» Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:28 am I have the impressions that many of bethesda latest choices are due to a lack of ambition that wasn't present while developing the other games of the series.
From what I have read here are some explanation of why some features (only the one I really care about) are not present in the game:
1) Attributes
My understanding of Bethesda choice: You don't really need them as they are used only to calculate Health/Stamina/Magicka
My reaction: Ehh, I must be dreaming???? Really??? What about some sensible way to roleplay? What about having more dialogue option for intelligent character or wise ones? What about having a quest only if the character luck is over 80? What about a dice minigame based also on luck? What about swords/greatswords that you cannot use as your strengh is not enough?....It seems to me that 30 years of good RP mechanics are a bit too easily dismissed as irrelevant. Sure perks can do some of these things but it seems really odd.
From what I have read here are some explanation of why some features (only the one I really care about) are not present in the game:
1) Attributes
My understanding of Bethesda choice: You don't really need them as they are used only to calculate Health/Stamina/Magicka
My reaction: Ehh, I must be dreaming???? Really??? What about some sensible way to roleplay? What about having more dialogue option for intelligent character or wise ones? What about having a quest only if the character luck is over 80? What about a dice minigame based also on luck? What about swords/greatswords that you cannot use as your strengh is not enough?....It seems to me that 30 years of good RP mechanics are a bit too easily dismissed as irrelevant. Sure perks can do some of these things but it seems really odd.
I remember having 100 in each attribute and roleplaying as a person who was great at everything. :facepalm:
This argument does not work with TES as the mechanic has never worked. In the first few levels perhaps, but not for long. Those attribute-related restrictions you mention wasn't in Oblivion or Morrowind, so you can't use those as arguments either.
Perhaps they could improve the attribute system and implement it again in TES 6. But for now, taking it out and replacing it with something that seem to work better (perks) was a step in the right direction.
2) Mark/ recall
My understanding of Bethesda choice: They break the game
My reaction: Well...they are supposed to!! Apart from that it doesn't seem so difficult to change these spells so that they can be activated only if certain conditions are met. For instance, in a dungeon I would make them castable only if there is a light coming from outside (like in the game trailer) and no enemy in sight. May I miss some part of the game by using them? Maybe but that's is the beatiful part of it...do I use them and risk loosing something cool or I don't and explore everything?
3) Levitation
My understanding of Bethesda choice: it breaks the game
My reaction: Again...come on...what kind of answer is this? You can implement levitation the way risen has done it and it wouldn't break any game mechanic, or you could do it the Oblivion way and have some forcefield/whatever guard the major cities and prevent you to fly in (which would make sense due to the presence of dragons). Inside dungeon you just have to make the ceiling low where you don't want the player to take off of invent some other ways to do the same trick (Poison gas/spikes/moving part...) For intelligent people like bethesda folks it doesn't seem a major challange.
My understanding of Bethesda choice: They break the game
My reaction: Well...they are supposed to!! Apart from that it doesn't seem so difficult to change these spells so that they can be activated only if certain conditions are met. For instance, in a dungeon I would make them castable only if there is a light coming from outside (like in the game trailer) and no enemy in sight. May I miss some part of the game by using them? Maybe but that's is the beatiful part of it...do I use them and risk loosing something cool or I don't and explore everything?
3) Levitation
My understanding of Bethesda choice: it breaks the game
My reaction: Again...come on...what kind of answer is this? You can implement levitation the way risen has done it and it wouldn't break any game mechanic, or you could do it the Oblivion way and have some forcefield/whatever guard the major cities and prevent you to fly in (which would make sense due to the presence of dragons). Inside dungeon you just have to make the ceiling low where you don't want the player to take off of invent some other ways to do the same trick (Poison gas/spikes/moving part...) For intelligent people like bethesda folks it doesn't seem a major challange.
You do realize that you are asking for the impossible, right? Why should Bethesda spend time to form the world to levitation and mark&recall when they're just two tiny spells out of many?
And if they put forcefields all over the world and in the dungeons to prevent you from breaking certain scenarios, like an ambush or a hard place to reach by foot, then why do you want levitation? Why would you want it if you can't take advantage of it?
Both spells are a major challenge to implement, a monstrous challenge. Most games don't give the player the ability to freeze time or fly through walls, and that's because they so easily break the game.
You're silly if you believe that it's not a major challenge. And as I said, at the end of the day, Bethesda has spent several months to put forcefields everywhere so that you can't break the game with levitation. Now you can't use the spell for any major advantage - was that time Bethesda spent really worth it?
4) Spellmaking
My understanding of Bethesda choice: it breaks the game and it's not needed because you can use your hands to change the power of the spell.
My reaction: mehh...??? Spellmaking was never about only power (aside from the occasional super fire spell we all are found of), was always about smart ways to combine spells and train you. To me it was the essence of roleplaying a mage.Can it really be so difficult to limit the OP spells available in spellmaking?
My understanding of Bethesda choice: it breaks the game and it's not needed because you can use your hands to change the power of the spell.
My reaction: mehh...??? Spellmaking was never about only power (aside from the occasional super fire spell we all are found of), was always about smart ways to combine spells and train you. To me it was the essence of roleplaying a mage.Can it really be so difficult to limit the OP spells available in spellmaking?
I think most people used spellmaking to make the best spells available, and therefore limiting the power of spellmaking would make it redundant. When you say "smart ways to combine spells", don't you mean a more powerful spell than you had before?
The removal of spellmaking moves the focus from magic effects to the pre-made spells. And I would rather have the focus on exploration and finding new spells in towns and dungeons, as there's only so much exploration when it comes to spell effects. Buy lowly spells at the local spellstore and you could make the most powerful spell ever. I would prefer to find that powerful spell in the depths of a hard dungeon instead.
