Poll: Leveled Enemies and Oblivion

[Altorin]

I didn't mind levelled enemies... levelled quest rewards pissed me off.

I have it on the PC and the 360.. beaten it on both.. on the PC I always use S.P.A.M., and Levelled Quest Rewards. those are my 2 essential addons.. they basically change way the levelling system works, and it lets me complete quests at lower levels and not be screwed out of the better items in the game

 

[Iron Mal]

The biggest issue with the idea of NPC's leveling up with you is that it defeats the point of leveling up in the first place (normally you are required to level up in RPG's as a means of meeting the demands of increasingly powerful enemies).

It is widely known that Oblivion can be completed by playing the entire game at level 1 (which means that any major encounters are somewhat anti-climactic when the big bad villain of the land has nout for his defence but a skinned animal and a well used piece of silverware), there is in fact little in the way of reward for leveling up (besides increased stats and newer abilities, these would be ample rewards if the enemies weren't increased at the same rate thus making your new found powers completely pointless).

 

[L4Y Duke]

I wish the levelled enemies were limited to the main quest line. That way, you can complete the story at your leisure, but beyond that you really gotta watch where you step.

 

[DeviousCrypto]

And thats why lvl 1 monster mods are so awesome.

 

[cowbell40]

The way Bethesda did it in Fallout 3 is kind of a hybrid system. It does feature a level-progression system for its NPC's. However, I think the game is more fair about it than oblivion because not all areas are as safe as others. If you walk around Old Olney or anywhere in the north as a low level character, you can expect to get destroyed pretty easily. Other areas, such as around Vault 101 and Megaton, are relatively safe. It doesn't rely totally on level progression to keep things challenging, it has to do with where you are in the world. Also, I've found that as a very high level character, even though the game's enemies are very strong, you can still defeat them without too much trouble because by then your combat stats and gear are all very good. However, if you mess around or are ambushed by several deathclaws, they can still defeat you quickly. In other words, they are still a challange without being over the top.

 

[high_castle]

I dislike leveled enemies, and it's actually somewhat new to the Elder Scroll series. Morrowind had enemies at set-levels, which means if you wandered into the wrong cave at level 5, you were about to get your ass munched on by some daedric monsters. But if you went back to that same cave at level 30, you could inflict a world of hurt on those creatures. I liked that. I could really see my character grow, I felt like I'd become more powerful, whereas in Oblivion I seemed to become less powerful as I gained levels. The way Oblivion worked, you needed to pick skills you didn't use as your major skills, or the monsters would quickly become more powerful than you. And that's counter-intuitive and just dumb.

 

[Scarecrow38]

My real criticism (and my only real criticism to this shining example of an RPG) was that the levelling destroyed immersion. Nothing says forced difficulty like highwaymen and thieves with priceless glass armor and powerfully crafted weapons.

 

[Kiutu]

Difficulty slider, now stop crying.
I usually slide it a tiny bit to the left so I retain an edge. it is there, learn it. I really get tired of the bitching about the leveling system. Now if you want to actually discuss how you dislike it fine, but bitching is different, and is what you are doing.

 

[SsilverR]

well .. i'm a stealth alchemist so with all the powerful damage multiplyers i can create out of practically nothing and stealth bonuses then even at maximum level i had no problems flattening every enemy i came across

... i kinda wanna play barbarian now or something just to see what u mean

 

[SsilverR]

all i can say is dont level EVERY bloody chance u get ... my stats were almost at expert b4 i even decided to get to level 3

it's not about leveling fast .. it's about leveling smart

 

[UltimatheChosen]

I dislike leveled enemies, because it means that you never really feel like you're getting stronger.

 

[Sharpeye42]

In later levels(20+) I actually found all enemies quite easy and never really had any problems.

 

[BolognaBaloney]

I'll be honest, I just fuck around with the difficulty slider if the leveling pisses me off too much.

My thoughts exactly

 

[Booze Zombie]

Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul solved the problem for me, made all the areas have levels, the game kicked my ass... I loved it.

 

[Kurokami]

I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them. Ive only just got Shivering Isles and have turned it off because leveled enemies were ruining any kind of fun I could get from it. Stupidly over powered monsters that obliterated a character with full stats in everything and the best armour and weapons. Leveled enemies are so close to to ruining Oblivion a game I love and hate in almost equal measure. Its the perfect fantasy game but the mechanics are so horribly broken. Did Bethesda test the game? Or just shrug and assume it'll do? Especially with the barrage of glitches. Almost every mission has a game ending glitch that can happen some more than others, the models allow dropped items to fall through them, enemies can become verticle-ised after death, npcs can glitch and do amazing things like jump all the way to you, or appear behind you when they were in front.

A little self indulgent, Im just furious at Bethesda. Is Oblivion actually a good game? Or is it the only choice? If their was much in the way of competition would they try harder to release games without such huge oversights? Leveled enemies should be outlawed in gaming forever, punishable by some kind of very painful slow torture. Whats the point in leveling when everyone else gets stronger too? Is there anyone who likes leveled enemies?!

I like leveled enemies, I like it when they're leveled well though.

I'll agree that it gets challenging but not impossible. Some bits I had to try several times, but with tactics managed to get through, then again I guess I did rage quit a few times before coming back to finish a certain bit.

 

[squid5580]

IF you don't like the leveling system in oblivion, and the npc's are hammering away at you... just drop the difficulty. You can at any moment at in the options.

That defeats the whole purpose of levelling. If I spend 100 hours grinding to level 50 I shouldn't have to drop the difficulty level because the monsters are also at level 50. I might as well save those 100 hours for another game and blow through the game at level one. I will have the exact same experience without all the shiny new weapons and armor that will be ineffective by the time I get to level 50.

That is not to say I don't understand why they went with that system. You want to give the player the freedom to explore everywhere right off the bat. But maybe that isn't the best idea for a open-world type game. Most OW games have locked areas that can't be reached until specific points in the story. It is a balancing act between freedom and fun. That I think is where Oblivion failed. They didn't get the balancing act right. They gave us too much freedom and sacrificed the fun (if you aren't playing a modded version).

 

[migo]

Final Fantasy VIII's leveled enemies were done perfectly. Oblivion's system was a bit broken.

 

[Signa]

Playing Oblivion again now, and when I hit level 25, shit hits the fan. Although that's ok because I just make a dagger with 100 Drain Life for 1 second + 100% Weakness to Magicka for 1 second.

It only takes 2 or 3 stabs to kill most enemies. I just have to watch out for them block-stunning me.

 

[Thedayrecker]

I prefer it to Morrowind's method of setting you loose, and letting you accidently run into a dungeon full of Asskickosauruses (I don't think that's the correct plurual form of Asskickosaurus).

 

[Dexiro]

I think it works well when it's done well. In Oblivion it's a little broken because leveling up doesn't make you stronger, and the enemies eventually become stupidly difficult if you didn't level up in the right way.

I don't mind enemies getting a little stronger as you level up but there should be a limit. Everyone like to start the game as a nobody and finish it in god mode, rather than start the game weak and finish it even weaker.

I'm actually not a big fan of the whole open world thing that Oblivion has, i prefer to have certain areas with stronger enemies that you progress to at higher levels. Kind of like how it works in WoW or most other RPGs.