Greetings! I am Brendan Anthony, also known as Raptormeat on the forums (and, unfortunately, sometimes also known as Mr. Meat around the office). I have been a gi-normous Elder Scrolls fan for many years and had the chance to join the team as a programmer after Morrowind. To have the opportunity to work not just on Oblivion in general, but specifically on some nifty magic, physics, and graphical effects is a tremendous honor, and I’m really psyched to reveal some of my favorite features and info to you guys.

In my humble opinion, magic is one area in which The Elder Scrolls has always excelled. The multiple schools, the vast selection of magic effects, and especially the ability to combine them together to create unique spells all add up to a very satisfying freeform gaming experience. With that in mind, one of the first things that you will notice about magic in Oblivion is that it is relatively similar to what we’ve seen in previous TES games. The spellmaker is there (Mages Guild members only!), we have kept the same six magic schools, and there are still a ton of magic effects and enchanted items. There’s lots of new stuff too, as well as many improvements to the feel of the whole system, but as far as basic functionality the idea is evolution over revolution.

For example, in a previous developer diary, Steve Meister mentioned how players can now cast spells and swing weapons at any time, without switching from one mode to the other. This is worth mentioning again, as it’s a small improvement that gives large returns – fights are more visceral, casting spells is easier, and those who use both weapons and magic will be able to do so very fluidly.

“Yeah”, I hear you say, “that’s all well and good for Battlemages, but what about all of us pure magic users?” Take my advice – lose the sword and replace it with a staff enchanted with a ranged spell. These babies act just like rocket launchers; when used, the caster holds the staff out in front of him/herself and hurls a powerful projectile out of the business end. Best of all, just like normal weapons, you are able to use these enchanted staffs while casting regular spells with your free hand, an experience that you won’t want to miss. Combine all of this with the fact that Magicka now regenerates constantly (just like Fatigue, albeit more slowly) and mages can be pretty badass indeed.

Let’s move to some pure magic goodness – projectiles, the indispensable tools of Mages across Tamriel. This time around, the team wanted to give each projectile type its own flavor, both through unique gameplay perks and cool graphical effects. Cast a Frost Damage spell, for example, and a cloud of icy vapor will issue forth, enveloping the immediate area. This cloud will hang in the air for the duration of the spell, afflicting anything that enters. Try casting a Shock Damage spell, on the other hand, and you are in for a much different experience. There’s no meandering cloud or contained ball involved here; casting Shock Bolt will let loose a white-hot lightning bolt, which rips through the air towards the target and then chains out to anyone unlucky enough to be standing within the area of impact. Even the classic fireball has received some upgrades. A Fire Damage spell will cause the target(s) to burst into flame for as long as the spell lasts. If they’re really unfortunate, it will be an area spell and create a huge explosion, blowing characters, clutter, and scenery back with the all of the kinetic energy stored within. (sidenote: Havok physics + giant explosion + flaming skeletons = I love my job!)