User blog comment:Conor Thompson/The Elder scrolls VI ideas/@comment-109.151.229.49-20130627030434

More realistic weapon usage: combat in previous titles Oblivion and Skyrim worked well and was improved greatly in Skyrim in terms of aesthetics but after countless hours of hacking and slashing the same things, the same ways it does get repetitive and boring. I would like to see different attack mechanics for the different weapons. For example if I'm using a sword I would like to feel like I'm trying to cut something rather than bash it and hopefully see that reflected in the appearance of the damage I inflict (dented armour, ripped leather etc).

Advantages for different weapons: A problem with the weapons I used in the games was that I saw no reason to use anything other than the weapon with the highest base damage because enemies took the damage in the same way. To rectify this I would like to see different advantages for weapon types beyond swing speed. For example a bladed weapon would do little or no damage against heavily armoured enemies but above average damage against non-metallic armour like leather and fur (but only slightly below average damage against the metallic light armours like elven and glass). A blunt weapon would crush metallic armour and deal almost normal damage after the armour is broken (normal damage if the armour is light) but do no additional damage against non-metallic armour

A grappling manoeuvre: One thing I think has to be included is some form of grappling with the enemy (if you have a hand free and some way to quickly dispatch your weapon or shield to free one up). This would allow for more interesting and varied interaction with the enemy. This could also greatly improve "boss" battles, if properly implemented, as has been done by shadow of the colossus and more recently dragons dogma both of which have the best boss battles of any RPG type game I have ever seen.

Additional armour effects: In the previous games the way armour worked could be not problematic exactly but slightly disappointing. In Skyrim (and Oblivion) I was very fond of the Dwarven armour and would have quite happily have played with that armour throughout the game but when you get to the higher levels and enemies get better equipment (especially on higher difficulties) if you stay with your favourite and it is a lower quality armour then you have an unfair disadvantage. To remove it I think that armour sets should have smaller quality gaps and their own benefits so that there is a reason to use more of them for longer. Like iron armour, as the most basic, could have the least protection (but not over significantly) of heavy armours but because of that is the easiest to repair and replace. To prevent this being unfair it could be made so that items repair thresholds get lower with every repair until they break. Silver weapons and armour could be particularly receptive to enchanting and give a percentage bonus to any enchantments applied and do bonus damage to supernatural creatures but are comparatively less effective against other enemies and unable to be enhanced un-magically.

Combat orientation: How ever I played Skyrim or Oblivion as a Mage, Warrior or Thief I always encountered a small problem. When I was a Warrior I felt like a cool and powerful Warrior but when I played a Mage I didn't feel like a Mage really I just felt like a different type of Warrior and the same applied to being a Thief. The problem I think is that the games were always too combat orientated. To combat that I think that there should be much more inclusion of areas where mages or thieves can flourish where other classes cannot but this should not be done to deliberately exclude other character types it should merely force them to find a different approach, maybe one that includes an NPC or multiplayer partner with the appropriate skill set or multiple approaches (stealth, fight and arcane approaches). obviously this cannot be done everywhere but it should be done where possible (unless it is clearly wrong i.e a warrior path for a mages guild quest). If this were done then combat would not suffer and the gameplay could be more satisfying for everyone.

Guild membership: I do not think that it should be impossible to join all guilds but I think it should be done differently. You should not be able to advance to a rank you are not suited for. For example I became the harbinger of the companions despite being a pure Mage build which obviously makes no sense. I think that the handling of this issue could be resolved by making two ways of being with a guild. Option 1 be affiliated with that guild: this would mean that you have limited access to that guild and its facilities but are not a full member. You do not need to have the appropriate skills to be affiliated just on good terms with the guild. This would not necessarily ban you from doing quests for them you could just be assigned missions that they are ill suited for. Option 2 full membership: this would mean that you have full access to the guild and its facilities (appropriate for your rank) and can participate in guild quests. When you display adequate skill and loyalty you can advance in rank and get more bonuses from the guild. Personally I think that it would just make more sense and in all honesty if you don't have enough of the necessary skill to be a member you will likely not find much use form the off limit facilities.

Guild quest lines: I think that they should be more in depth. More specifically I think that they should have quests available for you that suit your skill set. Like if you're a Mage who specialises in restoration then you could have quests to help heal wounded members or nearby "hospitals" or you could diagnose and research some new diseases or injuries, in other words previously absent theory as well as practical work.

Magic: in terms of diversity magic is definitely the largest skill set and I think that the way you work with it should reflect that. Despite you having lots of magic spells at your disposal and some arcane skills they don't differ too much from each other and they definitely should. I would like to see magical theory work involved in the game and some more in depth application of various magics and skills. Like if you have knowledge of destruction and enchanting then why couldn't you mix those and apply a temporary weaker enchantment to your weapon on the go (have the soul gem drain over time and with each hit and break when it empties). You could also get technique ideas from books like a magical tome could let you learn what creatures are weakest against what element which wouldn't be a perk just a reward for reading that book other than a destruction level increase. You could also get passive abilities front them that increase the effectiveness of a certain school of magic.

Well these are some of my ideas hope some of you can build on them. Thanks for reading.