Fun In Oblivion

I just upgraded to a fast new computer this last week and am currently enjoying the wonders of a fast multi-core processor, a 2 Gigabyte NVidia graphics card, and 10 Gigabytes of RAM. It's been years since I bought a new computer so it was definitely time, and the improvements all around are great. Programs load so fast! But to really put my hardware to the test, I needed to play a high graphics intense game. And so, after much frustration installing probably a hundred user made modifications to the 2006 (I think) game Oblivion (which was notoerious for stomping flat computers of its day, even really good ones, on low graphics settings), I ventured into the fun and beauty...

I'm the king of the world!... Don't mind my rusty set of armour. I'm only Level 1.

After installing the best graphics mods (modifications) for Oblivion that are out there, I jumped into the game and was in awe. It is truly breath taking to behold... Well, the scenery is beautiful anyway. The people on the other hand, even with the best available mods installed...

"Hello Rona! Wait... You're a woman?"

Yes, sadly, no amount of exceptional talent and time contributed by Oblivion mod makers are able to improve the typical character in Oblivion beyond this. Their clothes can look awesome. The people in the clothes... Not so much.

And how can we forget the many pleasures (and frustrations) of Oblivion's numerous glitches and unusual oddities!

No 3D goat should have to suffer the indignity of consuming its own head.

Poor wild mountain goat. It was mindlessly chomping grass and suddenly was set upon by a traveling city guard. After coming across this unusual battle of life and death, the soldier mercilessly pummeling the helpless goat into submission, the goat finally succumbed to its injuries, and swallowed its own head. Note the horn sticking out of the top. That's where it's head is hiding. The goat probably couldn't stand the endless taunts from the armour clad soldier as the warrior shouted, "You're pathetic! Is that the best you've got!?" and so it did the only thing it could to escape. Mutate.


But the fun doesn't stop there!

Bring it on wolfy!

This wolf was an easy kill when it attacked me in the wild. However, the not so easy part was getting the wolf's pelt off the body as it tumbled endlessly down the mountain and refused to stop even as I went barreling down the hill after it. This is when I learned to be below a monster on a hill when you kill it, that way it lands on top of you and you break its fall so that gravity can't laugh in your face as your hard earned trophy falls down the mountainside for the next twenty minutes with you chasing after it like a desperate idiot. :-) Live and learn.


Meanwhile, something has gone very wrong with the sky...

Shhhh. Don't tell NASA. The sky is really made of giant triangles.

And I don't seem to be the only one that's noticed... Though this person was standing in the same spot for three days without moving. Maybe he knew the shattered sky was coming and was waiting in breathless anticipation.

I don't think it's supposed to do that...

When the sky decides to do crazy things like this, it's probably a good idea to save your game, because chances are that Oblivion is going to realize it's done something bad and will fix itself by ending it's existence completely and crashing you back to your Windows Desktop. "You want the sky fixed? Do ya? Really? *crash*"

Despite the many bugs (some major and many not so major), the game is beautiful with all the great mods added to it by talented people around the world who have too much time on their hands making a good looking game look incredible. It's a lot of effort to get it working right, but it sure is pretty.