Skyrim!1! *SPOILERS, enter at own risk*

[sorudo]

Sorry, I didn't realize they had it tagged as "adults only".

you could've expected it, killing children isn't really for younger players.

[MixedVariety]

Isn't it time you got your own Steam account?
OOPS

I've got my own Steam account. It has Portal on it and...well, only Portal, since it was free at the time.

I really don't want to drop $60 on Skyrim right now, especially when my son just bought it (and he lives here with us). Also he works days, I work evenings, so basically we won't be playing at the same time.

Ok, ok...I'm a cheapskate, fine. Maybe I'll buy it if the price goes down after a while.

[Art]

Right, so installed Skyrim on my laptop - watched the intro from the back of the cart, unable to move my mouse to view things, had to use my function key to activate my numeric pad on my character keyboard for customisation of my guy, made my toon look the way I want and....nothing.

Seems I need an Xbox 360 controller to use it - read everywhere an 'escape' key would bring up a settings menu where I can change things...not here though!

I'm sure the solution will present itself, but I've reinstalling just now just in case...

...failing that; how do I get my laptop to expel an 'X' key from a 360 controller??

-Art

[MisterB]

Right, so installed Skyrim on my laptop - watched the intro from the back of the cart, unable to move my mouse to view things, had to use my function key to activate my numeric pad on my character keyboard for customisation of my guy, made my toon look the way I want and....nothing.

Seems I need an Xbox 360 controller to use it - read everywhere an 'escape' key would bring up a settings menu where I can change things...not here though!

I'm sure the solution will present itself, but I've reinstalling just now just in case...

...failing that; how do I get my laptop to expel an 'X' key from a 360 controller??

-Art

You could use software to emulate keyboard and mouse input using a 360 controller. JoyToKey and xpadder can do this, and I'm sure there's more. I think GlovePie should do as well. AutoHotkey can move functions around on your laptop's keyboard, too. Those are all free.

After playing Oblivion(vanilla, on PS3), I'll have to pass on Skyrim, at least until it goes way down in price, like say -75% or more. Elder Scrolls has dull combat, and the leveling system encourages spreadsheets, or at least Oblivion did.

[Art]

Managed to change the controller on by default (Under 'My Games' presets, not the 'Program Files' part as I would have thought) so now have full keyboard and mouse use for Skyrim and don't have to disable the xbox 360 controller.

The first bit to let you out into the open was certainly faster this time round. I'm chillin' with the still prior to leaving this lovely lil' woodmill town at the moment.

-Art

[Erring Ryft]

Coolio, but that was the most amount of signing up, faffing about and general cobblers I've had to do in a long while to see something on the net.

-Art

Agreed, but it was so worth it to punch one of those snots. I think Dorothe knows she's not safe anymore...she runs from me every time.

We won't even talk about the orphanage.

[Art]

For anyone who is considering getting this game and is reading up on all the stuff here first; don't get off a horse and then walk away from it to explore. It does a bunk!

-Art

[Zalis]

After playing Oblivion(vanilla, on PS3), I'll have to pass on Skyrim, at least until it goes way down in price, like say -75% or more. Elder Scrolls has dull combat, and the leveling system encourages spreadsheets, or at least Oblivion did.

Two things:
1) Oblivion without mods was pretty mediocre ... I had much more fun my second time w/ mods, avoiding the storyline, not having oblivion gates pop up constantly

2) Skyrim's leveling is overhauled and actually makes sense now

There are no more attributes and the athletics skill is gone, so dumb things like constant jumping are no longer encouraged. Skills still go up with use, but it doesn't take 10 skills to level up anymore. It's more like 5, but it might scale higher... I haven't been keeping track. Upon leveling, you choose to upgrade your magicka, health or stamina, and then you receive a perk. The perks are abilities you gain within the various skill trees. So, within lockpicking, you could make novice picks easier to open. Or, in archer, make bows do +20% damage right away. (which is pretty useful at early levels) Some of the abilities have multiple tiers, so I currently have +40% bow damage.

[MixedVariety]

Upon leveling, you choose to upgrade your magicka, health or stamina, and then you receive a perk. The perks are abilities you gain within the various skill trees. So, within lockpicking, you could make novice picks easier to open. Or, in archer, make bows do +20% damage right away. (which is pretty useful at early levels) Some of the abilities have multiple tiers, so I currently have +40% bow damage.

Yeah...I'm still trying to make sense of the leveling system, right now it's sort of confusing. There are so many things to use perks on, all floating around in a vast zodiacal sea instead of a simple menu, and I have no clear idea yet where I'm focusing. I've only spent around two hours at the game so far, so it'll all congeal for me eventually.

[MisterB]

Two things:
1) Oblivion without mods was pretty mediocre ... I had much more fun my second time w/ mods, avoiding the storyline, not having oblivion gates pop up constantly

2) Skyrim's leveling is overhauled and actually makes sense now

There are no more attributes and the athletics skill is gone, so dumb things like constant jumping are no longer encouraged. Skills still go up with use, but it doesn't take 10 skills to level up anymore. It's more like 5, but it might scale higher... I haven't been keeping track. Upon leveling, you choose to upgrade your magicka, health or stamina, and then you receive a perk. The perks are abilities you gain within the various skill trees. So, within lockpicking, you could make novice picks easier to open. Or, in archer, make bows do +20% damage right away. (which is pretty useful at early levels) Some of the abilities have multiple tiers, so I currently have +40% bow damage.

I still enjoyed Oblivion; I wouldn't say it was mediocre, just fundamentally flawed. I found Oblivion Gates a welcome challenge full of rewarding alchemy ingredients and Sigil stones(Fire, Frost, and Shock Shield, Chameleon). It offered a vast world to explore with lots of fun quests that I enjoyed. I enjoyed the exploration, the adventure, the setting and the surrounding lore and characters, and the story (even though the leveling system meant I never completed the main story).

But the leveling system and scaling rewards by level ultimately made me quit playing, along with the shallow combat gameplay. I couldn't help but compare combat to Demon's Souls, which was much more interesting and rewarding, and just plain more fun to play. Weapon damage in Oblivion was so pitiful compared to enchantments, custom spells, and poison, that I ended up only using enchanted daggers just because they had the fastest attack speed to stack up all the enchantment effects(drain health, weakness to magic, weakness to all elements, and soul trap) so I could blow enemies up with touch range custom spells.

All of the premade classes in Oblivion were inefficient for leveling using the game's mechanics. In fact, due to the enemies' level scaling with you, choosing the starter classes could easily cause the enemies to quickly overpower the player.

Enough about Oblivion, though. I am encouraged by your description of leveling changes in Skyrim, but I still won't play until it goes below $20, or even $10. Gameplay videos demonstrate a lack of combat improvements. Plus Dark Souls is more fun. It still looks entertaining and worthwhile for all the questing, exploring, and adventuring that I enjoyed in Oblivion.