with Bethesda's Bruce Nesmith
Written by Jeff Buckland, 3/23/2007
If you're a fan of RPGs, you've doubtless heard of (and probably played the hell out of) Bethesda Softworks' massive hit The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. After about a year's worth of smaller add-ons, we're now getting a full-featured expansion pack in about a week called The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles with a new landmass inside the plane of Oblivion that just happens to be the domain of the insane Daedric prince Sheogorath. I got the chance to ask Bethesda design director Bruce Nesmith some questions about Shivering Isles, so let's get to it!
Jeff: The Shivering Isles are the domain of Daedric prince Sheogorath. What's the overall feel of the Isles like?
Bruce: We wanted a completely fresh look to everything. So we created all new art for the Shivering Isles. The ground, the trees, the rocks, even the sky is new. All the creatures, clothing, buildings, even the water is new. When you first step into the Shivering Isles, it's quite breathtaking.
The Shivering Isles is divided into two regions, Mania and Dementia. The land is a reflection of Sheogorath and embodies his madness. Mania is a place of bright colors and wild growth. It has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. Dementia is the darker side of madness. It's dark and brooding and filled with dead trees and rotting vegetation.
On the people side, every one is a bit off. Each NPC has his own special brand of madness. It colors their conversation and any quests that you might get from them. For example, there is an Orc that is deathly afraid of cats. Unfortunately, he is constantly being followed around by a Khajiit. I don't think I need to say what the Orc wants.
Jeff: Is Sheogorath going to be playing some sick jokes here like he did in Oblivion?
Bruce: He's got a few tricks up his sleeves. Early on he forces you to experience the Mania and Dementia for yourself. After all, you need personal experience with these things if you are going to serve Sheogorath. He also has a tendency to ramble on about cheese. To say any more would be to give away the plot.
Jeff: The downloadable content has been great so far, but there have also been some excellent user-made mods. Do you have any favorites? Are there any mods where the development team went, "We need to do something like this in Shivering Isles"?
Bruce: I don't personally use any of the user-made mods, but I've seen a number of them on other people's machines. There is a great mod that customizes the inventory interface to allow for smaller type. [Editor's note: that's BTMod.] The mod that replaces all the distant landscape objects with the up close, higher res versions produces some amazing views, although you need a very high end machine to run it. [Ed: that one's AEVWD.] That said, no, there really wasn't anything we saw and felt the need to include or replicate in Shivering Isles.
I look forward to seeing what the user community comes up with for the Shivering Isles.
Jeff: Will there be any new music?
Bruce: No. We will be using the same music as Oblivion.
