Bethesda has a history of releasing highly-anticipated titles, but no game in their history has been more anticipated than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It could be the visuals, or the gargantuan dragons, or perhaps the exciting gameplay shown during trailers. Better yet, it might just be the whole package, which is a huge step up from Bethesda’s previous releases due to a much improved engine.
During an interview with OPM, Skyrim’s Director, Todd Howard, showed his excitement for what his team’s upcoming game will offer to fans of Bethesda’s RPGs, and explained what will make the game a major improvement over their last few releases:
From Fallout 3 to Skyrim we’ve rewritten the majority of the engine
Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas all ran on a very similar Gamebryo build that did its job, but has been known for its bugs and clunky gameplay. Everything that seemed to have had any negative impact on the previous games appears to have been tossed into the wind with the arrival of a heavily upgraded platform known as the Creative Engine.
But what about design changes? Howard continued by explained how the karma system will also see a huge facelift:
Instead of a karma number like Fallout, we do it on an individual basis. We don’t track ‘the right or wrong thing’. It’s who you made happy and who you made sad.
Focusing relationships rather than using a global meter will allow for a higher degree of choice, as you will be able to decide who you want and don’t want to get along with. So no more issues with feeling like you have to lean one way or another from the beginning of the game.
Along with the fact that Skyrim will be a massive journey, the new engine and karma design will make this a colossal effort by Bethesda, and as a result one of the biggest games to look out for this holiday season. Stay tuned, as Skyrim releases on November 11th.
