Mylinkay Asdara said:
Eh, I'll jump in on the over-openness of the open world that is Skyrim, and that's really what I think it is: just a little *too* open.
If I have no magical talent, no one in their right mind should let me become the Archmage. The Companions shouldn't have much regard for me if I fight all my battles from the back line with magic (which they repeatedly say they think is unbefitting a warrior to use).
I think the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood marry well as dual membership societies and neither one of them really interferes with becoming the Archmage if I fancy to, but I do think that the Companions would object to both of those guilds of criminals and consider any participation therein a black mark on their honor by association.
*SNIP*
Whilst I agree with your overarching point (I still think 99% of the game should be open, but there are a FEW more places where a LITTLE restriction would be good) I would like to make one correction here.
The Companions have two thinks you're forgetting here. 1) The whole werewolf thing. (I'd put up a spoiler warning but if you've read 9 pages of this post you're past that already.) 2) They value strength, and don't really care where you draw that strength from.
For example, Aela is an archer. For all their talk about their admiration for a burly dude with a bastard sword, it seems funny that both one of the most senior members, and also the one who makes the best follower, is an Archer, and they all have respect for her. That's why they wouldn't have an issue with mages. Hell, my first playthrough I went as a dual-wielding spellsword and did light armor + actual sword + bound blade/healing/sparks. When Vilkas decided to "test my arm" I summoned up a second sword. Trying later to Spark him to death he counted it as an actual attack and almost killed me. So yeah, they may not like magic, but if that magic leads to Dragonskin + Light Armor + Dual 1h swords = more damage and higher armor than any of them have, they are probably just happy to have another strong shield-sister/brother at their back.
As to their potential issues with the Thieves Guild and/or Dark Brotherhood, keep in mind your membership with those groups is, at least in theory, secret, so the Companions most likely wouldn't know. (Of course, walking through the door wearing Dark Brotherhood Armor is gonna kill this theory a bit, but...) Beyond that, especially if you complete their quests by always siding with the werewolves and never curing it, there's a good chance that the Companions will take a decidedly darker turn overall as a result if your actions, and thus it's safe to assume they'll turn a blind eye at the very least.
That said, I do still agree with most of your point. I feel like most quests would benefit from a 3-way system of choices - one "good" choice that locks out future bad options for the rest of a quest line, one "bad" choice that locks out good options, and one "neutral" choice that allows you to choose both next time around. For example, you should have the option to not just side with the stormcloaks or imperials, but also at least 1 more option to negotiate a truce (perhaps split Skyrim between them?) Hell, a totally off-the-wall side-with-the-Thalmoar option would make sense. In fact, racial choices could come into play there. That is if you picked a High Elf then Dalphine should require an extra test to prove you're not Thalmoar. But still, I agree having a wider array of outcomes would be nice. Back to someone's New Vegas reference earlier, I feel like this is something Bethesda could've learned from Obsidian, really - 2 options is seldom much of a choice.
