9 replies to this topic

[Cal Jones]

Hey all. I've just installed Oblivion (with add-ons, but no mods) for the first time. I've played all the Elder Scrolls games, though it's been a long time since I touched Morrowind. Anyway, anyone got any basic tips for getting started? Generally I favour fighters over mages but I know you can be a bit of everything here and raise skill through playing.

[Eleima]

First off, I recommend adding this page to your bookmarks if you haven't already, it's the ultimate ressource on the Internet on all things Elder Scrolls'ish. There are a couple of mods that are worth it, check out this thread which I had started regarding people's favorite mods (I really recommend Qarl's Texture Pack 3, Landscapes, Better Water Resource, and Almost Everything Visible from a Distance, if you computer can handle it, it makes for a dazzling graphic experience).

As for gamewise, well, the beauty of it is that the world is pretty big and you can go through with the main quest, or just run around doing guild stuff and saving people (or stealing or killing, whatever floats your boat!), and put off saving the Empire til... forever! There's a nice little option in the settings where you can toy with the difficulty level, it's a very gradual thing, no easy/hard settings, you can just adjust til you get something you're comfortable with. And the critters you encounter are tailored to your level anyways.

If you like playing a fighter, I suggest starting out with a Redguard, but that's the beauty of Oblivion, it's the Freedom of the game (yeah, with a capital "F"). You can check out all the races and classes on the Elder Scrolls Wiki I gave out at the beginning, and find something that suits your needs. And you can even create your custom class.

Oh, and get the unofficial patches for both Oblivion and Shivering Isles if you're running that expansion, they have really nice fixes.

Other that that... My tip is sit back and enjoy the ride!!!!
(I found that Oblivion was easier to get a hang of than Jade Empire, with a nice little tutorial that's not too annoying at the beginning of the game).

[Jarno Mikkola]

Any tips for getting started?

Eerh, don't buy the game.

(I found that Oblivion was easier to get a hang of than Jade Empire, with a nice little tutorial that's not too annoying at the beginning of the game).

Unfortunatly the tutorial doesn't tell you the true nature of the game... like the thing that it's easier at very low levels... unless moded.

[Cal Jones]

Well, finally I get to play it. I did install it on my old PC but graphically it just looked poor. However, new PC is finally here and Oblivion looks lovely! I've just made it through the first bit and am about to enter the sewers. Got Shivering Isles installed also, so this should keep me busy for a bit. I've made a Redguard warrior, for the record. Keep it simple on the first playthrough, I think.

[Yovaneth]

Wot I said to Eliema this thread. Although I see she's listed most of it anyway!

-Y-

[Cal Jones]

Cheers. I've not added any mods at this point - I've just been enjoying the scenery! And well, the plot...been playing all day, more or less. Glad I waited for the new PC - it looked a bit rubbish on the old one but now it runs fantastically.

[Cal Jones]

Well I have been loving Oblivion. Initially I played a Redguard fighter - finished Fighter's guild, Kot9 and main quests but found him a bit dull so started again with a more versatile character (custom). Was having a blast when I started getting weird bugs (all crafted items just disappeared from game - not just current save but all previous saves), then random crashes. I had over 1000 saves, many of which I've subsequently deleted, and I've tried reinstalling (I got the patch to fix the error I thought was making my items disappear). But whereas it was really stable to start with, it's just started misbehaving badly. I think it's just the size of the saves - the second character has been to a lot of places and done a lot of stuff, is level 34, and I don't think the game likes it.
Does anyone have any experience with problems like this? I'm leaving it to play other games for a bit but in truth I'm gutted as I was really enjoying the game.

[ever9reen]

I personally didn't get to the gate right away, I build up my character and just immerse in the vastness of the game. It's been a while since I played though.

[Sammi Somara]

Well I have been loving Oblivion. Initially I played a Redguard fighter - finished Fighter's guild, Kot9 and main quests but found him a bit dull so started again with a more versatile character (custom). Was having a blast when I started getting weird bugs (all crafted items just disappeared from game - not just current save but all previous saves), then random crashes. I had over 1000 saves, many of which I've subsequently deleted, and I've tried reinstalling (I got the patch to fix the error I thought was making my items disappear). But whereas it was really stable to start with, it's just started misbehaving badly. I think it's just the size of the saves - the second character has been to a lot of places and done a lot of stuff, is level 34, and I don't think the game likes it.
Does anyone have any experience with problems like this? I'm leaving it to play other games for a bit but in truth I'm gutted as I was really enjoying the game.

You can set some of the graphics options to a lower level to decrease lag and make crashes less likely to occur. I actually got a really bad bug on one of my characters where she's suddenly invincible. Attacks go right through her (she can still take environmental damage though). It was great at first but now it sucks because the challenge has been sucked right out of it.
I would recommend searching the web for player-made bugfixes and patches. They can sometimes really help.
You may also be able to find help if you ask around at bethesda's official forums. There may also be a page on some of the issues on the UESP wiki. Sorry I can't be of more help here.

[Cal Jones]

Performance isn't an issue - my PC can handle it. There's a bad bug with stuff disappearing which came with the expansion. This happened to me, so I found a patch but then started having problems with random crashing before finally I couldn't enter any buildings without being dumped to desktop. It's been a long time since I played it now and I've moved on to other games. At least I finished the main quest and two of the guild quests, plust Kot9 - I just didn't get to finish the Brotherhood or Thieves or Shivering Isles. I think the only thing I can do is uninstall and mess with my registry but I don't like tinkering under the bonnet, so to speak.