Crappy combat : V - Skyrim

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:31 pm

You're not getting the point I'm making.

My point is you are incorrect. Hence the "wut" when you said "I can count the great melee combat systems on one hand."

Well maybe you should make your point far clearer instead of quoting something and speaking irrelevantly. In any case, it's subjective, but I stand by my statement. There are not that many GREAT (Emphasis on great) melee combat games. And no, I'm not including Skyrim as a game that has a GREAT (Again, emphasis on great) melee combat system.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:22 am

Going by that logic, the core combat system also isn't directly related to a player's ability to run backwards. The game doesn't directly support dodging through any active mechanics, and melee enemies sure as heck don't ever attempt to dodge other than sometimes running backwards. All the combat system supports is choosing between regular attacks and power attacks. Locational damage doesn't matter. You can't attempt to disarm someone or sunder their armor or weapons. You can't daze enemies with blows to their head, or disable their weapon or shield by damaging their arms. You can't pin an enemy down with hits to the legs and kite them around as you finish them off with arrows. And enemies can't do any of this to you. They don't even try to ambush you, you can't get behind enemies so they can't block you.

All you can do is run up to someone and click the same button over and over and over again. Sometimes you need to run up to them multiple times, and sometimes it makes sense to run backwards a bit yourself.

I pretty much agree with everything you said. The melee combat gets real boring real fast. There are far too few options. But all TES games were that way really.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:28 pm

There is a Perk tree related to how blocking works. Blocking, is an active mechanic not a passive one. Striking, is active as well as governed by skill values and other variables. Jumping, breathing, and movement are fixed values. Some games do "control better" Skyrim, does not control that great, but it is better than many others. Most movement is fairly sluggish.

Perk trees have nothing to do with whether or not a system is developed or adequate. Movement is an active mechanic and not a passive one. Movement in this game can't be discredited because there's no perk trees related to it, that's just silly logic. In any case, I feel that this is going off on a tangent.

You do not need to compare "like" games. I am comparing "like" mechanics. Just because you do not have a first person view or Perks in Assassin's Creed, does not mean I cannot make an accurate comparison between this and Skyrim. Look how combat works in that. Counter attacks, dodging, and blocking. Can you not imagine how easy that would be to implement properly in a game as grand as Skyrim?

Yeah, it's pretty easy. Tell you what, why don't you go ahead and mod it in since it's so easy?

In Skyrim, no matter what enemy I am facing I use the exact same tactics. I sneak up, I shoot a bow and kill them. If they do not die, I turn and Sprint then shoot them until they do. It is completely RNG that dictates if I Stagger my enemy or Paralyze them. When I play my caster, I just spam Incenerate and keep them locked down. My Warrior I just Shield Bash when I want to attack and disrupt the enemy cast / power attack. I am rarely ever so much as touched. Where is the variety?

Variety depends on which enemies you're fighting. Just because you always do the same exact thing, which is not always viable depending on the enemy composition and number, doesn't mean that Skyrim is far more repetitious than other melee combat systems. There's going to be repetition no matter which way you slice it.

You honestly think the AI is good and pathing is good? Want me to post videos of me stepping on and off of a little bump of rock to get a Giant stuck in a loop and killing him at level 3? Want me to post videos of me killing entire rooms full of Draugr without them ever moving or noticing me and killing the "boss" in 1 hit before he even notices me? Want me to post videos killing multiple dragons at the same time by just Bashing them and laughing? Maybe my Conjurer who I just cast Dremora and go eat some food?

They'd be entertaining to watch but in any case, I disagree in the sense that it's good enough for the medium. Can it be better? Sure. Is it straight up terribad? You haven't seen bad until you've seen Big Rigs.

Don't worry I won't point towards the game and I am not. My expectations are too high? To ask for active dodging, parrying, some combat skills, and more spells with greater synergy is a lot?

Your expectations are too high. More, more, more, and more is the common theme of your suggestions.

What incentive do they have to improve anything when with just flashy marketing, [censored] that would take a bullet for Bethesda, and the fact they can just release a CK and don't have to EVER worry about developing their product? Of course they will continue to not really improve because people like you give them a free pass and put up with poor quality products.

You must be living in quite the fantasy land to keep saying that Bethesda makes poor quality products. I'm pretty sure they've received Game of the Year Awards for Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim. That's a far cry from poor quality products. There's some things Bethesda does well and other things that they do not.

This poorly made product sold well because of the established name TES has, the marketing for the game has been ridiculous, it is better than most games now (but that isn't saying much). To say this game's focus is not on combat, difficulty, or challenge is just crazy. That is what ALL games are fundamentally built around. Yes, the content and size of the game is large. But, these are just basic basic principles that make a game a game and not Second Life with levels and armor...

So you're telling me that a game like Ninja Gaiden and Skyrim have the same focuses? That's ignorance if I ever heard it. Skyrim sold well because it's a great game, has gotten great reviews, and The Elder Scrolls series has an established name for a reason. You're diving into hyperbole when you mention Second Life. Honestly, I believe that you're of the type that is never pleased. I'd like to live in the fantasy world that you live in. A world where doing it all and doing it all perfectly and flawlessly is feasible and "easy".

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:46 am

Just to throw something in here. Exploration is done after you have played the game for a while. Some people though play this game for hundreds of hours. They know every corner of the game world. At some point there's just nothing to discover anymore. What is left? A mediocre Combat system. This is why some people are complaining. Especially when playing on pc, where mods prolong the lifespan of the game.