Skyrim - System Reqs Announced

[GothicGothicness]

6 GB HD-space? wow console textures here we are! I sure hope they'll have the option to download high-res textures for the PC version, or perhaps include a additional DVD with textures for people who want to play in high res.

 

[DArtagnan]

It does seem oddly low, even for console textures. Wasn't Oblivion more like 7-8GB in size?

Maybe they're doing something new with compressed textures - decompressing them as a means to more efficient streaming?

 

[Reyla]

6 gb can't be right. Has to be a typo.

 

[Ragnaris]

Of everything I've seen to date, the only real concern I have is using Steam to activate the game, and even that is a minor one. Overall, Skyrim looks gorgeous to me.

The article mentions having an internet connection only to activate the game, so to me that's a bonus, unless I'm missing something here (I use Steam once every couple months so I'm not familiar with the service). I miss the old simple install days, but there's nothing I can do about the Steam policy, and the issue isn't a big one so I'll live with it.

 

[DArtagnan]

Speaking of Skyrim - isn't it about time it went gold?

 

[Thaurin]

Speaking of Skyrim - isn't it about time it went gold?

They're just done with testing, since the system requirements just came out. I'm sure gold status will follow soon after.

 

[DArtagnan]

They're just done with testing, since the system requirements just came out. I'm sure gold status will follow soon after.

Hope so

I've taken vacation time for this one.

I'm probably going to do a "Thaurin" and get the console version for the initial "pure" experience. Can't be bothered to move my PC to the living room

 

[Thaurin]

I'm probably going to do a "Thaurin" and get the console version for the initial "pure" experience. Can't be bothered to move my PC to the living room

Haha, I understand that the PC version comes with Xbox 360 controller support, and my PC is already connected to my living room TV. Best of both worlds.

Which might disappoint PC gamers, because it suggests that the controls/UI are aimed mainly at controllers. Oh, well.

By the way, something Todd (I think said) about the graphics compared between console and PC may have some truth... even though I play on PC, I'll be sitting further away from the screen than when on a desk and monitor. How much would I notice any differences in detail, anyway? Both versions might be looking very similar at 2-3 meters distance from the screen... However, I have seen plenty of PC titles that are obviously more detailed than their console counterparts.

 

[DArtagnan]

Haha, I understand that the PC version comes with Xbox 360 controller support, and my PC is already connected to my living room TV. Best of both worlds.

Which might disappoint PC gamers, because it suggests that the controls/UI are aimed mainly at controllers. Oh, well.

By the way, something Todd (I think said) about the graphics compared between console and PC may have some truth… even though I play on PC, I'll be sitting further away from the screen than when on a desk and monitor. How much would I notice any differences in detail, anyway? Both versions might be looking very similar at 2-3 meters distance from the screen… However, I have seen plenty of PC titles that are obviously more detailed than their console counterparts.

TV? Bah, I need my projector screen for that

But, truth be told, the "bother" with moving my PC to the living room is only a secondary reason.

My main concern is about stability. I have a pretty bad experience with Bethesda games and PC stability. Oblivion crashed quite a bit, and Fallout 3/New Vegas have been even worse for me.

I'd be too pissed if Skyrim suffered similar issues, and I really have no reason to believe it doesn't.

Even the console version of Fallout 3 crashed for me, but it was rare. New Vegas apparently crashed even more (didn't play the console version personally) - but that's said to be down to typical Obsidian incompetence more than the underlying technology.

I'm wagering on Skyrim being more stable on the Xbox - and from what I've seen in videos - it looks fantastic and runs reasonably smooth on the console.

About the interface - it does look rather non-PC - but it's never been a huge issue for me. I'm pretty good at adapting to such things, as long as there's a reasonable basic functionality.

That's not to say that I don't think it's very annoying when AAA titles all but ignore the most powerful platform - but I've learned to deal with it.

 

[azarhal]

It does seem oddly low, even for console textures. Wasn't Oblivion more like 7-8GB in size?

Oblivion system requirement request 4.6GB of free space.


Of course mine usually take over 11GB with all the mods and textures upgrades.

 

[DArtagnan]

Oblivion system requirement request 4.6GB of free space.


Of course mine usually take over 11GB with all the mods and textures upgrades.

I'm probably thinking of it with Shivering Isles and the DLC installed. Unmodded like that, I think it's around 7-8 though I can't be sure.

If vanilla Oblivion is 4.6 - then 6 sounds very plausible I guess

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Is it any surprise everything has gone console. The pc is never advertised to the mainstream as a gaming platform.

Except here in Germany.

But here the shift is noiceable, too - especially since companies have a bias towards consoles, that's why there are so many consoles-entric advertisement in "PC-land" Germany.

It sometimes looks odd or even out of place here.

But - I fear/guess that Germany won't be able to resist the combined force of the "gaming giants" - that is, unless the Germans are acting like those people from a small village surrounded by several Roman Legions ...

 

[KnightPT]

The PC community is very very strong. Even if Skyrim launches with poor PC optimization, in less than a month there will be articles on the web to better harvest the PC power. Being it by mods, texture replacements or just .ini file changes, i'm sure the game will be much better after a few weeks in the hands of expert PC gamers.

Oblivion for example (imho) is a bad game for the PC if left untouched, but by adding simple tweaks that are done in less than an hour the game is one of my favorites of all time (i still play it from time to time), so skyrim can't possibly go wrong on the PC, even if it takes 1-2 months of messing around.

 

[screeg]

Man, screw Steam. I'll wait for the hack that circumvents it.

 

[Ovenall]

Man, screw Steam. I'll wait for the hack that circumvents it.

Can someone explain the Steam requirement to me? I really only play old games on PC, and have never used Steam... so pretend I know NOTHING.

(I get that you need to be connected to the net, but what if you buy the game in a box from Amazon? Will this still require some kind of download? Even if I didn't get it downloaded from Steam originally?)

What exactly is meant by this Steam requirement? Thanks.

 

[kalniel]

Can someone explain the Steam requirement to me? I really only play old games on PC, and have never used Steam… so pretend I know NOTHING.

(I get that you need to be connected to the net, but what if you buy the game in a box from Amazon? Will this still require some kind of download? Even if I didn't get it downloaded from Steam originally?)

What exactly is meant by this Steam requirement? Thanks.

It means that when you install the game you must also create a Steam account (if you don't have one already) and then register the game with Steam - the game should include a Steam client, but if not it'll ask you to download one (largely automatically I guess). The registration will likely happen automatically, as part of the install, and requires you to be connected to the net and signed into your Steam account. Unless they've messed up you won't need to download anything (except any activation related patches/authenticated config files etc. - but knowing TES it's unlikely to be much).

You'll get the option of creating startup/shortcut links to the game as usual, but when you launch from these your computer will start up Steam in the background (if it's not already running) and ask you to sign in (if not already signed in). You don't need to be online however - Steam can run games in offline mode, it's only the registration/activation that requires an online connection (again, unless games makers chose otherwise).

As the game is registered with Steam you can also launch it from your Steam library of games using the Steam application, rather than your start menu shortcut etc. And the game will also automatically download and apply patches when they are available and you are signed into Steam/it's connected to the net.

They might even leverage Steam so that save games are backed up on the Steam severs, meaning you can move them between different computers and have an extra layer of security in case of deletion.

 

[Lurking Grue]

The registration will likely happen automatically, as part of the install, and requires you to be connected to the net and signed into your Steam account.

Registration might not be fully automatic, though. It might require you to enter a registration code, if the game comes with one. Just like registration codes (i.e. CD keys) back in the day when online activation didn't exist yet.

 

[rune_74]

The North American Skyrim PC version sales are already most likely greater than the PS3 version (as of Oct 22).

288,477 - PS3
153,263 - PC packaged retail discs (excludes digital downloads)

Source: http://www.vgchartz.com/preorders.php

Digital download sales numbers are not disclosed, however, a recent study published by NVIDIA indicates that PC digital downloads are vastly outselling PC packaged retail discs, projected by as much as a 6 to 1 margin for 2011:

http://techgage.com/articles/editorials/september_11/nvidia_trends_07.png

If we were to estimate conservatively that the digital downloads are at least equal to the packaged retail copies, then the PC version is currently outselling the PS3 version within North America.

OK, I don't get your arguement? The xbox 360 numbers was 803000 or so...so that kind of blows your stats out of the water. That shows that their are over 1 million console presales.

 

[kalniel]

Registration might not be fully automatic, though. It might require you to enter a registration code, if the game comes with one. Just like registration codes (i.e. CD keys) back in the day when online activation didn't exist yet.

Yes, quite right.

 

[crpgnut]

My GTS 240 has lesser specs than a 260 so I may need to upgrade my card to get full enjoyment out of the game. I'm sure I'll be able to play it, but not with all the bells and whistles.