Level scaling - don't scale individual enemies, scale ENCOUNTERS

[Troller]

Man when I hear level scaling I think about common bandits and goblins with power armor and daedric weapons, but I bet obsidian wont do that.

[Mrakvampire]

I'm strongly against direct scaling, and I can tolerate really minimal scaling of encounters.

[MorganJha]

I think level scaling is a real immersion-killing feature.

 

First, in all rpg universes, there are merchants, townsmen, hunters and travelers. They are all supposed to have a life. They should be able to travel from a city to another without having to bring their two handed sword + 15 vs dragons and pumpkin pies. Merchants should be able to trade with the other towns, lumbers should be able to cut down trees without being attacked by a horde of goblins just because a random adventurer is around and so ever.

 

In Oblivion, bandits are well scaled at the beginning and fairly realistic. They have leather armors, iron swords and are really a threat for level 1 characters. But when you have a level 50 character, a full daedric armor and Umbra sword, meeting a bandit that could afford half a city just by selling a part of his glass armor is silly.

 

Changing the mobs isn't a good idea either, because a average guard should be able to deal with an average bandit. And the average bandit should remain an average threat for this guard, even if the local hero is level 50. The local bandits shouldn't turn into "master ninja bandit chiefs" just because of the same hero. Or villages would be in real trouble.

 

So level scaling is a bad idea... For areas that are supposed to be "crowded".

 

If an adventurer begins to explore savage areas, dark dungeons and forgotten ruins, everything could be in it and so level scaling doesn't bother me. While exploring a dungeon that is avoided by villagers because they say it is dangerous, I expect to fight anything. If I just want to buy new boots in the nearby town, I expect to fight goblins of nothing at all, not dragons or Godzilla-sized demons...