Extra Punctuation: Too Many Options in Skyrim

[GonzoGamer]

I mean, Saints Row has you pick from six different voice packs but you don't micro-manage the pitch and waver or pinpoint the global region the accent comes from. Not yet, anyway. Consider a patch, Volition.

Yes.
And then the character I play can look AND sound exactly like Dr Girlfriend. Now (and in the last game) I was just hacking it buy with the dude's cockney accent. It's just not throaty enough.

I actually like playing with all the sliders in these games. They usually have a "randomizer" selection and/or presets in case you don't want to fumble around with it...even Sims has that.

I like what Saints Row Third did with it: turn it into a social network game with the demo. Did you look at some of the things people uploaded? You should, there were a couple of good mock-ups of you too.

 

[Mike Fang]

I've often wondered why they bother to put a lot of options into character creation for a one-player game. For a multi-player game, especially an MMO, it makes sense, because the main purpose of creating a unique character all your own is to show it off to others. But in a single player game, all you're showing it off to is yourself (unless you like to stream your playing sessions or create Youtube vids.)

 

[faspxina]

"I had enough problems with my horse stealing my kills", Yahtzee Croshaw.

 

[Fat Hippo]

I'm going to express my thoughts as eloquently as I am capable, through the art form of the meme: Yahtzee uses to make valid complaints, but then he took an arrow in the knee.

 

[BrotherRool]

I think sliders with presets is the best way. I can't deal with cheekbone sliders and whenever I start messing with them I end up playing a game of ME2 where the sisters keep coming in and asking me why Shepard's so ugly. But for people who can use them I'm sure it's something they really enjoy doing.

 

[Wolfram23]

My "hero" looks like a retard. Luckily I'm on PC and might be spending an hour redoing it thanks to console commands.

And yeah I think presets are great, but having sliders is fine too. As long as there's a selection of maybe 10-20 faces for each sex of each race.

Also, conjuration - pretty sure you can only have 2 at a time max? Or is it 2 atronachs AND 2 zombies? If that's the case I really need to reread the fine print... that, or you know, experiment.

 

[Xman490]

Changing your voice in a game most definitely has to be limited, especially in Saints Row, which had just enough funding to have enough options in cathartic slaughter and voice changing (by the way, I went Russian woman with the voice since Zombie got old in a minute and Cockney man is too popular).

I like such preset options in games. For example, Guild Wars gave you a few base character setups but let you change the skin color, hairstyle, or whatever anyways.

 

[Zeriah]

Totally agree with you about the sliders. It wasn't as bad as in Oblivion (I actually got bored after spending 40 minutes trying to make a good face in Oblivion and didn't pick up the game again for a week or so lol) but it's still a big hassle. Would it be so hard to have 3 sliders instead of 40 (or putting in 3 major sliders that affects everything and having the other sliders there to change slight details for the obsessive compulsive) to customize yourself from the presets, so you can actually finish it within 10 minutes instead of an hour?

Good presets that look like they were done by a professional would be nice too, instead of presets that look like they were made by random number generators.

 

[anonymity88]

If you're trying for a tight role playing experience there's definitely too much for any one character to accomplish. With the various guilds all needing saving I've found out that I'm not only the dragonborn of legend but I'm also the x of about 6 or 7 others as well.

I think when it comes to the guilds at least that once you've joined one or two the others should be closed off for you, I'm currently the top dog in the Mages College, the Theieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood and the Companions and am expected to take my place by the various Daedric prince the groups worship's side on death. I feel like a whore pledging myself to Sithis, Hiricine and Nocturnal as well as all the others.

I've sometimes tried to get into the swing of things by giving my character high cheekbones, wide staring eyes and a mouth with a permanent half-smile because that's the kind of face I imagine a cockney psychopath would have

He's not wrong about the cockney psycopath look.

Spoiler

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I can't say I really agree with the character customisation spiel. I love making my character look the way I want! Even to the point where I will coordinate my armour, (I've been known to collect/carry/horde different matching sets for different purposes,) and even disregard helmets so I can still see my creation! I guess I played the Sims too much as a kid!

You're argument did remind me, however, of the start of Neverwinter Nights. The simple character creation there allowed you to attach tattoos to your characters body, even though all armour hid it, and there was no class that actually benefited by being topless/practically naked so you could see them. (Unless I just never found that perk...!?) Same thing pretty much happened in Fable... All those body tattoos that you hid under your shirt/blouse! And if it was evil or good the people would act accordingly, like they could actually see it!
On Neverwinter Nights again, you had to also choose a starting style of clothes! The first time I played I spent ages choosing the style, and colours, only to walk 20m from the starting point and picking up my first leather armour set, causing me to never wear the starting clothes again! WHAT WAS THE POINT!

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

If you don't like the massive amount of customization, don't use it. I on the other hand and many others love it.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Well, I always hit the random button until something half decent comes out, then go don that epic looking full face helm

 

[fieryshadowcard]

I don't think he dislikes the customization. Sounds like he dislikes the lack of focus or purpose for it, that its only influence on the game (or the game's influence on it) ends when you're done with the customization.

 

[remmus]

yea that slider thing is half useless, I purposely avoid wearing helmets (or at least, just a circlet). I find it kinda odd how Beth cant include a invisible helmet option in there single player with a deep slider customising system, but Blizzard have it in WoW, and that game has face options so few you can almost count them on your two hands, and all pre set.

 

[Bobby_C]

In Grand Knights History you can actually manage the pitch of your characters' voice

 

[5ilver]

I dislike the early level xp system as well. I specialized my first character in stealth, haggling, pick-pocketing and the like and got absolutely butchered my first dungeon. There really should be a big fat "LEVEL COMBAT SKILLS FIRST" sign as soon as you start a new character. Not to mention, even late-game, the skills are about as balanced as a fat lady with skates on a lamp-post.

As far as char customization, meh, I guess the Bethesda employees need to eat too and a lot of copies sold because of khajiit screenshots so I guess I don't mind.

 

[Jumwa]

Yes, choice is so overdone. Especially that choice to use the character presets that Skyrim offers you.

 

[CrawlingPastaHellion]

The problem with Skyrim isn't that there's too much of it (like that's an issue for a good game like this), but rather the balance.

Illusion becomes worthless at higher levels, even with perks and dual-casting and before that it's simply broken: you can just perma-charm your way out of any trouble. A bit too many extremes if you ask me.

Some perks are just useless outright. Tell me, why in a world would I take any perks in lockpicking if already at level 30-something I can easily crack master locks open without much of a problem. Not to mention the fact that there aren't that many locked instances in the game and the ones that are, mostly have crap. The only perk here that would've been kind of nice is "Treasure Hunter", but it costs a total of five perk points to get. Considering Skyrim is more of a leveling RPG than equipment hunting one, seems like kind of a waste. Better put points in smithy and enchant, if you're a warrior. Mages should do without any of those since they (in my case "us") have Morokei mask (100% mana regeneration increase) and Archmage's Robes(15% mana usage reduction, 100% mana regeneration increase and +50 mana), unless you want to break the game by getting a 100% mana usage reduction by crafting stuff using the enchant perks.

I don't really get how conjuration can break the game, at least for now for me. I use Destruction, Conjuration and Alteration all the time. Conjuration is a good support, but it's mostly just a cover for me while I throw fireballs at 'em. Could change in the future though, Frost Atronach is pretty damn powerful and it's only a second one and is without the Elemental Potency perk (50% buff, don't ask in what), pretty useless in boss fights still.

Oh, yeah, AI still sucks.

EDIT: a semantic error about Frost Atronach.

 

[mjc0961]

A patch? This is Saints Row The Third. It will be paid DLC, not a patch.

Also, in related news, I'm starting to dislike THQ.

 

[bootz]

The problem with Skyrim isn't that there's too much of it (like that's an issue for a good game like this), but rather the balance.

Illusion becomes worthless at higher levels, even with perks and dual-casting and before that it's simply broken: you can just perma-charm your way out of any trouble. A bit too many extremes if you ask me.

Some perks are just useless outright. Tell me, why in a world would I take any perks in lockpicking if already at level 30-something I can easily crack master locks open without much of a problem. Not to mention the fact that there aren't that many locked instances in the game and the ones that are, mostly have crap. The only perk here that would've been kind of nice is "Treasure Hunter", but it costs a total of five perk points to get. Considering Skyrim is more of a leveling RPG than equipment hunting one, seems like kind of a waste. Better put points in smithy and enchant, if you're a warrior. Mages should do without any of those since they (in my case "us") have Morokei mask (100% mana regeneration increase) and Archmage's Robes(15% mana usage reduction, 100% mana regeneration increase and +50 mana), unless you want to break the game by getting a 100% mana usage reduction by crafting stuff using the enchant perks.

I don't really get how conjuration can break the game, at least for now for me. I use Destruction, Conjuration and Alteration all the time. Conjuration is a good support, but it's mostly just a cover for me while I throw fireballs at 'em. Could change in the future though, Frost Atronach is pretty damn powerful and it's only a second one without the Elemental Potency perk (50% buff, don't ask in what), pretty useless in boss fights still.

Oh, yeah, AI still sucks.

Theres a conjur quest line where you get an awesome summons for ZERO Majika to cast. And he's pretty good and killing things.