Bethesda's newest title features a brand-spanking new engine where every object in the game now casts a shadow as well as improved draw-distances. Textures are sharper and more detailed and the environments are livelier. There's also the addition of a HUD-less first-person view and "improved" third-person camera option.
Woot.
The combat is getting a bit of an overhaul, too. Players will be able to equip any weapon or spell to either hand at any time and even duel wield two of the same weapon. A new customizable menu is being added to help swap load-outs easily in battle.
Interesting, but I hope it doesn't go overboard somehow.
Bethesda has also done away with the character class system and reworked the game's leveling mechanic. Players' skills will level up the more they are used, contributing to your overall level growth. "Raising one skill from 34 to 35 is going to level you faster than raising one from 11 to 12," Bethesda designer Todd Howard told the magazine. Players can also level pass 50, but it becomes much slower after that point.
This makes me kinda nervous. Probably could be better explained, but still.
Skyrim's NPC conversations are a lot more realistic. Aside from including even more voice actors, the AI-controlled characters will actually move about and continue on with the activities they were doing before being interrupted.
OH SWEET JESUS YES!
Towns also include more activities to do, such farming, mining, woodcutting and cooking.
Meh. Minigames.
The team has also added Fallout 3's perk system, where each new level gained allows players to add special abilities to their character, including increase in damage to dagger stealth attacks or allowing your mace to ignore enemy armor.
I'm torn on this. I absolutely love the perks in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, but I'm not sure if it'll be effective and fun to use in an Elder Scrolls game. Will wait and see. It has the potential to be either really, really awesome or really, really ****ty.
Every item is a 3D object than can be viewed and examined.
Minor yay.