Topic: Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Expansion) THREAD

[Quemaqua]

At least two or three remind me of Morrowind, and that makes me so happy I could crap myself.  I discovered upon playing Morrowind the other day that I really do prefer it to Oblivion.  Oblivion is by far the superior game in almost all respects, but Morrowind's world is just so much more unique and stimulating, so much more full of mystery and culture.  Doesn't mean I'm ready to stop playing Oblivion or anything either, just that I'm really glad to see a little more exotic flavor thrown into the mix.  And those screens are fucking sweet.

[Xessive]

Yeah, the more of Oblivion I played the more I noticed little details that made Morrowind a little better (at least for me).. The environments are very different, and just like you said Morrowind felt richer in culture and intrigue.

I think most of the changes were an effort to simplify Oblivion in order to make it more accessible to console gamers. Of course not all the changes, some were attempts to actually improve the gameplay

Now I'm really looking forward to Shivering Isles and some of the new equipment!

EDIT:
Here's 1UP's coverage on the Xbox360 version.

[Quemaqua]

Games Radar has video too.

I want this thing so fucking bad right now.

[Xessive]

Games Radar has video too.

I want this thing so fucking bad right now.

I can empathize! I really want this now too! I may have to buy it online though, it might be a while before it hits store shelves here.

[Quemaqua]

Unfortunately it's going to be another 2 months before we get it anyway.  End of March.

[Xessive]

That's not too bad (better than HL2 Episode 2 anyway). I believe Bethesda are taking their time in order to refine and iron out any bugs, especially since it's coming to 360 as well. That's why I really don't mind so much when devs like Bethesda or Bioware take their time, I know they're making the most of it. I think BethSoft are particularly trying to alleviate the bad history they've had with bug-filled releases.

[Quemaqua]

Oh, indeed.  I have no real problem with it except for the fact that I want it yesterday.  =(  I just really want to see it!

[MysterD]

I played more KOTN retail expansion today; a lot more, yes!!

Ahhhhhh......it's great to be addicted to Oblivion.....

Que, go play more Oblivion until Shivering Isles comes out!

[MysterD]

1Up previews Shivering Isles

Originally appeared in GFW Issue #04

Great, gives me less reason to buy Games For Windows, if they gonna post all their stuff on 1Up's site.

Scan shots from Bethesda's Shivering Isles and you'd be forgiven for blurting jargon like "brillig," "mimsy," and "Bandersnatch." "Goodbye idyllic climes," tease the screens. "Hello madness, mirth, and Jabberwocky." Talk about trading spaces. Gnarled landscapes bend back upon themselves and tree roots dangle from cavern tops while strange three-legged stick creatures scuttle, crab-clawing and probing the air with alien eyestalks. Elsewhere, coiling rainbow-colored foliage nestles below towering mushrooms, each one collared with tiny bulbs--a psychedelic version of Morrowind's Bitter Coast region where iridescent celestial objects paint the night sky in heliotrope slashes over backplanes of starry silver. Welcome to Dementia and Mania, psychotic and sublime halves of "madgod" (or is that "maddog"?): Sheogorath's realm, and your new playground when the official expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion hits this spring.

Okay.

As if grappling with the Prince of Destruction wasn't enough, Sheogorath--the Daedric Prince of Madness--needs a hero. "Basically, there's an impending threat to Sheogorath's realm, and because of the nature of that threat, he needs a mortal's help," explains Shivering Isles' lead designer Mark Nelson. "Players will need to rise in the ranks of the Court of Madness in order to earn the respect of the citizens of the Shivering Isles and eventually repel the threat."

Everybody always needs a hero, in an RPG....

Adolescent power fantasy redux? Maybe not. While Nelson admits you'll still engage in a healthy amount of "find this" and "kill that"--"Let's face it," he argues, "The Lord of the Rings was really just one big FedEx quest."--the ambience sounds delightfully demented. "The 'creative' and 'psychotic' themes gave us lots of room to create interesting characters with sometimes bizarre motivations," Nelson says. Meaning that, while ticking off your checklists untangling conspiracies and rebuilding broken artifacts, you'll be dancing toe-to-toe with some of the looniest clucks in The Elder Scrolls coop.

Wo0t for the crazies!!!

Then there's the whole "special trials and powers" thing. "You'll need to complete Sheogorath's first trial just to enter the realm," Nelson says. Thereafter, you'll be intermittently asked to prove yourself worthy to serve as Sheogorath's champion. As you progress, you'll be granted some of the mad god's powers. We're not sure what they are, but we're pretty sure a deranged deity won't be diddling around with "magic missile."

Very nice......I wonder what the heck some of those powers will be, as well....
Who knows how "crazy" these powers could be....

"The main thing is to keep the experience engaging," Nelson says, outlining a design philosophy that keeps things A-to-Z but jumbles up as much as possible between. "That is, if I have to get something, are there interesting ways to do it? Can I persuade a guard to let me in? Can I sneak in behind a servant? Are there obstacles in my way that are unlike what I'm used to seeing? As long as the player can make meaningful choices along the way, there's nothing wrong with questing for a sword or lopping off some heads."

Ahh....multiple ways to finish quests....I like, I like...

ISLE OF STYLE
How big are the Shivering Isles? According to Nelson, Sheogorath's madcap realm adds roughly a quarter more real estate via its own pinched-off plane. "The realm of Oblivion comprises many different planes of existence--each of the Daedric Princes has his own," Nelson explains. "In Oblivion, the player was only able to explore one (Mehrunes Dagon's plane). The Shivering Isles is another plane belonging to Sheogorath." But where Dagon's plane was fragmented and often randomly generated, Sheogorath's Shivering Isles is one contiguous land mass. "It's a completely new world, with settlements, a major city (New Sheoth), large regions of wilderness, and many residents."

Cool.

And don't forget the whole "bizarro Elder Scrolls" theme. "Alice in Wonderland was definitely one of the inspirations," Nelson admits when quizzed about the expansion's quirky aesthetic. "The lands of Mania are bright, vibrant, and colorful. It's quite a departure from the woodlands of Cyrodiil, and we wanted to evoke a bit of that Lewis Carroll feeling." Dementia, Mania's twisted twin realm, is by contrast dark, dank, and "a bit spooky." "Those areas have much more of a horror theme," he says, adding that the plants, creatures, and architecture in Dementia will be appropriately creepy.

Very cool.

Creepy indeed, thanks in part to critters named "Flesh Atronach" and "Shamble." "One of my favorites is the Grummite," says Nelson. "They're a race of creatures that infest the Shivering Isles, found in many of the dungeons where they gather to worship strange idols." They're smarter than the average bear, too: Semiaquatic, they'll often run toward water to heal when damaged. "Trust me," Nelson says. "It's much better to fight them on dry land." Or, if the spirit of Monty Python moveth thee, run away!

Ooooh.....more monsters. Sounds good.

[Quemaqua]

GSpot has a video interview with Pete on Oblivion for PS3 and the SI expansion.  So does IGN.  Game Informer Online has a text interview with Todd.  There's also a bigass interview with Pete at Shacknews.  Sweet.

[MysterD]

TRAILER for Shivering Isles has been released by BethSoft.

HiRes WMV = 79.4 MB
Low Res WMV = 38.1 MB

EDIT:
Awesome trailer, BTW.

[MysterD]

8.5 from IGN.

Throughout the course of your journey battling the Greymarch, Jyggalag, and the Knights of Order, you'll be given a significant amount of choice. The decisions you make regarding how to comply with Sheogorath's wishes have substantial and permanent effects on the game world and storyline, including determining which major NPC players live or die, what titles you receive, and ultimately what kind of specialized armor set you're rewarded with later on. By giving the player choices with real consequences, the game manages to captivate like no linear game possibly could. It works to make the virtual world seem more realistic, and make you, the player, relish a greater sense of power and individuality. Once finished with the quest line, you're also rewarded with a few interesting abilities and responsibilities which should keep this content fresh for at least a little while longer.

Freakin' awesome!!!

The Shivering Isles have their own version of Oblivion Gates, called Obelisks of Order, which turn out to be far less frustrating to deal with. Here the main plot doesn't require you destroy excessive numbers like with the Oblivion plane dungeons. Instead, it's just a simple matter of killing a nearby Priest of Order and dropping three Hearts of Order into the Obelisk. Throughout the course of the main plot, the number of these you're actually required to deactivate is minimal.

Ahhhhh......I did like the numerous amount of Oblivion gates as "side quests" for namely their "leveling up" purposes. 'Cause that's basically what they are there for.

We have a few gripes with the expansion, though they're relatively minor. The game's menu system still needs some tweaking, particularly the alchemy interface. It still requires far too many button presses or mouse clicks to add, remove, and determine what reagents go together to the desired potions. Like in Oblivion, NPC faces still look jarringly unnatural, which detracts from the otherwise eerie beauty of the Shivering Isles. We were also hoping for a sweeping new orchestral track, but alas, no such luck. The surprisingly catchy Oblivion theme and other existing scores will have to suffice. A few crashes were encountered here and there, but didn't significantly detract from the experience.

Nothing too major.
I will eventually have to pick this up. Even though I pretty much knew that, anyways.

[Quemaqua]

Almost bought it today, then realized I'd have to eat it in order to last the week.  With everybody coming in April, it's a no-go for me right now.

[Pugnate]

Man now I wish I hadn't gone overboard on the games purchasing. I completely forget about this one. Good thing I returned S.T.A.L.K.E.R.; I am going to buy this instead.

I skimmed through that review, but it didn't seem to have any mention of the expansion lifting the visuals to that of the PS3 level. Is that happening with the expansion or a future download?

[MysterD]

Man now I wish I hadn't gone overboard on the games purchasing. I completely forget about this one. Good thing I returned S.T.A.L.K.E.R.; I am going to buy this instead.

I skimmed through that review, but it didn't seem to have any mention of the expansion lifting the visuals to that of the PS3 level. Is that happening with the expansion or a future download?

Future patch.

[MysterD]

8.6 from GameSpot

Nice video review there, too.

To combat all those enemies, you will get new weapons, armor, and spells. If that's not enough, you can make your own weapons and armor by collecting materials and recipes. You can collect amber or madness ore and take it to the blacksmith in Mania or Dementia, respectively. Using the material, you can have the blacksmith forge powerful weapons and armor. The items might not replace your current gear, but at the very least, these forged items will fetch a high price from any merchant.

Good. Oblivion does need MORE loot.

Of course, in addition to forged items, there are plenty of treasures for you to discover in the Shivering Isles' many dungeons.

Sweet. The more loot, the better for Oblivion.

By the time you're ready to leave the Shivering Isles for the greener fields of Tamriel, you'll likely be a very wealthy hero.

Good!

In addition to the new items, there are a few new magic spells in the expansion, including an amusing spell that lets you summon Chancellor Haskill to ask him for advice.

What the heck?!?!?!?

[MysterD]

4 stars from GameSpy (out of 5 stars)

[Quemaqua]

So I got a copy from the Magical Underworld Store, and I have to say... holy cow.  I really wasn't *at all* in an Oblivion mood.  I just got off a huge Oblivion stint really not all that long ago, and I was feeling pretty done with it for a while.  Have had lots of other work to focus on and such.  Anyway, I decided I wanted to at least just see some of the new stuff for a little bit before I set the game aside until my next stint... but immediately upon entering the Shivering Isles, I was hooked anew.  It's just so... awesome!  I should have realized that it would get me going, but I just didn't think it would happen like that.  Reminds me so, so much of Morrowind, which is by all means a good thing.  Very exotic.. lots of swamps, huge mushroom things, crazy creatures.  And it's huge!  Just in the little opening area where you start I noticed forts, dungeons, a settlement, a billion and a half new ingredients all over the environment... it's just plain great.

If you're looking for an excuse to go back to Oblivion, this is it.  And it might be it even if you're *not* looking for an excuse to go back, like me.

[MysterD]

Damn you, Que -- I want this game and you're making it worse!!!

Que, how's the new LOOT? Are they any good???
I hope there's lots of new different variations of loot.

[Pugnate]

You've been visiting that underworld store a lot lately.

I want this so badly, but really can't afford it for a while.

[Quemaqua]

I want this so badly, but really can't afford it for a while.

Hence my visits to the store.  But I'll be getting better copies from my regular retail outlets as soon as my tax return gets here.  I'm hoping to get that nice Limited Edition of STALKER from GoGamer.  Hope they still have some.  =T

[Quemaqua]

Okay, so I put a few more hours into SI tonight and I have to say that it's incredible.  I won't go into detail, I won't post screens, I won't do a damned thing.  I'll just say that if you ever loved Oblivion, this is going to do it for you.  It's Oblivion with all kinds of extra spice and humor, very different in feel while still maintaining the stuff that made Oblivion good times.  If you don't like this, something is wrong with you and you shouldn't be allowed to reproduce.  Obviously I can't give a "score" to it since I've only put in a few hours, but my impressions so far are all in high 9 territory.

I had about the worst fucking birthday in the history of lame birthdays today, and an hour and a half of SI had me forgetting about it completely.  That's powerful stuff.

[MysterD]

Okay, so I put a few more hours into SI tonight and I have to say that it's incredible.  I won't go into detail, I won't post screens, I won't do a damned thing.  I'll just say that if you ever loved Oblivion, this is going to do it for you.  It's Oblivion with all kinds of extra spice and humor, very different in feel while still maintaining the stuff that made Oblivion good times.  If you don't like this, something is wrong with you and you shouldn't be allowed to reproduce.  Obviously I can't give a "score" to it since I've only put in a few hours, but my impressions so far are all in high 9 territory.

I had about the worst fucking birthday in the history of lame birthdays today, and an hour and a half of SI had me forgetting about it completely.  That's powerful stuff.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUE!!!!!!!!!!

[MysterD]

Click here if you're a Cheapassgamer Forum member.

In short, rumor has it week of 4/8/2007, Shivering Isles will be $17.99 at Circuit City

[Quemaqua]

Thanks, D.  The birthday kind of sucked, but hopefully the post-birthday week will be a good one.  Week of vacation!  OWmeet!  Beer!  Pizza!  Woo!

And that's a pretty sweet deal on SI.  I may well have to check that out.  I could swing that much cash...

[MysterD]

Thanks, D.  The birthday kind of sucked, but hopefully the post-birthday week will be a good one.  Week of vacation!  OWmeet!  Beer!  Pizza!  Woo!

No prob.

And that's a pretty sweet deal on SI.  I may well have to check that out.  I could swing that much cash...

Yuh, $17.99 for an expansion that looks to give me at least another 20 hours of open-ended RPG gameplay, sign me up.

Just throw in the fact that it's a Elder Scrolls game, I'm even more sold on this. I'm gonna wait for this sale and get it!

[Quemaqua]

Calling it a new game is a bit of a stretch... I mean, it's Oblivion from top to bottom.  All the systems are the same, the gameplay is the same, everything is the same.  The big difference is that there's more stuff, all new art assets, new things to screw around with, and new places to explore.  And, of course, it's got an entirely different feel than Oblivion in terms of atmosphere and stuff, and a new storyline.  But yeah... they're saying there's closer to 30 hours here, a little longer than one of the guild questlines from the original game, and my guess is it will take me even longer.  I play these games very, very slowly.  I'm at over 200 hours I'd say on my current game of Oblivion, and I haven't finished any guild questlines or the main quest.  And now they give me SI to go explore?  Awesome.  This game is going to last me just as long as Morrowind, and I didn't think that was possible.

[MysterD]

Calling it a new game is a bit of a stretch... I mean, it's Oblivion from top to bottom.  All the systems are the same, the gameplay is the same, everything is the same.  The big difference is that there's more stuff, all new art assets, new things to screw around with, and new places to explore.  And, of course, it's got an entirely different feel than Oblivion in terms of atmosphere and stuff.  But yeah... they're saying there's closer to 30 hours here, and my guess is it will take me even longer.  I play these games very, very slowly.  I'm at over 200 hours I'd say on my current game of Oblivion, and I haven't finished any guild questlines or the main quest.  And now they give me SI to go explore?  Awesome.  This game is going to last me just as long as Morrowind, and I didn't think that was possible.

I have around 139 hours logged into Oblivion + KOTN....
...And I haven't done everything in Oblivion, to say the least.

Shivering Isles is just going to add more great time for me to sink into this already great game!

[Quemaqua]

Okay, because I'm nice, here are a couple screens to get your appetite going.

[MysterD]

AWESOME, QUE!!!

8.7 from 1Up for Shivering Isles on the PC

[MysterD]

Click here if you're a Cheapassgamer Forum member.

In short, rumor has it week of 4/8/2007, Shivering Isles will be $17.99 at Circuit City

I should note that not just Shivering Isles is on sale for $17.99 that week @ CC. Everything Oblivion is on sale there, too!

I should note, for those who don't have the entire Oblivion "collection" yet, for that same week (4/8/2007) and at the same store (Circuit City)...

Oblivion (PC) = $37.99
KOTN Expansion (PC) = $7.99

[Cobra951]

I gave in to temptation and bought Oblivion for the 360.  Oh, so this is what it's meant to look like and to perform like.  Nice.  Plus now I've been honest and settled up with Bethesda.  They deserve it.  (Don't care about MS, though.  Hehe.)

So, about Shivering Isles, should I spend a few dozen hours leveling up my new character first, or can I jump right into it?  I have not downloaded that yet.

[MysterD]

I gave in to temptation and bought Oblivion for the 360.  Oh, so this is what it's meant to look like and to perform like.  Nice.  Plus now I've been honest and settled up with Bethesda.  They deserve it.  (Don't care about MS, though.  Hehe.)

I have Oblivion on the PC; it run and looks great.
Runs better than Morrowind on this same PC, actually.

So, about Shivering Isles, should I spend a few dozen hours leveling up my new character first, or can I jump right into it?  I have not downloaded that yet.

Keep in mind, I don't have Shiv yet. But, I know some answers, from previews I read and all.

Like KOTN (yes, which I do have), it is known that you can take on the Shiv Isles quests at any time you want -- so if you want to be level 1, you can go ahead and begin Shiv Isles. Everything in Oblivion levels/scales to your character, given Obliv's leveling/scaling system. Given Obliv's leveling/scaling system, in general, it will get harder for the hardcore player who gets their levels up mad high and decides to sink their life into the game -- that was done purposely by BethSoft, of course.

Now, should you go level up or not in Obliv and then take on Shiv? Good question. If I was you, I'd ask Que, since he has Shiv. He could recommend you on that one, if he thinks you should level first and then do the Shiv Isles quests.
 

[Pugnate]

Hey did the expansion increase the skill cap?

[MysterD]

Hey did the expansion increase the skill cap?

Hmmm....good question.
Hmmm, Que might know.

What was Oblivion's original skill cap?

[Pugnate]

Well it was 100 and annoyingly enough I was the best archer I could be without barely scratching the surface of the game. I'll probably download Que's recommended slow leveling mod.

[MysterD]

Well it was 100 and annoyingly enough I was the best archer I could be without barely scratching the surface of the game. I'll probably download Que's recommended slow leveling mod.

I wonder if there has been a mod to jump the max number past 100....

[Quemaqua]

Jumping past 100 is stupid.  Slow leveling is the way to go.  And I have no idea about the cap... sorry!  I play with the slow mod, so I haven't leveled anything near 100 yet.

And yes, you can play the SI content at any time.  Given that it scales, it doesn't matter if you've played the original game first or not.  Want to make a new character and go straight there?  Do it.  There may be a little give and take regarding this, but it should be fine.  I see no reason it wouldn't be.  I've had a slightly harder time with some enemies, but they scale too, so they may just be slightly harder all around at any level.  Don't know.  Either way, I don't think you need to worry.  It was a much lauded feature that you could just go in whenever.

[Pugnate]

Why is that stupid? Why be restricted by a number?

[Cobra951]

OK, so now I have.  My character is Level 3.  The first thing I did there is get a complete set of steel armor from one of the party that gets killed fighting that big guy.  I also went the colorful route.  Alice in Wonderland.  Whee.

On the bullshit side of things, I played 360 Oblivion for over a dozen hours without a problem, and now it's crashed on me twice in the couple of hours since I've added Shivering Isles, once shortly after I launched the game the first time with the new stuff, and once after I went through the portal.  Nice.  I have to play this now the way I play buggy PC games, save every 5 minutes.