I have been waiting for this for some time. I see that Dawnguard is 19.99 on Steam...that's pretty high for DLC. It does come laced with vampire lore though.
Anyone get it?
If I were even a bit more than .0001% through the original Skyrim I'd consider it. OTOH byt the time I'm actually ready for Dawnguard it will probably be like 3 cents during one of the inevitable Steam Sales... ;)
Not being a fan of Vampires is there any other reason I should buy this?
^WHAT?? Oh man...the price tag is what is keeping me away. I love me some vampires. Not Twilight crap but Warhammer and Bram Stoker vamps. Come on man!!
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 07:24:29 PM
^WHAT?? Oh man...the price tag is what is keeping me away. I love me some vampires. Not Twilight crap but Warhammer and Bram Stoker vamps. Come on man!!
Yeah sorry nothing. Maybe if there is a good story surrounding them but vampires themselves, meh. But to each his own.
Salem's Lot? Nosferatu? Type O Negative??
Abbot and Costello meet Dracula?
^And that!
Legend of Cain? Vampire-The Masquerade?
Nuthin'??
See that may be my problem I don't know any of those, well except Abbot and Costello but then who dosen't like that :)
^Commies.
BTW there's also mounted horsey combat in this new DLC. Mount & Blade in the Elder Scrolls universe, basically.
Come on now.
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 07:32:25 PM
^Commies.
BTW there's also mounted horsey combat in this new DLC. Mount & Blade in the Elder Scrolls universe, basically.
Come on now.
See now there is a reason for me to buy it, not that I still don't have tons to do in the original game.
Cool! So what do you think of it? :)
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 08:30:23 PM
Cool! So what do you think of it? :)
Oh I didn't buy it. I just now have a reason to buy it when it goes on sale. Like you said thats kind of a steep price for a DLC.
Damn you.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZqXKZOS2jQ
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 07:32:25 PM
^Commies.
BTW there's also mounted horsey combat in this new DLC. Mount & Blade in the Elder Scrolls universe, basically.
Come on now.
Mounted combat has been in since the v1.6 patch, which came out about a month or so ago.
If your not into vampires, or into doing the Dawnguard storyline there really isn't a whole lot of new things. Crossbows and a lycan perk tree are really the only two things that stand out. Bethesda said that the Skyrim DLC was going to be more like expansion packs, but one story line for $20 seems a bit high. Whats 8-20 more hours of content against the hundreds of others Skyrim already offers.
^Have you tried the mounted combat?
I'm going to pick this up...maybe not today but this weekend at the latest. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm not sure who I want to play, though...the vampires or the vampire hunters? I'm thinking the hunters the first time through.
I have tried the mounted combat, and with the improved followers mod (it's called something else), you can lead a charge of up to 13 (iirc) of your mounted followers into combat.
It's still not as impressive as the sheer weight of numbers of that Mount and Blade can bring, but it's pretty damn impressive.
Thanks guys. My resistance is slowly crumbling.
That said, playing a regular vampire [not a lord] in the original game a while back drove me nuts and was not nearly as fun as I had hoped. I wanted to play as a werewolf when I came back to the game but of course the promise of this DLC now has me in a quandary.
Toonces the high price is not making you hesitate?
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 08:42:40 PM
^Have you tried the mounted combat?
yea. I have. Its not mount and blade but its decent. Its nice not having to dismount to fight bandits and wolves.
Quote from: meadbelly on August 02, 2012, 08:50:07 PM
I have tried the mounted combat, and with the improved followers mod (it's called something else), you can lead a charge of up to 13 (iirc) of your mounted followers into combat.
It's still not as impressive as the sheer weight of numbers of that Mount and Blade can bring, but it's pretty damn impressive.
The mods your thinking of are The Ultimate Follower Overhaul and Convenient Horses. UFO allows you to have 15 followers, although having that many is really difficult to control and makes the game really was even on master difficulty, but if your also using a mod like Wars in Skyrim, which adds large battles all over the map then its really fun. CH adds the ability for your followers to summon horses, amongst other changes. UFO adds a single horse to each of the holds that can be rode by your followers, but its really a pain to have to go and gather them if you have a lot of followers. With CH followers will also use a horn to summon their horse if it isn't near by or if it runs off during a fight. The one downside is that followers and NPC's in general currently don't fight from horse back. Although I think Dawnguard might add that ability bu I haven't been able to confirm it.
Underworld and the other 3 that have followed. Nobody mentioned them. Sitting firmly on the fence for now, waiting to hear some honest opinions before jumping either way. Some new monsters would be nice but I don't really need anything new to kick my ass as the old ones seem to be doing just fine by themselves.
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 07:29:37 PM
^And that!
Legend of Cain? Vampire-The Masquerade?
Nuthin'??
I'm hanging with you. What's it DLC for?
Quote from: Kushan on August 02, 2012, 09:42:25 PM
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 08:42:40 PM
^Have you tried the mounted combat?
yea. I have. Its not mount and blade but its decent. Its nice not having to dismount to fight bandits and wolves.
Quote from: meadbelly on August 02, 2012, 08:50:07 PM
I have tried the mounted combat, and with the improved followers mod (it's called something else), you can lead a charge of up to 13 (iirc) of your mounted followers into combat.
It's still not as impressive as the sheer weight of numbers of that Mount and Blade can bring, but it's pretty damn impressive.
The mods your thinking of are The Ultimate Follower Overhaul and Convenient Horses. UFO allows you to have 15 followers, although having that many is really difficult to control and makes the game really was even on master difficulty, but if your also using a mod like Wars in Skyrim, which adds large battles all over the map then its really fun. CH adds the ability for your followers to summon horses, amongst other changes. UFO adds a single horse to each of the holds that can be rode by your followers, but its really a pain to have to go and gather them if you have a lot of followers. With CH followers will also use a horn to summon their horse if it isn't near by or if it runs off during a fight. The one downside is that followers and NPC's in general currently don't fight from horse back. Although I think Dawnguard might add that ability bu I haven't been able to confirm it.
Yes, I quite enjoy Wars in Skyrim. It freaked me out a little at first when I ran into Riverrun the first time on a new run through, and all the guards immediately ran away. I thought it might have been something I ate while escaping Helgen (there _was_ something delicious looking in the executioner's room), but it turned out the guards were all mustering for an aggressive and scantily-clad buxom barbarian coed and some drooling minions who had decided to molest some nearby chickens on the wrong side of the Riverrun walls.
And then I went out onto the plains and saw some serious fighting.
Quote from: Kushan on August 02, 2012, 08:41:02 PM
Bethesda said that the Skyrim DLC was going to be more like expansion packs, but one story line for $20 seems a bit high. Whats 8-20 more hours of content against the hundreds of others Skyrim already offers.
Better watch out. If that mentality gets around too much, Bethesda may start cutting out parts of their future games and selling them off in DLC chunks later. ;) :P
Quote from: meadbelly on August 02, 2012, 10:24:16 PM
Quote from: Kushan on August 02, 2012, 09:42:25 PM
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 08:42:40 PM
^Have you tried the mounted combat?
yea. I have. Its not mount and blade but its decent. Its nice not having to dismount to fight bandits and wolves.
Quote from: meadbelly on August 02, 2012, 08:50:07 PM
I have tried the mounted combat, and with the improved followers mod (it's called something else), you can lead a charge of up to 13 (iirc) of your mounted followers into combat.
It's still not as impressive as the sheer weight of numbers of that Mount and Blade can bring, but it's pretty damn impressive.
The mods your thinking of are The Ultimate Follower Overhaul and Convenient Horses. UFO allows you to have 15 followers, although having that many is really difficult to control and makes the game really was even on master difficulty, but if your also using a mod like Wars in Skyrim, which adds large battles all over the map then its really fun. CH adds the ability for your followers to summon horses, amongst other changes. UFO adds a single horse to each of the holds that can be rode by your followers, but its really a pain to have to go and gather them if you have a lot of followers. With CH followers will also use a horn to summon their horse if it isn't near by or if it runs off during a fight. The one downside is that followers and NPC's in general currently don't fight from horse back. Although I think Dawnguard might add that ability bu I haven't been able to confirm it.
Yes, I quite enjoy Wars in Skyrim. It freaked me out a little at first when I ran into Riverrun the first time on a new run through, and all the guards immediately ran away. I thought it might have been something I ate while escaping Helgen (there _was_ something delicious looking in the executioner's room), but it turned out the guards were all mustering for an aggressive and scantily-clad buxom barbarian coed and some drooling minions who had decided to molest some nearby chickens on the wrong side of the Riverrun walls.
And then I went out onto the plains and saw some serious fighting.
I like it. I really think the Civil War battles should have been in the vanilla game. The one thing i wish it would change is more civil war fort battles. It seems that every fort in the game has been over run by necromancers/bandits. You would think that with a major war raging that the legion or rebels would have rebuilt them. But thats an issue with the base game and not the mod.
Quote from: Nefaro on August 02, 2012, 10:28:23 PM
Quote from: Kushan on August 02, 2012, 08:41:02 PM
Bethesda said that the Skyrim DLC was going to be more like expansion packs, but one story line for $20 seems a bit high. Whats 8-20 more hours of content against the hundreds of others Skyrim already offers.
Better watch out. If that mentality gets around too much, Bethesda may start cutting out parts of their future games and selling them off in DLC chunks later. ;) :P
Not that I want to encourage them, but given the size of the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games they could probably cut out a quest line or two and release them as DLC. If they did something like $5 for each quest line except the main quest then I would have an issue with it.
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 07:04:59 PM
I have been waiting for this for some time. I see that Dawnguard is 19.99 on Steam...that's pretty high for DLC. It does come laced with vampire lore though.
Anyone get it?
I hate to put too fine a point on it, but you
are a professional game reviewer. You might know someone qualified to review it and tell us whether it's worth the price... ;)
Quote from: LongBlade on August 02, 2012, 10:52:10 PM
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 07:04:59 PM
I have been waiting for this for some time. I see that Dawnguard is 19.99 on Steam...that's pretty high for DLC. It does come laced with vampire lore though.
Anyone get it?
I hate to put too fine a point on it, but you are a professional game reviewer. You might know someone qualified to review it and tell us whether it's worth the price... ;)
Gus, just sayin' - You got my support whether you stick with the lap dances or go with this newfangled professional game reviewing stuff.
This Wars of Skyrim mod sounds interesting I might have to check it out.
Gus,
$20 isn't that much money. The thing is, I KNOW I'll play it, so it's worth the clams. I spent $8 on McDonalds for lunch the other day, so the price is all relative, you know?
Skyrim was/is a great game....and a rare one for me as I actually finished the fully campaign to a conclusion. But $20.00 for an expansion seems high to me. I'll wait for a sale....probably will be one during the Xmas sales.
^Rayfer I agree...I rarely pay 20.00 for a full game anymore. So it feels high for DLC. Even if it's well done, delicious, vampire-stocked DLC.
And I'm considered a professional? When did that happen?
Toonces I have seen you in a bathing suit. There's no way you eat McDonalds.
LB do you have the power over time and space to get a review copy of Dawnguard?
And meadbelly for you I will do a dance and write a review simultaneously. While eating pudding.
Say what you want about Gus, but the man is clearly a giver! ;D
^Except with the pudding.
This is for you guys and your pudding fetish ...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1187.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz397%2FSoccerDJ04%2Fpudding-meme-generator-noh-pudding-.jpg&hash=4817df74a0a101f3bf5e3272365370f3e7eda0a8)
^That is like my twin brother but better looking.
You should see some of the other images I found on Google that I won't be posting here.
Well how can I if you won't post them??
Come on people. Dawnguard. Vampire lords. Don't make me buy this in anger.
Quote from: Gusington on August 03, 2012, 09:25:57 PM
Well how can I if you won't post them??
Come on people. Dawnguard. Vampire lords. Don't make me buy this in anger.
Do an unfiltered Google Image search for 'pudding meme'
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Vampire. Lords. Come. On. Now.
Gus I think you should buy it and give us your impression of it.
While eating pudding.
...Blood Pudding.
Funny Kushan I was going to ask you for impressions it when you bought it!
If I can find it for under 20.00 I will buy it immediately. Or of course score a review copy.
Of course y'all can count on my resilience crumbling and me perhaps buying it before Monday :/
Pudding!
Quote from: Gusington on August 03, 2012, 07:10:17 PM
LB do you have the power over time and space to get a review copy of Dawnguard?
I can try but it's unlikely. We are still a very small fish.
Quote from: Gusington on August 03, 2012, 09:18:03 PM
^That is like my twin brother but better looking.
"It's like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOMYPjqZHgM&feature=related
:o
Quote from: TheCommandTent on August 03, 2012, 09:30:14 PM
Quote from: Gusington on August 03, 2012, 09:25:57 PM
Well how can I if you won't post them??
Come on people. Dawnguard. Vampire lords. Don't make me buy this in anger.
Do an unfiltered Google Image search for 'pudding meme'
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Good grief, pudding has a
meme?!?
I blame close-minded buxom coeds, bad limericks, polite Francophiles, and the not-a-word "anyways."
If it doesn't look like this, I ain't buyin'.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.wikia.com%2Fdanmacgregor%2Fimages%2Fa%2Fa6%2FCount_Duckula%2C_Igor%2C_Nanny.jpg&hash=79744309346d507edfb2fabd4815ca38f3222d36)
It....begins...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FScreenShot11.jpg&hash=0cc73468b3a0f040e4dd17ee0ea45e9b221c4ff7)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FScreenShot13.jpg&hash=1575b529d952ee7ed907c6e8edbfd0478e185944)
Toonces: not sure if your using any of the companion or horse mods, but if you get a chance could you try to confirm whether or not NPCs and follower fight while mounted? I know that they don't with just the v1.6 patch. I'm hoping dawnguard added that. Woukd be really cool to have my small horde fight mounted during the Warzone battles.
Thanks for posting Toonces. Good shots. How are you liking it so far? How is the new content introduced?
Can't be easy feeding, wearing a helmet like that.
:P
Sorry to interrupt the Gus prodding.. carry on. ;D
Quote from: Nefaro on August 05, 2012, 02:24:48 AM
Can't be easy feeding, wearing a helmet like that.
:P
Sorry to interrupt the Gus prodding.. carry on. ;D
You clearly missed the fact that he has a pudding dispenser on top of his helmet.
The guy in the picture, that is - not Gus!
..although I guess Gus may well have a pudding dispenser for all I know.......
....NURSE...is it time for my medication yet?...........
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on August 04, 2012, 08:37:34 PM
If it doesn't look like this, I ain't buyin'.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.wikia.com%2Fdanmacgregor%2Fimages%2Fa%2Fa6%2FCount_Duckula%2C_Igor%2C_Nanny.jpg&hash=79744309346d507edfb2fabd4815ca38f3222d36)
Is this a drawing of Edward Cullens? Or perhaps Bella Swan?
That's kind of harsh. Nanny's a much better actress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ZVWMPuZ2c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ZVWMPuZ2c)
Wow. Looking at Toonces' screenshots, I'm beginning to realize just how badly my graphics are slipping. Must. Upgrade.
How old is your machine? I used one of Toonces shots for my desktop wallpaper.
Ok, I'm one hour and one quest in and here are my first impressions (no spoilers):
So far it's pretty much Skyrim as you've always known it. I had just completed a vanilla quest and my continue save had me outside of the dungeon I had just worked through. I fast travelled to some random city and the first guard I spoke to introduced the Dawnguard questline. You get into it pretty much immediately.
The first quest had me go to an area in Skyrim- no new terrain or anything like that. You get some backstory and then are sent on a second quest. The quest I just finished was interesting, but still it's dungeon crawling like you're used to.
I haven't done mounted combat or anything like that. The only new thing I've experienced is the crossbow, which totally rocks. Sneaking into a good overwatch position and then nailing a baddy in the head with the crossbow is extremely satisfying.
Overall I'm not seeing a whole lot totally new that has blown me away, but I'm still quite satisfied. Keep in mind I'm only one hour in, so I haven't seen much, yet.
My advice so far would be, if you want more Skyrim this is a safe buy. If you want something revolutionary that's not going to feel like more Skyrim then this is probably a pass (at least, for the first hour it is). So far it's been playing pretty safe...I'm curious to see where the story goes once it opens up some, and what new things, if any, the mod provides.
Just saw this on Slickdeals. Thinking I'm going to hold off because I've barely scratched the surface of the original yet...
GreenManGaming (http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/us/en/pc/games/rpgs/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-dawnguard/) has The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dawnguard (PC Download) for $20 - 25% off code PCGMR-ALLIN-GREEN = $15. NOTE: Game may be activated on Steam
Thanks Toonces & Steve. Good stuff.
Thanks guys. I will wait...even at 15.00 it feels too high to me still. That is, unless Toonces comes back and says the vampirism lore is totally badass and better than the vampire lines in the original Skyrim, which drove me nuts after a while.
So I spent 4 more hours with it last night. I have to admit that I am sucked in and this has really captured my interest in Skyrim again.
I haven't seen many new features, maybe two new monsters. One of the quests was extremely annoying...in fact, a portion of a second quest was also really annoying. Like, stupid annoying- I'm actually surprised the developer put it in the game because it's so stupidly stupid. Fortunately it was short.
The dungeons and castles I've been to so far are very well done. I don't know that they use new textures or anything, but they are well put together and immersive. There is a lot of gore and general violence.
I think Gusington would like this but, having read everyone's comments, I would say that most people would not be happy with this for $20. However, I had a "just one more turn" moment last night, playing until just past midnight, and that doesn't happen to me very often anymore so I think that speaks to its value as much as anything.
Put in another 4-5 hours today and this is definitely awesome! There is a totally new area to explore and a very large dungeon that I got completely lost in- took me a while to figure out how to get out!
The story is engaging and so far not too predictable. I've got a total of 8 hours invested and I don't think I'm close to the end yet. I've seen several new monsters in the new area to explore.
I think that if you're into vampire stuff you will find a lot to like here. I'm only taking a break because it is absolutely beautiful outside and I hate to spend the whole day geeking out on the computer. I do intend to put in a few more hours tonight, though. ;D
Damn you. Waiting for your next post. My resolve is still strong.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi263.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii123%2Ftoonces3%2FScreenShot53.jpg&hash=8a5e52bf4bde51a909930f270cffa15b025418ae)
Ok, I'm 10 hours into the story now and I think I'm getting closer to the end but I'm not sure how much is left.
One of the quests was quite interesting in that it had a tie-in to one of the main quests in vanilla Skyrim. I had to backtrack a bit and it was quite the adventure to figure it all out, but I did so go me.
I'm definitely digging this DLC a lot; I pretty much played a marathon session today and I need a break now. I'm not posting too many screenshots now because I don't want to spoil the surprise of the new places to visit. I just ended up at another new place and it's quite awesome.
Lastly, I downloaded and installed my first mods today. Man alive but I can see how that can become a time-sink! I got a add-on called Gleamwood or something like that; basically a sanctuary near some waterfalls where you can hang out and store your stuff, sleep, etc. I'm using it as my new base of operations instead of Breezehome for a while. Also, I got a lantern that hooks onto your belt (but haven't figured out how to make it work yet) and Hedge Knight armor, but you have to craft the armor and I don't have anything like the skill in smithing to craft it yet.
It appears you are the only one here to have dived in to Dawnguard. I am mightily intrigued, but still hellbent on not dropping 20 clams on it.
Quote from: Toonces on August 08, 2012, 01:12:40 AM
Lastly, I downloaded and installed my first mods today. Man alive but I can see how that can become a time-sink! I got a add-on called Gleamwood or something like that; basically a sanctuary near some waterfalls where you can hang out and store your stuff, sleep, etc. I'm using it as my new base of operations instead of Breezehome for a while. Also, I got a lantern that hooks onto your belt (but haven't figured out how to make it work yet) and Hedge Knight armor, but you have to craft the armor and I don't have anything like the skill in smithing to craft it yet.
You should have an item in your inventory called travel latern, if you didn't pick it up in river wood, or you can make it at a forge. Just equip it.
Sometimes I find myself downloading and searching for mods more then actually playing.
Rock Paper Shotgun really does NOT like Dawnguard:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/08/wot-i-think-skyrim-dawnguard/#more-119075
ouch
Quote from: Gusington on August 08, 2012, 08:04:02 PM
Rock Paper Shotgun really does NOT like Dawnguard:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/08/wot-i-think-skyrim-dawnguard/#more-119075
ouch
Yeah, ouch. :o
Like to see if Toonces can counter anything the RPS review states...especially about the lack of originality, lack of good vampire lore, etc.
Quote from: Gusington on August 08, 2012, 08:20:58 PM
...especially about the lack of originality, lack of good vampire lore, etc.
Bear in mind that I've not read the review or played the DLC but it's always possible that one persons "Pfff- been there, done that..." is another pesrson's "Hot Damn! I feel like
know this Effing place!"
Disclaimer: I hate RPS.
That being said, I don't know why thew reviewer thought that Dawnguard was going to radically change the game and fix "fundamental complaints with the game." Bethesda doesnt do expansions/DLC that way. Their DLC is more quest, armor, weapons, etc. They don't fundamentally change systems.
I am no TES expert by any means but the RPS review mentioned that the Oblivion expansions (which I have not played) did fundamentally change gameplay.
I hear what you and 'Wing are saying above though. What is done in Dawnguard may be enough to tickle my pickle. But to find out I still don't want to drop 20.00. That was the final straw with the RPS article too.
Quote from: Gusington on August 08, 2012, 09:30:37 PM
I am no TES expert by any means but the RPS review mentioned that the Oblivion expansions (which I have not played) did fundamentally change gameplay.
I hear what you and 'Wing are saying above though. What is done in Dawnguard may be enough to tickle my pickle. But to find out I still don't want to drop 20.00. That was the final straw with the RPS article too.
Not that I recall. Unless they count Horse armor as changing the game. Then again I only played Shivering Isle and the Knights of the Nine DLC, and it has been a long time since I've played them. With all the mods for the PC version I'm in no hurry to purchase Dawnguard at the moment. I generally try to role play my character and my current one isn't really the vampire slayer type. Maybe when I do a holy warrior type play through.
The reviewer pointed towards the old Bloodmoon expansion (and the other one?) where you could change into stuff.. and all that jazz.
He seemed pretty peeved about the change in this one (Dawnguard) blocking out all your normal skills, map, inventory.. everything. Basically being just a basic monster-mode switch that was weaker than his regular outfit. That does kinda sound sucky. :-\
Well, I'm playing the vampire slayer questline so I can't comment on the vampire lord stuff.
In general I agree with the RPS review. From what I've seen, a lot of the questline is going somewhere to fetch something for someone. I haven't done the mounted combat yet, but other than that I don't think I've seen anything that is "game changing". I suppose that I would agree that Dawnguard feels a lot like one of the vanilla questlines like the Companions or whatever.
I've seen three unique locations so far, one of which you can see in the screenshots in the review. I would agree that there is less interaction in the new area than there could have been. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there is a lot more they could have done that I can think even with my limited imagination. However, the area was really cool and the boss fights were epic-feeling enough. It felt quite unique.
I do find that there is a lot of slogging through dungeons and killing Falmer...I'm on that quest right now. But the environment is well-done...very, very dark. I'm going through torches like crazy and am really regreting that I couldn't figure out how to get my belt-mounted lantern to work (I must have mis-installed it because it wasn't at Riften or any other shop I've visited).
My gripe with the RPS review is the same as what it is for most of the people that are anti-Dawnguard, and it has to do with the belly-aching over the price of the DLC. I have to be perfectly honest- I think $20 is a completely fair price for the DLC. I guess I'm just old school. I remember when games were much more expensive than they are now. Frankly, I think we're spoiled by these Steam sales where you can buy packs of really amazing games for practically pennies. When I consider that a McDonald's value meal runs $8 or more now, it's all relative. So, in that sense, $20 is very reasonable for what you get.
I consider that I've spent 104 hours with Skyrim according to Steam and I'm still not finished. I'd guess that there is probably another 50-100 hours to go before I finally hang it up. Really, that is a lot of entertainment for $60 which is what I paid for Skyrim on release. You could pick it up for half that a few weeks ago. For $30, I mean, c'mon.
My beef with Skyrim in general is that, when you get down to it, it's really no different than Dungeon Siege or any dungeon crawler. You get your mission, go into the dungeon, kill the monsters, collect the loot, rinse and repeat. Sure, you can "role play" if you want but at the end of the day it's one big dungeon crawl. I found myself boring of Skyrim at 92 hours (92 hours!) because it started to feel like the same thing over and over. Yet, what Skyrim does more than any game I've played is completely draw me into an alternative universe with incredibly immersive environments and just enough NPC action that I feel like I'm in a living world. To that end, Dawnguard is just more of the same Skyrim.
I suppose to finish this long post up I'd say that I do agree that Dawnguard feels a bit lazy, like the developers stuck with the nice, safe, well-trodden path. I'm not seeing a lot of vampire "lore" and I can see where they could have gone a far different direction. Maybe Skyrim in general is too easy with the little arrow thing always showing you exactly where you need to go next. Other than choosing whether to become a vampire or stick with the slayers I haven't felt like there were any life-altering choices to make. But ultimately I find myself invested in the story and wanting to see how it all ends. There are only a handful of games that have held my interest for 100+ hours and for me Skyrim is one of the best games I've ever played. For me, Dawnguard is a safe bet because more of the same is all I'm looking for. But if you're not totally invested in Skyrim then I don't see any reason why you shouldn't just wait 6 months and pick this up for pennies during the Christmas sale.
Seriously, I just don't get the outrage over the price of Dawnguard. I fear this might be an unintended consequence of these insane Steam sales and I hope that it doesn't start to spell the end of these high-end RPGs. I don't know how many copies of a Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition you can sell for $17 and still make a profit.
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Hey Toonces..
Have you not found any new armor or equipment, in the expansion content, to replace your previous stuff? I wonder if, or how much, extra kick-ass wearables they added..?
I'm curious what the impact has on your character development. I had a stealth/archer character. Does the vampire/vamp hunter alter play style or force you to adopt a different one?
No new wearables other than vampire armor (light armor basically). I haven't changed my play style at all- still playing through as a battle-mage type character. Vampire hunter is more of a role like picking the Imperials or Stormcloaks, not a style-changing choice.
What has probably got everyone so cheesed (besides the price) is that there's not much "vampire hunting" going on. I don't want to spoil it, but so far I've been mostly acquiring things that will, I'm sure, lead to a big showdown. But I haven't been crawling in vampire lairs killing vampires, which is what I expected to be doing...
Quote from: Toonces on August 09, 2012, 12:02:14 PM
No new wearables other than vampire armor (light armor basically). I haven't changed my play style at all- still playing through as a battle-mage type character. Vampire hunter is more of a role like picking the Imperials or Stormcloaks, not a style-changing choice.
What has probably got everyone so cheesed (besides the price) is that there's not much "vampire hunting" going on. I don't want to spoil it, but so far I've been mostly acquiring things that will, I'm sure, lead to a big showdown. But I haven't been crawling in vampire lairs killing vampires, which is what I expected to be doing...
Well, the good news is that you've had at least 10 hours of new gameplay. That's solid expansion pack time. I'd say if you hit 15 hours the price is fully justified.
It does seem to add a few new areas, spells and so on. But how nuch, really? Then again i have 300 hours played and will not pick it up before i feel like playing again or see a good discount. I guess it's not the price but the lack of desire to play.
I'm guessing I'm going to top out at something in the 22-25 hour range on this play-through based on where I am now and what I think is still left. I had to do some backtracking a few times, though, so a skilled player won't take as long I'm sure.
There seems to be a lot of pixel hunting in this add-on. I seem to be spending a lot of time "finding" things or places and some of them aren't intuitive. Last night's was extremely frustrating. I couldn't find a certain place to advance the quest. Eventually I had to exit out and google the solution. But, even with the solution in hand I couldn't find the place. So I exited out again, re-read the walkthrough, tried a third time and just couldn't figure it out.
So, then I started backtracking, thinking I missed an earlier checkpoint or whatever. But then I got lost trying to backtrack...it was very frustrating.
When I did finally find what I was supposed to find, I would classify it as "pixel hunting". There was no real indication that I was supposed to go look where I looked to find what I found, and it wasn't marked in any way that set it apart from anything...in fact, I'm still not sure how I found it other than plain luck.
Like I said a couple of times, I am definitely enjoying it and I feel I got a fair value for my money but Ghostryder, for instance, would absolutely hate this expansion with a passion. I think the new areas are really well-done....very cool looking.
When I wrap Dawnguard up, I do plan to get into some mods. I downloaded a really interesting sounding one the other day. I can't remember what it's called, survival mod or something like that. Basically it makes the cold, cold, and you have to dress appropriately build fires, etc. to survive in the really cold places. I think it might add a level of immersion to the game for me.
I also really want to get my smithing skill up high enough to make that hedge knight armor!
Thanks for getting your impressions down here Toonces. And above you basically explained why I won't pay the 20.00...I am spoiled by Steam prices. I can't justify the 20.00 if I got Fallout Ultimate for 18.00.
I understand Gus. Our gaming tastes are very similar so I'm sure you are really going to enjoy Dawnguard when the price point gets where it needs to and you pick it up.
I think I really might finish Skyrim. I was sort of burning out on it but Dawnguard plus discovering mods may have pushed me over the edge to see things through. I don't think I'll play it through twice, though.
I have yet to use any mods for it...I don't even know where to start really. I don't even think of RPGs when I think of mods to be honest...I think of TW games and other strategy/tactical games.
Quote from: Gusington on August 10, 2012, 10:01:11 PM
I have yet to use any mods for it...I don't even know where to start really. I don't even think of RPGs when I think of mods to be honest...I think of TW games and other strategy/tactical games.
I would recommend you go http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/ (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/) and download the nexus mod manager. You'll have to create a nexus account, which is good for managing skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas mods. It also will tell you when new versions of mods are released.
I also suggest you watch gophers tutorial videos on YouTube. He walks through how to install the Skyrim Script Extender, and he does mod reviews for all 3 games. His video page can be found at www.youtube.com/gophersvids (http://www.youtube.com/gophersvids)
^Thanks Kushan. I am guessing you don't use the Steam mod library.
I got Skyrim through Steam and so all my mods through Steam. It's very easy to use there, all mods available are listed and rated by popularity or most recent and you just suscribe to the mods you like. They're installed and run automatically the next time you play the game. You can even post comments on the mods yourself or check-out what others have to say about them. There's well over 500 posted. I check them out every couple of days to see what new mods are listed. I got several that improve the game map and one that allows you to craft belts that double your carrying capacity and of course a secret player house to stash my stash.
Quote from: Gusington on August 10, 2012, 10:21:03 PM
^Thanks Kushan. I am guessing you don't use the Steam mod library.
The problem with steam is that it auto updates mods. Some mods, for example convenient horses, have specific steps that need to be followed whe you upgrade versions in order for it to work. In Convenient Horses case you need to stop a hidden quest via the console, upgrade, then restart the hidden quest. If you don't notice steam updated a mod then you can really screw up your game. And some mods are best upgrade and installed at the start of a new game. Nexus Mod Manager IMO is allows more control over your mods then steam. It can set up your load order as well as download and install mods.
The second reason I don't use steam is that it just doesn't have the library the nexus does, as of the last time I checked. I found a lot more mods on nexus that are not on steam.
Cool. I've only used the mod library for Civ V so far, but I like it. Sure there are a lot of superfluous sounding mods but users just have to search for the wheat in the chaff.
<open's Pandora's mod box> What are some of your favorite Skyrim mods? <open's Pandora's mod box>
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2012, 09:00:13 PM
Thanks guys. My resistance is slowly crumbling.
That said, playing a regular vampire [not a lord] in the original game a while back drove me nuts and was not nearly as fun as I had hoped. I wanted to play as a werewolf when I came back to the game but of course the promise of this DLC now has me in a quandary.
Toonces the high price is not making you hesitate?
Gus, save your $20 on Dawnguard and instead spend it on this: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-KOAR/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning
It will be a fresh experience and I guarantee you will get a hell of a lot more gaming for you $20 with Kingdoms than Dawnquard. I had 180 hours into it when I put it up in fear of getting burned out.
I've read a little about Amalur but not much...what tickles your fancy about it?
Quote from: Gusington on August 11, 2012, 10:44:11 AM
I've read a little about Amalur but not much...what tickles your fancy about it?
Its a RPG that someone with limited coordination skills such as I can play. Here are some links that can explain it better than I can:
http://www.gamesradar.com/5-things-kingdoms-amalur-does-better-skyrim/
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/elder-scrolls-v/1219600p1.html
Did I mention the game is a blast to play?
Quote from: Gusington on August 11, 2012, 08:42:49 AM
Cool. I've only used the mod library for Civ V so far, but I like it. Sure there are a lot of superfluous sounding mods but users just have to search for the wheat in the chaff.
<open's Pandora's mod box> What are some of your favorite Skyrim mods? <open's Pandora's mod box>
You really want to open Pandora's box, I'll try and keep the list short and the ones I consider essential:
1: SkyRe - Skyrim Redone (Gameplay balance, race, perks, etc.)
2: Project Reality - Climates of Tamriel (Weather and Lighting)
3: W.A.T.E.R
4: Skyrim Flora Overhaul
5: Lush Trees
6: Lush Grass
7: Ultimate Follower Overhaul
8: Convenient Horses
9: Deadly Dragons
10: Phendrix's Magic Evolved
11: SkyUI
12: ImmersiveHUD
13: A thinner Compass
14: ASIS
15: The Imaginator
16: Dynavision
17: Skyrim Monster Mod with Lorefriendly Purist Replacer
18: SkyTest (Realistic Animal Behavior)
19: Warzones - Civil Unrest
20: Claralux - More and Brighter Lights
21: JaySuS Swords
22: Omegared99's Armor Compilation
23: Immersive Armors by hothtrooper44
24: Extended Vanilla Weapons
25: A Quality World Map - With Roads
26: Categorized Favorites Menu
27: Calientes Female Body Mod Big Bottom Edition -CBBE (Adult Mod, but much better female bodies)
28: Better Females by Bella (Improved female face textures)
29: Static Mesh Improvement Mod
30: 83Willows 102 Bugs HD
31: Birds of Skyrim
32: Skyrim HD, Skyrim Realistic Overhaul, Texture Pack Combiner (I prefer Skyrim HD)
33: Enhanced Night
34: Enhanced Distant Terrain
35: DSAMG - Dragon Soul Absorb More Glorious
These are the 35 that I consider essential, that I have installed permanently. I haven't included armor or weapon mods in order to keep the list somewhat reasonable in length.
Edit: Just in case any is planning on downloading mods from the nexus over the next couple days, they are having some issue with their site since the release of Dawnguard. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/news/158/ (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/news/158/). In short a lot of people came back to the game and the servers got overloaded all while the site admin was out of town. So if you try and download with the Nexus Mod Manager, you may get a file not found message. The file exist, where just stuck either downloading manually or waiting for the site to stabilize.
^Damn! I can make a career out of modding Skryim. And thanks for the above on Amalur, FF...checking it out. Weird thing with the age gate at GG yesterday, it wouldn't let me through. Maybe at 38 I am still too young?
Couple of Vampire mods for those that chose the vampire path in Dawnguard.
Vampire Predator Vision: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/22274 (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/22274) - Modifies the default minor power you get upon being turned into a vampire.
Better Vampires: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9717 (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9717)
^You are a haunting PC gaming temptress.
Ok, I finished Dawnguard.
Total play time was 16 hours. I had to seriously backtrack a few times so I think a "good" Skyrim player could knock this out in 10-15 hours (using fast travel). If you walk everywhere it will take considerably longer.
Now that I've completed it, my feelings are mixed. The whole adventure taken as a whole was not nearly as epic as I expected. Way not enough vampire killing. The new areas were very cool, and I did enjoy that aspect of it. The story was good. The end was very lame.
Overall, now that it's over I feel like I got my money's worth but I definitely think that if you're sitting on the fence it's not worth it right now.
I have to say that I'm sort of shocked at how quickly it wrapped up. I don't know what I'm going to do now....maybe play with some mods or else move on to CK2 for a while. There's a big hole in my life that Dawnguard has left now that it's over.
Quote from: Toonces on August 12, 2012, 04:57:30 PMI don't know what I'm going to do now....maybe play with some mods or else move on to CK2 for a while. There's a big hole in my life that Dawnguard has left now that it's over.
Well, that's high praise in and of itself.
Thanks for the feedback.
The next DLC has been announced
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/28/skyrim-hearthfire-trailer/ (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/28/skyrim-hearthfire-trailer/)
Quote· Choose Your Land – Choose from property in the salt marshes of Hjaalmarch, the forests of Falkreath, or the vast tundra of The Pale. For the more ambitious landowner, purchase multiple plots and start building a real estate empire.
- Customize Your Home – Expand your home with a variety of room combinations including an armory, alchemy tower, kitchen, trophy room and more. Grow plants in your new greenhouse, cultivate slaughterfish in the fish hatchery, house your Arcane Enchanter in the enchanting tower, or display your latest conquest in the trophy room. Add additional features like stables, mills, smelters, gardens and more.
- New Objectives and Interactions – Guard your home from unwanted visitors like marauding kidnappers, armed bandits, and skeever infestations. Turn almost any follower into your personal steward to improve and protect your home. Or if you require more help, hire a personal bard or carriage driver to ease the burdens of home ownership.
- Adoption – Transform your house into a home with Hearthfire's all-new adoption system. Adopt children and discover new ways to interact with your family. Play games with the kids, allow them to have pets and gain new bonuses from having a family.
They basically copied the "Build Your Own Home" and turned it into DLC. So this will probably be a lackluster DLC for PC players, but for console players it could be pretty cool.
As far as them copying modders work, its in the EULA that they can copy/re-use your work without permission. Most of the additions to Fallout New Vegas were copied from Fallout 3 mods. Given the fact that Bethesda is one of the few companies that really supports its modding community, I don't think them copying work is that big of deal. Its free research for them.
Support is a good start...look at Total War Center to see what happens when there is none.
But I can see a lot of gamers starting a big ol' sh*storm over something like using mods without proper 'credit.'
As far as the new DLC, if it's free I may try it out. If not, that sort of thing is not something I would pay for. Still waiting for a sale on Dawnguard too.
Quote from: Kushan on August 28, 2012, 09:17:57 PM
As far as them copying modders work, its in the EULA that they can copy/re-use your work without permission. Most of the additions to Fallout New Vegas were copied from Fallout 3 mods. Given the fact that Bethesda is one of the few companies that really supports its modding community, I don't think them copying work is that big of deal. Its free research for them.
Using other people's mods is in many EULAs. Another reason I laugh pretty hard when people try to claim copyrights and such on their mods and tell people not to use them. Hahaha. They basically belong to the the game company, as claimed in the agreement.
Mods, modders and users get very emotional about stuff like that anyway, regardless of the rules. Again I refer everyone to TWC to see the nightmare that can occur.
Quote from: Gusington on August 28, 2012, 09:24:19 PM
Mods, modders and users get very emotional about stuff like that anyway, regardless of the rules. Again I refer everyone to TWC to see the nightmare that can occur.
What happened at TWC lately? Did the DarthMod crew have a go at each other again?
I've already witnessed the craziness on the Subsim forums with some of the Grey Wolves guys being d**ks and the Trigger Maru modder firing back at them. Hell, there was even political nastiness tossed in for good measure.
Nothing beyond the usual virtual rioting for some mod support of more recent TW titles.
Quote from: Gusington on August 29, 2012, 07:36:01 AM
Nothing beyond the usual virtual rioting for some mod support of more recent TW titles.
Ahhh. Well, I see why modding isn't quite so needed, with the newer ones being in relatively good shape compared to the ETW/NTW problems. But since CA has locked a lot of the modding out, so they can sell some DLC and re-releases, the natives are understandably quite pissy.
I'd like to see a lot of modding done on
RW2:Northern Crusades if possible. So maybe they should look there?
I definitely am!
One of you guys is going to have to be the guinea pig on this one....not my thing at all.
Me neither honestly. As a freebie, maybe. I'm still waiting for Dawnguard to drop in price.