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Bethesda talks Skyrim level scaling

  • Posted January 8th, 2011 at 12:15 EDT by Mike Harradence
  • 21 Comments

Bethesda’s squashed fears that the levelling system in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor Oblivion, confirming the fantasy follow-up will instead mimic Fallout 3’s efforts.

Originally released back in 2006, Oblivion proved a colossal critical and commercial success, though it wasn’t without its faults, with gamers pouring scorn over the RPG for its application of scaling.

Apparently, folk weren’t too happy with the fact enemies beefed up according to your character, arguing it left the whole concept of levelling up redundant after all that arduous dungeon crawling and brawling.

However, it seems as though Bethesda’s looking to shake things up for the sequel, with the firm’s senior community manager commenting:

"Since people are asking, wanted to briefly touch on level scaling. All our games have had some amount of randomness/leveling based on player level. Skyrim's is similar to Fallout 3's, not Oblivion's."

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be released for PS3, PC and 360 on November 11, 2011.

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  1. Kostchtchie

    • 8:27am EST - January 8th, 2011

     but didn't the npc in fallout do same thing, when you level so did they...lmao , just close your studio please, unless your going to make vibrant world with a lot population in it and have proper leveling system and character creation, sick of your shlt games with huge open EMPTY worlds and city's that are MASS yet EMPTY with same copy and paste crap npc all over the place, and guards who hear you stealing from house down the road, filled with bugs

  2. Fenix

    • 9:17am EST - January 8th, 2011

    @1, dont like it? Dont PLAY THEM. Sheesh. Theres more of us whom like the games, then dislike them. ;)

  3. Kostchtchie

    • 9:40am EST - January 8th, 2011

    @2  and reason they keep bring this trash out instead of quality games IS people like you, you are the reason shlt sells, maybe i should come to your house and help myself to your stuff, because you seem to like getting dlked over by shlt devs, and how can you like huge EMPTY open worlds? guards who know what your doing from the other side of city? bugs galore? copy and paste NPC? npc that level same as you to the point why have leveling system? you like stuff like that? then mate your dumb loser of a gamer that does nothing but harm the gaming industry for supporting these clowns, yeah games are never perfect, but people like you dont help the situation

    but hey everyone to there own least we know whats sort people support these muppets, take care

  4. Kostchtchie

    • 9:40am EST - January 8th, 2011

    ...dp

  5. kkilla

    • 9:55am EST - January 8th, 2011

    @Kostchtchie Actually the enemies really didnt level up with you in Fallout 3, it just seemed they did bcz the attributes in the game werent centered around hack and slash. Its only bcz it depended on the guns you used and how well they worked to kill an enemy quickly. I mean I started Fallout 3 and I ran into a freakin Deathclaw at level one and then later on when I got to like 19 and had a better rifle I could totally take on a Deathclaw and survive longer. Now that doesnt sound like Oblivions level-scaling to me and obviously you havent read all the info from GI about ES:V instead of complaining about it like a little kid, then you would know that ES:V is actually completely different in a whole slew of aspects from ES:IV.

  6. HenryPSN

    • 11:21am EST - January 8th, 2011

    This game better be good. 

  7. Staticneuron

    • 12:18pm EST - January 8th, 2011

    @kkilla

    Actually it does. In oblivion early in the game I wandered around. I ended up in a painting and faced these trolls, who essentially stomped the crap out of me. Obviously if you level up you can use better armor and (heavier) weapons then take it to those trolls.

    It is the same principle. The scaling level for all enemies except extreme enemies simply take away for the enjoyment of progression. When enemies are stand out only because of the armor/weapons or stat imbalance, it really makes the rest seem like a grind. People seemed to enjoy it. I lost MANY hours (almost 100 I think) to the game, but I never got a great sense of completion. I never "beat" the game. The story and the progression was backseat. I spent more time exploring the world than anything else. And to a person like me who really prefers story over mini instances, oblivion never topped my gaming lists.

  8. Phade

    • 12:30pm EST - January 8th, 2011

    Overrated.

  9. srb1

    • 2:50pm EST - January 8th, 2011

     Wow, I had to register to comment here. 

    What's up with all the negativity? As far as I am concerned Oblivion and Fallout3 were some of the best games this gen. Is it cool to bash Bethesda or to expect so much more from them? Gaming(to me) is about the experience and the two games being critiqued here, I think, have delivered just that the most. 

    I hope I am wrong and have missed out on some games(ps3 wise) that are far superior because that would mean, I have some new games to look forward to. 

    Can any of the negative commenters give me 10 games they thought gave them a better experience? Should be easy, you have 650 to choose from. Actually, make it 5

  10. Kostchtchie

    • 3:48pm EST - January 8th, 2011

     @kkila

    only way you never come across npc same level as you was because you were playing fallout 3 on easy mode, and don't say you were not because that was the only way the npc were ever lower level than your player in the game and were easy to kill, when put onto hard mode you soon see how easy its not to kill npc mobs mate, oblivion was the same put your difficulty level on easy you can easily just steam through the game, so yeah that is the same mate,

    and how am i a kid for stating FACTS ? the game is huge open empty world? I mean its not exactly vibrant world is it? the NPC are lame in there scaling if you play the game like man and not little girl like you on easy mode? guards that seem to know everything you do? copy and paste NPC character models because they cant be bothered use that creative talent,  huge city's that are filled with little or no people, and ones you come across all have same npc faces, then bugs, then stupid stat'  on armour....

    but im sure you will avoid all these things because your a man right and im just kid talking crap right? 

     like I said before everyone to there own, you enjoy this sort game with these things in it that's fine, but don't tell me I am child because I see the game for what it is where as you go through with the blinds down and ignore it, because you are easily entertained 

     

  11. Kostchtchie

    • 3:48pm EST - January 8th, 2011

    dp day I see

  12. Funeralfog

    • 4:08pm EST - January 8th, 2011

     i'd be fine with certain enemies leveling up a little bit

  13. hfdusiadsa8

    • 9:09pm EST - January 8th, 2011

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  14. circles

    • 1:28am EST - January 9th, 2011

     must be the time of the month. I can find something wrong with just about every game ever made, that will not discredit any of the better ones from being enjoyable. Which is the reason The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are huge hits. Skyrim is not going to be any different.

  15. Anim3Fr33K

    • 2:42am EST - January 9th, 2011

    I hope is more like fallout 3/NV as i really enjoyed those but could not stand oblivion.

  16. Fenrisulfr

    • 7:42am EST - January 9th, 2011

    @ Kostchtchie

    While i agree with your points on Oblivion in that it was overly empty size, I have confidence that Skyrim will be better and fuller and not have such a copy and paste feel to it. Also while people shouldnt call you a child for having your opinion you shouldnt call people a dumb loser of a gamer for theirs. And to be perfectly honest there are games much less imaginative out there that dont have even anything near to the expansive lore of The Elder Scrolls games. And they havent won all the awards or any of it critical and commercial successfor nothing.

    p.s. Out of curiosity have you ever tried developing a game?

  17. Kostchtchie

    • 8:43am EST - January 9th, 2011

    @ Fenrisulfr

    Never say im not one to see valid point about the calling of names is to much, and like yourself I am hoping that they are going to at least try and do more than copy and paste this time around with there new engine, it just narks me that there games could be so much better, yet they just go for the cheap copy and paste route, dont get me wrong ive spent neary 600hours between Oblivion / Fallout 3 / Fallout New Vegas on pc, and if itwas not for the modding community i could not have even seen myself playing for as long i did

    and yes i know the effort that goes into games is huge, but that dosent mean companys should be given the free pass in game industry, and all i stuff i spoke of is issue in the game, if people dont think so then im sorry but they are blind the leveling system is crap, the rpg side of it is medium at best, the stupid way they used stats on armour is lame, the huge open empty world and citys without anything vibrant is pointless, make your towns vibrant, they got the worlds landscape brilliant, why not have more going on in it, than just miles and miles of nothingness, and whats with the guards knowing what your upto miles away, i go into house rob it the guard enters and tells me im under arrest..lmao like wtf

    at the end of the day these are things i hope they change or get rid off, and make the best game that they can, because they dont need to copy and past like you said they have good lore, ideas, just feels cheap when going to diffrent games same characters, go to diffrent locations within each game, same character models, maybe not to degree but enough to notice it within game world

    anyway, if anyone felt i was over zealous was not my intension to upset, was merely stating what i thought, and if i am wrong in your eyes then thats fine, but if you think some of what i thought was right then, i hope for our sakes they change there ways

    take care
     

  18. hercodean

    • 3:48am EST - February 4th, 2011

    ARE YOU GUYS KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW OBLIVION AND MORROWIND HAD THE MOST UNIQUE LEVELING SYSTEM IV EVER SEEN IN VIDEO GAMES YOU HAD TO THINK AND REALLY PUT TIME AND THOUGHT INTO YOUR CHARACTER is not like every RPG where all you do is kill enemies gain XP and level up NO!!! you have to wright your **** down and keep track of your majors and minors YOU HAVE TO DO MATH BUDDIE the leveling SYSTEM WAS SMART to get +5+5+5 on your main attributes EVERY TIME YOU LEVEL UP TOOK SKILL AND WAS ONLY FOR THE PROS I HAVE ALL MY MAIN ATTRIBUTES Like SPEED or STRENGTH at 100 befor i hit level 50!! i have a pad and pen next to me when im playing ELDER SCROLLS i ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE LEVELING SYSTEM… ps IF MORROWIND AND OBLIVION WOULD HAVE BEEN ONLINE YOU WOULD HAVE EASILY BEEN ABEL TO TELL THE PROS FROM THE NOOBS cuz sooooo many people think thay know elder scrolls when thay dont..WHAT ARE PEOPLE GUNNA ASK BETHESDA NEXT TO DUM DOWN THE ENCHANTING AND THE ALCHEMY CUZ PEOPLE DONT KNOW HOW TO WORK THE MAGNITUDE and DURATION AND BLAST THERE INTELLIGENCE to 1000 by drinking a potion or makeing spells that fortify speed 700 come on bethesda keep that UNIQUE LEVELING SYSTEM dont be like every other RPG PEOPLE LOVE YOUR GAMES

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    • 2:21am EST - February 15th, 2011

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  20. biggie23evan

    • 11:52am EST - February 16th, 2011

    If you get better your enemies should to or else it wouldnt be fun anyway the world was not empty and the parts that are are the forest becouse hey since half the game is a forest then every citizien should be in the woods i mean that make perfect sense(SARCASIM)

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