Thoughts on Pixels - Grinding should be fun

Or how I learned to stop playing Oblivion and love gaming instead...

So, here it is: I stopped playing Oblivion six months ago. Martor is on ice, probably forever. Why is that? Allow me to explain and get into a broader topic on gaming in general: Grinding. The word itself implies something tedious and that opens up a lot of questions on why one would even want to play something that is based on grind. Follow me into a new article. Also, I'll write more regularly again, now that I'm back from Asia. I promise to all three of you who may or may not care. God this place has fallen apart after my mom died...

Aaaaanyways. Grinding. WTF? Aren't games supposed to be fun? Well I didn't really think about it for a long time. I had stopped playing Oblivion after day three of my experiment (which was like two months after day 1 but it was day three of actually playing) but I didn't really analyze why. I just didn't feel like playing it anymore. It felt horribly tedious. The magic was gone.

So, last month I started playing a new game, FTL. If you like space-exploration, roguelikes or having adventures in general, you should check out some Let's Plays on Youtube and then decide to buy it (or not, you boring, boring person!). I played it quite a bit and then, at one time upon re-starting, the usual hint at the bottom of the starting message told me that I should stay in what the game itself called 'the grinding sectors' for longer if possible as to gather resources for the later stages of the game while it was still somewhat harmless to do so. This got me thinking, because while I had done just that before already, having found out fast that getting to the end quickly is a recipe for getting overwhelmed real soon. But it never felt like a grind to me. Why? Because this was the meat of the game. It was fun. Why do we play games? Because they are fun, mostly. Well they may evoke other emotions (Silent Hill 2 certainly wasn't fun and Shadow of the Colossus made me feel like the weight of the world was on my shoulders but I digress) but tedium shouldn't be one of them.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 9 – Finishing Up some unfinished Business

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

Should my path carry me to Skingrad again, I'll probably try again to talk to the count but for now I go back on the road towards the capital. I meet a dark-elf woman on the road, confused what she may be doing out here on her own, apparently unarmed. There is a conversation-topic related to some quest from back in Skingrad that she says she doesn't trust me enough to talk about. I decide that this is a point in game where I might try to practice/understand the conversation-minigame that indicates Martor intimidate/suck up on people to get on their better side. I fail the first few tries but gain an understanding on how it works, then I bribe the woman to like me anyways. Not that the information she has is of any value for me. Passing the hellgate I jog towards the capital.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 8 – Human again

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

Martor is finally healed but the quest isn't over. I fast-travel to Skingrad to deliver the cure to the count so he can use it on his wife. His secretary/steward/house lizard lady tells me to follow her and leads me down into a rather ominous crypt below the castle, where the count is standing by a bed with a woman on it. He tells me that Melisande is going to wake up his wife so she can take the medicine and pass on peacefully and I can watch if I want. Melisande? She's standing right there in the corner. As I came by horse and she doesn't have one at her house, I really wonder who she got here before me but it's okay. If murderers in movies can off-screen-teleport, I guess it's fair if an ally does it for once.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 7 – Unexpected Interlude

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

Fast-travel surprisingly only takes two in-game hours from Redwater Slough to the house of Melisande the witch. I go inside and give her the ingredients for the cure vampirism-potion. She is delighted that I made it and especially impressed with me killing Hindaril, which is weird as I have fought more formidable foes before and I am, after all, only level 7. There must be much tougher guys out there. But then again the game apparently scales enemies to my abilities, which is nice as I can pretty much go anywhere and not instantly die, but it does strain my suspension of disbelief to hear that something Martor has killed at this stage was so impossible to kill. The other problem with the scaling is that it doesn't really matter if I level up, as things seemingly level up with me. Yes, I get more points in, say, strength but it still takes as many hits to kill enemies.

Be that however it may be, the witch says she'll need 24 hours to brew the cure. That means I have to wait out this night and hide another day. I decide to go to one of the towns and try to get lodging. I figure I'll need a rather run-down tavern to actually do business with me so I decide to go to the most run-down part of the Capital, which is the port-area. I'll see if I can get a room in that former ship that is now a tavern. So I fast-travel there.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 6 – Vampire Hunt

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

I hang out in the entrance of the fort/underground dungeon. Looking at the deeper parts of the place, I spot a heavily armed man, a woman with a bow and a large dog. I don't feel like murdering what , in this childless world, seems to be the closest thing to a little family of outlaws I've yet to see. Martor isn't here for a fight so I sneak into other tunnels around. Killing a couple of rats, I spend most of the day just sneaking around. Then it's night again, I can get out and get to the last bit of this quest.

The place where the quest has marked the Redwater Slough on my map, where that mighty vampire whose ashes I need is supposed to dwell, is further south than I have ever traveled. I fast-travel to the shrine where I drew blood from that Argonian, then I move onwards on horseback, seeking that cave. It does take a while to ride there so I have already given up the fantasy of returning to Melisande during this night. Finding the cave, I check my equipment. I have my steel claymore, in a decent state of sharpness. I have my katana but lacking it's best buddy, the leather shield, the weapon is of limited use to me, especially as it is rather used by this point. I have the magic mace I bought in case I have to fight ghosts again. As it does deal extra fire-damage, I consider it a possible weapon for my fight with Hindaril and assign it to a quick-draw-slot. I also ready the bow with steel arrows. Maybe I'll get a sneak-attack on someone. I enter the vampire-lair, claymore in hand.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 5 – Garlic Run

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

As I leave Skingrad, I spot something burning ahead of me by the roadside. I take my time and check out the plants by the roadside, none of them being nightshade. When I come closer, my greatest fears come true: The burning is actually a portal to hell. Another Oblivion-gate has opened, right here in front of the city of Skingrad. As I get closer, which I must as it is right by the road, the sky turns red and, to someone with Martors disease, alarmingly bright. I decide to ignore the gate for now and move on, when I suddenly find myself surrounded by three goblins attacking from all sides. Martor fights off the ambush with an alarming lack of efficiency, his shield breaking in the process. Once more, I have neglected weapon-repair and now I pay the price. Badly injured, I manage to fend off the creatures and then see, that it wasn't an ambush but me, distracted by the hellgate, having stumbled into their campsite.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 4 – Another Approach

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

This time, I wait out the day in the Squandered Mine. For what I am planning, I need it to be dark when I get to the witch house, as I will leave it soon after arriving. I need to steal that soul-gem without angering the witch Melisande by invading her privacy. There might be a way and, once again, it involves my vampire-charm ability. Its effect lasts for sixty real-time seconds. That might be enough. I lay out the plan in my head and finally, after the sun has gone down, leave to actually do it.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 3 – Making Mistakes

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

I decide to make a run for it, dropping a Save before leaving the mine to run to the witches house. On the first three attempts the combination of flailing down a mountain-slope and being burned by the sun kill me. On the fourth try, I make it to the house and inside. Melisande the witch asks me about the stones and I can only tell her that I don't have five yet. As I know that there is one in her basement, I move past her and down the somewhat hidden hatch.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 2 – Dungeoneering with a Purpose

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land. 

Nornal is one of these ancient ruins littering the landscape, built by some advanced ancients right on top of a hilltop. It's also defended by marauders, which are as much as I can gather, some type of elite bandits. There are two of them outside, attacking Martor with bow and arrow and quickly falling prey to his blade. Entering the ruins, it is noticeable that the place is half-flooded, despite being situated on a hilltop. There are some more marauders present but they are no match for Martor, not now that his vampiric powers seem to be growing every day.

Playing Oblivion: Day 3 part 1 – Daywalking

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

It's night in the Imperial Capital. A figure wanders through the streets, from shadow to shadow but without any real aim. It's Martor, the hero, the traveler, the unwilling vampire. The thirst must be killing him by now but his quest has only just begun. At some point, I realize, I must wait until the day. I have come to the capital because I have heard that one can buy a soul gem here. In fact, I know so, because after all I have read the online wiki about how to complete this vampire-cure quest. It turns out that without reading that, I wouldn't have stood a chance. It's hard enough as it is: Martor burns up quickly upon contact with sunlight, which I could help with by drinking someones blood. But Martor has sworn never to do such a thing.

Playing Oblivion Day 2 part 6: Looking for a Cure

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

It takes me a while to find the entrance to the castle in Skingrad, accidentally ending in the guard-quarters at one point. The count’s secretary tells me to wait and I pace around the grand entrance hall of the incredibly gothic-looking castle thinking about what to do when the guy shows up. Is he going to fess-up and I’ll have to kill him? With all of these guards around? Will he have a cure and I can just go, being back to normal human Nord again? Making himself seem very important, the count lets me wait for a while. When he finally shows up I get to watch him slowly walking across a balcony and then coming down the stairs. When he deems it fit to speak to me, my hopes of a quick-heal is quickly shattered.

Playing Oblivion Day 2 part 5: Bitten!

 This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

Those who have played the game will probably know what is coming, those who haven't may get tipped off by the title of this post. It hit me completely unprepared even though the signs were clearly there. Here's the tale:

Martor got up after a night of sleep and I decided that the first thing for us to do was to find an alchemy-store to get rid of all the loot we had acquired yesterday. Martor wanders through the streets of the city a bit until he finds what he’s been looking for and goes into the alchemy-store to sell his stuff. It goes quite well, fetching a price I find quite alright. Now, quite a bit wealthier than before, there are only two places for a warrior to go to. And there are no brothels around in Oblivion, so Martor goes to the local smithy for a shopping-spree. Upon trying on new armor, I notice something odd about Martors face (and we can totally imagine him noticing in a mirror while in a dressing room). That isn't Martors face! What the hell? He looks like crap! Martor appears to have aged decades and has also lost about ten kilograms and all complexion from his face. He looks downright ill. My brain puts two and two together and comes to one conclusion: There must have been a vampire in my room last night, the nightmare was real! Oh god, no. No. Nooooooooooo!

Playing Oblivion Day 2 part 4: Caves of Loot

 This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

The winged creature I had spotted fires off a spell at Martor as he goes in to attack. Luckily the creature doesn’t realize that the man attacking it isn’t very proficient at using his bow. It could just fly up and pepper Martor with majick but instead it hovers a few feet above the ground and doesn’t even retreat to a safe distance when being rushed and subsequently murdered with a long, sharp blade. It had been guarding a door in the hillside that probably represents the entrance to another dungeon. Not quite fully loaded with loot, Martor decides to go look what’s to be found in there. After all, the flying creature was just labeled “Kobold”, not “Winged Demon” or some such thing, so it doesn’t seem too dangerous…

Playing Oblivion Day 2 part 3: Unrelated Cult

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

I press my horse onwards and leave the Imperial Capital behind in order to get some more adventuring done for the second time. Is there anything going to stop Martor from exploring new towns, finding ancient ruins, discovering new lands? Definitely not and the stupid localization won’t stop me from enjoying this game, even if it breaks in-game riddles (sometimes I wonder how these people make money with these sorts of translations. Strongly reminds me of the German version of Futurama where you could totally notice whenever the translators failed to understand a joke and pathetically failed at delivering any resemblance thereof or, worse, simply translated badly). So I decide to head towards a nearby city named Skingrad that Martor and Martin (what a duo) must have passed while fast-travelling to the Blades’ secret fortress but that I haven’t seen in-game yet.

Playing Oblivion Day 2 part 2: Ghost Story

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

I haven't gotten far away from the city, in fact, it's right on the other side of the water, when a bandit fires arrows at me from some interesting-looking ruins. I bring up the map and notice that this is a named place – interesting. Martor must get off his horse and charge the bandit. The place is half in the water, features a big statue that is strangely intact in comparison with the rest of the compound. By the dead bandit there are some bottles of dark beer sending a smile on Martors lips. Then I realize that there are stairs with an entrance to some underground dungeon. Adventure here I come! Maybe there is some of that mysterious side-quest-wine down there. Martor chugs down three of his newly looted beers and enters the dungeon.

Playing Oblivion Day 2 part 1: Lost in the Dark

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

So I have to do this whole slow-walking sewer-section again. Okay, might as well practice this little dashing-attack I noticed happening whenever running and pushing the left mouse button for a longer time. Martor goes for a yelling attack-lunge whenever I do that and I go berserk against some crabs and giant rats for practice. Baurus (the Blade I'm stuck with here) is not much of a help here, yelling “This one is mine!” at some point and then proceeding to not draw his sword and look at the rat that is attacking me. Martor rolls his eyes, draws his own weapon and cuts the rat down himself. Typical Baurus: Spouting big words but not following them with any sort of deed. He probably only got his position as the Imperial bodyguard for looking snappy in his Blade uniform…

Playing Oblivion - Day 1 part 12: Back to the Capital

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

I spawn right in the arena-district of the capital and turn in the bad news of I-killed-your-father and he-was-a-vampire to the half-orc gladiator. He is understandably bummed out by this and I leave him to his bloody business practicing crowd-pleasing murder. At least he has something to take his problems out on, I guess. Then I go to the tavern where I'm supposed to meet the Blade who was last seen protecting the body of the fallen Emperor. Getting in the tavern he tells me to sit down, not talk and do what he says. Since this is basically what I've been doing all game, unquestioningly obeying orders from the establishment I sit down until he tells me that he's been tailed and the guy in the corner is probably an assassin. He is going to get up and go and if the guy follows him, I'm to follow both of them as a backup. He gets up and as I want to get up too, I accidentally take an apple or something from the bar and the owner yells at me being a thief so I reload the scene and listen to the Blade again. In the basement of the tavern there is a short fight as the guy turns into an armored warrior as these evil cultists apparently are bound to do at some point and we kill him quickly.

Playing Oblivion - Day 1 part 11: Delivering the Prince

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

We spawn outside the monastery at Chorol and a dark-elf seeing this comes running towards us. We have a fairly long conversation about how we must go into the monastery quickly as there are assassins about who killed the head of the place already. After confirming this for about two minutes we rush into the chapel, killing an assassin in armor who, much like the guys who killed the Emperor reverts into a red-hooded corpse after dying. The Blade head-honcho is alright but has, of course, left the royal amulet in his room. We rush there only to find that it is gone and the assassins now have it. Should've left it with me, really.

At this point it is decided to bring Martin to the secret fortress-temple of the Blades in the mountains and that I should take the dead priors horse. See, I told you buying one would've been a waste of time. But then, so is this. After all, with the fast-travel-system, why would I need a horse. Are there any special combat techniques that can be used while mounted? I don't know. We saddle up and I hit fast-travel again as I've been playing for hours by now.

Playing Oblivion - Day 1 part 10: Getting side-tracked

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

I follow the path West and run into a woman clad in fur-armor, wielding a huge hammer attacking me. After a bit of a scuffle, she lays dead on the ground and a juvenile curiosity lets me strip her down, taking all her stuff. Leaving the underwear-clad corpse behind I go on my way, killing some wolves that are foolish enough to attack me. I have bought myself a steel claymore from that orcish woman to have a backup-weapon in case my sword degrades too much again. Having a backup-weapon is important, I figure, if your blade gets dull after two dozen cuts.

Along the road I pass an inn, an actual traveler (not a bandit) and I run into an imperial legionnaire riding on a horse spawning directly in front of me and yelling at me to watch where I'm going. Whatever, asshole, I was materialized this whole time. I get to the ruins as it starts to rain – I really like the weather-effects in this game, they almost make up for the lack of a proper sun – and am attacked by two skeletons, one with an axe and one with a bow. I destroy them and then clear out their comrades from the upper parts of the ruins. I enter the wooden door, searching for the door that the key the gladiator gave would open in the dungeon beneath this fortress. And maybe some of that elusive wine.

Playing Oblivion - Day 1 part 9: To Hell and back already?

This is part of an ongoing series. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.

It's early 2012 and I'm playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Why? Because I (finally) can. Join me on my path to glory and the stabilization of the status quo in almost-Tolkien-land.

I reach a hastily thrown up blockade of some sharpened logs manned by three guards in plate-armor. Beyond it are the city walls and the city gate, in front of which there is what can only be described as a hell-gate (or a portal to Oblivion, as the game calls hell). Before I can talk to the guards and tell them that the Player Character is here so all will be fine, three little critters reminding me of the imps in American McGees Alice (the game calls them something else but to me they are imps from here on out) come out of the portal and the guards immediately leave their fortified position to attack them. I join them and we make short work of the fireball-throwing and clawing critters. The guards return to their position and I go back with them and talk to their leader.