[OBV] Some general game questions...

[Memnoch]

OK, I succumbed to the hype and bought this game, even though my final exams are 3 weeks away. I know I'll suffer...but I think I have enough discipline to play it till the end of this week and then leave off till the end of exams.

Initially I found it difficult, considering the game is so open-ended. I didn't really enjoy Morrowind because I didn't know what it was I had to accomplish, and there was so little guidance on how to proceed. I felt like I was just meandering along accomplishing nothing. Anyway, this game, though it's still open-ended, has a lot more tools to help you focus on specific things if you want. Also, I think I've adjusted pretty quickly to the first-person aspect - it used to give me headaches, but I think I got used to it.

I have some general questions:

1. what do you do when it's night? Sleep in an inn till morning? Is just "waiting" until shops, etc. open ok?

2. how do you know what the time is (without checking your journal)

3. how do I activate tooltips (are there any or do I have to memorise those symbols)

4. where do you buy lockpicks? I broke all of mine (all 30 of them)

5. what are some quick ways to make money? So far I've been fighting in the Arena and have been doing ok. I explored a bit of the countryside but thought I'd stick to the city first.

6. how far is Coldhaven? (I have to get there for the Gray Prince quest)

7. are you allowed to dual wield weapons here, or is it strictly one hand, one hand + shield and two hand?

8. And a game mechanics related question - apparently leveling up is counterproductive in this game? If you level up, the enemies level up by a bigger proportion, is this true?

[ 04-11-2006, 08:39 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[vesselle]

1) that's when i go exploring any caves or such outside the town. but waiting, if you prefer, is okay, too.
2) time for me? if it's light out, it's daytime, and if it's dark, it's night time. [img]tongue.gif[/img]
hit your "T" key ingame brings up a window with the time. [img]tongue.gif[/img]
3) tooltips? yipes! i don't know what those are.
4) i find all my lockpicks. goblins are GREAT sources for 'em. otherwise, join a thieve's guild. they'll sell them to you.
5) the only way i find to make money reliably is to run around the countryside, find caves, kill everything inside and sell everything i find.
6) coldhaven? coldhaven? hmmm. could you possibly mean crowhaven? if so, it's on the western seaboard of the continent, a bit to the north of anvil.
a tip: if you've been given a quest for a place, that place will usually show up on your map. i've learned to make it my active quest right away, just so i can go to the map and spot it. then, i go into my log and change my active quest to whatever it was before.
7) no dual wield that i know of. too bad leia isn't around, i loved his dual-wield mod for morrowind.
8) yes, the enemies scale up with you. they are within a few levels either way of your current level. personally, i thot i'd have a problem with this feature but instead i find it makes playing the game more fun. i don't find it counterproductive in any way.

V***V

[ 04-11-2006, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: vesselle ]

[vesselle]

oh yeah... one feature i really love is fast travel.
i use it in the imperial city all the time, because i hate wandering around trying to remember where everything is. i usually just go 2 places: the arena and the shops.
oh yeah. i get sent to jail in the imperial city an awful lot! [img]tongue.gif[/img] man, i hate it when some lousy, nosey human comes to help me kill off some baddies, because he usually, totally accidentally, (seriously, i'm not kidding [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) gets knicked by my sword and it's off to jail for me. [img]tongue.gif[/img] using fast travel after i get out of jail lets me get back where i was without having to actually run all the way across the map. and i like that. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[img]smile.gif[/img]

V***V

[Luvian]

Originally posted by Memnoch: 2. how do you know what the time is (without checking your journal) 4. where do you buy lockpicks? I broke all of mine (all 30 of them) 7. are you allowed to dual wield weapons here, or is it strictly one hand, one hand + shield and two hand? 8. And a game mechanics related question - apparently leveling up is counterproductive in this game? If you level up, the enemies level up by a bigger proportion, is this true?

I press "T" to open the rest/wait screen when I want to see the time. You can buy lockpicks from the Thief Guild's fences. You can'T dual wield.

About the leveling, it depend on the ennemy. For example, guards will always be 10 levels above you, some others are higher, some lower. Some have a fixed level.

The problem with the leveling system is that it doesn't take into account what skills leveled you. The game always assume you leveled as a fighter or battle mage and balance the ennemies as such. If you didn'T level from combat skills, you're in trouble.

[TheCrimsomBlade]

Hay Memnoch nice to see you joining inon the fun. Let me try to make life a little easier for you.

1.) Night! Now this depends on your class and style of character you have choisen.
This is the best time for the thief to do his thing. He can sneek into any
store or building and walk off with most everything not nailed down.
Jewelery Stores in the capatial are easy pickings. For the Non thief
this is a good time to travel or explore Dungeons and Caves.

2.) Time! just Press the "T" key and check the game time then press cancle
you can also speed up time with the "T" key. When your suspose to meet somebody
in two hrs at the tavern press the "T" (also called the Rest Key in the game
play controls page of your small manual) just move the slider ahead 1-24 hrs.
When an NPC says "meet me at the Throne room in 2 hours". You check the time
then by pressing the "T" key then press cancle & go to the throne room and
check the time again, you'll see that some time has passed if its less than a
half hour press the "T" and move the slider and when the 2 hrs has passed the
people you were expecting will be standing next to you. Now be careful because
if your hunting somebody and are expecting them to be somewhere at specific
Time in order to catch them make sure you come out of rest mode before they
arrive or you could end up dead.

3.)Tool Tips are activated by pressing the "F1-F2-F3-F4 Keys also F5 quick save
and F6 Quick load last auto save. There is a small booklet that came with the
Game and on the back and on page 4 are a quick reminder of the gameplay keys.
if your in the middle of game play and you forget how to do something or what
key does what Press the "T" key and your game pauses and says you can't rest
now. Well your character can't but you can run answer the phone or use the
restroom just remember "when you press cancle rest" all hell could be busting
loose on your character LOL. but you can also check you booklet for tips.

4.)Lock Picks are everywhere in groupes of 1-3. look in any container in towns
that doesen't give you the red hand. No red Icon or hand mean you can take it
and lock picks are found in barrels boxes and dead people. I've found over 200
so far and broken 100+. Take your time with the picks and don't rush the left
click. As you click the tumblers up and down watch the rythem and see when the
tumblers tend to stay up the longest and and click when they are in the up
position also the auto unlock breaks less picks than you will sometimes if your
skill is high enough.

5.) Money makeing is faster when you explore Dungeons,caves and old castles
(out in the world away from the cities) and sell the treasures you find.
Hanging around town you'll grow old before you get rich very old.

6.) Where is Coldhaven? that I can't say. With somewhere around 500 total
quests in the game I haven't got that one yet, but like all missions You
will need to check your in game map for Coldhaven. to get your in game map
read pages 14 & 15 of the small Oblivion guide that came with the game that
little book is the beginners bible and it will help alot.

7.) No Duel wield. your left hand can hold a torch or a shield while your right
hand holds the weapon or both hands on a two handed weapon. and your left hand
holds the Bow and your right pulls the arrows.

8.) Yes and No, the enemies do get stronger as you do but they do stay at a
pretty good balance throughout the game with you. You just need to take your
time and watch what and how many your up against. I'm now a level 38 battlemage
and not so strong that I don't cut and run at times but I do a fare bit of damage myself.

[ 04-11-2006, 11:22 PM: Message edited by: TheCrimsomBlade ]

[Memnoch]

Thanks guys. I worked out where Crowhaven was - I didn't know how to scroll my map around so I was wandering aimlessly for a while. I've been there and back. I have some more questions (not really spoilerish ones):

1. where is the fence you're supposed to sell to when you first join the Thieves Guild in the Imperial City

2. How do I know if I got bitten by a vampire or not?

3. I bought myself a horse. Can I fight on it or is it strictly for looks and travel? If I leave it somewhere untethered will someone steal it or will it run away?

4. how do I enchant a weapon?

Cheers - I have till this Sunday to play this, then it's abstinence for a few weeks.

[Ilander]

1)Bruma...try Olav's inn, any time during the night starting at 7 PM.

2)Click on you magick tab, then on the skull on the far right. Check all your effects, and their causes. Porphoric Hemophilia causes the "damage fatigue" status effect and can be cured by a cure disease potion.

3)No fighting on the horse...yet...someone's gonna come out with a mod for that, I'm sure.

...as for #4...who knows!

[WOLFGIR]

Regarding enchanting weapons:

1: The looooooooooooooooong way. Do the Mage guild recommendation and you will finally be able to make up enchantments and spells of your won design.

2: For anyone. Do the main quest and with each Oblivion portal there is a portal stone that you can use to enchant weapons/armours etc.

3: Download the mod that gives each and every mage guild their own enchantment altar thingee.. Since I haven't finished the mage guild recomendation yet with any of the characters I have in play, I have yet to see this thingee.

4: Don't, and steal/plunder cool items from others!

P.S Make sure to have loads of soulstones to recharge your weapons with. I.E make sure your mysticism is high enough to cast soulcage.

[TheCrimsomBlade]

Enchanting Weapons requires access to the Arcane University, so you must do the
seven Mage Recommendation quests (one for each Mage guild in each town) to get the seven recommendations to the Council of Mages.
Once you get the seventh recommendation you can talk to any one of the seven Mage
Hall leaders and they tell you to see Raminus Polus at the Arcane University. He'll promote you to Apprentes send you on a quest to make your mages staff and from that point on you can use the Alter of Enchanting & the Alter of Spellmaking.

Memnoch you may want to wait until after your tests are behind you so you can get
into Mage quests. In the meen time since your a thief there are plenty of
enchanted Items you can steal.

One Main thing: In order to join the mage Guild you can't be wanted by the law so
if your being chased by guards or have any Warrents on you. Turn yourself in and
pay any fines then you can go to any town and apply to join.

[Memnoch]

Cheers fellas. Another question:

1. How the @#$% do you aim your bow properly? I never ever hit anything with my bow. By the time I get a couple of shots off the enemy's on top of me already. I guess I'm not Legolas...