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NotFishing

NotFishing

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Petty theft, freeing prisoners, lying to children, harmless illusions, tripping teenage girls...

Truly my gnome is a most devious and cunning mastermind. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

11-Nov-2015 22:38:48 - Last edited on 12-Nov-2015 00:41:31 by NotFishing

Azigarath

Azigarath

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You're right Capt, mixing learning and gaming together probably wouldn't be popular, and no-one really cares about how things were done historically anyways as you alluded. I guess it's just me wanting there to be a game that just won't ever exist. I'd love to play a game with realistic combat involving physicality and biomechanics, as well as size and weight having an impact in that. I suppose gaming just doesn't yet have the technology, time and interest to accomplish such a difficult array of mechanics.

It's just that there are things that irritate me so much. In Skyrim, to temper something, all you “need is a bit of metal” for whatever reason. To temper something, you just heat it red-hot, quench it, quickly reheat it red-hot, and then let it sit until it cools down on its own. I really have no idea where anyone got the idea that you needed “a bit of metal” to temper a blade.

In Dark Souls, smiths hit a cold hunk of metal for some reason. In RuneScape, you carry around cold bars and just smack it with a hammer and it forms into shape, and in Lord of the Rings, the elven blacksmiths are hitting a few bits of metal with a hammer, somehow causing it to become a sword again. These thing literally make no sense.

Anyways, something unusual happened. While I was blacksmithing earlier today, I lost about two inches square of my metal; it literally became yellow-hot, and started dripping. It settled on the bottom of my plaster-covered cooking pot forge and is still there. I never expected my hand-made pathetic forge to be able to melt iron, especially when the fan speed was on low. At least I flattened the hunk of metal, but it has a squiggly shape due to the extreme heat and my impatient overpowering hammering, and will be a hassle straightening it out, but I like a challenge.

I don't think everyone's here.

12-Nov-2015 01:35:45

NotFishing

NotFishing

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Azigarath said :
It's just that there are things that irritate me so much. In Skyrim, to temper something, all you “need is a bit of metal” for whatever reason. To temper something, you just heat it red-hot, quench it, quickly reheat it red-hot, and then let it sit until it cools down on its own. I really have no idea where anyone got the idea that you needed “a bit of metal” to temper a blade.

And you're not even using the metal for anything in the animation, your character is just holding the sword against the grindstone and sharpening it. Even if you're improving say, a bow, which would require a completely different area of training to work on, you're still holding that same sword against the grindstone.

Anyways, the "bit of metal" thing probably came from the fact that they can't just let you improve your weapon for nothing. They had to fit some item requirement in there.

The thing is though, most players overlook these details, and thus the game company feels no need to put a whole lot of effort into detail. Because if they did, only a small portion of their audience would appreciate it - the rest would go "Oh, so that's how weapons are made" as they watch their character make a sword, and then it is right back to dragon hunting and forget all about it.

The hammer on anvil is the universal symbol of blacksmithing. And as I have already said, it is much easier for the company to depict, and for the audience to understand. Even you, who knows it isn't historically accurate, can still understand that smithing is occurring.

I like how Dragon Age Inquisition handles blacksmithing. You show your smith your design and give him some materials and he does it all for you. The idea that a hero takes the time to become a master blacksmith by repeatedly crafting the same thing, as well as hand-crafting and maintaining all his weapons and armor, is just ridiculous. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

12-Nov-2015 02:22:15 - Last edited on 12-Nov-2015 02:28:20 by NotFishing

NotFishing

NotFishing

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We're not talking about threads. We're talking about how things are depicted in Fantasy RPGs vs. how they are depicted in real life, as well as why they can't or won't be depicted accurately - the answer being that not enough people care or are aware of how unrealistic it is. Blacksmithing is the prime example right now, since it is what Azi has been talking about. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

12-Nov-2015 02:33:42 - Last edited on 12-Nov-2015 02:34:12 by NotFishing

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