In keeping with a pattern I’ve tried to kick off this week, and because in addition to most things Ultima I do try and put some focus on other RPG series, I’ve decided that each Thursday from here on will feature a post which aggregates any news about Bethesda Softworks and their excellent RPG series The Elder Scrolls, the latest entry of which is the fifth, entitled Skyrim. (As though anyone needed me to tell them that!)

Where’s the interest for Ultima fans? Mostly in the kinds of worlds that Bethesda crafts. Beginning with the third game in the series (Morrowind) and especially in Skyrim, Bethesda has made real strides not only in creating and presenting players with massive open worlds that are often quite fun to explore, but in populating those worlds with dynamic characters and situations.

Their current game, Skyrim, has soared to new heights in this regard, with its Radiant AI imparting to the game’s world a real sense of presence, of being alive, that has been sorely lacking in most Western RPGs since the days of Ultima. And, of course, it features a massive, gorgeously detailed open world to explore.

Where are the prettiest locations in Skyrim?

PC Gamer offers you a guide to help find them, in the form of a video.

The article also includes some basic pointers on how to modify Skyrim’s configuration files and use its console commands to perform various functions which may be of use to any aspiring Skyrim filmmakers.

Skyrim v1.4 Patch Beta available for PC!

Bethesda are evidently rolling out the beta version of their next update for Skyrim to PC users first. Because PC gamers are, naturally, just that much more awesome.

If you like, you can pick up the patch via Steam.

Where does Skyrim fail?

IGN attempts to answer the question. Here’s one thought they have:

Removing the arbitrary good/evil meter so many other games employ is a step in the right direction, but there’s nothing taking its place. Instead, in order to let you meander about as an RPG Main Character at leisure, Skyrim opts to be a static, consequence-free world that revolves around you. And so, every being with vocal chords won’t let you take two steps without jumping at the chance to spew some canned catchphrase in your direction.

This sort of thing works in, say, Modern Warfare, where meticulously linear scripting rules the day, but in Skyrim’s wide-open reaches? Not so much. And that’s just the beginning.

I’ve heard that there are a few quests in the game which you can’t pass in any way that does not involve committing some form of evil action, which has understandably upset some players. I would count that as a failure on Bethesda’s part, as well.

Like Skyrim’s quest markers?

It looks like someone might be trying to make a real-life product out of them.