-----Waiting4Oblivion Proudly Presents: The E3 Thread-----


Ok people. It's time to buckle up. We're living in some pretty interesting times right now and by the looks of it, the end is nowhere near.

As most of you already know, Bethesda is showing Oblivion at E3 this year. With all the info pouring out from there and other sources we've decided to gather a bunch of the info right here, on your very own Waiting4Oblivion forums.

We will have two places where the info will show up. This thread is one of them. The other one is the Special Features page. Look below for direct link.

Waiting4Oblivion Special Features

---Update---

E3 Demo Summary

2nd day at E3 diary

3rd day at E3 diary

The goal of this thread is as follows:
Anything from previews to reports, Developer statements to possible trailers will be posted here, with links and source locations.

Remember to check back for updates. Who knows what tomorrow will bring to us.


We'll be starting off with links to some of the first previews of the game, some screenshots that were published recently and of course, an early version of the very anticipated trailer.

Bethesda E3 Team Diary

Gamespot preview

Gamespot screen shots

Gamespot Q&A with Todd Howard

Gamespot early E3 report


Update 19.5.05, 11:42 PM GMT
Actiontrip's preview

Update 20.5.05, 10:45 AM GMT
Interview with Gavin Carter

The Interview in text, by Steerpike lsn

Direct download link

Update 20.5.05, 00:21 PM GMT
IGN Preview on Oblivion

Update 20.5.05, 9:47 PM GMT
CNN preview on a few games, including Oblivion

Update 21.5 1:12 AM GMT
Alexander's and Stargelman's E3 report and update post on the offical forums

Update 21.5.05, 3:01 PM GMT
Gamespy report on Oblivion demo

Another Gamespy report

Update 21.5.05, 10:13 PM GMT
Happypuppy.com demo report

Another Happypuppy.com report

Update 21.5.05, 9:25 PM GMT
A really good E3 demo report by Boomtown.net

Update 23.5.05, 8:51 PM GMT
GamesMainFrame preview

-----Oblivion trailers-----
http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/19...3-2005-Trailer/
http://www.gamespot.com/x360/rpg/theelders...vion/media.html


Direct download link

Microsoft briefing, Oblivion footage at 5:40 in the file

---THE OFFICIAL TRAILER---

84.3MB - High Definition DivX AVI Movie
http://www.bethsoft.com/downloads/video/Ob...ailerDIVXHD.avi

77.4MB - Hi-res Quicktime Movie
http://www.bethsoft.com/downloads/video/Ob...railerLarge.mov

15.3MB - Low-res Windows Media Movie
http://www.bethsoft.com/downloads/video/Ob...railerSmall.wmv

Update 20.5.05, 2:27 PM GMT

More E3 footage of Oblivion, by IGN

Quotes about Bethesda at E3 and the trailer.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...6&#entry1658146



http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...9&#entry1658529




http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...4&#entry1658284



http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...9&#entry1655359





http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...8&#entry1650378




http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...6&#entry1659986




http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...7&#entry1655477

New interview and report

E3 Developer Interview: Beyond Morrowind, on Xbox.com

Some interesting quotes from that interview:

[quote]
Xbox.com: Cyrodiil, the main setting of Oblivion, is a place new to gamers. If it were a place in the real world, how much real estate would we be talking about?

Howard: It's about 40 square miles—it's big.[/quote]

[quote]Xbox.com: Though the game is single-player only, do you have plans to include Xbox Live™ functionality of any sort in the game? Will there be content downloads or Xbox Live Aware, that sort of thing?

Howard: Yes and yes. Xbox Live Aware, and we're going to go crazy with downloads. We had it working for Morrowind with plug-ins on the Xbox, but it never made it in. We hope to really take that far on Xbox 360.[/quote]


Elder Scrolls IV Stuns All Onlookers, on RPGgamer.com

A few info chunks from the report:

[quote]It's not all just pretty colours and incredibly detailed sound, however. While the game will include over fifty hours of recorded voices, consuming half the space required to install the game, the gameplay has received equally extensive attention.[/quote]

[quote]Traps and surfaces riddled with arrows aren't the only things that react realistically; Bethesda has created a physics system with astounding complexity, and objects swing, crash, roll, and even grow in believable ways. In fact, the outdoor areas aren't even designed; Bethesda's development crew went to the University of Maryland to study such topics as soil erosion, plant growth, and ecosystem interaction, with the ultimate goal of a forest that generates itself based upon complex rules based upon nature.[/quote]

A new report, a really good one

Gamespot Oblivion Report

[quote]We watched an example in which we entered a bookstore and chatted up the storekeeper using the game's diplomacy skill (which has been changed from Morrowind to a circle onscreen that lets you move your cursor between options like joke or threaten; the character you're speaking to will react accordingly with facial animations).[/quote]

[quote]The game will include over 9,000 physically modeled objects that you can manipulate.[/quote]

[quote]We also saw a demonstration of the game's physics as we crept up on a pair of goblins standing near a pile of food and a hidden trap. We picked up a nearby pumpkin and tossed it at a few mooring lines that were actually holding back several spiked weights mounted on ropes from the ceiling. The weights came swinging down and sent the goblins flying.[/quote]

Another E3 report with first impressions

Gamers with jobs, E3 report

The first Oblivion preview can be found near the top, being the third game listed. Another preview by another person can be found about a 1/4 page down from the top.

[quote]The visuals are absolutely breathtaking from the moment you awake in, where else for Elder Scrolls, prison. The environment is painstakingly detailed and takes advantage of every graphical buzz word you can throw at it.[/quote]

[quote]
Additionally they(NPCs) will talk to one another - both in general conversation and scripted events - and what you overhear between NPCs can often open new avenues for quests, so listening to conversations of the city streets is more than simply atmosphere, it's actively productive.[/quote]

Great job!

Heh, thanks. So far it's been only me adding stuff here but I hope others will eventually answer the call as well. This place is not only for information but also for general E3 discussion.

Anyway, as new stuff gets posted I will update the first posts.

[quote=Rane]
[quote=MrSmileyFaceDude]
That is Patrick Stewart as the Emperor. And the dude clutching the sword and plunging it into the ground is NOT the player. Note that the last thing the Emperor says is "Find HIM, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion"
[/quote][/quote]

[quote=Rane]
[quote=MrSmileyFaceDude]MrSmileyFaceDude wrote:

The scenes with the emperor on the tower, the sword flying through the air, and the Emperor's heir catching the sword and then plunging into the ground and kneeling are pre-rendered and animated by the folks who made the trailer. The rest, aside from the text, is all in-game.[/quote][/quote]


That sorta makes it sound like the heir has to find the player so that the player can find the heir and shut the gates of oblivion... kinda odd

[quote=Channler]
That sorta makes it sound like the heir has to find the player so that the player can find the heir and shut the gates of oblivion... kinda odd[/quote]

I don't think we should take the trailer and what was shown in it too seriously. After all, it was just a trailer. A lot of the twists there were just to add to the coolness factor of the game.

So I'm pretty sure it's the player who will be running all over Cyrodiil, looking for the Heir who doesn't even know he's the Heir.

Yea I know, but contridicting facts really throw people off..

BTW doesn't the emperor have two sons? Wasn't that the reason there was so many problems in Cyrodil in TES3? Isn't that why (?)Cauis Cosades had to leave? ! If so maybe we will see the Skooma addict again!!

[quote=Channler]
BTW doesn't the emperor have two sons? Wasn't that the reason there was so many problems in Cyrodil in Morrowind?[/quote]

3 actually. Geldall, Enman and Ebel.

Or those are the 3 Heirs at the Throne during Morrowind. Anyway, who's to say they're not fake after all, and that there's another Lost Heir somewhere.

But yeah, they were the reason to the Unrest in Cyrodiil city. People say they are doppelgangers placed there by the Imperial Battlemage Jagar Tharn.

I doubt we'll see Caius though. 26 years is a loooong time.

None of those will be the one that needs to be found though... Theres a another people don't know about...

I read the preview where they played the game and i can't wait to fight along side with the guards to the portal in the ruined city.

Can anyone describe those new 5 or 6 screenshots they have there at gamespot? I cant get a pic on them right now.

Yeah, I can't wait to get to fight along a group of other characters as well. Seems like we will be getting those huge (or somewhat huge) battles after all.

Not really sure which new screenshots you mean. At the moment my browser's a bit borked so I only get to see the images with a direct link but based on the numbers in the links the 5 newest screens there seems to be as follows:

http://www.gamespot.com/x360/rpg/theelders...ns.html?page=44

That's basically the wallpaper we got earlier. The one with the Daedric being standing in one of those portals with the "hero" standing infront of the portal with his sword drawn.

http://www.gamespot.com/x360/rpg/theelders...ns.html?page=43

Another shot of the "hero" I assume. He's holding a lonblade and a shield and boy, I do have to say that those details look amazing. Behind him seems to be the burning city of Cyrodiil.

42 and 41 are the concept art pics of Mithril armor

http://www.gamespot.com/x360/rpg/theelders...ns.html?page=40

The Heir from the trailer, with sword and behind him you once again see the burning city.

http://www.gamespot.com/x360/rpg/theelders...ns.html?page=39

New concept art apparently. A sideview of a guard's head, with the title "Town Guard-Chorrol".

http://www.gamespot.com/x360/rpg/theelders...ns.html?page=38

This is the Lich we saw in the trailer. Has a red-brownish robe on, and some kind of amulet or necklace with 3 big crystals. The Lich is also holding a big wooden staff. The place seems to be some kind of semidark dungeon.

Edit: New Actiontrip preview added.

[quote]Another fear that I had from seeing the previously released screenshots was that the bloom effect would just make everything look too shiny and nice and that you'd never really get that dungeon feel from playing the game. Hell no, man, I was so wrong. One of the last scenes that we were shown takes place in a city that was attacked and razed to the ground by the forces of Oblivion - you enter the scene on a cold rainy night surrounded by death and ruins. The weather effects are amazing and the scene is about as grim as they come in computer games. The thing is that the Elder Scrolls IV engine is so powerful that it can create both the dreamy look of buildings and forests drenched in sunshine, as well as scenes of gloomy dungeons with festering corpses and monsters.[/quote]

I went to Gamespot last night and saw only 4 screenshots on that day. I came back today and there were 6 or 7. The ones i saw were

The burning town, The guy in armor in the forest, The goblins attacking the character, and a guy with wierd helmet on in a building.

I didn't get views of the other screens.

A video interview with Gavin Carter(kathode) is now up.

See it here:

http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/19...ideo-Interview/

Direct Download link

A few things mentioned in the interview:

Buyable horses, will be expensive
Buyable houses
About 30 hours of gameplay if the Mainquest is rushed




Another very positive preview about Oblivion, this time by IGN
http://pc.ign.com/articles/617/617488p1.html

When he says "find him and close shut the doors of oblivion" my first thought was that is Mehrunes Dagon that you are supposed to somehow stop. Although I dont see how.

[quote=Khaan]When he says "find him and close shut the doors of oblivion" my first thought was that is Mehrunes Dagon that you are supposed to somehow stop. Although I dont see how.[/quote]

Yeah, it wouldn't be that easy to stop a Daedric Prince.

Him does indeed refer to the Heir. No one else.


Edit
New E3 footage of Oblivion.

http://media.pc.ign.com/media/702/702491/v....html?fromint=1

It's the E3 Raw Clips (Silent) there.

Is the second day journal a work in progress, or is the link just broken?

http://www.waiting4oblivion.com/feature_e3...y_20050519.html

[quote=Azura's Star]Is the second day journal a work in progress, or is the link just broken?
http://www.waiting4oblivion.com/feature_e3_2005_diary_20050519.html[/quote]

There's an underscore too many in the link.

This would be the right one:

http://www.waiting4oblivion.com/feature_e3...ry20050519.html

Anyway, it's being fixed as I type this.

Edit: Well, that sure was fast.

[quote=Azura's Star]Is the second day journal a work in progress, or is the link just broken?
http://www.waiting4oblivion.com/feature_e3_2005_diary_20050519.html[/quote]

Are you sure you copied and pasted the link here correctly?

Yes, but it's fixed now. Yay!

Update

A small preview on Oblivion can now be found on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.games/05/...ames/index.html

Once again, the preview is rather positive.

[quote]Role-playing game aficionados undoubtedly will go gaga over Bethesda Softworks' "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," an epic played from a first- or third-person perspective.[/quote]

A little note though...

[quote]and randomly generated scenes such as a forest that will look different every time the level is loaded.[/quote]

Now, for some reason I doubt this. My bet is that they were simply mistaken and what they really meant (or should have written) is that the terrain is randomly generated in the construction set when creating the landscape. Not that the environment changes upon every cell-loading.

interesting... New forests everytime you load. I wonder where you got this Rane???

[quote=jonajosa]interesting... New forests everytime you load. I wonder where you got this Rane??? [/quote]

That has got to be wrong. A human mistake or misunderstanding when writing that interview.

I seriously doubt that we will have randomly generating forest.

It could happen though with the Speed tree software their using. Plus they have got their world almost all randomly generated... so i don't see why the trees can't change their looks.

Aye, that's either ridiculous or a very, very complex stunt Bethsoft is pulling off. :eek:

No, really. It's indeed been more than less confirmed; the CS features all-new extremely powerful tools with hundreds of variables for terrain and population (and more). Everything from soil type and erosion to tree species and vegeation have settings to tweak for maximum customization, variance and detail. In addition, there's the populating generation which also has a lot of settings - I believe I've heard that you can set some basic, generic RAI packages for characters there - and populates the selected area (you simply select areas in which you tell the CS to generate stuff) with characters and, IIRC, monsters and such (if you want). Then tweak to your heart's content, and until you're done and satisfied.

Now, all this done randomly in a seamless method in-game - fitting with maps - could actually work since you could select which areas to generate with specific settings. So where there should be mountains, you could tell it generate mountains with parameters based on your wishes for how it should appear and which clutter to put around and on it. But kinda m00t IMO. And it gets kind of worse with characters, eh? Unscripted and all that stuff, sure, but completely random characters with completely random purposes dictated through random and/or generic RAI packages all over the place would be bleh-bleh. Doesn't have to be like that, sure.
One thing that could/can be interesting is if there was/is if there's a generator for making "clusters" or "groups" of, say, bandits with set RAI packages templated randomly through some pre-defined "bandit behavior" stuff or something similar. Make a forest, put a cave there and throw in some bandits. I do actually hope that there are some "template" package set-ups for somewhat generic clutter-characters.
All doubtful, though, since it's stated that it's about 1000+- polished, unique characters.

SpeedTree renders trees from template models, I think, yes, but since it's integrated into their creation process, which isn't all random when done, I doubt you can go all 'round with everything. Random trees, sure, maybe. Perhaps it is so - that a few trees change at cell load, chosen from a similar but still pre-defined and set template. But I don't know... What I do know that it'll be good. Trees good. Randomness in CS good. Generated but tweaked and cluttered much by hand, and populated with unique characters - goooood. Too bad we won't get the full version of SpeedTree shipped with the CS. :paperbag:

I'm sooo excited about these recent news and clips. Great stuff coming from every direction; this really is a good May.

And good work, Rane! :goodjob:

someones done their research...

But hanks for the info about all that stuff.

I can't wait either. I hope theres some more stuff bethesda will release this week.

Oh and about my heir questions, I think in article that alexander and stargleman wrote they said in the video that the emperor was talking about how his sons had died.. and so forth..

Ok, people.
Hereby, a new update on waiting4oblivion.com is revealed.
Specifically, we're blessed with a new E3-tourists' diary entry (3rd day) with mentions of another interview and hints of what we'll be getting when they get back.

Additionally, a heads-up link to Alexander's recent update post for some clarifications and droolers. In short, hints spoiled.

Was the little speech Gavin Carter gave confirming housing part of W4O's efforts, or do you have another GC interview in the works?

[quote=Azura's Star]Was the little speech Gavin Carter gave confirming housing part of W4O's efforts, or do you have another GC interview in the works?[/quote]

The interviews Alexander and Stargelman haven't been uploaded here yet. So in other words, it should be a totally new interview we get to see when they return.

Gamespy has released its version of what they thought about the Oblivion demo.

Go here to check it out. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls...n/618065p1.html

If you wqant the Gamespot editors opinions look here. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scrolls...n/618099p1.html

Also if you want to look at a bunch of images from the movie you can go to this thread in the ES forums. http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.p...howtopic=100705

Another Video not sure if its here yet but... They say its new at ES. http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/702/702....html?fromint=1

Hope you like it.

[quote=jonajosa]
Another Video not sure if its here yet but... They say its new at ES. http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/702/702....html?fromint=1
[/quote]

I guess IGN likes to keep things confusing. The video there (raw clips) seems to be the same as on this link:

http://media.pc.ign.com/media/702/702491/v....html?fromint=1

It's basically the same page, only with differenct colors and a somewhat different layout.

Anyway, thanks for the new links. I'll be updating the first post with them.


Edit: And the quote was not by MattRyan. Edited to avoid future confusion.

Ok. I see now. Im pretty sure it said MattRyan though. Got to pay more attention to what im reading.

Ok got a few more previews of the Demo at E3.

Heres Xbox Advanced view.
http://www.happypuppy.com/viewFrame.php?ed...torial_id=37428

Heres VGPubs view.
http://www.happypuppy.com/viewFrame.php?ed...torial_id=37429

Theres an interview with a DEv at Happypuppy but the link to it is down. So i can't get to it... yet.

Ok, one rather enlightening report here.

http://rpg.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art...iew.php?id=8288

Some major quotes to be mentioned:

[quote]Oblivion takes place in Cyrodiil, the main province of Tamriel, and the area spans about 25 square kilometres, of which about half is forest.[/quote]

This makes me believe that the game area will be 16 square miles after all.

Note that 25 km² is not 16 square miles though.

However, 1 mile = 1.61 km.

And 16 x 1.61 = 25.76

In other words, I think they simply did a miscalculation when they converted the number from square miles to km²

The calculation should probably have been:

16 x 1.61² which is about 41 km²


Also, the article confirmed that the bookseller incident involving the dog being burned was not scripted.
[quote]She decided to drink a potion to increase her accuracy, while her dog (also armed with Radiant AI) started to act up, because it was hungry. She fed it, and hoped for some peace and quiet to read a book in (The game has more than 400 of these). But the second the sat down, the dog was at it again, and she cast some sort of calming spell on it, saying “Mommy is reading!” (all the dialogue is spoken). As last, she went to her bed to get some sleep, but the dog was back, more excited than ever, and she wound up casting a fire spell, incinerating the poor dog…


After the demonstration, I asked whether this example was scripted or not, but it wasn’t.[/quote]

Im glad is wasn't scripted. It show that if you are willing to just stand there and watch what the NCPs do then you'll be rewarded with some supprises. I can't wait to watch the Radiant AI in action.

Yeah, I'm waiting to see the RAI in action as well.

Still, I can't help wondering if they really hadn't change that bookseller some way.

Something like giving her a really high insane ratio perhaps?

Yea, if it were so smart wouldn't it just let the dog out?

NPC's can traverse outside from the inside right?

[quote=Channler]
NPC's can traverse outside from the inside right?[/quote]

Aye, they can. NPCs can go pretty much anywhere.

There are more major skill in the games now i think. Maybe personality has somthing to do with the way the bookseller acted. Short tempered woman.

Great Rane... :goodjob: Much good info... :lickinglips:

And it's not over yet either.

http://gamesmainframe.com/?view=article&ar...afb93bb29560fae

Some interesting quotes:

[quote]Oblivion starts gamers off by reintroducing them to the timeless customization system, which will choose how your player looks throughout the game. Now, you can play in a third-person mode or first-person in Oblivion, socustomization matters much more when you think you'll be playing primarily in third-person. You’ll be able to customize your players’ age, height, weight, facial features, hair, and scars as you see fit, forming one of billions of different appearances (480 billion to be exact)[/quote]

[quote]And yes, you did read ‘stealth’. Oblivion will feature the alternative to the regular hack ‘n slash approach by letting gamers sneak up on enemies will in certain missions. An eye-shaped meter will rise on the corner of your screen during a stealth mission, and will rise when enemies hear you, and it will be filled when they see you. Luckily, the shadows can act as your best friend in stealth situations, and while hiding in a dark corner, you may choose to use your only stealth weapon on an enemy: the bow and arrow. [/quote]

Stealth will be the way i play first. I always liked games like thief where youdidn't have to kill everyone to win a level.

[quote=Alexander @ Announcement]well the time has finally come, this is it, as promised we have two new interviews for you all.

first off, of course this has been brought to you by Waiting4Oblivion and the Summit as a joint venture.

what you're going to see is first a bit of footage about the E3, then an interview with producer Gavin Carter, also known as Kathode on the forums.
after that a bit more footage of the E3, also some showing of what the booth of Bethesda looked like at the E3. then we go up again and have an interview with Ashley Cheng, the Senior Producer of the game Oblivion.

the interviews are conducted by me, so that's me you see there on the video as well, hope it doesn't ruin my image

the taping of the video was done by Stargelman. so you won't be seeing him

as you might have heard the sound quality is not that good, some background noise and such, but we've put in some work and now have the entire interviews subtitled. making it possible for everyone to both read and listen. on a smaller note, due to the limited space for subs we've at times had to abbreviate things, but don't worry everything that's important is there in the subs as well.

and yes we will also be uploading the written versions of the interview but those not untill lateron, mostly due to the fact that they still need some work.

well without further delay, you can find the video file here:
E3 Coverage

again the main page of our site is:
http://www.waiting4oblivion.com
our forums:
http://forums.waiting4oblivion.com
and the summit:
http://www.rpgplanet.com/morrowind[/quote]
The big day, that time and the grand finale. Get your speed up and/or your sleeping bags ready; the truth is out there.
Let's hear your impressions and the eager anticipation while getting there!
(keep it better than your current ETA or download speed, though, it's a great interview so let's get crackin')

[quote]We can make fun of alex's hair[/quote]

If we even see him in the video... Plus we'll get to hear his accent when he gets to talk.

[quote=jonajosa]

If we even see him in the video... Plus we'll get to hear his accent when he gets to talk. [/quote]


don't worry, I'm very dominantly present in the video,

and yes my accent, erhm, oh look a turtle

Alright I just finished downloading and I noticed some europian with really funny ha-- er.. I noticed the handsome alexander in the video,

[quote=Alexander][quote=jonajosa]

If we even see him in the video... Plus we'll get to hear his accent when he gets to talk. [/quote]


don't worry, I'm very dominantly present in the video,

and yes my accent, erhm, oh look a turtle [/quote]

Ahhhh Alex.....you look great..and the accent is really not noticeable, besides dutchies do speak a very good english, I can tell because i speak without accent at all.......(ohhh, boasting are we? :embarrassed: :embarrassed2: :paperbag: )

Let's ease on over to discussing the actual Oblivion-related content of the video and such, then. (best hair ever)

I'm currently working on processing the images and words of traps and interactivity. That skeleton stumbling - yes, stumbling - from the spike trap comes to mind (better view of the stumbling can be seen in the raw footage). With rolling logs, falling down pits and spikes coming out of the wall and such, this is starting to feel really good.
The way you can use these against monsters and lure them into the traps (or catch them by surprise), as well as the player having his leg pulled like such as well, adds a whole new level of possibilities for ways to really play and create exciting adventures. So many customizable aspects of the traps and how/what they trigger, as well as the effects (a custom shader-effect on a custom fireball etc. would be fun, even though they're not doing quite the extravaganza of magic traps it seems).

Ok, back to watching. :paperbag:

How 'bout everyone else? Let's hear it! (feel free to compliment the interviewer, cameraman (notice the intro, middle-part and outro) and subtitle-elves in between the ramblings of posted info-processing)

Okay fine. Let's think here. Oh, new stuff:

Horses will not level up, you have to buy good horses, like in mount&blade

I find that pretty interesting, though I plan to steal a horse once I get good enough, and I wonder if they'll all be in the same stable will the better horses be just as easy to steal as the weaker ones?