Bethesda: Skyrim Looks 'Way Better' On PC, Almost Went Next-Gen!

Bethesda drops facts on Skyrim development at QuakeCon

Following a mixed reaction from the QuakeCon crowd after announcing that Skyrim was being demoed on Xbox 360, Bethesda's Todd Howard said: "I can assure you the PC version looks even way better."

Howard also revealed that the Bethesda development team considered going next-gen for Skyrim. "When we finished Fallout 3 we thought we're gonna do Elder Scrolls again - should we wait for the next-generation of hardware?" he explained.

"We had a pretty big laundry list of features that we knew we could do with the PCs that are coming out now and on the 360 and PS3. When we make an Elder Scrolls our goal is to make a virtual fantasy world come to life on screen."

Source!

If that demoed for the 360 I can only imagine with the PC version would be like.. because that looked amazing, more reason to upgrade my PC I guess!

Bethesda drops facts on Skyrim development at QuakeCon

Following a mixed reaction from the QuakeCon crowd after announcing that Skyrim was being demoed on Xbox 360, Bethesda's Todd Howard said: "I can assure you the PC version looks even way better."

Howard also revealed that the Bethesda development team considered going next-gen for Skyrim. "When we finished Fallout 3 we thought we're gonna do Elder Scrolls again - should we wait for the next-generation of hardware?" he explained.

"We had a pretty big laundry list of features that we knew we could do with the PCs that are coming out now and on the 360 and PS3. When we make an Elder Scrolls our goal is to make a virtual fantasy world come to life on screen."

Source!

If that demoed for the 360 I can only imagine with the PC version would be like.. because that looked amazing, more reason to upgrade my PC I guess!

GD1551

Title is misleading.

Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.

"even way better"

The game looks pretty underwhelming .

Title is misleading. Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.GeneralShowzer

Exactly. It just sounds like they're trying to hype the PC version.

Bethesda drops facts on Skyrim development at QuakeCon

Following a mixed reaction from the QuakeCon crowd after announcing that Skyrim was being demoed on Xbox 360, Bethesda's Todd Howard said: "I can assure you the PC version looks even way better."

Howard also revealed that the Bethesda development team considered going next-gen for Skyrim. "When we finished Fallout 3 we thought we're gonna do Elder Scrolls again - should we wait for the next-generation of hardware?" he explained.

"We had a pretty big laundry list of features that we knew we could do with the PCs that are coming out now and on the 360 and PS3. When we make an Elder Scrolls our goal is to make a virtual fantasy world come to life on screen."

Source!

If that demoed for the 360 I can only imagine with the PC version would be like.. because that looked amazing, more reason to upgrade my PC I guess!

GD1551

I think you are missing what he said. This game, on PC, will still look somewhat similar to what was shown on that 360. Reolution will be much higher, textures will look better, AA and AF will be there, draw distance will be further, item/object pop in will not be as bad, and the frame rate will be much higher, but in the end, it will look somewhat similar. He said they almost went to next gen, but then decided that they could do what they wanted with the current consoles, and because it is multiplatform, the game will be just like every other multiplatform game this gen. A superior PC version, but not in the ways that it could have been had it been a PC exclusive. I hope whatever I just said makes sense.

I took the thread title from the article and he also said this...

"I can assure you the PC version looks even way better."

Not sure how I'm misunderstanding that, though it could just be damage control for the quakecon audience.

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]Title is misleading. Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.ChubbyGuy40

Exactly. It just sounds like they're trying to hype the PC version.

Title is misleading.

Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.

"even way better"

The game looks pretty underwhelming .

GeneralShowzer

Really? How does it look underwhelming? That demo was pretty awesome, and the animations are actually decent!

Really? How does it look underwhelming? That demo was pretty awesome, and the animations are actually decent!

GD1551

It doesn't look that good. The Witcher 2 beats it in visuals still. It's nothing special really besides being open-world.

Bethesda already know they don't need to bother making it look much better because their own community of fans will do it for them :roll:.

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]

Title is misleading.

Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.

"even way better"

The game looks pretty underwhelming .

GD1551

Really? How does it look underwhelming? That demo was pretty awesome, and the animations are actually decent!

Looks pretty sub-par, even for an open world game. There are various screenshots circling around. Pretty disappointing stuff.

GeneralShowzer

Honestly it looks like Oblivion with a new design so far.

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

Bethesda drops facts on Skyrim development at QuakeCon

Following a mixed reaction from the QuakeCon crowd after announcing that Skyrim was being demoed on Xbox 360, Bethesda's Todd Howard said: "I can assure you the PC version looks even way better."

Howard also revealed that the Bethesda development team considered going next-gen for Skyrim. "When we finished Fallout 3 we thought we're gonna do Elder Scrolls again - should we wait for the next-generation of hardware?" he explained.

"We had a pretty big laundry list of features that we knew we could do with the PCs that are coming out now and on the 360 and PS3. When we make an Elder Scrolls our goal is to make a virtual fantasy world come to life on screen."

Source!

If that demoed for the 360 I can only imagine with the PC version would be like.. because that looked amazing, more reason to upgrade my PC I guess!

arto1223

I think you are missing what he said. This game, on PC, will still look somewhat similar to what was shown on that 360. Reolution will be much higher, textures will look better, AA and AF will be there, draw distance will be further, item/object pop in will not be as bad, and the frame rate will be much higher, but in the end, it will look somewhat similar. He said they almost went to next gen, but then decided that they could do what they wanted with the current consoles, and because it is multiplatform, the game will be just like every other multiplatform game this gen. A superior PC version, but not in the ways that it could have been had it been a PC exclusive. I hope whatever I just said makes sense.

So, we're allowed to take advantage of driver level features that you have no control of? Thanks Beth!

I suppose the OP was a bit of a misquote or we're just suffering more PR bull.

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]

Looks pretty sub-par, even for an open world game. There are various screenshots circling around. Pretty disappointing stuff.

ChubbyGuy40

Honestly it looks like Oblivion with a new design so far.

Is that bad? :roll:

lol :P I'm j/k

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]

Looks pretty sub-par, even for an open world game. There are various screenshots circling around. Pretty disappointing stuff.

ChubbyGuy40

Honestly it looks like Oblivion with a new design so far.

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

Really? How does it look underwhelming? That demo was pretty awesome, and the animations are actually decent!

ChubbyGuy40

It doesn't look that good. The Witcher 2 beats it in visuals still. It's nothing special really besides being open-world.

Well the Witcher 2 is a PC exclusive game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foRkun8BQto&hd=1

Plus check that out the game looks pretty awesome.

Title is misleading.

Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.

"even way better"

The game looks pretty underwhelming .

GeneralShowzer

Even direct ports to PC can look a load better, as soon as a game is 1080p or higher, with 8x AA, 16x AF, etc, its going to look pretty good, even if it isn't natively meant for PC.

Oblivion did look pretty ass even maxed out though.

Don't really know what you guys were expecting.lawlessx

At first I was expecting something that would look really good by PC standards since Oblivion was quite good at it's release, and was the system killer along with FEAR.

Then as time passed and it's obvious consoles are the focus, I stopped caring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foRkun8BQto&hd=1

Plus check that out the game looks pretty awesome.

GD1551

It does look pretty, but it's not the same stunner it's older sibling was. It has vastly improved design. That's why it looks a lot better than what someone SpeedTree'd in one day.

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]

Title is misleading.

Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.

"even way better"

The game looks pretty underwhelming .

110million

Even direct ports to PC can look a load better, as soon as a game is 1080p or higher, with 8x AA, 16x AF, etc, its going to look pretty good, even if it isn't natively meant for PC.

Oblivion did look pretty ass even maxed out though.

Don't really know what you guys were expecting.lawlessx

Don't really know what you guys were expecting.lawlessx

The game's focus are consoles anyways, so, even if the PC version it's prettier, I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)IronBass

The game's focus are consoles anyways, so, even if the PC version it's prettier, I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)IronBass

Except they are'nt ;) They're working hard to make it run on two entirely different architectures while attempting to make both versions as similar as possible.

Afterwards, they port it to the PC and wait for modders to release high res textures.

[QUOTE="lawlessx"]Don't really know what you guys were expecting.lawlessx

your happy that the developers are limited to using updated hardware?:Plawlessx

Not happy, but it doesn't bother me if it's myoutdated hardware the one we're talking about =P

Except they are'nt ;) They're working hard to make it run on two entirely different architectures while attempting to make both versions as similar as possible.

Afterwards, they port it to the PC and wait for modders to release high res textures.

lawlessx

So consoles are the lead platform. My point exactly.

Not sure, I think it was the very first one with the chorus music. Most of the stuff there is pre-rendered, and some screenshots released show the game as it is, and it's not very pretty. Even on consoles RDR raised the standard for open world games. GeneralShowzer

Did you check the video I linked in the thread?

[QUOTE="lawlessx"]

Not happy, but it doesn't bother meif it's myoutdated hardware the one we're talking about=P

[QUOTE="lawlessx"]Except they are'nt ;) They're working hard to make it run on two entirely different architectures while attempting to make both versions as similar as possible.

Afterwards, they port it to the PC and wait for modders to release high res textures.

IronBass

So consoles are the lead platform. My point exactly.

You implied that that they're trying to max your console (whichever one that is), which is not the case.

They're working hard to make the game run well on two entirely different architectures, while they also need to make them as indisinguishable as possible. No maxxing involved, either console version has another console holding it back.

I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)IronBass

is an exact quote in case you forgot.

In the case of the PC it's easy: Port the 360 version at minimal additional costs.

[QUOTE="IronBass"]The game's focus are consoles anyways, so, even if the PC version it's prettier, I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)lawlessx

You implied that that they're trying to max your console (whichever one that is), which is not the case.

They're working hard to make the game run well on two entirely different architectures, while they also need to make them as indisinguishable as possible. No maxxing involved, either console version has another console holding it back.

[QUOTE="IronBass"]I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)Filthybastrd

is an exact quote in case you forgot.

In the case of the PC it's easy: Port the 360 version at minimal additional costs.

I'm gonna assume what you're saying it's a fact (since neither of us can prove either statement). Anyways, the console versions are the ones that they're focusing on, and that's all that matters to me :)

[QUOTE="Filthybastrd"]You implied that that they're trying to max your console (whichever one that is), which is not the case.

They're working hard to make the game run well on two entirely different architectures, while they also need to make them as indisinguishable as possible. No maxxing involved, either console version has another console holding it back.

[QUOTE="IronBass"]I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)IronBass

is an exact quote in case you forgot.

In the case of the PC it's easy: Port the 360 version at minimal additional costs.

Oh well, bottom line the consoles versions are the ones that they're focusing one, and that's all that matters to me :)

I bet Bethesda will abandon it like they did Oblivion. Great thing about PC is that the community was able to fix "most of it." Plus PC gets 4-5x the content due to mods :D

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]

Title is misleading.

Bethesda already said that the differences will be as minimal as possible.

"even way better"

The game looks pretty underwhelming .

GeneralShowzer

Really? How does it look underwhelming? That demo was pretty awesome, and the animations are actually decent!

[QUOTE="Filthybastrd"]You implied that that they're trying to max your console (whichever one that is), which is not the case.

They're working hard to make the game run well on two entirely different architectures, while they also need to make them as indisinguishable as possible. No maxxing involved, either console version has another console holding it back.

[QUOTE="IronBass"]I'm happy that they are trying to use the full power of my system. :)IronBass

is an exact quote in case you forgot.

In the case of the PC it's easy: Port the 360 version at minimal additional costs.

Oh well, bottom line the consoles versions are the ones that they're focusing one, and that's all that matters to me :)

Bugger... Well, I can understand your appreciation and honestly, the current gaming industry means that the school laptop, I receive at the end of the month will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming.

No offense meant of course. My hostility was good ol' system warring ;)

I bet Bethesda will abandon it like they did Oblivion. Great thing about PC is that the community was able to fix "most of it." Plus PC gets 4-5x the content due to mods :DChubbyGuy40

Oh, I'm sure they will abandon it soon. But considering Bethesda's track record of improving themselves and the franchises they work on (Oblivion being the best TES and Fallout 3 being also the best Fallout), I'm sure console Skyrim will be amazing : D

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]Not sure, I think it was the very first one with the chorus music. Most of the stuff there is pre-rendered, and some screenshots released show the game as it is, and it's not very pretty. Even on consoles RDR raised the standard for open world games. GD1551

Did you check the video I linked in the thread?

Yes, It's cam footage. This looks pretty underwhelming to me

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]Not sure, I think it was the very first one with the chorus music. Most of the stuff there is pre-rendered, and some screenshots released show the game as it is, and it's not very pretty. Even on consoles RDR raised the standard for open world games. GeneralShowzer

Did you check the video I linked in the thread?

Yes, It's cam footage. This looks pretty underwhelming to me

Well that's xbox footage. Even with that the game looks a ton better in motion.

Is not Crysis or BF 3 but looks beautiful enough.

[QUOTE="ChubbyGuy40"]I bet Bethesda will abandon it like they did Oblivion. Great thing about PC is that the community was able to fix "most of it." Plus PC gets 4-5x the content due to mods :DIronBass

Oh, I'm sure they will abandon it soon. But considering Bethesda's track record of improving themselves and the franchises they work on (Oblivion being the best TES and Fallout 3 being also the best Fallout), I'm sure console Skyrim will be amazing : D

Can't comment on Oblivion being the best TES but New Vegas > FO3 by FAR! :evil: New Vegas is totally the best Fallout (but I haven't played 1 or 2 yet :P)

[QUOTE="ChubbyGuy40"]I bet Bethesda will abandon it like they did Oblivion. Great thing about PC is that the community was able to fix "most of it." Plus PC gets 4-5x the content due to mods :DIronBass

Oh, I'm sure they will abandon it soon. But considering Bethesda's track record of improving themselves and the franchises they work on (Oblivion being the best TES and Fallout 3 being also the best Fallout), I'm sure console Skyrim will be amazing : D

Now I can't personally vouch for Morrowind but I get the impression that it was much better than Oblivion, technical proficiency aside.

Fallout 3 is the second worst Fallout and I can personally attest to that. Fallout: Tactics feeds the bottom but Fallout 1, 2 and New Vegas are all superior RPGs as well as games.

Edit: Fallout 1/2 are ancient by now of course but if you can stand the first couple of hours, (we don't care about gfx rite???), they're superior to Fallout 3 to this very day.

Bugger... Well, I can understand your appreciation and honestly, the current gaming industry means that the school laptop, I receive at the end of the month will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming.

No offense meant of course. My hostility was good ol' system warring ;)

Filthybastrd

Why would I take offense sir, we're talking about videogames :]

And I'm sure tons of PCs can run the game, but I can't say I find the connection between that fact and my post.

GeneralShowzer why are you so worried about the visuals of the 360 version when your getting the PC version?lawlessx

[QUOTE="Filthybastrd"]Bugger... Well, I can understand your appreciation and honestly, the current gaming industry means that the school laptop, I receive at the end of the month will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming.

No offense meant of course. My hostility was good ol' system warring ;)

IronBass

Why would I take offense sir, we're talking about videogames :]

And I'm sure tons of PCs can run the game, but I can't say I find the connection between that fact and my post.

Since it's a another console focused game, my laptop will be able to play it at close to max settings/1080 ;) That's a personal pleasure since I won't have to pay attention to boring lectures ever again, which means all of them :P