Skyrim: Blocking and you, or This is why you keep dying.

[Tyler Bowles]

Who needs block when you have a time-pausing inventory and health potions?

The only excuses anyone has for dying in Skyrim are, "I didn't hit the inventory button fast enough" and, "I ran out of health potions."

Or you can just grab a bow and take advantage of the fact that you're the only being on the planet who can jump. One tall rock and you're all set.

Or use the "stealth" mechanic to effectively become invisible and get one-hit kills on almost anything.

Given the alternatives, I conclude that blocking is for boring people.

now see, I hate doing those things, it breaks the immersion for me and feels like I'm exploiting my way to victory. Sure, I can do those and win like everyone else ('cause a free insuperable advantage for the player is almost de rigeur now in games ), but it's hella more fun to me to fight in character and win.

Huh?

But none of those are exploits. Just the basic game mechanics being used as they were intended.

I would argue that jumping to a place NPC pathing can't reach is one of the oldest exploits there is. Re the other two, they may not technically be "exploits" but only because the developers launched it like that. If the NPC's can't do those things, then they give the same advantage to the player as exploits, and "because the developers built it that way" doesn't change the effect on gameplay to me. Can NPC's use their inventory items like potions, wands and such via the AI? Can NPC's reach any place that you can? Can NPCs become invisible through stealth and backwhack you?

If the answer to any question is "nope", then the respective mechanic gives the player a meta-game advantage equivalent to that provided by an exploit. To me, that's either the devs saying I'm not a good enough player to win against an NPC on equal terms, or admitting that they couldn't design the game so the playing field would be level. Either way, it's not as much fun.

FYI, I'm revisiting an old game right now, and the NPCs can do everything the player can. They can go invisible and attack unexpectedly (and do). Nobody can jump, so that's not an issue. And they use inventory items via the AI, which gives them the same advantage as Pause does for me.

YMMV, but to me, the only way to play is on a level playing field

YES THEY CAN. to all of those. there are certain NPCs that are in areas you can't actually reach. most of them aren't, and i will admit this is kind of an exploit. but NPCs will take out potions and use them, they will use restoration magic to regenerate health, falmer will poison their weapons and hit you, dealing regular damage and lingering poison damage, and have you ever fought a vampire? they don't sneak up on you necessarily, but they do cast invisibility and attack you from behind. don't troll unless you know what you're talking about, my good sir.

and are dragons exploiting when they have insane health and can fly, casting a frost or fire breath that lasts 5 times as long AND dish out about 5 times as much damage as the puny one you can shout?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Hmm, a necro and all three posts by the same person, with only three posts.