Containers showing as empty : V

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:02 am

There's a rumour floating around that containers (barrels, chests, sacks, drawers. crates, etc) will show as empty if they have nothing in them, before you've even looked inside. Anyone know if this is true?

It's not a major deal I guess, but it seems like a bit of a strange design choice. I mean, how would the character know that the container was empty before looking inside?

( thought it better to post this in the spoilers forum rather than the general discussion, as i'm not sure whether these rumours have arisen from people playing the game illegally or whether it's taken from some article / hands-on preview )

» Mon May 14, 2012 2:50 pm

It's true, but in reality it's a great design choice. It saves you opening a container, seeing nothing, closing it, checking the next one, seeing nothing... just saves a lot of time when you've got a lot of things to search through. Same thing was used in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

I went back to Oblivion after playing the new Fallouts and not having it drove me up the wall lol.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:43 pm

It's true, but in reality it's a great design choice. It saves you opening a container, seeing nothing, closing it, checking the next one, seeing nothing... just saves a lot of time when you've got a lot of things to search through. Same thing was used in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

I went back to Oblivion after playing the new Fallouts and not having it drove me up the wall lol.

I agree, x-ray vision is great for thieves.

» Mon May 14, 2012 11:59 am

Yep, I've seen it myself. It's a feature that carried over from F3 and F:NV

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:31 pm

It's true, but in reality it's a great design choice. It saves you opening a container, seeing nothing, closing it, checking the next one, seeing nothing... just saves a lot of time when you've got a lot of things to search through. Same thing was used in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

I went back to Oblivion after playing the new Fallouts and not having it drove me up the wall lol.

I feel the same way. However, when I first played Fallout I ended up opening empty crates anyway because of my habit to instantly activate any containers nearby while I'm going on "loot-mode". :tongue:

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:13 pm

I feel the same way. However, when I first played Fallout I ended up opening empty crates anyway because of my habit to instantly activate any containers nearby while I'm going on "loot-mode". :tongue:

Lmao yeah I did that too

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:53 am

It's true, but in reality it's a great design choice. It saves you opening a container, seeing nothing, closing it, checking the next one, seeing nothing... just saves a lot of time when you've got a lot of things to search through. Same thing was used in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

I went back to Oblivion after playing the new Fallouts and not having it drove me up the wall lol.

I can see how it's slightly more convenient for the player... but still... it's kind've unrealistic.

Meh, I guess i'll just have to get used to it.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:52 pm

Thank the Madgod, it's such a time waster. Now to get a calipers and tongs filter.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:57 pm

Thank the Madgod, it's such a time waster. Now to get a calipers and tongs filter.

That's the thing... you're still going to be looking in a lot of containers filled with junk. If anything, i'd say that was what made looking for good loot tedious in Oblivion, not opening empty containers (which didn't seem that common anyway).

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:19 pm

That's the thing... you're still going to be looking in a lot of containers filled with junk. If anything, i'd say that was what made looking for good loot tedious in Oblivion, not opening empty containers (which didn't seem that common anyway).

Yeah that's true lol. In Fallout you still had loads of containers that while they were not empty, still contained a load of crap...

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:23 pm

While certainly not realistic, it's definitely a welcome change in my books.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:32 pm

If the containers are barrels and crates, I'm up for it. But sometimes lockpicking should remain a challenge even if the reward is actually an insult or an injury...

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:57 am

I can see how it's slightly more convenient for the player... but still... it's kind've unrealistic.

I don't know, it's a fine line. Oblivion has bags that look full even when they're empty. Obviously putting an "empty" tag on them isn't the best solution, but it'll probably save me some time going through containers over and over again that I should know are empty beforehand.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:18 am

I don't know, it's a fine line. Oblivion has bags that look full even when they're empty. Obviously putting an "empty" tag on them isn't the best solution, but it'll probably save me some time going through containers over and over again that I should know are empty beforehand.

When you think about it though, it's kind've unrealistic to be searching every last container in every room you enter anyway, unless you're after something specific like a lockpick or a key. The good loot is usually found in locked chests, which are easy to identify. If players insist on searching every crate, pot or barrel they come across, then it's partially their own fault for making things tedious for themselves.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:22 pm

There was a mod for Fallout out that got rid of the [empty] sign on containers. I'd imagine someone will make the same mod for Skyrim.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:06 am

If the containers are barrels and crates, I'm up for it. But sometimes lockpicking should remain a challenge even if the reward is actually an insult or an injury...

I'm pretty sure locked containers just have [locked] instead of [empty] so you have to lockpick then before you can see if they are empty first.

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:56 am

Yep, I've seen it myself. It's a feature that carried over from F3 and F:NV

Oh thank god it is back! It will save me hours of watching my wife open every container.

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:03 am

I don't know, it's a fine line. Oblivion has bags that look full even when they're empty. Obviously putting an "empty" tag on them isn't the best solution, but it'll probably save me some time going through containers over and over again that I should know are empty beforehand.

Then again, EMPTY doesn't have to mean Empty, it could also just mean, Nothing of Value to You in Here.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:52 pm

While certainly not realistic, it's definitely a welcome change in my books.

That's how I feel.

Saves time so it is what it is.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:47 pm

Yep, If Its empty, It will say it is, If its not, it will say nothing.

Like Fallout.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:28 pm

I can see how it's slightly more convenient for the player... but still... it's kind've unrealistic.

Meh, I guess i'll just have to get used to it.

It doesn't have to be realistic. Its a video game with dragons, elves and magic.

Plus it saves me time.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:21 am

It doesn't have to be realistic. Its a video game with dragons, elves and magic.

Plus it saves me time.

There's realism in terms of what we know as reality on Earth, then there's video-game realism. I meant the latter. Just because a game is set in a fantasy world doesn't mean it can't be a believable fantasy world.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:58 pm

What does this empty sign look like in fallout? Does the word "empty" just appear when you look at the crate, or is there an icon (i.e. the red hand for stealing) that's supposed to represent an empty container when you scroll over it?

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:53 pm

I can see how it's slightly more convenient for the player... but still... it's kind've unrealistic.

Meh, I guess i'll just have to get used to it.

And this is one of those scenarios where ppl who said it shouldnt be in because of realism
Were gonna miss out on good loot feature
Its a time saver and it adds a new dynamic of
"is the loot at tye end of this dungeon already empty or not?"

» Mon May 14, 2012 2:09 pm

Wait, you have X-ray Vision of Containers? O.o

Not something i would have chose, why can't they just leave the container open as a sign that it's Empty?
it just seems weird having X-ray Vision ._.