I believe Black Marsh holds the title for being the harshest and least explored due to that.

But I like swimming in the Sea of Ghosts with nothing on

I remeber a MOD in Morowind that did a similar thing, when you got to close to a Lava pit you had a stamina penalty from the heat, there was also a encomberance gain when it rained or you entered water to simulate wet clothes and gear etc

So I think it will be down to a modder to add something like this as Bethesda need to keep the game balanced for those that dont want a real life simulator with things like this.

I for one love these types of 'hardcoe' modes as it means I have to plan a little for journeys and encounters, taking in the elements and distance etc before venturing out.

Would be a cool addition for a hardcoe mod, though you'd need some ways to prevent or resist it as well for when you really have no choice but to stay in the cold for a while. Like Flame Cloak or some special potion perhaps.

And NPCs don't dress very warmly for the cold temperatures they're in are they? Down here, it gets to 60 degrees Farenheit and people are wearing winter coats and ski jackets.

I think cold should effect people to a certain extent. Maybe just not walking around where there is snow, as I have worn T-Shirts and still sweated walking across a snow covered field. Snow storms and rain should have more of a cold effect like to drain health and stamina some. However, a cloak or coat would counter that, at the expense of say battle agility.

What should really effect us is swimming in water that has ice in it. Resist frost potions or spells would counter this to varying degrees. It is not like we have to go in the water for any length of time for the game, so it would not stop any quests. Just make some paths and exploring trickier.

Argonians couldn't live in skyrim logically.

Heh, Daggerfall sinks you if you're carrying too much weight. It surprised me the first time I noticed it.

Swimming in the waters in the north, with chunks of ice and whatnot, should kill you in about 3 minutes.

This isn't Sims

Why not? They're warm-blooded animals.

Or you could just drink some alcohol to feel more warm, or enter a cave, or not travel in mountain by snowy day, or use magic to warm yourself. (they would have to include such a spell)


Cryostasis

While I'm all for depth, Skyrim's scale is so pathetic that cold realism is only going to be decent for people who spend little time exploring and more time standing in one area.

When you walk up the tallest mountain in the provence in 5 minutes, and get back down in 1, and walk 10 feet from no snow around for miles into a blizzard that goes away if you walk backwards 10 feet, this feature is silly.

If weather wasn't 100% locational it would be a different story, but since every region (aka 5 minute radius) has the same weather all the time and the game world is about the size of a supermarket and its parking lot, I vote no.

you're right it's not. however, adding small sim and rts aspects to rpg games like skyrim should be a no-brainer. you've got the rpg, actiony aspects and then add the sim, mini-game and rts components. ingenuity and advancement. creativity and the further advancement of games.

new vegas hardcoe should become an obvious staple for action rpg's. race traits should, you know, contribute towards the game. and, cold having an effect on one's character and becoming a part of gameplay should be obvious.