Skyrim - Fan Q&A Podcast

GameInformer has a podcast that answers reader-submitted Skyrim questions. Here are the details, taken from the Bethblog:

Your burning Skyrim questions were taken, and now they have been cooly answered.
Game Informer today posted the results of their fan Q&A session with Todd Howard in the form of a nearly-hour long podcast. Topics ranging from mounted travel to level balancing were covered, with a special surprise serving as a reward to those that listen all the way through.
Head over to Game Informer to give the episode a listen.

More information.

Somebody compiled a few of the answers (summarized) in this thread.

So this is not a direct qoute from the episode. Somebody summarized it on the TES-boards. This bit below was interesting concerning the PC interface/graphics which I think some people on these boards are wondering about.
"- PC direction (BootySweat). They are working on PC and console versions simultaneously. They've always done stuff like higher res textures on PC and it's very likely to be the same with Skyrim. There is uniqueness to the PC UI. They are focused on the main game right now but later in the development they may add more graphical features on PC."

Sounds good really. The perks will add a way to distinguish one character from another (choice and consequence) without changing the fundamental design of TES games where you can train and get better at anything. I like that.

I dislike having a compass and arrow on-screen at all times but modders will take care of that.

Originally Posted by Lemonhead
So this is not a direct qoute from the episode. Somebody summarized it on the TES-boards.

I should have added that after my link.. *fixed*

Originally Posted by Lemonhead
So this is not a direct qoute from the episode. Somebody summarized it on the TES-boards. This bit below was interesting concerning the PC interface/graphics which I think some people on these boards are wondering about.
"- PC direction (BootySweat). They are working on PC and console versions simultaneously. They've always done stuff like higher res textures on PC and it's very likely to be the same with Skyrim. There is uniqueness to the PC UI. They are focused on the main game right now but later in the development they may add more graphical features on PC."

I don't doubt the high ress textures.

Uniqueness to the PC UI? Seeing as how they still dropped the ball on the Oblvion GUI and keybindings it does make one wonder. He atleast acknowledges that console gamers sit further away from the screen than PC gamers so it makes sense that they would know the PC Gui can handle more details. (Offtopic, some PC games go a bit extreme with the small size of the subtitles.)

Since they were pressed for time at the time of the release window for Oblivion I conclude that they shirked on those late-in-development-cycle tweaks.

Just make a scaling UI - problem solved.

I listened to the entire podcast. It sounds as if the idea of a UI tailored to the PC IS on Bethesda's radar. But I also got the impression it's of low importance (to Bethesda) and if they get pushed for time, I wouldn't be surprised if the PC UI and Console UI are the same.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
Just make a scaling UI - problem solved.

Scaling does help as evidenced by BTMod and DarnifiedUI.

But I'd actually like a UI crafted just for the PC. If nothing else, UI similar to Morrowind's (which is still far from perfect).

I really liked the UI in Divinity 2.

Originally Posted by TheMadGamer
Scaling does help as evidenced by BTMod and DarnifiedUI.

But I'd actually like a UI crafted just for the PC. If nothing else, UI similar to Morrowind's (which is still far from perfect).

I really liked the UI in Divinity 2.

Oh, I'd prefer that as well - but I very much doubt they'd bother.

CrunchyHemorrhoids at RPGCodex wrote some interesting notes from the podcast. Who'd a thought I'd be thankful for CHs?

http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=55268

Kind of strange that a lot of things are still considered. They've been working on it for 4 years+ but don't really know if they want to have horse riding or if you're going to be able to create spells in the game? Sounds like stuff you decide the first few months of development, not the last few months. I would've thought this year would mostly be spent on balancing/fixing bugs and lots of tweaking etc..

edit:

-beth background is pc games, they play the game on the pc
-todd plays a lot on the xbox, it tends to be his preferred platform

a bit conflicting, no?

Good points. I therefore doubt they will be adding any features they don't already implement. I hope not, though, as the lack of spellmaking is a BIG downer for me… Nice to hear that enchantments are back. I hope they are more like Morrowind and Daggerfall, rather than Oblivion.

Originally Posted by bemushroomed
Kind of strange that a lot of things are still considered. They've been working on it for 4 years+ but don't really know if they want to have horse riding or if you're going to be able to create spells in the game? Sounds like stuff you decide the first few months of development, not the last few months. I would've thought this year would mostly be spent on balancing/fixing bugs and lots of tweaking etc..

I don't believe this stuff is undecided. Either they don't want controversy by saying "no", or they want to hold it as an E3 (etc) announcement.

It seems to me that they are tweaking/playing with both "horse" riding and spellmaking and as a result they don't want to commit themselves to a specific implementations yet.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
CrunchyHemorrhoids at RPGCodex

This is a very interesting name.

The one who developed it must have spent quite a lot of thought into it, following the pattern : "What sounds most disgustiong ?"

And that - on the reverse deduction - tells quite a lot about the person who invented this name him- or herself … To put so much emphasis on things that are disgusting …

Interesting, very interesting psychological profile … "Tell me your name and I tell you what you focus on, either consciously or unconsciously …"

Originally Posted by bemushroomed

-beth background is pc games, they play the game on the pc
-todd plays a lot on the xbox, it tends to be his preferred platform

a bit conflicting, no?

Eh dude, you don`t really think that multi-million dollar operation like this franchise is decided by who likes to play on what, do you ? ;)

Originally Posted by DoctorNarrative
….
I dislike having a compass and arrow on-screen at all times but modders will take care of that.

Why should I read that again and again? Feel it like a punishment from something bad I have done.

No you can't fix a game designed for having a compass and arrow screen just by making it disappear. You need setup and design differently.

Originally Posted by azarhal
Somebody compiled a few of the answers (summarized) in this thread.

Thanks a lot podcast are such a lost of time. One quote:
"And mountains you can't just walk across. So they kind of inflate your game space"

At last they have understand one of their crap design… going reading more.

EDIT:
"You just play, and your skills go up as you play, and the higher the skill the more it affects your leveling. It's a really, really nice, elegant system that sort of balances itself."

That's such a lie I can't believe they have the b… to lie so awfully. We all know it works for few skills but not even 30% of them so you end with crap stuff to do for the other 70%.

Originally Posted by Dasale
EDIT:
"You just play, and your skills go up as you play, and the higher the skill the more it affects your leveling. It's a really, really nice, elegant system that sort of balances itself."

That's such a lie I can't believe they have the b… to lie so awfully. We all know it works for few skills but not even 30% of them so you end with crap stuff to do for the other 70%.

How can it be a lie if you have no means of verifying his statement since the game has not been even released yet?

Hating by proxy?