why do d do more damage sniping an unsuspecting enemy whilst crouching? what has crouching got do do with power? i also find it a lot easier to be silent whilst standing up or on all fours- crouching is louder! one must also consider that normal footsteps would not startle anybody so long as it doesn't start right behind them!

stealth should be about "am i seen or unseen" rather than " am i standing or crouching?"

oh, and boots should not be the only thing effecting this! full plate armour makes noise every movement,loose chain makes noise even when not moving! being underwater,in foliage or so on should make you harder to see!! if an enemy is busy fighting another enemy then ALL of their attention should be on the enemy and not you!

I agree. You can be stealthy while standing up. Crouching is only more stealthy when your stationary.

Crouching is generally considered good for aiming, but i dunno if it's better to shoot a bow whilst standing tall of crouched... as far as why it makes you more powerful, doesn't make sense really - an arrow in the back is an arrow in the back, doesn't matter how you shot it - even if you were standing on your head or on one arm and pulled the string with your foot! It's still an arrow in the back...

It's generally considered that the lean stance for sneaking is best, couse you have better control over your body weight and balance, also it makes you less visible... foots steps can be a factor depending on the surface - wood, metal, stone, etc.

Metal plating armor is louder and gives you out, no doubt bout that... Leather armor is way more suitable for sneaking. Funny thing in oblivion was that you can just remover your shoes and sneak around silent while wearing a full set of steel armor

but i think we dive way too much in the realism factor, tbh

Whilst, whilst, whilst, whilst.

Have I found the whilst topic?

It's more to make it visible that the character is sneaking, but yes the animation could be better. And yes heavy armor should give penalty to sneak.

I agree. You shouldn't have to crouch to be unseen. I think it was just easier for Bethesda to program it in the game if you had a button to toggle the stealth flag on and off for a player.

I would like to see stealth always on and really dependent on whether you are walking/running, what kind of lighting or you in, and where the A.I. is looking. Crouching, rather than putting you in sneak mode, would just make you smaller and easier to hide in the already active stealth environment.

But of course, if it is too complicated then we might just see the crouch for stealth aspect again.

The only reason you need to crouch to sneak is because that is how it has always been done with games.

It's a game thing, one game starts a trend and many copy it. Such as regenerating health when not taking damage, to which I reply hey I've got wolverine abilities here, why can I only use them when hiding?...

Then allow AC to start a new trend!

they should make the stealth mode something like splinter cell convition. so u could climb and take cover and stuff

Probably the way it is due to design and engine. Maybe a constraint but probably a pillar. They could transfer to a system of just sound and line of sight. Keep in mind this type of stuff is pretty hard taking into account the size of the world. Assassin's Creeds don't particularly count. And that engine started showing creaks in Brotherhood. Would I like general line-of-sight and a revamped stealth? Why not. They have to figure out how to notify the player that thir sneaking and make the system work since it's not as easy as a linear game. The NPCs factor into here too. I find ACs NPCs one of the series (2 and Brotherhood) shortcomings. Their lifeless compared to the cities and countryside. Of coarse their set so it fits into the gameplay. Bethesda would have to figure it out. It's one of those things that are more complex than we give credit for. If it was so easy we'd be doing their jobs for them. Hope they do figure it out though. Maybe go a step beyond and count shadows and lighting also being factors. The first Deus Ex did this. DE3(Human Revolution) is going by sound and line of sight and keeping with their linear but open environmental "stages." Both combined in an open world game would be fantastic. If so, you've got your stealth play without having to crouch.

The crouch thing is really stupid looking.

It always looked like the PC had to take a dump.

Yeah, it's like, "Don't pay any attention to me! I'm just a man laying pipe over here in your store!"

were is my "do not care option"? Bias poll is biased!

I always thought so, too.

Thief is enough.

It seems like it's mostly an engine thing to me. The way the game is programmed, it doesn't recognize that you're trying to sneak unless you enter the "sneak mode", which is visually indicated by the character crouching.

Realistically speaking, you wouldn't really need to enter a special "sneak mode" to sneak, just that under general conditions as long as you're not making too much noise or being generally conspicuous, there would be a chance that enemies would not detect you, but that's not how the game is programmed, and if it were done that way in Skyrim, how would the game decide when you're sneak skill would increase? It needs to be able to tell if you're actually trying to sneak or not or your sneak skill would just randomly go up as long as you're not being detected. Moreover, in the way the past games were designed, the sneak mode was necessary for picking NPCs pockets, of course, this could certainly be changed in Skyrim, for all we know, but I expect sneaking to be done the same way as in Oblivion, although perhaps some changes to the mechanics that determine whether you'll be detected or not and to how the AI responds to a sneaking player.

Because it's sneaking?

I dunno about you, but when I sneak, I always look like I'm taking a dump.

I agree with the jist of what you said, but voted Yes on the poll because I can't think of how to fit a sneak button onto a controller.

I just figured out that they could use the "walk" button to toggle between sneak and regular. It's not perfect, as you can walk without sneaking, but hey.

Do I have to sneak in order to crouch?

From what I have experienced, shooting a bow in a crouched position isn't easier than while standing. I'd say it's slightly harder, because it's harder to stay balanced while crouching.

Yes, why? Because it's the easiest way to animate it to show that you are trying to sneak. In 1st person view it's easy to forget you are sneaking. Ok been playing Morrowind so I don't have my hand held telling me everything what I am doing. How else would you do it? Moving slowly? Wouldn't that be walking? All it is is an indicator in what you are trying to do.

How come when anyone tries to sneak up on someon and go "BOO!" seem to be hunching, or making themselves smaller so not to be seen? How about when people are getting shot? I find it funny not one person in the movies or real life is standing as tall as they can to run away from the mayham. People are always hunching to make themselves smaller so not to be seen. It doesn't work but it's human instinct.

I just find all these people who complain about it, are proffesional Assasians and now what it takes to hide and not been seen. The only person I know that doesn't "Hunch" to hide is Tree Beard from LotR.

I dont know, but it should add to your stealthiness Like +10 stealth while crouch (less noise, smaller frame, i dont know...)

Is crouching useful?