Have any of you ever played Chasm?

It was an FPS that, IIRC, was built on the Quake engine and came out maybe '96 or '97. It is, to this day, the only game I have ever played with "realistic" dismemberment. Unlike games today that have dismemberment, where if you slice off someone's arm/leg they die, Chasm had all manner of enemies that would still function (though with limited capacity) if you cut off an arm or a leg (and in some cases, their head).

Cut off an arm, and they simply won't use that arm (good for one type of enemy, who's right arm was a chainsaw). Slice off their leg(s) and they would crawl. Cutting off their head would usually result in death, though in this specific game there was a type of enemy that could only be totally killed with a specific weapon, so even chopping off their head would have their headless body keep coming at you.

If this kind of stuff could be done back then, I see no reason why it has never been used in more modern games. It would be really awesome to severe the sword arm of an enemy and have them give up or continue attacking with increased fervor, but diminished results in Skyrim; or any other game, for that manner. I would hope that perhaps the more talented modders out there (I can only make things straight through the CK; not too good with Script Extender plugins though) will be able to add something like this later on and not just dismemberment in and of itself.

I think that would have been way too gory for Skyrim. I think.

what?

'Tis only a flesh wound!

To much gore?

I dont know of what you speak.

Really though Bethesda should work on there killing animations before you talk to them about dismemberment.

Monty Python is not the best influence for video games.

Totally win.

Not that I wouldn't appreciate it, it's just that I don't think Bethesda would ever do it.

Watching your opponent suffer and crawl around without his legs, that sort of thing.

1. AnathemicOne rules.
2. I would say that for most living things, fantasy or not, cutting off a limb would mean a quick demise. However, it would be cool with the Draugr.

"Come back here! I'll bite your legs off!"

Ever seen someone with their arm cut off? I did overseas. They dont continue to function.

It would work very well on the undead. Would be really cool to shop one of those though draugers to pieces.
Take off his magic hand, and you don't have to worry about being frozen to death

Actually, I have seen someone get their arm cut (well, crushed) off. They functioned just fine... Though, most of what they did was scream bloody murder until the medics arrived.

'Twas his own fault, the goober; signs everywhere and constant reminders from other people saying not to cross the water-tight doors when they were moving. He thought he was slick and walked through, but the door slipped and crushed his arm right below the elbow and severed it.

However, in a life or death situation, where the adrenaline is pumping? People are capable of amazing things. Besides, there is magic in TES. Wizard loses an arm, he could cauterize the stump with a fire spell so he won't lose all his blood, kill you, then magically re-attach his arm.

We're not fighting zombies.

If you chop off someones arm/leg/head they're going to die. Maybe not right that second but an armless bandit is not going to keep fighting. He'll fall down in pain and agony only to die moment later.

Now if this only affected Drauger that'd be neat. Though I don't even think dismemberment happens for anything other than humans.

I think it'd be pretty god damned ridiculous.

They should die in more agonizing way, screaming and falling to the floor, open for a finishing blow.

But this isn't Monthy Python.

I think you'd have a strong argument if you were just talking about injuring limbs. A mace to the arm or an arrow to the leg would result in a pretty severe handicap. Dismembering a leg, on the other hand, takes somebody out of the fight, period. Even if they manage to stop the blood loss quick enough that they don't bleed out, they aren't going to be crawling around attacking you (the human foes, anyways).

It's just not realistic. If I was a bandit and my legs were cut off, I'd probably pass out of pain, and if not, I'd be begging for mercy while slowly bleeding to death. I certainly wouldn't think of fighting back. Same with animals, though I'm not sure how they react in real world. A mortally wounded bear would keep attacking, that's true, but what would a bear without paws do? Hmm...

I can see it working on dwemer machinery, though. They're essentialy robots, so they could still be working if missing some parts.

My guess is variable death animations.

I.E.: Intead of a head, you slice it's torso/arms/legs. That would be cool.

Does someone remember "Die by the sword"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CilbwmUb_KU&feature=related

Two words:
Dead space.

I just miss the basic dismemberment from fallout 3/nv.