When I first started playing Skyrim, I made the awful mistake of becoming a mage. When I became the arch mage, I started noticing some serious flaws with the AI. First off, that *censored* court wizard in Whiterun still recommends that I should head to Winterhold to make some magics. Alright, whatever. Then I began to notice how NOBODY cared that I was the most powerful mage in Skyrim. NOBODY. Not even the students there, and one even called me a milk drinker..

Then I became an archer and eventually rose to the rank of top companion (whatever it's called). Nobody again cared, but that was less bothersome since companions all do their own thing.

Perhaps a new improvement to the game will make the AI understand greatness when they see it. I'm currently working on the thieves guild questline so I do not know how that will turnout, although the guards do recognize im a companion/guild member. This ins't all of the AI problems but just a few right off the top of my head.

What are your experiences and suggestions on this?

Also, this game caters wayyyy to much to warriors... spread the love?

The game world shows little if any reaction to your accomplishments and status. Check. You are the 9 millionth person to notice that. The 'RPG' tag was just tacked onto it as an afterthought, don't expect too much along those lines.

The entire game is unresponsive. We need factions and reputation. NPCs should respond to you based off of your reputation. You should be able to become KOS to certain factions with the ability to wage war on them or remain neutral. You cannot really make a Good, Evil, or Neutral character - instead you can just make an apathetic one. For being a Hero, a Dovahlkin, it certainly doesn't seem very special. In most RPGs, I feel that my hero is integral and I am treated with that in the game. I don't get that from the game, which is sad.

The same goes for combat. Enemies try the same stupid thing. They should react to me better and I should have to adapt to them. Instead, I do the same exact thing for EVERY enemy I encounter. I don't have to change any tactics. Pathing for example is horrendous in Skyrim. If enemies are unable to get to me, they should ALL have a ranged attack or ability to port to me (don't care about silly "logic" here). It is a gameplay issue when a GIANT goes "oh a little bump I better run around this to get to you" as I proceed cooly to step on, and off the bump looping them in a robot moonwalk. Dragons (LOL). Hide, shoot. It lands, run and hit. It is so easy to never get touched in Skyrim and that takes the challenge out of it and immersion.

NPCs in general need to respond A LOT better.

I whole heartedly agree, I am NOT Brynolfs new prodige, I AM TEH GUILD MASTA!!!!!!!


Pleas read below...

yeah OP i hear ya. Beth made an awesome world, awesome graphics, awesome combat. but forget a little thing called immersion and depth. its like, whats a jelly donut without the jelly?

In addition to the RP aspects of the AI, there's other more practical issues, I've found, with the AI - sometimes, my followers mysteriously get "stuck" in certain places - like there is a 1 inch "step" they have to go over, but they refuse to make that step. I don't think I've ever seen a follower "jump". I dunno, maybe once or twice - basically, they can only move over smooth, even ground.

Sometimes when I expect them to make ranged attacks, they won't, other times, they're still using a bow when the enemy is 2 inches away.

They seem to always step right in between me and an enemy right as I'm swinging my warhammer (which, because it takes 3 seconds to finish the swing, means it's hard to predict that they are going to step in front of me before I start swinging). Etc.

I would also like pardoning a yeilding enemy to have an actual effect. As in, they flee from the battle and live to see another day.

The Whiterun Court Wizard thing is a bug. We discussed it in the "how can I possibly RP thread." Turns out they tried to make it a conditiona statement so he would shut up once you joined the college, but they screwed up (I think he checks to see if he has joined the college instead of you). There's a fix in that thread if you aren't on a console.

As for catering to warriors, my take is that Bethesda tried to take "build however you like" to such an extreme that it becomes possible to beat the game without bothering to build. Thus, warriors can get by with just a weapon and armor and/or block and one or two of the following: 1) Blocking, 2) Potions, 3) Follower, 4) Conjuration, 5) Archery, 6) Restoration, 7) Smithing, 8) Enchanting, or for thief class: sneak or illusion. Bethesda gave you the option to pick any 1-2 of these, but start taking 3-4 and the only remaining challenge are boss fights on master where they can 2-shot you.

Magic isn't really that different. You have two options: Conjuration + 1) Enchanting, 2) Potions, 3) Destruction, 4) Alteration or Armor, 5) Restoration, 6) Illusion, 7) Follower, 8) Weapon.

Alternatively, Destruction + Magicka-managing (enchanting, potions, back-up weapon, or staffs work fine) are the base, then pick your options from the above. Again pick too many, like both enchating and alchemy, and you end up with 0-magicka permastagger.

Hehe, yeah, on all counts... speaking of RP, I'd like to see followers that RP'ed having even 1/4 of a brain... currently not even 1/10th.

This has been the major disappointment for me with Skyrim.
If time had gone into this area the game would have actually made my head physically explode. The amount of missed opportunities and what seems like sheer laziness is a bit much. I would have happily waited another couple of years for this game if it meant this would be fixed.

Pleeeease Bethesda. Hear our cries for your next title.

We already talked the Whiterun Court wizard to death. Yes, the game has little recognition of events, your progress, and there is little NPC interaction. There is no good and evil. They scrapped it all and just let you roam with a better mechanical game play as the consolation. It's not enough, but that's all Skyrim is. Enjoy the latest unexplored castle- there will be a DLC soon with more of them. For character development you can choose between one handed or two handed, heavy or light armor, bow or not. Magic or not. Very involved character build. Dont forget to find those castles.

I am relativley new to the forums... ok brand new.. so I didn't see the thread yet. Thanks tho!

I love how Farengar insults me one second but then is all like 'zomg yer a mage toooo' the next.

I did read that Todd and someone else wanted the guards to have more personality. I wouldn't call dialoge AI, though. Oblivion had pretty bad AI, and the civilians would mention your achievements. I find that Skyrim suffers more from the effects of quantity being the larger focus rather than maybe balancing it with more quality things. The AI seems to have trouble knowing the player murdered someone, though. I ended up causing a store to no longer have anyone to own it because the two NPCs in it decided to kill eachother or the owner got killed...

I also ended up getting a begger in Riften killed when I reverse pickpocketed him. Seems everyone is out to get their own friends when a crime happens.

I had been using the enchanting table in his room (before i got a cool mod that adds one to Breesehome's alchemy bench), and he drove me nuts every time. Of course he would be standing right next to it, and I'd have to listen to all 4-5 of his extremely annoying and silly comments, in that awful accent, as I was trying to concentrate on my enchanting business... before I finish playing this game, I'm going to go all werewolf on that town and take out the NPC's that bother me the most. And he's near the top of the list. Right after the little "I'm not afraid of you!" kid.