Tag: Bethesda

Oblivion’s AI is still remarkable and still influences games today.

In the Imperial City Arena District, you can see an Argonian male and a Redguard Female fighting each other. They are not in combat but in a script where has them train each other in hand to hand combat at specific times of day. Watching them for a bit gives you +5 boost to your hand-to-hand combat skills; such attention to details and interaction with the world is rare in video games.

When people talk about video games outside gaming, it still seems to be in a time warp of the 1980s. Most of the media newsmongers have no understanding of video games or even seem want to care about it. There is so much potential in the medium, yet it seems to be ignored, which I think it is sign of how video games have retained their renegade status. While men in suits attempt to continue monetizing it, video games are similar in a sense to Gladiatorial games in Ancient Rome. In comparison with chariot racing, Gladiatorial games were not as popular but had more of a cultural impact that the elites did not want to admit. Video Games linger in the shadows of the more acceptable entertainment of Television and Movies. However, it’s in video games where we see the future of storytelling going towards, beyond the linear and static movies of the past. While movies have a place, the medium is so stagnant that there is little in feature films which can change. It is in video games where you see real change.

The change is in the graphics and more recently in the AI.

With all the hype surrounding AI or Large Language Models (LLMs), gamers saw the first salvo in the spreading of AI throughout our societies.

The Radiant AI in Oblivion and Skyrim were quite competent here. They are still in the early stages of showing us what is possible in video games. The cities and villages have more life than anything you see in Cyberpunk 2077, which for me was a big step down from we saw with the Witcher Games.

You can see the influence of Radiant AI in GTA VI’s ambitions.

Seeing the Argonian and the Redguard train in the arena was just the preview of how AI can transform games as much graphics were able to do so in the 1990s. We will have more than just games but living simulations.

Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest and the journey into Space War

In the year 2002, Empire Earth got its only expansion pack, the Art of Conquest. The main addition to the maps in the game was the inclusion of space maps. The main issue with the maps is that it just didn’t fit with the engine of the game. Trying to graph a space geography onto what was a game ostensibly set on Earth throughout human history, was just going to be a satisfying product in my opinion. However, the developers made an effort, which is more than can be said for most games made in the current era.

In many ways, the Empire Earth engine also for a unique depiction of space combat here. There is no other game similar to this in the industry. Had Empire Earth continued as franchise, we would probably have had a more realistic looking space age. The developers’ efforts for an expansion done just a year after release is impressive. With more time, they could have smoothed out the gameplay even more and the game would have been even better.

There is one important aspect to Art of Conquest. It is an expansion that did not take years to make. The content in this game is comparable to many games now. While not the best quality, it shows that video games should not take a decade to make. I want games to come out more similar to Call of Duty not Grand Theft Auto VI. While GTA VI will be innovative, the amount of time passing to make such games is causing the video game industry to wrap around these titles.

What we see here is an ability to get projects done quickly and competently.

This is what the video game industry should be approaching making their games and maybe it will seem like it is not moving like molasses but having actual change and growth.

What makes the Battlefield series special in comparison to other FPS Games

Simply put, it is the combined arms nature of Battlefield which makes it so enduring. There are so many video games that having shooting in them. However, only one truly integrates vehicular combat and infantry combat together.

This is why in its opening week in this month; players will once again complain that this is not the game, they though it was. However, it is simply Battlefield, a series uniquely standing out amongst a crowd of imitators.

The Call of Duty crowd are always complaining on the streams about how slow it is. Some players enjoy that sandbox experience. Think of it is as similar to Arma rather than the run and gun games.

The run and gun games are really boring and I stay clear of them. What I want is teamwork and strategy.

This is why I have gravitated towards RTS games and in the Battlefield 2 era, I loved the idea of the Commander mode.

Battlefield 6 is that type of game for a person who wants to be more than just a frontline soldier. I think the only game that I really enjoyed the frantic run and gun battles was in the Star Wars Battlefront games. However, those games were different in their maps, vehicles and weapons. Star Wars lends itself to such frantic style of gameplay. However, modern combat is more grounded in the realities of combat in the here and now. Call of Duty is simply too quick for me.

Battlefield provides what Call of Duty cannot, a sense of cohesion in the chaos. How much cohesion is up to the players. Some play in clans or groups and act like squads with precision. Most of the time it’s just organized chaos in here. However, that’s really the way I like it.

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 looks interesting, but the gameplay is simply too fast for me; the game seems to try to recreate the arena shooters of the 1990s, where reflexes were the key to victory.

Battlefield 6 will be successful simply because it is trying to appeal more than players with fast reflexes. Everyone can play a role; sometimes a player wants to be more than soldier running and gunning.

This is why I am looking forward to enjoying this game.