Revising the score-system's formula + poll

[C0RteZ48]

Hi reader!
You might've clicked on this topic because you may find it interesting! Well guess what... It IS!

The Elder Stats is a site I've been visiting for two years now, but I've never find the score-system and it's formula THAT much appealing. The score-system is what makes the Elder Stats the Elder STATS. I think we can all agree these are some of the main reasons what makes elderstats.com interesting:
- ''Gee! I wonder how my character is doing!''
- ''Man, I'd love to see how my character is comparing to other characters!''
- "I wonder if someone has already beat my character in total score points!''

Have I already got your attention now? Great! Now first let's have a look about how the score-system works (let's take Oblivion's f.e.):
Your Oblivion's characters total score is the sum of the following stats (copypaste Skyrim's for the next link; http://www.elderstats.com/stats/?p=score):

Positive influence:
Level
Health
Magicka
Fatigue
Individual attribute levels
Individual skill levels
Quests Completed
Creatures Killed
People Killed
Places Found
Oblivion Gates Shut


Negative influence:
Bounty
Infamy
Days Jailed
Diseases Contracted
Lockpicks Broken

I do NOT have any knowledge about the 'enclosed' formula however.

So why have I made this topic in the first place? After all, this topic already has it's own links right?:

- http://www.elderstats.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=489
- http://www.elderstats.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=300
- http://www.elderstats.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=270

Well not quite. The question in these links were different.

I started this topic in hope of revising, revamping and renovating the sum of the score-system as it is today.

''Why should we C0rTeZ48? It is good as it is now, don't you think?''
No. I actually think it is done well, just not well enough. These are my following 4 suggestions (my arguments are between parentheses per topic):

1. Adding the next positive influences:
–Number of journals (or the total of updated histories; check out this idea in the following link: http://www.elderstats.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=490)
– Number of Gold (I think a low rate in the enclosed formula is considered best.)
– Hours played (This one might be controversial, I'd like to hear your opinion about it.)
– Skill increases (I do understand why this one isn't part of the formula. It would be considered counted double opposed to 'individual skill levels'. Still, I'd like to see 'individual skill levels' playing a greater part in the formula then.)
– Factions (Come on! Why aren't these being put in the formula? There are only a certain amount and it is fun to see these back in the total scores! ...at least in my opinion. Aren't these put in because it would be considered double compared to 'Quests completed'? If so, than please consider 'Quests completed' to be counted at a higher rate!)
– Fame! (Fame has a limited rate, just like 'Oblivion gates closed'. I believe the max to be 198 according to this link: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Fame)
– 'Locks picked'( I'd like this one to be included as well, though at a small rate of course.)
– 'Souls trapped' (If creatures killed and People killed are part of all Positive influences, then why not Souls Trapped?
– 'Ingredients eaten' (I find this an interesting one. Your character should eat, otherwise he/she dies of starvation. It would be interesting to see this one to be thrown in the formula. You get rewarded for realistic RPG-effects. Seems fair, doesn't it?)
– Potions made (I'd like to hear your opinion about this one.)
– Horses/houses owned (A small amount of points for the collection of these ones would fit just right in my opinion.)
– Stores invested in (Just like the one above, there is a limited amount to be earned here. This one would count to 100% completion.)
– Skill books, artifacts found and nirnroots found (These ones have the same reason as the two above displayed ones/)
– And least but not last: Jokes told (Telling jokes is part of raising ones disposition... permanently opposed to spells. To act this one like it should count to 100% completion isn't such a bad idea... in my opinion.)


2. Removing the next positive influences:
– Creatures and people killed (Isn't being a pacifist ethically more responsible than being a ruthless murderer? The way the score-system works at the moment is everything but stimulating of acting like a pacifist. This is why I like to see these two being put out of the formula. However, putting these two in negative influences might be a little harsh...)
– Souls trapped (The same reason goes for this one,)


3. What positive influences should be revised, according to the formula:
– Level, fatigue, health, magicka (I get the feeling the ratio's of these influences are considered way to low)
– Individual attribute and skill levels (The same goes for these ones).
– Quests completed (And for this one.)


4. Adding the next negative influences:
– ALL the next following CRIMES: Items stolen, items pickpocketed, trespasses, assaults, murders, horses stolen, largest bounty. (I know some of these are NEEDED to be 'done' in-game to complete the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Still, these low numbers should be neglected easily without consequences. At least, as long as the ratio in the formula consists of a small number.



Furthermore...
I'd like to see the score-system to be revamped. Most of Skyrim's top scores are about 1500, while Oblivion's are 6000 or so. It doesn't make any sense, in my opinion! So if these can be rated harder, why can't Oblivion's? This topic is about Oblivion's mainly, I'd like to discuss Skyrim's if this one gets popular. (I've got some ideas for Skyrim's already): First one, 'Times Shouted' is based in to heavily in the formula.

Please share your ideas with me and other visitors of Elderstats.com in this forum. I'd like to hear your opinion. Please make it as short and compact as you can!

Sorry for my bad English, forgive me for not paying enough interest in my English classes.

Also... any questions?

[baratron]

I like some of your ideas, but my gut reaction is that I don't think that the various Crimes should have a negative effect on the Score.

The Score surely reflects what your character has done? And a character who has done more things in the game should have a higher score. That is why you gain points for Creatures killed, People killed, and Souls trapped - because it is experience that your character has gained.

If Crimes were to count negatively, then a very successful member of the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood would come out with a lower score than a new member! That would be ridiculous.

The Score isn't supposed to reflect how ethical your character is. It is supposed to reflect how accomplished your character is, in my opinion, anyway.

I also believe that Hours played should not count towards the Score. That's because you can leave your computer or console on for 10 hours while you do something else, and come back to a game which thinks you played 10 more hours. Even though you didn't, you just left the game running. If the game was able to count active play time separately to idle time, then I would be in favour - but as it is, I am not.

Factions should not be included because it interferes with natural roleplaying. I dislike anything which allows players to manipulate their Score, and if Factions were included, then a character who only plans to be a Mage could join the Fighters Guild and the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood simply for the extra points. That would be silly.

Apart from that, you have some interesting ideas. Though I am unsure to what extent the site owners will want to tinker with Oblivion Scores this long after the game was released. I wonder how many of the high-scoring Oblivion characters are still being actively played/updated? People might be upset if the formula is changed and they lose their position in the high score table.

I do, however, believe that the Skyrim Scores might want a small amount of adjustment as mentioned in the post I linked to above.

[Nekhron]

The only thing I can see that needs changing is that you should take the characters alignment (sic) into account. For example, my Paladin would lose points for crimes, but my assassin/thief would gain poiints for those crimes.

[Nekhron]

I still feel that a characters class / alignment should be reflected in their score. It makes no logical sense for say, a Paladin to earn points for something that his class, and by extension, the character him or herself, for deeds they just wouldnt do. For instance, say a Paladin joins the Dark Brotherhood (a very oxymoronic situation for this character indeed) and commits a number of assassinations as a result. First of all, that paladin would, and should lose any powers granted from whatever divinity they have pledged themselves to, and as an end result, their score should reflect that by being lowered.

If the character was actually in Skyrim, then that would be a different case, as TESV IV did away with "Classes" so to speak, making the above argument more or less moot. But in Oblivion, the character should earn more points for following their class and the alignment that class dictates for them, and less points for not doing so. It is the logical conclusion, I would say, for what we are discussing.