DreadLord on 6/3/2007 at 17:10

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Greetings,

I´m not sure if I should buy Oblivion or not.

Some people told me that it´s atmosphere is sometimes compareable with the Thief world.
The reason why I want to compare it with Thief is, that it represents exactly my taste how a fantasy-setting should lookl ike...


one reason for me to buy the game would be it´s similiarity to LotR and the great graphics but I have to admit that I disliked Morrowind....

Sometimes I hate it when you learn about every detail of a fictional world and IMO in Morrowind you got too much info about everything...

In Thief I like it most that it´s a complex world but still clear - there are 3 factions - and there is some sort of symmetry behind everything...

In Morrowind, though I played it not very long, I had the feeling that there are about 50 factions and 100 races - in my opinion Thief´s minimalism inspires to create a personal fanfic - but I think this isnt the case in Morrowind.....

While Tolkien also worked out every detail I think even there was some room for own interpretation - maybe because there arent thousands of different races and regions...

So my question is: Does I have the wrong impression of Morrowind/Oblivion - so should I buy the game or is it really the way I think?




Another question:
What I like about both LotR and Thief that both settings use more "real-historic-middle-age-design" than many other universes. Morrowind with its insects and strange architecture wasn´t my thing but the reason I´m interested in oblivion again is that it looks much more like LotR....
is my Impression true?

Aast but not least some general questions about the game compared with the Thief-world as Thief is my favourite game-fantasy-universe...

+How is the atmosphere compared to Thief?
+Does the game contain many moody inveronments?
+Is there still some room for own interpretations behind the lore?
+Is the world of a piece as the Thief universe?
+Are there many exciting background stories or is it always the same sheme?

Lytha on 7/3/2007 at 19:22

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Greetings,

I haven't even ever seen Morrowind, so I don't know how it looks and feels like. So, I only can compare Thief and Oblivion.

Oblivion has 4 factions that you can (and probably will) join. Fighters, Mages, Thieves, Killers. There is also the arena, and some factions that don't really have any purpose but to look like your factions log is filled. Certainly not overwhelming. However, these factions aren't really ruling out each other or opposing each other. Each of these guilds has their own group of enemies. For instance, as a thief, you're often working against the city guards. There are less than half a dozen potential conflicts when you are in all guilds and doing quests which target one of the other guilds (for instance, you've got to steal items of members of the mages guild at some point as a thief), but that really doesn't have much of an impact. It's nothing like in Keepers, Hammerites, Pagans.

Details about everything - well, each household has books of some sort. You can read them, or just pocket them and sell them off to the nearest fence. You don't have to understand every bit of the history or of the motives or the people, but you can read a lot.

"100 races in Morrowind" - There are a dozen races in Oblivion, not counting monster races. Monster types are a bit limited, too. At level 1, I fought "Dremora" during the main quest, at level 23, I still fight "Dremora" (I'm still on the main quest), but they are better equipped by now and hit harder.

"in my opinion Thief´s minimalism inspires to create a personal fanfic" - yes, and because Thief was something new. You didn't run around with a rocketlauncher and shot monsters into the face with it, instead the reward was so often the sheer pleasure of outsmarting the AI. "Then I shot the monster in the face with my rocketlauncher" gets a bit boring compared to "The guard turned and looked into my direction. Luckily, I was hidden in the shadows. I held my breath... after a while, the guard turned and went back to his patrol."


"So my question is: Does I have the wrong impression of Morrowind/Oblivion - so should I buy the game or is it really the way I think?" - Oblivion is immersive for me. At least the start is, and very much so.

Later, you will reach points of "duh, now what": after you've finished the quests for one of the guilds, for instance. There are plenty of dungeons, but they are repetitive.


"Morrowind with its insects and strange architecture wasn´t my thing but the reason I´m interested in oblivion again is that it looks much more like LotR....
is my Impression true?" - there are elves and orcs. That's tolkienish, if you like. ;) The architecture of the cities is somewhat realistic, if perhaps disney-landish. The caves look like caves, the ruins look a bit alien; enchanted, old, mysterious - but repetitive. The "hell plane" is absolutely repetitive, and the monsters include among many other things also "insects" (spider dremora), but that's not the only monster kind there.


"+How is the atmosphere compared to Thief?"

Atmosphere depends a lot on the sound effects used. Thief had Eric Brosius - Oblivion has Jeremy Soul.

The atmosphere isn't as creepy and as immersive as in Thief. It has it's excellent moments though.


"+Does the game contain many moody inveronments?"

It has many places with undead, but that's not really moody. Several things that make me feel nauseated, several things that entertain my curiosity (reading letters of strangers and learning about their dirty little secrets is interesting, albeit not very good for the replayability.)


"+Is the world of a piece as the Thief universe?"

Very much so. It's one country with various floras (golden coast, icy mountains, and a dirty rainforest)


"+Are there many exciting background stories or is it always the same sheme?"

Several of the books are a good read. I sometimes sit down in my library in Bruma and read a bit. :)


Three more things, as you come from Thief:

1. Yes, you can steal a lot of stuff. There is even a statistik in your stats which tells you how many items you've stolen so far.

2. Lockpicking is implemented as a "minigame". This one is the most annoying feature of the game (worse than the repetitive hell places), as it presents to you a view of the inside of the lock, and you've got to push the tumblers to the top. And your lockpicks are apparently made out of tissue paper, so they break a lot.

3. Garrett doesn't level up. He's always the best, always extremely stealthy. In Oblivion, your stealth skill will levelup just as your character. Don't expect to be able to break into the palace right away (at least not without getting caught.)


Me, personally, I like Oblivion. But you need to be aware that it definitely isn't Thief IV.

DreadLord on 10/3/2007 at 18:09

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Well, thanks for the detailed answers! :thumb:

Disney-landish, yes this word represents what I tried to explain.....

I think this is the primary reason why Thief looks and feels so different compared to the average fantasy-game-setting....that it isn´t disney-landish but feels more like authenthic history(-fantasy)....

Too bad that Oblivion isnt as thief in this regard. That is what I was hoping for....

Of course, I dont expect Thief gameplay. For me, actually playing as a thief is not the reason why I love the thief universe so much!
The only thing I would like is a thiefish atmosphere - even when I´m playing as a sorcerer.....


Still some more questions:

Does the world of oblivion contain a (official) full history (including a world-creating-mythology)?

Would it be possible to play Oblivion with the illusion of playing in Middle-Earth or are there too many signs that it is a different world?

So the overall Art-Style is completly different to Thief?

What I meant about fandfics: Is the in-game lore very explicit or is there room for interpretation?

Lytha on 12/3/2007 at 00:04

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It really depends on which mission of Thief you've got in mind.

It's totally unlike anything from Thief 2; no industrial buildings and pollution and stuff.

Cheydinhal is a bit like the city around Bafford's Manor.
Several castles are a bit like the castles in Thief 1 and Castle Rumsford.
Ayleid ruins are a bit like the Lost City ruins. Vaguely.
Fort ruins are a bit like the Haunted Cathedral. Also vaguely.
Caves are a bit like the wilderness caves in Thief (but the mushrooms don't glow. ;) )

The cities each have their own architectural theme. Bruma is like a stereotype about finish villages. Anvil is like a mediterran village. Cheydinhal is a bit like a medieval central european village. Bravil is a dirty bog town slum. Leyawin is an equally dirty rainforest village. Skingrad is gothic/transsylvanian. Imperial City is like back in ancient rome. Chorrol has no real character on its own, it's like Imperial City in village shape.

The little villages spread all over the place have a certain similarity to the pagan village in Trail of Blood.

The colourscheme is different from the colour-rich textures in Thief 1. It's all a bit paler, feels more like Thief 2.

Contrary to the thief games, the NPCs have individual faces. Civilian women run around in skirts (unless they're thieves).

When you break into houses a lot or when you dungeon-dwell a lot, you will notice that the layout and textures of the places are very repetitive.

Jason Moyer on 13/3/2007 at 03:13

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