How do you know it's not a fact? Did you call up Bethesda and ask? Also, since every mountain lion and it's mother attacked my Level 30 plus mage in Oblivion I think that any magical aura you put off is irrelevant to them. Thanks for coming.

no... and there's no way we are gonna get that info... so right now any discussion of it is opinion (both your's and my view)

the game needs to evolve. the fact that this mechanic wasn't in oblivion shouldn't hold them back.

The difference between a tiger and a cub is not anologous in this context to a low level and high level character. Sure, if the animal isn't afraid of infants but is afraid of advlts you could argue that but an animal will not be able to tell the difference between a wizard that can only cast a low level chameleon spell and one that could incinerate a whole town.

I have no clue why you put dim-witted in quotes; An animals instinctual abilities have nothing to do with its wit. Animals can tell such things through natural sensitivity to barometric pressure, electromagnetic fields, heat, smell, or sound. None of the things mentioned would be changed to a significant degree by someone's character level.

I voted for only lower level humanoids and some other creatures like imps. Just the ones that would realize by your armor that you are too strong for them.

I put dim-witted in quotes because you said...

but yeah... your right about the physical reasons, but there's a stigma around some animal's "sixth sense" due to their supposed foresight. And since this is a fantasy game i believe that this (still widely believed) stigma should be realized in a way that makes gameplay more enjoyable.

Fixed. Your personal preference was about the change, you were not in doubt about it making it more enjoyable. You know this was the case, and thats why you edited your response to this post.

good try, but i already said "i believe" earlier in the sentence, thus asserting that it is my personal preference.

YES! They should cower when they see the size of my sword...shut up. I know what you perverts are thinking O_o

I took the use of quotes as an implication that it was an untrue characterization.

Yes, there is a stigma, but why would you transplant an inaccurate assumption from the real world to a game? Regardless, I guess you could soften it through an in game explanation of animals' natural fear of magic but that would mean that melee characters would logically be excluded from the phenomena unless they wear powerfully magical gear. Also it assumes that magic is something innate within beings rather than pulled from an external source and having the user as a conduit. I am unfamiliar with what lore says about this assertion

Yes for sure this is a great idea :thumbsup: but I think one that should be reserved for low level humans

oh, with the quotes i was just pointing out that because they are of little intelligence doesn't mean they can't do seemingly extraordinary things.

and yeah you had some good points. I'm sure Bethesda would do whatever is best, but i personally wouldn't need much of an explanation as to why they run away when i am more powerful. If it was just something that happened in the game i would be fine with that, I know lots of people here would demand an explanation though, thatd be up to bethesda to make up.

If something is just odd and not overtly tied in with the world it is often jarring for people. I believe the unexplained behavioral change of unintelligent inhabitants due to non-obvious changes of the player character would be slightly jarring for people. Besides, it's fun when a weak rat comes running up like it's got a chance before getting its skull caved in but that's more of a personal opinion.

Yes, it would be slightly jarring i suppose. This is a made-up world however so i feel Bethesda just has to look at a couple things

a )is it fun/ does in fit into the game?
b )does lore contridict this? (if yes, would tweaking this part of the lore for the sake of gameplay too much (and how much tweaking is needed)?)
c )now how exactly are we going to explain this phenomena in the lore?

I like the concept, and it would add a lot to the overall experience for lesser foes to just get out of your way at some point.

But unless implemented in a much more complex way, this same mechanic would be inappropriate in a lot of cases, perhaps wholly so - it works great while playing towering nordic wargods, magicka-emanating master wizards and varliance-infused hero knights (hint for bandits - RUN AWAY!), but what about the master thieves, disguised anti-heroes, or that slender, unassuming gentleman who happens to be the single most deadly assassin in Tamriel?

Powerful characters won't necessarily look or even feel dangerous to other people and creatures, and the "flee" mechanic ought to take that into account somehow. Ideally, anyway.

Edit: The above situation (not running from a powerful player character because the bandit/whatever didn't know they were powerful) can lead to fun gameplay moments in and of itself. See http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MuggingTheMonster on TV Tropes.

Some animals should leave ou alone. A lonely wolf would never attack since they are pack animals(always found that funny in OB), but when they get their numbers up they won't hesitate. I think the same would go for bandits if they see that you are very well-equiped. A single bandit wouldn't attack a warrior in a full ebony armor wielding a giant warhammer, but if it were quite a few of them they would feel more confident. Factors like lvl, equipment, enemy number and he general intelligence of the enemies should have something to say.
Some lone bandits(-ish) charcters should also have a well developed ego and confidense in their own abilities. If a bandit have assaulted caravans alone he/she could be promted too attack a well equiped and skilled adventurer.
Edit: Fearless Hero makes a good point about the more secretive types of characters. The best assassin/thief wouldn't look like one and therefor would still be attacked, but as soon they(the enemies) realize they are in over their head they should flee.

your right, at the very least least for the humans (as stated before, if the animal's can tell your level it could be of supernatural reasons). There could be an "intimidation factor" implemented. Certain clothes, armor, weapons, spells (works when equipped), tattoos, scars, or hairstyle could all attribute to this.

EDIT: i guess if they go through all the trouble of doing that though, it would probably just be the same for animals

by that logic all you need to do in skyrim is dress in good armour and carry a shiny sword and no-one's approaching you.

in reality those are the best targets to mugg. if they fight back like they know what they're doing THEN run.

i like this whole concept though just not the exact implementation, generally animals judge each others mass and decide how to proceed. that's why many animals use measures to "increase" their size as a defensive measure. eg lions don't generally hunt bull elephants. the young maybe if they're seperated from the herd. but not the big ones. and even then it's as a pack to increase their size to match the target. a single wild dog will not hunt a man but a pack would. conversely a single wild dog would stalk a child. it's all about relative size to most predators. it annoyed me in oblivion when animals would attack me for no reason. especially the dogs and cats. both kill by the neck so how were they planning on killing my sardin tinned hero? it's just unrealistic. even if the rats and crabs are the size of lassie they should just avoid humans. never got that at all.

bandits and whatnot have access to the fame infamy and reputation so they should know your xyz and avoid the hell out of you. unless they don't know you which is their mistake. however some people will have the pride duty or determination to stand their ground. either way, bandits trying to mugg me annoyed me far less than mountain lions attacking someone who could make lightning.

well thats kinda true, but in TES it isn't like modern day. It's not as easy to spot a good lick as now, when there are wimpy rich frat guys walking around with their ipods with dr. dre headphones, oakly sunglasses, and 300 bucks of "walkin' around money" in their pocket. In TES If you were wearing daedric/glass/dwemer armor you probably earned it. If your walking around in expensive clothes yeah you might be an easy target, but armor and weapons are another matter.

That being said, it should be more about what the armor and weapons look like than the level.

Should probably be a Fable-esque reputation based system that only works on humanoids. Some animal isn't going to know you're the boss of the boulevard but if a low level thief has heard your name and description he'd probably think twice

Next step is to make Giants and Dragons fear us.. Humans (could) and Animals (shouldn't).

Yes, I always wonder why a lone mudcrab feels the need to attack a powerful mage.

only sentient being should be able to judge whether or not you're a badass.. And it shouldn't be based on your level, should be based on your gear.

I like this idea, although I think it should depend on a lot of things to make it feel more random. For instance, a boisterous, stupid, drunken bandit would want to attack anything in sight, wouldn't he? But an intelligent, calculating thief would know when to run away, right? A brand new rookie guard would probably run away in terror when he sees a fireball-slinging mage, but not the seasoned captain right next to him. Also, perhaps you could have the Personality attribute come into play here, as I have always felt that Personality wasn't very useful. I would try to raise my Personality as much as possible if I knew it would make me fight a third less of that group of guards.

As a side note, sapience is more correct here. Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive, sapience is the ability to act with judgement. :read:

People to a certain extent, but not animals.
Quest enemies shouldn't run, and boss's shouldn't run. But random camps of bandits? Yes.

Also... THERE WILL BE CLIFF RACERS?

That makes sense too me.
And please don't say that attributes aren't in, it haven't been confirmed either way yet.