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Posted by: Caleb Welty at Jan. 18, 2011 7:28 am

Game Informer has just posted an exclusive feature article detailing the technological improvements Bethesda Softworks has made for Skyrim. As you would expect, Game Informer has packed in a lot of details...but we'll do our best to summarize the most important!

- Bethesda has completely rewritten the game engine for Skyrim and has dubbed it the 'Creation Engine and Kit'. This new engine is specifically designed for Skyrim's northern mountain wilderness environment, which means lots of snow effects! They've also overhauled the draw distance and light and shadow technology. Their goal was that the engine would be able to dynamically handle both the sweeping vistas and the flickering lights and shadows immediately in front of the player.
- Speaking of snow and the environment, Bethesda put a lot of effort into both realistic snowfall and snow accumulation. As snow falls in the game the amount that accumulates will differ depending on the surface.
- The creation of trees has also been overhauled. Now, instead of just leaves flickering in the wind the entire tree will respond. Individual branches will be assigned weight, which will influence how much violently they are moved by the wind.
- Character AI, or as Bethesda refers to it 'Radiant AI', has also been overhauled. No longer will you see NPC's loitering in a city square. Now everyone has been assigned jobs and tasks that are impacted by gameplay. For instance, a bar keeper will be actively serving drinks, cleaning tables, etc. If you kill him and than return to the bar later in the game, you'll discover that someone else in his family has taken on the bar keeping responsibilities. Oh and they won't be pleased that you killed their brother, father, etc.
- Quests are now tailored for individual players. If an NPC recognizes that you are a terror with a bow, they'll give you a quest designed for that skill. Or maybe they'll ask you to train them or challenge you to a duel. Oh and that family member who had to take over the family bar because of your dastardly deed? They are looking for revenge and the quest they'll give you could reflect that.

Well there you have it. More and more details on what could be the biggest game the year!

Source: Game Informer

Filters: PC, PS3, X360, RPG

Tags: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda Softworks