Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Message Board older than one year ago

You'd have to be a fus-ro-dummy to think that Skyrim would be through with receiving accolades. At last night's New York Video Game Critics Circle Awards, the Bethesda Game Studios-developed RPG took home yet one more, earning the "Big Apple Award for Best Game" as decided by a cabal of NY-based game journos from various outlets.

Other winners include two apiece for Bastion and Portal 2, portable love for Super Mario 3D Land and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, and explosive nods to both Crysis 2 and Saints Row: The Third. Harold Goldberg's "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" took home the "Algonquin Roundtable Award for Best Book" and Sony's "Michael" commercial won the "Mad Men Award," mysteriously beating out Robin Williams' luxurious beard. Frankly, we were baffled. The full list of winners can be found below the break.

The Skyrim Creation Kit will be available for the PC version this Tuesday, according to a tweet from Bethesda VP of Marketing Pete Hines. It'll be available through Steam under "Tools," for free.

As if the ability to generate infinite, free Skyrim content through mods weren't enough, Hines also teased a "special surprise" that would be coming along with it. We'll have to wait until Tuesday to see what that is, but we're guessing dragons. That game would be awesome with some dragons in it.

#theelderscrolls There's a lot of talking here at the beginning. A lot of boring crafting stuff. Stick with it. Eventually, you'll see that you really can get lightsabers in Skyrim. And canon be damned, they are awesome. More »

#theelderscrolls In Skyrim Brynjolf is one of the most elite members of the Thieves Guild. Farkas and Vilkas are mighty twin brothers belonging to The Companions. Manly, beefy men the lot of them. However, that doesn't stop them from wanting to show off their fashion sense (or their hips, for that matter). Watch them take a turn down the runway in this in-game fashion show. More »

Skyrim's monster of a patch, update 1.4, is available now on Steam following its beta test last week. Update 1.4 adds support for the Skyrim Workshop, which opens up modding to the wider (Brony and otherwise) community. For the full list of fixes, check out our details post.

If you participated in the beta, your account should be automatically updated.

#theelderscrolls I shook my serious Skyrim addiction after a couple of weeks, but if you've only just noticed it's now February 2012, and that you've been playing the game non-stop for months now, you might need some help. More »

Do you have the patience it takes to craft a mighty bow, capable of felling an elder dragon with a single strike? We ask because ... well, we'd love for you to take care of it for us. Here's our copy of Skyrim. Thanks!

[Thanks, Chris.]

Even when Skryim is kicking you around, there's something about the world that calls you back.

Several months out, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is not without its issues, some more severe than others.

The latest patch, version 1.4, will attempt to address significant performance issues on PlayStation 3, as well as clean up some of the glitched quests that have been plaguing players.

A beta version of this patch has been available for the PC version via Steam--it’s now final. The patches have been submitted for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but there’s no timetable on a release.

It’s too bad some of these fixes are happening in February, but alas.

I say this as a person who’s experienced a great number of mild-to-god damnit problems and still, as of last night, crossed the 100 hour mark with the game, and only have two achievements to clean up before putting it to bed.

The full change list, as provided by Bethesda:

New Features:

• Skyrim launcher support for Skyrim Workshop (PC)

Bug Fixes:

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequins in player’s house (PS3)
• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed issue with dangling scripts not properly clearing from memory
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in “Haemar’s Shame” if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
• Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally block other scripts from properly firing off
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks
• Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
• Fixed bug related to hitching between cell boundaries
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions

Quest Fixes:

• The Unusual Gem that was inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
• In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly
• Fixed issue where progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests
• In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
• In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
• In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In “Revealing the Unseen”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In “The Break of Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
• Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
• In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

Just remember, you can never have too many dragons.

While Bethesda Game Studios continues to polish Skyrim's patch 1.4 (a beta version is available now through Steam), the studio is getting ready to release its Creation Kit. The Kit will give you access to the same tools Bethesda used to build its epic role-playing game, which should enhance The Elder Scrolls V's already thriving mod scene...

Trolls, dragons, giant spiders, giant crabs, giant ... people -- Bethesda's Skyrim has it all, at least in terms of things that can kill you. But series fans know that they can take the game a few steps further into crazytown with mods, as we've seen over the past few months. Bethesda knows this too, clearly, as the developer is releasing a Creation Kit sometime soon which will allow users to more easily mod and share creations for Skyrim.

Interestingly, the company notes in its developer diary that it's "going to keep looking for ways to get mods to more people, and hopefully one day to our console audience," but comes up short of saying anything more concrete. Frankly, we'd love to be able to snap into a Skyrim with our fellow Macho Man fans out there (oooooh yeah!), but we simply don't have a PC strong enough.

The Creation Kit will support Steam Workshop, allowing mods to be shared via Steam users easily. We'd suggest pushing that Steam Workshop support to PS3 given Steam's past with Sony's home console, but then we also know of Skyrim's ugly past with the PS3. Oh well, maybe next game, right?

Bethesda is soon to release the Creation Kit for Skyrim, that’ll allow official modding to begin, along with some really powerful-looking tools. It will also plug directly into the Steam Workshop, which will make adding user-created mods to your game over 39024% easier. You can see a video giving an overview of those features below.

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#theelderscrolls You may not know this, but Conan O'Brien's sidekick Andy Richter played several characters in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Here they are in action. More »

#theelderscrolls Master LEGO builder Luke Hutchinson has constructed this wonderful homage to Skyrim out of little plastic bricks, turning what in the game would be a leisurely side-quest slaughtering a few dozen Stormcloaks into a real-world work of art. More »

Skyrim's development had assistance from some major names in acting: Max Von Sydow, Joan Allen, and Lynda Carter to name a few. But did you know that legendary comedy partner Andy Richter also played a major role? It was revealed this week on Conan, which we've embedded above.

#theelderscrolls This Valentines Day, let that special someone in your life show them how much you really care, by giving them a card that actually shows they'll always be #2 behind The Elder Scrolls series. More »

#theelderscrolls Having been thwarted in their efforts to loot Gregethor's Convenience Store in Whiterun, (and taken a detour into Battlefield 3 by way of Dead Island) the Grosjean Bros. have returned to Gregethor's home to take his most treasured possessions, including his cat, in this sequel to last week's live-action Skyrim video. More »

#theelderscrolls Oh God. As if my Obsessive compulsive problems with Skyrim weren't bad enough, there's now the distinct possibility that the game's quest markers could start turning up on the door to my garage and crapper. More »

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the darling of critics and RPG-lovers. While the game is beautiful, involving, technically impressive, it's a long way away from being the perfect RPG. Indeed, developer Bethesda has a lot to learn from other RPGs and even action games, in terms of creating a convincing narrative experience, tweaking leveling mechanics and generating emotional pull...

PC gamers looking to get access to Skyrim's 1.4 update earlier than expected, you can download it right now if you turn on beta access. [Bethesda] More »

Last week, Bethesda gave us the patch notes for Skyrim's next update, version 1.4. Rather than longingly glare at a web page for all of the fixes coming to your plagued save files, you have another option, granted you're playing the game on PC: you can opt into a beta version of the new update. Just make sure you back up all of your save files and other pertinent things first, mmkay?

If you want in, all you have to do is load up Steam, go into your Account tab under the Settings section and click "change" on Beta Participation. A drop-down menu will appear; select "Skyrim Beta" and, after restarting your Steam client, you should be good to go. And if you want to stop playing the beta version, all you need to do is go back into settings and opt out -- sorry, yelling at your monitor simply won't get it done this time, folks.

The beta version of the latest Skyrim patch is now on Steam, though Bethesda have warned, in tones dripping with sulphur and doom, that “Apply the update at your own risk.” Anything could happen! The Earth might split asunder! Vampires might eat your fingers! Sickly cats might become weirdly fixated upon you! Or, more likely, you’ll hit a load of bugs and/or your savegames will go all squiffy.(more…)

#theelderscrolls If you pay attention to ads, you know there are subliminal messages. Even if you don't, your brain picks up on them. Typically, these messages are sex-related, but not always. Blogger Copyranter, who's apparently been an ad copywriter for 18 years, sure notices them. More »

Skyrim's 1.4 update, which is not a patch of a previous patch, should be finalized by next week and submitted to console manufacturers for certification, as well as release on PC. Bethesda also plans to allow PC users to opt-in to "beta" versions of future patches through Steam, we're guessing so the company can opt-out of launching a patch if significant issues are found.

The publisher also announced that the Creation Kit and Steam Workshop are nearly ready, and it is working with Valve and its modding community to do some final testing. To think, people will be able to mod back in backwards flying dragons and add even more of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crew if they want -- and, honestly, who couldn't use a little more Rainbow Dash in their lives?

The details of the 1.4 patch can be found after the break.

#theelderscrolls I'm done with Skyrim. I've seen enough and done enough of what came with it to satisfy me, so I've put it down. I haven't put it away, though, because I know the game's creation kit is coming soon. Very soon, if Bethesda are to be believed. More »

The next patch for Skyrim appears to address quite a bit, as Bethesda let everyone know by posting the change log. Included will be multiple quest and bug fixes, including gems like this: "Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves". Thanks goodness, that sounds terrifying...

Every game has at least one mod that will push their fans to the brink of uninstallling and having a shower. This is Skyrim’s, I fear. We should have known it was out there, we should have protected ourselves. But it’s too late. I’m sorry.(more…)

As Bronies can attest to, the "Yay" of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's Fluttershy is far more terrifying than any thu'um of a dovahkiin. As seen in this Skyrim mod, watch as a pack of the winged horses devastate a town, all while repeating their haunting call.

#theelderscrolls It used to be a calculator wasn't a calculator unless it could run Doom. These days, they've gotta run Skyrim. More »

#theelderscrolls I shouldn't enjoy this. It's an internet cat video, playing out a tired video gag from a game I'm pretty sure I've over-consumed in the past two months. More »