also, unrelated: Why do people think lockpicking and hacking is useless? How would you get into master locks and terminals without it? I dont understand. CAn someone explain?
you probably only need one through the game, most probably hacking, as many important doors/safes can be opened through a nearby terminal
that said, the real problem is the perk system and the apparel
in fo3 and nv, you could slowly build up either skill, by putting one or two points in one level, or maybe ten in the next, but in fo4, you are forced to take one of four perks after a level up, which is the fo3 equivalent of putting 25 points into lockpicking in one sitting. Which you will do from time to time, but not 4 times in a row. Also, the magazines helped you raise your skill points slowly without committing a level up to them (only in fo3, in nv magazines worked differently I think)
besides, in fo3 you get off vault 101 probably carrying clothes that add +5 to hacking and/or lockpicking, so realistically, you only need 5 points less than the cut off points, so the limits become 20 points for a novice lock, 45 for a expert lock, 70 for an advanced lock and 95 for a master lock, as long as you endure a little clothes change here and there. A good strategy is raising each skill to 20, and then once you get enough magazines to get it to 26, start raising all the way to 45. Or you can do it slowly, five points per level will maximize a skill at level 20
again, fo4 demands you commit 25 (equivalent) points at once to lockpicking or hacking, and what's worse, you cannot put them all on your four first levels, you gotta wait until level 41 (I think) to master each skill. fo3 and nv let you maximize lockpicking by level 5 if you so desired
and there are no clothes (I think) that raise lockpicking or hacking. mostly cause they would have to raise either skill by a whole perk level (or 25 of the old points) to have any impact, so they'd break the game
all this means that bethesda had to design the game considering that most people will put one or two perks on lockpicking or hacking, and never sealing critical quest content behind those skill checks (which, again, can only be attained by 40> level. edit: I am told you can max out these skills by level 18 and 21, but still)
and it impacts in gameplay experience, since the player is only ever so-so rewarded for those skills
