How much should mod items weigh

[Moraelin]

So I still can't figure out the Bethesda weight unit, so I figured out I'd ask what people think. Assuming someone were to make a new medieval sword or katana or mace or whatever weapon, should the in-game weight reflect the RL weight in pounds of the RL item it's based on, or be aligned to the weird weights of existing game items of that type?

[ub3rman123]

Best match it about to vanilla items in the interest of balance. Make it equivalent to pounds and the game will be too easy.

[Moraelin]

I was starting to think the same myself, but I wanted to see what people think. So far it looks like a bit of a split.

[PrettyMurky]

Theres nothing in the game to suggest that the units in the game are the same pounds as the Imperial Standard Pound of the real world, which are "a platinum cylinder nearly 1.35 inches high, and 1.15 inches diameter", although derived from the avoirdupois pound, which was defined as "7,000 troy grains".

 

The point is that weight systems are the result of some person's arbitrary decision. Meaning that the system in Cyrodil could be based upon the weight of a thousand grains of void salt for all we know. So yeah, go with the weight of a standard longsword.

[David Brasher]

I don't think the units in Oblivion are pounds. Sometimes I play a high level character that can carry over 500 units of loot home. That would be one quarter of a ton of things in my backpack if it was pounds. So I think it would be safest to use the vanilla Oblivion weights for comparable new items you create.

[PrettyMurky]

Thinking about it, if you use some of the realistic fatigue mods (so that the proportion of your encumbrance is important, not just whether you're over the limit) & a backpack mod, then the result is fairly comparable to the Imperial Pound:

 

I don't consider myself especially strong, but given a good backpack I can carry my own weight (about 150lbs). However if I tried to run or jump with that weight, I'd get knackered pretty quickly, and probably trip and fall, as in some of the good fatigue mods. I think if I spent my whole time fighting and adventuring, I'd get a lot stronger. I don't know about lifting 500lbs! Although World's Strongest Men competitors carry weights in excess of 400lbs, and this is a fantasy game after all.

 

So in conclusion: I should stop procrastinating and finish writing up the documentation for, then release the, if I may say so myself; pretty darned revolutionary, modders resource I've just finished.