Several new screenshot contests were held on the Contests and competitions forum, including Civilization and Assassin contests. As usual, you can browse the best screenshots submitted on this page.

To conclude this news post, the Cyrodiil Forums have recently surpassed the 10,000 posts count. Not that this number is impressive compared to larger communities, but we are still growing with new members, threads and initiatives. We will maintain the traditions of independence and ad-free-ness, providing a stable and not too overcrowded place for discussions where every opinion is valued. Stay with us!

Our screenshot competitions continue, with a new multimedia image competition run by Mystical coming shortly! Check our Contests and competitions forum for details, and browse for more competition winners on our website page.

To recognize the winners of our regular Oblivion screenshot contests held on the forum, Cyrodiil Chronicles now has a special page listing all winners along with their screenshots. Additionally, the page contains the best participating screenshots that did not win in their nomination.

We continue to publish Oblivion-related materials with an extensive chart of Oblivion standard Race Starting Attributes and Skill Bonuses by DM8954 that contains all starting attributes for males and females of each Oblivion race, as well as starting skill bonuses available for each race.

Have a great time playing diverse and exciting games during the Winter holidays. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Today, Cyrodiil Forums website begins publishing extensive charts related to skills and attributes of Oblivion characters. The charts were originally compiled by DM8954 on the Cyrodiil Forums. The Chart of Oblivion Skills and Attributes contains all skills of Oblivion characters, and all related attributes. Be sure not to miss the other charts and lists that will soon follow.

The Links section of this website was updated today, with multiple dead links removed, and a few new ones added. It appears that no less than one third of Oblivion fansites, blogs and forums that were created before or shortly after game release are now gone, and most of the others were not updated for a year or more. As for Cyrodiil Chronicles, we will still be posting TES-related news and maintain our forums, which are well alive and growing.

However, Bethesda will still be making official plugins for Oblivion - even after Shivering Isles release.

The expansion was announced on January 18 2007; it will feature a whole new Oblivion plane called Shivering Isles, home of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. In addition to new lands to explore, Shivering Isles will add more than a dozen new creatures, new items and spells. Release date of expansion pack is rumored to be March 23 2007 (both PC and Xbox 360 versions), though date was not yet officially confirmed.

Meanwhile, TES IV: Oblivion for Sony PlayStation 3 that was scheduled for release in the end of last year and delayed (much like original Oblivion last year) will be available in stores on March 20.

Oblivion could be one of the launch titles for PS3, but Bethesda needed more time to complete the new version and delayed release until Q1 2006. TES IV for PlayStation 3 will probably be available about the same time when the console will hit European stores, which is expected next spring.

Those months were quite rich with various Oblivion news that we missed. You most surely know the most important of those, but a brief reminder is never out of place. First of all, an addon pack called Knights of the Nine will be available for PC on December 4. It will contain new faction (Knights of the Nine) and quests for this faction, new dungeons, monsters, NPCs, and items. Even though retail version of Knights will include all buyable mods previously released by Bethesda, this addon is hard to compare with TES III expansion packs that had large new locations to explore. Hopefully Bethesda will release a full-scale expansion sometime later in 2007-2008.

Knights of the Nine will be included in PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion that will be released in Q1 2007 (according to latest information available). Next generation console by Sony is enjoying its "worldwide launch" these weeks, with 100 thousand units available in Japan, 400 thousand more in U.S. and... well, all other parts of the world will have to wait until next spring.

Meanwhile, Oblivion has recieved its first Game of the Year awards. Like everyone predicted, few if any RPGs could compete TES IV this year, so awards don't come unexpected. Among other news - European versions of 1.1.511 patch available, more buyable plugins released by Bethesda (now also available for Xbox Live! users from Europe), and Oblivion-themed game being developed for PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Our news posted before March 14 2006 can be found on News Archive page or in RSS feed. We are still alive, so remember to come back for more soon!

Oblivion Downloads is another new Cyrodiil Chronicles page published today. It contains download links for official downloads, links to websites providing useful 3rd party software for Oblivion, and unmodded Oblivion.ini files which might be needed to restore playable values after unsuccessful modifications.

Image hotlinks for Cyrodiil Chronicles are active again, which should be good news for websites that included our button for affiliation purposes: now buttons and other image links work fine.

More updates await - including detailed description of INI tweaks and other performance/graphic tweaks in Oblivion, description of Oblivion races, and possibly more content on Oblivion mods.

To continue with good news, I'd like to mention that Arwen has started a new journal. You might remember her great Morrowind journal, called Trials of a Clueless Wood Elf, that was quite popular in early TES III days. New journal, Arwen's Oblivion Journal, is all about Oblivion. In addition to adventures of the semi-clueless wood elf herself, the Journal includes useful Oblivion tips and a great selection of mods that Arwen carefully chose.

The patch corrects a number of bugs and quest errors that were reported during the recent weeks. Among most important changes - improved performance for NVidia SLI and ATI Crossfire, Very Low Detail setting for low-end GeForce FX video cards, and important plugin-related fixes. Read complete patch changelog here, it's rather impressive for 1,6 Mb package.

Same patch is available from Xbox Live! for Xbox 360 users since June 7.

But sometimes it's not file size that matters... Mehrunes' Razor will feature the largest and most sophisticated dungeon in Oblivion, as well as a quest featuring a powerful mage willing to get the Razor for his own evil purposes. Players, of course, will have a chance to overtake the weapon for their own purposes, possibly even more sinister. You will be able to get the plugin from http://obliviondownloads.com/ or Xbox Live! when it's ready, which should be soon enough.

My exams are over and passed quite successful, so now I'll have more time to update the website. Moreover, soon I'll finally get the game itself, so you should expect some brand new content. Come back soon! And don't forget about our forums.

Re-ratings are rare for ESRB - the last notable case was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, re-rated last year due to discovery in the PC and and PS2 versions a hidden minigame with sexual content that could be unlocked (on the PC version) with a modification called Hot Coffee. Nudity cannot be unlocked in Xbox 360 version of Oblivion, but gore and violence issues regard both PC and console versions. PC version will carry an additional content descriptor for Nudity, until a new version of the game is issued where access to questionable content will be blocked. Bethesda is also obliged to release a patch that blocks access to topless female meshes, and today's press release from the developer confirmed that this patch will soon be available.

Current content descriptors - Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Language, and Use of Alcohol - will remain. However, ESRB stated that video tape provided by Bethesda several months before the game release understated the detail and intensity of the blood and gore available in final version of Oblivion. Press release issued by Bethesda has a different explanation: "With regard to violence, Bethesda advised the ESRB during the ratings process that violence and blood effects were "frequent" in the game - checking the box on the form that is the maximum warning. We further advised that the game contained occasional torture, vulgar acts, and gore. We gave accurate answers and descriptions about the type and frequency of violence that appears in the game."

Regarding nudity, same press release says that "Bethesda didn't create a game with nudity and does not intend that nudity appear in Oblivion... Bethesda can not control tampering with Oblivion by third parties." Like in GTA: Hot Coffee case, mods became target for ESRB investigation, though unlike GTA, questionable content seems to have been added to the game by modification, not exactly unlocked. Fact that Xbox 360 version got a new rating too proves that topless females were not exactly the main reason for Board's actions. This is, however, a precedent that might force some publishers (and developers) to make games less moddable. As everyone knows, even now not many developers care about modding tools for their games. After this case, situation surely won't improve, cause lack of mods will guarantee safer rating and safer profits.

As for profits, Take-Two (to be precise, its subsidiary 2K Games that co-publishes Oblivion with Bethesda) is not going to lose as much as last year: Mature rating, unlike Adults Only that GTA:SA received, will not force retailers to remove Oblivion from shelves. Moreover, publicity over topless mods that were previously unknown for general public will certainly draw more attention to the game, including attention from teenagers and children that ESRB is theoretically trying to protect.

Read complete version of statement by Bethesda for more details.

Wizard's Tower that the plugin adds is actually called Frostcrag Spire, located high in Jeral Mountains. In addition to being the highest place in Cyrodiil providing a "breathtaking" view of the province, the tower also features a garden where more than 100 ingredients can be found, and altars for summoning creatures, creating spells and enchanted items. Tower also contains teleports to every Mages Guild of Cyrodiil, and adds new Spell and Recharge vendor to Imperial City.

I apologize for lack of website updates, as real life unfortunately got me very busy since the Game was released. Sometime later this is going to improve, and right now you should visit our forums for more.

Pricing for The Orrery, a new quest addon scheduled for release next week, was announced not long ago. The modification will cost $1,89 for PC and about $1,88 (150 marketplace points) for Xbox 360, which is really good news, as many were afraid that the new content-rich official addons will cost more than horse armor.

Owners of PC version can buy plugins from a new website - http://www.obliviondownloads.com. Xbox 360 users can get new Oblivion content via Xbox Live! service.

If you want more mods for free, follow a new modding thread on our forums maintained by Dark Diva. The thread will list all interesting Oblivion mods that are being created with download links and descriptions; several dozens were already listed. As modders get acquainted to the new CS, many more will surely appear.

Bethesda:
http://static.bethsoft.com/Oblivion-Const-Set.exe

Cyrodiil Chronicles:
http://cyrodiil.net/files/Oblivion-Const-Set.exe (should be generally faster)
http://uni.marfinet.ru/files/Oblivion-Const-Set.exe (may be faster for Eastern Europe)

Bethesda has also opened a new website about CS - TES Contruction Set Wiki. Although the wiki is yet closed for editing or registering new accounts, it already contains lots of useful CS information and tutorials.

Book Two of "Commentaries on the Mysterious Xarxes" was added to elderscrolls.com fiction section.

Additional note: on Cyrodiil Forums, I've posted preliminary guidelines of mod submission to Cyrodiil Chronicles. If you are interested, you may look though them; suggestions and feedback are welcome.

You can discuss Oblivion news - and much more - on our new Cyrodiil Forums.

Our goal is to create a friendly, helpful and mature The Elder Scrolls community where you will be able to share your knowledge, get answers to most complicated questions and discuss freely both gaming and non-gaming topics.

Join us!

Less than a week remains until Oblivion release. On March 21 the game will ship to stores.

Countless interviews and previews about Oblivion were recently posted on different gaming websites. Full list of those interviews is available on elderscrolls.com pages. Don't forget that only two weeks remain until the release date... and don't forget to visit Cyrodiil Chronicles often!

New interview with Gavin Carter was published today on IGN.com, read full version here.

Several Oblivion interviews appeared on the web lately. Xbox.com posted a new interview with Todd Howard, and ComputerandVideogames.com posted interview with Gavin Carter.

Bonus DVD from Collector's Edition will feature a documentary on the making of Oblivion. Bethesda has released a trailer of the documentary that is available for download here: Quicktime Movie (33.8 MB MOV) or the Windows Media File (17.6 MB WMV).

On official The Elder Scrolls forums, Fan Interview #3 was published - this interview is the longest of all, and definitely one of the most interesting and informative Oblivion interviews we've seen in months. Questions submitted by fans were answered by Gavin Carter, Todd Howard and Pete Hines.

During the recent two weeks, many gaming resources posted new previews of Oblivion - you may find them on GameSpy, Mygamer, 1UP.com, Gamespot and IGN. Beyond3D, a well-known 3D technology website, posted a technical Q&A interview with producer Gavin Carter available from here.

More news from official The Elder Scrolls site: Team Xbox has posted a new Oblivion preview several days ago. Preview is available from here.

Official Elder Scrolls site was updated with 3 Xbox 360 screenshots and new Skills and Birthsigns sections of Codex.

There were also some official news from Bethesda during the recent weeks. New Oblivion interview with Pete Hines is now available from DailyGame. Pete talks about Oblivion's environments, stealth gameplay, magic and more; full version of the interview available here. The Elder Scrolls official website was updated with a new book called "The Mysterium Xarxes - Book One". If you understand everything written in it, you definitely deserve a Nu-mantia! One more update of the official site is the new Races section of the Codex section.

Oblivion Art page was updated with twelve excellent artwork pieces published last week by Bethesda.

Cyrodiil Chronicles now has its own RSS feed, allowing to browse site updates and news easier than ever. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, or Rich Site Summary; it is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Link to our RSS feed is http://cyrodiil.net/news.xml, use any up-to-date web browser or RSS reader to view it.

This list contains the most comprehensive and up-to-date index of facts that are known about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, as well as list of things that will not be in the game, links to Oblivion-related articles, screenshots and videos, and miscellaneous information.

Interview with Oblivion producer Gavin Carter was posted on Elite Bastards, read the full version here. Unlike many other interviews and previews posted in the recent two weeks, this interview contains some previously unknown facts, like a 1500+ NPC number for Oblivion (unlike 1000-1200 announced before).

Elder Scrolls Cartography page updated with several new maps.

Following X05 event, dozens of previews and hands-on articles were posted on gaming websites along the web during the last week. Now we know much more about the upcoming game then before; look for more information on our forums and don't miss upcoming site updates!

Links page of Cyrodiil Chronicles now contains International Websites section with Elder Scrolls sites in different languages. Also, several TES IV CS screenshots are now available.

Read complete version of Bethesda's press release here.

Several new screenshots were added to Different Oblivion screenshots, and Art page was updated with new artwork.

New updates will follow soon.

Cyrodiil Chronicles will be dedicated to the new title from Bethesda Softworks - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This promising game is scheduled for release in November 2005, along with Microsoft's new console, the Xbox 360. Cyrodiil is the name for the central Imperial province of Tamriel, where Oblivion is set. Old Morrowind content will still be available.

In addition to detailed information on various aspects of the game, Cyrodiil Chronicles will contain special content - mods, modding tutorials and possibly fan fiction. If you are planning to make high-quality Oblivion mods yourself, we will be offering an opportunity to host your mod, a detailed description, and screenshots.

Creating a friendly and helpful community is one of our main goals while starting Cyrodiil Chronicles, and we've got a good start. Discovery Gaming forums will serve as the forum for this website. An Oblivion forum already exists on Discovery, and in the future there will be several more Oblivion-specific categories. The forums are already quite active, with almost 100 registered members, and you are welcome to join us.

Content that's already available includes Oblivion screenshots and Oblivion links; more will follow soon. This site will be regularly updated, so don't forget to come back often or you might miss something interesting!

Best wishes,
Igiss