FonicStereo

Is there anyway to get rid of Aerin after marrying Mjoll? He continues to follow her around after you get hitched and really crowds up the Breezehome. I eventually resorted to taking him out back and introducing him to some not-so-friendly giants; but it'd be nice to know that there are other alternatives to murder.

Hello all, I am new to these boards (despite my join date) but so far enjoying all the Skyrim talk. I've been trying to compare the melee range of two-handed weapons (greatsword, greataxe, warhammer) against their one-handed counterparts (longsword, battleaxe, mace) but I haven't been able to find a remotely scientific way of testing to determine the difference. By range I mean a linear distance from the player. Each category, so far as I can tell, have equal range (i.e. greatsword same as greataxe & warhammer). You would think that the double-handers would outrange the singles, but it doesn't seem to be the case. They seem about equal. Also I haven't been able to tell if either weapon type has a better cone of attack - by that I mean how far left/right of the crosshair will register a hit. Seems about equal, but its awkward to test. This is of course, ignoring the final Two-Handed perk 'Sweep'. Does anyone have a more conclusive answer? The reason I am curious is because I was hoping that the Greatsword would have some advantage over the Longsword beyond better damage. Also the talk of introducing spears in the mod forum would be kind of pointless (no pun intended) if melee range could not be altered.

What does Destruction skill actually do at current? Does it just make the magicka cost for Destruction spells cheaper? If that was removed and the Destruction skill only increased damage output, spells would ramp up in power a lot faster, but you wouldn't be able to cast them as often because the magicka cost is still the same. Levelling up gives you more magicka and thus enable you to use these spells more. So maybe at level 10 you have just enough magicka to fire off a single fireball and it would do some serious damage, but then you're stuck waiting for that blue bar to regen. Admittedly this is easily worked around by hoarding magicka potions and items. Plus it would make the magicka skills perhaps too similar to the fighting skills which level much in the same way. Don't get me wrong, I think your solution works well, but it means that you could cast better spells without ever even casting a single one, which sort of works against the whole levelling concept of ES games - use a skill and you get better at it. To be honest, if Bethesda had included spellcrafting and not over-simplified the levelling system, this probably wouldn't be an issue. Still not sure if I prefer this levelling scheme to Oblivion's... it is nice not to have to constantly power level though.

Surely spell damage should just scale with the skill level? More skill points in Destruction = More damage from Destruction spells.

I agree, spears are awesome - and ideal for fighting dragons with.

Being able to chase after Dragons on horseback whilst flinging spells/arrows at it would be pretty epic. Horses aren't particularly fast, but the temporary sprint gives you just enough of a boost to outrun things like bears and wolves.

Awesome idea. I gotta admit I was about 20 minutes into the game before I was already missing New Vegas' hardcore mode (not to mention the Companion Wheel). One suggestion I would make, as I didn't see it in your original post, is deteriorating armour and weapons from combat. Admittedly it was annoying as hell in Oblivion, but with the expanded crafting tools in Skyrim, I think it could be implemented in a way that reflects realism and not tedium. Maybe instead of breaking, a sword or axe will just dull, requiring a quick trip to the grinding wheel to sharpen it back up again. I can only suggest New Vegas' hardcore mode as an initial benchmark. I found it to be a great addition, and balanced enough that the gameplay never suffered. Plus it gave you an incentive to raid every last refridgerator in the wasteland. At the moment Food is a bit of a joke in Skyrim. You can pause during combat and eat a whole pork roast and recover health instantly. It definately breaks the immersion.

I've yet to finish the game, so correct me if i'm wrong here, but the main thing I have found disappointing about the dragons is not so much how mediocre they are in a fight, but rather the methods you and the rest of Skyrim have to combat them. These things are swooping through the sky setting fire to villages and villagers, yet all the Nords have at their disposal to fight them in the air are bows and arrows (ignoring magic, given their heavy prejudice). Why don't they build some siege equipment? Ballistas and the like to bring these huge creatures down to size? Maybe firing ballista bolts tethered to the stone walls or something similar to ensnare them? Secondly, once the dragons land they rush in with swords and axes. Why no polearms? Huge pikes to engage these (apparently) ferocious beasts whilst keeping those precious body parts as far away as possible. Overall I think the main reasons that the dragons seem so underwhelming is because Bethesda just relied on their trusted Melee/Bow/Magic combat systems for the player to fight them, although it would be a bit unfair for a melee character if a dragon could just swallow them whole as soon as they got close enough. If they had introduced other combat mechanics to cripple the beasts before rushing in with a sword and shield, maybe it would make the fights more interesting. The Shouts do this to some extent, but I haven't got the shout yet that sucks dragons out of the sky and breaks their wings (if that even exists :P). Perhaps ballistas and pikes would be a bit too ambitious to mod in, but I do like the OP's suggestions, particularly with regards to Dragons fleeing when they're low on health. If you can't cripple their wings and ability to fly though, they should be able to get away fairly easily unless the player is a high level mage or archer.