Sometimes words are not sufficient to express some complex concepts...
Here are some videos you, coders of Skyrim, should watch very carefully: they are full of great ideas to create the best 1st person combat system ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caB1jodPQPQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZegsGlGvtAU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC-_W06p_nw&feature=related
They come from the best fantasy action-RPG 1st person combat system ever created: Dark Messiah of Might & Magic.

Please, if you'll implement these ideas Skyrim will be the best RPG (with action component) ever created and will satisfy every player!

Ehhh???
The enviroment thing is pretty cool though.
And, if bethesda implimented this mechanic, it would probably not be their game. Intellectual property is an odd thing in the world of american law.

Wow. If Bethesda make Skyrim's combat like that, I might never see daylight again. That's amazing...

I would rather see what they have made so far. ultimately I think it is too late to change the fighting mechanics in any big way. I think if they slow down animations in general(rather then the really fast bashing I am not talking bullet time or slowing down animations during battle) and have more emphasis on skill then it will be really fun.

I was never a fun of the hyper speed combat that is dark messiah, animations speems sped up and physics are really wonky when you actually play it. things like spikes on the walls work like magnets and if an enemy as much as touches it with a finger he'll get "impaled".. I never understood the fascination with this game, I personally found it disapointing because when I bought it I expected something set in a similar world as earlier might and magic games.. boy was I wrong.

Zenimax recently bought Arkane Studios who made Dark Messiah.

It wasn't the rpg Might and Magic it was based on, it was the spin-offs like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusaders_of_Might_and_Magic, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_of_Might_and_Magic, or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warriors_of_Might_and_Magic.

I'm sorry, I just don't see the appeal of Dark Messiah. And frankly, I'm getting a little tired of seeing these threads of Dark Messiah fans showing up and claiming that The Elder Scrolls could be "SO MUCH BETTER" if they carbon copied another game's style. The Elder Scrolls is its own entity; let it evolve on its own.

Is that game open world?

The NPCs are way too much like bland meat punching bags. His weapons all go straight through armor like butter, every kick lands and somehow sends them flying, their whole body instantly lights on fire when they're in metal armor and step on a campfire, etc. etc.

No, quite the opposite.
But It's good for what it is. A linear Action-RPG

@ Odd Hermit
That's because it's an action game with some RPG bits sprinkled on top. It rewards player skill way more than character skill.

I don't think SK's combat will be like this but somewhat similar... and better overall.

I hate that stabbing the knocked down enemy with your sword thing. It doesn't need to have much of that at all, just the feature to actucally puncture an enemy with your blade as a finishing move, or maybe even dismemberment finish: head of with battle axe.

I never played Dark Messiah, I saw these videos and was planning on getting it but I had heard from many sources that the execution of these awesome combat ideas were a little bit "meh".
Skyrim seems to be borrowing a bit from this idea, trying to go for more dynamic combat, but doing it in their own way.

I loved Dark Messiah's combat. Arcane's games generally had cool stuff in them. Arx fatalis with the weird spell system. Felt very immersive. I think it's a good choice Zenimax made when they got them.

Those videos can give good ideas like:
- environmental interaction: you can grab and throw objects also against enemies (or to distract them) also paralized people, you can crash many things (and iced enemies) interacting with the objects, you can cast your shocking spell in the water affecting all creatures in the water, you can cast your icing spell on the floor and creatures will slip over it, you can crash oil flasks on the floor and then a fireball will make the puddle burn etc.
- sophisticated combat with deadly moves (already present in Oblivion but to be improved), deadly points (for example the neck), stealth attacks from behind, special moves to disarm enemies (!), you can throw light weapons like daggers etc.
- kick
....
I never meant to make Skyrim look like DM (which was more action oriented of course) but watch carefully these videos because they are full of great ideas... :toughninja:

If we already have dual wielding and shild bashing, where would we find the buttons to kick and throw objects with? (on a PS3 or Xbox360 controler)? All buttons were in use in Oblivion, and OB didn't have dual wielding.

The most interesting feature is the environmental interaction (read above my edited previous post) and then throwing daggers, kick...
I guess a key/button (or keep pressed) or combo is not impossible to workaround limited controls (at least for those who don't use mouse + keyboard).

Dark Messiah had some awesome combat mechanics. But Mount & Blade: Warband has the crown of action combat mechanics.

@GorbadPS3
Hey, controls isn't a problem, the shield bash is implemented as holding down the block button, and I don't think they won't figure out where to find one more button

That system is not as perfect as it looks, you have to finish almost every enemy you kill, that's annoying, and the bottomless pits and that spike walls would look weird in TES game. Nevertheless, BSG seems to take the best things from it and make it unique (kick are replaced with shield bash), so let's hope for even better fights (there will be Havok Behaviour, that really can make the game's fights awesome)

Yes I agree, also Mount & Blade has some great ideas Bethesda should give a look at...

@Vokun Viing
Don't understimate http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1162023-here-is-how-to-enhance-the-best-1st-person-combat-system/page__view__findpost__p__17061641 (and throwing daggers too ) that alone can add much variety...

I don't think holding down the block button will shield bash, where would the actual blocking button then be? Unless it's passive ala morrowind. Besides it's not 1 button, it's kicking, grabbing and throwing things. It would make it a bit messy and not smooth to play at all. Think of it as having to press space button once to jump mid high, twice to jump full height, three times to back step, four times to side step to left and five times to side step to right, oh and 6 times to from step one time. That is basically what having one button do many things does, unsmooth it. If they make sence, then yes, but holding block to shield bash doesn't make sence. Nothing personal here in this rant of mine :icecream: