» Sat Jan 03, 2015 2:12 pm To let you, being the reader, know what this is; It is someone saying what they would like to see dynamically change from Skyrim to the next TES game. I'm not a forum junkie, I'm not a dev, I'm just a gamer with an opinion.
Let me emphasize that I did enjoy skyrim, and between my xbox days and the 2 PC's that I have owned the game on, I have at least 400+ hours invested, multiple playthroughs involving almost, if not all of the questing and exploration done and it's still fun to revisit now and then..
But I did notice something from my revisitations of other WRPG's and JRPG's after I had played my last playthrough of TES5:Skyrim, and it's the lack of dynamic customization that Bethesda had to offer. I know they were trying to go for visualy stunning, but when a game like Kingdoms of Amalur had a more in depth crafting system than Skyrim, I feel like there was a portion of the game that was missing.
So starting from the ground up, being Oblivion to Skyrim, Skyrim was a much prettier, slightly more immersive play experience to me. Being someone who plays through an RPS first as a mage, I immediately was taken aback by spell creation being stripped out of Skyrim, but also by the fact that the spells in the game were very lackluster, and the system for gaining new spells was at times too easy, and at other times simply a nuisance. Coupled by the fact that I really couldn't make any decently enchanted gear, since the enchantments weren't anything to get too excited about (subjectively leaving out the Chaos enchantment added in the Solstheim DLC) and the armor creation in general was unsatisfying as well, I feel as though the players were given the choice of how they wanted to play, and what they wanted their character to look like (face, body, lame tats, etc.) but past that it became the storylines and combat, nothing else to it.
One key to making a great RPG is having customization options that never seem to end until your playthrough does. And with that sentiment in mind, I'm going to be giving my two cents on some customization dynamic changes that could be accomplished in the next TES game to add that new level of character depth, instead of finishing 2 playthroughs and having the same exact character model doing the same exact things.
-SPELLS-
Aside from the readdition of spell crafting, I think it would be nice to have some sort of control over either the aesthetics of the spell, or how the spell interacts with the world around it. For instance, maybe a player wouldn't mind if they had a fireball that looked more like a meteor coming down and crashing into the enemy, or lightning attacks that weren't nearly identical. Destruction could be expanded on in so many ways, from looks to effects to new varieties of spells it makes it seem a bit lazy only to include the 3 primal elements in cone, bolt, rune and ult forms (even if the bolt had 2 tiers) it's time to get creative and think outside the box a bit.. Like why not include stone, air, simple magical force or dark magics? Look at the Dragon Age series for instance, Blood Magic was an extremely creative addition that gave players (in DA2) the ability to harness their blood in order to fuel their darker and more forbidden magical arts.
The tree system for magic was honestly something that needed a COMPLETE overhaul, the trees could have been expanded to include the spells in them, as well as the passive ability unlocks that they consist of; this would not only give a solid feeling of progression for the mage, but it would also give you a bit more freedom to choose what mixture of magical potential you want - for instance - referring to Destruction and the three branches in the tree, why weren't their bridges to gap them? They could have included passives giving bonuses to using two different elemental effects at once (I.e. wielding both the cone versions of fire and ice) and it isn't as though people would be upset about having one go-to spell in destruction that was a decent bit better than the others, at the expendature of skill points leading up to aforementioned spell into the tree and making them work to become a better magic wielder in general. This would have eliminated the pesky books and allowed a more comfortable progression into the destruction branches.
I do think, however, that the trees for Alteration, Illusion and the others would have come second to none for a lot of players, this could be addressed by expanding all trees and granting more than 1 skill point per level. Even if each tree were extended 20-30%, it would balance the challenge and progression better. Of course now we move into the different trees like armor and weapon skill trees, but they need to be replaced as well, and that will be addressed.
-COMBAT-
Ever notice the key to winning? Strafe and swing like a madman, avoid an enemy closing rank and shoot them down before they get too close, don't be afraid of taking a hit if it won't kill you, and make sure you kill everything first? The combat system is decent, but it gets very bland and repetetive, very fast. As a warrior, the only saving grace that was granted were the cinematic finishers. Why in the world they thought that it was a good idea to add that in place of ACTUAL CQC abilities is beyond me, but it is best reflected like this:
Using fisticuffs to dispatch my enemies - See a combat finisher once, it is awesome, see another and the reaction is renewed, see them all, gets to the point where combat is repetetive, and only changes according to what difficulty you are on (do you want to kill everything really quickly, or suffer through long winded battles where you're chugging potions? Good thing there's a setting in between for every walk of player to have the option to settle in and get complacent)
Why not add some different fighting stances to be unlocked for different kinds of weapons that could be mapped to the d-pad for controllers, or some special attacks that can be achieved either by circumstances culminating an opportunity, or to replace spells for those who want to have a strictly CQC combat experience where they aren't simply hacking at [censored] like they were trees (still mapping them to the d-pad for controllers, or 1-0 keys for PC gamers)
Followers were, in my opinion (ignoring the characters and their dialogue) a way for people who were struggling, to have an additional fighting force on their side, even if it was just for the aggro to be taken off of you in some cases, they only become a slight necessity in the very hardest difficulty. Even though people like to have them around, it's just because they're already complacent expectations of the combat, why not make it more interesting? Don't get me wrong, having a follower in a game that has dynamic combat makes things quite a bit more lively, for instance if I were playing a rogueish character, sneaking around with a bow and daggers, I might want a mage or a tanky beef stick to accompany me so I can watch them play an alternative roll in combat from me, instead of every character having the possibility to become a (viable) jack of all trades fighter where the end result is everyone fights almost the same way, why not give them advantages to being that guy, or someone who strictly sticks to guile and whits, or magic, or swordplay? Passives could have been added when certain peramaters were met by the player to give them bonuses to what they seemed to favor, like all light armor and daggers on a character who has 50/30/20% of skill points in one handed, light armor and sneak granting a bonus towards that player using his skills to assassinate targets or find more aventageous means of beginning combat.
-ARMORS AND WEAPONS-
Would it be too much to mix and match the hilts and blades? Maybe a more immersive crafting system where you add a new layer so in practice it wouldn't be find the ingots to craft this sword, it would be find the materials to craft this hilt, and this blade and then put the two together to make customizable weaponry. And for armor, there could have been hauberk and individual pauldron designs to create custom Chest pieces, and maybe 2 sections for gloves, to give them lining and cuff variations, and boots could have toe and heel variants. Robes could be fitted in similar fashion, giving them different, individual arm designs to choose from, and then slap them onto the body of the robe to have something unique instead of a cut and paste appearance. The possibilities to these points are also something to be considered, different materials like grades of leathers and of course varrying ingots could account for an armor rating, while new design plans could grant the aesthetic choices that we have been deprived. Crafting would become so much more sought after because it could be a way to make that character unique, and having a unique character will invest the player, since they could go to hell and back to get the one part to complete the ensemble.
-FACTIONS-
Where is the contoversy? I'm the archmage in the College of Winterhold, yet the Companions won't bat an eye at the fact that my character has never picked up a sword? I'm not saying that the factions should be closed to some, but factions should oppose one another for contracts, they should be able to dynamically and systematically look at your character and his or her motivations that have been presented and decide if they would even let you in, maybe you have made one too many enemies, and when you want to join a fighters guild look alike (Companions) they would want to have you prove your intentions, and the outcome of that quest would then decide if they allow you entrance into their ranks (this would call for consequential world reactions, like you choose to take the item for yourself instead of giving it to the herald or whomever gives you the quest, or let your shield brother die or kill him or w/e and they no longer like the cut of your jib)
-CRIME AND PUNISHMENT-
Why can I only pay a bribe, get arrested and break out, or fight my way out? Do guards really have the authourity to judge you there and then? The system is solid as is in my opinion, but could be expanded on so much. For example, you just pull off the heist of the century, and you have claimed a new shield that is to your fancy, and as it happens, you just stole that shield from the jarls brother; But the guards recognize it, bring you in, and find a [censored] load of stolen mess on your person, then they bring you in to speak to the jarl and he banishes you, or forces you to undertake a task in repentence for your crime, barring your entrance to the city until it's done. One word comes to mind, depth.
Don't get me wrong, there were a couple little things in the game that made me cringe a bit, but these were the big ones. I would love to hear feedback or general responses to the post, and simply ask that if you have an arguement to one of my points, please make it logical, trolls aren't welcome to dinner.
Last but not least, a note to Bethesda, I love you guys, but remember to double check every bit of dialogue you make for logic holes, not pointing fingers, just a friendly reminder.
