I sort of like how Fallout and TES system is.

I was wondering if anyone thinks Bethesda would be able to in corporate that same system into a modernized open-world game, similar to GTA, Mafia, Saints Row, etc.

Bethesda does a nice job at making towns and cities, and I would think they'd be able to design a decent setting for the world. Skills could include Sneak, Pickpocket, Lockpicking, Speech, Pistols, Rifles, Special Weapons, Melee, etc. They could also have Perks, such as dual-wielding pistols or slowing down time when aiming rifles, etc. Factions could be like a Mafia, Street Gang, or Biker club, and perhaps a police department (vigilante, bounty hunter).

I;m sure Bethesda could pull it off. What are you thoughts? Better yet, what do you think Bethesda should try next?

Well, first off, there are overwhelming chances that this won't happen. It sounds way too similar to Fallout, for one.

Secondly, where would this game take place? A city? The countryside? I'd actually be interested to see Bethesda design a modern urban (or even futuristic urban) environment, but in the country would be the same old same old recycling of the Bethesda formula but in a more modern setting. It would probably be nothing special.

It's far harder to make a proper sized city when you're making interiors filled with moveable objects.

I hope you understand that Bethesda separates interior cells from exterior cells, and how this would then cause the movable object-filled interiors problem to be a nonissue.

Yeah, i'm not sure the technology is there to make a full modern city (cars, apartment buildings, skyscraqers, traffic jams, etc) with Skyrim graphics.

Right now, I'm having a hard time imagining the city being believable large in land area, as well as vertical.

As long as they don't have to do any writing, I think they'll do just fine.

I hope you understand the coding and everything for this would be a major issue and cause much buggyness

Depends as well on what kind of a population you're looking for. Most Bethesda locations that are described as "towns" seem to have populations more fitting of a hamlet.

With a different engine I reckon they could do alright though. Just not on the glitzed up gamebryo.

I giant city like grand theft auto.. With 10 npcs.. haha.
No i dont think massive modern worlds like GTA would get pulled off very well by bethesda. It would be nice, but i dont think they as a video game developer have that experience behind them to attempt it.

They pulled FO3 off, so no doubt that, had they wanted to, they could pull off a modern-style open world game as well, if feeling a bit empty.

IMO, it's a lot harder to make an accurately ruined building(s) than it is to make them as if brand-new. In fact, I wouldn't be surprized if a few of the "ruined" models for FO3 were actually properly-built before they went about mucking it up.

If you don't know what you're talking about, don't try to lecture me. This is how it's been done since Morrowind, why should this game be any different?

Only if it was Judgement Day.