Alexander:
A few questions. Will the players once again be able to get a house, just like in Morrowind, and, if so, in what way will it be possible? Can you touch anything about that?
Gavin:
Yeah, you will have houses. So we've nine major cities, and there should at least be at least one house in every city that you can, you can purchase. So we've nine major cities, and there should at least be at least one house in every city that you can purchase. So, it's really a high level economic goal. So, you know, houses are gonna be thousands and thousands of gold pieces. It's something you're gonna really have to adventure a lot and save up a lot of your money for, and then you can get your place, so definitely a lot of that.
Alexander:
And how does it work? You go into the town, speak to the contact?
Gavin:
Yeah, pretty much. There will be a real estate agent or somebody. So, you might have a quest that will give you a house. I think in one of the cities there's a quest that you have to go clear up this haunted place. And if you do then the house is restored.
Alexander:
So something like Ahnassi's quest in Morrowind - in Pelagiad.
Gavin:
Exactly.
Alexander:
And speaking of real estate agents is there like a bank in cities?
Gavin:
I don't think we're doing banks this time, no. No plans for that.
Alexander:
So no earning interest and such?
Gavin:
Nothing like that this time, no.
Alexander:
On miscellaneous items, since we're talking about houses, in Morrowind modders made a lot things like mannequins that you could store armor on and have it on display, alchemy jars, alchemy sorters. All those sorts of things. And wondering, will we this time get those things? Or once again will they be left to modders?
Gavin:
Um... I mean, you know, the mod community for Morrowind was gigantic, and they've done everything that you could possibly dream of under the sun. We couldn't possibly incorporate all those ideas. There were a lot of good ideas. We play a lot, a lot - it's a lot, a lot, a lot. And we take a lot of those ideas and so, but the specific ones, I don't know, we can probably say "yeah, we stole that idea from that person". A lot of things that people wanted to see, I know they were mount mods that people did, you could get - you could ride all these horses and things like that. So, we've got really cool horses that you can ride around on and stuff like that, definitely influenced by the mod community.
Alexander:
Have you got anything else to say about other mounts being in the game?
Gavin:
Not right now.
Alexander:
In Morrowind we had many items like spades and brooms and such; will we actually be able to use them this time? Can we actually sweep the floor with brooms?
Gavin:
You can probably imagine yourself doing that. We've poured all our effort into, you know, the weapons. Their activity. I mean, there's lots of added interactivity in the world because we're using Havoc physics. So you swing your sword and you knock - you know, you can wreak Havoc in stores by knocking stuff off the shelves with your sword. That's a whole lot of fun. But as far as things as digging holes and sweeping the floor, not right now.
Alexander:
With many rumors now about things like eating and drinking being compulsory, about marriage and relationships and such. Can you be clear on those things? Will they be in the game?
Gavin:
You could get a drink and it'll raise your stats, not compulsory. You know, I kinda hate (compulsory eating and drinking). I don't think that's fun at all. You know, we wouldn't do that. We have like all the food - there's all kinds of different food for the NPCs to eat. They boost your fatigue. Marriage - I don't think we're gonna do marriages. I think we don't really need that stuff. I don't think and I'm not sure we really need that stuff. We really want the focus to be on the plot, fighting these demon lords, I think all that other stuff is tertiary and takes away.
Alexander:
And these relationships are they part of the game?
Gavin:
All the 1000 NPCs we're tracking all throughout the game. All the disposition is still there, and it's reflective on their face. So God give us Vikings are gonna be really, really angry looking. There's also, you know, fame and infamy. Ratings from famous to infamous. So if you're famous people are going to generally like you, and if you're infamous they're going to stay away.
Alexander:
So if you're famous you'll also have better prices and from merchants in bartering and such?
Gavin:
Pretty much, yeah. We're trying to make that mean more than in Morrowind, so, um, quests might open up. If you have a really high infamy, you might get a quest, you might not otherwise get stuff like that.
Alexander:
We've just found out, while viewing the demo that vampirism will be in the game. Can you tell us a bit about it? Obviously, can you tell us what will be different from Morrowind?
Gavin:
The answer is no haha we can't talk about that right now, It's something we'll be talking about in the future. We've got some good ideas this time, and I think people will be happy.
Alexander:
And speaking of vampirism, lycantrophy. Can you at least tell us if that's to be in the game or not?
Gavin:
I cannot. No comment.
Alexander:
Then about Children - will they be in?
Gavin:
No children. The basic reason is our character systems, how they change clothes, and everything like that. Everything comes built the same scale to fit on characters. So we scaled them up and up a little bit, but drastic things like that can break our character system. We do have a great range of ages in the game. For example, when you make your character, there's an age slider. So you can make them look young or old. And take the ranges like early twenties to late sixties and what falls between that range.
Alexander:
And so you won't be able to play as a teenager, then
Gavin:
Yeah, you can make your face look very young. But as a teenager -
Alexander:
Not that young.
Gavin:
Yeah.
Alexander:There's been a lot of speculation of fans about famous characters in Morrowind, like Caius Cosades and Fargoth. Will they make a special appearance in Oblivion?
Gavin:
They might, they might. It's one of those things, you know, we're like, each game is gonna stand on its own, and what we don't like to do a lot is kinda winking at the camera, have a few things that only players of the last game are gonna get. No, we don't do a lot of that. So they might make a small appearance, maybe. Nothing like plot central, I think.
Alexander:
In Morrowind, there was a very nice skill and leveling system. In Oblivion, once again, to develop yourself, you develop your skills. But of course, there are a few skills that would work beautifully. Like climbing, for instance. Will there be such things?
Gavin:
No climbing, no. Yeah, you know, the main problem with climbing is you don't really, like in Daggerfall, where you would go up and the wall is flat and you could just climb a wall, I mean, come on, that's kinda silly, I think. And you just start going up that wall. Our environments are so complex this time we don't have flat walls. Everything is curved, it's cranky, with nooks. Also, you know, it would totally change the way how we'd have to build up. I mean, we'd have to build places were climbing makes sense. Which is, it's not a problem, it's just something we'd have to plan for from the beginning. I mean, we're building places where your acrobatics skill is gonna come into play. You'll reach different places. But no, no climbing skill.
Alexander:
And when you say "reach different places", can you - there are things that let you jump up after something and then the player automatically grabs it and pulls himself up?
Gavin:
There will be places you can reach as far as you're an acrobat. Or things like that. We've had games like Prince of Persia and things like that. It's not too great, but we create stuff for those kind of players who like to do that sort of thing.
Alexander:And the skill system in general, are there significant changes in that? Anything you can tell us about that?
Gavin:
We've looked at the skill list and made it so it's a little easier for us to balance. So now there are 7 skills in each category, combat, magic and stealth. Each have 7 representative skills. For example, the blade skills are combined. So short blade and long blade are now only skill. But it works a bit better. So, there are a few more changes like that.
Alexander:
Well, we've just talked about having banks and such. But will there be alternative means to get money? I'm thinking like shops. Maybe me being paid for opening a shop?
Gavin:
Not implementing like jobs for the player - the whole job experience is not really focusing on our new play. Radiant AI is more for when you're walking around the world and you want to feel like people are going around their business, you've got to feel like you're part of this living world. As far as getting a job, other than like the quests laid out, like lower level finder guild quests, where you have to go out and do things to help other characters, (you can't actually get a job). But as far as opening a shop, the closest you can do is going out through the world, gathering things and selling them to merchants.
Alexander:
Like bartering in Morrowind?
Gavin:Right, right.
Alexander:
Ok. Um, well, so far we've heard there are six guilds, six factions. Is that all there is? Only six factions? Because of course in Morrowind we had lots of factions.
Gavin:
Yeah, lots of factions in Morrowind with lots and lots of very, very simple quests and not so, not so many great characters. So this time we are doing fewer quests, but they are all so much more complex, more rich, with more alternate paths, more chararcters to connect with, who actually have personalities, things like that. In essence, most take longer than for example doing quests in Morrowind where someone asks you to deliver some clothes and that's the whole quest: deliver clothes. So our quests are much deeper experiences this time around. The factions themselves play out like their own mini storyline. And their own character archs, their own plots parts, that are connected to the main quest but not integrated with it, just like in Morrowind, so that's the kind of thing we're aiming for.
Alexander:
And 6 factions, will it stay like that?
Gavin:
Everything is subject to change at this point. We do have the new Arena faction, which we have now. It's awesome. You can fight in the arena or you can bet on arena matches themselves. It's a lot of fun.
Alexander:
It does sound a lot of fun, but so this Arena faction, doesn't it appear to be a bit one-sided? I mean, the Arena is about fights, so all the quests in the Arena guild will be fights? Will that really be a lot of fun?
Gavin:
I don't know, maybe it could need some work on that. It's, the essence of the Arena faction will be fighting in the Arena. You know that's what it is, but like any other faction it's got its own characters and it's got it's own storyline.
Alexander:
Will there be more clothing options than we had in Morrowind? We've had a lot of outcries on the forums like "we need more clothes!" and petitions for more choice.
Gavin:
On the forums the output in there is always going to be "we want more". You know, we're doing everything at such a high level of detail, that kind of art takes time, so we're definitely going to try to do as many as we can. But a specific number, I don't know. We'll do as many as we have time.
Alexander:
And any specifics about clothes, like hooded robes - will they be in?
Gavin:
Nah, no specifics on that.
Alexander:
Then on magic, aside from the announced improvements to spells, 7 skills per category means one less magic school?
Gavin:
Right, maybe I got the numbers wrong.
Editors note: Gavin later had this to say: "I was right with the 21 skills. Sorry I messed that up so bad in the Waiting for Oblivion interview :) Don't know where my head was at for that one."
Alexander:
Well seven means one less skill in magic, is that right?
Gavin:
Yeah, sorry I don't think that's right, I might have got the numbers wrong.
Alexander:
So will there be any more skills than like nine, maybe?
Gavin:
There might be. Off the top of my head, I think I got the numbers wrong so, but all the magic schools from Morrowind are there.
Alexander:
Speaking of magic - spells and schools, will they be improved? Have you also added new spells maybe?
Gavin:
We have done both of those things. We talked about this a lot. We're trying for the most part, to have all the spell effects stand on their own. Looking at each one, what can we do to make this better? We have physics, so - telekinesis. So you can grab items and it's like force push and force pull. Or you can grab items across the world and manipulate them. Or a fireball, you cast a big fireball into the crowd and you will see people flying and stuff like that. It's great fun.
Alexander:
And speaking of telekinesis, you mentioned pushing and pulling things, Can you also lift things up? And throw them around and at people?
Gavin:
Yes, those are all possible, yes.
Alexander:
Will stealth and combat skills then also be limited to seven or nine skills each?
Gavin:
Don't try and pin me down there, I'm obviously confused about the numbers myself.
Alexander:
Because I was wondering if maybe you had combined skills then?
Gavin:
I don't know, I don't really want to go into details on skill stuff, not right now.
Alexander:
We just saw in the video manipulating things like the chains and such. Is that possible for everything? like can we even move tables and such?
Gavin:
For the most part, some of the items we've bolted down because you know, there's no perfect A.I. system for NPCs. They fall over stuff once in a while and just randomly knock all this stuff over, for example. So, except for larger items like really big tables and stuff like that are solid objects that you can't move, most of the moving stuff around is based for parts on your stats, your strength. Unless you have like a real strong character you won't be able to pick up some things. So all that stuff is all movable but there are limitations.
Alexander:
And the final question. Could you tell us a bit about the workings of the new Construction Set?
Gavin:
It's a lot like in Morrowind. The biggest changes are probably the added tools that help us generate areas a lot faster. You put in your area parametirs, what kind of objects you want, what kind of grass types, and there are all sorts of variables, plus there are all sorts of parameter types, cluster, how close they are, stuff like that. And you say generate and it makes the area. So if you make really, really big pieces then it can take a long time because it takes time, but it's so much faster and so much better than doing it all by hand like we had to do in Morrowind. It's really amazing. Other then that, there's not like a sea of tabs that you get as in Morrowind's. It has a few more tree organisation systems. The whole layout is pretty much redone from scratch so it's a lot easier to actually work with the CS and say: here's a quest. In Morrowind it was very difficult to actually pick out, you had to go through all sorts of different tables, and pick out the different objects and stuff. Now we have quests that are easier to acces.