Skyrim - Officially Announced and More

So, Bethsoft sent us the official Skyrim announcement. It doesn't say much other than confirming all the platforms and we'll see the first real details in the next Game Informer:

Bethesda Softworks Announces The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Highly Anticipated Sequel to Launch 11.11.11
December 13, 2010 (Rockville, MD) — Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today confirmed the upcoming release of The Elder Scrolls® V: Skyrim™, the next installment in the award-winning Elder Scrolls series and follow up to the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®.
Developed by Bethesda Game Studios® under the direction of Todd Howard, Skyrim will be released on Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows® worldwide on November 11, 2011. Details on the game will be revealed in our exclusive cover story in Game Informer®’s February issue, which ships to subscribers in early January 2011.
“It’s exciting finally to announce the game,” said Todd Howard, Game Director on Skyrim. “We’ve been working for many years on Skyrim and the technology behind it. A new Elder Scrolls game has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait to show it off.”

If you're a Facebook user, you'll find Skyrim at the Elder Council. If you missed the teaser trailer, check out the teaser site at Elderscrolls.com.
The big discussion is over the engine - a topic that has been much debated on our forums. CrunchyHemorrhoids writes in and points out the Tweets at the centre of all this, so we may as well cover it here as well. Community Manager Nick Breckon said:

We can now confirm that the TES V: Skyrim engine is all-new. And it looks fantastic.

The Bethsoft feed said:

Seeing lots of speculation about #tesv game engine. It's brand new… and it's spectacular!

When RPS' Jim Rossignol asked for clarification, Nick Breckon replied:

It's a new graphics/gameplay engine built internally. We'll have more details down the road.

While this sounds pretty straight forward, I don't think it's as simple as it sounds. Contrast against Eurogamer's interview a while back:

Eurogamer: Is it fair to say then that it's based on existing technology?
Todd Howard: The technology is ours and it is inspired by the technology we have. We have a lot of it. But that's our starting point - the Fallout 3 tech. It started with Morrowind, we went to Oblivion, we did a lot between Oblivion and Fallout 3 because now we had final hardware - with Oblivion we had six months on final hardware, so Fallout 3 technically does a lot more than Oblivion. The new stuff is an even bigger jump from that.
I can say it is on the existing platforms, which we're really happy with. You almost feel like you have a new console when you see the game.

More information.

The news that Beth is releasing it within the year just made my day.

That they are using a new engine just made my week.

"I have the tech! Lots of it and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Hint: They're not using a new engine.

It has to work with aging Xbox tech so I'm sure it's gonna be the same crap. Thanks consoles!

Skyrim sounds like it would be my favorite setting, though. I just wish Morrowind had been set in it.

I wonder what other skills can be dropped or merged. Maybe just have a generic "weapon" skill instead of the cumbersome and confusing "blunt" and "blade"

Has anyone noticed the RAGE backdrop on their twitter page?

Interesting…

Originally Posted by Daddy32
"I have the tech! Lots of it and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Hint: They're not using a new engine.

Goes against everything they've been saying, including the eurogamer interview where they're also saying its their tech. "Tech" doesnt need to be the same thing as "game engine", it can be just that; tech.

Originally Posted by Daddy32
"I have the tech! Lots of it and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Hint: They're not using a new engine.

Hint: They are using a new internal engine and a lot of tech they used before in their other games like Havok, Speedtree, .esm/esp plugins support and .bsa compressed files, etc.

Havok and speedtree might not be the best examples since it's not theirs though But things like the radiant AI, level scaling etc…

Originally Posted by Todd Howard
…. I can say it is on the existing platforms, which we're really happy with. You almost feel like you have a new console when you see the game….

A new console?
Once upon a time, The Elder Scrolls was a PC game… so much time has passed since then, consoles are where they are aiming now… the great Arena, Daggerfall and Morrowind are things of the past… … this is going to be even more consolish than Oblivion.

Anyway… if they keep previous games modability one year from now I'll be into TES modding again I guess..

Originally Posted by Francesco
A new console?
Once upon a time, The Elder Scrolls was a PC game… so much time has passed since then, consoles are where they are aiming now… the great Arena, Daggerfall and Morrowind are things of the past… … this is going to be even more consolish than Oblivion.

Anyway… if they keep previous games modability one year from now I'll be into TES modding again I guess..

I see this as meaning: Skyrim look way better then Oblivion on the same 5+ years old hardware, that it feel like you are playing on a new console.

But yeah, I expect lot more "console" orientation…if that's possible.

Console ports have been so bad lately though, either the console version looks the same as the PC version and/or the PC version is unplayable for weeks due to bad optimization.

Just remember the graphics engine is only one part of what makes a game so both the twitters and the article could be true. They could have replaced the graphics engine but the rest of the systems could be just a continuation of what they had in Fallout 3. That would go with the talk about "Internal" and "our own technology" which refers to not using outside tech.

I am guardedly hopeful. It better be back to at least Morrowind quality, though.

Just so long as they put in some TESsalation.

Originally Posted by Jerry Mannister
Console ports have been so bad lately though, either the console version looks the same as the PC version and/or the PC version is unplayable for weeks due to bad optimization.

(Zloth puts on his 3D glasses.) Oh, I wouldn't say they looked the same. I wouldn't say that at all.

Seriously, though, games do sometimes get a nice upgrade on PC - particularly with higher rez textures and better physics.

As a wise man said, engine shmengine. Now let's elaborate on what can we expect from the game itself! My guesses are:

- Less skills. More ways to max them all.
- Irrelevance of skills in combat. Jump and attack!
- No guilds. Or two of them.
- More minigames! Something like matching squares into square-holes when 'talking' to someone.
- No real dialogs, of course.
- Two new dungeon textures.
- Bandits in glass armor.

Oh, I'm so excited.

Reading how much PC gamers can whine, I almost regret buying a new PC. And after playing a few games on the PC again, I almost miss playing console games.

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Reading how much PC gamers can whine, I almost regret buying a new PC. And after playing a few games on the PC again, I almost miss playing console games.

There's a reason for that, you know. As a market is widening and a computer gaming is no longer domain of long haired intellectual weirdos, games get dumber.
But don't let that impact your enjoyment.

Originally Posted by Daddy32
There's a reason for that, you know. As a market is widening and a computer gaming is no longer domain of long haired intellectual weirdos, games get dumber.
But don't let that impact your enjoyment.

Oh I won't.

While you're sitting here bitching and moaning for the next year about a game that has only just been announced (thus basing your negativity on nothing but speculation), I'll be having a blast playing games instead … now who's the dumb one?

Originally Posted by Daddy32
There's a reason for that, you know. As a market is widening and a computer gaming is no longer domain of long haired intellectual weirdos, games get dumber.
But don't let that impact your enjoyment.

I like dumb games. I also like more complex games. I can see how all this is a problem for those that only enjoy the more complex games. The problem is made worse for those people that only enjoy more complex role-playing games. But I've never understood those people, myself.

I think that the older I become, the more I enjoy just relaxing on the couch with a control device that doesn't take up all of my lap and strains my wrists, and simply taking in a game. Whether that's clicking through dialogue half the time in a JRPG, button-mashing through groups of bad guys, or laying out tactics to a team of companions in a deep RPG, is irrelevant.

So I have Oblivion on PC and on Xbox 360. It's the GOTY version on Xbox 360, so it has more content. Regardless, apart from its moddability and superior graphics, I am unsure whether playing it on the PC was actually more fun. Having a stack of unfinished console games, and having just plunked down 1500 euros for a new PC, this is a disturbing line of thought.

But yes, the market could use a few games with a bit more depth. Try adventure games. They never really changed all that much.

Let the flames begin!