Aravi in Skyrim, her video story Options

[SubRosa]

Rosa: given the overall quality of the game's textures, everything is blurry. As far as graphics go, this is probably the weakest game in the series to be released in its hardware generation graphics wise.

As for the transparent head, yes, it is a bug in how the game engine handles AMD's adaptive anti-aliasing setting. This was probably recorded before KC knew that. There's also certain transparency AA settings that might cause things like that to happen, too.

So what are doing to the graphics at a distance? Do they swap to lower quality textures as an object gets farther away, like Rome Total War does? Or is the engine basically thinking, its 50 feet away, so add a blur effect to the object?

I figured the transparent head was that AA issue that KC mentioned on another thread. Funky.

Oh, I meant to say before, Jarl is where the English term Earl came from. In Scandinavia, what it meant varied by era. At one point it was the equivalent of a count or duke, at another it meant the heir to the throne (and so only one person could claim the title). Its usage varied a great deal by time and place.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 27 2011, 05:04 PM

[King Coin]

@mALX: That crossing didn’t look as deep as it actually was, she would have used the bridge otherwise. Aravi lost Camilla right outside, she assumed she went back into the shop. I think Mistwatch is a different dungeon farther away. I’d have to check Aravi’s map though.

I’m glad you enjoyed the dual swords. Aravi’s a quick fighter so I think it’s fitting for her to take up two. Thanks!

@Grits: She didn’t offer the other times I’ve done that quest. Thanks for complimenting Aravi!
She was SO tempted to get that sword in Riverwood. She really didn’t have enough money though to buy the sword and to buy the steel to improve it. She didn’t want to just take the man’s stuff even though he offered it.

you made me laugh with that last line. Thanks Grits!

@Acadian: The chicken??? I had to look, never noticed it before.

Aravi is still Aravi! Quick and deadly with bow or swords. She needs more practice with the bow though, she lost some of her skill with it after her mistake and quit using them for a while. Thanks!

@SubRosa: I love the tails! I had the same thoughts when Aravi was sitting at an inn and her tail was sticking way out into the center of the room.

That’s a quest that always appears in the Riverwood Traders. I think it’s more of a push to go in there and start the main quest.

It actually takes 4 one pound ingots to make a 20 pound suit of armor.

That isn’t you, that’s the AA issue. You’ll see it more in a few more videos.

I do not know what is happening with the blur. Could be weather, could be something else. Thanks!

@TK: Never tried two swords? Power attacks are devastating. It fits Aravi’s character so I’m pleased with it. Thanks!

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Aravi enters the Barrow, not sure what to expect inside...

TIME: 9:31

[Grits]

I smiled at Aravi checking out the horker loaf. Still no steel swords on the bandits. It was neat to see her use fire and a sword, that way she didn’t run out of stamina or magicka.

Figuring out the trapped lever was another fun sequence, but not so much for Aravi. Oh my gosh, that head shake when she saw all of the webs!! A little extra flare just to make sure at the end, too. Great battle against the spider!

[SubRosa]

I really love the effect of the wind blowing the dust around the floor, combined with the sound of the wind, it really creates a powerful atmosphere.

Those guys did not look blurry at a distance. So I think what I saw the last time must have been something the engine does in snowstorms?

A Horker Loaf? That just sounds nasty.

I see the lockpicking is exactly the same as FO3. That works for me. I can do it this way. I never could deal with Oblivion's lockpicking minigame.

So can you block with a shield in one hand and use magic with the other?

I did not like the look of that big spiderweb. Euch. The rest are even worse. Eww, spider. I agree with that guy. Get it away! I could not play this game without a mod to remove them. The ones in the tutorial were bad enough.

You healed yourself up after the battle? I did not think you had to do that? I thought you automatically healed up after every fight in Skyrim?

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 29 2011, 07:31 PM

[Acadian]

A dungeon crawl! Aravi’s still good with blade(s) & bow. The fire magic looks nice in her hand and neat as it takes effect on foes. She solved the puzzle; loved how she did a ‘hit and run’ on that lever the second time – smart kitty. I see she still remembers how to give us the Aravi head shake when so warranted. I enjoyed the background noises and effects, such as those SubRosa mentioned.

Did that fellow she rescued seem quite. . . ungrateful?

[mALX]

I loved going through this barrow! If I hadn't been so worried about possibly releasing the dragons the whole time, I think it would have been my fave of all. Awesome Vid, it is so great to see Aravi shaking her head again !!

[King Coin]

@Grits: Aravi didn’t have the benefit of seeing the bandit yank the lever, she killed him first. She hates those spiders! She would have done that fight differently if there wasn’t someone else shouting in the room. “Get it away!”

Thanks Grits!

@SubRosa: The dungeons in this game are quite a bit more atmospheric than they were in Oblivion, at least in my opinion. Some of them are quite pretty.

You could have a shield and a spell.

I hate spiders, but I can play the game with them in. Poor Aravi has to fight them though!

There is a slow health regeneration, but those wounds hurt! She didn’t want to wait.

I think I’m going to look for a mod that slows all health regeneration.

Thanks SubRosa!

@Acadian: Aravi isn’t very good with destruction magic, but she used it on that bandit. Those darts were painful and she didn’t want to be hit again.

That guy did seem very ungrateful. He doesn’t get far though… Thanks!

@mALX: I love that dungeon too, it’s so much fun to go through. Glad you are enjoying it! Thanks!

#################################

Aravi cautiously follows the man she cut out of the web…

TIME: 12:05

[mALX]

Those Draugrs give me the creeps, lol. I love the way Aravi crept to the wall and got her shout word before the one guarding it woke up and burst out of his crypt !! Awesome Vid !!

[SubRosa]

3 draugr at once? Yikes. That looks more dangerous then a room full of rocking chairs!

That Health is low box that pops up is really annoying. The blood on the screen is bad enough. OTOH, the healing spell looks really neat.

I see the swinging pendulum trap is back. A lot faster this time too! It looks impossible to run through. I can't believe Aravi did it!

That Draugr in the room past the swinging blades made me think of Conan (the original, with Ahnold). I wonder if he has an Atlantean sword in there?

The shadows going across the wall of that Draugr that Aravi did the sneak shot on were just amazing!

The bats flying past were really neat after the claw door.

That Draugr Overlord really had bad breath!

Scroll of Mayhem? I like the sound of that!

[Thomas Kaira]

You don't need a mod to slow the health regen, KC. Just use this console command:

Player.forceAV HealRateMult XX (Default is 100)

[Grits]

Ancient Nord sword, woo hoo! It’s fun to see what perks Aravi chooses. That whole system is new to me, and I love it! I was also impressed with her nimble dash through the blade trap. Even J'Shanji left some of his blood on that floor.

I think you did a great job showing us the Barrow without taking us through every step. That last chamber is majestic, it was nice to see Aravi take in the sights after the Overlord battle. She does very well with her Healing spell during fights, once again I'm learning from her. I'd still like to see her do some spell shopping with Farengar though, if only for the sake of my nerves!

I enjoyed this video so much, it made me want to go barrow diving.

[Acadian]

Some intense fights, especially the last one. I’m so glad that Aravi is getting pretty good at running and healing when necessary.

Woot! Underground waterfalls!!!

These are great fun to watch!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jan 2 2012, 01:26 AM

[King Coin]

@mALX: They don’t bother Aravi. She’d rather fight the Draugr than Cyrodiil’s zombies. These ones are dry and don’t smell nearly as bad. They also don’t get blood everywhere.

I had to redo that segment with the wall because the first time I did it, even though I was expecting the one in the casket, I still jumped when he burst out. The camera would probably have made you sick.

Thanks mALX!

@SubRosa: I don’t know, rocking chairs are quite painful if you aren’t careful.

The health is low box only appears once. I suppose it appeared then because Aravi’s health never got low before.

The shadows are really cool in this game.

Thanks SubRosa!

@TK: Nice. Will I have to set that each time I fire up the game or will it remember that setting? I suppose I’ll find out. I’ll half it and see how quickly it auto heals. Thanks!

@Grits: I figured there would be people wanting to know what perks Aravi gets so I include the level ups.

I am surprised Aravi got through the trap unscathed as well. That was a first. Fire Walker was a lot slower because of his heavy armor and he got nailed.

What did you learn from Aravi? That running away is ok?

Thanks Grits!

@Acadian: Aravi has definitely learned to turn tail and run when need be. Just backing off isn’t normally enough. Almost every cave has running water in it I’ve found. Thanks!

################################

A special note on this episode

The second video includes a lot of dialog after the fight. It's mostly about what the Dragonborn is and what it means for Aravi. You may end it any time after the fight. I kept the dialog for those who don’t own the game, or just would like to see it. I would have split it into two videos but I didn’t have time to upload the new videos.

################################

Aravi returns the items in Riverwood and Whiterun. Then a guard appears with news about the Western Watchtower.

TIME: 6:05

Aravi investigates the Western Watchtower. After a frantic fight, she learns something of herself.

TIME: 4:00, 13:11 or anything in between.

[mALX]

I liked Aravi's little jump going into the shop, lol.  What is with Irileth's voice? She sounds like she's been drinking testosterone in her mead, lol.

GAAAAH !!! I thought of McB right away when I saw this at the top of the screen: "Kiw the Dwagon!" ROFL !!!

GAAAAH !!! Aravi almost ran away before absorbing the dragon soul !!! (Can that be done?)

This was AWESOME !!! I freaked out when the ground started shaking and that shout came from the mountains!!! That speech the Jarl gave brought chill bumps on my arm!! AWESOME VID !!! My total fave so far !!!

[SubRosa]

I almost laughed when Lucan said "Oh a bit of this, and a bit of that." While at the same time Camilla's breasts seem to be growing from the right side of the screen.

For a moment I thought that dog in the street outside was a lion!

"You didn't die it seems."
Was it me, or did he sound almost disappointed?

Looks like the watchtower took a beating. When the dragon showed up, and Aravi started shooting her bow, it reminded me of Bard the Bowman shooting Smaug.

Its neat how the dragons burn up after they die. The effect reminds me of the Silent Hill movie, when the town would change.

I could summon the th'um after eating a bag of doritos too...

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 4 2012, 07:44 PM

[Grits]

That was a fun exchange with the kids and Stump in the street, ending with “Stupid dog!” A little taste of Riverwood life. I’m sure a huge dog dressed up as a spider isn’t Aravi’s idea of a good prank either.

I like Aravi’s reaction to Farengar’s remark! He wants to see a dragon up close? Just like a mage. Darnand might have asked her to measure its jaws or something.

The dragon fight was great, you showed it so well! Aravi was awesome throughout. I have been amazed at how hard it is to hit something as big as a dragon with an arrow, but Aravi does not have that problem! Also, what a great idea to take cover when the dragon tries to burn you. No wonder my Bosmer quit on me and went back to Cyrodiil.

This was a great video! I watched the dialog, too. I really like the story.

[Acadian]

Yay! A Skyrim Wolfhound!

“I envy you the chance to see this dragon up close.” Whoa! That deservedly earned a patented Aravi head shake!

A very exciting fight! And now it looks like it’s off to see the Graybeards!

This is great fun to watch!

[King Coin]

@mALX: I like the little hop too. Seemed like it was a pretty big step. Irileth always has a deeper voice. I think it fits her character.

Now you know where McB’s children get it from!

I think if you get away from it fast enough the soul isn’t absorbed. When you get close to the dragon corpse again though, the soul is absorbed.

The shout from the mountains is awesome, I love that they did that. The Jarl’s speech was good too, but the shout was the best.

Thanks mALX!

@SubRosa: He’s got some other things on his mind eh?

I hope he wasn’t disappointed; I think he was supposed to be kind of surprised that you made it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read The Hobbit but I can see that now.

I don’t want to be around you when you’ve had doritos then. Thanks SubRosa!

@Grits: At a distance, a frostbite-Stump might get shot by Aravi!

Darnand can come with if he wants to measure the jaws. Crazy wizards.

Who doesn’t take cover when the dragons breathe their fire?
I’m really happy with how that dragon fight turned out. Aravi was excellent. You may have noticed that she only shot at it when it was still. When it moves, it’s too hard for her to hit.

Thanks Grits!

@Acadian: Those wizards are nuts. You should see what that guy does later when he does see a dragon up close.

Aravi is hesitant to go to the Greybeards. It’ll be a while before she decides to climb the mountain.

Thanks Acadian!


###########################

Rather than going to High Hrothgar to talk to the Greybeards, Aravi goes hunting.
She isn’t very good at it.

TIME: 12:45

[SubRosa]

Wooking for dat wascly wabbit?

The heather shifting in the wind looks really neat.

Bleakwind Basin? Sounds very aptly named. And it is our old friend Nirnroot! With its characteristic sound. Plus a Mammoth! Is Aravi going to try hunting that I wonder?

I wonder who that other archer might be? No one friendly I see! That was one long sprint to cover behind that rock!

Oh, and its a dreaded mudcrab! Aravi smacked it good! That one looked super-sized, and almost seemed like it was wearing a helmet.

I forgot to mention to Aravi, Don't go out on the moors at night! When I heard the wolves howling, I remembered. Of course by then it was too late... But she pummeled them like Ali.

The bandits were not much trouble, and Aravi got a good ring out of them.

[mALX]

Maxical never intends to go out hunting, it just happens animals with pelts attack her as she is out in her travels. Watching how hard it is to actually hunt in this vid - WHEW !! Glad she didn't, lol. Oh hey, Aravi found the Luner Forge !! Great Vid !!!!