I still remember playing TES Arena for the first time and being amazed that the way to increase my skills was by using those skills. Seems like such an easy solution but prior to then all the CRPG's I had played had never done it this way. I just loved it as it made so much sense. Yes the system can be abused, and can have problems, but the basic idea is great.

I also recall playing FO2 and deciding that my character was going to be an Energy Weapon expert. So my little tribe girl kills some giant scorpions and levels up and put 15 points into her Energy Weapon skill. This girl has never even seen a gun before, let alone an energy weapon, yet at level up I can put all her points into Energy Weapons? That just makes no sense at all.

I have just got my current character in FO:NV to 44th level. I have several skills maxed out and I couldn't help but notice that those skills that are maxed out are basically the ones I use all the time.

Now here is what I am wondering and would like to discuss. Do you think the skill increase on use method would work in FO? Obviously some things would need to be tweaked. For example instead of getting extra points to distribute at level up for high INT you would just gain a level after fewer skill points are gained, letting you add perks faster. And I am sure, just like in TES games there will be ways to abuse the system and further adjustments would need to be made. But just the idea, that in order to increase a skill, you use it. Wouldn't that work in the FO world? Or is it ok for a tribal to get better at Energy Weapons when she doesn't even know what a gun is?

Basically, TES rewards you for how you do things, Fallout rewards you for what you do.

What you do with those rewards is another thing entirely.