New AI scripts
NPCs: Now with 100% more interest
The world of Oblivion seemed vast and intricate at first, but you soon came to realise how paper thin the NPCs were. Often found just standing in one spot or walking around aimlessly, they didn’t really breathe all that much life into the game world. New and more advanced AI will prevent the same from happening in Skyrim, with NPCs now having properly set routines and jobs that they attend to. They will now even have unscripted reactions to the player’s actions, such as challenging the player to a duel or trying to steal anything the player drops from their inventory.
Superior visuals
Thumbs up if you like realistic weather effects
An obvious point but, considering how aged Oblivion is starting to look, the superior visuals sported by Skyrim are worth noting. The whole thing is getting a graphical overhaul, but the big one to note is the improved draw distances. For franchises like The Elder Scrolls that pride themselves on a fully explorable world, being able to see the far peaks and plains where you can travel to in full view is a truly breathtaking experience. It’s a good thing we’re getting closer and closer to this massive sense of scale.
Easier inventory management
It's almost like you can reach out and touch it
Oblivion was an exciting adventure indeed, but it did feel all too much like an old school text game when it came to inventory management. When you started picking up multiple items of the same type as well, you could spend plenty of time scrolling through seemingly endless lists of swords and shields. Skyrim seems set to eliminate this particular time waster though, with items sorted into groups to make for easier navigation. Not only that, but you can also view 3D model representations of each item, just to make it feel all the more real.
A new plot focus
Civil war, dragon slayers; what else do you need?
Oblivion was a game that was unafraid to dip into cliché, to the point where the plot largely painted a classic battle between the forces of good and evil. It was not without its twists and turns, but something a little more morally ambiguous may have been nice. Skyrim seems set to offer this neutral morality, with a story revolving around the civil war that has gripped Skyrim following the collapse of the Empire. Having two neutral sides fighting for different, but equally justifiable, causes could give Skyrim the edge it needs thematically. That, and you’re also a prophesied dragon slayer; a trait that always helps when you’re in a war-torn land.
