Dreaming the pyramid

Over 800 NPCs: Assassins, thieves, pickpockets, bards, pilgrims, alchemists, hunters, adventurers, varied Imperial Forces, barbarians, nightblades, commoners, hired guards, priests and healers, scavengers, tomb raiders, bandits & wizards, fences, infamous villains, heros - these are just some of the new and interesting types of characters you will encounter in TIE. Above all else, this feature is the singlemost visual addition to the vanilla game. All custom made NPCs feature vanilla content and items for their clothing, behaviour, items, and weaponry. Think of it as Morrowind Comes Alive - for Oblivion.

Tamriel Travelers: CorePC contributed and slightly modified his amazing mod to be included within TIE. Some of the NPCs can be traded with. These really add life and interest to the roads in general.

Spellmaking Altars within Chapels. In line with modified spells and potions suitable for thieving types, TIE now enables the player to create their own spells via altars - provided they're able to sneak in undetected...

Rarer Lockpicks and repair hammers: Gear up before heading out. If you run out of picks, try pickpocketing, thieving, the fences, and if you want a real challenge, you can try to approach Bandit Thieves in nearby camps as they will sell some. Just make sure you don't unsheath any weaponry around them. Most vendors still carry a hammer or two, so buy 'em up fast when you see them.

Owned Crates and Barrels: No - not "Pwned". Owned. It used to really irk me to see how easy the player can loot barrels and crates in plain sight and never get arrested. Now all town and city barrels and crates have ownership. The exceptions are ones found in forts, ruins, caves, and various wilderness areas.

Hunting Poisons: These mixtures help players ensure they get their game. Upon impact, deer and boar, sheep and a few other animals will fall down, get back up, and run away mortally wounded. If you're quick, you can get a second shot in and finish them off. Otherwise they'll run away and you'll have to track 'em down. If a second shot isn't put in to finish the kill, they'll usually run around two hundred yards or so and die.

Tougher Sneaking and Pickpocketing: The Sneaking/pickpocketing system has been revamped somewhat and follows a certain logic. Most commoners are easier to sneak up and pickpocket than other thieves, warriors and such. Imperial Forces are definitely tough to catch off their guard so if you have a bounty on your head, tread lightly.

Fences: There are several in the game, but getting to them safely can be tricky. First you have to find their location and what times they prefer to ply their trades, then you have to make sure Undercover Imperial Agents haven't set up ambushes to arrest you on sight. How do you find a Fence? The first clue is in one of the secret lairs - which in turn is accessible only by key (scour the dungeon tutorial to find this key - especially near the end in the sewers).

Pickpockets: You'll be pleasantly surprised to see thieves and other lowlifes actually stealing and running from the law in-game. And here is the best thing: you get to keep what they've stolen. Of course, you'll have to be able to keep up with them first.

Secret Entrances: Tired of waltzing through the front door to try to steal stuff? These entrances fix the problem in grand fashion. To find them, simply walk around the outskirts of every castle, town, and city in the game. Some are trapdoors, some are rope ladders thrown over pallisade walls. You'll definitely need to be somewhat of an acrobat to reach some of them.

Secret Lairs: No thief or assassin should be without some sort of home base. There are eight in total, ranging from lushly lit pads to worn out logs.

No more set Training Levels: Frustrated by the game telling you you can't train past a certain level? Well that's gone. Now, as long as you have the cash, trainers will train you to the maximum of their abilities in whatever skills they have.

Bounty and Infamy Payoff System: Morerunes is to thank for this cool feature. In vanilla Oblivion, one must be part of the Thieve's Guild in order to have bounties and infamy cleared up. No more. Now, as long as you ride a horse, swim, or run, you can set forth to have your good name cleared - until the next heist that is.

Diversified Imperial Forces: There you are in your favorite Inn, drinking some delicious mead served by the local Wench, and thinking you've safely outrun the local Watch. Think again...an officer might be right beside you. In TIE, thieves and assassins will have to watch not only for Imperial Guards, but also Bounty Hunters, Imperial Frogmen, Marksmen, and Battlemages. They can be anywhere, so be careful who you talk to...

Tougher Prison Escapes: Perhaps you are used to simply picking a lock, retrieving your stolen goods, safely sneaking past a sleeping Guard, and making your way outside to the exit. Heh heh...dream on. Expect a real challenge now to even be able to breath fresh air again. Now one must avoid traps and decoys as well as tougher and smarter Guards. Escapes can be so difficult that you might find yourself thinking about giving up and returning to jail to serve your sentence. Sure beats getting a sharp broadhead up the [censored].

Non Leveled Loot, Items, Creatures, and NPCs: This means exactly what it says. No more leveled anything anywhere in the game. In your first ten minutes, you can find Daedric armor as well as a cool sword - just as you can wander for ages and not find anything of great value.

This also applies to creatures. Oblivion realms can be filled with some real nasties or little scamp runts. It all depends.

Deadlier Traps: Watch your step in caves and ruins. Your next step might trigger a tripwire, sending a three to four hundred pound spiked log into your chest - OUCH!

Decreased Thieving Sounds: No more loud foot sneaking or opening doors or sacks. Now, just about every thieflike sound in the game has been lessened.

Gas Arrows: These tools are designed to help you safely infiltrate and scout restricted areas. NPCs knocked out by the reservoir's potent gases will remain unconscious for roughly five minutes - just enough to let you make that important grab and get out. However, sometimes they can backfire and alert nearby NPCs, so use them wisely. Purchase them from Fences.

Realistic Bandits: In vanilla Oblivion, leveling up in-game means becoming exposed to glass wearing Bandits and other baddies. Those days are history in TIE. Expect highly realistic and dangerous baddies to contend with - whether it's bandits, marauders, or conjurers.

Spiders: Named Dragonbacks, they come in two varieties: Eastern Dragonbacks and Western Dragonbacks. A single bite or sting will either kill or severely wound you within a four minute period unless promptly treated. And chances are unless your hearing is very good, you won't even hear the little bastards sneak up on you. The only indication you'll have that you've been bitten is that you'll feel a slight and temporary blurring of vision. Both kinds of Dragonbacks create very valid reasons for carrying Cure Poison potions or spells. If no Cure Poison potions are on hand, ingesting Restore Health potions can also help. Dragonbacks are normally docile creatures, attacking only when provoked or when they sense danger is near. Unsheathing weaponry in their midst is a surefire way to rile them up.

Realistic Wildlife: No mammoth sized bears or boars. Deer are much more fearful. Wolves usually flee on sight unless they're in packs. Mountain lions also usually flee on sight but will sometimes charge. Black bears usually flee but will sometimes attack. Packs of feral dogs now roam the wilderness. Rats are much smaller and faster and populate wilderness areas around farms and fields. You may also come across wild stallions that are bullyish and try to do you in. High, snowy regions now harbour rams, while small groups of sheep can be seen roaming the wilds below. There are also rumors of two or three gigantic Ogre and Minotaur Collosus beasts nearly fifty feet tall roaming the most remote regions of Tamriel. They may carry large amounts of gear and loot when felled. Some sewers now also contain a smaller form of Dreugh. Again, all creatures have been fully unlocked at game start, which means that if you want to stay relatively safe, then stick to the roads. As the Imperial guardsmen are often heard saying, ' the wilderness just isn't safe anymore'. And the best part is, all of these creatures have more developed predator/prey type relationships: wolves will actively hunt deer and many other creatures. So will bear, boars, and mountain lions.

Morrowind Ingredients: Remember Flin, Grief, and Matze? They're in here. Other nice ingredients and foods such as roobrush, marshmarrow, and even scrib jerky are in TIE as well.

Better and more lethal Archery: This applies not only to your own equipment, but that of baddies as well. Beware bow equipped Wood Elf bandits...

Fully interconnected Imperial City Underground: If you want a real adventure, try going underneath the Imperial City sewer system. There, you will encounter vampires, assassins, tomb raiders, scavengers, beggars, diseased rats and crabs, and much else. You may even survive long enough to catch fresh air again. Also, rumors exist of a mysterious visitor in the city's depths...

Fiercer Combat: In previous versions of TIE, players often complained of combat being too difficult (it is). However, version 1.26 now has shields becoming far greater assets for would-be warriors and brawlers. In most instances, Shields have had their ratings boosted up by over 400% and their health by over 1000% for longer lasting battles. If you can time your strikes right and protect your vitals, shield equipped fighters should not feel overly handicapped in TIE.

Another feature of combat in TIE is the chance of contracting various crippling diseases. And why not? After all, you are engaging dirty, roughed up individuals who have not washed in days or weeks.

Deadlier Vampires: TIE's 'denizens of the night' are no longer affected by normal weaponry, so take very good care of that shiny silver sword. Better yet, bring two. And don't skimp out on health potions either...

Fatigue and Health: In version 1.26, all health and fatigue potions and spells and enchantments have been modified to be much more realistic and less forgiving. However, they also tend to be more powerful. The way they work now is that instead of gulping a health potion and instantly gaining back health, health levels come back slowly over time. The same goes for fatigue. So if you've taken a few bad hits and are running away from bandits and expect to have your stats boosted miraculously, you just may end up dead. Calculate your battles...

Greater Underwater Argonians Population: See that funny looking head popping up occasionally in the waters of the misty swamp? Chances are it belongs to one of Black Marsh's citizens.

New and Useful Literature: If you've just found a safe haven within a cave and have a few minutes to spare, you might want to give a few new books a read. There is "Tactics and Maneuvers: The Field Tactician's Handbook", various recon reports for every town and city, a Mythic Dawn NOC (Non-Official Cover) list, and more. The handbook, in particular, has many dozens of tips on how to best survive the dangerous Tamrielic landscape.

Safer Roads: For those days when you just want to leave the quests alone and pick flowers and enjoy the great sunsets instead. Just don't step off the road...

Rideable Bandit Steeds: They may be a little jittery and not have saddles, but these make perfect (if not temporary) escape companions for when you've successfully stolen from dangerous baddies and need a quick getaway. Just make sure no bandits wake up or the steeds will take off.

More Restricted Areas: Duggedank worked his magic to give us increased risks in "going behind the counter" in stores, Inns, and in certain castle areas. Three warnings from the local Guards and you'll be either killed or arrested, so watch out...

Lower Encumbrance: You're just getting out of jail, so your encumbrance will have taken a direct hit. No more carrying everything you find from the tutorial. Now you have to pick and choose your items carefully otherwise you'll be too weighed down.

In-Game Time Goes by Less Quick. One minute of real time equals ten minutes in-game time instead of thirty minutes. This is great for thieving, since you no longer feel rushed in loot filled areas.

Better Clutter: Now everything you pick up has value - including cups, forks, tongs. Yay - finally a reason to loot crates and barrels! Now, where was that fence located?

Revamped weapons and armor system. What I played around with the most are the weights, damage points, and health. Also, all vendors only sell either iron or steel or fur and leather as well as some Elven. The fancier stuff has to be searched for in ruins, forts, caves, and elsewhere. Bring good adventurer's gear with you if you plan to hunt for it. Iron for instance, is nearly everywhere. It is dependable and very hard hitting though easily broken. It is also much heavier. Steel is both relatively light, slightly less hard hitting than iron, but much easier to maintain. Elven weaponry and armour is exquisitely light, very hard hitting, but also requires constant care and attention in order to keep in good condition. Silver is hard hitting and heavy, but very easy to maintain. Also quite a bit more valuable. Dwarven arms and armour are the workhorses of the lot; extremely tough and lethal, though they are as heavy as iron. Very easy to keep in top condition. Glass arms and armor is a bit wierd. It technically falls under the light category, but have you ever lifted a large solid glass item? It's a beast to lift! But in TES, it is classified as light so I kept it light. Extremely lethal, but also difficult to keep in top condition. Very valuable if you find it though. Bring lots of hammers. Ebony is heavy, tough, and valuable. It is also rarely come across. If you see it in-game somewhere, stash it. Daedric, as usual, is the rarest, heaviest, and most precious stuff of the lot.