Mistake

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Summary

  • A former Bethesda developer praised the leveling changes made in Oblivion Remastered.
  • The dev stated that the ‘world scale’ feature was a mistake, though this was fixed in Skyrim.
  • Oblivion Remastered surpassed four million players in its first three days.

A developer who originally worked on Bethesda’s game, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, has spoken out about the modifications included in the Oblivion Remastered edition. Notably, he highlighted the adjustments made to the leveling system. The remastered version was quietly released just a few days ago, and players of Oblivion Remastered have been vocal on social media about the numerous enhancements they appreciate in this classic role-playing game.

Three days post its unexpected debut, I found myself among the astounding four million players engrossed in “The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.” This just goes to show that Bethesda’s iconic RPG series continues to captivate audiences with a timeless allure. Nostalgia has played a significant role in the game’s triumphant return, but it’s the numerous enhancements Virtuos has made to this nearly two-decade-old gem that have left many gamers hailing it as one of the best remasters ever crafted. The visual upgrades and tweaks to gameplay are frequently cited as reasons for this accolade. Not only am I part of this enthusiastic fanbase, but even original developers are joining in the chorus of praise for this stealth release, acknowledging its rapid success.

As a passionate gamer, I recently caught up with ex-Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith over at VideoGamer. He delved into the remastered version of Oblivion, focusing particularly on modifications to its leveling system. In the original Oblivion, players had to hike up their major skills a set number of times before taking a break, which granted a level-up and boosted their attributes. Similar to Skyrim, Oblivion Remastered now rewards XP across all skill sets, unfortunately, the “world scale” feature from the original game remains in the remaster, something Nesmith expressed dissatisfaction with. He believes that the world levelling system was a mistake and its absence in Skyrim proves his point. According to him, this could have negatively influenced the gaming experience by making players feel like leveling up didn’t really matter because the dungeons would scale with them. In Skyrim, the team came up with a smarter approach to offer appropriate challenges without making it seem that levels didn’t make a difference in overcoming obstacles.

Original Oblivion Dev Applauds Changes Made to Leveling in the Remaster

Even though the adversaries in the remastered version of Oblivion maintain their strength according to the player’s level, some members of the gaming community have already devised a solution. On the very first day of its release, over 200 mods were available for download on NexusMods for Oblivion Remastered, including one that establishes fixed level caps for all non-player characters (NPCs), addressing the game’s scaling issue effectively. Other widely used mods enhance the game’s performance and smoothness on PC, while a handy addition unlocks all map markers at the start of the game, enabling instant fast travel to any location.

After the launch of the remastered version of “Oblivion”, there has been a surge in player numbers for other “Elder Scrolls” games, as many players are revisiting both “Morrowind” and “Skyrim”. The community is cautiously optimistic that an update for “Elder Scrolls 6” might arrive around 2025, although it’s expected that the game won’t be released until at least after 2026.

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2025-04-29 17:54