Read my long post about level scaling I mean both. Its on the first page.
@Sliegn, I don't see how scaling is required if you don't want an easy game. You can easily have a hard game with out scaling, scaling just smooths out the difficulty, which is what I like, so there are less boring easy fights and less hard frustrating fights.
I don't think you should call leveled lists as level scaling. Level scaling came into view with Oblivion, the very first time in history. And it is a very broken mechanic. What you want can be provided with thoughtful leveled lists which would give you the fights according to your level. What I don't like and you think as one with leveled lists and Sleign is talking about are level scaling.
When did level scaling become synonymous with leveled lists? Please someone inform me, I wasn't around before Oblivion came out? There is no hint of "scaling" word before Oblivion came out, I used google. :user:
Oblivion and Morrowind both use leveled lists extensively. It is only Oblivion which added level scaling to the equation. What I hear about Skyrim is "locks", leveled lists with locks.
Level scaling is a scaling mechanism. It scales something unique according to your level and it becomes no longer unique. Leveled lists is a spawn switcher, not a scaler.
Here is a leveled list from Morrowind:
http://i.imgur.com/lfTUX.png
You want content appropriate to your level, you get it from this. Notice how there is unique content for every level listed.
From Oblivion
http://i.imgur.com/spcLA.png
They are the same. You may notice the "calculate from all levels" check box. That means, in Morrowind example, if you are level 9, you don't get a skeleton archer. If it was checked, there will be a chance from all list
below PC's level.
Despite the examples, most lists in Morrowind had it checked while in Oblivion majority of lists don't have it checked. So you may notice things disappearing from the world all of a sudden in Oblivion. Morrowind using that option will spawn all its content more randomly creating a more dynamic world compared to Oblivion. These are design choices though, not level scaling related. (maybe indirectly.)
What is the difference then?
It is when something unique have their health or melee damage multiplied with your level, so its stats scaled with you. Level scaling.
Oblivion and Morrowind uses very different methods for their high level content. What Oblivion does is using leveled lists to spawn content but also have the option to scale them along the player.
http://i.imgur.com/qnUOp.png
You see the "PC level offset" option. It was an addition. It scales that ogre according to your level. Max 0 means infinite. This is a broken mechanic. Because Oblivion is using it on only a tiny amount of content and most of the quest related content. It is still enough to bring down the whole system. The philosophy of not limiting player is causing this abomination of a solution. But finally, they came up with a system to limit PC, sacrificing attributes in the process and adding a level soft cap.
I'm not against high level unique content appearing late in the game. This was in Morrowind too, Morrowind also placed high level content where it was appropriate which only makes sense. I am only against content starting as a goblin, and as I level further, that goblin becomes more and more powerful because it has a "multiply with pc level" option in its editor. Or an NPC has a "level range" option selected as 2 to 99 so it follows me exactly. There should be NPCs like us, adventurers but they need to be more dynamic than a broken scaling mechanism.
Never scale your content. Always create new unique content.I want you and Akka to realize the difference between leveled lists usage and level scaling. This is causing lots of heat because two person are talking about entirely different things. I'm going to bicker until you and everyone else drop using level scaling when referring to leveled lists.