Game: Skyrim

[Buffalobiian]

Funny stuff, this courier really went out of his way to deliver his message:

Attachment 1078

Did he just come to you like that, or did you have the uber-pickpocket perk that lets you take equipped items (read: clothes)?

I've just found that my sneak doesn't work so well anymore, and my assassination with a single dagger strike doesn't guarantee the kill-cam as much anymore. I was wondering if they nerfed the sneak skills in the some sort of update, since Steam was downloading it.. but it's probably because the NPCs have been scaling up while I've been putting perks into lock-picking now to get the unbreakable perk.

Meanwhile, I've got 130+ lockpicks to burn.

[Animeniax]

No, he came to me that way.

The first update/patch is supposed to come out after Thanksgiving.

Also, anyone playing on console... back up your save file. There seems to be a bug that corrupts your save files. A buddy of mine lost his level 20 something character on his X360 and had to start over.

[Buffalobiian]

No, he came to me that way.

The first update/patch is supposed to come out after Thanksgiving.

That's what I thought. Steam insists that it downloaded something though..

[TwisT]

I don't know why you would want unbreakable though. It's not like you have a problem with lockpicking in this game. I don't have a single perk in lockpicking and i have no problems picking locks. I waste a maximum of 5 lockpicks on a Master lock. And since they don't weigh any there ain't a problem with weight from having 100+

Oh and i became a werewolf, but i have only used it once. Since you can't actually turn it off by yourself and you can't loot or anything i don't find it very useful. I find the passive buffs good enough. Immunity to diseases and i heard you get extra HP even in human form (never noticed this myself since i didn't check and never heard about it until a while after i turned).

[Kraco]

No, he came to me that way.

Yeah, he ran to me as well when I was out heading to some quest location. At first I thought it's some pervert running toward me and I had the bow out on reflex. But I guess the Skyrim Post simply doesn't pay their couriers enough for decent clothing.

Steam seemed to update the .exe, at least, if I judged things correctly. Despite the fact I had altered it with the application allowing larger memory use.

[Buffalobiian]

I don't know why you would want unbreakable though. It's not like you have a problem with lockpicking in this game. I don't have a single perk in lockpicking and i have no problems picking locks. I waste a maximum of 5 lockpicks on a Master lock. And since they don't weigh any there ain't a problem with weight from having 100+

Oh and i became a werewolf, but i have only used it once. Since you can't actually turn it off by yourself and you can't loot or anything i don't find it very useful. I find the passive buffs good enough. Immunity to diseases and i heard you get extra HP even in human form (never noticed this myself since i didn't check and never heard about it until a while after i turned).

Yeah.. in the big picture it's largely useless. It's like pickpocketting... unless I run into a boss that happens to have an awesome dagger - in which case it would be superb to simply steal it off him then sneak-kill him with it.

I was having trouble running out of lockpicks until I started buying them from the thieve's guild. I was trying to work out if the audio does anything to point you in the right direction when you turn the move the pick (without rotating the lock), but I couldn't find any patterns. Now Oblivion's lock-picking system was one that made sense. A lot of people didn't like it, but the idea was good. It was hard and gruelling, but the human player (us) can learn to accel at it by nailing down the timing/audio cues.

This one's based on chance more so than skill.

[Animeniax]

What difficulty are you guys playing on to have such easy times picking locks?? I have to use 20-30 picks on master or higher locks.

[Kraco]

I'm playing on the default difficulty. Adept? It seemed to me like a Master level lock would take a bunch of picks, and thus I haven't bothered to go through with it. Expert takes at least five of them, unless you get lucky, according to my experience. I have done nothing to increase lockpicking and playing a Breton, there were no boosts, so the skill isn't that high.

I have now a few times encountered a glitch with the healing spell. Or it might not be related to any specific spell, but I have noticed it only with healing. Namely, when I press the right button (the spell being linked to it, with a sword behind the left button), nothing happens. Some unwielding and shuffling seems to fix it, but that's quite annoying when a polar bear with a couple of arrows sticking out of its hindside is right in front of you and its next strike would kill you.

[Xelbair]

Lockpick slightly tilts towards correct position when you are in wrong one, Buff.
On a side note: dragonscale armor is op.

[TwisT]

I don't know how hard it is on console with a controller, but on PC with keyboard and mouse it's real easy to pick locks. On a master lock i usually spend 1-2 picks to find the right position. Then i spend 1-3 to do the fine tuning that opens it. On Novice, Apprentice and Adept locks i almost always get it on my first. Expert 2-3 picks. Oh and i play on Adept (default setting).

The bug where the casting of resto spells (that has a small charge up) have happened to me too. Only way to fix it is to swap the spell back and forth.

[Ryllharu]

I was having trouble running out of lockpicks until I started buying them from the thieve's guild. I was trying to work out if the audio does anything to point you in the right direction when you turn the move the pick (without rotating the lock), but I couldn't find any patterns. Now Oblivion's lock-picking system was one that made sense. A lot of people didn't like it, but the idea was good. It was hard and gruelling, but the human player (us) can learn to accel at it by nailing down the timing/audio cues.

This one's based on chance more so than skill.

Well, yes and no. It's a direct copy of Fallout's lockpicking , and the zones are in the same spots. The only difference is that the lockpicks are substantially more fragile. Fallout's hairpins always broke on the third touch, Skyrim's break by force exerted on them.

Hints:
- Always try dead center first. [edit: Unless you have the perk that starts it near it, obviously.] Just a smidgen of a turn to see if it is there. Novice and Apprentice locks are more likely to be there.
- The two next most likely spots are at either 2 o'clock or 10 o'clock.
- If you're light enough on the keys (note: I'm often not), you'll be able to find where too far back is without breaking a pick.
- From there, it's simple bracketing function.
- The only luck involved is picking left or right correctly the first time. I always try right first.
- Remember, light touch keeps the picks from snapping.

It's skill and experience, but it's just not auditory or visual. It's probability and math. Like gun-kata, only not as cool.

[Animeniax]

Yeah.. in the big picture it's largely useless. It's like pickpocketting... unless I run into a boss that happens to have an awesome dagger - in which case it would be superb to simply steal it off him then sneak-kill him with it.

I was having trouble running out of lockpicks until I started buying them from the thieve's guild. I was trying to work out if the audio does anything to point you in the right direction when you turn the move the pick (without rotating the lock), but I couldn't find any patterns. Now Oblivion's lock-picking system was one that made sense. A lot of people didn't like it, but the idea was good. It was hard and gruelling, but the human player (us) can learn to accel at it by nailing down the timing/audio cues.

This one's based on chance more so than skill.

I think it's set so that the more difficult level locks require a set number of tries (depending on your skill level at lock-picking) before you can be successful. I've jiggled the lock in several directions, then come back to the same location I had previously tried and the lock will turn on the 2nd try. I'll investigate to see if I can find an exact number of tries for the different difficulty levels, though it will probably be inexact.

[TwisT]

Like i said i can sometimes get Master on the first try. Master locks without any perks basically only have 1 millimeter of success area. If you almost have it then moving it just a millimeter in the right direction will open it. 2 millimeter and it will end up on the other side of the arc. Higher difficuly just makes the arc and success area (center) bigger if that even makes any sense.

[Splash!]

I don't know how hard it is on console with a controller, but on PC with keyboard and mouse it's real easy to pick locks.

It is not that hard on a console either. The controller vibrates just before the pick is about to break, so you can stop in time. After a couple of tries with the same pick though, it may suddenly snap without any warning.

At 35 skill and no perks, I have no issues unlocking upto expert locks. I could probably crack open master locks if I really wanted to, but I don't have the patience. And so far, I haven't seen much of a difference in the quality of loot behind locks. It is quite unsatisfying to spend all that time on an expert lock and get about 20 gold and a weaksauce potion out of it(happened quite a few times).

[Buffalobiian]

Hmm, I didn't know that the lock shifted in the correct direction after a fail. That's interesting to learn.

@Ryll: I agree that it's more about maths and probability - which is what I said earlier. Oblivion was more about skill. You had to nail down your ear-mouse co-ordination. Higher locks just meant you had to be better at it to perform it in succession without fail. I do the whole "zone" thing too.

I think it's set so that the more difficult level locks require a set number of tries (depending on your skill level at lock-picking) before you can be successful. I've jiggled the lock in several directions, then come back to the same location I had previously tried and the lock will turn on the 2nd try.

I'm more in tune with Twist on this one. The tougher the lock, the smaller the "unlock" areas are. Your "same area works after the 2nd try" could be slightly off - and that makes a difference at higher levels. My lock-picking is 66 atm. With Sneak at 100 and Pickpocket at 81, I changed over to the Lover's Stone. 15% faster in ALL categories sounds like what I need now.

Upgrading Armsman to lvl4 to give +80% damage to 1H strikes has regained by ability to kill-cam with one dagger again. And then.. I ran into an ebony dagger and refined it.

For PC players, can anybody play with Shadow Quality set to Ultra? I can all other settings (except maybe AA), but Shadow must be set to High, or it slows down to 10fps or so. And if you're running on Ultra, what's your card?

I've observed that Skyrim doesn't use much CPU power at all. It usually hovers around the 35% mark of my i5 750. BF3 uses around 75%.

[Animeniax]

I hate that you can't remove quest items from inventory and store them, even for completed quests in some cases. I need to get my weight down so I can carry more useful items.

Got my smithing to 98. Two more leather bracer/iron dagger runs and I'll be at 100 and making dragon armor.

Still haven't found the amulet to get married to Sapphire.

[Sapphire]

I'm totally playing this. I got a high elf and a burn the shit outa all da orcs.

I finished the claw quest and the townspeople started attacking me WTF? Some parts of this game are scary. I'm playing it in my friend's room.

[Kraco]

I'm totally playing this. I got a high elf and a burn the shit outa all da orcs.

Nice to see you joined the rest of the world (to quote your own words).

I finished the claw quest and the townspeople started attacking me WTF? Some parts of this game are scary. I'm playing it in my friend's room.

You must have accidentally attacked somebody from the town, or equivalent. Remember that ordinary folks wander a lot around and between the towns, usually using the roads. So, you can't just attack everybody you see in the wilderness (unless you are playing like Bill).

For PC players, can anybody play with Shadow Quality set to Ultra? I can all other settings (except maybe AA), but Shadow must be set to High, or it slows down to 10fps or so. And if you're running on Ultra, what's your card?

I read somewhere the engine uses the CPU to calculate the shadows, not GPU. But that was some forum and thus unverified. It wasn't what I was looking for back then, either, so I didn't pursue the truth. Nor do I know how much sense that would make, not being a game programmer.

[Buffalobiian]

I read somewhere the engine uses the CPU to calculate the shadows, not GPU. But that was some forum and thus unverified. It wasn't what I was looking for back then, either, so I didn't pursue the truth. Nor do I know how much sense that would make, not being a game programmer.

That makes it even more weird if it's true, since my CPU usage doesn't change between Ultra and High.

[Sapphire]

I killed a chicken on my way out of town. Then when I come back two crazy-ass villagers killed me twice wtf!? So my friend took the reigns and charred the motherfuckers ABWAHAHHA!!! I felt like Kagemane in that biatch.

I now have no choice but to go rogue like Bill.
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I had COMPLETELY Skyrim-esque dreams all night about making my own choices in life.