3rd person vs 1st person - the poll!

[Avron the S'wit]

I like to admire my characters in the inventory page.

Glad I'm not the only one who does this.

Anytime I'm on a horse I go third person, because I find the first person steering to be painfully annoying. Sometimes I'll wander around the environment third person because I think that it makes the world seem a lot wider and nicer - I agree with Andere about the first person straightjacket feeling - but as someone who is always talking to NPCs (it's an obsession), it drives me crazy that you zoom in first person on them.

I wish I could fight in third person because you can do some pretty amusing melee moves, but alas, I can't do it.

[KrisCrash]

So it seems like a lot of the 1st person stuff is a roleplay thing from what I can see so far!

I use mainly third person because I think / feel it gives me a wider view. First person feels like a straitjacket, somehow...

That's exactly how I feel.

I wish I could fight in third person because you can do some pretty amusing melee moves, but alas, I can't do it.

Dunno if they are amusing, but the spin attacks and such look kinda cool. I found it easy to get used to though, AND you know who's flanking you.

[Dark Lord Cam]

I like to mix it up when playing oblivion. 3rd person for traveling and combat occasionally and first person for everything else.

[Leilah]

I use first person, except when I am being chased by something and want to see how close it is to me. I always feel disoriented by third person.

[KrisCrash]

I use first person, except when I am being chased by something and want to see how close it is to me. I always feel disoriented by third person.

I get disoriented in first person

[The Tom]

I use first person, except when I am being chased by something and want to see how close it is to me. I always feel disoriented by third person.

I get disoriented in first person

Too immersive, huh? I would've said that was a good thing and I imagine it's why the game is designed for first person.

[Goblin voice]

I use both... mostly I decide which person to pick depending on if I want to feel like the 1st or 3rd person in the time being

[Jeff]

1st person... 95% of the time
3rd person... 5% to check positioning out, as 1st person has some limitations on looking down. Occasionally to check if I'm being attacked from an unknown location.

3rd person... when riding horses (which is very rarely)

[Valus]

First person 98% of the time, I mean it's like I'm right there. I don't really like 3rd person games, which is why I really need a PC that can play modern games so I can get GTA IV and get the first person mod because that is one thing that game really needs.

[H8Ball]

I just like "seeing through my character's eyes". Makes me feel like I'm "there".

[Elune]

Most of the time First Person.
In really big battles when I'm a high level and fighting with my sword I like to switch to Third Person sometimes, dunno why.

My uses for Third Person:
-Running around the wild: I like to see whats coming
-When exploring dungeons: I like to see whats coming
-When running around town just trying to get a shop: I like to look at my character!

A lot of the time when I'm running around I scroll the Third Person view around to infront of me, this is so I can see my character in all her (or his!) shining glory.

Sometimes I also open my inventory to see my character. Also when I walk through towns I either change to more everyday clohing, or if I'm playing a Knight or Crusader type character I unequip my shield and helmt and stroll through town like that. My stealth type characters obviously are more likely to change into "commoner" clothing, as do my Mages and plain old Adventurers. It just feels odd conducting my business as a non-hero status Adventurer or Mage (My Mages tend not to be "heroes" they more like studying things, such as wildlife and platlife as opposed to combating evil. I tend to get a certain rank in the Mage's Guild then just stay there).

And my stealth type characters, well walking through town in your Assassin gear is just silly, they stay undercover and try not to make a name for themselves so they can slip through the shadows undetected. And my thieves only don their small bits of armor when hitting up a house for goods, sort of a disguise/defense.

I'd write more but really, I have several classes tomorrow and it's getting late!

[Johnthejedi24]

I have used 1st person probably 99% of the time. I just find 3rd person hard to use and distracting. In fact I have probably used 3rd person only a few minutes in all the hours I have played this game.

[Kestral]

PEOPLE WHO USE THIRD PERSON EXCLUSIVELY SMELL FUNNY.

Kessy uses first person, much more easier to play.

[seventhsage]

i'm one of the few who use them near equally... I'm the kind of person who doesn't give a flying flip about how the face looks, but when I made my "suit of might" (a full suit of regular clothes all with grand soul STR + 10) I carefully picked out the warddrobe for everything, to make sure it looked good together (ended up going with one of the zero weight shirts, don't remember who it originally belonged to and the red trousers with gold trimmed shoes). I use first person when i'm looking for something that was dropped, but when fighting (even magic, took a long time to get used to that aiming system) i usually use 3rd person. I made a chameleon suit (which i still, stupidly, spent time picking out to look good.) Everyone should make a 100% chameleon suit and try walking around in 3rd person... it's trippy. basically, unless i'm invisible or looking for something in particular i use 3rd person.

[itszombietime]

Use them equally. First person for dungeon stealth, magic, archery, and closed environments, third person for melee combat and roaming around. One of the great features of the game (thumbs up to Bethesda) is the one click switch between modes.

[nyk45]

PEOPLE WHO USE THIRD PERSON EXCLUSIVELY SMELL FUNNY.

Kessy uses first person, much more easier to play.

Kessy's right.

weirdly

[Pavouk106]

1st person! Try to hit someone with target spell from 3rd person view...

[Leilah]

I've now stopped using first person exclusively. I still use it most, but having read the opinions of some third-person users, I've started to switch to third person view when exploring the wilderness. It's nice to see the whole landscape that way. I still don't like it during combat or when indoors, though.

[Generalno1]

Mostly First person for me, I use Third peson when i want to look around, or see the background. I can't even use Melee weapons in third person, let alone aim a spell or bow.

[Lindai]

First person is easiest but I try to use Third person for combat simply for aesthetics

[KrisCrash]

Cool Leilah, it's nice that we've made someone try something new!

Here is some third person gameplay; http://kriscrash.dk/aht/oblivion/0710_3rd1.jpg
Archery isn't impossible at all, plus you can see if you're stuck and can't walk back, etc.

What I will REALLY recommend for 3rd person gameplay is a mod that adds the crosshair for 3rd person, I just use Darnified UI but there are mods solely for adding the crosshair. The aiming is totally the same, crosshair goes on top of enemy, fire, you're set.

I am surprised people find melee difficult like this, I find it difficult the other way around. For instance, you easily get flanked or disoriented. In 3rd person you can keep your eye on the enemy at all times.
You can also see yourself do the goron roll for journeyman acrobats, the spinning melee attacks for journeymen of the respective 3 skills. The camera won't awkwardly change while mounting a horse or while stunned.

I guess to me, first person is a little claustrophobic but I am not a big immersion nerd.

[Red Guardian]

I use 1st person view when I'm inside a fort, cave or something like that. And when I'm fighting enemies.
3rd person view is more suitable when I'm traveling or when I'm walking around in the big cities, for example.

So I really don't have a favorite one.

[The Chuckster]

I use 1st person for combat and general screwing around. Third person for dungeon crawling and anything involving jumping around on objects, because I can see my exact position better.

[The Raven]

In combat and when sneaking, I use first person, as you can better "hug the shadows", but when I'm roleplaying/in cities, I'm using 3rd person (bouncing everywhere, YAY).

If I'm surrounded by two or more enemies, I occasionally pop into 3rd person view, to see where everyone is, and blocking is easier in 3rd person, when you're surrounded, IMO.

I've never bothered trying to learn how to cast spells/shoot arrows in 3rd Person, though.

[BFG]

I tend only to use third person when the enemy I'm slicing into has Magic Absorption/Reflection. When they do, so many magic particle effects are flying everywhere that my game slows down in first person.