The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
One aspect of Oblivion that I could barely stand was how level scaling was used in terms of progression. What I mean by this is as the player continued to increase in level, rarer and better armor/weapons would begin to drop on bandits/marauders/etc. Level scaling also hurt the experience in Oblivion because the player would only be exposed to certain creatures at a certain level. This completely destroyed the rarity and immersion of finding some of the hardest sets of armor in the game, as well as coming across different creatures. Morrowind was great because you never knew what you would find. Any piece of Daedric armor was impossible to find in Morrowind, and very few had the entire set. One could also come across creatures/NPCs that were completely out of their league and could defeat the player easily. This wasn't the case in Oblivion, as everything was geared to making sure the player did progress, and npc/creatures were never out of one's league. Does anyone else feel the same way about level scaling doing more harm than good for TES?

#2
21-11-2011
Enos
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,611
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
Extensive level scaling is the worst thing that has happened to RPG progress. I understand using level scaling to some extent, e.g. to make the game challenging even when you are high level and have great items, but high level items should be rare. Not every common thief should start wearing glass and Daedric equipment only because I passed a level threshold.

#3
21-11-2011
Nimos
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,415
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
I completely agree, I for once have never acquired an entire Daedric set in Morrowind (which I actually like). Whenever I stumbled upon one of those rare artefacts I was thrilled, but in Oblivion I probably had five sets or something like that... I also feel the same way about the creatures, there's no fun in encountering the same units all the time, depending on which level you're on. It destroys some of the "believability" of the game.

#4
21-11-2011
mbangali
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,487
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
I really hated the level scaling in Oblivion, but I feel like Bethesda did a really great job with it in Fallout 3, so if it's similar to that I won't have any complaints. Level scaling decreases the importance of level. In fact, it was easier to finish the main question at level 5 than it was at level 30 or 40.

#5
21-11-2011
Badmannah
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,614
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
I don’t think that level scaling should be removed, I think there should be a mixture if leveled creatures and unleveled, it will make combat varied. Unleveled creatures force the player to be bound to a portion of the map.

#6
21-11-2011
DevenderD
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,600
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
Get rid of it! I want to get my ass handed to me by running into a ruin full of golden saints at level 1. I wish to have access to all enemies and armor but I want the people with good armor to be like 10 levels above me. Having level scaling in oblivion was an abomination that should never be implemented in a game again.

#7
21-11-2011
Halle
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,609
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
I hated oblivion style level scaling. It made items common and boring and it penalized people for not leveling via combat skills. If I leveled my bard up with spacecraft and oh lock picking walking around an area I was previously safe in might now mean need to remove.

#8
21-11-2011
Daksha90
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,485
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
The only time I think scaling may be acceptable to some extent is during the main quest, so that whether you do it at level 1 or level 30, it's still somewhat of a challenge. Though I think the scaling should be limited too; i.e. doing it at level 30 should be more rewarding and slightly less challenging than doing it at level 1. Every side quest and cave/ruin/dungeon should be static. I'm not completely opposed to random loot but I prefer more hand placed loot and less randomly generated content when possible. Maybe have all boss chests be hand placed the first time you open them, and randomly generated all times thereafter...

#9
21-11-2011
Chakradevroy
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,588
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
This sounds like a good idea have only the main quest scaled, maybe so that during the quest you’ll never run into enemies 7 lives over or under you (the number could be changed) but all other areas are non-scaled. Also your idea about the loot being scaled every other time sounds like a great idea too. For me in oblivion dungeon adventuring was no fun to do all that work for a cup and 20 gold.

#10
21-11-2011
GaganGang
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,534
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
Some scaling is fine and well, particularly on junk/non-equip items you mainly sell. . . But the problem with Oblivion was you'd go through an epic dungeon for a silver vase at level 1, and at level 25 a random highwayman would be decked in glass/Daedric. I don't want to be able to get a full set of glass at level 1, but I think something along the lines of FO3 is in order.

#11
21-11-2011
MACALL
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,244
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
In my opinion I think that level scaling should exist, but not to the extent Oblivion has it. I believe that you should maybe be able to encounter creature’s fifteen levels above you, but no creatures so high above you that going in their general vicinity gets you killed. As for leveled items I think that the Oblivion scaling is pretty good, I hated the scaling mods that gave you access to the Uber stuff at level one and that meant that you would never actually change your equipment after getting full Uber at level five.

#12
23-11-2011
Badrinath
Member

Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 213
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
I think I can say for everybody here, that Oblivions leveling system was extremely frustrating. Bethesda was trying to appeal to the non-hard core RPG with Oblivion, but everybody hated it. My friend dumped the game at level 8 because he said there was no point to leveling if you aren't getting better, and it’s no fun if you aren't leveling up. At the very least, no leveled armor. I think there has to be a slight amount of enemy leveling though, but something subtle. Like when you are level 1-10, the enemies are all at the normal level they should be, but for level 11-20, they are +1 level from where they were before. 21-30 +2, so on so forth. Then, you would be getting better than them, but there would still be a slight challenge until you got way up there.

#13
29-11-2011
mbangali
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,487
Re: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim need to remove level scaling
What matters most in role playing games is exploration. The possibilities and dangers stretch ahead of you. New discoveries to be made and puzzles to solve. Mysteries that will make you think when you are around a bonfire, all alone in the wilderness. Sitting on the ground on a ridge, listening to the weird sounds and looking down at the eerie landscape in front of you.

You stumble upon an old campsite, with scattered items. You may have to match wits and swords to investigate. When you do, you feel a sense of accomplishment.And sometimes you barely escape with your life, but you remember. Remember that spot, maybe you mark it on your old map. For future, when you are better equipped and trained. That opportunity saved for later, draws your mind. You feel you are in a living world, there are difficulties around you, dangers but rewards and great riches as well.

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