Falling Icicle
Adventurer
I believe it will be a d20 based opposed roll system focused on stats. Except instead of the +1 for every two points above 10, I think for every point above 10, you will get +1 to your roll. Thus the designer's comment about a races and classes getting a +1 to your stat makes more sense to me.
Another way to look at things is a STR of 16 means you are essentially taking 10 on a STR check with a +6 bonus. So now designer comments on comparing your STR to the break DC of a door and letting you break it without bothering to roll, or letting a guy with STR 15 automatically succeed on jumping a pit, make more sense. Your stat score is for all intents and purposes the same as a passive score in 4e parlance.
I suggested having ability scores give a +1 bonus per point above 10 in another thread about odd-numbered ability scores, though the idea of your total score being the same as a "passive" score (i.e. taking 10) had not occurred to me, and sounds very intuitive and simple. Good analysis. I think you may be right, and if so, I would very much approve of this system.
For example, instead of having AC be 10 + Dex modifier + armor + shield, it would just be Dexterity score + armor + shield. Easy. It also makes the ability scores ranging from 3-18 make sense again. For a long time, I've wondered why they even kept them when you only really used the modifiers instead of the actual score. Now, there's a point to it. I like it.
I hope that the people at WotC read this, because if this isn't 5'e core mechanic, it definitely deserves consideration!