4 ms·

I'm trying to remember off the top of my head how Skyrim did it. During the character creation, I don't remember doing a class assignment, certainly not explici

I'm trying to remember off the top of my head how Skyrim did it. During the character creation, I don't remember doing a class assignment, certainly not explicitly like Morrowind or Oblivion. I think everyone just started at the same base character level, and your "class" fell out of your behavior over the course of the game. Do more destruction magic, earn more magic power. Regardless, if it wasn't Skyrim, that seems like a better system all around. Leave the character a blank slate, start every stat at 0, and the character has to be molded through the course of the game.

bbctol 9y ago
Yeah, Skyrim was a major break from the earlier Elder Scrolls games by abandoning pre-made classes. It's probably a good idea in many ways, but you run into a similar problem if you want to level up in skills that aren't actually that much fun (which is basically anything except fighting.) If you want to be a master blacksmith, instead of spending time re-reolling, you spend it... crafting hundreds of iron daggers.
- talmand 9y ago
  And you bankrupt every smith in the game because you flooded the market with hundreds of iron daggers.
- antisthenes 9y ago
  Umm, what? Neither Morrowind nor Oblivion had pre-made classes. You technically had the option of picking "mage", but that distinction was utterly pointless beyond the first few levels. You weren't limited in leveling up primarily skills opposite of your "class".
  - bbctol 9y ago
    IIRC Oblivion had you choose a class, but then you still leveled up skills by using them (it definitely had pre-made classes, though.) I never actually played Morrowind, though.
talmand 9y ago
I've played several games over the years that handle skills/classes that way, Skyrim being a recent one. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Often times it's easy to abuse the system to get high stats quickly and unrealistically. Plus, these games will usually have a scale on enemy difficulty based on you instead of the game world. So if you somehow run into something that should be incredibly dangerous for your beginner character, it is not that hard to defeat. Remember that rabbit you smacked a couple of times to kill for its meat in the early game? Later it requires gear designed to fight gods to kill that rabbit's brother. I exaggerate, but that type of system bothers me to no end.
- LeifCarrotson 9y ago
  > Often times it's easy to abuse the system to get high stats quickly and unrealistically. Or, even if you're not trying to abuse the system, the behavior that's most natural and which results in the best outcomes can modify your character from what you may have intended. It's typical get the best loot from the hardest quests. You could grind the easy ones, but quick progression requires taking on difficult tasks. In Skyrim, if you see a group of baddies that are too strong to take on in a brawl all at once, the way to proceed through the quest is to shoot them with an arrow from far away, and sneak until they de-aggro. Or if you don't want to attack it, just sneak around. Or if they're charging you and too far away to melee attack yet, put in a couple hits with your bow to soften them up. Surprise! You're not a mage or a heavy like you thought you'd be. You're a stealth archer.
  - Retric 9y ago
    Gear, Perks, and Stats are 100% under your control and you can buy training. So, you might have twice the levels of stealth and archery, but be a better mage. Skyrim's biggest issue is the gear / classes are not balanced overall. Mages end up spamming high level spells endlessly while doing vastly less damage than an archer with good gear.
    - e12e 9y ago
      Remember Smaug? Sometimes an archer with good gear wins the day in stories too...

bbctol 9y ago

Yeah, Skyrim was a major break from the earlier Elder Scrolls games by abandoning pre-made classes. It's probably a good idea in many ways, but you run into a similar problem if you want to level up in skills that aren't actually that much fun (which is basically anything except fighting.) If you want to be a master blacksmith, instead of spending time re-reolling, you spend it... crafting hundreds of iron daggers.

talmand 9y ago
And you bankrupt every smith in the game because you flooded the market with hundreds of iron daggers.
antisthenes 9y ago
Umm, what? Neither Morrowind nor Oblivion had pre-made classes. You technically had the option of picking "mage", but that distinction was utterly pointless beyond the first few levels. You weren't limited in leveling up primarily skills opposite of your "class".
- bbctol 9y ago
  IIRC Oblivion had you choose a class, but then you still leveled up skills by using them (it definitely had pre-made classes, though.) I never actually played Morrowind, though.

talmand 9y ago

I've played several games over the years that handle skills/classes that way, Skyrim being a recent one. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Often times it's easy to abuse the system to get high stats quickly and unrealistically. Plus, these games will usually have a scale on enemy difficulty based on you instead of the game world. So if you somehow run into something that should be incredibly dangerous for your beginner character, it is not that hard to defeat. Remember that rabbit you smacked a couple of times to kill for its meat in the early game? Later it requires gear designed to fight gods to kill that rabbit's brother. I exaggerate, but that type of system bothers me to no end.

LeifCarrotson 9y ago
> Often times it's easy to abuse the system to get high stats quickly and unrealistically. Or, even if you're not trying to abuse the system, the behavior that's most natural and which results in the best outcomes can modify your character from what you may have intended. It's typical get the best loot from the hardest quests. You could grind the easy ones, but quick progression requires taking on difficult tasks. In Skyrim, if you see a group of baddies that are too strong to take on in a brawl all at once, the way to proceed through the quest is to shoot them with an arrow from far away, and sneak until they de-aggro. Or if you don't want to attack it, just sneak around. Or if they're charging you and too far away to melee attack yet, put in a couple hits with your bow to soften them up. Surprise! You're not a mage or a heavy like you thought you'd be. You're a stealth archer.
- Retric 9y ago
  Gear, Perks, and Stats are 100% under your control and you can buy training. So, you might have twice the levels of stealth and archery, but be a better mage. Skyrim's biggest issue is the gear / classes are not balanced overall. Mages end up spamming high level spells endlessly while doing vastly less damage than an archer with good gear.
  - e12e 9y ago
    Remember Smaug? Sometimes an archer with good gear wins the day in stories too...