I was playing Oblivion the other day and I recognized how not immersive some things are. For example: I found a sword with an effect on it. Now, how can my PC know what effects this sword has? I would like to talk about my approach on enchanted weapons / armor and alchemy.

1. just picking something up for the first time you can not know what effects this item has.
Ok, arguably for flower etc. it could be possible at it is common knowledge, but not for armor. Nevertheless, I think it is stupid and uninspiring to immediately know what effect certain items have.

2. how could this problem be solved?
I think one have to approach the effects/enchanting stuff from another perspective. When I would find a sword with an effect on it (f.e. fire damage - at that time not knowing) and I would use it against an enemy I would see that the enemy would suffer fire damage as he burns. So my suggestions would be to add the effect to the items specification after one has made use of that specific item. But what about effects that aren't visible, soultrap f.e.?

3. how to know the effect for "invisible" effects?
In real life I would go to a person who knows stuff about weapons or enchanting, f.e. a smith or a magician. So my suggestion would be to take this item to a smith or an enchanter and let him anolyse it. You pay a fee for it and you know what effect that specific item has. It should the enchanter take a while to anolyse it so, let's say a few days or so.

4. learning by doing
so, when progressing in levels you should be able to identify the enchantment of an item by yourself. but it should be a process, not just a text saying "Longsword - Fire Damage 5 Pts.". When you are examining an item it should take time and it should be a visible animation that you are examining something and you should also fail for items that have an high enchantment level, still not knowing what that certain item can do. For the record: You can identify an enchanted item either by the feel of item (feels magical) or the looks (glowing).

5. conslusion
There should be the following options regarding item effects and enchanting:
a. You can identify If an item is enchanted at all either by the feel of item (feels magical) or the looks (glowing)
b. Add the effect to the items specification after one has made use of that specific item, not immediately after pickup
c. You have to take an enchanted item to a smith or an enchanter and let him anolyse it to know what effect it holds
d. when progressing in levels there should be the possibility that you should be able to identify the enchantment of an item by yourself. When you are examining an item it should take time and it should be a visible animation that you are examining something and you should also fail for items that have an high enchantment level, still not knowing what that certain item can do. As an option you could take it to an enchanter or smith.
e. You can gain knowledge about specific items from books or conversations, but it is not possible to flick fast through a book where was talked about goldbrand, you should have stayed on the specific page for at least a few seconds, so that the game knows that you actually read it and know that you know about the effect and the destination where it is to find. That way you can go back and say: "I have been to that cave and found a sword, it must be goldbrand" and when you open the item menu you'll see the effect added to the item specification.
f. The same methods should count for natural items like mushrooms, flowers, meat and so on



What do you think about it?

What do i think? No. Simply no.

So darn much work for a singel enchanted item? It is like i dont have a job, friends, college and other hobbys in my life. There is no way in hell i would go through all that trouble just to find out about enchantments. If a person can create fireballs and lighting with his hand and save the world from fire-breathing creatures he damn sure better be able to feel the magic effects from an item.

Im really tierd of all this realism-crap. I really cant see why every game now days have to take turn towards realism. It's where GTA IV turned wrong ended up being boring. I fear Skyrim will have to much realism in it, I loved Oblivion because it was game in a great universe, not a game trying to simulate life in a great universe.

And i know many of you will disagree about the realism=bad part but im ok with it.

I agree. It's a videogame. I find a badass sword, and I wanna go kill [censored] with it, not sit at my workbench and anolyse it. Hey, maybe before we barter we can take all the armour and weapons and jewels to a special place where we can identify the compounds in it to make sure we get the best amount possible! Oh man, I found this awesome shirt but I don't know the thread count! I better go ask a specialist before I put it on. WOW! I can't trust a potion I found in a dingy old dungeon. I think I'll take it to the alchemist so they can make sure I won't get a stomach ache afterwards!

Seriously, if I find a sword I just wanna swing it at [censored] and kill stuff. I can anolyse the objects around me in real life.

and perhaps you could do a quest for said smith/magician for lowered prices or something to that effect. this would be a cool feature. at the same time, i doubt anyone would equip every sword they find just to see if it has any effects, especially if they already have a decent weapon. for example, if i already have the above mentioned fire sword, im not going to give any thought to the iron shortsword i just found. ket alone spend precious coin to have it examined.

You live in a world where technology is common. The moment you see a microwave, you, and presumably everyone else born after 1970, knows exactly what it is and what it does. Even if it's a different brand with different settings and different options, you instinctively know what it is and how to use it.

Technology doesn't exist in Skyrim. Magic... Does.

I find it perfectly plausible that people that have always been completely surrounded by magic, influence and interaction with the gods, the concepts of magicka and all else "fantasy" have developed an instinct for their world as well.

It is perfectly reasonable to me that a warrior who presumably knows magic weapons could take a quick glance at a newly acquired magical sword and know exactly what it does and how it works. In fact, I'd have to say one was mentally stunted if they couldn't - much like I wonder what's wrong with any child born after 1980 that doesn't know what a remote control is.



A character has to develop the skill to understand flowers apparently. They do have "levels of understanding" for the plants. I think this is what you meant by the comment on "arguably for flower etc." If not... I'm saying it now.

The whole idea with Alchemy in oblivion was to get knowledge of the flora and fauna ingredients in the world, instead of having to sample one of each, anolyze it, eat it and poo it to see what it does. Instead, a videogame simply grants the player this knowledge by bypassing all this "stuff the character has done" to know what things do. Seeing how the enchant skill is back, I wouldn't want this type of wannabe realism into the game, we are talking about magical swords here, how real are those?

Daggerfall had this, if you was below a pretty low level in the mage guild you had to take an enchanted item to them for identification, it cost 10% of the item value. Strangely the exact value of the items was known but this might be the unenhanced value.
Later you could identify items yourself.

If they have this in it will be Daggerfalls system learning how the item work would require a separate counter on item to count use and more calculations to se then you have used enough.

Now it’s quite possible to add scripted effects on items, this would be invisible for the player and can do all sort of thing from demoralize target, to let all enemies in 200 feet know about you, or undress you at random intervals. This could also be the start of a quest.

I never liked that system.

What does someone who doesn't know magic know about a magic sword?

The same thing someone who doesn't know about swords knows about a magic sword.

Whatever that "thing" is, be it "they know everything," "they know nothing" or something in-between, it should be consistent.

Morrowind had basically the same system with some differences. The purpose is as you say to simulate that a novice alchemist would only be able to make simple potions even with good equipment.

You could apply that to Skyrim, too. Since we have the enchant skill again, your level in it could determine what enchantments you recognize on items Alchemy works the same way in Morrowind (and similar in Oblivion) with ingredients' effects. The price you sell an item at could be based on the enchantments you know of. An enchanter could provide a service to detect the enchantments on an item, for a fee, so low-level enchanters can still figure out what enchantments an item has.

I think that's a fine idea.

I'f rather have the enchant ability do it for us than having to talk to so called experts about it. Perhaps low level enchanters could recongize the effects it does but not the magnitude, the good enchanters could see if it is low or high effect and a master could pin-point everything about it.

Good idea! (this was serious answer) There would aslo be a cool flaming sword ingame(jk)

Sorry, but when regarding the level of realism concerning enchanting, you're missing a very big issue.