Total Realism Overhaul

[Mansh00ter]

If you are still trying to figure out close quarters combat mechanics, the indie game "Mount and Blade Warband" has a fun combat system. You can get the demo for free on steam. PS: The basic game controls take a little getting used to however once you learn the quirks of the game, it becomes amazing. The combat is somewhat based on real physics, so if you hit someone with a sword but the sword isn't traveling very fast it won't do very much damage at all, however if you hit someone with a sledge hammer while riding on a horse at 30+ mph, it becomes a 1 hit kill. Although you obviously couldn't use everything from the game, it might help you guys get a few ideas on the combat system. (for example, because of how combat works in this game, numbers and position confer huge advantages, if you are alone and attacked by several guys at once, it will be a challenging fight. Likewise, if you flank your enemy, you will also have an advantage (not due to modifiers like in total war, but due to the fact that you can't defend against someone in front of you while also defending against someone behind you).

 

I'm a big fan of Warband and I think it probably has the best melee combat system ever, with directional attacks and blocking plus what you said about physics. However I doubt the same can be made for Skyrim, especially the physics part, since that sort of thing tends to be hardcoded. I'll be happy if I can recreate the fact that taking on more than two guys at once gets exponentially more difficult. Of course in Skyrim you get a lot more means of dealing with multiple opponents (magic, for example) so all realism changes have to work within the confines of a fantasy system, whereas Warband is going for real-world realism.

[edy20008]

Your idea is really awsome but i think i have something more to add...

~I'm not very good with english so bare with me!~ :)

I wanted to suggest you to add something like a personal journal to your character, you know to be able to write anything you want in it...

There was something like that in oblivion here is an example :

LOOK AT 10:47

And you could add some realism to it as well.. Like requiring an inkwell and a quill to be able to write in it...

And I am very curios how are you going to treat the "fantasy-oriented" armor and weapons, you know like elven stuff, dwarven, ebony that sort of thing (how they will be reacting to diffrent tipes of magic and stuff like that...)

Edited January 12, 2012 by edy20008

[Mansh00ter]

And I am very curios how are you going to treat the "fantasy-oriented" armor and weapons, you know like elven stuff, dwarven, ebony that sort of thing (how they will be reacting to diffrent tipes of magic and stuff like that...)

 

I plan on having the lower tiered armor and weapons retaining usefulness for those who like to dress more "ordinarily", so the functional gap between low and high level armor (protection from big nasty axes) will not be that great. That said, high level armor sets will have some other special traits I have yet to fully work out, but mostly tied to other various effects, like Elven armor having an innate protection against all types of magic, Ebony and Glass being highly resistant to shock damage etc.

 

As for weapons, a sharp iron sword can cut just as well as a sharp elven sword. So when it comes to weapons you won't be able to relax just because your opponent has an iron axe in hand and you got a daedric one. It won't be an easy fight.

 

Further, I plan on focusing on the proactive defense, both for melee and magic characters. Without skilled damage evasion/blocking, many fights will quickly turn deadly for the player (I will also have to see if about forcing the NPC's to block way more often than they do, since you will be able to drop them fast if they don't). Mages will HAVE to use their shield spell, especially against other mages (the spell will have a very low magicka cost to encourage frequent use). Fighters will have to block with weapons and shield (both will be allmost equally effective, with the shields having the added bonus in magic and arrow protection) instead of soaking the damage up with HP and armor. Armor will be there to save your arse if someone manages to get through your defense, not to turn you into a walking tank.

 

This should hopefully result in a more dynamic combat where simply standing there and mashing the attack button until they drop just won't be enough.

[Hoptic]

One thing I'd really like to see in a mod is moving the amazing Skyrim game away from being just 'The story of the Dovakiin' and more towards a true Skyrim sandbox. Who else remembers what 'Alternate Start By Ship' did for Oblivion?

 

Yeees, yeeeees :D

I even remember the name of the file, "by Robert Evrae" (who was the author, I guess)

 

EDIT/ Well, the alternate arrive by ship is the bit you can see in the video posted by edy /EDIT

 

I know we talked about it over and over, but aside from the start, the encumbrance/carry weight/carry anything is really something to rethink 100% from vanilla Skyrim. I've played a bit again, with different character types, and when you go 3-person view you're like, "where's all my stuff".

So here's my suggestion:

Basically, you only have one little bag. You can put soul gems, potions, gloves, ingredients, jewelry... in it. Let's say, for a max encumbrance of 10.

Then, if you're a mage, you can have, say, a Staff. That hangs on your back when "unsheathed" (though I'd rather say, you'd have to keep it in your hands 24/7 but I guess that's pretty hard to code). If you find a sword, fine, you can have it hanging from your waist, unsheathed... but that's it. You won't have the possibility to take any other sword. I mean, that's pretty darn heavy!

If you're more warrior-oriented, or "stealthy", then you'll have at least one one-handed weapon on your waist, then another on your back, or a bow. Let's give the possibility to have another one hanging from one shoulder, but at the price of heavy speed reduction.

 

And then you can buy backpacks or other bags.

Say, an apothecary satchel will allow you to carry some more ingredients, or tiny items like a garnet.

A coin purse will hold your coins, in a limit of, maybe, 500? Or something balanced and reasonable.

A backpack will allow you to carry ingots, ore, heavy dwemer items, dragon scales etc... (as well as tinier items, of course), but in an appropriate weight limit. Having a backpack slows you down a little bit. Having a FULL backpack slows you down more. No more "overencumbered" please...

 

Because the game's actually super weird, when you think about it. You carry 300 lbs or whatever it is (sorry, I count with kilograms). Then you add, say, a moutain flower, and BOOM you're overencumbered and NO WAY you can go anywhere now. That feels... awkward.

Well I know it's a mountain flower, but still...

 

I like your ideas of adding weight and "size" of the item, but I think it could go further.

 

Again, this would be huge and would perhaps be better as another mod, 100% compatible with yours, or sth like that...

I'm no modder, but I guess the idea of backpacks and satchels is pretty hard to implement. I'd imagine a totally new inventory view, with the different bags you have on you.

As for making models appearing in the 3re person view, it'd be sweet but hard to make, again. The models already exist (except the backpack, but there are large sacks to compensate), but I guess most aren't animated. Some clothes come with a satchel though.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Hoptic

[Albin0gh0st]

I guess the idea of backpacks and satchels is pretty hard to implement.

 

The backpack mod I used in Oblivion used the "Tail" armor slot, which must still exist in Skyrim so the backpacks could use that instead of creating a new space.

[lindn]

• 
   
  
• deadly archery; having a piece of wood piercing your internal organs is not comfortable. Getting pierced by an arrow will slow you down. Getting shot by more than two should kill you.
  

• 
   
  
• drastic difference between bow types; high end/long bows take much longer to draw, but offer far greater stopping power than lower tier/short bows
  

• 
   
  
• ?headshots lethal
  

 

Please god let this happen, I might actually start using bows again

[SeanTwig]

You Sir! Are! YOu are.. uhh... Amazing!!! I will now follow your progress more than Diablo 3's (coz that's not going anywhere soon). Please keep us updated! I was going to make a game similar to this but this will do VERY nicely indeed! :)

[siomasm]

One bit that I might not have noticed, but otherwise didn't see get mentioned, how will poisons be worked out?

If a sword can go a ways to killing you with a single strike, I imagine a poisoned blade would pretty much end in death for anyone without resistance or magical healing (potion or spell).

But what would be the difference between a novice smearing some nasty mushroom extract on a blade, and a honed master creating a deadly elixir of void salts and falmer ear ("exotic" ingredients)?

 

Also wondering if there would be a significant upside to light armor in some regard (Get tired/hungry/thirst at a slower rate than when wearing full plate? Easier to dodge/greater dodge distance?) considering that while armor can no longer soak damage, I would realistically see heavier armors as the more desirable regardless. The only real downside to heavy armor aside from armor cap and aesthetics is the slower moment speed, which can be perked out of or removed with the steed stone, and noise that makes it difficult to sneak. Though that can also be reduced with the muffle perk, spell or enchantment.

[SeanTwig]

Just a few ideas:

 

Maybe you could add a feature that utilizes the "weight" part other than just looking nice. Like thinner guys don't get as tired as beefier guys, and beefier guys can take more damage than their skinnier cousins?

 

Good luck and I'll try and think up some more ideas

[SeanTwig]

Don't know if it's been suggested already but, you should have a look at Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, if you haven't already. The combat system in that game is still one of the best systems I have ever played. It could help with ideas for your mod, especially the melee combat system.

 

Good luck! :)