I've made quite a few new ingredients for various mods over the years, and while trying to figure out how exactly I want them to integrate into the game, I thought back to Sri's Alchemy -- for the longest time, the standard in ingredient/alchemy tweaks and additions -- and why I don't use it anymore.

First off, it's dated. The vanilla meshes look terrible next to current replacers, and the textures could also be redone. It's also completely incompatible with other mods that alter the same leveled lists, because it uses the AddtoLeveledList function in its start script.

But by far my biggest problem with it is the complete removal of vendor's restocking ingredients. This nuke-it-all approach is all too common, because it's the easiest, but it's also the laziest, and many people refuse to use any mod that does it. I've written tons of restocking vendor scripts that solve the problem much more elegantly (and function more reliably than PirateLord's Trade Enhancements restocking scripts, because I've tried doing it his way as well). It's a lot of work, the way I do it, but I make every vendor unique and give them regionally-based inventory. Since I'm making a vendor overhaul that does all the standard ingredients (among other things), I wanted to make a version that does Sri's ingredients. If I made a new alchemy/ingredient mod, I'd just integrate the same kind of scripts into it instead. You wouldn't need a third add-on at all.

I'd also make a lite version that doesn't alter the effects of the original ingredients, only adds new ingredients and alters leveled lists (the proper way, so you can use a leveled list merger) so you can find them. I'm not sure if I'd include the restocking balances in that one.

I also have a ton of new ingredients. Most of these were added because I felt they *should* be there for the sake of realism, or just for added variety. Some of the new things I've made are:

Coal and charcoal. There are coal piles found throughout the game, so I turned those into containers. I made the charcoal for my smithing resource, because that was more commonly used by blacksmiths (it burns cleaner, and can be added to iron to make steel--coal cannot), and mostly put them in barrels near forges. I could add charcoal to burnt trees in Molar Mar, but I don't want to add major conflicts to any landmass overhauls.

Kelp and moss. You can pick almost any plant in the game, so why not those?

Kollop meat. Because why just pearls? I'd have to make a Graphic Herbalism patch for this, and I wouldn't change the pearl leveled list, so it would work fine with Pearls Enhanced as well.

Slaughterfish eggs and egg sac containers, because Skyrim has them, why not. Adds realism. Again, I'd use a light touch on adding these to minimize mod conflicts.

I made silver and lead for the smithing resource. I'm also thinking of making new ores for these as well as the ones already added by Sri's Alchemy.

I'm also thinking of making some new kinds of mushrooms, probably based on later TES games, because having only two kinds of mushrooms get visually boring after a while. That's why Skyrim added something like six or more. I use Graphic Herbalism scripts on them for a GH patch as well. I'm more concerned with mushrooms than new plants, because Vvardenfell is just a mushroomy kind of land, and it would be mostly to existing caves because I don't want to add a ton of conflicts to major landmass altering mods. Let's face it, the caves need way more love. I'd look into making it compatible with mods like the Caverns Overhaul.

Things I won't be adding: anything that doesn't fit the setting. For example, I added imported honey to the Tea Mod, but I wouldn't include it here because Vvardenfell does not feel like a bee friendly climate, what with the blight storms and all. The existing plants are probably pollinated by something far creepier-looking.

What about ingredient rebalancing?

If people have ideas about how it could be improved, here is a good place to discuss it. I'd also be looking at tweaking prices and weights. For example, 30 gold for hackle-lo has always been ridiculous.

I would perhaps increase the availability of Tribunal's ingredients in Vvardenfell, as Srikandi did, but I wouldn't do the same for Solstheim. Trade is barely established there (until you come along), so there's no reason to regularly see bear fat in Vvardenfell, except for maybe Dagon Fel. I might include some of the ingredients in select alchemist's restocking scripts/leveled lists, but they would be rare.

As for altering alchemical properties, is there any demand to add skill-fortifying effects across the board to add wider variety of effects? I can either go total replacement on the mod, or stick strictly to Sri's changes (so people don't have to relearn them all over again).

Some random thoughts:

• If you're retaining Sri's ingredients (if possible, that'd be great) then can the original IDs be kept? There're number of add-ons and compatibility patches out there for it.
• Skrawafunda's been doing a lot of work updating Graphic Herbalism and adding patches (his for Melchior's Pearl Enhanced is a completely new one for instance), it'd be worth checking in with him. I believe he's in the middle of a re-format and re-install of his system though.
• What about the Bloatspore addon of Mana User's. I believe that adds the unused Bloatspore to caves and there's another mod, Bloated Morrowind, which adds it to exterior cells of the Bitter Coast. Can't remember the author of that off the top of my head. I'm pretty sure I saw a new mesh for Bloatspore on Morrowind Nexus.
• It's Srikandi
• I don't have much to say on alchemical properties, but Sri did included (IIRC) an updated Alchemist's Formulary book to reflect her changes..

[Edit: Ooops. Forgot to say: this is a fantastic and wonderful idea! Srikandi's is, for me, one of those mod stalwarts. OK, it has issues, the use of scripts to modify levelled lists, but the mod's importance is reflected in the fact that there's both an add-on patch and a replacement plugin to remedy that particular problem]

Hi, just my two cents (I believe thats the expresión, im a bit rusty), Solstheim ingredients seem more likely to be found on Khuul (since this is the existing boat port wich has regular travel to the island) tan on Dagon Fel, but since you are making this awesome script deploy, have you considered adding a check for the journal index wich marks the completion of Ravem Rock in some western Vvanderfel alchemists to add to them the ingredients past this instance?, maybe Hlaalu would be the more inclined to this given their relations with the empire and their merchant/poliical nature.

Like I said my english is rusty at best, so if I sound comanding or I have ofended in any way Im sorry, Its said merely as a sugestion.

Have fun with it, it{s promising!

Edited the correction in.

I did think of that first point. At first I was giving my versions of Sri-like ingredients (for example, I made my own gold ore) new IDs, but if I'm going to go ahead and make a mod to replace Sri's Alchemy, I'll keep them the same instead so mods still work for them.

I will keep up to date on Graphic Herbalism. I'll be working on the base mod first, and then on the compatibility patch for GE, which will have to be updated every time GE is.

I have a bloatspore mesh that adds the bottom, and am currently using it in Uvirith's Legacy. I don't know if it's the same as the one on Nexus. I'm not sure If I want to add it to this mod though, since it's already so well covered. I'll have to think about whether or not I want to integrate those mods, replace them, or leave it be.

If I used Sri's changes, I'd also use the altered book, and I'd also alter the book if I made different changes that need reflecting. I would also have to include altered copies of all my alchemy books from Books of Vvardenfell.

And yes, I want to make something to replace Sri's alchemy only because it did such a good job, but so desperately needs an update. I could have made just a patch, but since I'm probably overhauling everything, I might as well start close to fresh (except for retaining the IDs and maybe the alchemical properties). That, and since I'm making totally new resources to replace the old ones, there's no reason to make it dependent on the original.

Edit:

No offence at all. That's an excellent idea. I can make some scripts quest dependent like that, and yes Khuul is another place where Solstheim ingredients might show up. I could make it so they only appear in those two towns, and gradually filter further south after you complete the East Empire Company quest. I picked Dagon Fell because the Nord population might make the extra effort to get foods that remind them of home.