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Eurogamer:
What sort of Skyrim player are you? Are you there for the story and the Achievements, taking advantage of the game's loose logic to play multiple characters in one playthrough, heading up the Mage's College even as you take charge of the Thieves Guild, and saving the world while playing as an evil assassin? Or do you use Tamriel's vast canvas as a backdrop for your own adventure, setting your own limits and rules and immersing yourself in its rich milieu?
If it's the first then you've probably got no interest in Hearthfire, the new DLC that lets you build houses. There are no quests here, with no story and no definable ending. You may have already posted a witty comment about Skyrim Sims. Congratulations. Hearthfire is not for you.
If, on the other hand, you've already started planning which of your weapons you want to display where, whether to store gems in the same chest as jewellery, and are actually looking forward to spending hours trying to wrangle floating items into display cases so they're positioned just right, then Hearthfire is most definitely for you. It's just not that good.
Computer and Video Games:
It's totally bare inside, obviously. Building the house itself is only the beginning. You're going to have to source the rest of the materials yourself to build things like beds, cabinets, hearths, and sconces to light up the exterior. But remember, this is only the starter house. As you expand your property, it'll get much bigger. Your first house will become the entrance hall for a much grander one, and you'll get to add things like alchemy labs, trophy rooms, and libraries to store all the books you've collected on your journey. Because the plot of land creates a new fast travel point on the map, having your own self-contained base of operations is very useful.
There are three plots of land in all: one in Falkreath, one in Morthal, and one in Dawnstar. All three cost the same, and the only difference is the location; your house will always be in the same style no matter where you build it. You're also able to adopt children once your house is furnished. Constance Michel at the Riften orphanage (where Dark Brotherhood characters will have executed Grelod the Kind) will give you the chance to take one of the kids there back to your new home. You can adopt two at a time, and they get their own room.
There is no currently announced date or plans for the PC version. However, previous timed Xbox 360 exclusives have been made available for the PC approximately a month after initial release. Bethesda did not announce a release date for Dawnguard before making it available for PC, so the same may occur for Hearthfire.
99 comments
For your $5 you get a lot of new content. The three new housing options are the least of it, in both meanings of the word. The houses are not only, relativly, identical. They are far from perfect. On the XBox, however, they are the only game in town. One of my many problems with Heathfire is that you have to choose between an armory or a kitchen. Not being able to choose the library is, in my opinion, no big deal. On the other side of the main hall, you can chosse between an additional bedroom, which is poorly executed, a greenhouse, or an enchanting tower. ( This may be the alchemy tower. I forget since I never build it.) At the rear, you can choose more junked up storage, or a trophy room. A trophy room? Really? Or you can build the tower that is the opposite of whichever one is on the left. Also, the style of roof on the additions is tied to your choice of function for the addition. There is no way to build the house as a shell and then name the funcions of the additions. This simple option would have cured the majority of my problem with Hearthfire. My other main problem is that we still don't have a robust placable item system for Skyrim. Is it just me or should we be able to pick up the junk we knock over in the houses we already own and put them back on the shelves they fell off of? You telll me.
I don't want to sound obnoxious because this extension is worth the $5 I paid. It is worth the $5 just for the improvements in Lydia ( my follower and spouse of choice for the last two months.) Lydia now has more dialogue options when you ask her to carry things, do things, etc. It didn't break my advancd save. It integrated, very seamlessly, with my old game. I did have one strange occurance on my first playthrough. I built the house in Falkreath. No House Carl because I hadn't become a Thane, yet. I built and furnished a house. I moved my family in. I gave my daughter two new dresses and she was in her underwear. Rather than restarting I went and got one of the dresses from her dresser and she instantly was dressed again. I then put it back and everything was fine. I was a little taken aback by that but it has never recurred. I haven't given her two dresses again.
I'm between game computers, right now, because intel and Nvidia keep moving the target and I'm the cheapest person you never met. i just find it hard to spend $2000 dollars on a computer that I know I will want to upgrade in two weeks. LOL. I haven't replaced the computer that went to college yet, but I will, eventually.
Some ideas about mods. Besides the obvious of selecting a location not supported by Hearthfire, there are some things that intrigue me. The first is the ability to place a building station behind Breezehome and build the cellar, furniture, etc. that I prefer in Breezehome. Rather than a placeable mod, just a simple replacement mod. As mentioned earlier, the ability to build the room and then decide on the function. The ability to build more, different outbuildings and even start a village. The ability rebuild wrecked houses. The ability to repair the walls and gates on forts. I can't wait to see what the modders can do with this framework of abilities.
I believe Bethesda has great plans for their "cash cow"; The Elder Scrolls! The only problem is that The Elder Scrolls story is so complex and in-depth- the very nature of the Elder Scrolls themselves allow for infinite possibilities to take place in The Elder Scrolls lore. This might be a problem because many fans might want to see a certain story to be told, while the same kind of fans might want to see another part of the story to unravel which could cause a problem for future titles. Sure, gameplay is very impalortant and sadly a lot of people look at DLC's as an extension to gameplay when they should realy be extensions of lore! Gameplay should be at OPTIMAL performance without adding DLC's to enhance it. Sure, that is a lot to ask from the developers, but it goes back to my last argument.
Arguably, Bethesda is the best out there because of the modding community. If it weren't for these wonderful modders such discussions would probably take place in a huka-bar-n-grill with no real effect on the game itself. The best we can hope for is that Bethesda keeps to the integrity of the lore and continue the story in a manner that can please both new and old fans.
... Sadly, great, epic stories such as The Elder Scrolls will sooner-or-later become a mainstream "please anyone, and everyone" game. I will always enjoy Morriwind, Oblivion, and Skyrim because these are great games with so much soul put into them....
Oh, well.... At least i still have Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeros to look forward to.
EDIT
I don't mean to sound to pessimistic ^_^ When it comes to The Elder Scrolls I have nothing but the highest hopes.
EDIT#2
By this time all the DLC for Oblivion came out already, so MAYBE Bethesda has much more content for us than we can think of at this moment. Hopefully they aren't depending on modders to expand on the epic of Skyrim. I have a strong suspicion that their final DLC releases will permanently put Skyrim in the top 20 best games ever made if not the top TEN!
EDIT#3
I AM THE PRESIDENT OF JELLY BEANS.
It's just the same as choosing a Nord over being a High Elf, you like one, and don't like the other. That's why options exist, if you're complaining about being given the option to do something, then you should probably jump off a cliff or something. Life is all about options, so give up wasting your time in complaining about the road you don't want nor need to take.
Then i added more followers better skin texture ...i mean i gave a complete rework on the game i think if a xbox player would come to my house and watched the game he/she would ask what game is that? XD
HOWEVER i kinda draw the line in mashing games together Skyrim is Skyrim LOTR is LOTR so for me is NoThankYouVeryMuch.
Still having a pc for this kinda of games is not just wise is a complete necessity and buying this kinda games for any other platform, pardon my french, is shear stupidity ...
Also i have seen some videos about the upcoming expansion(for us pc users atleast) and was thinking okay that seems fun but basic ...OMG the modders will have their plates full with home improvements and giving complete reworks on those houses ...
Few seconds later i was HELL YEAH i have a pc XD and felt good XD
Once the community saves MERP and that is released, I'll probably EASILY put 500 hours into this game from just that one mod. Nine times the size of skyrim? Based on the greatest fantasy story every put into words? Hell yeah! Save MERP!
(Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about).
Hopefully, with mods (and in conjunction with my lamentable CK skills) I'll be able to play the family/steward/house bard stuff in a genuinely customised house with all the racks/bookshelves and mannequins I want located next to a combined crafting area.
It's Skyrim oriented.