Step 1: Make somewhat insulting thread title to garner rage-induced interest.
Step 2: Introduce main topic.
Step 3: Introduce generic "thread topic" to seem less self-obsessed.
I'm heading back into a new game of Skyrim, and I'm curious as to the sorts of things you guys do to make open world games less samey. We all get that GTA fatigue every now and then, where we just can't be arsed going through the motions in big games like these, but I'd like to stave that off for as long as possible.
My tip for Rockstar games is to remove the minimap. Rockstar creates excellent and memorable worlds that I found it very easy to forget because I would just stare at that bottom corner to get around. By removing it, it ensures that I take the most out of their extensively detailed landscapes. It also makes fighting more interesting, as I can no longer just look at the minimap and live out a shooting gallery. I've got to keep me wits abaht meh. Nee hee heh heh hee.
So, Skyrim. Figure I'm gonna give roleplaying a shot. Already got some backstory sorted, but I want to put it to paper so I can sort out all my ideas.
Massive nerds onlyEx-Thalmor agent who turned against his corrupt agency. Though he believes the Thalmor's principles and goals were initially noble, recent events have caused him to turn on his former employers. I'll not go into depth, but he was deceived by the Thalmor into committing certain atrocities, and so he turned on them. He genuinely hates the Thalmor, and while he tries not to take it out on the lower ranking agents, he has absolutely no pity for those in charge. As such, he intends to weaken the Thalmor's presence in Skyrim whilst also trying to support the Empire, as he knows the Thalmor's true agenda, and believes that the Empire is, despite its occasional bulltrout, ultimately a good thing.
His primary goal is to destroy the Thalmor headquarters, but he feels that this mission is still quite a way off and will require considerable aid. Though a Thalmor, he avoided most combat scenarios, as his talents lay in subterfuge, sabotage and other... less pleasant areas. He's going to be skilled in Speech, Sneak, Illusion, Lockpicking and Pickpocketing, and he will be particularly talented with small, sharp knives. Knowing that he was going to be betraying the Thalmor, yet fully aware of his own weaknesses, he spent a lot of time leading up to his going AWOL practicing Conjuration, hoping to use some Daedric meatshields to keep him out of trouble. However, he was never really able to excel in this regard, but - perhaps due to his former profession - he found he had a particular talent for Necromancy.
When he left, he murdered and resurrected a high-ranking Thalmor agent to serve as a cover, aided significantly by his own guile and silver tongue. He was caught by an Imperial patrol on his way into Skyrim, and charged with Necromancy. By the time he reached the border, his thrall had started to go a little... stale, and his crimes were not hard to detect. Fortunately, nobody knows his true crimes, nor his true identity, so he still has some wiggle room in which to maneouvre...
I'm going to pretend that most officers in the Empire are away of my crime, so they will be a little wary and aggressive towards me. I will have to charm and bribe my way for a while, before I can convince them I am genuinely on their side. He has very little training in armour, so will only be able to use the lightests of light armour for a long while. He will be virtually defenceless in a fight, as his ability with a knife is limited to precision strikes, ideally when the opponent isn't moving. I reckon it should be pretty fun.
So anyway, third step. In addition to extra advice for a roleplaying newbie, what sorts of things do you do to liven up an otherwise stale open world experience? Pike and Hux.
