It really is a whole different game. On my other characters I tend to bribe people and not even bother trying to admire them, but I really do feel like I'm this big smooth talker who gives a charming, big smile. Kind of like an Elder Scrolls Neal Caffrey... lol.

Worst in Skyrim? I think it's closest to real-life than any previous game, meaning not everyone who is skilled in something is skilled in the same way. (perk tree branches into different things)

However, the numbers do create a problem like you say. Still, in oblivion were we had 5 pre-set perks we all ended up the same and stayed the same forever even if we never used the skill again.

It would be interesting if the birthsigns system or racial bonuses affected your max stats. So whereas there's still very much the potential for a dedicated Orc to become a more skilled mage than an Altmer, at the end of the day there would still be a certain level of proficiency that some races simply can't reach. The choices you make during character creation are practically meaningless by the endgame, which is too bad as I'd prefer a system that rewarded planning and character diversity.

This makes even more sense than people might think when you consider that Orcs only live 40-something years as a side effect of their curse. An Altmer, by comparison can live for hundreds of years thereby devoting so much more time to the study of the arcane that there really is no way for an Orc to achieve anything nearing a similar level of proficiency.

I didn't even consider the longevity of the races in my suggestion - but you make a good point. Unfortunately I don't know if Bethesda possesses even the slightest intention of having their gameplay mechanics acknowledge the lore for the games, though it seems unlikely seeing as you're able to dispatch of groups of bandits from the moment you get out of Helgen. Just who had they been getting away with robbing from if they can't handle a level 1 player, then?

Are you talking about Oblivion here? The racial bonuses definitely do affect your maximum stats. An Altmer will always have a constant +100 Fortify Magicka, over and above any other stat, a Breton has +50 Fortify Magicka, etc. Those differences do not go away.

Likewise, a character with the Apprentice birthsign will always have a +100 Fortify Magicka, the Atronach +150 Fortify Magicka, and the Mage has +50. Those differences do not go away, regardless of character development.

In your example, with all stats maxed, an Altmer with the Atronach Birthsign will have a base Magicka of 450: That's ((100 Int)x2)+100+150. No other race/birthsign combination will be that high. The Orc with a non-magicka-boosting Birthsign will have a base Magicka of only 200. Big difference.

I was referring to skill modifiers, seeing as they presumably cap off at 100.

Presumably. Except for Athletics and Acrobatics.

Of course, the fact that Birthsigns and Racial Bonuses tend to affect Attributes, rather than Skills, suggests to me that you've changed your mind about what you were talking about.

I personally think Skyrim was a big step up from Oblivion. The spells and enchantments are much more fluid; no longer is a spell suddenly completely impossible to cast just because you're one point too low. There are also now several more options for types of spells you can cast, and even some really original ones as well; ward and oakflesh being my favorites, with runes closeby.

Crafting is surprisingly fun, since I actually get to look at something more tangible than what's in other games.

Combat also seems much more fluid, though I think this has more to do with the leveling system itself. Though, I do think the leveling system could do with some work as well.



There are a few things I think that could be done to make the whole thing much more entertaining, and classes mroe varied.
First is to make perks/increases much more difficult to increase, but also much more rewarding. Picking a class in the beginning would then be very important. If you don't pick a mage of some sort, your spells are going to be total crap. Visually, even! If you didn't pick some kind of warrior, your physical damage is going to be poor, and controls would perhaps be quite clunky. If you didn't pick a stealthy class, even the blind could find you. And training any of your skills will take a lot of time and patience. Like Restoration or Destruction were in Oblivion.

In-turn, skill increases would be very, very powerful. A mage's flames are like a dragon's breath, an assassin's arrow flies straight and true for many yards, and a warrior can plow through almost any enemy, with nice tight controls.

And leveling should probably be based on primary skills as it used to be. Just... please nothing like Oblivion had.