Chain battles actually happen to me a lot in the game, but for some reason mostly in the Rift. I always get the impression that the whole area is a lot more densely populated with hostile creatures than the rest of Skyrim.

Also, the guards who follow peaceful dragons across continents, intent on annihilation? Yeah, those idiots can just get bent. I hope they eventually do catch up to the dragon... one dragon versus two guards; it's like food that delivers itself to your table.

I don't look for "reality" in a fantasy game but one thing that bugs me is the incredible population density of apex predators. They seem to outnumber prey by about 10:1.

Oh well, at least they're not Cliff Racers.

I don't look for "reality" in a fantasy game but one thing that bugs me is the incredible population density of apex predators. They seem to outnumber prey by about 10:1.

 

Yeah, reality isn't something you can hope to find in a game with magic and dragons and stuff... but there is a limit. You can only suspend disbelief for so long before the constant hammering of oddities breaks into your consciousness and reminds you that it's just a game. I mean, yeah, when playing we know it's just a game, but for a brief while we can pretend otherwise, only to have it come crashing down when I see one bunny rabbit being chased by five wolves... and it's a regular occurrence.

There are other, better ways to present challenges in any game than by including constant combat, which is the reason for including so many hostile predators. I mean, even if your game is based entirely on combat as a core mechanic and reason for the game's existence, most people get tired of repetitive activities after a while and will start looking for something else.

Oh my gods yes... well, mostly...

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/8579/?

Anywhere around Riften is a nightmare for random encounters, particularly with the Monster Mod installed.  5 Werebears at once?  Conjure something, run away.  3 Werewolves and 2 giant mountains bears?  Repeat.  Oh, there's a Rot Fiend fighting 4 Hagravens, I'll just sidle on by hoping they're fully occupied.

Anywhere around Riften is a nightmare for random encounters, particularly with the Monster Mod installed.  5 Werebears at once?  Conjure something, run away.  3 Werewolves and 2 giant mountains bears?  Repeat.  Oh, there's a Rot Fiend fighting 4 Hagravens, I'll just sidle on by hoping they're fully occupied.

Sucks, too. I mean, Riften is bright and colorful, stark contrast with over half of Skyrim that's just gray and white. It's one of those places I want to just wander around enjoying the scenery... and it's full of hostile monsters.

Yeah, I have discovered the Mayhem spell recently, which can make all of this quite entertaining but it would be nice just to lay in the permanent autumnal leafage and...well just not be attacked for five minutes.

Finished Dawguard which has reduced the number of stalkers, there are just idiot cultists from Dragonborn, but it's still never bloody peaceful.  Can't a girl get some peace and privacy for a little outdoor relief?  Sheesh.

In playthrough news, there's this: http://elder-geek.com/2012/02/non-violent-skyrim-playthrough-results/

Not hilarious but an interesting idea, I've only read it, not watched the video.  From a loooong time ago.

In playthrough news, there's this: http://elder-geek.co...hrough-results/

Not hilarious but an interesting idea, I've only read it, not watched the video.  From a loooong time ago.

I remember reading that.

I actually tried that idea once, in Oblivion. Made myself run away from combat just after exiting the sewers at the game start.

It didn't last long... removing combat cuts out about 75% of the game, including most faction lines. Basically, you can play as a pacifistic explorer but not as a protagonist.

 

In playthrough news, there's this: http://elder-geek.co...hrough-results/

Not hilarious but an interesting idea, I've only read it, not watched the video.  From a loooong time ago.

I remember reading that.

I actually tried that idea once, in Oblivion. Made myself run away from combat just after exiting the sewers at the game start.

It didn't last long... removing combat cuts out about 75% of the game, including most faction lines. Basically, you can play as a pacifistic explorer but not as a protagonist.

 

I'm currently trying a bit to be a farmer and trader using LAL; no magic, dagger only and for defence only, no armour, alchemy, having to eat meals and sleep.  It's very strange and I miss flamey destruction most at the moment.  It would be hideous in Oblivion; when your archery, acrobatics and athletics are high it's total joy to leap around, untouchably pincushioning your foes.  Like a smug Sonic The Hedgehog but with ranged attack, especially when a blue Dark Elf. 

I miss Acrobatics and Athletics.

Testing...

Why did that last comment suddenly tell me it would need moderating before it will be shown?  Coz is reply?  Will this one?  Haven't seen that before.

Testing...

 

Why did that last comment suddenly tell me it would need moderating before it will be shown?  Coz is reply?  Will this one?  Haven't seen that before.

I think it's the links...

whenever I post a comment with links, it says it needs moderator approval before it can be posted. But just one link doesn't do it... it takes like multiple links, or maybe quotes, or something. Not entirely sure.

And apparently, the moderator is me.

Yep... I need to approve comments that I make.

I played a game once where I was a trader... wandering in a big circuit between the major Skyrim cities, buying and selling goods.

I deliberately stayed away from any magic and combat skills, just crafting. It was actually pretty fun, because by the time I'd come back through a place I'd been before, it had been long enough to reset the cell... I think I found pretty much every random encounter possible along the roads.

I also tried playing a game where I was a psychopathic mass-murderer, killing everyone everywhere I ran across... and it's kind of surprising just how many NPCs in Skyrim have plot armor. Like, a good 20% or so are unkillable.

Contrast it to Morrowind, where there was no such thing as plot armor... there were maybe five NPCs in the entire game flagged as "essential" and all that meant was that if you killed them, a text box would pop up saying that the "threads of fate have been cut" and you could continue to play, recognizing that the main quest was now blocked.

But from Oblivion on, they didn't do that anymore. I guess they felt they had a duty, not just to present content for people to enjoy, but to do everything in their power to force people to enjoy the content... and specifically, force them to enjoy it in ways the developers had prescribed.

Meh.

Ah, yes.  Plot Armo(u)r (I can't help it - English - unnecessary letters, still peeved that one of my favourite games evah, Dishono(u)red, was never properly regionalised, all they needed to do was change the title screen and a few other minor things).

Thought of you today and looked at this: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotArmor

I'd never actually heard the phrase before or used it so in my world you made it up.

...really makes me want to play Morrowind and break it now...

I could never play this as a psycho, just starting the Thieves' Guild quest upset me, strongarming and threatening people I'd already helped was really unpleasant.  Somehow reload>>kill the entire guild was fine though.

I can't even hunt the non-offensive animals, it just makes me sad and empty, like trying to torture my Sims used to, or decorating my Skyrim house using Display Model

...really makes me want to play Morrowind and break it now...

 

I could never play this as a psycho, just starting the Thieves' Guild quest upset me, strongarming and threatening people I'd already helped was really unpleasant.  Somehow reload>>kill the entire guild was fine though.

 

I can't even hunt the non-offensive animals, it just makes me sad and empty, like trying to torture my Sims used to, or decorating my Skyrim house using Display Model

For some damn reason, LL keeps eating my comments. Two long and one short comments written out and all gone byebye.

So, to sum up: I totally agree.

Now maybe this 5-line comment will actually post, dammit.

Link to an article that I really wish had turned into a playthrough...

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=14274

That made me laugh a couple of times.  Is it part of a series as I couldn't find any more?  Is that article yours?

Have often thought the "my colleague has just been murdered, shall I try and find the culprit?" AI needed some more context sensitive options, and walking away saying something like "I must have imagined it" makes no sense when they have arrows in their face.  As I'm sure every other stealther has thought. 

It works better in Dishonoured and Human Revolution where they react to missing people too.

That made me laugh a couple of times.  Is it part of a series as I couldn't find any more?  Is that article yours?

 

Have often thought the "my colleague has just been murdered, shall I try and find the culprit?" AI needed some more context sensitive options, and walking away saying something like "I must have imagined it" makes no sense when they have arrows in their face.  As I'm sure every other stealther has thought. 

 

It works better in Dishonoured and Human Revolution where they react to missing people too.

It's not part of a series , and it's not mine either. The writer is a favorite of mine, though.

AI has come so far in the last few decades... it's so much better than it used to be. The problem is, it's reached a point now where it's good enough that its bad parts become extremely noticeable. The AI in older games just basically runs toward the player attacking, and that was fine for the time, because the AI and the games themselves were limited enough we didn't expect anything more. Now, though, with highly advanced graphics, voice actors, schedules, etc. we're reaching a point where flaws and imperfections stand out more.

When all you've got to play with is a red square shooting at green squares, you don't expect much in the way of good AI... but when you're facing something that's supposed to have human-like intelligence, you really notice when it doesn't.

Sort of an uncanny-valley thing.

I haven't played Dishonored or Human Revolution, but I have heard the AI is quite a bit better in many ways.

The problem with "it must have been the wind" sort of thing is easily fixable... just a couple of if/else checks.

if ( fellow bandit is alive )

  then ( it must have been the wind )

else if ( fellow bandit is dead )

  then ( continue searching until you find the murderer )

if ( you've just heard a noise ) 

  then ( just a rat, I suppose )

else if ( you've just been shot by an arrow )

 then (continue searching until you find the attacker, dumbass )

if ( you come across a dead body )

 then ( ooh! maybe he died of a heart attack! )

else if ( you come across a dead body stripped of all his gear )

 then ( there's a murderous thief about! Look around for the infiltrator! )

Granted, I've never done professional game design, I'm not an expert, so I don't know if it's a huge deal of complications to actually do this... but if you just replace the NPC's AI temporarily with "check all possible pathing nodes in the cell for X distance" instead of "look around a while and then go back to patrol" it seems like this shouldn't be a big problem.

http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/2232/Superficial-Intelligence