Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Rudderless]

Christ. I've been wandering around the outside of this fucking mountain for an hour now trying to find a way up. I'm trying to head towards High Hrothgar to speak to the Greybeards, but can't seem to find a route up. I've found North Skybound Watch and killed some guys there, and Orphan Rock and Falkreath Stormcloak Camp, but that's it. Any time I try to head higher I'm met with a bit that's too steep and have to retrace my steps. Can anyone help?

[Aardvark]

But when you factor in the sheer scale and scope of the game, its really a small price to pay. And thus far, if you ignore the odd freeze, I've hardly encountered any bugs. I did have a bit of a time which I thought was a bug when I finally tracked down the guy that could cure me of vampirism but, not only did I have to meet him at dawn, I had to wait for him to stand beside a shrine or something before he could do the business. Like I said patience helps.

I don't think the bugs are due to the inherent complexity of the game but from a fundamental failure to think about some of the most basic components. Take 'Assist the people of X [n/m]' style quests which will not be cleared from your log if you've already helped the requisite number of people for an example. That's not a problem with complexity, it's an obvious bug that should have been caught by a very simple unit test, and a lot else seems to stem from not thinking in the right way about the simple interactions so the problems just compound.

I would guess there are also a bunch of buffer overrun bugs or similar, it would certainly explain some of the random behaviour, and potentially why they didn't do an optimized build (it can change the memory layout and potentially change the appearance of overrun bugs). Cleaning up a code base like that can take a long time, and it's probably better to just start replacing the most troublesome areas with new, well tested code, but if the issues are architectural then it can be really hard to do this.

[bingowings]

bingo, only black soul gems and the Black Star (it's a quest item) can take Human souls.

aah, thanks, kind of thought that as i have only come across great and grand gems - stands to reason there would be something larger which CAN TRAP A MAN'S SOUL FOR ALL ETERNITY!!1!

[b00dles]

Christ. I've been wandering around the outside of this fucking mountain for an hour now trying to find a way up. I'm trying to head towards High Hrothgar to speak to the Greybeards, but can't seem to find a route up. I've found North Skybound Watch and killed some guys there, and Orphan Rock and Falkreath Stormcloak Camp, but that's it. Any time I try to head higher I'm met with a bit that's too steep and have to retrace my steps. Can anyone help?

You have to walk up the stairs from Ivarstead, it's directly at the foot of the mountain on the way up. Probably on the other side of where you're trying to go up...

EDIT: For what it's worth, my Azura's Star (the soul gem thingy mentioned by Captain LeChuck) is borked. No idea how I did it either but it never absorbs a single soul, so possibly don't rely on you getting it and it working, grab all the soul gems you can. I've got absolutely shite loads and have never run out and all of my weapons are now enchanted. Admittedly, early doors I didn't use any enchanted weapons so perhaps that's why I have so many now...

[scottcr]

Christ. I've been wandering around the outside of this fucking mountain for an hour now trying to find a way up. I'm trying to head towards High Hrothgar to speak to the Greybeards, but can't seem to find a route up. I've found North Skybound Watch and killed some guys there, and Orphan Rock and Falkreath Stormcloak Camp, but that's it. Any time I try to head higher I'm met with a bit that's too steep and have to retrace my steps. Can anyone help?

That took me ages to do and was really annoying because the map is so bad. If you head off in the general direction you'll eventually find a path up into the mountain. At first though it'll loo as though you are heading away from where you have to go.

There's also the clairvoyance spell you could use, but it can be pretty useless sometimes.

[Rudderless]

You have to walk up the stairs from Ivarstead, it's directly at the foot of the mountain on the way up. Probably on the other side of where you're trying to go up...

Thanks, I'll try that. Saw a bridge that was headed in roughly the right direction at first and got twatted by a bear - spammed it with arrows from a safe distance on my next go while it just stood there but I guess that was a sign I wasn't supposed to go that way. Just annoyed that I have precious little free gaming time and I've wasted an hour of it heading down cul-de-sacs because the map is so abysmal.

EDIT: Ten minutes later I get near the top and a Frost Troll takes me out in two swipes. Fuck about.

[b00dles]

Thanks, I'll try that. Saw a bridge that was headed in roughly the right direction at first and got twatted by a bear - spammed it with arrows from a safe distance on my next go while it just stood there but I guess that was a sign I wasn't supposed to go that way. Just annoyed that I have precious little free gaming time and I've wasted an hour of it heading down cul-de-sacs because the map is so abysmal.

Although I will agree that the map is severely lacking, a lot of people do drivel on about the 1000 steps up to the greybeards. In Ivarstead a lot of the locals go on about it and even ask if you can take them or something up to them. It's on the right hand side of the big mountain the greybeards are on, if you've been going from the left, which is where Falkreath is iirc. Yes there are bears and a frost troll (potentially but you can avoid him) I also lured the bear back to the hunter dude on the steps and then found another one on the way and managed to do him up by hiding on a rock where it couldn't get to me. Which isn't 'proper' but Gamebryo can always be dicked with like that...

[scottcr]

I was trying to take out a bunch of sabre cats... I'd run in and twat fuck out of them, then run back to a pool of deep water. When I entered that, they'd forget about me. I'd heal and get my shout back and then run back.

I also had a similar run in with a bear. I stood behind a tree and it just stood looking at me (it was almost dead). Not sure if this was deliberate or not... but once I had healed and got my shout back I jumped from behind the tree and shouted the rug right off of it.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

What's wrong with the map? When you get the quest to go to the monastery, Ivarstead is clearly marked as starting point on the map. When you get there by travelling around the mountains, the pointer moves to the mountain itself. The frost troll was a bit of a surprise, I failed at killing him so sneaked around him instead.

[scottcr]

I've managed to get around the interface quite quickly now using favourites (the l and r to quick equip is useless though)... but the map really does annoy me. At most, I can tell if i'm kinda heading in the right way. I use clairvoyance and, if I'm in a rush, a wee man with a horse and cart to take me to the nearest big town and then work it from there.

What's wrong with the map? When you get the quest to go to the monastery, Ivarstead is clearly marked as starting point on the map. When you get there by travelling around the mountains, the pointer moves to the mountain itself. The frost troll was a bit of a surprise, I failed at killing him so sneaked around him instead.

the map is shite. I can't tell where roads or paths are. In fact, the map that comes with the game is more useful!

[Monkeyboy]

I always find the road signs quite helpful. It's always worth stopping, and having a look to make sure you're heading the right way. I've not used Clairvoyance much. It seems to work okay in dungeons, but then you don't really need it in dungeons. Out on the open road, it always seems to point me the wrong way, so I stopped using it.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

I kind of like it that the map isn't detailing every path, as it makes it feel more adventurous as you need to find your own way. Although I can imagine it be frustrating if you just want to go somewhere fast and you end up in front of some cliff you have to find a way around, for me that's part of the game really. After all the open world games with GPS directions, it's nice to have to find your own way. And once you've found a location you can always use fast-travel if you don't feel like travelling those parts again.

[b00dles]

I do like the vague map in a way but it would be nice if you could rotate the whole thing and properly zoom about on it, imagine if it was like Black & White's map or something, so you could zoom down to buildings as well as high as it does.

The thing is though, if you want to go the direct quickest path, you do then get the stupid Gamebryo problem of the ability to be able to jump and glitch your way up huge portions of mountain that are almost sheer cliff edges if the gradient is just so but if you're confronted by a wall that's maybe as high as your waist, your amazing mage/warrior/thief/assassin/dragonborn/general badass can't even use his hands to lift himself over it.

Which is still one of the silliest things in various games these days. I don't mind an impassable cliff, or well placed shrubbery, outcropping or anything at all but when there's clearly a ledge that anyone with arms and a bendable waist could at the very least, turn around and sit up on the ledge then stand up to get on it but your in game mong can't, it really takes you out of a believable world more so than cat and lizard people might do.

In fact, the thing that makes it probably more annoying is the fact you can glitch up huge bits unrealistically only to then be scuppered by a ledge.

[scottcr]

I do like the vague map in a way but it would be nice if you could rotate the whole thing and properly zoom about on it, imagine if it was like Black & White's map or something, so you could zoom down to buildings as well as high as it does.

The thing is though, if you want to go the direct quickest path, you do then get the stupid Gamebryo problem of the ability to be able to jump and glitch your way up huge portions of mountain that are almost sheer cliff edges if the gradient is just so but if you're confronted by a wall that's maybe as high as your waist, your amazing mage/warrior/thief/assassin/dragonborn/general badass can't even use his hands to lift himself over it.

Which is still one of the silliest things in various games these days. I don't mind an impassable cliff, or well placed shrubbery, outcropping or anything at all but when there's clearly a ledge that anyone with arms and a bendable waist could at the very least, turn around and sit up on the ledge then stand up to get on it but your in game mong can't, it really takes you out of a believable world more so than cat and lizard people might do.

In fact, the thing that makes it probably more annoying is the fact you can glitch up huge bits unrealistically only to then be scuppered by a ledge.

Or, as what happened to me when on my way to the greybeards... Spam my way up a mountain because that's the way I think I'm supposed to be going...only to fall down and get stuck behind a rock and unable to move... My earlier save was miles away.

[Beitel]

EDIT: For what it's worth, my Azura's Star (the soul gem thingy mentioned by Captain LeChuck) is borked. No idea how I did it either but it never absorbs a single soul, so possibly don't rely on you getting it and it working, grab all the soul gems you can. I've got absolutely shite loads and have never run out and all of my weapons are now enchanted. Admittedly, early doors I didn't use any enchanted weapons so perhaps that's why I have so many now...

It only absorbs white souls, so only the undead and more monsterly creatures are absorded, not bandits or anything. It's great in dungeons, but it can sometimes take hours for it to absorb something.

[Aardvark]

I kind of like it that the map isn't detailing every path, as it makes it feel more adventurous as you need to find your own way. Although I can imagine it be frustrating if you just want to go somewhere fast and you end up in front of some cliff you have to find a way around, for me that's part of the game really. After all the open world games with GPS directions, it's nice to have to find your own way. And once you've found a location you can always use fast-travel if you don't feel like travelling those parts again.

A vague-ish map would be fine, but the Skyrim map is often misleading in its default view as you can't reliably tell which side of a mountain a location is and, because the map is just a render of the game world with whatever lighting and weather conditions exist at the time, it's also often quite hard to even tell what the general lie of the land is—I mean who thought a map covered in heavy cloud would be useful?

I always end up having to move the view so I'm looking straight down, then you can get a much better idea of where places actually are and can make a better plan on how you might get to them.

[Aardvark]

It only absorbs white souls, so only the undead and more monsterly creatures are absorded, not bandits or anything. It's great in dungeons, but it can sometimes take hours for it to absorb something.

Also, I can't remember what the precedence is if you have other sole gems on you.

[neoELITE]

Or, as what happened to me when on my way to the greybeards... Spam my way up a mountain because that's the way I think I'm supposed to be going...only to fall down and get stuck behind a rock and unable to move... My earlier save was miles away.

I've been stuck in scenery a few times and had to fast travel to the nearest place to get back to where I was.

I've seen a mammoth float up in the sky and then come plummeting down dead - I managed to complete a misc quest by collecting it's tusk.

I've had a fair few freezes on the loading screen recently.

I've yet to reach a game breaking bug though so I'm perhaps a little lucky. My only bad experience was becoming a vampire and being unable to reverse it. I've learnt my lesson though and I'm using the shrines to remove ill effects.

It's still captivating me - an absolutely astounding game. I played Fallout 3 for about ten hours and gave up and traded it in. This however, with the fantasy setting is truly gripping stuff. I think with Fallout, I had had enough with shotting people with guns.

[Gringo]

I quite enough a good glitch rock climbing session in this.

[boxoctosis]

I don't mind the map. A huge amount of fun is the journey rather than the destination. If it takes a bit longer then so be it, you'll invariably stumble across something to distract you.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

It's still captivating me - an absolutely astounding game. I played Fallout 3 for about ten hours and gave up and traded it in. This however, with the fantasy setting is truly gripping stuff. I think with Fallout, I had had enough with shotting people with guns.

That's a shame really, Fallout 3 is my favourite game of all time. This may well top it though, depends a bit on how the journey through the game will continue from now on. Personally I prefer the bleak, post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Fallout 3 but in Skyrim there seems much more to do and stuff to interact with which is a huge bonus. Anyway, as with Fallout 3, I love to just wander about and find new stuff, do little things on the side and generally muck about only picking up the main questline when I feel like it. In that way both games tickle the same receptors in my gaming brain releasing The Love.

[sir stiff_one]

(the l and r to quick equip is useless though)

I switch between my bow and mace using l and r and I have to say that along with the shout that lets you see people through walls Robocop style, it's my most used thing in the game by far.

[Rudderless]

I don't mind the map. A huge amount of fun is the journey rather than the destination. If it takes a bit longer then so be it, you'll invariably stumble across something to distract you.

The problem I have is that my spare gaming time is at a premium, so anything that wastes any of it I get a bit frustrated with. Finding new places just seems to be a case of being thorough in your exploration rather than solving any kind of environmental puzzle or anything. Not sure if this is for me, though I'll persevere a bit longer. I quite liked Fallout - though I found the setting a little depressing - and I rather enjoyed what I played of Oblivion (around 20 hours, as I recall), but I'm not feeling this at all so far.

[sir stiff_one]

Not really the ideal game in your case then is it?

Sounds like you would be better served with XBLA type stuff rather than a sprawling, enormous world in which you can easily blow 3 hours just bumbling around a town.

[Steven]

That's a shame really, Fallout 3 is my favourite game of all time. This may well top it though, depends a bit on how the journey through the game will continue from now on. Personally I prefer the bleak, post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Fallout 3 but in Skyrim there seems much more to do and stuff to interact with which is a huge bonus. Anyway, as with Fallout 3, I love to just wander about and find new stuff, do little things on the side and generally muck about only picking up the main questline when I feel like it. In that way both games tickle the same receptors in my gaming brain releasing The Love.

You are me.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

The problem I have is that my spare gaming time is at a premium, so anything that wastes any of it I get a bit frustrated with. Finding new places just seems to be a case of being thorough in your exploration rather than solving any kind of environmental puzzle or anything. Not sure if this is for me, though I'll persevere a bit longer. I quite liked Fallout - though I found the setting a little depressing - and I rather enjoyed what I played of Oblivion (around 20 hours, as I recall), but I'm not feeling this at all so far.

Being thorough in your exploration is a huge part of the fun/game. If you feel that it's wasting time, you'll probably not going to enjoy this very much. It's as much if not more about the journey rather than the destination.

[Naysonymous]

I like the map. However, I also like noclip.

[Rudderless]

Being thorough in your exploration is a huge part of the fun/game. If you feel that it's wasting time, you'll probably not going to enjoy this very much. It's as much if not more about the journey rather than the destination.

But nothing happened in that journey, save for me dying twice and killing a polar bear in the most cheap and stupid way possible (though it was amusing to see the body slide down the slope past me). I didn't feel that I'd achieved anything whatsoever. I'm all for finding secret new places but two of the locations I've found so far have seen me battered by monsters I'm clearly not equipped to tackle yet (and my companion got killed to boot in one of them). Oh, and I got caught in an infinite death-loop when the autosave kicked in after a bit of experimental rock-climbing led me to fall a bit too far.

Has to be said, the soundtrack and atmosphere is quite something. Also nice to see sparse flakes of snow gently falling as I climbed, and then night falling and me rounding a corner to see two moons above me. As a piece of digital sightseeing, it's pretty special - I've just not been impressed by the actual game elements so far.

[Shook]

That's a shame really, Fallout 3 is my favourite game of all time. This may well top it though, depends a bit on how the journey through the game will continue from now on. Personally I prefer the bleak, post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Fallout 3 but in Skyrim there seems much more to do and stuff to interact with which is a huge bonus. Anyway, as with Fallout 3, I love to just wander about and find new stuff, do little things on the side and generally muck about only picking up the main questline when I feel like it. In that way both games tickle the same receptors in my gaming brain releasing The Love.

I much prefer sci-fi and apocalyptic settings in genres of anything, films books games etc, and have never been into D&D vibes at all but I still love this. Fallout 3 was incredible, I definitely preferred the setting, but Skyrim is brilliant in so many respects that I'm enjoying it just as much. Miss V.A.T.S though!

btw, how do I put hotkeys on the l+r of the d-pad? I can only seem to assign favourites...

[Shook]

The problem I have is that my spare gaming time is at a premium, so anything that wastes any of it I get a bit frustrated with. Finding new places just seems to be a case of being thorough in your exploration rather than solving any kind of environmental puzzle or anything. Not sure if this is for me, though I'll persevere a bit longer. I quite liked Fallout - though I found the setting a little depressing - and I rather enjoyed what I played of Oblivion (around 20 hours, as I recall), but I'm not feeling this at all so far.

Wrong game!