You know how the NPCs sort of shift around, look around, and look at the PC and other NPCs? Wouldn't it be nice that if in third person this would happen with the PC? It wouldn't be feasible in first person, or course. Sometimes I'll be in third person view and the PC looks like they have no life to them - like the lights are on but no one's home. My companion/spouce follows him everywhere and is always looking at him as if expecting interaction or wanting to start a dialogue. I just think this would've been a nice little touch to add to the game. I feel like I'm controlling a brain dead zombie sometimes.

Bethesda removed player character head-tracking when they made Skyrim and I don't know why. It's a small detail that adds a lot to the experience of playing a character, especially for those of us who play in third-person. A few interesting/amusing idle animations wouldn't hurt either.

In the two previous games (Morrowind and Oblivion), the 3rd person player-character would head-track other people or creatures. This made them seem a bit more alive. I have no idea why Bethesda took head-tracking out, when they made Skyrim.

Edit: Me and my slow typing. The ninja strikes again.

The head tracking thing does get a little weird in Oblivion when you have two NPCs talking and your PC don't know which one to look at. And it was a bit ridiculous that your PC would pay attention to everybody s/he walks by even when they are complete strangers and have nothing interesting going on.

I can see what you mean. But as far as the stranger thing goes, as long as the person isn't downright staring at the other person, it seems legit. We all look at peoples' faces when we walk by them. Not always, but usually.

Yeah, that was a weird decision on Bethesda's behalf.

Anyway, on PC, one can download http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23600/?. Been using it for years -and it's configurable.

, I do feel like I'm controlling a Zombie, hey Rick now your DID character really is a zombie.

Anyways, maybe Bethesda did it because they wanted the Modders to have more control of what they want to make. Sometimes it feels like Beth was really playing to the Modders.

Another head tracking mod is http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/59406/? which is, well, more lightweight. The emotions sometimes look a little goofy if you pause using tfc 1 and catch them mid-grin, but otherwise I like it a lot. There's also http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/13931/?, and http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23179/? if you don't want to be standing stock still in the default idle position at all times - both require using a power thingy, so it's not 100% 'immersion friendly', but it's nice nonetheless.

What's the quick link for the original DiD proposal? I am interested in taking part, but I don't know what it is, and would like some background info.

I didn't even think about a mod! LOL I'll give that one a look over. Thanks!

I concur. I've been out of the gaming world for about....oh.....ten years. LOL I've never really had the time to enjoy playing computer games due to my work habits. So you can imagine my surprise, enjoyment, and immersion into moving from something like Diablo II in 2003 to this. LOL I've noticed that now many of the developers (depending on the game) give this flexibility because the gaming crowd demands it. It also takes a little bit of pressure off of the company. They don't take AS MUCH flak if they forget to add something. But, bugs are still not excused. Hear that, Bethesda?

Thanks for the pointers. Going to check them out now.

(My quotes look wierd because Bethesda will not let me post links. So I had to delete them from the quoted areas.)

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1538266-did-competition-round-7-adventurer-part-2/ That's got the general rules and links to the 1st rounds, plus the specific rules for this round.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1537780-did-competition-discussion-trash-talk-and-nonsense-part-2/ This is the second part of the discussion for this round, but you can get most of the information off of it and the Competition page anyway.

http://graveyard.wikia.com/wiki/Dead_is_Dead:_A_gaming_playstyle_choice Information on the DiD playstyle.

Watch your PC face in Oblivion as npcs/companions get close use a race/mod with ears as it will reveal when your PC's emotions have changed.

It was the Cliffracers that cured me of 1st. With exception to arrow shots, I like to see my PC in action, especially if it's a half-naked female doing sixy walk in sixy armor... and I prefer to 'see it coming'.

You are right about the 'lifelessness of Skyrim npcs, same with FO series. I think of them as animated department store manikins or script puppets. The animals - motorized taxiderms. Follower/mods are animated nothings. Skyrim is really nothing more than a fancy Morrowind game with more bells'n whistles, but with less mouse/keyboard mobility - a sort of set-action-on-cue, lying 'Harry Skyrim Show'. Hand to Hand is the same and I at least could spin my PC in circles to wack villains at once and attack in midair in Morrowind. I can do a back spin jab in Oblivion.

I use several npc mods in Oblivion, I regularly can across random groups of interacting npcs as if I was in ISO. Oblivion npcs provided their own lively atmosphere. The npcs were always happy with their goofy grins and follower seemed to aquire distinct personalities.

To me, Oblivion was like a dozen steps forward from Morrowind. Then the company seemed change and regressed eleven steps with FO3, then three steps forward with Skyrim. What a let down.