• Cyberspark@sh.itjust.works
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    1 month ago

    Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith explained that Larian’s success is an “exception” to the last decade of gaming trends, but one that shows a shift in desire from gamers.

    There’s been no shift, we’ve just been ignored and under-served for around two decades. But, sure, keep ignoring us.

  • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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    1 month ago

    The Magic System was simplified, but was made more reactive with things like igniting oil spills

    Man, fuck oil spills. You walk into the first dungeon, you set fire to an oil spill with a spell. Then you’ll try dropping one of those laterns, which are always conveniently placed above the Exxon Valdez. And then, that’s it, the fun is over, the joke is told, that’s all you can do with oil spills.

    I’d also really like to know what other examples there are of it being more reactive. You can’t freeze the ground to make enemies slip. You can’t zap a river to fry some fishes. You can’t set fire to wood.

    It really feels like some dev thought to themselves, we’ve got oil lamps, maybe we could have some of that drip out, and then the Sweet Little Lies guy said fuck yes, put lakes of oil into every dungeon, so I can claim we’ve made the magic system more reactive or some shit.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      It can be too reactive as well. I love BG3, I did 3 full runs. But I never used the grease spell again after the first run. They made it flammable to the entire puddle. What that means in practical terms is every tiny candle can turn the entire puddle into a small amount of fire damage. The prevalence of flame sources also means this will nearly always happen. So instead of getting a bunch of prone enemies that are easier to hit, I have mildly annoyed enemies.

      So now that question is in the back of my head whenever I see this. What kind of damage and reactivity are we talking about here?

  • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’m curious what people are hoping for. When was the last time Bethesda made a good game? I would bet maybe 5% of ppl working on Skyrim are still there. It’s unlikely they will be able to correct course, and we’ll get a new Starfield

    • forgotaboutlaye@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I’m guessing some people are just looking for more of Skyrim. That’s basically what Starfield was, in a sci-fi setting, so I’m confident Bethesda can still deliver it. I’m not confident people want what comes along with that, though (bland story, outdated engine, empty characters, outdated mechanics, lots of loading screens).

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    1 month ago

    Skyrim turning star-signs into shrines was a brilliant move. Didn’t oversimplify their effects, didn’t put the quiz before the lesson, didn’t give you any reason to delete a character and start over. And by making them in-world objects, at disparate locations, you couldn’t just open a menu and rewrite yourself. So much streamlining, especially in the Elder Scrolls, paves over interesting systems in the name of approachability. But occasionally they nail it.

  • hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Good to know they keep going their own way. We got more than enough carbon copy games nowadays, always excited for something unique.

    • Golden Lox@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      are you suggesting that the elder scrolls series, specifically the next one coming out made and published by bethesda/ microsoft, is going to be unique?

      • Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        You haven’t seen it, you haven’t played it, you don’t work there. You just want to shit on things people like