Should weapons/armor become fubar? : V - Skyrim

» Wed May 18, 2011 11:18 pm

First - I just want to say that I really like this question, just because it actually uses the term "fubar" as it's intended.

And it's a good point - I could see it being a part of the game world. I wouldn't set it as something that can happen through normal wear and tear, or even through a decent amount of abuse. But it would just make sense that most items would have limits - that if you "break" an item beyond a particular point too many times and continue to use it that way for too long, it would eventually become irreparable. I wouldn't want to see it punish relatively normal gameplay - only as something that kicks in if an item is obviously and regularly abused - so I'm not sure how much it would add to the game, but it's still an intriguing idea.

» Thu May 19, 2011 7:49 am

How so? You find a magic sword, you don't have the 'repair magic swords perk'. If you increase your repair, to get the perk, you can keep using the sword, and repair it yourself before it breaks. If you have a character in mind that has other skills, not smithing, you are scared to use the sword in case it reaches 0 health and is destroyed. Without the destroyed items system, you use the sword, it reaches 0 health, you put it away, then pay to have it repaired when next in town. Remember, there is no confirmation that field repairs are out, and a bench is required. That is just speculation.

I was referring to your "being punished" statement. No one is being punished more than the other.

Bring backup weapons and monitor the sword's durability regularly so it doesn't reach 0 if you care that much about it. This goes along with the "developing an emotional attachment to our equipment" statement I made earlier in this thread.

And stop using so many commas. They're not necessary and it makes your posts difficult to read

» Thu May 19, 2011 3:18 am

Yes. If you can't repair Goldbrand regularly, then you don't deserve Goldbrand.

» Thu May 19, 2011 1:52 am

As far as we know repairing weapons and armor will be quite complicated. You will need a furnace, logs to start a fire, repair items and the correct ore. So you could be tempted to repair your items only in the last moment.

Should there bea mechanisms to punish such a behavior? I think of some sort of irreparable damage that could be done to an item if its health goes under say 1/4. So if your equipment is to damaged there is a chance that the next hit will break it forever.

You apparently didn't get the memo- "consequences" is a four-letter word around here.

» Thu May 19, 2011 11:20 am

You apparently didn't get the memo- "consequences" is a four-letter word around here.

Consequences have to be reasonable, or it's bad game design.

For instance, you couldn't have "no field repairs" and "weapon/armor destruction" with Oblivion's incredibly fragile gear - you'd lose half your gear before getting back to town. (And it'd be even worse for the "more realism" folks, who want no fast travel and don't think you should be able to carry multiple weapons and sets of armor. They'd definitely have all their gear destroyed before they could get to a forge, since they'd have to walk everywhere and wouldn't have six replacements for everything in their inventory.)

» Wed May 18, 2011 9:51 pm

I could go either way, but I'd rather if weapons and armor don't become completely "destroyed", or if they do, it has to be at 0%, and you at least get to scrap the item for additional materials. Of course, this would never apply to Daedric or Legendary artifacts. They can break, but won't be "Destroyed".

So far though, I'm really liking the "Complicated Repair" system they have going. I know some people won't, but it opens up a more Fallout-NV/Fallout 3 equipment progression system. You're able to find all the goodies you want, but maintaining them is difficult at lower levels, not completely ruining the game's equipment progression like in Morrowind.