i'm only giving my opinion to the stated thread topic- it's not overreaction at all. merely my position on the debate.
second, i would guess that most of the people that don't care or actually like the system would be those new to the series, genre or both.
third, many of us don't play games on computers.
and, fourth, no "patch" or modification was needed since the lockpicking system in morrowind, oblivion, and fallout 3 were all already available and superior to what they actually had to change to implement into this game.

I happen to like the mini-game. *ignores flames*

The problem with Morrowind's system is that there is no interest in it. Well, not none: I'd love to have different quality of picks and such. But there was no interest in the act of picking a lock. That's why the mini-game is there. To provide interest. Not challenge. I wish it was more challenging, but I'd rather have a tweaked Skyrim system like I mentioned in my other post along with the Morrowind pick-quality and other features to flesh it out. There's no reason why it couldn't become an interesting activity in it's own right. I'd enjoy the mechanic Precursor outlined, for example. With the right perks, a number of different lock interfaces (Elven, Dwarven, etc.), it could be a really interesting feature.

Plus, traps should go off if you fail to pick them.

While I agree the lockpick skill is pretty useless, there are better areas they could improve on.

absolutely! they had everything from the previous games already implemented and sitting out before them and needed only to build upon them and add some great, innovative gameplay.

Things that I think may make lockpicking a worthy and challenging skill.

1. Real Time Lockpicking
As has already been mentioned in this thread, this would make it vital to open a lock quickly in situations where it's inadvisable to kill everything in the vicinity. Such as when you're trying to get into a house in town, open a strongbox in a store, etc.

2. Louder lockpicking noises
The noise that you make when you break a lockpick can be more easily heard by NPC's prompting many of them to drop what they're doing and investigate the noise. Those with higher skill and the quick hands perk lower this risk but don't entirely get rid of it.

3. Lock Integrity
Too many failed attempts compromises the integrity of the lock. Those with higher skill and relevant perks are allowed more tries before the lock "breaks." A broken lock can only be opened by a key or after seven game days have passed for a lock in a city or until the dungeon resets for a lock in a dungeon.

4. Event Checks
Add some events such as a pickpocket stealing one of your items or a vampire entering your room to feed while you're sleeping. The probability that these events occur depends on your lockpicking skill or we may rename it to the oblivion "Security" skill.

But that's just it. There no way that a mini game will perfectly simulate actual lock picking. There is a lot of 'feel' to it that it's practically an art form. However, picking a lock (provided that you know the basic concept) only takes time and doesn't break picks. How much time depends on how good you are while even experts can still get stumped by a particularly finicky lock for a couple hours. Unless you mechanically make it mandatory for the character to have a minimum skill in lock picking just to make the attempt (like Fallout), then there isn't any point to having the skill with regards to a mini game because with enough practice the player can pick a lock of any difficulty regardless of what the lock picking skill is at.

So, make it that the tools don't break but are rare to come by. Work their acquisition into the game like joining the thieves guild. "Hey, welcome to the thieves guild. Here, have these. You'll need'em".
Simulate the use to as close as possible, replacing the "feel" work with a visual (seeing the pins) and remove the skill from the character and give it to the player. Thus harder locks will actually be harder to pick and you will have to actually practice your playing of the mini game to be successful. With harder locks protecting more valuable/important things, then the game rewords the player by overcoming a challenge (like fighting a difficult mob and looting the body) rather than simply rewarding the character based on some number.

Really, instead of making some change to lockpicking or it's perk constellation some part of some DLC, Bethesda should just admit that mini-games are what today's players want and start coming up with new ones for other neglected skills. We've already decided that combat is a mini-game, but I think the next one should be medicine.

Don't we need a mini-game for healing or repairing busted limbs and punctured innards? We don't even have to be all modern and scientific about it, either, just a fun little mini-game where you win by placing leeches on the correct part of the body or by successfully wrapping up an arm in a cast.

Lockpicking is useless. The current implementation only attracts the action gamer rather than the role player. I don't mind that there is a minigame for the action gamers out there, but where the hell is my auto attempt that uses dice rolls and chance based on character skill alone? I'll happily play the minigame if it makes sense, but when it doesn't at least let me switch to something that makes sense to me as a dice role player.

Some of my ideas:
1) Auto attempt button on the minigame for those who want ONLY character skill matter.
2) Exponential "weight" on picks (and arrows)? It works if you think of it as uncomfortable encumbrance rather than pure weight.
3) Let there be locks of varying qualities. If you perk up lockpicking, you find more of the higher quality picks.
4) Each time a pick breaks you exit a new 3D lockpick screen. When you re-enter, you'll see the lock from a slightly new angle and the "reflection" texture updates. The idea is to make it hard as hell to re-find the "sweet spot" because everything changes, and introduce an annoyance factor if you don't have the perks.
5) Picking happens realtime (at least I think it's paused now), and put some chests in cyclic traps where you have limited time to open them until the trap is sprung.
6) Introduce cross tree requirements (overall where it makes sense). An archer and thief should be able to craft their own equipment and the smith if they met requirements from other skills, like archery and lockpicking. Now high level arrows and picks could be nearly impossible to find, just as a "FINE Iron Sword" can never be found anywhere (which also doesn't make sense - why is the player the only one carrying improved equipment?). At the same time, leveling (now with more perks) could mean that you get access to everything at skill level 50 (rather than 100), removing the silliness of "have to reach 100, then it doesn't matter anymore". Above 50, the skill no longer count for leveling purposes, and you'll have to grind like hell to ever reach 100, making it something that can happen but not a goal in itself.

Someone mentioned "why can't mages open with spell or fighters bash locks?". I'm guessing because lockpicking no longer is a requirement to complete the game, like it would be in games with those mechanics in. You don't have to open a single lock, but it makes the thief builds feel more unique. Fighters and mages always have the option to fight our way to the key, an option at least the traditional thief doesn't have for his lack in combat skills. The dagger perk is of limited use, but I guess the upgraded archery makes up for it. So our thief is not the traditional thief.

A best thief is a thief who don't stand out from the rest.

Fallout 3 was different as you selected how much you should raise it yourself however points used on lock picking could not be used on other skills.
Without the skill requirements it would be no reason to assigning skill points to it, however the fallout system was also pretty broken, an level 25 or 50 lock was just as hard to pick at skill level 25, 50 or 100, higher skills just allowed you to pick harder locks.

In Skyrim it's pretty hard to power level lockpicking outside of the thief guild, yes you can sneak around in a city and pick all locks as I did in IC in Oblivion, however with Skyrim 10 days cell reset time it's hard to do this many times.

Yeah, for us it's second nature

It should also be possible to break locks / doors with your weapon, such as in Two Worlds 2, but better I always found it very un-immersive when you have a big wooden door in front of you and ara carrying a huge axe, and hitting the door does nothing.

Yeah or burn the chest, if it's a weapon inside, it shouldn't suffer much.

I do not expect changes in lockpicking in an DLC, we might get an open lock spell as magic is Skyrim weakest point and it would be easy to add together with other new spells in a DLC with a magic focus.
However no major gameplay changes except the ones coming from new and better items and spells, it was none in Oblivion or Fallout, yes high level content in Fallout 3 became way harder with broken steal and the other added new and stronger weapons.
We might get new functionality like better companion commanding as this is an pure addition not an change.

Like the way lockpicking is, I don't have any problems with it. I don't use points on the skilltree, and have to agree it's a waste. But you can save the points for other skills, and those not finding lockpicking easy, have the choice to spend points for less challenge.

The way that you can lockpick any chest, but only gets easier as you progress, think it's a fine system. I do miss a nice perk in the top of the tree.

I do hate the master lock chests containing nothing more than a few coins, and not much else. Though it does level the lockpicking faster, so still earning from it.

Also hated the lockpicking in Oblivion, but I did find it challenging compared to skyrim which is pretty easy.

When it comes right down to it, every game is a mini-game. What you mean is that today's players expect features that were absent in previous games to be more fully fleshed out, more elaborate. The difference is in degree, not kind. Adding mini-games adds complexity, it doesn't reduce it.

A lockpicking mechanic like Precursor's is close to a fully-fledged game mechanic. A lockpicking mechanic that requires no input from the player, that exists only as a statistic on a character sheet, that only requires the player to find a lockpick of sufficient quality, stand near a lock and press "Go" is really just a variation on the 'blue key for the blue lock' mechanic. There's little intrinsic interest and almost no challenge. What's more immersive: shopping for lockpicks or picking locks?

Players seeking greater immersion want to actually pick the lock. Developers introduce the mini-game to make the experience more real and immersive. They add complexity to the game.

That doesn't mean that they should remove the statistically-based mechanic, of course, where the player just presses a button that uses their character's skill to determine the outcome automatically rather than depending on the player's manual dexterity. I don't see any reason to remove that option. For many players, modeling the statistical skill of the character is more important to their enjoyment of a role-playing game than realistically modeling the experience of picking a lock. That's a more cerebral appreciation than a visceral one.

But am I less of a role-player because I want to simulate some of the real challenge of picking a lock instead of just pressing a button that does it for me? From my perspective, people who don't like the lockpicking mini-game seem less 'dedicated', less 'sophisticated', and less 'hard-core' than me. I don't actually believe that, of course. Nobody should assume that their personal preferences are any measure of superiority. In the vast majority of cases, they are not.

Eh.. Perhaps it shouldnt be a skill at all. Just an ability.

I for one like how it is. I also like how it was.

What i really want:

To be able to pick a lock and choose whether or not to open the door or chest. I honestly dislike the fact that you automatically enter the house or building. Wth...

I think it was a mistake for the Devs to try to make all the perk trees a similar size. Lockpicking doesn't justify a full perk treatment. It should have 3-4 perks. All of them should make all locks easier to pick. In addition each perk should improved the treasure in locked chests. More gold, potions and scrolls, mundane items according to your skills and perks (so high smithing would mean you find more ores and ingots), and more and/better magical items.

The are undoubtedly other trees that could use some trimming too.

What is more roleplaying? Basing outcomes on character skill, or on the player skill? My character may be REALLY good at picking locks. I myself may svck at minigames, and hate them with a passion. How are minigames adding to the 'roleplay' aspect of the game?

By forcing you to actually pick the lock. How is swinging a sword or casting a spell adding to the 'roleplay' aspect of the game? Personally, I find it much more immersive and a huge aid to RP over pressing "Go". Sad fact is that different people have different interpretations of what constitutes RP. It's a shame that no one owns the truth.

BUT I think there should be a "Go" button for people who don't want their personal skill interfering with their character's skill. I think that's totally reasonable. I can understand it without enjoying it. Just don't make the mistake of assuming that one version of RP is 'truer' than another.

This is one thing I really miss from Oblivion.

If a holodeck existed in real life, so I can load a game like skyrim up and actually perform all the actions, I would love it. Get in better shape, actually learn how to do the things only our characters can do. It could make combat a whole lot better with actual swordplay.

The point is, until they invent something like that, there are things that simply be done by the character based on a character skill. But look at the consoles now...xbox kinects, ps3 move, and the wii.
They came out with these things because the majority wants more interaction.

As for roleplay. Think LARPing. Sitting down and playing D&D or WoD was something that I did years ago but it wasn't anything more than sitting down at a table, GM describing each "scene", players telling the GM what actions we wish to make, and rolling dice. However, I have played with different groups a couple times and found that each had their own level of play. One GM had us actually say what our character is saying rather than just telling the GM that our character fills the other person in on what's been going on while they were getting drunk in the inn. Some other groups will actually dress up and others still will stand up and act out scenes.

The question here is, which of these groups is roleplaying more? I say those that go as far as dressing up, speaking the lines AND acting out the scenes...so the LARPers. Was I ever one of them? Nope. I was in the first group who sat in the chair, roled dice and simply stated what actions my character was making. For me and my group of friends, that was good/fun enough but I'll be the first to admit that we weren't really roleplaying the game.

I do agree though. They should've left in an auto attempt button. Not everyone likes the same things and the more options their are to appeal to the widest audience as possible, the better. Like an option in the options menu to "hide helmets". I'm amazed at how many people lose their minds. "Hell, no. This isn't WoW". Umm, it's an OPTION as you if you don't like the OPTION don't use the OPTION.

I didn't like the auto button in Oblivion. Especially when I found the minigame so damn easy. So guess what? I just didn't use it. It's as easy as that. It was there simply as an option.

The origins of role playing come from story telling and venturing into a world you do not know and letting the character you role play evolve and make decisions. No actual skill other than brains is actually required on the players side. I fail to see how this adds to role play, its a mini game and something you as the player do better, not something the character does better. The character improves his skills, that's what you're role playing, because you cannot do this in real life. Lock picking is also a skill. It's displayed as a mini game to add a bit of fun and realism to the game. But it has nothing to do with role playing. With your logic Street Fighter is also a role playing game, because you get to express skill as a player in the type of moves you do.

The mini game adds immersion and gives you a feeling of being more in touch with the role playing value of the game, but it in itself has nothing to do with role playing. Even in D&D you simply role a dice to decide what happens, has nothing to do with how well you throw that dice, it has to do with how you shaped your character. Role playing is defined by how you develop your character and which choices you make, not by how good you are in playing a game.

I don't think they should change the system. I only think that the should make the [censored] locks have keys to them. No I mean, really! Who the hell just locks up precious stuff without even keeping a key for himself!?

That would also make a way for pure warriors to "not break RP", for the purists. That, and add the old "open lock" spells. Would be perfect