Bah! Whiners.

[pyrephox]

The people there started whining about Oblivion before it even came out, and haven't stopped yet. The big complaint (because they had to look damned hard to find one) right now seems to be about Oblivion's level scaling arrangement.

Here's how it works. Monsters get stronger as you do. Not all of them, and not all at the same rate, but they do improve (in both competence and equipment), and stronger monsters show up as you grow higher in levels. The complaint here seems to be that this takes all the 'freedom' out of the game, because there aren't clearly marked zones of danger and safety for you to wander through...any place has a chance to be dangerous.

The unfortunate thing is, however, that this simply isn't true. Areas of relative safety are pretty much anywhere above ground. Yes, you may run into some animals or the occasional bandit, but they don't scale much, and you should be able to one or two hit kill all of them as you go up in levels. Also, the roads are often travelled by Imperial soldiers, who /will/ come to your aid if you're attacked in their sight. The next safest places tend to be caves. Just keep an eye out for what kinds of enemies are in a given cave, and prepare accordingly. Then there are forts, with typically tougher enemies with better loot, and then there are elven ruins, with traps of UTTER DOOM, strong enemies, and very nice loot. Finally, Oblivion gates are where you go when you want some serious doom and destruction.

Yes, quests continuously scale, so they will /always/ be a challenge. You'll never be able to waltz through the whole main quest the way you could in Morrowind. This is a feature, not a bug.

Bah.

Comments

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Quest-vital characters (marked with a crown) will forgive you. Everyone else turns homicidal. :D I got kicked out of the Fighter's Guild for that.

I have not had any problems with the guards and my stolen merchandise, so far, and I've been carrying one piece around for several towns and levels. Nor have I been barred for any stores (unlike that silly stuff that would happen with skooma and moon sugar) for something I'm carrying. It's just that you can /only/ sell stolen goods with a Thieves' Guild fence. Largely, I don't steal something unless I can use it...alchemical supplies, gold, or Really Cool items are fair game. Everything else, I leave alone.

[dreadmouse.livejournal.com]

Even better! Yes, I think it was the skooma I'm remembering from Morrowind. Somebody told me that no drug trade was a Good Thing (tm) and was included in Oblivion as well. I'm glad to hear I was misinformed. Not that I intend on pushing, I just dislike the artificiality of it.

I'm not playing a very thiefly character this time, so I don't think I'll be stealing much anyway. I'm trying a bows 'n 'blades 'n things-that-go-boom character. The custom class options are fun. :D

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I haven't yet run across anything that would even be classified as a drug, honestly. There may be a side-quest or something that involves it?

Heehee, yes! I love making things go BOOM.