Another simple idea that existed before, and in many people's opinion, should be brought back. Its also reasonable to assume Bethesda has already considered and implemented it, based on Fallout 3's "misc item" section.

All basic loot should once again have value with shopkeepers, clay wares, pewter forks, glasses, bottles, silverware ect. If implemented, roleplayers can being a "clay wares trader," or "pillow trader," ect. The player who wants to be a theif will find a value in slipping the housewares from the kitchen of the Royal Court, or breaking into a less wealthy NPC's home, dungeon explorers can sell off the extra loot they find, the list goes on.


These small items will also bolster the economy within towns, which are to be separate and overhauled (according to Bethesda.) Rather than have a single general store, the mill may sell bread, while the clay pot trader sells clay pots, ect.

On the other end of the totem pole, rare and unique weapons should retain they're rarity and value, as they have before. A top of the line sword should not ever be easily accessible, but should carry a value that represents that fact. A player could make a choice, keeping the unique weapon, or selling it in order to outfit themselves with a large variety of other items.

Agreed...hopefully they make the values of all things in some plausible proportional matter...

I totally agree. I really disliked how all the common, everyday-life items of Oblivion were usually worth nothing.

yes! i want something to do with all the extra crap i find, and i hope there is more stuff to spend money on in-game than oblivion

I'd like to go one step further than what you suggested: If I steal some inane, common item, sure, let it be worth little. But, if I steal a classy, rare version of it, let that fetch a higher price. An example would be stealing a common clay plate, versus stealing a silver plate.

Another thing that would be cool is the ability to make and then sell those kinds of things (make an exquisite shirt, and then sell it off).

There should be shops for miscellaneous stuff, also, weapon shops shouldn't even bother buying plates and pottery from me.

Being a thief in Oblivion was definitely lackluster. What's the point in sneaking into a house at night, only to find the maximum value of an item you can steal is 11 gold? :unsure:
I think adding value to everyday household items would really make it more interesting, and seem like it's actually worth doing.

Precisely. You either stole completely worthless knick-knacks, or that person would have some inexplicable value item just kicking around...

Yes.

Can I be a pillow fighter instead? Seriously though it makes sense. In Oblivion (and FO:3 to a lesser extent) You eventually stop picking up gear unless its value to weight ratio is 10:1. There just isn't a point.

yes like morrowind where i can loot the starting room of junk and get 800 gp to start my character

I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. One of my fondest memories of any game, actually.

I do believe I'm going to go start a new Morrowind game now.

I actually feel like, despite junk items not having value, thieving was much too easy in Oblivion. If you went into one house and took EVERYTHING of value in it, you usually ended up with a decent amount of gold. I usually would have fenced the amount of gold needed to complete all the Thieves' Guild quests after two or three robberies.

I want special items to feel special, not have every goblin you slay drop a magic weapon. Magic equipment should be extremely rare and not for sale at stores.

If you were to take a cup from your cabinet to a pawn store how much do you think you might get? A dollar? A quarter? Nothing? I think that there are things that are essentially valueless after the have been used. I think that if you steal one million pewter forks you would be better off melting em down than selling a million forks to some poor trader who is no longer a general merchant but a fork hustler.

Make useless items useful again. It gave the different qualities of pottery in Morrowind some purpose beyond different aesthetics. Plus it'd help make me feel like I was living in a real world, where people actually did pay handsomely for things other than magic swords.

Lol.

Now I know what my first character will be =)

Glad to inspire.

The economy and pricing in all of the TES games has always been utter nonsense. You can buy an iron weapon for about the same price as a head of cabbage or some other common food item. Cheap armor pieces cost less than a moderately decent shirt. The monetary system is based on a gold coin, and evidently gold has almost no intrinsic value in Tamriel, otherwise you'd be able to buy dozens of common items with one coin.

In Morrowind, annual income for tax assessment purposes was listed for several NPCs, which was in the low hundreds for most residents of Seyda Neen, yet a single meal would cost nearly a month's pay. Oblivion merchants would offer to pay absolutely nothing for common "junk" items, unless your mercantile skill was sufficiently high, and you couldn't barter goods or put the value of several pieces toward the purchase of something more expensive. In either game, you could sell 20 fur cuirasses to a merchant, and they would still happily buy another at the same price, despite never selling a single one throughout the course of the game. Maybe the merchants in OB were counting on them becoming rare after you levelled up....

Neither game had anything even remotely close to a "functional" market system or economy. Hopefully, Skyrim will be an improvement in this respect.

Agreed. Stuff should have more value, not just for you, but for everyone. Maybe there are different price ranges depending on which items you want to sell. A armor shop may have more use for a repair hammer than the mill does. Everyday things should be more valuable and more personal from the person buying or using them.