[Ideas] Making this a better game... : V

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:23 am

I had a few ideas on how this game could be made much, much better-- not to mention a whole lot more fun. I'm sure a few of these ideas could be recognized by the Creation Kit and talented modders, and perhaps some of this will show itself in an expansion / DLC. I was just wondering what you all thought, and if anyone had their own ideas to spout them off here.

Dungeon Puzzles: Yes, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Rotate the whale stone isn't a puzzle. It's boring, it's dumb, and it's as challenging as turning a door knob. The video in GameJam showed off "moving platforms" in dungeons-- but why stop there? There are countless examples of solid, challenging dungeon puzzles (see Zelda) and this would add an entirely new dimension to gameplay. Puzzles could be as simple as stepping on the right stones in the right order, firing a water arrow to quench a torch-- they don't have to be IQ tests, just SOMETHING.
Dungeon Bosses: Yes, I know "Dungeons" aren't the sole focus of Skyrim-- but they are a HUGE part of it. I think the bosses in this game leave something to be desired-- they just don't look or feel like bosses... Make them scarier, make them bigger-- whatever you do, make more of them. The Bandit Chief / Drugr Overlord cycle gets tedious after a while. Take this a step further and add rare world bosses-- another reason not to fast travel. Imagine walking next to a lake when a giant tenticle comes out of the water and grabs you. Awesome, right?
Loot: Fine. I get it. This isn't World of Warcraft-- but seriously, the loot in this game leaves a lot to be desired. If you want to be powerful, you'll dual-enchant your own crafted gear. Period. I agree that a master smith and master enchanter should certainly be able to pump out some really good gear-- but items in chests at the bottom of Skyrim's deepest dungeons should probably have some good loot-- and the Daedric Artificacts need a serious boost in my opinion. I'd also like to see way more variety than the usual "Sword+Burn damage"
Combat and Physics: Please, Bethesda, for the love of God-- design a new combat system. Left click, right click, left click, right click. The enemy doesn't look like he even registered the hit. The slow-motion up-close scenes are pretty slick, sure-- and I like them, but this doesn't redefine combat. Running on the terrain my character looks and acts like he's running slightly above it and doesn't interact with rocks, dips, and hills in a realistic way. With games like Mirror's Edge (imagine that style of mountain-climbing) and the new Reckoning-- combat can look better than this.
Quest Variety: Most of the griping I hear about questing in Skyrim I can agree with. It mostly boils down to fetch quests or "go kill this" quests. I read somewhere of an idea of a quest to simply help town guards fortify positions for an incoming Dragon attack (you know, moving and positioning Scorpions, commanding ranged/melee troops where to stand, and so on). What a great idea, and why not take it further?
Dialogue and Consequences: This, in my opinion, is Skyrim's biggest shortcoming as an RPG. I have virtually no options when I speak to people. I can't use the typical "Good guy, Neutral, [censored]" options that most RPG's have. Many times, I have ONE option. What's the point? Aside from this, on the RARE occasion I can "intimidate" and say something terrible, the NPC goes on to act like nothing happened. There really needs to be more dialogue choices, and consequences to go with your selection.
Alignment and NPC's: The technology is there. Fable did it, and that's an old game. Bioware's new MMO, "The Old Republic" has an excellent alignment slider that keeps track of your overall good/evil alignment. If I'm the most infamous mass murderering Necromancer Skyrim has ever seen, I should have people begin to shun my presence. Have NPC's go inside their houses when I walk down the streets, and so on. Base it on overall level and overall alignment (meaning if I'm level 2 and I killed a bunny, I don't need the town to run away from me).
Guilds: I like the Guild quests in this game-- but the guild system leaves plenty to be desired. Leader of the Companions? So what. The members still talk to me like I'm a recruit, and the only difference in the game is that a guard will say "Hail Harbinger" once in a while. Guilds need depth, and more options when you become guild master. Make it a mini-game, like once a week/month a courier will bring detailed applications from NPC applicants. You can admit or deny them. Think back on my quest idea of fortifying towns against dragons-- you can charge the Jarl of this town for your guilds' services. Add the option to expand guild houses, add new amenities, and so on and so forth.
Useless Perks / Secondary Professions: It's no secret-- speech and lockpicking are lame. Really lame. Nobody takes them for anything other than RP purposes or stubbornness. Make them useful. For Speech, if you add actual dialogue options with consequences and more opportunities to "persuade" and "intimidate," this perk might actually be decent. Cooking could have been really fun-- make the buffs better and add a mini-perk tree? Why not? Also, why am I grabbing Salmon with my bare hands? Why not a fishing mini game?

Thanks everyone for reading, keep in mind I LOVE this game and it's my favorite game in a long time, but I do see some obvious oversights on Bethesda's part. What are your thoughts?

Edited for a shout out to Horseback Combat! Awwww yeeeaaaaahhhhhhh :banana:

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 3:36 am

Those are some good ideas. There are already a couple mods that improve the combat. I can't play Skyrim without them. They make combat so much more enjoyable. And i'm not just talking about making combat more challenging. But, the mods actually improve the NPC's during combat by making combat more strategic. The NPC's are a lot smarter during combat. And i'm sure there will be mods that correct some of the other things that you mentioned.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 3:24 pm

1. Agree, yeah sure, people will simply use the internet to find the solution, even I resort to that sometimes when I get stuck in games. But I always try to figure it out myself and I don't give up too easily. A real good puzzle has layers of hints through dialogue, journals and observation.

2. Agree again, with so much sound and visual impression you could really create epic moments. I remember the first time I entered the inner chamber of a Barrow, not knowing what to expect I was so careful and cautious that I actually simply ran and grabbed the loot and escaped through the shortcut...and then I had to go back later to get the item the deathlord was holding because, eh, apparently someone needed that...now I don't even worry what is coming when I reach the end of a dungeon.

3. Yes, since enchanters and smiths can make all those items, quest-related items should be more unique, with powers that the enchanters can't replicate.

4. Perhaps a little more combos and timing could improve the combat mechanics, but it is difficult to make it organic and fluid without pre-customized characters, and the tradeoff of having the freedom to play any type of character might be worth the slightly underwhelming combat mechanics.

5. Quest progression trees would also be great, taking one decision leading to the quest devleoping in a different direction and where "failing" actually leads to the quest taking a new turn rather than having to make it so that all characters can somehow complete every quest with the same outcome.

6. I would really only need a bit more depth in dialogue and relation progression with a few NPC's. A handful would be enough, some central characters with personality, disposition and motives, the rest of the NPC's can remain quite generic to maintain the sense of freedom.

7. Well, the bounty system has to go! It is simply so clumsy and this is 2012, not 1996. And ffs, please make stormcloak guards react and do something if a famous imperial soldier comes strolling into Windhelm at night..not attack neccesarily, but making a simple trigger that makes them follow you around would be cool enough.

8. Guild duties sounds like a cool idea, and making it a choice that comes with responsibilities. If you want freedom to roam and do any jobs, then you may not want to join a guild because they will interfere in your business and demand loyalty to their interests. With benefits such as services, knowledge and missions, comes duties and loyalty.

9. Speechcraft could include bard-like abilities that boost your followers and allies and routs enemies. Lockpicking should be merged with pickpocket into a more general rogue skill, along with disarm traps and a more classic detect trap function where some traps are simply not visible and only the detect traps perk will alert you of their presence. The big bold round trap triggers that we have now are just a little too obvious to add much challenge.

A great and clear summary, well-written sir!!

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:57 pm

Hey look, criticism that's actually constructive. This could do good is Todd Howard get's his head out of his ass with all the awards this somewhat flawed game is getting

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:14 am

Why couldn't there be people like you on Skyrim's dev team?

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:19 am

i can mod that in...

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:22 am

Good points, however it seems like you're trying to take elements from other games to make the "ultimate" RPG. I agree with most but at the same time I believe most of them were implemented at some point in the development cycle. Developers take huge inspiration from the games they play and I doubt that the Bethesda team is any different.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:57 pm

This

But I do think that this criticism is very thought out not the one that are like "quest needs to be better" and thinking that would help. I also like the helping towns defend them selves and the being an actual guild master, those I think would make the game alot of fun from my perspective. But again very nice points.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:19 am

4. Perhaps a little more combos and timing could improve the combat mechanics, but it is difficult to make it organic and fluid without pre-customized characters, and the tradeoff of having the freedom to play any type of character might be worth the slightly underwhelming combat mechanics.

I thought the same thing until I tried out Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning demo. Those characters are totally free-form (like Skyrim) and yet the combat is visually impressive.

9. Speechcraft could include bard-like abilities that boost your followers and allies and routs enemies. Lockpicking should be merged with pickpocket into a more general rogue skill, along with disarm traps and a more classic detect trap function where some traps are simply not visible and only the detect traps perk will alert you of their presence. The big bold round trap triggers that we have now are just a little too obvious to add much challenge.

This is a totally awesome idea, and I never thought of it. Bard-like abilities in the speech tree (buffs) is excellent, and I LOVE the detect traps perk. Reminds me of the good old Baldur's Gate days.

Good points, however it seems like you're trying to take elements from other games to make the "ultimate" RPG. I agree with most but at the same time I believe most of them were implemented at some point in the development cycle. Developers take huge inspiration from the games they play and I doubt that the Bethesda team is any different.

I highly doubt my "copy" elements (puzzles from Zelda, combat from Reckoning, and so on) had been implemented at all. If they had, why did they take them out? Was the whale/rock/serpent stone puzzles that appealing to the developers? I just think they overlooked it, as they were working against a hard deadline and had to pick and choose because of it.

I'm glad some of you liked my ideas, and I love some of the other ideas I see being tossed around the forums. I hope with the CK and future DLC we'll see some of this become a reality.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:36 am

No one has any other ideas to toss around? With as much negative criticism i've seen id think there would be some
B-)

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:26 pm

Other than the obvious (Fix the bugs, bring in more voice actors, etc) this is a pretty good list. I liked how in Oblivion, with every quest I would rank up, and even though there were very few perks to each rank up, if any, I still felt like I was moving up through the guild. In Skyrim, not only are the guild questlines shorter, so I become leader faster, but I become member to leader in an instant, it just didn't feel like anything special at all. Honestly, the secondary professions has been done to death in other rpgs, so I wonder why Bethesda didn't do it? It felt like a missing peice of the game. Having consequence to dialouge can be done, but on Bethesda's scale and with their writing team, I doubt will could be done. There's no morality system because Todd felt that "Giving all of your actions in the game and sumerizing them as a number didn't do it justice, instead, each npc will track what you do and respond to that" Personally, I thought this was a lot better, if I killed a few people in Windhelm, it wouldn't hurt the fact that everyone in Whiterun loves me., and vice versa.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:29 am

Yes, some pretty solid ideas here.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:03 am

Great points and I agree with the adding extra dialogue options as perks in the speech tree. My character can actually feel like a wordsmith and "persuade" people to my way of thinking etc. The dialogue options in Skyrim atm leaves a lot to be desired.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 3:00 pm

Dungeons - Bethesda just doesn't understand how to design a good dungeon. Part of the issue is they make a TON of them. The other thing is they want players with any build to be able to conquer them. This means vanilla dungeons where you get the exact spellbook you need when there's a spell obstacle. And there's always a convenient solution to a dungeon's simplistic puzzle nearby. They absolutely need harder puzzles. They also need devilish traps.

Combat - Melee combat hasn't changed much for TES games in the past decade. I'd love to see special abilities that give tactical advantages at the expense of stamina. Most modern RPGs and MMOs have melee systems like that, and it makes the combat much more interesting.

Quests - There isn't a lot of intrigue and emotional investment. The trick is to change the go fetch and kill quests so that they don't seem like fetch and/or kill quests. Instead of an NPC saying take this package to my daughter, let the player find a body with a package on it. If they deliver it to the right person then they get the reward. Etc.

Dialogue - It's the downside of having all that voice over. Variables have to be contained, so that costs can be kept down. It's great for immersion, but it's not great for RP freedom.

Alignment - I don't like the idea of plain old good/evil sliders. I do like factions though. But I only think the faction standing should change if you actually do something that the other faction would become aware of. For example, if I stealthy kill a city guard, it shouldn't change my city faction.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:57 pm

I definitely think there should be more Speech options. You should be able to get through a lot of quests (at least when dealing with humans) without fighting somehow. Take for example, a SINGLE quest from Fallout 3, titled The American Dream (Fallout 3 Spoilers follow):

Spoiler

You start in a cell, with Colonel Autumn (Bad guy) demanding an access code that only you know. Your options:

Give him the real code (Result: He kills you, game over)
Respond with "[censored] You." (Result: He gets angry, but the quest proceeds)
Play dumb (Result: He gets angry, but the quest proceeds)
Give him a fake code (Result: Autumn gives the code to a subordinate, who tries to enter it and is killed. Autumn gets downright infuriated, but the quest proceeds."

After that part, the president orders your release, requesting to speak with you. All people who would be enemies are not hostile. You then come across another officer. He asks why you are out of your cell and these are your options:

Pass a Speech check (Charisma) (Result: He lets you pass)
Pass a Speech check (Strength) (Result: He runs away)
Pass a Speech check (Speech) (Result: You are allowed to proceed)
Kill him (Result: He dies, but no one else attacks you, as they are under orders)

After you get to the next section of the base, Colonel Autumn goes against his orders, ordering the base to attack (This ties in to why I said get through MOST quests without fighting, not all). Eventually you reach The president, who turns out to be a kind of Artificial Intelligence. You then get a few options on how to deal with him:

Pass a Speech check (Speech) (Result: You convince him that his plan is insane and he self destructs)
Pass a Speech check (Science) (Result: Using circular logic, you force him to self destruct)
Use a self destruct code found previously in the base (Result: You make him self destruct)
Leave him be (Result: Base and the President remain intact)

No matter what your choice, you have to bring the FEV virus that is part of the President's plan.

As you can see, there are tons of different options for you to choose from, but they all lead to the same conclusion in the end (more or less). In the next quest you can choose whether to sacrifice yourself (and you can use the FEV virus from the previous quest to do what the president wanted), have an ally sacrifice themself, have someone who won't die from the radiation do it (if you have the DLC Broken Steel), or you can do nothing and the entire place explodes.

This game should have a lot more options as far as dialog goes. Those two quests from Fallout 3 have more speechcraft options and more options in general than most of the quests in Skyrim.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:10 pm

I sort of agree with you. I personally don't want to find tons of complex puzzles in dungeons. In some, perhaps, but not alll. I'm with you on the guilds though, you'd think the Arch-Mage of the college of Winterhold would be allowed to take a tankard from the Arcaneum ...

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:56 am

Good points.

Combat is the one that really grabs me.

After playing KoA:Reckoning for a few hours last night it really highlighted how rubbish the combat is in Skyrim, outside sneaky archery which I thoroughly enjoyed.In saying I have yet to roll a mage so not sure on that side of it.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:00 am

Dialogue and consequences hell yes,would like to see all those things in the list added myself but i would prefer to see the dialogue above all.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:11 am

Something to add.

For the races. Make their powers, bonuses and traits fun and Lore friendly.

Spoiler

I am thinking of giving all mer(excluding Orcs) a small bonus to magic regen. Altmer will get a bigger bonus though as well as a standard bonus to magicka. Like the Bosmer and Dunmer get an additional 25% magicka regen because of the shared aldmeri lineage. Argonians will get a permanent 15% health regeneration. Humans(except Bretons) will get 25% Stamina regeneration. Redguards will benefit from some additional Stamina regen. Khajiit will get 10% Health and 15% Stamina regeneration. Orcs get a 20% increase to stamina regeneration and a small health bonus. Small things that add a little flavor and have no real impact on game-play except in the beginnings. This a good idea or no? I am kind of iffy on it.

Powers-Activated abilities
Traits-Passive abilities
Bonuses-Starting bonus in any given skill

Dunmer

Dunmer should still be able to summon a Flaming Ancestral Ghost. For me I like to RP chatting with my Ancestors sometimes. Not really but I liked to think I could. Plus a decently powerful leveled summon would be a nice addition to their powers that we have seen in the lore. Think of it as the more powerful you become the more powerful the ancestral ghost who answers your call. Like maybe every 10-20 levels and an up in power? Familar power, then flame, frost, and shock atronach, finally Dremora lord. Make it last very long as well as it is a power. Like 180-300 seconds or 3-5 minutes. Eventually making it a bound summon. Also Sul did it after the Red Year in the novels so their is 'hard' evidence of it being lore friendly.

Powers
-Ancestral Summon(see details further down)
-Ancestral Wrath-firestorm type ability once a day levels with you. NOT TIED TO DESTRUCTION! 50 fire damage plus 25 extra fire damage every 10 levels.(seem right?)
Traits
-Ashborn-50% resist fire
-Meric Heritage-25% magicka regeneration
-Blighted by Fate-50% Disease Resistance
Bonuses
+10 destruction
+5 one handed
+5 light armor
+5 conjuration
+5 sneak
+5 illusion

Nords

Give Nords a small shock resistance like 25% alongside the 50% frost and the ability to do a grab that freezes an opponent. Like the power they had in Oblivion. Frost damage on touch. Just make it like Ice Form instead of pure frost damage. Freezes the opponent and deals slow frost damage over time. This damage increases as you level and the duration of the Ice entrapment extends as you gain higher levels. Warcry stays the same. Have options!

Powers
-Nordic Frost-on touch Ice form that deals leveled damage. Yet to be determined damage. Lasts for 10 seconds. Plus 5 per 10 player levels.
-Warcry(as vanilla except hopefully fixed bug that causes friendlies to be affected too)
Traits
-Winterkin-50% frost resistance
-Stormborn-25% Shock Resistance
-Human Endeavor-25% stamina regeneration
Bonuses
+10 two handed
+5 light armor
+5 speechcraft
+5 smithing
+5 restoration
+5 block

Argonians

Give Argonians resistance to poison again. Like 75%. They live in a friggin swamp! Constant water breathing effect. They also should swim about 25% faster. Make their Histskin power regenerate health and restore all health the first time it is used. The effect lasts longer as you get to higher levels. an additional 10 seconds every 10 levels. Mutagenic adaption-once a day get a temporary -10 penalty to all your skills for 25% resistance to every form of damage, last 24 hours

Powers
-Histskin- heal and regenerate health for 60 seconds. Leveled +10 every 10 levels.
-Mutagenic Adaptation-temporary -10 penalty to all your skills for 25% resistance to every form of damage, lasts 300 seconds, once a day
Traits
-Heightened Metabolism-15% health regeneration
-People of the Root-75% Poison and Disease resistance
-Amphibious-25% swim speed
Bonuses
+10 lock picking
+5 sneak
+5 alteration
+5 illusion
+5 one handed
+5 alchemy

Bosmer

Give Bosmer something called the Green Pact. If they consume meat or cannibalize someone they get 20% damage bonus and 20% damage reduction for everything for 300 seconds. If they kill something and do not eat it they do not get the damage part of this bonus for 24 hours no matter what they eat, unless they eat it. The rest of their traits are good. Command animal becomes a permanent 'summon' once a high enough level is reached and those animals that it is used on are given 10% more health every 10 levels.

Powers
-Command Animal- Make an animal an ally for 60 seconds, once per day. This power has magnitude 99 pts and area of effect 75 ft. Any animal under the influence of the Bosmer will endure more and become more loyal depending on the Bosmer's power.
Traits
-Meric Heritage- 25% magicka regeneration
-Green Pact- consumption of meat enables the Bosmer to deal more damage and take less damage for 300 seconds. Once the effect wears off the Bosmer must wait 6 in game hours to use it again.
-Children of the Forest- 50% Poison and Disease resistance
Bonuses
+10 Archery
+5 sneak
+5 light armor
+5 alchemy
+pickpocket
+llusion

Altmer

Altmer should have disease resistance again. Makes sense. They breed to make superior specimens. Make increased magicka regen permanent by 50%. Have them take 25% more damage from the elements again and give them a power that lets them have an unlimited magicka pool for a 30-60 second period once a day to show their attunement with magicka. Also a magicka bonus of 100 points as well. The duration of their new Highborn power will get longer by 10 seconds every 10 levels or so.

Powers
-Highborn-Unlimited Magicka for 60 seconds + 10 seconds every 10 player levels. Destruction magic does 20% more damage during this time.
Traits
-Magical Tradition-100 extra magicka
-Superior Breeding-75% disease resistance
-Magicka Attunement-25% weakness to frost, fire and shock, and 50% Magicka regeneration
Bonuses
+10 Illusion
+5 Destruction
+5 Enchantment
+5 Alteration
+5 Conjuration
+5 Restoration

Redguards

Redguard's Adrenaline rush should give a temporary 50% boost to melee damage of any kind for 60 seconds and they have unlimited stamina during that time. Can be used once a day. 50% disease and poison resistance.
They also run a little faster and jump a little higher than the other races. To better represent the Athletics and Acrobatics they had in previous games. Adrenaline rush will last longer the higher you level. 10 seconds every 10 levels or so.

Powers
-Adrenaline Rush-50% bonus to melee damage and unlimited stamina for 60 seconds + 10 seconds every 10 levels.
Traits
-Yokudan Heritage-20% faster with a 20% increase in jump ability
-Distinct Blood-50% Poison and Disease resistance
-Ra'Gada's Perserverance-30% Stamina regeneration
Bonuses
+10 One handed
+5 Archery
+5 Block
+5 Smithing
+5 Light Armor
+5 Sneak

Orsimer

Give Orcs a small magicka resistance again like in Oblivion they had 25% resistance to it. This time I would make it 20%. Call it a trait of their merrish blood despite their cursed state. Keep Berserk the way it is. A boost of 100 points to carrying capacity as they are the physically strongest race. Berserk will get a 5 second duration bonus every 10 levels or so.

Powers
-Berserker Rage-Double melee damage and 50% damage reduction for 60 seconds plus 5 more seconds every 10 levels
Traits
-Cursed Heritage-25% Magicka resistance
-Malacath's Burden-+100 carrying capacity
-Outcast's Might-+30 health and 20% Stamina regeneration
Bonuses
+10 Heavy armor
+5 Two handed
+5 Smithing
+5 Block
+5 Archery
+5 One handed

Khajiits

Khajiits should get the Eye of Fear power back, the one that will now cause all those around them to be paralyzed in fear. Only humanoids are affected and it gets more effective as you level. But not too much so. It will paralyze all humanoids in a cone in front of the player for 1-2 seconds. Affects Humanoids from level 10 and up with an increase of 5 levels every 10 player levels. Also a power that lets them pick pockets and locks more easily when on Skooma or moon sugar...or a once a simple day usage lol. They also run a little faster and jump a little higher than the other races. Keep the base unarmed damage bonus and increase swing speed of unarmed attacks by 20% initially. ~~As the Khajiit levels its unarmed swing speed increases by 1% every level.~~

Powers
-Eye of Fear-Paralyzes Humanoids in front of the player for 5 seconds up to level 10 + 5 levels every 10 player levels. Enemies up to level 50(when you are level 81)
-Night Eye- Toggleable ability to see in the dark, can be used as a power but it just activates and deactivates. No timer or cool down.
Traits
-Feline Grace-20% increase in movement speed and jump height.
-Claws-15 bonus unarmed damage
-Hunters Constitution-10% health and stamina regeneration
Bonuses
+10 Sneak
+5 Pickpocketing
+5 Lockpicking
+5 One Handed
+5 Light Armor
+5 Archery

Bretons

Bretons should have 40% magicka resistance. 25 is too little and 50 is too much imo. Also a smaller yet still decent boost to magicka. 50? The spell absorption power they have is pretty good, maybe extend duration to prolong its usefulness? Give them a trait called Dragonskin that boost there damage reduction by 50% when their health is below 25%. The duration of their spell absorption power is increased every 10 levels by 10 seconds.

Powers
-Comprehending the Atronach- Absorb 50% of the magicka from hostile spells for 60 seconds, once per day plus 10 seconds every 10 player levels.
Traits
-Dragonskin- 50% damage reduction when below 25% health
-Crossbreed- 10% Stamina regeneration and 20% magicka regeneration
-Ancestral Inheritance- 50% magicka resistance(may be unbalanced)
Bonuses
+10 Conjuration
+5 Illusion
+5 Alteration
+5 Enchanting
+5 Restoration
+5 Speech

Imperials

Imperials should get the ability to charm all those around them for a brief time. Up to an appropriate level. Not too sure what else. Chance to find better items as well as gold in the Imperial Luck power? Imperials are very plain and I feel like anything outlandish would be lore breaking. Maybe increased companion health and damage dealing? Give them a trait called Imperial Tradition. Buffs all skills up to 10 points and lasts for 300 seconds. The skill buffs go up by 5 points every 20 levels.

Powers
-Star of the West- Absorb Stamina for 200 points on touch(is touch possible?)
-Voice of the Emperor- Calms nearby people for 60 seconds, once per day. The magnitude of the power is 99 pts and the area of effect is 75 ft.(Same as Vanilla)
-Imperial Tradition- Fortifies all skills by 5 points for 300 seconds. The skill buffs go up by 5 points every 20 levels.
-Path to Victory- Fortify Speech by 20 points
Traits
-Imperial Luck- Find more gold(same as vanilla)
-Human Endeavor- 25% Stamina Regeneration
Bonuses
+10 Speech
+5 Heavy Armor
+5 Block
+5 Restoration
+5 One Handed
+5 Destruction

This is for the Dunmer Specifically. vvv Please feel free to elaborate anywhere you want. The idea is to make the racial abilities useful and still lore friendly to an extent.

Spoiler

If possible this could be accomplished rather simply I think. It could also make it cooler imo. Have each leveled ghost appear different. Use the Ghost NPC look, retexure it with the flaming familiars texture, and just add weapons and armor to them. Keep it with a Dunmer feel though if at all possible. So far the closest thing to actual Dunmer looking armor is the falmer armor sans the helmet(shudders). Just use apparel to make the ghost look unique. Leave their heads bare so we can tell it is a mer under there. You do not have to make the armor appear on the ghosts in the same strength that they do in the game. By this I mean Ebony armored Dunmer ghost can be weaker than the Falmer armored one. The Falmer armored one harkens back to the old days of legendary Dunmer heroes or some such. You could have the list like this.

Remember Helmet-less for appearance's sake. However appearance is subjective the armor and weapon descriptions are merely for appearance sake and are what I think is appropriate. If someone thinks different speak up. I have not seen all the weapons and armor in this game yet. Not even close I think.

-Summon Ancestral Ghost-Regular every day Dunmer ghost in clothing with no spells and iron weapons including a bow. Presumably one of your less auspicious ancestors, that was a merchant or farmer. Level 1-10.

-Summon Ancestral Warrior- Dunmer in a regular armor set. Fur, Leather, Iron, Steel. Has Steel weapons or maybe Orsish. Weak level spells like flames, sparks, firebolt and lightning bolts. Presumably one of your tougher yet unknown ancestors. Level 11-20,

-Summon Ancestral Guardian- Dunmer in a set of Elven, Steel Plate, Dwemer, Orcish or Scaled armors. Likewise weapons. Stronger spells. Presumably an Ancestor that was accomplished and respected, yet forgotten throughout history. Level 21-30.

-Summon Ancestral Hero- In Ebony/Glass armor and weapons (lets reserve Daedric for the Dremora). Strong spells. An ancestor who did much and is fondly remembered as a source of great pride and prestige in your house, whether or not you know of your ancestral lineage or not. Level 31-40

-Summon Ancestral Myth/Legend- In Falmer Armor, not the helmet/Whatever armor you think is appropriate. Daedric Longsword. Powerful spells. Like master level Destruction and Illusion spells. An ancestor so powerful that they only answer the calls of those in their family with power to match their own. Little is known of them but their deeds in the early wars against the Dwemer and Nords in the far distant past guaranteed the success of many battles against their ancient foes. They are an ancient and powerful spirit capable of changing the course of any battle. As strong as Dremora Lords if not slightly more powerful. Level 41+.

At level 50 you gain the ability to summon and banish them as a permanently bound summon.

Something like that. It is rough but there it is. Of course equal attention would need to go towards the other races I think for balance lol. How anyone accomplishes that is their own business.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:53 pm

All solid points from the OP, definitely would want to see those things implemented but agree with Fithume's adds too, particularly the stuff about faction alignment.

It's been frustrating that I can take part in major attacks on Storm cloaks, be dressed in full imperial armour and still walk straight into Windhelm without even a mention. Some Storm Cloak camps will warn you on approach but apart from that it's very inconsistent. I can understand wanting to leave the possibility of doing Windhelm quest lines open but if you pick a side it should mean that you take up the consequences too.

Even just the recognition of faction armour would go a long way imo eg.New Vegas.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 4:44 am

All solid points from the OP, definitely would want to see those things implemented but agree with Fithume's adds too, particularly the stuff about faction alignment.

It's been frustrating that I can take part in major attacks on Storm cloaks, be dressed in full imperial armour and still walk straight into Windhelm without even a mention. Some Storm Cloak camps will warn you on approach but apart from that it's very inconsistent. I can understand wanting to leave the possibility of doing Windhelm quest lines open but if you pick a side it should mean that you take up the consequences too.

Even just the recognition of faction armour would go a long way imo eg.New Vegas.

Agreed. But as far as leaving quest lines open, why can't they just wait? No matter which side you do the civil war quest on, you can still become thane of Windhelm and get the house there. Why not make so you simply can't get into the city (while wearing Imperial Armor) until AFTER you do the civil war quests?

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:53 am

All solid points from the OP, definitely would want to see those things implemented but agree with Fithume's adds too, particularly the stuff about faction alignment.

It's been frustrating that I can take part in major attacks on Storm cloaks, be dressed in full imperial armour and still walk straight into Windhelm without even a mention. Some Storm Cloak camps will warn you on approach but apart from that it's very inconsistent. I can understand wanting to leave the possibility of doing Windhelm quest lines open but if you pick a side it should mean that you take up the consequences too.

Even just the recognition of faction armour would go a long way imo eg.New Vegas.

That is the problem with Bethesda though. They think that would be too complicated or would turn away new players. Why else the insistent hand holding and making EVERY single other damned person essential. Let us kill someone and if they are important just give us a warning like in Morrowind. "You have killed an important NPC. You cannot complete a certain quest now. If you continue playing you do so without the possibility of ever finishing that quest." Something like that would be a much more elegant solution then just making people friggin invincible. Let be people have choices and let us be damned or rewarded for the consequences. I mean I can understand not letting us kill the ingame children but because A) Legal Issues.

It is wrong and there is no real incentive to doing so except for nefarious purposes. But dammit if I do something stupid do not be afraid to punish me for it. I thought the whole Radiant AI thing was supposed to just give another quest giver for the quest anyways. What happened to that?

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:02 am

Before people put the developers down (again) realize that they have to consider the constraints of their game. While the things you want are great ideas, you have no idea what would have had to be given up in order to make them happen. Skyrim was a huge project. They had ideas like these, and discussed them to pieces. Many of the developers were pissed off that their ideas were judged unfeasible... not a bad idea, but just not worth the resources to develope.

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:13 am

Before people put the developers down (again) realize that they have to consider the constraints of their game. While the things you want are great ideas, you have no idea what would have had to be given up in order to make them happen. Skyrim was a huge project. They had ideas like these, and discussed them to pieces. Many of the developers were pissed off that their ideas were judged unfeasible... not a bad idea, but just not worth the resources to develope.

The only thing that would have been sacrificed was the 11/11/11 release date.

As for not worth the resources... You serious?

» Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:36 am

Before people put the developers down (again) realize that they have to consider the constraints of their game. While the things you want are great ideas, you have no idea what would have had to be given up in order to make them happen. Skyrim was a huge project. They had ideas like these, and discussed them to pieces. Many of the developers were pissed off that their ideas were judged unfeasible... not a bad idea, but just not worth the resources to develope.

Yes that is true. That does not mean they did not make some questionable design decisions.