Skyrim Weight Inaccuracies

[Thistlehart]

It makes as much sense as all potions weighing 0.5 lbs., glass and ebony being a legitimate option for armor and weapons, dragons' wings being too small to realistically support them in flight, and the presence of beastfolk and werewolves.

Realism in a fantasy game is essentially pointless.

You want that level of realism in a fantasy game as expansive as Skyrim? Go make one yourself. No, seriously, I'd like to see that sort of thing work. It'd be kind of neat.

 

[marblemadness]

This is possibly the dumbest thing I've read on this site... ever.

You're talking about HISTORICAL INACCURACIES in a game with DRAGONS...

What is WRONG with you?

 

[skateblind]

Not going to read all the replies, but firstly it is a game and you have to balance it in some way. Spending a long time making the game fun and accurate to reality would be pointless for a game, it is meant to be fun, not accurate. Magic, dragons, different humanoids and all the other stuff is not realistic, but it makes for a good game. I would rather cast flame spells than try and kill an enemy with a few card tricks.

You also have to account for size and shape of the object, it is easier just to make on stat and bundle all of them together.

Mentioned by someone else too, but this it is a ficitional universe and metals might not be the same as the ones in our universe.

It is a ROLE PLAYING game and the role happens to be part of another universe with completely different rules and laws.

 

[Skratt]

because its a fantasy game set in a different universe... they dont have to be realistic. its not a simulator

But armour weights totally kill my immersion!

Its not that, its just they put so much effort into making a great game then they skimp out on details that are easy to fix. It just bugs me, if you dont care about it thats your call but i do care.

Damn. A massive conspiracy would have been far cooler than nitpicking.

its a different planet.
with magic and dragons and immortal children and about 14 people on an entire continent with about 2 houses and a shop. and you are bitching about how much the stuff weighs.

But it kills my immersion!

Yes it does and you are completely correct in feeling that way. It is however a math problem related to game mechanics. Sorry.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Just some flame protection first; Skyrim is a great game, and Bethdasoft can make there game how ever they like, all im asking is why they are doing stuff blantly wrong.

Ok its time for a history lesson about medevil europe.

Wikipidea
The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard sword) is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 (with early and late use reaching into the 13th and 17th centuries).

Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length (providing room for two hands). Straight double-edged blades are often over 1 m to 1.2 m (40" to 48") length, and weigh typically between 1.2 and 1.8 kg (2½ to 4 lb), with light specimens just below 1 kg (2.2 lb), and heavy specimens just above 2 kg (4½ lb).

Ok you see how much the average long sword weighs; at max 4½ lb. Yet in Skyrim a normal sword weighs 9 Skyrim Weight (Sw). Yet leather armor weights 6 Sw and that is for your torso and legs. But in reality Leather armor weights about 15-25 pounds. So how why does the sword weight more in Skyrim.

Iron Sword 4½ lb : 9Sw
Leather armor 15-25 lb : 6Sw

This is only one example because i dont want to bore you guys (might be to late for some). Now im sure someone is going to say "To help balance the game" or some crap like that; I call bull shit on that.

So now after that lesson, my question. Why did Bethdasoft purposfully make the weights on items historicly Inaccurate? I honestly cannot see a good reason for it.



See me next time on HOW TO SWING A SWORD. How all the weapons in skyrim are being swong in mollases.

Mmmkay, tell me how much orichalcum weighs in the real world then. Or where I can find it. Moreover, how in any way shape or form "realism" or "historical accuracy" comes into play in a FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAME.
I wonder sometimes, do you trolls just nitpick on purpose or is it like a mental imbalance, like OCD. Like you're just compelled to find a flaw in the game that is trivial, trite and honestly bullcrap.
So in reality your "lesson" teaches nothing about a video game, where the programmers can make things however they wish. Especially a fantasy game taking place on another planet (possibly on a completely different realm/plane/universe considering the elements that do not exist in our realm).
Next time you want to disprove game mechanics using the "historical accuracy" argument, spell "historically" correct and attack a game that has to do with actual Earth history. You know, the real world we live in?

 

[Azrael the Cat]

Weight varies between planets because it is determined by the mass of the object you are standing on, combined with the gravitational effects of other large objects (planets, moons, stars) nearby.

Skyrim is on a different planet, with different star alignments and moons to Earth. Hence gravity works differently. You can't possibly expect something to weigh the same on Skyrim that it does on Earth - that would be a truly bizarre coincidence.

It's also why acrobatics allows such extreme moon-jumping (or did in Daggerfall). So-called magic is just the combustion of chemical effects that aren't found on Earth

It's also why horses are homicidal maniacs if their master gets attacked. They aren't 'horses' in the sense of the creatures we have on Earth - that would be SILLY because it isn't earth. They're a breed of creatures that looks almost like horses would look, except that in Skyrim (and most TES games) there is a definite, but hereto unexplained, evolutionary advantage to having an appearance that falls within the 'uncanny valley' of art direction.

 

[wurrble182]

it might be because you are the only person on gods green earth that gives a f%@* about this.

 

[ZeroMachine]

During Bethesda's MASSIVE effort to dumb-down TES they changed 'Encumbrance' to 'Weight'.

Taking 'Weight' to mean 'Encumbrance' again, I can answer this the same way I answered this exact same question a few years ago about Oblivion...

An item's Weight/Encumbrance value reflects NOT ONLY how heavy it is, but how difficult it would be to carry. How would YOU carry around several different swords, various armors, as well as hundreds of Keys, Scrolls, etc?

If we want to get pissy about 'historical accuracy' and 'realism' while not complaining about the THREE-HUNDRED (300) base Carry Weight, then I think perhaps we need to just shut it and go back to playing the game.

EDIT: And another thing, regarding ANYTHING in the game needing to have HISTORICAL accuracy. I feel the need to point out that this game does not take place ANYWHERE in History on Earth. So. That argument is probably the worst ever.

First, welcome to the Escapist.

Second, it isn't the WORST argument ever. I mean, you could say that... that...

... Hm. You know, I guess it is. Oh well.

So, yeah, OP. Balance. That's really all it is. Balance.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

On the list of things to complain about being innacurate in a fantasy game, I would think "the items don't weigh the correct amount" would be just below "magical TARDIS pockets" and very far below "there are fucking dragons".

If you get hung up on item weight in Skyrim then... just wow.

 

[Tharwen]

You can carry an entire dragon in your pocket. How are you complaining about this?

 

[captaincabbage]

Because Bethesda don't give a fuck.

Just like their horses.

Holy shit I lol'd because it's true

 

[StoopidMonkey79]

http://i.qkme.me/352z5c.jpg

The fact that you can carry around 3 sets of armor, 12 diffrent swords, 2 daggers, a bow and arrows, and giant war hammer, enough food to feed the whole province of Skyrim, 32 books, a whole bunch of dragon bones and scales, and various animal hides and you complained about the WEIGHT? Not the fact that your character can carry all that in the first place? Or the fact that he can carry 300 pounds without even being slightly slowed down? And besides it would break the game and ruin it and really? is this even.. are we being trolled?

 

[OldNewNewOld]

If they made Leather Armor weight so much, A heavy armor set would prevent you from carrying anything.

And if they made the difference in weight smaller, there would be no real reason to pick light armor over heavy.
I would say a balance reason.

 

[WolfThomas]

I don't think "skyrim weight" is mere weight, but possibly also the issue of size and awkwardness. But either way it's inaccurate simply because of the amount of crap you can carry.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

It stands to reason Tamrielic Imperial Pounds are different from the real-world standard.

 

[red the fister]

Because it's not based on history, it's based on dnd and other fantasy games. Also balance.

have you ever sat down and read the PHB? 3.5 or 4E?
4E tosses a simple formula for how much you can carry. STR * 10. up to that there's no difference between 1lb. and 150lbs. (assuming a STR of at least 15). source: 4E Players Hand Book, page 222, under "Carrying, Lifting and Dragging".

and here's a link to the 3.5 rules on carrying shitte http://www.d20srd.org/srd/carryingCapacity.htm

and weapons http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#weaponDescriptions

armor! http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#armorDescriptions

WotC does a fair job of keeping the mundane bits of the game fairly well grounded in reality

...and yes, i looked up the 4E bit in a book that i own and i would have done the same for the 3.5 bits but i can't find those books :'-(

captcha: Novidi Waterman


Edit: back on topic, Dude has a freaking Bag of Holding.

 

[Something Amyss]

Immersion? In MY Skyrim?

I was immersed, once. Then my horse ran up a tree and the dragons started flying backwards.

Still game of the year.

All part of the immersion, my friend!

 

[Something Amyss]

Yes it does and you are completely correct in feeling that way. It is however a math problem related to game mechanics. Sorry.

I know, right? It totally ripped me out of the game.

 

[Right Hook]

Well possibly they simply just guessed weights but it was probably because they didn't want someone being able to carry around like 30 swords. I like to think of it this way, is it easier to carry around a giant sword or wear leather? The armor is on your body and effects what you can carry less. Look at it this way, as opposed it it being a weight limit, think of it as a holding and storing limit, certain things are easier to hold onto or store and other things are harder, just consider the weight to be "ability to be carried". Or don't worry about it honestly.