I know the game will be functionally the same; classes never meant much anyway in a world where you can do anything, but the class creating process has always had a more significant effect on gameplay than the programming might suggest. I have always roleplayed in ES games, and I have always used my class as the beginning of the RP experience. The class I pick sets the imaginary rules I will then follow in the game, and I never deviate from the original plan.

My question is this:

What did classes mean to other roleplayers in previous games?

Labels don't define who I am.

Just use your head, you don't need a game to give you a title.

Yea I will roleplay, but I honestly never remembered what I called my custom calss anyway, so it won't affect me the slightest. If anything it'll make my character free to change his career if he happens to retire from the assassination business

I didn't think anyone actually used the classes in the previous games. I will do like I did in Morrowind and Oblivion and play any way I damn please.

I agree with this. A big part of the fun for me in TES games is rolling new characters. I really enjoy picking race, skills, birthsigns, etc and then RP the character based on those selected traits.

I hope that some of this rolls over into Skyrim and that there is some kind of incentive to build new characters after the first playthrough. I never made a new character in FO3 because it just seemed pointless. I made lots of characters in both MW and OB.

I wasn't asking for suggestions, but thank you for your somewhat demeaning input.

The only thing that will change in SKyrim, is that you won't have your class name under your character name. The gameplay will work exactly the same. This means that if you play as a warrior, you will still end up a warrior, so you will have to reroll to experience the assassin experience.

Thread de-rail in 3. 2. 1...

Calm dude, he was just expressing himself.

I didn't mean it as an insult.

Sorry if came off that way.
If you already have a type of character in your head that you have fleshed out and given him a set skills for, you can make up whatever class you want for it.
I just ignored classes to begin with and made my own customs in Oblivion.

Yes you did. If you don't like the responses you are getting, then don't post a question.

Class never meant a thing to me, specialization : magic meant everything

I like the idea of playing without picking a class. This time around you walk around finding things you naturally finds interesting, certain types of weapons, spells, armors. If you thinks its funnier to use destruction than alteration you will naturally use it more. Try adding sword in one hand, and spell in the other, if you love fighting with this combination you kinda becomes a battlemage in a new different and natural way. Don't need a class pick in the beginning of the game to achive that same goes for all kinds of characters, as Todd Howard said, you become what you play in the game. And even how much I loved Morrowind, I think this will be a new and smuth way too become the perfect character you want. These are my thoughts atleast

I hope this is true.

I understand that part of TES is being able to be awesome at everything, but in FO3 it seemed like it was too easy to level everything uber high and be a "master of all trades". Thus, no real reason to ever reroll a new character.

Nothing really since it never mattered in the story what you were. Ie. if you were a witch hunter you never did anymore witch hunting than a sorcerer or battlemage or healer.

I generally choose a class that comes as close to matching the way I play as possible, but I don't really care about being assigned a class name. The type of character I play is based on the type of RPG I'm playing. Just because a game forces me to choose a class doesn't mean I play exactly that way. I play in a way that's fun for me. So, anyway, I don't think assigned classes are particularly meaningful.

To add, Fallout did not have class labels, but you could roleplay a profession of sorts, ranging from snipers, scientists, doctors, etc. It's what you do with the skills that'll define your character, not the name of some made up class.

No, I didn't ask for suggestions. My question is not about me, it is about what the classes meant to other RPers. And no I did not take offense, I am just trying to send this topic in the right direction when so many people think I am crying out for help.

I completely agree, but this is due to fallout's incredibly easy leveling (as you pointed out) it didn't take long to max out one weapon skill and choose a few OP perks and then you'd just fly through the levels in no time. This won't be the case in Skyrim since the leveling system is entirely different, as it's not based on experience but on actual usage of the skill (like previous TES games).

the only thing I'll really miss, to be honest, is the ability to name my class.

Yes, perfect example.

The incentive to make new characters is that you level slow as molasses when attempting to use low leveled skills as compared to using higher level skills. I imagine this effect becomes more and more pronounced as you raise in level, so that you would still be able to level at a decent rate at level 10 using a low leveled skill as compared to level 40 using a low level skill. Eventually, it will most likely become so pronounced that the only way to really get anywhere is to focus entirely upon that skill or buy some training.

Basically, the class system is still there, it just naturally enforces itself (though out the game), as opposed to enforcing itself once (at the beginning of the game).

Is it true you also don't pick major/minor skills? While I understand the reason, there is something I dislike about this. In previous games, if you picked a Race that had a boost to a certain Skill, and picked that same Skill as a Major, you would start the game doing pretty well in that area.

Obviously, it fun to watch our characters grow. But is is really believable that until whatever point the player starts controlling them, they were just talentless boobs? "Oh look, an axe, I've never used one of those before," (weeks pass) "I AM THE AXE MASTER!"

Also, this leads me to believe we will have an Oblivion style of skill, where every starting character is somewhat capable with everything...with every Skill performing at what in Morrowind would have been 20-25...

I always set my own custom class since the defaults stank. Either way if you spend all your time making potions and poisons you' won't find anyone who doesn't think you're an alchemist. If you spend all your time making potions and poisons but are classed as a knight, well you're still an alchemist.

I think classes hindered what you were doing so i think this would be easier and doesn't bother me. Having everything basically be a major skill isn't so bad. It will let you change your mind if you want to. I'm incredibly excited for this. I don't think it will break the immersion for me.