Slow Rider
Member
This is going to seem like an ungrateful rant to some. I assure you it is nothing of the sort. This game is utterly amazing and I just enjoy it to pieces. One of the things that makes the game so attractive to me is the amount of environmental realism in it. With a good set of headphones, you really can get the impression you are really walking through an actual environment and become immersed in it. Just give me a VR helmet and my family will never see me again.
So, on the occasions where something is just not very realistic at all, it becomes a little disappointing. This is not a knock on Bethesda. I know there's only so much coding that you can do before you reach the point of diminishing returns, but here are some areas that I think would do well to be addressed in future patches or future games.
The animations of the horses on near-vertical surfaces are very poor. You can navigate impossibly vertical surfaces almost flawlessly with the front two legs of your horse, while the rear legs just churn away in space as if you were running on horizontal ground. Ironically, this is much different than travelling on foot, which brings me to the next point, foot travel on sloped surfaces or difficult areas.
Nothing is more aggravating than watching your character try to walk up a grade that is just a few degrees too steep. In real life if you are climbing up a serious hill, you're going to sheathe your weapon and crab up the side, using both of your hands. Conversely, when you are trying to go under something that is low, Skyrim simply will not let you do it. In real life, if I want to climb under the void space in a flight of stairs, I'll crunch into a ball a squeeze in. Should I be able to draw a bow and shoot it while there? No. But I should be able to cram in a small space, or crawl on my belly under something low and stand up on the other side.
I think if the developers created some animations which made you relinquish control of your character long enough to climb that hill or squeeze under that beam, it would be a good thing. They could even let the enemies beat on you during the animation, which would be realistic. A similar concept already in play is when you choose to ride your horse. When you select this option, the character sheathes their weapon and hops on. You don't have to go through every motion to mount the horse, it's just a built-in preset animation.
Other things which could use a makeover are the realistic reactions of the people around you. If I break into someone's house at night and rouse them out of a deep sleep, I don't want them to simply say "you don't belong here," or even "I work at the general store" if they are friendly. I want them to react like I would react if someone was in my house. I want them to curse, freak out and try to reach for that dagger on the nightstand, and I want them to accidentally knock it off that nightstand some of the time because they are coming out of a deep sleep.
Anyone see where I'm headed with this? Can you think of any other ways that the game would become even more seamless? Like I said at the beginning, it's simply awesome as is. Would just love to see it at the next level.
(edited for poor grammar and spelling)
So, on the occasions where something is just not very realistic at all, it becomes a little disappointing. This is not a knock on Bethesda. I know there's only so much coding that you can do before you reach the point of diminishing returns, but here are some areas that I think would do well to be addressed in future patches or future games.
The animations of the horses on near-vertical surfaces are very poor. You can navigate impossibly vertical surfaces almost flawlessly with the front two legs of your horse, while the rear legs just churn away in space as if you were running on horizontal ground. Ironically, this is much different than travelling on foot, which brings me to the next point, foot travel on sloped surfaces or difficult areas.
Nothing is more aggravating than watching your character try to walk up a grade that is just a few degrees too steep. In real life if you are climbing up a serious hill, you're going to sheathe your weapon and crab up the side, using both of your hands. Conversely, when you are trying to go under something that is low, Skyrim simply will not let you do it. In real life, if I want to climb under the void space in a flight of stairs, I'll crunch into a ball a squeeze in. Should I be able to draw a bow and shoot it while there? No. But I should be able to cram in a small space, or crawl on my belly under something low and stand up on the other side.
I think if the developers created some animations which made you relinquish control of your character long enough to climb that hill or squeeze under that beam, it would be a good thing. They could even let the enemies beat on you during the animation, which would be realistic. A similar concept already in play is when you choose to ride your horse. When you select this option, the character sheathes their weapon and hops on. You don't have to go through every motion to mount the horse, it's just a built-in preset animation.
Other things which could use a makeover are the realistic reactions of the people around you. If I break into someone's house at night and rouse them out of a deep sleep, I don't want them to simply say "you don't belong here," or even "I work at the general store" if they are friendly. I want them to react like I would react if someone was in my house. I want them to curse, freak out and try to reach for that dagger on the nightstand, and I want them to accidentally knock it off that nightstand some of the time because they are coming out of a deep sleep.
Anyone see where I'm headed with this? Can you think of any other ways that the game would become even more seamless? Like I said at the beginning, it's simply awesome as is. Would just love to see it at the next level.
(edited for poor grammar and spelling)
