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> Ten Years of Oblivion, y'all.
Renee
post Oct 23 2018, 11:30 PM
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cake.gif Have some cake, folks. Tomorrow shall be a celebration! cake.gif

October 24, 2008 is the day (actually it was night) when I first discovered TES IV: Oblivion. Although I had seen a Bethesda game in the early 2000s; I was at a party and somebody was playing a brand-new game on the brand-new Xbox, and this game had a lot of fog in it and LOTS of room to roam around, I remained clueless about it. I have a slim memory of asking the guy who was playing "hey, what's the name of this game?" And his answer (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind) would've been too complicated to remember. Perhaps I wrote the name down. If so, I lost that scrap of paper.

One thing which struck was the way its world seemed endless. It went on and on and on. Thinking back, now I realize the guy was roaming around the Pelagiad area at the time. Everything was sort of Dr. Seuss-looking and colorful. Another memory from that party: I kept thinking that at some point, all of this would end. The guy would accomplish some task and then a huge banner would flash across the screen...

CONGRATULATONS, YOU HAVE GAINED LEVEL 6!!!!


... and then this "world" would end and he'd be in the next one, sort of like Tomb Raider. But that never happened. There was just one world to explore, and it was huge.

I spent much of the 2000s looking for this game, unknowing that it was never released on Playstation. sad.gif During my search for that game, I bought and tried plenty of others on PS and PS2, hoping I'd find the mysterious one with all the fog in it. Of course, I never did.

Fast-forward to October 24, 2008. I was bored one night. I had a bit of money saved, and began to think if there's anything worthwhile on the PS3, I'll go ahead and get a PS3 then. So I went to GameRevolution.com (my favorite gaming website at the time) and began reading their PS3 reviews, starting with the As. Assassin's Creed was not out yet. I'm pretty certain I would have just stopped at AC if it had been out. Thankfully, it was not, or was not on PS3 yet.

I moved on to the Bs. Then the Cs. The Ds. Es. F.... G ... H .. I JKLMNOPQRST.

T Okay, so a game with a complicated name caught my attention. Here is its review. Actually, I will quote its very first paragraph now.

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Like most adult geeks reared on Dungeons and Dragons, I often find myself a bit disconnected when faced with the endless waves of Japanese RPGs that have taken over the genre. Every time I find myself in the shoes of yet another spiky-haired protagonist with a mysterious past and a sword the size of a telephone pole, I wonder where all the role-playing has gone.

Not that there aren’t some excellent imports out there, but is walking my pre-designed character, his bossy, magical girlfriend, and a talking animal through a linear story in which I save the spirit of the earth, or the essence of Gaea, or whatever they’re calling it this time, really role-playing? If you’re truly playing a role, you should be able to forge your own destiny as a sneaky thief, a righteous paladin, a crude barbarian, a pretentious mage, or a vile murderer.


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That right there is what caught my eyes. Because that was ME, so far as gaming went. laugh.gif I felt like those two paragraphs described ME as a gamer. I had spent all these years playing linear games.... not all of them were horrible, but every one of them was linear. I'd literally go to step off some path, hoping to be able to explore some pretty underbrush, but *bonk* nope.... can't even step off the path. "A bit disconnected." ... "Pre-designed characters."... "Weapons the size of telephone poles."... Why doesn't anybody make a game which allows ME to make the character I want to make? Is such a thing even possible? smile.gif

After not even reading that whole article, it took me maybe 40 minutes to jump in my crappy Corolla, drive to the nearest mall, and plunk down $400 for a PS3 and this cool new game. The next few hours were then a blur. I rolled a character named Lady Anne. She was my first! I don't even know what she looked like, I never took a picture of her. smile.gif But after spending 3 hours doing the tutorial, delivering the Amulet, I decided that Lady Anne would "retire" in Chorrol, because I loved the opening experience so much, I immediately wanted to do it all over again, with some other character (whose name I have forgotten).

Anyway, that's my story. Thanks for listening. cake.gif Feel free to share your stories, too.

This post has been edited by Renee: Mar 23 2023, 04:20 PM


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SubRosa
post Oct 23 2018, 11:56 PM
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Wow, ten years! I am just one year behind you.

I too, have long been tired of the games that force a specific protagonist on you. Except for a few rare cases, like with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, it is not the character I want to play. So I tend to stick with games where I can create my own character, and play them how I want them to.


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Lopov
post Oct 24 2018, 09:13 AM
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Though I played Oblivion shortly after its release, I didn't find it that great as I do it these days, because my main games during that period were GTAs. Later as I became older and more mature and discovered the beauty of roleplaying, I started to appreciate Oblivion much more. Happy birthday Oblivion! cake.gif


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mirocu
post Oct 24 2018, 05:38 PM
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Happy anniversary, Renee! salute.gif


I celebrated mine last year so you're not far behind. I know your story quite well but it's always fun reading about it. My tutorial experience was amazing as well but never to the point that I wanted to do it again. As you may have figured out, I'm a one time only kind of Crow wink.gif


Congrats on your decade playing Oblivion! Have some more cake.gif while you play! biggrin.gif


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Renee
post Oct 24 2018, 07:07 PM
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QUOTE(SubRosa @ Oct 23 2018, 06:56 PM) *

Except for a few rare cases, like with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, it is not the character I want to play. So I tend to stick with games where I can create my own character, and play them how I want them to.

Yes, for me this is Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. I'd go back to a Tomb Raider game if I weren't so involved with Bethesda games (or Baldur's Gate) but Beth and BG have ruined me for all other linear games.

QUOTE(Lopov @ Oct 24 2018, 04:13 AM) *

Though I played Oblivion shortly after its release, I didn't find it that great as I do it these days, because my main games during that period were GTAs. Later as I became older and more mature and discovered the beauty of roleplaying, I started to appreciate Oblivion much more. Happy birthday Oblivion! cake.gif

Thank you. And as you know, my first non-linear game was actually GTA: Vice City, but I don't count that because it's a pre-designed character. I also tried Evercrack Everquest before Oblivion, but got bored with EQ, or something.

QUOTE(mirocu @ Oct 24 2018, 12:38 PM) *

... but never to the point that I wanted to do it again. As you may have figured out, I'm a one time only kind of Crow wink.gif

Aw, come on! Just one more time! laugh.gif Kidding.



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ghastley
post Oct 25 2018, 08:22 PM
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This had me trying to figure out when I first played Oblivion. My first mod, Rumple Mod, was posted to the Nexus in August 2009, but I'd started creating it a year before that. I know I must have played the game a bit before starting to change it, but it's hard to work out when.

I assume you have a diary entry or something outside the game itself. I was trying to use the file dates on my installation, but BOSS rewrites the esp dates, and a lot of things copy in with their original create date already set. I.e. they're Beth's dates, not mine. My best estimate so far is June 2008, but not which day.

And I played the TES series in the order: Oblivion, Daggerfall, Arena, Skyrim, Morrowind. I have not modded Arena, but I don't know if anyone has managed to do that. All the others, even if I haven't published any for Morrowind (yet?)

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 25 2018, 08:27 PM


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Renee
post Oct 25 2018, 08:45 PM
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QUOTE(ghastley @ Oct 25 2018, 03:22 PM) *

I assume you have a diary entry or something outside the game itself.


I looked at my first batch of saves one day back when Lady Anne was still extant, and so October 24, 2008 is burned into my memory, since my first character no longer exists (I think). I began gaming somewhere between 9:30 pm and 10:00. Spent so much time gaming, I decided I'd better call in "sick" for work the next day. laugh.gif

QUOTE

And I played the TES series in the order: Oblivion, Daggerfall, Arena, Skyrim, Morrowind. I have not modded Arena, but I don't know if anyone has managed to do that. All the others, even if I haven't published any for Morrowind (yet?)

I went Oblivion (2008), Skyrim (2011), Arena (2013), Oblivion on PC (2014), Skyrim on PC (2015), Daggerfall (last year, I think), and finally Morrowind would be summer of 2017.



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ghastley
post Oct 25 2018, 09:09 PM
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QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 25 2018, 03:45 PM) *

QUOTE(ghastley @ Oct 25 2018, 03:22 PM) *

I assume you have a diary entry or something outside the game itself.


I looked at my first batch of saves one day back when Lady Anne was still extant, and so October 24, 2008 is burned into my memory, since my first character no longer exists (I think). I began gaming somewhere between 9:30 pm and 10:00. Spent so much time gaming, I decided I'd better call in "sick" for work the next day. laugh.gif


I can't do that, as I had so many I culled the older ones a long time ago. Many of my profiles have the oldest save at level 50.

At some point, as well, I started playing multiple characters with different combinations of mods, using Wrye Bash's profiles, and files may have been re-dated in that reorganisation.


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Sakiri
post Nov 25 2018, 09:57 PM
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I was all over Oblivion on launch day. I'd grown tired of Morrowind, and my bf at the time was all over it. He was waiting for Oblivion with bated breath.

Then I proceeded to play the crap out of it until 2010. Then Skyrim stole me(took over a year playing other stuff).

I don't have old saves. I changed computers four times. Bought the game twice. Never played on console.


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mirocu
post Nov 26 2018, 06:03 PM
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QUOTE(Sakiri @ Nov 25 2018, 09:57 PM) *

Bought the game twice.

Amateur wink.gif biggrin.gif


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Sakiri
post Nov 26 2018, 07:57 PM
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Wouldn't have done it twice if I could use the DVD I have. No drive.


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mirocu
post Nov 26 2018, 08:03 PM
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I've bought it five times at least and I still have all of them tongue.gif

This post has been edited by mirocu: Nov 26 2018, 08:03 PM


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Lol bird

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
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I am the captain of my soul.
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Sakiri
post Nov 26 2018, 11:10 PM
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I've never lost a disc nor had one wear out. At first I used ex bf's discs, then bought my own in 2007. Still have it(only one DLC).


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Renee
post Nov 27 2018, 12:06 AM
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mitocu you're one to talk! laugh.gif Mister "I got Skyrim on my shelf and have never played it!" laugh.gif


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Sakiri
post Nov 27 2018, 12:40 PM
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Wait, he actually has Skyrim but never played it?

Lol. That's funny. But it's also okay.


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Renee
post Nov 27 2018, 02:52 PM
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Yeah, mirocu .... er.... uh...

better let him explain it. I'll get it wrong. laugh.gif


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ghastley
post Nov 27 2018, 03:15 PM
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I also had Skyrim, but resisted playing it for a long time.

I bought the Anthology Edition for the other games. You couldn't get Morrowind any more, and I also wanted Arena, so why not? I ended up trying Skyrim, despite the Steam involvement, when I couldn't get Morrowind to work on Windows 8, and I'd already played enough Arena.

The rest is history. I still despise Steam, and the fact that a third party can turn off the game I bought from Bethesda, but I'm living with it, modding the @#$% out of it, and now playing ESO more of the time. Skyrim still gets attention when the urge to make a mod gets hold of me - like now.



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Sakiri
post Nov 27 2018, 04:38 PM
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I wanted to get the anthology but never could afford it back at the time.

I have Morrowind through Skyrim and I still play Skyrim the most.

Wonder how Arena and Daggerfall would run on Win 10 though.


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Renee
post Nov 27 2018, 04:45 PM
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QUOTE(Sakiri @ Nov 27 2018, 10:38 AM) *

Wonder how Arena and Daggerfall would run on Win 10 though.

I've run both games on Windows 8 and 8.1, I've never had any issues. Either game requires a DOS emulator to run on newer systems, but I think the Anthology set comes with its own emulator. If you're not using the Anthology, you'll probably just have to google a bit to find this program.

I know these two games were offered for free for awhile, not sure if that's still true. Decrepit would know, wherever he is. Bottom line though is that I've never had any issues with either game. If anything, they load up super-quick with modern processors, whereas back in the day apparently '90s-era computers were super slow loading up!



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ghastley
post Nov 27 2018, 05:44 PM
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Anthology installs both of them to run under DosBox. That handles the different display drivers, processor speeds, sound etc. that you had to select in the old DOS install process.

When I made mods for Daggerfall, I had to run the tools in DosBox, too, as they were all built for DOS.

I found that Windows 10 handled old games better than Windows 8. I couldn't get Morrowind to work under 8 at all. It wouldn't show me a cursor, which made it unplayable. Win 10 fixed that, but I got rid of my win 10 laptop, and play everything on the Win 7 desktop machine. Windows 10 spent all its time trying to update itself, and that got in the way of actually using it for anything.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Nov 27 2018, 05:47 PM


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