Posted 03 May 2006 - 11:19 AM
I got Oblivion a few days ago, and have been playing it obsessively ever since (even though I'm supposed to be revising for my exams). I'm actually really surprised by how well it runs on my computer, which is only just over the minimum specs. Once I turned off Bloom lighting (which I didn't really want in any case), I found I could turn most of the other settings up quite high. It does stutter badly on occasion, but I'm getting another gig of RAM in a couple of days, so I expect that will help.
Designing your own character is fun, but sheesh, these faces are ugly. I can't tell you how long it took me to make a face that was reasonably attractive, rather than looking like some kind of genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. I love the Dark Elf who taunts you at the beginning at the game - did you know that he says different things depending on your race and sex? I spent ages trying out all the different options, just to see what kind of snide comments he made for each one.
So far I'm having fun just ignoring the main quest and wandering around the gameworld. The AI is good, although the all-knowing telepathic guards annoy me (what's with rushing in to arrest you the moment you even touch a forbidden object?) The interface is a bit console-ised - it took me a long time to get used to using the spacebar to interact with objects - but otherwise it's OK.
I'm actually quite enjoying the lockpicking and persuasion mini-games, even if they do get a bit frustrating at times. Not liking the real-time combat, though - I enjoy sneaking up behind people with a bow and shooting them, but sword-fighting is very jerky and choppy, which makes it difficult to time your blows. It makes me long for turn-based combat like in KotOR, or at least a Pause button. Still, that's another thing I'm hoping will improve when I get more memory.
Anyway, I'm level 5 now and I guess I should get started on the main quest sometime soon. Can't say that the story really grabs me so far, but maybe it gets more interesting later on. Overall, I don't like this game quite as much as KotOR, but it's still great fun (and certainly a whole lot better-looking).
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The sandpeople had women and children. We know this because Anakin killed them how could he tell? The children might be smaller but I never saw a sandperson with breasts. Did they hike their skirts and show him some leg or something?
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Also, I can see the point of wanting to kidnap a human and use her as a slave, but they didn't. They tied her to a flimsy easel for a month. It's assumed they had to feed and give her water. What for? Was she purely ornamental? I can understand them wanting the droids, you can sell those for a lot of money, but a chick who's only skills are finding non-existand mushrooms and getting randomly pregnant, you're not going to get much.
- J m HofMarN on the Sand People