Oblivion's Missing Physics Acceleration

An anonymous reader writes "An article on GamesFirst discusses how much better Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion would be if it supported true physics acceleration. From the article: 'Oblivion lacks Casual Physics, and the result is a splendidly beautiful world that still requires a blind eye in order to buy into the environment...' How would Oblivion be different if there were more than just Rag-Doll physics, if bad guys reacted to the swing of your sword, or if mist realistically moved around you as you walked."

Comments

Re:Does physics really add that much to an RPG?

[DrXym]

My opinion of Oblivion is that it is an amazing game but it also has some pretty in-your-face problems which are like a slap around the face every time.

The worst issue by far are the NPCs. Every NPC (including the one voiced by Patrick Stewart) speaks with the same monotonous drone as if its actors paid to read 1000 lines during a recording session. Perhaps they were, but that's no reason the game should sound like it. Worse is that the 1500 odd NPCs sound like a handful voice actors going through their repertoire. The voice for the same NPC sometimes leaps from one style to another between lines, e.g. old crone beggar voice one moment and posh the next. Even with all the NPCs, the cities and towns are virtually empty. I wonder if the game could have benefited from non-interactive NPCs who fill the scenes but don't do anything.

I hate the control system too. While the UI that controls maps, inventory, quests, character is an exercise in minimalism, it sure is a pain in the arse to use. I've also died more than once because "c" button to cast a spell hasn't done anything.

The gameworld is stunning and the amount of content is stunning too. The game is what Ultima would have been if it had continued. It's just too bad that some highly visible issues with the UI and NPCs let it down.