Interviews

Producer Gavin Carter talks about the creation of Oblivion
By Michael Lafferty

“The biggest challenge we always face extends from our insistence on an open-ended game design”

Breathe it in, inhale deeply and enjoy the sensations that a true role-playing title brings to either your PC or a console. There are few – Ok, biased opinion, here – genres as wonderfully immersive and entertaining as a well-done RPG.

And the folks at Bethesda know what one of those is – after all, they are the creative forces behind the Elder Scroll series of games. Well, it is a new year and that means time for another chapter in this wonderfully evolving world.

Welcome to Oblivion.

Oblivion takes advantage of next-gen console hardware (the 360) and new strides in PC technology to unveil a highly evolved world that brings a combination of freeform gameplay and unprecedented graphics while challenging the player to work through the main quest at their individual pace, explore the world and find new challenges hidden there.

After the mysterious and untimely death of the Emperor, the throne of Tamriel lies empty. With the Empire ready to crumble, the gates of Oblivion open and demons march upon the land, laying waste to everything in their path. To turn the tide of darkness, you must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel.

Producer Gavin Carter took time to chat with GZ about the latest title in the Elder Scrolls thread.

Question: When you consider the body of tales and the scope of the games, how tough is it to come up with a new storyline for the Elder Scrolls saga? There must be countless tales that CAN be told, but how many translate to good game play?

Gavin: Ideas are easy. Everyone has dozens of ideas for plot or gameplay items. The hard part comes when you have to separate the wheat from the chaff, and pare all your mountainous ideas down to a cohesive set of experiences that can be implemented in the time you’re allotted. We try to boil everything down to a core set of features, then iterate off of those until the game is as fun as we can possibly make it.

Q: To follow the same vein, what does Oblivion add to the lore of the series?

Gavin: Oblivion continues the same narrative thread that has run through all the main Elder Scrolls games since Arena. The story takes place shortly after the events of Morrowind but in another province. So while the core plots of the two games are not necessary continuous, the overarching story of the empire of Tamriel continues in Oblivion. There’s tons of lore information to be extracted from the game, particularly in the realms of Cyrodiilian politics and the nature of the plane of Oblivion. We’ve got around 150 new books that flesh out the game’s backstory and lore. Also, you know, the emperor of the known world dies in the first hour or so.

Q: What has been the biggest thing that has been learned during the run of this series?

Gavin: It would be tough to single out one particular “lesson learned” over the course of the series. The Elder Scrolls series is now over 10 years old, and each game builds on the last one in numerous ways. I’d say if there’s one thing we keep getting better at it’s learning new ways to make RPGs be more entertaining than ever, particularly where minute-to-minute gameplay is concerned.

Q: Obviously you have the opportunity to launch the title on the 360 and capture new fans, but other than the graphics, does the new console version differ significantly from what players may see on the PC, or have the game mechanics been changed from previous console iterations?

Gavin: No, the 360 and the PC version should be close to identical with the exception of the obvious control differences. All the art and quest content is identical between the two versions.

Q: Ok, you can tell us, when building the game for the 360 and PC, how close are the graphics? Was there something you could do on one system that you could not on the other?

Gavin: The graphics between a high-end PC and a 360 are very close. The only real difference between the two versions is that the 360 is capable of doing HDR lighting and anti-aliasing simultaneously, while PC users can only have one or the other. The PC also is capable of superior resolution if your hardware can support it, and it has more options to toggle visual effects on and off to account for your performance preferences.

Q: Sound has always been a key element in a story such as this. How does Oblivion continue that trend. Does it feature an original score?

Gavin: Oblivion features an original score by composer extraordinaire Jeremy Soule, and I think he outdid his work on Morrowind with this one. The music is contextually based, so we have separate sets of tracks for towns, dungeons, exploration, and combat. We also put a great deal of effort coming up with good ambient sounds for the world, and the effort really pays off when you’re walking through the forest, listening to the wind rustle the leaves and birds chirp overhead.

Q: How open is the gameplay? Is this a linear experience, or will players have several options for the path they take through the world?  

Gavin: Open-endedness is one of the hallmarks of the Elder Scrolls series, and Oblivion is no different. At any point you are free to wander off from whatever you’re doing, and pursue advancement in a guild, a side quest, or simply explore randomly. We try to constrain the player onto a single path as minimally as possible.

Q: What choices will players have in designing and customizing a character?

Gavin: We give you a tremendous amount of options to customize your look. There are around 40 sliders to control different aspects of your face shape and texture alone. There’s also the ability to pick a hair style and length. On the gameplay side, there are 10 different races to choose from – all of the races from previous Elder Scrolls games return – and each brings with it certain skill and attribute bonuses. You can choose a birthsign that gives you special abilities or stat boosts, and you then decide your class. We have a list of pre-made classes from which you can choose, or you can create a custom class.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you face in creating a tale such as this and what provides the most enjoyment when realized within the context of creating the game? 

Gavin: The biggest challenge we always face extends from our insistence on an open-ended game design. At any point, our players can decide to do pretty much anything they want, even going so far as to attack a major character or simply turn around and leave in the middle of a sequence. That sort of thing can cause headaches from time to time, but by this point we’re pretty good at anticipating what a player will try to do and putting in handling for it. The biggest reward for us is seeing the game move from basically a series of isolated prototypes into a continuous gaming experience. The more we iterate and try to make things better, the more playing our own game becomes fun rather than just work or testing. I love it when a plan comes together.