The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim continues to be a regular topic of discussion among gamers despite the game's original release date 10 years ago. This is due in part to Skyrim's multiple re-releases on different platforms and a healthy modding community that continues to add new material to the acclaimed RPG. One team of modders has been working on a total conversion mod for Skyrim that turns the game into The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, called Skyblivion. The TES Renewal Project team recently released a video diary update that shows off more of the progress the Skyblivion mod has made at the close of 2020.
The Skyblivion mod has been in development for at least 7 years now, and the people behind its creation are still hard at work. Skyblivion is a completely fan-made mod for Skyrim, so it doesn't benefit from the same progress a large team of paid employees might be able to make. Despite this, Skyblivion looks good and becomes more playable each and every day, and the latest update showcases quest-building, 3D models, and more.
In the Skyblivion Development Diary Part 2 update, the team highlights some of the biggest advances made in creating the total conversion mod. As of the end of 2020, the team was on schedule for recreating 7 out of the 10 unique map sections in Skyblivion for a map that is a third larger than Skyrim. Each of the original Oblivion locations like the Jerall Mountains and the Colovian Highlands represent unique biomes to remaster, along with the many hidden locations in Oblivion within these biomes.
The progress on 3D modeling in the game has come a long way as well, with 8032 individual objects to render. The team's latest focus has been on redesigning assets to mirror the different classes of people in the world, whether lower, middle, or upper class. Luckily, the team behind Skyblivion have had some help from another Skyrim modding group, Beyond Skyrim, who have lent them multiple architecture assets.
But maybe the biggest reveal of the video is Skyblivion's semi-functioning quest system. While most quests in Skyblivion still suffer from many issues that would prevent a player from completing them, the work is being done to put the 219 quests in Oblivion into the mod. A lengthy section of the Development Diary Part 2 is devoted to gameplay of the quest Revenge Served Cold, and while there are a few hiccups along the way, the quest is able to be completed.
The Skyblivion mod will support the Skyrim Legacy Edition and Skyrim Special Edition and will be completely modular, which means gamers can download parts of the mod they want to install and leave others out. Unfortunately, there is still no announced time when Skyblivion might come out, nor is there any updates on the TES Renewal Project team's other mod project, Skywind. Some Elder Scrolls fans speculate that these mods might never be released, but at least for now a video of definite progress is a step in the right direction.
Skyblivion is in development for PC.