I would like to say that this update bringing mounted combat is a long-waited and very welcome one. I was so excited as I saw the news that I immediately updated Steam, got the beta and loaded a game to grab my character's horse and try it.
This will be my (hopefully) brief report, hoping the developers will give it a look at some point:
-Horse archery is working, in my opinion, splendidly. I found hunting deers from the saddle amazing and chasing down the prey trying to aim right with the character bouncing all over the place due to the horse's gallop was challenging but felt extremely realistic and entertaining.
-I found perhaps a slight disappointment when I could not speak with NPCs met on the way from the horse's back. Which leads to a further point...
-Dismounting is, now that I dare engage monsters and enemies on the horse, a tad too slow and complex. It does not give me any feel of urgency in the way the character peacefully drops from the saddle without the least amount of worry for the troll charging at him with foam at its mouth. Now that combat has been integrated with the activity of riding, I would suggest perhaps elaboring a different animation for when the player dismounts with weapons drawn; this way, if I am in the middle of a fight I judge too challenging on horseback and need to drop on the ground, I'll do so swiftly and with sword in hand.
-I found a certain satisfaction noticing that a greatsword served me better from horseback then a simple sword. This is something I found very good, making weapons' reach important, especially against smaller targets. However...
-It feels like whereas archery was advantageous and fun, still remaining challenging and not growing unbalanced, melee combat from horseback sets the player in a far weaker position. Now this seems obvious, given the fact the game was developed with first-person, footed combat in mind. Though introducing mounted combat should give a fair advantage. Historically, it meant almost certain victory, to the point where riding foes had to be outnumbered to be defeated. This would probably be a little excessive in Skyrim since the player rarely faces more then two or three enemies in the open and can still count on companions to assist him. Still, the swings of the swords seemed to hit only at the very end of their arch, while it'd be useful to make the attack land from the start to the end, so that I can defend myself from attacks coming from the sides. Much like dragons would use their tails and wings to hit me if I'm not within their jaws' reach, I'd like to be able to fend off enemies left and right, else aiming the horse at the enemy risks to become busy-work. Another addition that could rapresent the advantage given by fighting on horseback would be making each landing strike from the saddle behave like a charged attack on foot; being attacked by a man above me should sets me off balance, force me on the defensive.
-The horses do feel a tad too delicate. Maybe it could be an idea to introduce a very expensive, trained warhorse with higher armour, good health and a stronger attack.
-If spears or lances are ever introduced, I can't refrain myself from askin for the ability to charge enemies! Maybe also make sprinting horses deal a small amount of damage to rapresent trampling.
That is all I could think of. I hope this can be of any use as a user's feedback. Thank you Bethesda, this game not only is more addictive then anything known to man but also keeps getting better!
P.S. I saw two threads were locked already ... I hope it's ok to discuss this topic
» Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:17 am 
