I've never played in a PnP campaign where the DM scaled a monsters CR. If the party is too high of a level for goblins, for example, they don't make standard goblins stronger, they add in higher CR monsters like ogres, worgs, hill giants, etc. That isn't the same challenge scaling we are talking about here. We're talking about the system like in Skyrim where ALL enemies are you level, whether they are elite guard or lowly peasants. The level scaling that BG3 SHOULD have is where, depending on the difficulty you choose when you start your game, they give you monsters of the CR that you picked. I don't want to see normal goblins at level 5 that are CR 5. If there is a goblin boss, or goblin shaman, that is stronger than a standard goblin that's cool-beans...they are. but not the scaling we are talking about here.
One is easier to do than the other. But it really doesn't matter which method is used. If there is some algorithm that can magically add in the right types of monsters to increase the challenge then that's scaling.
That's not scaling. That's adding in enemies of the appropriate level, not scaling the enemies to your level. If you're level 10 and you go fight a group of kobolds, adding in a dragon as the kobold leader to get the CR to your party level is not the same as scaling all the kobolds to now be as deadly as a dragon. Scaling like that does not fit in D&D.
I agree, the mechanics to scale the CR of the encounters to the party is very different to the one used in videogames like diablo or bethesda games like Fallout or TES. It has more options. You also add or remove abilities and spells from the creatures, not only buff their stats; add more enemies or different enemies, etc.
In Skyrim ( I know, it´s a videogame and not a PNP game but it´s the comparison that we are using in this thread to have a common ground for everybody) you can fight a necromancer in level 81 and they are still using the same ice spell against you from when you were level ten, they just do more damage, have better equipment and are tougher to kill.
