* New Engine – All objects in the game world will now cast shadows, along with improved draw distances. Environments will seem livelier due to sharper and more detailed textures.
* Locations – Skyrim will contain 5 massive cities to explore, ranging from frozen tundra to rocky mountain tops. Also keep an eye out for some new wildlife roaming the country side, such as sabre-toothed cats and woolly mammoths.
* Combat – Running away backwards from opponents whilst attacking will no longer be an option as you will move much slower when walking backwards than forwards (which kinda makes sense). You will now be able to use stamina to sprint away from an enemy, either to escape or reach a tactical vantage point. What you do with your hands is also up to you, with the option to dual wield weapons, equip magic to both hands or go at it with a sword and a shield. A customizable menu will be available to easily swop out load-outs during battle and if this isn't enough a “finishing moves” system, which will be unique to both the weapon used and also the enemy the weapon, is also incorporated.
* Levelling and Skills – No longer will you be forced to pick a class at the start of the game, instead, upon levelling up you will be rewarded points that can either be spent on health, magicka or stamina. Skills will level up the more that they are used, which will in turn contribute to your overall level growth. The amount of skills in Skyrim is down to 18 from the 21 in Oblivion and the 27 in Morrowind, Bethesda claim that they are trying to accommodate people who want to specialize in a certain profession, such as mage or thief. Also, Mysticism has been removed. Going past level 50 will be possible, but things will go very slowly from that point on.
* Perks – Levelling up will also grant you perks - something that we’ve already seen in Fallout 3. These perks will add special abilities to your character such as increased stealth dagger damage or giving your mace the ability to ignore the opponents armour.
* AI – Interactions with NPCs will now seem more real as they move about while you talk to them or they keep doing their business if you interrupted them.
* Quests – Getting missions from NPCs will be more “dynamic”. If you are a heavy magic user a mage might approach you with a quest, something that would not happen if you are playing a fighter character. Some quests will also be influenced by what you have already accomplished, thus the game will try and send you on a rescue quest to a dungeon you have not previously visited.
* Town Visiting – There will be more to do in towns, such as farming, mining, woodcutting and cooking. A fast-travel option will also be available to allow you to travel instantly between areas you’ve already visited.
* Menu and HUD – You will have the option for a HUD-less first person view or an “improved” third person option. The game menu is now a compass style overlay with four options for Skill, Inventory, Map, and Magic. You will also be able to mark certain weapons and magic for quick selection.
meh
Also, a bunch of leaked screenshots and stuff.
On the bright side, it looks better, and THI4F looks set for a GDC reveal (what is that) next month.