When I get some random bandit down to low HP he starts begging for mercy, but I can't give him any because he just gets right back up and starts trying to kill me again and I have no option but to kill the guy. Would it have been that hard to program a system so there's a dialogue moment so you can choose to either spare him or execute him? It would add a lot of depth to your charactor and the game as a whole.

(Maybe it's just that I feel bad about killing somebody who's afraid of me, but It could realy help flesh out your charactor more.)

It would be nice if when they beg for mercy we could put our weapon away and he/she would run off.. Sadly, there can be no mercy when we know they will just try again in a few seconds. Not that my Orc would show any mercy.

Sheath your sword, that might do it. At least, that works with random encounters, such as 'Nord' or 'Orc' encounters.

It would kinda be cool if sometimes they actually surrendered. Maybe sometimes they'd lie and attack you, and sometimes surrender for real. Anyway it's not a big deal, I do feel a bit bad finishing off someone who's asking for mercy though.

I guess my thinking is that they are bandits who prey on the weak, so they don't deserve mercy. Why would you spare someone who just a few moments ago was all about killing you and stealing all of your possessions?

Pity we can't enslave them and pack them off to the mines. This is The Elder Scrolls after all.

I would enjoy having the choice to beat them and then let them go, as well as the choices of killing them or sneaking past them. They should have some kind of stat, like Responsibility in Oblivion (I don't know if NPCs still have that in Skyrim), that determines whether, if you show them mercy, they will run away and convince their friends to also run away when you approach and maybe even move their camp in respect that you beat them and let them go, or they will run away then gather all their friends together for an all-out assault on you, and not respect that you beat them and then chose to let them go. If they choose the first option, you will gain a small proportion of a Fame point (getting a reputation for being a strong but fair and good person).. If you chose to kill them after they begged for mercy, and someone else saw and ran away, you'd get a small proportion of an Infamy point.

It would be cool to be able to beat someone and show them you are stronger than them, yet not have to kill them.