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Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - Interview W/Todd Howard @ Gamesp
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Kristophe
Obi-Wan Kermobi
Obi-Wan Kermobi




Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 4
Location: The Outer Banks of NC, USA
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - Interview W/Todd Howard @ Gamesp
   

The staff of Gamespot just unveiled their rather interesting <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/preview_6128768.html?q=1&tag=gs_pc_flashtop_bg" target="_blank">interview</a> with Executive Producer, Todd Howard, re Bethesda Softworks upcoming epic, Oblivion... <br> <br><blockquote><em>GameSpot: So, now that E3 is done and over with, what were the reactions coming out of the show? Oblivion garnered a lot of praise, but were there any helpful comments that you took back with you to Maryland? Could you briefly explain to our audience what exactly you showed behind closed doors? <br> <br>Todd Howard: It went very well; everyone seemed to enjoy the 25-minute demo we gave. We got a lot of positive feedback, and you kind of have to sift through those comments to see what parts of the game you want to polish or reinforce even more. Everyone liked the graphics, but it was small things that got many excited, like the easy fast travel and compass systems...little things that we put in to make the game easier and more directed to play, and not just a big, sprawling directionless mess. <br></em></blockquote>
Post Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:14 pm
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California
Hmmm
   

"GS: How will the non-player characters in Oblivion have more personality than those of Morrowind?..."

"TH: Big question. It's really a combination of using procedural faces to give each NPC a unique look, writing bits of custom dialogue for each one, doing full facial animation to show emotions, and making sure every line is recorded dialogue. It all comes together to create the illusion of artificial life."


The E3-touted feature of radiant AI is completely side-stepped in his response. I hope they aren't cutting that out as it seemed like one of the big reasons to play oblivion.
_________________
The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar
Post Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:16 pm
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yeesh
Keeper of the Gates
Keeper of the Gates




Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 113
Location: Unofficially representing Queens
   

Hmm, that is an interesting omission. Maybe it turned out to be too difficult for even such a big-budget team to code? While I was impressed with the idea in theory, I still have reservations whether fully autonomous NPCs are worth it. I mean, is it really going to be so great to have quest givers getting killed because they went on hunting trips and stumbled into werewolves? Or the armor merchant's not going to be there because it's his son's stickball game? Or the alchemist wanders off in search of mushrooms and gets caught in a snare set by the leather tanner? If the devs are cutting back, I'll bet it's because the practically infinite possibilities for trouble were too much for the AI to handle.

But maybe it just slipped Todd Howard's mind. Who knows?
Post Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:31 pm
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