Okay, thanks for the story? I don't see your point though.

All of the schools, minus mysticism, will be the game and they will still be useful in a variety of ways.

Maybe, but like levitation it would need major rebalance. It would be like cheating if you could just activate it before hitting the ground after you've jumped from a mountain top.

*Hits Sheogorath* Slowfall! Can't touch me!

They might not allow slowfall because of closed cities... it all depends on the placement of these closed cities though. if they are near enough to a higher elevation, they won't want you slowfalling into closed-cities from the top (unless they just make closed cities loadable from the top)

Well since there is no more acrobatics skill (I believe it still here just become merged with returned unarmored skill so it perks still here and rogues still have their ability jump from water surface) warriors from their high athletic and endurance can swim fast and at long distance, in Skyrim such things can be handled by stamina and sprinting, what can work in water also.
I can also describe for you better work of waterwalk spell effect before it was
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Water_Walking
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Water_Walking
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/daggerfall-spells
Water Walking for D seconds
As we can see there is only one parameter is time under effect, as well there some additional features like cannot be attacked by swimming enemies, still receive damage from dangerous fluids like lava, can move at the same speed as on earth and can do all things thats can be done on earth for duration of spell,
so what can be done
Since we classically have only one parameter thats describe magnitude of water walking its time under effect we will start from this
Water walk can be channeled spell thats consume Magicka in constant rate and can have initial spell cast cost additionally so higher magnitude need more initial Magicka for cast and then still will drain Magicka during spell effect duration, skills in alteration school can affect such costs so skilled mage will have smaller drain of Magicka to continue work of spell, as channeled spell it need to be equipped in one hand until there is not taken high level perk thats will allow use such as passive buffs again, or effect will not come form scroll or potion, as part of Dynamic magic concept there can be concentration checks for maintain such spell under receiving damage or be disturbed by other reason, and spell can dispelled just because mage lose concentration of minds on it so novice can handle buff spell but if will receive an damage spell will automatically dispelled certain battlemage perks can increase concentration of mage, so from what actor can receive damage while use water walk? From water enemies and dangerous environment, water walking is not shield against slaughterfishes how it can save from being bitten but not save from lava?
Its logically thats enemies can reach water walking mage, but he can maneuver and evaded such attacks, not just stay on place.

What next can be done
such spell can be forbidden to cast underwater so need to cast it only while stay on solid objects,

speed of water walking can depend on water type as well as walking speed can depend on earth texture tile under actor simple script will make mud texture actually be mud thats slowing down, as well swamp water will work at the same way also (swift swim effect can protect from this as well as argonian racial trait based on constant swift swim), in such cases eve slippery ice can be done as well.

Spells like burden can cancel effect of water walk and make actor sink as well weigh of equipment can add negative effects to concentration checks for water walk.

Well such forbids in single player game sounds more like http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/4/49808/1528356-flash6412_no_fun_allowed_super.jpg, besides Todd say only really big cities will have such walls and they work on smoother transaction between wordspaces more like between cells not trough load doors again.

The point is eliminating spell & abilities (birthsigns) cuts character building options as well.

Maybe the games just need to jump to being God of War instead of an agonizingly slow decline...

How about go play Demons' Souls instead? That's what's being argued for from what I'm hearing.

I want slowfall and Jump spells.

Dont care much for outright flight spells though. But slow downwards levitation letting you "plane" down from high places would be great!

Unless you kill Sheogarath with that tactic it doesn't get you anywhere, does it?
Maybe higher powered enemies should have low grade regeneration if it's fitting.

Try to fool the Mad God?
In his realm then earth will strike you instead of you strike the earth with your soft body

Such thing can be easily fixable even with morrowind slowfall if it was not bugged, only damage from magnitude of spell will be absorbed so teleport actor high enough and will cannot absorb critical damage, with improved like I describe Slowfall such magnitude depend on Magicka used and charge time, speed of decreasing depend only on skills in Alteration school so from high enough altitudes even Masters of Alteration will cannot land safely.

Exactly Dark Souls will have open world and dual wielding also and dragons, as well as many other features thats Skyrim has as well such thats Skyrim didn't have like multiplayer, but From Software not reduce features and dont pump up PR they even left in game things thats BGS try avoid by some reason, why?

You are right about the NPCs. Though one major problem I have with spells in previous games is the lack of flexibility in casting. Casting a spell was:

- press button
- get x magnitude spell for x seconds

Or some such nonsense. You then would have to go to McSpellalter to purchase the same spell over again for a new magnitude/duration/etc. Which makes no sense. Most of the time I went to spellmaking alter it was to buy all over again a spell my character already knew but I had to go there to manipulate the effects.

The news I have heard about the new magic system made me think they have been taken steps to get away from this. If they were to balance it correctly and put some thought into it there would be no reason to keep a level one character from casting a levitation or a slow fall...or any other spell they learn. The balance should be in the effects. Where maybe if a Level 1 casts too high a magnitude they stun themselves. Or the magicka burns away at an increasing rate the longer you cast (which minimizes as you level up). So that maybe a Level 1 can cast water walking and hold it for a step or two before all of their magicka is gone and they fall in the drink. Then as they level up more their ability to cast the spell becomes functional as rate of burning and other negative impacts lessen.

Every single Level 1 character should be able to learn every single base effect spell at level 1. Whether or not they blow themselves up when they cast it....well...that would be another topic.... :whistling:

Having spells that you can manually manipulate on the fly with balancing effects (and perks!) to differentiate the skills levels is what I was thinking when Beth said they were taking away the "spreadsheetiness" of the game. Unfortunately, all I have heard so far is cutting crap out. :confused: