How should the next Elder Scrolls Game be handled?

[Simonoly]

I'd like to see a return of atributes, but I would want the perks system to remain. My main issue with Oblivion was the fact that you could become the best at everything just by maxing all skills to 100. With Skyrim you can max all skills but perks are limited, so you can't actually become the best at everything. Perks should stay, but attributes should return. Maybe give them a 1-10 scale like Fallout.

I'd like to see an Elder Scrolls game where you're not the 'destined one'. Maybe you can choose your origin in a similar way to Dragon Age. I'd much prefer that.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

1. Out of curiosity, did you play Gothic 3, or did you more hear about how it was bad, because I remember when it was released it was bashed because it had a buggy launch and because it was easier than the original Gothic.
2. The thing with the games, they really have the same design as the Elder Scrolls games, with the only difference being that the story is more important(WAY less though in Gothic 3, which is another reason some Gothic fans didn't like it) The only reason they wouldn't itch the same scratch would mainly be because of the person playing would approach it seeing the heavier emphasis on story, and thinking that you're supposed to due main quests over side quests. Though the main ones that applies to is Gothic 2&3, because Risen has heavy emphasis on Story, and Gothic 1, oh man it's hard to say that game is good anymore, it has not aged all that well. Good game for a laptop though, keyboard only controls.

I just heard Gothic 3 was bad. I read a lot about it and decided I wouldn't like it. It wasn't just the bugs that put me off. Maybe I will reconsider, but I don't know when I would get to it with all the other games I want to play!

They don't have the same design as The Elder Scrolls. The worlds are designed and presented differently and the class and levelling systems emphasize a different kind of experience. Maybe if you take one of the differences in isolation, it might not seem that distinct. But taken as a whole, the exploration and freeform development of the Elder Scrolls is a different experience from those other games. That's part of the reason why the story is presented differently in the Elder Scrolls.

It makes sense to me that someone who doesn't see a distinction between what Skyrim and Gothic are trying to do wouldn't think much of the former. Please do not take that as a criticism. I'm just saying "If you feel like 'x' I suppose 'y' would follow".

 

[charge52]

I just heard Gothic 3 was bad. I read a lot about it and decided I wouldn't like it. It wasn't just the bugs that put me off. Maybe I will reconsider, but I don't know when I would get to it with all the other games I want to play!

They don't have the same design as The Elder Scrolls. The worlds are designed and presented differently and the class and levelling systems emphasize a different kind of experience. Maybe if you take one of the differences in isolation, it might not seem that distinct. But taken as a whole, the exploration and freeform development of the Elder Scrolls is a different experience from those other games. That's part of the reason why the story is presented differently in the Elder Scrolls.

It makes sense to me that someone who doesn't see a distinction between what Skyrim and Gothic are trying to do wouldn't think much of the former. Please do not take that as a criticism. I'm just saying "If you feel like 'x' I suppose 'y' would follow".

You really should get, it's really good, though if you do get the community patch, it fixes some of the bugs that couldn't be fixed(legal issues) and adds an option to make it so you practically have to focus on one particular set of skills.
I mainly meant in the open world dungeons everywhere tons of side quest thing.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

I want the ultimate fantasy game, with interesting things to see and people to meet, locales to explore, secrets to find and hardships to endure. I wanna game that will be brutal but rewarding.

Improved Combat

Make it so you can shield bash, disarm opponents, and block attacks by turning your blade at a certain angle, and dodge out of the way of attacks as well as use the terrain ( If your being pushed into a wall and you have high athletics, then you could wall run over your opponent). Also, it would be cool if you could damage certain body parts by cutting off someones arm or smashing someones kneecap in with a war hammer. Finally, it would be cool if they had an "Arts" system, where you choose a particular combat style by studying under a master and then you get bonuses for using that style ( The Way of the Dual Wield Swordsmen would get an animation change to fit a unique style, and also get a boost for swiftness of attacks, but at the same time, to get the full benefits, you must adhere to a rule or something ( Maybe never using your swords to kill a women or Not wearing Heavy Armour) Studying under masters net you the ability to use the art, as well as continuous training under the master will increase its effectiveness.

More Weapons and Loot

Skyrim I felt lacked in that regard. it had beautiful items, but a bit to few. They should make the load out set look like this: Helmet, Cuirass, Left Guantlet, Right Gauntlet, Grieves, Pants, 2 Rings, and a Accessory ( Like Capes, Feathers, A Skirt, something to add more flair. They should also make more types of Armour types ( Copper, Gold, stuff like that), as well as make the most powerful Armour types more rare ( You'd only find something Daedric if you REALLY search for it.) Also, more weapon types. Crossbows, Spears, Flails, Maybe Muskets, Chakrams, Battle Staffs.

Magic
They should give magic a more mystic feel. Make it feel like some powerful unstable force rather than another game play type. I want magic to feel like a character could just stick to one School of magic and still be able to kick ass. ( Like an Illusionist can turn invisible, Give People Nightmares, Puppeteer people for a short period of time, Make people go insane or even make people kill themselves. A Destruction Mage can focus on Area of Effect Spells that Destroy the most powerful opponents or he could focus on being a quick shot that incinerate people before they can draw their weapons. A Downside is that the Spells can fail or backfire, as well as producing an opposite effect maybe at random. Rather than just learning better spells later, it would be cool if you could just keep practicing the use of the spell to make it stronger and less likely to fail. This would mean less Fortify XXX bullshit spells that no one uses as well as give people the idea that they are a strange ability. Also, Levitation, Transmuting, as wel as more summons and elements to use ( Water, Earth, Crystals?). Finally, it would be cool if you could enchant items to have particular abilities ( Like A Sword enchanted with Lighting could create a giant blast of thunder. A Flute you enchanted with Sleep will make all the people around you go to sleep.

Leveling

I don't really like Level Scaling, so it would be ok if they put you in the area with lesser creatures, but at the same time you could run into a Level 3000 Daedric Mage that would kill you before you even got close. Hell, you could even make up stories like A powerful monster lurks through these woods at night, don't go out! make the lore centric and antagonist All powerful, while making Normal Bandits and Goblins there too. It would be an awesome feeling after coming so far, and defeating such a powerful opponent rather than just beating everything at level 1.

Quest and Lore, Gameplay, Misc.

Make fewer companions ( Maybe 2-3 in every faction), but improve their AI, and give them their own quests,Personality, Thoughts on particular events that happened in the world or recently, as well as offering ways of improving their abilities. They should each also have a unique voice for them. ( Something akin to Bioware.) They could also be used for team up attacks. ( A companions grasp an enemy, and then you finished it off by cutting your sword through it. So yea, make them more like Vilja.

Also, if a war is to happen, make the battles bigger ( 5 people? Seriously?). Tyranniconn has the righht idea. Also, bigger, Fiercer monster types ( Stuff like Griffins, Hydras, Giant monsters would be cool two. More mount types can also be cool.

Also, they did say the Elder Scrolls we're more a realistic fantasy, but they should really increase the fantasy in the games. Wizards teleporting around the towns, Daedras serving tea and cookies to restaurant customers, A town at the bottom of an ocean, A Tribe of Skooma drinkers with the ability to levitate. Skyrim was epic, but I found it a bit to realistic for a fantasy game.

There should be more in depth factions. The 4 dominating Factions are The Mages Guild, The Fighter's Guild, The Thieves Guild, and the Dark brotherhood. But it would be really cool if you have like sects or mini guilds in each faction ( The Fighters guild could have a sect in some town that are known for hunting down Warlords. Another town might be known for Monster Hunting. In the Mages Guild, there could be a sect that specializes in a particular Spell or have some gimmick that helps them differentiate.

Finally, the AI is for the most part good in towns, but it could be better. It would be nice to see NPCs rushing when it begins to rain, or Laugh when they see something funny. Random attacks on towns would cause all the NPCs to run in terror, and if you help them, they would remeber you. ( Defending a young boy from a Daedra will make him like you, even though fighting the Daedra was never part of a quest.)

So making my dream game would be quite an undertaking. Skyrim still a preety good game though.

 

[SajuukKhar]

as well as make the most powerful Armour types more rare ( You'd only find something Daedric if you REALLY search for it.)

They did do that, in Skyrim you wont find daedric armor in chests until level 46, and even then its nearly 20 times more rare then all other material types, except dragonbone. On top of that daedric armor and weapons are almost never sold in stores.

Bethesda designed Skyrim that way specifically because of how people completed about daedric armor being in the hands of shop owners and bandits in Oblivion.

Make fewer companions ( Maybe 2-3 in every faction), but improve their AI, and give them their own quests,Personality, Thoughts on particular events that happened in the world or recently, as well as offering ways of improving their abilities. They should each also have a unique voice for them. ( Something akin to Bioware.) They could also be used for team up attacks. ( A companions grasp an enemy, and then you finished it off by cutting your sword through it. So yea, make them more like Vilja.

If you have played Dawnguard it is apparent that Bethesda attempted this with Serana, I do hope they use it on future companions in later games.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

as well as make the most powerful Armour types more rare ( You'd only find something Daedric if you REALLY search for it.)

They did do that, in Skyrim you wont find daedric armor in chests until level 46, and even then its nearly 20 times more rare then all other material types, except dragonbone. On top of that daedric armor and weapons are almost never sold in stores.

Bethesda designed Skyrim that way specifically because of how people completed about daedric armor being in the hands of shop owners and bandits in Oblivion.

Yea, but it just seems like an inevitability to get Daedric Armour. It would be cool if they make certain Armour types so rare and unlikely that maybe 2 in 5 players would find them. It would also be cool if you could recolor you own Armour and add symbols, insignias, or textures on to it.

 

[deathzero021]

i think they should try to make a good game next time.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Yea, but it just seems like an inevitability to get Daedric Armour. It would be cool if they make certain Armour types so rare and unlikely that maybe 2 in 5 players would find them. It would also be cool if you could recolor you own Armour and add symbols, insignias, or textures on to it.

Having things that 80% of the playerbase wont ever find negates the entire point of making it in the first place.

Also recoloring items would be interesting though engine limitations prevent that from happening.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Yea, but it just seems like an inevitability to get Daedric Armour. It would be cool if they make certain Armour types so rare and unlikely that maybe 2 in 5 players would find them. It would also be cool if you could recolor you own Armour and add symbols, insignias, or textures on to it.

Having things that 80% of the playerbase wont ever find negates the entire point of making it in the first place.

Also recoloring items would be interesting though engine limitations prevent that from happening.

Yea, but that's the thing, they are rare items. A plate made of a precious metal or Armour from a demon realm should not be easy to find. You can play the game without them, but making an item piece so rare gives it this Legendary Special quality to them. In Morrowind, sometimes there would only be a few Daedric pieces in the entire game! Lets go back to that! Wouldn't be cool if you were talking to a friend and said " So while I was out adventuring, one of the bandits I fought mentioned a city with A treasure vault with A Daedric helm in it! I'm sure gonna follow that lead! I feel that would give the game a better reason to explore as well as more wonder.

Also,they really need to switch to a new engine.

 

[Orphillius]

I think what I want to see the most is vastly improved AI. People responding differently across different situations, based on things like their opinion of you. That's one big step back I think Skyrim made: getting rid of the speech system Oblivion had. The minigame was a little shitty, but at least I could piss people off or chat them up to get a better trade. NPC interactions in Skyrim just felt kind of empty once I realized that they would respond the same to any character.
It's unfortunate that it's hard to get a variety of vocal responses because of the need for voice actors.
The biggest step forward from Oblivion for me was definitely the free-form leveling. I had some trouble getting into Fallout after playing Skyrim because the leveling is just so rigid. I don't even have to sneak to become a pro at it, I just need to dump all my points into it.

 

[Cerrax]

Complicate it back up. Skyrim was dumbed down too much.

I want to create spells.
I want races to have meaning beyond a palette swap.
I want a more interesting level mechanic than vanilla levels/ perk.

As for dragons, they were so poorly implemented that it doesn't matter to me if I never see them again. Sorry, but 100 generic dragon battles is not my idea of fun. If an Ancient dragon is essentially identical in all respects but HP as a Blood Dragon - that is just lazy programming. The mark was sure missed there.

As a storyline, there's enough Daedric lore for the writers to muddle there way into some kind of "lone hero saves the world" story.

this

dragons never really caught my interest. in fact, the main reason i enjoyed Skyrim so much MORE than Oblivion was because of the werewolves. and i'd LOVE to see them take that supernatural-racial-tension further in a future Elder Scrolls game/DLC (hey if Vampires can get a whole "save the world" sub-plot in Skyrim then SO CAN WERES DAMNIT!) i always felt throughout playing Oblivion and Skyrim that that area was never really explored to its fullest potential. if i'm a wussy Vampire i wanna have a full quest thing for it and be able to go out and get blood-cattle and stuff. if i'm a werewolf (and i will be every time) i wanna be able to go on hunts with my "pack". dodge hunters in towns and stuff. they could play around with it and give it a lot of depth and fun. (hell even ADD a Vamp/Were hunter faction so those people who don't wanna be either have something extra to do)

i play a Kahjiit, always have, and unless a more canid species crops up, i always will. but nothing really ever made me FEEL like i was __RACE__ in Skyrim. hardly any responses or comments were made. which was a step back from Oblivion where guards actually NOTICED your race. and the level system was kinda bland. in both the games (i'm only running off of Oblivion and Skyrim knowledge. i never played Morrowind. the later games ruined it for me by spoiling me with better mechanics and graphics)

multiplayer would be cool, but with the Elder Scrolls Online coming out i think it's unnecessary and redundant.
i WOULD however like to see some advancements made in combat. Skyrim did great by adding those Execution animations. but i'd really like to see more added to that. like when you climb onto the Dragons head to kill it, i'd like you to be able to do that on a whim (not necessarily a dragon either. giants too) jump onto and grab/grapple your opponents. throw smaller ones to the ground/into walls or spikes. climb over large enemies like Dragons Dogma or Shadow of the Collosus. basically turn that animation into something you can control. it'd likely be forced 3rd person, but it'd be interesting to see a take on that from a first-person angle as well. (minor gripe about 3rd person, but sneaking around dosn't look quite right in 3rd person. even if it's just aesthetic an ability to take "cover" behind a wall would be nice. (i say "cover" in quotes because you likely won't ever attack from it.))

Bethesda has a great game series going for it. an intricate and interesting world and a near infinite number of directions to take it. their graphics have reached the point where improvement isn't really necessary, just a little touching up to get rid of bugs and clipping and stuff. their mechanics work great (though get rid of the Skyrim/Fallout lockpicking thing. it takes a lot of luck and not real player skill like Oblivions. sure it was annoying but i could pick a Vhard lock at super-low Lockpicking skill with 1 pick because i had good timing. this one... requires a lot of luck and guesswork.) and they have a dedicated fanbase. now that they don't have to worry about making it "look amazing" because they have all the stuff for it already, we should see the series swell with more story and content. more stuff to actually DO rather than prettier things to look at and spill blood on.

also the moving stuff around your house to decorate it has always been a pain in the ass. that really needs some work done on it. like the ability to enter a "mode" or something where the controls are JUST for moving stuff around. (think Halo Forge mode) it's at the point where i just pick up all the food and plats and crap off the desks and put them in a cupboard. it's gonna end up on the floor anyway. then i won't be able to put it back.

sorry about the WALL of text. The Elder Scrolls is one of my favourite games and i usually have a lot to say.

Sounds like you need to play Morrowind. Most of your gripes are not present in Morrowind. It's bigger, with many more options, quests, and overall variety. Honestly, Morrowind is still my favorite Elder Scrolls. Skyrim is a distant second and Oblivion was just a joke. However, even Oblivion is a huge step above most games.

 

[WillieDaKid3]

To everyone saying that Skyrim was "dumbed down," I say to chill out. Yes Skyrim was more streamlined than Oblivion, which was more streamlined than Morrowind.

But come on, calling Skyrim a casual game, just because it's not freakin' Baldur's Gate - bad interface and all - doesn't mean it isn't more complicated than 90 percent of RPGs on the market today.

Think about all of the systems simultaneously at play in any given Bethesda Game,and then compare it to something like Mass Effect, or Deus Ex: Human Revolution, or Kingdoms of Amalur (all good games, by the way) and you'll soon realize that bitching about each new Bethesda game's gameplay changes as "casual" - like it's Peggle or something - is just plain ignorant.

Seriously, if you can name me three role-playing games released last year that were more complicated than Skyrim, I'll be seriously impressed.

End rant.

 

[Studsmack]

Make it take place 1000 years later and have most of the continent open for exploration. Maybe address the dweamer this time?

I like this idea. I'm not familiar with Elder Scroll lore myself, but it seems the games take place in roughly the same time period? Having technological progress might keep things fresh, in addition to changing up the geography. It could allow for some interesting new game mechanics, as well.

Similar in a way that the Fable series progressed in aesthetic.

This might be Elder Scroll blasphemy, but that's just my two cents.

 

[charge52]

Seriously, if you can name me three role-playing games released last year that were more complicated than Skyrim, I'll be seriously impressed.

Before I continue remember I am basing it off of complexity, I don't give a shit if they aren't all that good.(1 and 2)
1. Dragon Age 2
2. Two Worlds 2
3. Avernum: Escape from the Pit
4.(since while DA:2 was more complicated than Skyrim it was still dumbed down) Avadon: The Black Fortress
I can get more if you need me to.

 

[Gatx]

I want to wear pants that aren't attached to my shirt. I'm probably the only person still complaining about this but yeah. Anyway I'd love to see Hammerfell. We got a taste of it with those Redguard npcs so that might be their way of gauging the interest in where to set a possible sequel.

one thing bethesda seems to of forgotten is that its not the console crowd that keeps their games being played 10 years after release its the pc crowd and modders. most console players will get their game play it and never touch it again within a couple of months

While I'm sure as developers they're flattered by this fact, but as a business they probably couldn't care less. Those playing the games for years still have only bought one copy (most likely anyway), and even if console owners are play it through once, they are definitely more of them and they generate more sales.

 

[Smeggs]

All I want is a revamped fighting system.

I want the damned AI to show me they're being hit. My problem with Skyrim is that combat is boring when I'm literally spending five minutes wailing on a bandit leader with my axe as he does not show any sign of me whacking him in the face with my waraxe repeatedly. It's almost no different than hitting a tree, it's just that a tree doesn't hit back.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Better combat, I invested a lot of time in Skyrim, saw many problems, then discovered a huge one going back to it after playing dark souls for months, the combat melee wise is just bad, lacks variety, is boring, ect. I had to play archer only to get any real fun out of it from then on.

Another thing is the setting, yes Skyrim is supposed to consist of snow, mountains, snowy mountains, and more snow but I need more variety like Oblivion had.

The Dungeons, all of them but the Dwarven ruins felt the same, I also hated how almost every quest had me going to what felt like the same Drauger infested dungeon. Quests in a nutshell: Exposition, you need a shiny thing, shiny thing is in dungeon, drauger, big drauger, get shiny thing.

Items and skills need to be handled well next game. Once everyone discovered how to break the game and get Smithing up to 100 to get them crazy enchanted Daedric Armors and weapons, you won Skyrim...

Now this last complaint is personal but can you guys at Bethesda not put so much work into the graphics? You know, so we can avoid having to wait 3 patches for the game to not freeze "as much". You need to take more time and actually test everything before shipping that thing out, and you wonder why PS3 owners are mad at you.

 

[WillieDaKid3]

Seriously, if you can name me three role-playing games released last year that were more complicated than Skyrim, I'll be seriously impressed.

Before I continue remember I am basing it off of complexity, I don't give a shit if they aren't all that good.(1 and 2)
1. Dragon Age 2
2. Two Worlds 2
3. Avernum: Escape from the Pit
4.(since while DA:2 was more complicated than Skyrim it was still dumbed down) Avadon: The Black Fortress
I can get more if you need me to.

Allow me to clarify. When I speak of Skyrim's complexity, I am not talking about the click-click-loot-repeat combat system. I am talking about the vast majority of systems and number crunching (which is briefly addressed in my full comment) that goes on behind the scenes to determine whether said click-click will lead you to victory.

Think about it. The combat system in all Elder Scrolls games is basically to whack the enemy over the head with a stick until it stops moving. At first glance this seems like the epitome of "dumbed down." However when you realize that each attack and its correlating damage is the product of a vast amount of statistics being calculated behind closed doors and one soon realizes that the aforementioned click-click-loot-repeat formula is the tantamount modern role-playing game experience, the old-school dungeon crawlers translated into a beautiful 3D world.

Now, throw all this in with armor stats, enemy stats, crowd control,resource management, exploration,a deep leveling system (although that, at least, was some what dumbed down from its precursors) weapon stats, and a mountain of other intertwining systems culminating in whether or not that simple click defeats Alduin, or forces you to reload and keep leveling up, and you realize that Skyrim (and Bethesda games in general) are far more complicated than most role-playing games available today.

I'm not saying TES series is perfect, because it's not; nor is Skyrim one of my favorite games. However, calling it a casual experience is, in my book, words spoken out of ignorance of how Role Playing games, fundamentally, work.

Now, I'm not saying you are one of these "ignorant" people. For all I know you really enjoyed Skyrim, as I did, and were just answering a challenge I foolishly threw up onto the internet.

Any-who, I hope that cleared everything up.

Peace out.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Yea, but that's the thing, they are rare items. A plate made of a precious metal or Armour from a demon realm should not be easy to find. You can play the game without them, but making an item piece so rare gives it this Legendary Special quality to them. In Morrowind, sometimes there would only be a few Daedric pieces in the entire game! Lets go back to that! Wouldn't be cool if you were talking to a friend and said " So while I was out adventuring, one of the bandits I fought mentioned a city with A treasure vault with A Daedric helm in it! I'm sure gonna follow that lead! I feel that would give the game a better reason to explore as well as more wonder.

Also,they really need to switch to a new engine.

The thing is though, Daedric armor isn't THAT rare, yes it is rare, but there are many daedra worshipers and mighty mage lords who frequent the Daedric realms, and aquire such things. Daedric armor is not something that's impossible to find, it never has been, it has been hard to find, but never on the scale your propose.

And no it wouldn't want to make me explore more, or give me any more wonder, because gear grind is bullshit that is only used to pad out games instead of making real content. gear grind has turned me off of 99% of MMORPGs, I was glad Guild wars 2 said fuck that and allows you to get pretty damn good, max level, armor easy.

Also, there are many unique, and artifact, level items throughout Skyrim landscape to find, many of which are not directed to you. You don't need to limit an entire armor class when there are already 60+ unique items in the game to find.

Switching to a new engine would literally kill the modding the series is built upon. Its a tough place, switch to a new, better looking engine, but lose the ability to mod, or keep the shitty engine they have now, but in doing so keep the ability to mod.

 

[charge52]

Allow me to clarify. When I speak of Skyrim's complexity, I am not talking about the click-click-loot-repeat combat system. I am talking about the vast majority of systems and number crunching (which is briefly addressed in my full comment) that goes on behind the scenes to determine whether said click-click will lead you to victory.

Think about it. The combat system in all Elder Scrolls games is basically to whack the enemy over the head with a stick until it stops moving. At first glance this seems like the epitome of "dumbed down." However when you realize that each attack and its correlating damage is the product of a vast amount of statistics being calculated behind closed doors and one soon realizes that the aforementioned click-click-loot-repeat formula is the tantamount modern role-playing game experience, the old-school dungeon crawlers translated into a beautiful 3D world.

Now, throw all this in with armor stats, enemy stats, crowd control,resource management, exploration,a deep leveling system (although that, at least, was some what dumbed down from its precursors) weapon stats, and a mountain of other intertwining systems culminating in whether or not that simple click defeats Alduin, or forces you to reload and keep leveling up, and you realize that Skyrim (and Bethesda games in general) are far more complicated than most role-playing games available today.

I'm not saying TES series is perfect, because it's not; nor is Skyrim one of my favorite games. However, calling it a casual experience is, in my book, words spoken out of ignorance of how Role Playing games, fundamentally, work.

Now, I'm not saying you are one of these "ignorant" people. For all I know you really enjoyed Skyrim, as I did, and were just answering a challenge I foolishly threw up onto the internet.

Anywho, I hope that cleared everything up.

Peace out.

You do realize when people say that Skyrim is dumbed down, they aren't talking about the programing right? They're talking about the fact that combat skills have been reduced to One handed and Two hand, the fact that a whole school of magic has been removed, the fact that they just took out Classes and Attributes rather than in any way attempt to fix the "problems" they seem to think those two systems have.

Hell, to be frank, simply because a game uses background statistics does not mean it's still complex. When people say dumbed down or Casual experience, they mean it's so ridiculously easy and you don't have to put any thought into it, which is true. The best example is to compare Realms of Arkania(old RPG) to Skyrim, in Skyrim, you don't really need to know anything about how the game mechanics work, and except for one or two skill, there isn't really a substantial reason to level up your skills.

In Realms, you need to understand how the skills work with the gear, you need to understand what determines whether you hit and how much damage you will do. If you don't level up certain skills, there will be things you can't do with that character. In essence, the best way to finalize is to say that when Realms was released, it could barely be considered "hardcore" because it's system was in most RPGs at the time, but now when you compare it to Skyrim(Or most modern RPGs, Except Spiderweb Software's stuff really), it's considered hardcore.

I don't want this to start an arguement, but I had to point out the difference.