dark Souls combat better for me is:

In Dark Souls, the animations really tie into when you need to attack, parry, and block. The combat feels much more reactive and that I am basing my actions on what my opponent is doing. In Skyrim I basically feel like I can button mash.
Dark Souls has a little bit of a slower pace so you have time to identify and respond to the enemies actions. In Skyrim the enemies glide around like ice skaters on steroids and the animations happen quicker.
Dark Souls has a better feel for melee weapon length. Fighting with a long weapon has a distinctly different feel then a shorter one. The different type of animations for thrusting and swinging weapons, light vs heavy, etc, just feels better.
Dark Souls stamina implementation feels more natural to me and something that needs to be actively managed.

Sure Skyrim isn’t necessarily easy, but it just doesn’t feel natural to me and makes me feel like my success isn’t tied to learning my opponents, but more what my stats and equipment are compared to its.

Those are my thoughts on why I like the Dark Souls combat and Skyrim just feels kinda lame to me.

BrianRubin · 2013-01-17T07:54:39.000Z

The Mad Hatter:

The Dawnguard expansion completely changes that aspect of the game. Among other things, reach level 4 vampirism (where everyone is supposed to hate and fears you) doesn’t have any effect on town guardsmen or civilians.

That’s cool, I had to revert to an earlier save because that happened to me and the dude that was supposed to HEAL me freaking ATTACKED me. UGH.

Still don’t wanna be a vampire at all if I can help it though. ;)

Scuzz · 2013-01-17T09:52:22.000Z

After every fight with a vampire check the “show effect” area to see if you have been infected. I have actually had guards tell me that “all it takes is a scratch from a vampire” and you become one of them.

Papageno · 2013-01-17T10:03:10.000Z

Is anyone else wondering why it’s taking so long to get Dragonborn on the PC? I thought for sure that it would be this week.

BrianRubin · 2013-01-17T10:08:13.000Z

Scuzz:

After every fight with a vampire check the “show effect” area to see if you have been infected. I have actually had guards tell me that “all it takes is a scratch from a vampire” and you become one of them.

Hah, I didn’t even KNOW I had fought a vampire. Ugh.

Dan_Theman · 2013-01-17T10:08:20.000Z

Likewise with anything that could disease you such as skeevers and werewolves, then get thee to a shrine( …-ery).

BrianRubin · 2013-01-17T10:18:11.000Z

Yeah, last night was the first time I actually used a shrine, but sadly it was too late to stop the vampirism. Got all that other shit and knocked it right out though. It’s like Robitussin!

Papageno · 2013-01-17T10:20:17.000Z

Brian Rubin:

Hah, I didn’t even KNOW I had fought a vampire. Ugh.

Usually vampires occupy a cave/whatever in groups, and at least one of them is a mage of some kind. Also, when you hover the cursor over the body of a slain enemy, it’ll say if it’s a vampire.

BrianRubin · 2013-01-17T10:31:00.000Z

Oh will it, awesome? Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out for that. Do NOT want it to happen again. Sheesh.

The_Mad_Hatter · 2013-01-17T10:36:08.000Z

Papageno:

Is anyone else wondering why it’s taking so long to get Dragonborn on the PC? I thought for sure that it would be this week.

All they’ve said is “early 2013”, so who knows. I’ve been holding off on my new run waiting for it to drop.

Scuzz · 2013-01-17T10:56:21.000Z

Brian Rubin:

Oh will it, awesome? Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out for that. Do NOT want it to happen again. Sheesh.

I always keep a couple “Cure Disease” potions on me for just such instances.