Skyrim - Hearthfire

poshcouture

The newest dlc for Skyrim has been confirmed by Bethesda. Check out the trailer.


http://www.thegamingvalt.com/2012/08/new-skyrim-dlc-called-hearthfire-allows-house-building/

Edit: Although as a PS3 owner, I'm still waiting for Dawnguard. Probably won't see Hearthfire until next summer. :grumble:

Alliwan

couldnt get your link to work, but hope there's more to it then just playing house....altho as a ps3 owner i dont ahve Dawnguard either.

Desterknee

I am PS3 too

Nerple

couldnt get your link to work, but hope there's more to it then just playing house....altho as a ps3 owner i dont ahve Dawnguard either.

the "u" in gamingvault is missing on the link.

I just downloaded Dawnguard a week ago but haven't had a chance to play since I've been traveling and it runs like crap on my laptop.

My first impression is that I would love it if it came a lot earlier or in the original edition. But it's not anything that would entice me to play again. But maybe if they add another expansion I'll really get some use out of it leveling up a new character.

Genem30

This seems silly. Maybe someone will make a mod that makes your wife/kids speak in Simlish. Then it might be mildly entertaining.

But not for money.

sed1217

My husband told me about this last night; he came home from work and said: "Skyrim is releasing a Sarah expansion." It's so true, I'm so psyched!!! It's kind of like a cross between the Sims and Fable smushed onto Skyrim, which is fundamentally all I am looking for in a game. I can design my house. I can have cows. I can decorate. I can fight dragons. Yes, yes, yes, YES!

Mr_Cape219

I just bought skyrim. ANd I just realized that since I got it for the PS3, I dont have access to Dawngaurd.

..I'm a sad panda now..

poshcouture

I still have it on PC through Steam - I gave my hard copy to my brother after I purchased it for my PS3. I'm not even sure why I'm whining. I can access Dawnguard on PC, but all my trophies are on PS3 - how lame is that?

drmerc

PS3 as well. At this so point I'm so disappointed I probably wont be buying any skyrim DLC

JosianneC

When I first saw the trailer all I could think of was... Sims Skyrim style

BaconMD

So that trailer wasn't a joke? Wow. This seems completely pointless. I'd rather have horse armor.

Bethesda is doing a great job losing my money, though. As a PS3 owner, constantly getting DLC late, if at all, has meant that by the time it's released, I don't even care anymore. I was done with Skyrim months ago. Borderlands, Far Cry 3, and Dishonored will be taking my gaming time shortly. Hmm...I guess they'll get my money for Dishonored.

AnexRavensong

Don't knock the Hearthfire it has its uses!

In regards to PS3 and DLC it is always that way. PS3 just has a problem when it comes to DLC. Skyrim is the only one that has had issues.

Copy/Pasting my Review/Opinion piece on Hearthfire, use the link for better formatting:
(source: http://anex-unnecessaryblogage.blogspot.fr/2012/09/skyrim-hearthfire-my-thoughts.html)

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Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you have heard of Skyrim's latest DLC add-on: Hearthfire released September 4, 2012. Hearthfire goes for 400 MS points and gives you the ability to buy land, build a house and adopt children.

Some people have compared it to The Sims. Since I don't play The Sims (nor do I care for it), I'm not going to compare it to that game. For me, Hearthfire is the final piece that makes Skyrim almost the new Fable, and I loved me some Fable.

In my opinion, Hearthfire is something that probably should have been included with the game from the get-go. I'm not saying it is so important that there was a great lack in the game without it, but it is one of those things that would have been so much more useful and enjoyed during the course of game play and leveling up than crudely tacked on 10 months later when the majority of people have already finished the main quest and stopped playing.

__The Good Points__

Hearthfire is mainly going to appeal to that niche of players, like me, who love creating in video games; making things, customization (those who are obsessed with customizing will also be a bit disappointed with it, more on that in a bit) etc. However, even for those who could care less about making a pretty house and adopting children (or "Skyrim Brats", or even "Dragon Fodder" as I have heard them lovingly referred to) Skyrim: Hearthfire can be a very useful tool.

The new homes provide an over abundance of space, you'll have more chests and storage space than you know what to do with. That is great news for anyone who is an organized freak like myself and likes to assign certain items to certain chests. Then there's also the ability to add crafting tables. For ONCE you can now have all possible crafting tables in one convenient location (including a forge and smelter! albeit located in the main hall cellar) with chests nearby (great for storing crafting materials)! No more hauling Dragon Bones and Scales across town at crawling speeds to make armor and weapons. Oh if only I had had this add-on sooner! How much easier it would have been!

__The Bad__

There are some down sides however, the biggest being the cost of building a home in-game. Since I have been playing for a while (I'm still going for all achievements earned in Skyrim), I've amassed a large sum of money, easily over 200K gold. I didn't keep track of how much exactly I spent (I really should have) but I think it was roughly just under 10k which doesn't sound like all that much for a completely furnished home, but can be a lot of money for the younger character.

Another downside are the locations, at 5k a pop, I wouldn't call them ideal. Simultaneously, I probably care more about this than the average player. You have 3 to choose from, the first I was offered (via a letter by courier) was Lake View Manor in a foresty location near Falkreath.

*Lake View Manor is probably one of the better and "prettier" locations, beside a cliff and over looking a lake. However, if you're into roleplay (which I know most aren't), this is a bad place to raise children. You see, right behind your house down a cute little path is a sacrificial altar with a Necromancer. If you don't mind letting your children play cultist, then this is great.
* Winstad Manor is in the salt marshes of Hjaalmarch (talk with the steward in Morthal for this one). Salt Marshes. Need I say more?
*Heljarchen Hall is an alright place. Despite purchasing this piece of land from Dawnstar and technically located in The Pale, it is actually slower to Whiterun. It is located right next to a giant camp and snows a lot though.

Then there is the teensy annoyance of pseudo-customization. Yeah, pseudo-customization. I don't know about you, but when I saw the Skyrim: Hearthfire trailer, I was under the impression that I would have a lot of control over what I would make, what my home would look like (to an extent) and thought every home would be unique. That isn't the case.

Essentially you create a house on one of 3 pieces of land (or all if you want, there's an achievement for that). Each house consists of parts: Small Home/Entry Way (you can transform it to an entry way after enlarging the home), Main Hall, optional cellar (worth it in my opinion) and 3 Wings of "your choosing". Available wings are: Armory, Kitchen, Library, Bedrooms, Green house, Enchanter's Tower, Storage Room, Trophy Room, and Alchemy Laboratory.

So as I said, you only get 3 Wings. Not what I was hoping for, but ok, I can understand you gotta choose wisely. Fair enough. But wait! There's more! You see each wing has a name: East Wing, North Wing and West Wing and some of those rooms belong to a certain wing.

East Wing- Armory, Kitchen, Library
West Wing- Bedrooms, Green House, Enchanter's Tower
North Wing- Storage Room, Trophy Room, Alchemy Laboratory

This is where I, lover of customization, get annoyed.Having to pick 3 I could deal with, being limited to having a Library OR an Armory? I can't. I have spent my Skyrim life collecting all kinds of books, so the Library was a no-brainer for me. I have also spent my time collecting weapons and armor sets (especially having done the Oblivion Walker achievement) which I love to display (when display cases, plaques and mannequins aren't bugged to where they eat the items....). So more limitations. Frustrating. Yes, it is possible to build more than one house; but I wanted MY house, the way I wanted it.

After you have finally decided and built your home, wings and all, there comes the task of filling your home with furniture. I really wondered how this would be pulled off, if Besthesda had FINALLY found a more reliable method of placing furniture than dropping things and dragging/throwing them around hoping the land right side up and where you want. It just wouldn't be possible otherwise. I found the answer as a hollow resounding NO.

Once again, we have pseudo-customization. I know, I know. I'm more harsh about this than most people, but man was I disappointed. Filling your home is more a matter of building everything the room allows you to build. Everything has its set place and set items. The only thing you can control is the order in which you build it and what NOT to build. Cue sad trombone.

__The Interesting__

You can have pets and farm animals. Doesn't give you anything, but makes the area feel "alive".

The children are interesting and quite interactive. They play, they pout, they talk back, and they can be nice and cute, a bit like real children. (Mine runs around singing with her doll).
The problem is they are so interactive with you (they run to greet you when you come home after a long trip) and their surroundings that your spouse feels really robotic. They don't even interact with the children and the children don't interact with them. I found that disappointing.

__The Verdict__

Overall I think the add-on is worth 400 ms points (about 5 USD).

It wasn't spectacular as an add-on, but it has its uses. Storage space is a precious commodity and the possibility of having ALL available crafting tables within close proximity of chests/wardrobes is invaluable. Having all the crafting tables located in the same "zone" is also great for those who hate loading (With the exception of Smithing craft amenities located together in the cellar which is its own zone).

Although I was largely disappointed on some points, for most players that won't be an issue. For those who don't care to spend many hours deciding where best to place furniture etc, it may even be a bonus. The benefits of storage and convenience out weighs everything else.