Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion’s level scaling was a “mistake”, says designer, so why is it in the remaster?

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I didn’t play enough of the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to experience the frustration of its well-known level scaling system myself, but from what I’ve heard from my peers, it was similar to fighting an opponent who mimics your every move. You’d invest a lot of effort into mastering the game’s complex skill systems, and in response, the game would become more challenging, with enemies that were once relatively weak now sporting armor and equipment equal to your own abilities.

In his conversation with Videogamer, Bruce Nesmith, the original creator of Oblivion, suggested that perhaps there’s a lesson in the game about not striving for progress. He implied that our achievements are insignificant when viewed from the perspective of creation, and that we are neither worthy nor capable of change. However, he later clarified that the level scaling in the game was a mistake. This brings up the question: why hasn’t this error been corrected in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered?

According to Nesmith’s interview, the creators of the Remastered version have made substantial changes in the way characters level up. Unlike the original version where you enhance major skills followed by sleeping to enhance attributes, the new RPG version now awards Experience Points (XP) for each skill upgrade and allows you to choose which attributes to improve based on the skills you’ve upgraded.

Nesmith noted that the developers made an unusual move by revamping not just parts but the very foundation of the game design, including some aspects of the system design. This is unexpected in a remaster as the intention is usually to preserve the original experience. However, he considers this bold action as potentially boosting the popularity of the Oblivion remaster. If they deliver on their promise and adapt it to contemporary understanding, making it more accessible for modern players, then the game will likely become more appealing to a wider audience.

It seems that level scaling is still being used in games, Bethesda, but this may not sit well with today’s young players because, as children, they aspire for growth and achievement. They yearn to feel the progress they make, to see a clear gap between where they started and where they are now.

Nesmith shares your bewilderment and dread, reader. He admitted to having a significant role in designing the systems, stating, “I was deeply involved in setting up the foundations and providing the voices for these systems.” He went on to explain that he understands the intricate mathematical workings behind them and is well-versed in how they function.

He continued, “I believe our initial attempt at balancing the game by adjusting the world to match the player’s level was a misstep. This is evident because it didn’t play out similarly in Skyrim. Instead, we devised an improved method for maintaining player challenge without giving the impression that ‘my progress doesn’t matter, the difficulty of the dungeons increases at the same pace as my character levels’.

Have you managed to make it through Oblivion? I’m curious to hear your experienced insights on whether the level scaling system could be tweaked or enhanced instead of just discarded. It’s unclear if any changes have been made for the remaster; we’re currently conducting a detailed analysis on that. However, modders have already taken it upon themselves to adjust certain aspects, like the Unlevelled Item Rewards mod by trainwiz. Notably, trainwiz is also the creator of Underspace, a game inspired by Freelancer, and one of the key figures behind Skyrim’s popular Really Useful Engines mod.

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2025-04-29 14:55