They can still run/crawl away...

They should only do this if they're binded or otherwise unable to move. Overall, as a last resort.

I don't want to see enemies dropping to their knees in the middle of battle, that would look pretty dumb.

Yea I really don't want to be fighting some people andthere's just this guy begging for his life. They need to make sure that if an NPC is going to beg, all of his/her ally's are all dead. Also if something else comes along, like a lion or wolf, the NPC that was begging should run if you start fighting the wolf or lion.

Maybe there could also be some NPCs that can decide to take their own life if they think they're about to die.

They probably will do that because people on the street can challenge you. So you probably have the option to let them live or just kill them.

Nice!

NPC's need to try hiding.

I always liked the Thief series reaction of AIs running away while shouting "Comrades, come to my aid!" Then suddenly they find their courage again when they've got some friends to back them up.

Hope so, I'll be unforgiving. :flamethrower:

If you have Oblivion and can use mods but don't have this mod yet:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22392

Install it and see how it changes the experience completely.

As someone who's played much Morrowind, I really like the idea of so many hostile NPCs suddenly losing any urge to attack when they cross paths with a burly, nasty-faced Orc covered in Daedric armor, especially after they witness said Orc fell a Golden Saint with a single blow. With his fist.

I'd like as many options as possible when it comes to the reactions of NPCs, and even creatures, to my character. They're a commoner, I'm covered in plate armor and wearing the reddest cape you've ever seen, they should respect me, fear me, hate me, admire me, beg me to let them kiss my ring, whatever. I'm clearing out a smugglers cave, at least some of them should beg me to at least let them live, others just run in fear, others think I'm bluffing, etc. etc., or I'm pillaging a Daedric ruin, and the Scamps recognize a bad mofo when they see one and go cowering behind the Xivilai, who's so insulted by their cowardice he slays them himself. Stuff like that.

Now im not positive but I seem to remember a while back there was an issue with something like this struggling to get through censors around the world (particularly countries with overzealous laws such as Australia),
where giving the player the ability to kill a person who has surrendered, was deemed to much...
(cant remember the game but i do remember reading it somewhere)

That being said i believe it would be a great addition to the game, which would improve immersion as well as gameplay, and i would be more than happy to subvert censorship laws and buy the game from outside the country (of course this is just a throw away statement and not an acknowledgment of guilt )

If Bethesda has any balls, which I think they do, they will not concern themselves with such matters. Hell, read the latest interview with Todd, he talked about being accommodating to all us genocidal players.

This needs to happen. I was playing a peaceful type character in F:NV and it was ridiculous to have an enemy run away for 5 seconds because their health was low and then have them come back and fight you with 10% health, only to end up dying by a pair of stamina depleting boxing gloves.

Yeah, I'd say they should be able to be intimdated into backing down (or even convinced into aligning with you) before a fight, fight, run away, beg for mercy, and even change their disposition towards you if you save their life.

IMO, more options make the game more versitile and interesting.

Actually, Sid Meiers in a lecture on game-design already explained why it is a BAD idea to make game enemies beg for mercy.

He used the example of his own game, that of the Civilization series. No matter how outclassed the enemy, even when you are about to kill them, the enemy would never cry about how they have children to feed or that they are sorry. This is because the purpose of combat was to defeat your enemy, and as such begging for mercy is actually something that punishes and discourages the player from playing aggressively. Hence after a few beta-tests, the enemies would swear at you and be defiant to the end, allowing you to finish them off without regrets.

Quite simply, if the enemy begs for mercy every time he is about to die, the game would be making a moral judgement call in demanding that the player be merciful. The idea being it makes the player feel bad about killing an enemy, and as such in the long run it would no longer be "fun" to fight at all. It forces everyone who doesn't have a heart of stone to be pacifists.

In a game where there is combat and killing as a major element, Bethesda can't afford to make killing unsavoury. Sure, certain scripted quests might have it as a plot point, but general combat with random enemies can't afford to punish players psychologically like that.

Indeed they do. I was in a fight with bandits recently and they were all laying out flat, so I thought they were all dead... suddenly one of them gets up and says 'Run Away!' and then runs off in the dark.

As for begging for mercy.... even if they were to do that, I'd hope it was a rare occurrence, otherwise it would be annoying.

I disagree with him completely. If he wants his game to force players into killing. That's OK. But this is an RPG game. Killing is a not a forced goal here(at least outside of MQ). To kill or not to kill is player's choice. The consequences and moral choices of something like that in general is very important for RP aspect.

In the mod example I gave earlier. If NPCs realize(seemingly!!!!) that they are losing combat, they will flee. And at this point game gives me dialog options. I can tell "go away" and they will escape the perimeter. I can tell "Give me something" or "Give me everything". Fame increase or decrease according to these options. You should see their facial expressions, it is worth it a million times. And you see killing a person is not rewarding but loot is. We don't get experience points in this game for killing so it is unnecessary for gaming too. So in this game, this can be accomplished.

I'd like the opportunity to offer surrender to a foe that I've weakened or clearly outmatch, and have some possibility of them accepting rather than stupidly running into my blade. I feel like this would improve RP for both good and bad characters, with a bad character you could simply execute them right there after they've surrendered or rob them and knock them out. As a good option you could just knock them unconcious and leave them or bind them up for the guards to imprison. The amount of times you've been merciful/ruthless after a surrender could then be added on to your stats and you would begin to gain a reputation for either being ruthless or merciful.

I use http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20736 to roleplay a Paladin of Stendarr in Oblivion, and one of the stipulations of retaining your divine-granted powers is using the yield function, which acts like a call for surrender when used against hostile NPCs and the chance of them surrendering to you is dependent on the level difference, your fame, your best offensive skill (blade, destruction, blunt, etc.) as well as the NPC's disposition and confidence,

Ah, but then you couldn't have those (rather one-way) conversations like I have with characters in Fallout 3:

"Look, I'm armed with a nuclear hand-cannon and you're armed with nothing but a fruit knife. This isn't going to end well. ... No? ... Oh well. *boom-splat*"

Don't care if this is in or not, really. But if it is, it should only be based on having thumped them soundly in combat- them offering surrender right off based on your level versus theirs is psychic guard "I surrender right now, powerful scum!" territory and we shouldn't even go there.

It could be based on what equipment you're carrying - if you're clearly wearing top-of-the-range armour and carrying a giant flaming sword then it's a bit silly if someone bare-knuckle boxing in the nvde doesn't surrender. It's back to the "I have a fat man (nuclear cannon) and you have a fruit knife" argument.

It would be neat if you could rob people, simply by drawing your weapon, the npc would start to get nervous and then some diologe options would appear, like "give me your money" etc. Of course some npc's might fight back, some might run,etc.

Yeah, that comparison is just ridiculous, this isn't Civilization, this is Elder Scrolls. We're not assuming absolute control of Skrim's resources and dedicating them to kicking Cyrodiil's behind, we're playing a (new) resident of Skyrim trying to make their way in a world much bigger and older than them.

In addition to the moral choices as you pointed out, it just doesn't make sense for a lowly bandit armed with a shoddy knife to even think about charging at a big armored Nord who slays dragons more easily than he gets drunk. They should run in terror, bargain for leniency, beg for their lives, anything but fight like they're freaking blind. Unless you did Blind them, in which case you're an evil mofo.

Repetitive use of skills is the only way to increase your skills and levels in Skyrim and the other TES games. As long as this system is in place Sid Meier is right. I personally don't want random_bandit_57 to beg for his life, I want him to stand and fight and die without negotiation so I can increase my skills and levels.

I can already see myself fighting a NPC, almost giving the final blow and then he drops down and begs for MERCY! :D:D