The Elder Scrolls

A forum for non-Suikoden games.
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bluemask
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by bluemask »

Wow, very good point. I saw some gameplays of Dawnguard and it looks really interesting but ya, the whole point of its story is kinda "off topic" if I might say. Well... maybe they were only aiming for it to be the same level as those city/hold quests (like those damn mages and riften whatnots) but since it's a DLC, they might have opted for a more elaborate plotline, not realizing it kind of competes with the main dragon quests.

Dragonborn is completely relevant and it was a great approach to elaborate the mythology as you said. Though my only gripe is that, there's a new map. Isn't it like a pain to go back and forth?

Hearthfire on the other hand, was pointless to begin with... I just hope it's not there. Maybe I'll get it for the sake of completion D:
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Pyriel
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by Pyriel »

Hearthfire adds some things that are worth having. It goes on sale for like $5 from time to time, so it's hardly a dent.

Dawnguard is very much an aside. It felt like they were compelled by the existence of the Companion sub-plot to give you another with the option of joining Team Edward instead of Team Jacob. It does add some cool stuff if you ignore the main plot, or blow through it quickly for bonuses. That said, I've actually considered installing one of the quest-refusal mods just to keep Dawnguard from appearing in my journal almost automatically at level 9 because some idiot guard mentions it.
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Raww Le Klueze
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by Raww Le Klueze »

I so hate Dawnguard because it adds that random Vampire-attacks-towns event. Not good in a game where everyone can die and the game is not good at keeping track of it.

Hearthfire is excellent. I only wish you had better choices and control of the decorating and building. Exactly why can I only build an armory to the East?
Doctorum Non Urina Singulus.
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sticky-runes
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by sticky-runes »

I LOVE Hearthfire. I'm an alchemy nut, so I love using the garden and greenhouse to mass produce my favorite ingredients. I love the extra housecarls and being able to choose a follower to be my steward (A bit of Suikodenness there, recruiting people to come and live with you) and there's no new quests or story lines involved, it's really just additional features to enhance your own personalized role-play, and it integrates well with the existing content of Skyrim, instead of adding on a whole new area to get lost in. The buy-your-own carriage feature is also helpful if you've opted not to use fast travel!

The only complaints I have about Hearthfire is the adoption quest that comes up (I like marriage, but I'm really not interested in adopting, and the game never came up with a journal entry saying "speak to Maramal about getting married", so why does it want me to talk to Constance about adoption, especially when she already saw me kill the old hag who was running the orphanage in the first place?) and also some of the mechanics are dodgy, like when you plant an ingredient, it asks how many you want to plant, but you can only plant one item at a time, so why fricking give me an option that I can't use???

Also, the bards. They really shouldn't have created fixed bard characters, they should have allowed us to choose one of the many bards already living in Skyrim to come and perform for us, like with the stewards.
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Pyriel
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by Pyriel »

You can limit the annoyance of vampire attacks by installing a mod like "Run For Your Life", or "When Vampires Attack", if you have the ability. It's not perfect, but it works most of the time, and it at least stops idiot shopkeepers from trying to take on Master Vampires or better with their tiny score in one-handed and an iron dagger. You also get a bit of a warning that vampires are imminent or already fighting the guards, because the streets clear or all the citizens are bolting for shelter.

It's still annoying. For some reason on my last couple characters I've had Gargoyles just randomly appear around me when I enter towns, buildings, dungeons, even Hearthfire houses.
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bluemask
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by bluemask »

So... I was totally wrong with Hearthfire then? You guys made it sound sooo awesome. I'll pick it up sooner than Dawnguard, I guess lol.
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sticky-runes
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by sticky-runes »

Don't knock it 'til you try it.
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Pyriel
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by Pyriel »

Hearthfire is more of a features pack than a content or expansion pack. It only adds a couple of miscellaneous quests that are pretty meaningless, and the rest of it is new food items, alchemy ingredients, and the stuff surrounding the three player-constructed houses (there are new containers too, like a new set of mannequins that look exactly like the ones in basic Skyrim but are different...somehow). Like Raww said, your design options are limited, but the houses are almost worth it for the carriage drivers alone. At least, if you play with fast travel being verboten. They can go to almost any town or settlement, including Old Hroldan and Darkwater Crossing. I sort of wish they'd go to other Hearthfire houses you've purchased as well, but that's mostly because I prefer traveling to Solitude to get to the one in Morthal's hold (Hjaalmarch?), and Frostfall means I can't do it without nearly freezing until I can walk on water.
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sticky-runes
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by sticky-runes »

Oh, another thing I dislike about Dawnguard is the way it gives all vampires red eyes, even characters like Sybille at Solitude and the couple who own the Half Moon Mill. I used to think it was cool how those characters lived among regular mortals without me being aware that they were vampires, but now they have glowing red eyes, so it's really obvious. It also ruins the Dawnguard quests where you're supposed to be tracking a vampire that has infiltrated the jarl's court, and you have to get proof that the target is, in fact, a vampire, or else the guards will arrest you for attacking an innocent civilian. He's got demonic glowing red eyes, you wankers, what other proof do you need? :evil:

speaking of Half Moon Mill, why does that place come up as the default location to gather wood for building your first Hearthfire house? Even if you build a house in the Pale, where the closest lumber merchant is in Morthal, it tells you to go all the way to Halfmoon. Chances are, you might have already killed the Half moon couple as part of the Dark brotherhood story line. :roll:
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bluemask
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by bluemask »

sticky-runes wrote:Oh, another thing I dislike about Dawnguard is the way it gives all vampires red eyes, even characters like Sybille at Solitude and the couple who own the Half Moon Mill. I used to think it was cool how those characters lived among regular mortals without me being aware that they were vampires, but now they have glowing red eyes, so it's really obvious.
A freakin' giveaway? Not cool. Why would they even do that... They could have just used new eyes for that purpose :/
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Pyriel
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by Pyriel »

Yeah, they should have created a separate race for the glowing-eyed ones. It's sort of a cool effect when you run into random vampires in the dark out in the middle of nowhere. Not so much when it's someone who's supposed to be hiding in plain sight. I guess that was too much work for Bethesda, though.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone at least tried to make a mod to undo the damage. Not much help if you're on an XBox, though.
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bluemask
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Re: The Elder Scrolls

Post by bluemask »

Pyriel wrote: I wouldn't be surprised if someone at least tried to make a mod to undo the damage. Not much help if you're on an XBox, though.
The power of PC haha :lol: .

Speaking of mods, I'm not really a fan of mechanics-changing ones specially if it breaks immersion (if they're really big changes). I like appearance mods though lol, Bijin Warmaidens in particular which overhauls female followers.
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