There were numerous ways to prevent Alchemy, Enchanting, Spellmaking, and Smithing from becoming overpowered.

One way would be to tie the difficulty to the equipment, so you'd have 0 failure rate using the tools for your current skill level, some chance of failure if you used a step above, and no chance if you went 2 steps above. Making the results dependent on the tools (and bringing back the odds of success based on skill versus difficulty), rather than your character's skill, would place the "output" into neat "steps" like everything else in the game, and it could even STACK in inventory. Anything above "Master" or possibly "Secret Master" level wouldn't even exist, so you couldn't do the absolutely insane exploits like boosting your Strength by 1843 points for 428615 seconds. You could still make a "beginner's" spell that you could actually CAST (or a weak enchantment that would fit into a small item) from a "Journeyman" level spell that you were able to buy. The higher level tools could EXIST in the game from the start, rather than mysteriously appearing or replacing the more basic ones as you levelled, but they'd be of little use to you until your skills improved.

Another way would be to use a non-linear cost curve, so you could do basics easily and cheaply, but those "uber" spells, potions, and items would either cost a fortune in materials or have such a high casting cost that you effectively couldn't use them above a certain point (a "soft" cap).

Instead, they took some of these out of the game, yet added another, which is equally unbalanced. Duh? Obviously, "balance" is only a part of the reason for removing them, otherwise they'd have removed all or none.

You would like to think that everyone uses it the way you are describing. They don't. Trust me. It is primarily used at a put-down and a sneer in this forum, plain and simple.

But enough on that, back to the topic at hand. You can feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss further.

Bethesda is a business. They understand how games make money, and have catered towards a modern audience. Obviously, considering their Skyrim sales, they've done something right.

The definition of an RPG has changed over the last 13-14 years and everyone knows it. Skyrim is a great game, but it's not a Daggerfall, a Morrowind or an Oblivion. It's Skyrim.
And for dumbing down the Elder Scrolls Series? Good luck putting 200+ hours into any other game. Good luck reading hundreds of lore-filled books in a game. Good luck enjoying lore as in depth as the Elder Scrolls series. Skyrim has stayed true to the Elder Scrolls, its only 'fault' is replacing old game mechanics (Morrowind ala chance based hit) with mechanics a modern audience can enjoy (and yes, modern audiences enjoy fast paced violence and six).

MnM

It's more a Daggerfall than Morrowind ever was. And if modern Audiences like six so much, why has the series steered so far away from it?

Armor/clothes set system in Skyrim aint that bad, altough they could have added Pants, extra ring and cloaks to the mix.

But at least cloaks as they always look cool.

If it's more like Daggerfall, why is the chance to hit in DF (and MW) gone? Why aren't there all of the various skills and weapons, and all of the various armor and clothing slots? Why are the factions so shallow and short? Why don't the NPCs have more than 2-3 lines to say? I'll admit that the landscape of Skyrim and Oblivion was more akin to that of Daggerfall, but that's about the extent of the similarity. I don't need a return to Morrowind's swamps, ashland wastes, rocky coasts, grassy plains, or volacanic mountain, but I'd like to have a game where I've got to "work at" becoming powerful, rather than start out even with almost everything around me, and stay that way.

The factions are deeper in Skyrim than Daggerfall, but shorter. As for chance to hit - That's still in. I miss frequently, and most of my blows get blocked by my enemies.

I think the problem for those of us who have played either Daggerfall and/or Morrowind is that we see both Oblivion and Skyrim, not as the games that they are. but as they games that we want them to be. Sure, there's no secret that the games have been streamlined for a wider audience, but they're still good games in their own rights. As a matter of fact I find it difficult to compare Skyrim to Morrowind because they're like two different paradigms. A completely different ''approach'' to the same genre, with different conditions and executions. Personally, I prefer Morrowind. I suppose I'm part of the older crowd of patient players, but I still enjoy Skyrim immensely with about 100 hours of gameplay and that number is sure to rise.

So much dissaponted people :/
I love skyrim and think its much better then oblivion.
I love all elder scrolls games but if i have to choose wich is the worst id said oblivion

I like MW more than Skyrim but I wouldn't go that far as the OP thinks. Skyrim art direction is great. The gameplay mechanics, well some of it would be taken care of with the CK.

I've been playing TES games since Morrowind first came out. I love Morrowind, and I love Skyrim. Oblivion not as much.

Do I miss making custom spells? Yes, I like multiple destruction effects or bound items.. Do I miss being able to place any enchantment on any item? Yes, jewelry especially should be able to hold anything. Do I miss crossbows and spears? No, cause I never used them. Do I find the condensed armor list annoying? Not really. Do I miss combining clothes, armor and a robe? Yes, but it could become unbalanced with all the enchantments you had going.

I think by complaining about the "cutting" or rather in more reasonable terms the "refinement" of the caricature development options you are missing the point. They refined this because it was felt the constraints were too much not because it was being dumbed down. How can more choice and freedom be interpreted as dumbed down?

I would just like too say that according too me, Skyrim does the best job at making the locations feel unique. Morrowind has some very distinct unique dungeons too but so far Skyrim seems to have the edge.


But someone please enlighten me: Why aren't there two seperate 'draw weapon' and 'cast magic' buttons. Now I have too switch every time as a battlemage.

It might be partly because EVERY character build I've made in MW has since been "refined" out of the game. The "refinements" leave very little left of interest to me, because I don't care HOW much freedom I've got to play 38,000 variations of a stupid Nord fighter (or at least be treated as one if I don't), it's not what I want to do. Thank you for pretending that "less" is "more", and that removing game elements completely is a positive thing for your "refined" tastes.

What? The only character build I've seen "Lost" from the series is the Acrobat, because of the cutting of said skill.

However, it seem's I'm the only person who loved Acrobatics in the Elder Scrolls games. My khajiit Acrobat from Arena is crying. WHY DID THEY MAKE THE KITTY CRY?

However, I love what they did with Blocking, weapons, and to an extent Magic (Stupid removal of spell-crafting, decently-powered spells, and usable Master-level spells. Where's my "Enemies Explode?"). If the Armor perks hadn't been so rigid (Why do I need to be wearing a full suit of the armor to benefit from the perks? Why isn't just having the skill points and prerequisite points enough?), I'd have prefered those to the old games... But, I guess "Medium Armor" has finally disappeared from the games. (It was still in Oblivion, if you combined Heavy and Light armors)

Why is the 'medium armor' in Oblivion a bad thing? It is your own playstyle to choose.

I am lamenting the loss of the potential to wear Medium Armor, because the Armor skills in Skyrim are mutually exclusive.

Unless you choose to ignore the armor-perks completely. Your armor rating goes down but you got yourself Medium Armor, which as a result is probably weaker than both light armor and heavy armor.

Right. Had the perks not been mutually exclusive, it would have been Stronger than Light, Weaker than Heavy.

Ow I agree in that case.

To me this would be the ideal skill list (using only existing skills)

Combat

Heavy Armor
Medium Armor
Blunt (Axe included because their weapon type would be underrepresented otherwise)
Long Blade
Armorer (I do not care about possible smithing)
Block
Hand-To-Hand

Stealth

Short Blade
Marksman
Sneak
Acrobatics (Merged with athlethics as you suggested)
Security (not merged with sneak because I like to take this as a minor/major skills even on combat chars)
Speech
Light Armor

Magic

Alchemy
Illusion
Conjuration
Destruction
Altertation
Restoration
Enchanting

I would like attributes back (Please do not start a perk vs attributes discussion)

Strength: Long Blade, Blunt, Hand-To-Hand, Armorer
Endurance: Heavy Armor, Medium Armor, Light Armor
Agility: Short Blade, Marksman, Block
Speed: Acrobatics, Sneak, Security
Personality: Speech, Illusion
Intelligence: Alchemy, Enchanting, Conjuration
Willpower: Restoration, Destruction, Altertation


I would also like Bethesda to return to Oblivion-style perks or let the player choose between perks when a skill reaches level 25,50,75,100

I have to disagree with your skill list here - I like how Skyrim merged the weapon skills, so that it doesn't become "Long Blade" and three choices of failure. And separating Medium Armor from Light and Heavy armors does it a greater injustice than cutting it entirely. It would be better just to make perks with Armor Synergy in mind. Or find a way to make an "Armored" and "Unarmored" continuum of skill, with Synergy perks between them. But that would be WAY too complex to try and figure out to get working smoothly. As it is, I happen to like Skyrim's light-armor perks that increase protection value.

I'm glad Attributes are gone - MAD warriors were not fun.

I'll agree with you that a lot of people, advlts and kids, nowadays don't want to spend time reading and would rather just be "read to", as in having the NPCs say the dialogue to you or what have you.

I'm sorry, but it's a bad [censored] joke that Morrowind's NPCs had more personality than Oblivion/Skyrim's, given that the former just spouted a generic paragraph based on location and a couple other variables. There's nothing like Oblivion's Atius/Sintav rivalry in Morrowind because there was nothing unique about its characters outside of quests.

I'm loving the game. Sure, it's lacking in some RPG departments, but that's why we have mods and UI options.


Really, you could be modding the game to all heck and enjoy it, instead of whining again and again about some features that are best left forgotten.

It's not about "too lazy to read" - It's about having a sound, tone, and attitude to go with the words. In fact, I think I'm in the majority when I say I prefer the full voice acting, yet read the subtitles long before the words are ever said. The voice adds character to the people, turning them into actual characters instead of information kiosks.