Who the hell cares what "governs the skill". If I put 1000 different versions of spears in my game, but for some reason put them into the "dagger" category, does that mean that I don't have spears in my game?

Edit: Also, nor does category have ANYTHING to do with animations. Oblivion had different animations for the different types of weapons in each category (look at claymores and short swords).

The zombie on the bottom left of page 52 in the Game Informer is holding the weapon the same way as was described the two-handed weapon we can't identify on 53. It's a lot farther. My eyes aren't good enough to examine it though. Can anyone tell what that is?

*edit* Kefka beat me to it. So that zombie on the adjacent page isn't holding a spear.

See my previous post. If they've animated all pole weapons as axes, it makes a difference. If they've animated them differently, as they did with short swords and claymores in Oblivion, it makes a difference. My concern is that obviously a one handed sword and a two handed sword will be animated differently, but what about weapons which are gripped the same? Although I would really prefer to see one handed spears anyway.

Yeah, I don't think it's at all clear what the top of the weapon looks like.... whether it's a deep heavy blade like an axe, or a shallower slimmer blade like a halberd...

Here's another hypothesis: they're all two-handed axes. But in the bigger screenshot with the multiple zombies, the one on the left is in the middle of a swinging motion. But is it plausible that the animators would shift the location of the zombie's hands on the shaft for the attacking animation? Maybe they figure that when you are holding a two-handed axe, it's easier on your arms to balance its weight across the shaft, and so you would spread your hands apart. But when you swing, you want to use more leverage, so you slide your hands down to the bottom of the shaft...

Don't know if you guys have ever seen a real halberd, but they look NOTHING like the one in the picture. And if Skyrim halberds look like that it would make me sad.

A real halberd has a wide shaft, is the length of a short spear, has a spearhead and a small axe head. The weapon in the picture looks like an elongated axe, nothing else.

I'd defiantly be expecting spears and halberds, I saw no reason for there removal. Especially with the addition of horses. Bethesda probably left them out due to time constraints or the didn't want a spear skill because it would have messed with the balance of the classes.

People just tend to use 'halberd' as a catch-all term for chopping polearms. Don't worry too much about it.

Your post did not express that concern at all, only your concern that they would be animated in the same way as axes. Not sure how grip has anything to do with anything since nobody would try and grip it the same as a battle axe (I don't know, I think it would look pretty funny to grip it only a foot down and ignore the entire rest of the pole or grip it at the very bottom, struggling against the massive amounts negative mechanical advantage a lever and an effort that size would produce).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pole_weapon#The_Problems_of_Classification
I know that has little to do with halberds, but it still might interest you.

Even if there is a "halberd", this does not mean spears are back. Halberds are kind of half spear half axe and could easily fall into the axe category.

But I do hope spears of all sorts are back, including 1handed ones, so I can go all 300 on their asses.

THIS IS SKYRIM

Why there shouldn't be spears and polearms:

Spears are only good for thrusting and/or throwing which means there would have to be at least (3) new anim groups for them alone.

Polearms could probably get by with 2-handed anim groups but FOV will prevent you from seeing anything but the haft as you run around and neither spears nor polearms will fit easily on your back.

Long weapons (pikes, pole axes, glaives, etc.) were not typically a single combat weapon cause once someone is inside your range you're screwed. More appropriate for use in a crowd. I made a number of polearms for OB and aside from the added reach they were pretty goofy to use. Well the Roman pilums were kinda cool but they were shorter than most.

That sounds like a great reason to have spears and pole arms. It makes different weapons unique instead of just having the same style of attack over and over again.
And by the same logic, daggers are useless because as soon as someone is outside of the reach of your arm, you're screwed.

Hey I like variety as much as the next guy. If BGS can figure out a good way of handling spears and pole arms smoothly I'm all for it but there seems to be loose concensus that because something was in MW we're being cheated if it isn't in Skyrim. I used a spear in MW. It wasn't the end-all of coolness. Let the dev's do their thing. I don't want something shoe-horned into the game again like 'horses' in OB.

Assuming makes a ASS out of YOU and ME