Hello everyone. I am still kind of new to this but I will give it my best shot. I have played Skyrim for a number of years now and only recently discovered that playing on PC allows you to modify the game to play however you want it to. This discovery has wowed me like nothing else. I have tinkered with a number of different mods and I have decided that I want a realism experience that just hasnt been in games before. I have done a good bit of research so far, and I believe I would have been able to do this all on my own. However, I have stumbled into a number of problems that are stopping me from getting the most out of this that I can.

I will post my list of what I have so far at the end of this message so other people can tinker with it and maybe I could get some much needed advice about what to do next. So far the things that are really bothering me are economics and alchemy. I have found a good number of mods that have changed combat and added things like needs to the game so that there is a higher level of demand on the player to take care of themselves and make smart discisions but its just now quite enough.

This list I have already makes for an interesting challenge as it sits. But I would like to see more continuity to the environment. Stuff like leveled listing and managed quest lines really drag as far as im concerned. More radiant AI and jobs quests like bounty hunting or caravan escorting kind of stuff would be a really great addition. One big problem I have is that I dont know where all the good mods are being held and often I have found word searching sites is terrible.

Pretty much, this is how I see it, anything that provides realism and additional challenge to the game is very welcome. I also like new lands that are at least explainable like they are a real part of the game world. Recreations of movie locations are nice, but it doesnt make for a very immersive experience if you know what I mean.

Anyway, all the help people have to offer is greatly appreciated, and hopefully all the work I have done so far can help other people get their games just right.

(PS Function over Fashion, My hardware is kind of on the lower end of things so I would rather have quality scripts run on time then have things look nice)

Active Mod Files:
00 Skyrim.esm
01 Update.esm
02 Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [Version 2.1.3a]
03 Dawnguard.esm
04 Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp [Version 2.1.3]
05 HearthFires.esm
06 Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp [Version 2.1.3]
07 Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm
08 Dragonborn.esm
09 Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp [Version 2.1.3]
0A SkyMoMod.esm
0B ETaC - RESOURCES.esm
0C Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm
0D Falskaar.esm
0E RE_RealEstate_Core.esp
0F RSkyrimChildren.esm
10 Bashed Patch, 0.esp
11 Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp
12 The Dance of Death - Ultimate Edition.esp
13 Celtic_Music_In_Skyrim_v2.1.esp
14 NoCombatMusic.esp
15 Piratelords Loot Adjustments.esp
16 ETaC - Complete.esp
17 ETaC - Dragon Bridge South.esp
18 ETaC - Complete RS Patch.esp
19 Combat Evolved.esp
1A Cutting Room Floor.esp [Version 1.1.5]
1B Immersive Sounds - Compendium.esp
1C Immersive Orc Strongholds.esp
1D whiterunMarket.esp
1E Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp
1F ETaC - Complete PLA Patch.esp
20 SoS - The Wilds.esp [Version 1.13]
21 OBIS.esp
22 SoS - Civilization.esp [Version 1.02]
23 Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp [Version 3.0.4]
24 ESFCompanions.esp [Version 0.3.8]
25 w2salem.esp
26 MorrowindArmor.esp
27 Immersive Weapons.esp
28 SoS - The Dungeons.esp [Version 1.23]
29 ETaC - Complete LoS Patch.esp
2A Immersive Whiterun.esp
2B RE_RealEstate.esp
2C Immersive Solstheim.esp
2D Hunting in Skyrim - No Perks.esp
2E WetandCold.esp
2F WetandCold - Holidays.esp
30 Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp
31 Dr_Bandolier.esp
32 fine goods from morrowind_gray quarter.esp
33 TheChoiceIsYours.esp [Version 1.4]
34 Cloaks.esp
35 UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul.esp
36 Populated Lands Roads Paths.esp
37 OBISDB.esp
38 1nivWICCloaks.esp [Version 2.3]
39 Dr_BandolierDG.esp
3A BandolierForNPCMasterFile.esp [Version 4.0]
3B BandolierForNPCsWIC_V2.esp
3C BandolierForNPC IA Cloaks WIC Dawnguard Patch.esp
3D 1nivWICSkyCloaksPatch.esp [Version 2.3]
3E Locational Damage.esp
3F UltimateCombat.esp
40 TrueStorms.esp
41 Populated Cities 2.esp
42 Immersive Solstheim PLA Patch.esp
43 Immersive Patrols II.esp
44 ETaC - Complete CRF Patch.esp
45 Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp
46 Immersive Orc Strongholds PLA Patch.esp
47 ETaC - Whiterun Ext CRF Patch.esp
48 wizDynamicThings.esp
49 No Combat Boundaries - Legendary.esp
4A No NPC Greetings.esp
4B NPCWaterAIScripted.esp
4C dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp
4D SkyDie.esp
4E When Vampires Attack.esp [Version 2.0.5]
4F BlackHorseCourier.esp
50 Dead Body Collision.esp
51 abotFiresHurt.esp
52 Chesko_Frostfall.esp
53 LIAT - Sounds.esp
54 ETaC - Complete RE Patch.esp
55 RealisticNeedsandDiseases.esp
56 RND_HearthFires-Patch.esp
57 ETaC - Dragon Bridge South PLA Patch.esp
58 Hunterborn.esp
59 Extended Encounters.esp
5A Immersive Whiterun PLA Patch.esp
5B ETaC - Whiterun Ext LoS Patch.esp
5C WOM and CRF patch.esp
5D vMYC_MeetYourCharacters.esp
5E Equipping Overhaul.esp
5F TheChoiceIsYours_Dawnguard.esp
60 The_Sinister_Seven.esp
61 SOT-Sleeping.esp
62 Immersive NPC in the dark.esp
63 LIAT - NPCs.esp
64 ReadingTakesTime.esp
65 NoPsychicLockKnowledge.esp
66 Realistic crime report radius.esp
67 RND_USKP-Patch.esp
68 SkyRealism - Capacity and Carry Weight.esp [Version 1.8]
69 SkyRealism - Encumbrance.esp [Version 1.5]
6A WetandCold - Ashes.esp
6B BandolierForNPCsCheaperBandoliers_BalancedWeight_Dawnguard.esp
6C Chesko_WearableLantern.esp
6D Hunterborn_WearableLantern-Patch.esp
6E fine goods from morrowind.esp
6F SFO - Dragonborn.esp
70 RSChildren - Complete.esp
71 RSChildren_PatchUSKP.esp
72 FalskaarRNDPatch.esp
73 Hunterborn - Frostfall - RND.esp
74 Hunterborn_Frostfall-Patch.esp
75 Hunterborn_RND-Patch.esp
76 TheChoiceIsYours_Dragonborn.esp
77 The_Sinister_Seven_DebuffedEquipment.esp
78 Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp
79 Purewaters-Falskaar.esp
7A RaceMenu.esp
7B RaceMenuPlugin.esp
7C SkyUI.esp
7D BFSEffects.esp
7E Purewaters.esp
7F RND_PureWaters-Patch.esp
80 RND_Dawnguard-Patch.esp
81 RND_Dragonborn-Patch.esp
82 HunterRangerCrafting.esp

Your load list is very similar to my own, though probably somethling like 25 or 35% different.

I'm only awake for a bit right now. Went to bed early and woke up earlier than desiired, so poped a sleeping pill and hanging on the web till I doze back off for another 4 hours or so.

Howeever, will be happy to contribute and clarify any questions later today.

I brushed over your list and firstly I have to thank you for the degradation mod. I have been thinking about something like that for a while but never thought it would actually happen. From a purist point though I think it would be great if equipment would take permanent damage and ultimately break outright and need to be replaced. Unique stuff would be a sky forge special "reforging" so you dont have to lose one of a kind items but all the common stuff you use having to ultimately be replaced would be awesome for realism. Especially if you had to down grade until you found a new one that was equal or better than the first.

Hmm, I need to think hard on this might not get it all at once but here goes. My big concerns in order are: Realistic economy, better AI more radiant AI and questing, wildlife and wilderness realism, an overhauled alchemy system (vanilla is horrid) and from there just little things that make the game more challenging while still being playable.

Something I would really like to be able to do is not even touch the main story line and just fool around with all the radiant stuff and have an economy that is organic enough to make the game fun without having to do all kinds of scripted stuff that essentially just holds you hand the whole time.

Finally (which is the sad part) I would like the game to feel like its at least half way real. Having other adventurers that do their own thing that have dialogue and can actually produce casual relationships with the player and have spontaneous stuff happen in the world like going out with one adventurer so many times only to randomly find their body in a cave somewhere surrounded by troll bodies or something. Things like that could make the game feel like an actual world not just a sand box limited to a hand full of scripted diologue lines... Sadly that will likely never happen, the mechanics are so limited and the ammount of work required to do something like that would be to much for even a whole community to handle.

But hey, heres dreaming.

You are using the USKP as well as having all three DLC's installed, so you do not need all the plugins regarding RND. There's a single plugin doing everything that the patches do, including importing the USKP. But what you miss is the patch for Pure Water, so you can't get water from rivers etc. I'd recommend RNAD 2.0, as it has more features, some default bugs fixed and support for any Mod added custom food, as well as importing a weight feature and widgets...

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/68982/?

I also notice there are a lot of outdated Mods that have more actual replacers at the Nexus. You should start a more in depth research. Mods beyond January 2013 and stated final should be safe to use.