» Sat Feb 19, 2011 5:00 am Tamriel Immersion Experience (T.I.E.) - Version 1.30
http://www.dreamingthepyramid.net/misc/TIE.zip
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29988
Credits
First and foremost, I would like to thank all those involved in TIE's development. CorePC, for example, was instrumental in making sure TIE's new features worked out. He really helped iron out the bugs. CorePC is the one to thank for all the fantastic NPCs you see traveling Tamriel's roads - many of which are merchants that can help you achieve your goals. Without CorePC, this initial release of T.I.E. would probably not have come to pass as
quickly or fleshed out. Arkenor allowed me to incorporate his excellent "Tutorial Terminator" mod into T.I.E., thereby eliminating the ubiquitious message panels popping up and telling us how to use a bow - or how to make a potion. His mod effectively removes those prompts - forever.
List of people responsible for T.I.E. version updates:
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.30)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.29)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.28)
Arthmoor, Veritas_Secreto (version 1.27)
Morerunes, Arthmoor, and Veritas_Secreto, (version 1.26)
Veritas_Secreto, (version 1.25)
Veritas_Secreto, Ismelda Lasombra, Arthmoor, Williw_Wiper, and DaMage (version 1.24)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.23)
Ismelda Lasombra (version 1.22)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.21)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.20)
Duggedank and Veritas_Secreto (version 1.19)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.18)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.17)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.16)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.15)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.14)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.13)
ElminsterEU (version 1.12)
Ismelda Lasombra (version 1.11)
Duggedank (version 1.10)
I also need to thank the testers (both primary and secondary groups) for their hard work testing and pulling every trick in the book to try to make the mod run unstable and crash.
In the primary testers group are: Duggedank, thwhip, Kreutz, Belljack95, Pepsi, and Stamdd.
I also relied upon How? Rosswell21, and several others for the secondary group. Testers came in very handy when it came to providing feedback on how the mod could be made better or more fun to play. I am certain they will continue to do so in the future as each new release gets put up for download.
What Does This Mod Do?
Get ready for a jolt to the system. Although only vanilla (default) resources were used, T.I.E. is a tiny Overhaul that carries major impact on the way Oblivion is played. The gameplay is much tougher on hack and slash players while favoring stealth gamers in general. How? By having NPCs and creatures deal out far more damage, by raising sneak attack perks, and having real consequences for engaging in melee combat unprepared (for starters). High level loot and armor and weapons are also much rarer, far more TNRish NPCs now populate Cyroddiil (800 in this release), diseases are easier to catch, etc. You will also find most mid to high level shops (as well as many Imperial city homes) guarded by hired guards, so no more thieving to your heart's content and filling your loot bag. Now you have to actually WORK to be a good thief. You'll also come across secret entrances to all cities and castles. Some are underground, some require swimming, climbing, or jumping - or a combination of all three. You will see thieves making grabs for loot (and getting chased), deadly assassins, tomb raiders and morally ambiguous scavengers in wilderness areas as well as underneath the Imperial City sewer system - which is now interconnected via trapdoors, and grates. Rather than create a huge ReadMe, I would simply ask that you take the time to visit and read the mod's finer details on the T.I.E. page (www.stephanewuttunee.net).
So have fun in the new Tamriel, but beware. More danger than you can conceive of lurks both on the surface and below. Only the prudent and vigilant will survive and thrive. Garrett would be proud.
Version 1.26 General Content
Over 800 NPCs: Assassins, thieves, pickpockets, bards, pilgrims, alchemists, hunters, adventurers, varied Imperial Forces, barbarians, nightblades, commoners, hired guards, priests and healers, scavengers, tomb raiders, bandits & wizards, fences, infamous villains, heroes - these are just some of the new and interesting types of characters you will encounter in TIE. Above all else, this feature is the singlemost visual addition to the vanilla game. All custom made NPCs feature vanilla content and items for their clothing, behavior, items, and weaponry. Think of it as Morrowind Comes Alive - for Oblivion.
Tamriel Travelers: CorePC contributed and slightly modified his amazing mod to be included within TIE. Some of the NPCs can be traded with. These really add life and interest to the roads in general.
Rarer Lockpicks: Gear up before heading out. If you run out, try pickpocketing, thieving, the fences, and if you want a real challenge, you can try to approach Bandit Thieves in nearby camps as they will sell some. Just make sure you don't unsheathe any weaponry around them.
Tougher Sneaking and Pickpocketing: The Sneaking/pickpocketing system has been revamped somewhat and follows a certain logic. Most commoners are easier to sneak up and pickpocket than other thieves, warriors and such. Imperial Forces are definitely tough to catch off their guard so if you have a bounty on your head, tread lightly.
Fences: There are several in the game, but getting to them safely can be tricky. First you have to find their location and what times they prefer to ply their trades, then you have to make sure Undercover Imperial Agents haven't set up ambushes to arrest you on sight. How do you find a Fence? The first clue is in one of the secret lairs - which in turn is accessible only by key (scour the dungeon tutorial to find this key - especially near the end in the sewers).
Pickpockets: You'll be pleasantly surprised to see thieves and other lowlifes actually stealing and running from the law in-game. And here is the best thing: you get to keep what they've stolen. Of course, you'll have to be able to keep up with them first.
Secret Entrances: Tired of waltzing through the front door to try to steal stuff? These entrances fix the problem in grand fashion. To find them, simply walk around the outskirts of every castle, town, and city in the game. Some are trapdoors, some are rope ladders thrown over palisade walls. You'll definitely need to be somewhat of an acrobat to reach some of them.
Secret Lairs: No thief or assassin should be without some sort of home base. There are eight in total, ranging from lushly lit pads to worn out logs.
Bounty and Infamy Payoff System: Morerunes is to thank for this cool feature. In vanilla Oblivion, one must be part of the Thieves Guild in order to have bounties and infamy cleared up. No more. Now, as long as you ride a horse, swim, or run, you can set forth to have your good name cleared - until the next heist that is.
Diversified Imperial Forces: There you are in your favorite Inn, drinking some delicious mead served by the local Wench, and thinking you've safely outrun the local Watch. Think again...an officer might be right beside you. In TIE, thieves and assassins will have to watch not only for Imperial Guards, but also Bounty Hunters, Imperial Frogmen, Marksmen, and Battlemages. They can be anywhere, so be careful who you talk to...
Tougher Prison Escapes: Perhaps you are used to simply picking a lock, retrieving your stolen goods, safely sneaking past a sleeping Guard, and making your way outside to the exit. Heh heh...dream on. Expect a real challenge now to even be able to breath fresh air again. Now one must avoid traps and decoys as well as tougher and smarter Guards. Escapes can be so difficult that you might find yourself thinking about giving up and returning to jail to serve your sentence. Sure beats getting a sharp broadhead up the [censored].
Non Leveled Loot, Items, Creatures, and NPCs: This means exactly what it says. No more leveled anything anywhere in the game. In your first ten minutes, you can find Daedric armor as well as a cool sword - just as you can wander for ages and not find anything of great value.
This also applies to creatures. Oblivion realms can be filled with some real nasties or little scamp runts. It all depends.
Deadlier Traps: Watch your step in caves and ruins. Your next step might trigger a tripwire, sending a three to four hundred pound spiked log into your chest - OUCH!
Decreased Thieving Sounds: No more loud foot sneaking or opening doors or sacks. Now, just about every thief-like sound in the game has been lessened.
Gas Arrows: These tools are designed to help you safely infiltrate and scout restricted areas. NPCs knocked out by the reservoir's potent gases will remain unconscious for roughly five minutes - just enough to let you make that important grab and get out. However, sometimes they can backfire and alert nearby NPCs, so use them wisely. Purchases them from Fences.
Realistic Bandits: In vanilla Oblivion, leveling up in-game means becoming exposed to glass wearing Bandits and other baddies. Those days are history in TIE. Expect highly realistic and dangerous baddies to contend with - whether it's bandits, marauders, or conjurers.
Realistic Wildlife: No mammoth sized bears or boars. Deer are much more fearful. Wolves usually flee on sight unless they're in packs. Mountain lions also usually flee on sight but will sometimes charge. Black bears usually flee but will sometimes attack. Packs of feral dogs now roam the wilderness. Rats are much smaller and faster and populate wilderness areas around farms and fields. You may also come across wild stallions that are bullyish and try to do you in. High, snowy regions now harbor rams, while small groups of sheep can be seen roaming the wilds below. There are also rumors of two or three gigantic Ogre and Minotaur Collosus beasts nearly fifty feet tall roaming the most remote regions of Tamriel. They may carry large amounts of gear and loot when felled. Some sewers now also contain a smaller form of Dreugh. Again, all creatures have been fully unlocked at game start, which means that if you want to stay relatively safe, then stick to the roads. As the Imperial guardsmen are often heard saying, ' the wilderness just isn't safe anymore'. And the best part is, all of these creatures have more developed predator/prey type relationships: wolves will actively hunt deer and many other creatures. So will bear, boars, and mountain lions.
Morrowind Ingredients: Remember Flin, Grief, and Matze? They're in here. Other nice ingredients and foods such as roobrush, marshmarrow, and even scrib jerky are in TIE as well.
Better and more lethal Archery: This applies not only to your own equipment, but that of baddies as well. Beware bow equipped Wood Elf bandits...
Fully interconnected Imperial City Underground:? If you want a real adventure, try going underneath the Imperial City sewer system. There, you will encounter vampires, assassins, tomb raiders, scavengers, beggars, diseased rats and crabs, and much else. You may even survive long enough to catch fresh air again. Also, rumors exist of a mysterious visitor in the city's depths...
Fiercer Combat: In previous versions of TIE, players often complained of combat being too difficult (it is). However, version 1.26 now has shields becoming far greater assets for would-be warriors and brawlers. In most instances, Shields have had their ratings boosted up by over 400% and their health by over 1000% for longer lasting battles. If you can time your strikes right and protect your vitals, shield equipped fighters should not feel overly handicapped in TIE.
Another feature of combat in TIE is the chance of contracting various crippling diseases. And why not? After all, you are engaging dirty, roughed up individuals who have not washed in days or weeks.
Deadlier Vampires: TIE's 'denizens of the night' are no longer affected by normal weaponry, so take very good care of that shiny silver sword. Better yet, bring two. And don't skimp out on health potions either...
Fatigue and Health: In version 1.26, all health and fatigue potions and spells and enchantments have been modified to be much more realistic and less forgiving. However, they also tend to be more powerful. The way they work now is that instead of gulping a health potion and instantly gaining back health, health levels come back slowly over time. The same goes for fatigue. So if you've taken a few bad hits and are running away from bandits and expect to have your stats boosted miraculously, you just may end up dead. Calculate your battles...
Greater Underwater Argonian Population: See that funny looking head popping up occasionally in the waters of the misty swamp? Chances are it belongs to one of Black Marsh's citizens.
New and Useful Literature: If you've just found a safe haven within a cave and have a few minutes to spare, you might want to give a few new books a read. There is "Tactics and Maneuvers: The Field Tactician's Handbook", various recon reports for every town and city, a Mythic Dawn NOC (Non-Official Cover) list, and more. The handbook, in particular, has many dozens of tips on how to best survive the dangerous Tamrielic landscape.
Safer Roads: For those days when you just want to leave the quests alone and pick flowers and enjoy the great sunsets instead. Just don't step off the road...
Rideable Bandit Steeds: They may be a little jittery and not have saddles, but these make perfect (if not temporary) escape companions for when you've successfully stolen from dangerous baddies and need a quick getaway. Just make sure no bandits wake up or the steeds will take off.
More Restricted Areas: Duggedank worked his magic to give us increased risks in "going behind the counter" in stores, Inns, and in certain castle areas. Three warnings from the local Guards and you'll be either killed or arrested, so watch out...
Lower Encumbrance: You're just getting out of jail, so your encumbrance will have taken a direct hit. No more carrying everything you find from the tutorial. Now you have to pick and choose your items carefully otherwise you'll be too weighed down.
In-Game Time Goes by Less Quick. One minute of real time equals ten minutes in-game time instead of thirty minutes. This is great for thieving, since you no longer feel rushed in loot filled areas.
Better Clutter: Now everything you pick up has value - including cups, forks, tongs. Yay - finally a reason to loot crates and barrels! Now, where was that fence located?
Revamped weapons and armor system: What I played around with the most are the weights, damage points, and health. Also, all vendors only sell either iron or steel or fur and leather. The fancier stuff has to be searched for in ruins, forts, caves, and elsewhere. Bring good adventurer's gear with you if you plan to hunt for it. Iron for instance, is nearly everywhere. It is dependable and very hard hitting though easily broken. It is also much heavier. Steel is both relatively light, slightly less hard hitting than iron, but much easier to maintain. Elven weaponry and armor is exquisitely light, very hard hitting, but also requires constant care and attention in order to keep in good condition. Silver is hard hitting and heavy, but very easy to maintain. Also quite a bit more valuable. Dwarven arms and armor are the workhorses of the lot; extremely tough and lethal, though they are as heavy as iron. Very easy to keep in top condition. Glass arms and armor is a bit weird. It technically falls under the light category, but have you ever lifted a large solid glass item? It's a beast to lift! But in TES, it is classified as light so I kept it light. Extremely lethal, but also difficult to keep in top condition. Very valuable if you find it though. Bring lots of hammers. Ebony is heavy, tough, and valuable. It is also rarely come across. If you see it in-game somewhere, stash it. Daedric, as usual, is the rarest, heaviest, and most precious stuff of the lot.
Changes made to Version 1.27
- It used to really bug me that all the crates and barrels in public areas were freely lootable without any consequence. Now all crates and barrels in and around towns and cities have ownership, so taking anything from them is considered stealing. The exceptions of course, are those found in ruins, forts, caves, wilderness areas, etc.
- The hunters in-game now carry a very useful item on them for purchase: hunting poisons. These vials are specifically designed to help hunt and kill deer, sheep, boars, and the smaller dreughs. With one of these poisons, your target is virtually guaranteed to go down - eventually. Normally on first hit, the target goes down, stays down for a second or two, gets up, and begins to run away and will die later. If your archery skills are good, you can try to get in a second hit when the quarry gets up, or you'll have to track it.
- CorePC's Tamriel Travelers now are more readily identifiable as to what they might sell or do for the player. Smiths, for instance, wear the traditional Blacksmith aprons. Fences and thieves, on the other hand, always have their hoods. Mages and wizards wear robes, and common traders wear functional if not upper end clothing. It used to kind of peeve me that they would be running around Tamriel in high end designer wear.
- Repair hammers are far rarer. Stock up when you see them.
- Repair costs are greater too. If you don't want to spend a few grand fixing extremely valuable armor, carry hammers. There are also "Potions of Hammerhand" that can greatly assist the player with fixing armor.
Changes made to Version 1.28
- Pop quiz: did you know that in the vanilla game, less than a dozen spawn points are dedicated to
the entire Leyawiin wilderness region for creatures and such? No? Neither did I. FIXED. Over 40 new spawn
areas populate the swamps around Leyawiin now. Marshes rustle with life now.
- I went ahead and created a new type of NPC: Smugglers. These neutral NPCs act somewhat as Fences
and specialize in selling/buying illegal substances such as Skooma and other unmentionables. You'll
find them near the water in town and wilderness areas - especially near or on docks.
- A poster on the official ES forums mentioned that in his game, a certain iron claymore was making
him heavily overburdened. That...was my fault. Claymore fixed. Sorry.
Now for the biggest change: In all previous versions of TIE, the new NPCs were the main feature - both
because of their new looks and the sheer number. One could literally not go anywhere without being
exposed to a number of characters talking and walking around. While this creates atmosphere. it
also makes frame rates drop for certain older systems (ahem - like mine). So, taking Arthmoor's advice,
I lessened the percentage of NPCs at any given time. In other words, where players might have seen
five to ten TIE NPCs milling about before, they will more likely see around two or three at a time -
along with regular NPCs from the vanilla game. While some may not enjoy this change, the gain in
frame rates and immersion (Venturing into guild halls after hours for example is much more immersive
when almost everyone is asleep) will be heightened. Having played the new build for the last two days
now, I have to admit that the game seems more real and lifelike. I wouldn't want to raise the spawning
frequency again.
Changes made to Version 1.29
- Baurus now proceeds to the intended Rendez-vous point with Camoran in the Main Quest. I took the easy way out
by deleting the entry point to the Sewers in the Imperial City Market place. With so many entry pints
available, Baurus has no trouble finding his way down there to the meeting.
- That's about it. Some smaller, cosmetic changes to some creature stats and such. Hunting deer, goblins, boar,
and sheep is really fun now since the hunting poisons available from both Fences and Hunters work great.
Makes observation and careful tracking viable activities.
Changes made to Version 1.30
- Baurus has been fixed, this time for sure. If he is still pathing incorrectly after installing 1.30, it is due to a mod conflict.
Notes To Consider
This version of T.I.E. provides us with direction in which we would like the vanilla game to be carried in.
Because of this, perfection is fleeting, yet something to strive for. T.I.E. is fun to play, but it is not yet "done".
Perhaps more things will be added to it and it will never be quite done. Until then, please enjoy the mod.
Veritas_Secreto
http://www.dreamingthepyramid.net/misc/TIE.zip
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29988
Credits
First and foremost, I would like to thank all those involved in TIE's development. CorePC, for example, was instrumental in making sure TIE's new features worked out. He really helped iron out the bugs. CorePC is the one to thank for all the fantastic NPCs you see traveling Tamriel's roads - many of which are merchants that can help you achieve your goals. Without CorePC, this initial release of T.I.E. would probably not have come to pass as
quickly or fleshed out. Arkenor allowed me to incorporate his excellent "Tutorial Terminator" mod into T.I.E., thereby eliminating the ubiquitious message panels popping up and telling us how to use a bow - or how to make a potion. His mod effectively removes those prompts - forever.
List of people responsible for T.I.E. version updates:
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.30)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.29)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.28)
Arthmoor, Veritas_Secreto (version 1.27)
Morerunes, Arthmoor, and Veritas_Secreto, (version 1.26)
Veritas_Secreto, (version 1.25)
Veritas_Secreto, Ismelda Lasombra, Arthmoor, Williw_Wiper, and DaMage (version 1.24)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.23)
Ismelda Lasombra (version 1.22)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.21)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.20)
Duggedank and Veritas_Secreto (version 1.19)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.18)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.17)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.16)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.15)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.14)
Veritas_Secreto (version 1.13)
ElminsterEU (version 1.12)
Ismelda Lasombra (version 1.11)
Duggedank (version 1.10)
I also need to thank the testers (both primary and secondary groups) for their hard work testing and pulling every trick in the book to try to make the mod run unstable and crash.
In the primary testers group are: Duggedank, thwhip, Kreutz, Belljack95, Pepsi, and Stamdd.
I also relied upon How? Rosswell21, and several others for the secondary group. Testers came in very handy when it came to providing feedback on how the mod could be made better or more fun to play. I am certain they will continue to do so in the future as each new release gets put up for download.
What Does This Mod Do?
Get ready for a jolt to the system. Although only vanilla (default) resources were used, T.I.E. is a tiny Overhaul that carries major impact on the way Oblivion is played. The gameplay is much tougher on hack and slash players while favoring stealth gamers in general. How? By having NPCs and creatures deal out far more damage, by raising sneak attack perks, and having real consequences for engaging in melee combat unprepared (for starters). High level loot and armor and weapons are also much rarer, far more TNRish NPCs now populate Cyroddiil (800 in this release), diseases are easier to catch, etc. You will also find most mid to high level shops (as well as many Imperial city homes) guarded by hired guards, so no more thieving to your heart's content and filling your loot bag. Now you have to actually WORK to be a good thief. You'll also come across secret entrances to all cities and castles. Some are underground, some require swimming, climbing, or jumping - or a combination of all three. You will see thieves making grabs for loot (and getting chased), deadly assassins, tomb raiders and morally ambiguous scavengers in wilderness areas as well as underneath the Imperial City sewer system - which is now interconnected via trapdoors, and grates. Rather than create a huge ReadMe, I would simply ask that you take the time to visit and read the mod's finer details on the T.I.E. page (www.stephanewuttunee.net).
So have fun in the new Tamriel, but beware. More danger than you can conceive of lurks both on the surface and below. Only the prudent and vigilant will survive and thrive. Garrett would be proud.
Version 1.26 General Content
Over 800 NPCs: Assassins, thieves, pickpockets, bards, pilgrims, alchemists, hunters, adventurers, varied Imperial Forces, barbarians, nightblades, commoners, hired guards, priests and healers, scavengers, tomb raiders, bandits & wizards, fences, infamous villains, heroes - these are just some of the new and interesting types of characters you will encounter in TIE. Above all else, this feature is the singlemost visual addition to the vanilla game. All custom made NPCs feature vanilla content and items for their clothing, behavior, items, and weaponry. Think of it as Morrowind Comes Alive - for Oblivion.
Tamriel Travelers: CorePC contributed and slightly modified his amazing mod to be included within TIE. Some of the NPCs can be traded with. These really add life and interest to the roads in general.
Rarer Lockpicks: Gear up before heading out. If you run out, try pickpocketing, thieving, the fences, and if you want a real challenge, you can try to approach Bandit Thieves in nearby camps as they will sell some. Just make sure you don't unsheathe any weaponry around them.
Tougher Sneaking and Pickpocketing: The Sneaking/pickpocketing system has been revamped somewhat and follows a certain logic. Most commoners are easier to sneak up and pickpocket than other thieves, warriors and such. Imperial Forces are definitely tough to catch off their guard so if you have a bounty on your head, tread lightly.
Fences: There are several in the game, but getting to them safely can be tricky. First you have to find their location and what times they prefer to ply their trades, then you have to make sure Undercover Imperial Agents haven't set up ambushes to arrest you on sight. How do you find a Fence? The first clue is in one of the secret lairs - which in turn is accessible only by key (scour the dungeon tutorial to find this key - especially near the end in the sewers).
Pickpockets: You'll be pleasantly surprised to see thieves and other lowlifes actually stealing and running from the law in-game. And here is the best thing: you get to keep what they've stolen. Of course, you'll have to be able to keep up with them first.
Secret Entrances: Tired of waltzing through the front door to try to steal stuff? These entrances fix the problem in grand fashion. To find them, simply walk around the outskirts of every castle, town, and city in the game. Some are trapdoors, some are rope ladders thrown over palisade walls. You'll definitely need to be somewhat of an acrobat to reach some of them.
Secret Lairs: No thief or assassin should be without some sort of home base. There are eight in total, ranging from lushly lit pads to worn out logs.
Bounty and Infamy Payoff System: Morerunes is to thank for this cool feature. In vanilla Oblivion, one must be part of the Thieves Guild in order to have bounties and infamy cleared up. No more. Now, as long as you ride a horse, swim, or run, you can set forth to have your good name cleared - until the next heist that is.
Diversified Imperial Forces: There you are in your favorite Inn, drinking some delicious mead served by the local Wench, and thinking you've safely outrun the local Watch. Think again...an officer might be right beside you. In TIE, thieves and assassins will have to watch not only for Imperial Guards, but also Bounty Hunters, Imperial Frogmen, Marksmen, and Battlemages. They can be anywhere, so be careful who you talk to...
Tougher Prison Escapes: Perhaps you are used to simply picking a lock, retrieving your stolen goods, safely sneaking past a sleeping Guard, and making your way outside to the exit. Heh heh...dream on. Expect a real challenge now to even be able to breath fresh air again. Now one must avoid traps and decoys as well as tougher and smarter Guards. Escapes can be so difficult that you might find yourself thinking about giving up and returning to jail to serve your sentence. Sure beats getting a sharp broadhead up the [censored].
Non Leveled Loot, Items, Creatures, and NPCs: This means exactly what it says. No more leveled anything anywhere in the game. In your first ten minutes, you can find Daedric armor as well as a cool sword - just as you can wander for ages and not find anything of great value.
This also applies to creatures. Oblivion realms can be filled with some real nasties or little scamp runts. It all depends.
Deadlier Traps: Watch your step in caves and ruins. Your next step might trigger a tripwire, sending a three to four hundred pound spiked log into your chest - OUCH!
Decreased Thieving Sounds: No more loud foot sneaking or opening doors or sacks. Now, just about every thief-like sound in the game has been lessened.
Gas Arrows: These tools are designed to help you safely infiltrate and scout restricted areas. NPCs knocked out by the reservoir's potent gases will remain unconscious for roughly five minutes - just enough to let you make that important grab and get out. However, sometimes they can backfire and alert nearby NPCs, so use them wisely. Purchases them from Fences.
Realistic Bandits: In vanilla Oblivion, leveling up in-game means becoming exposed to glass wearing Bandits and other baddies. Those days are history in TIE. Expect highly realistic and dangerous baddies to contend with - whether it's bandits, marauders, or conjurers.
Realistic Wildlife: No mammoth sized bears or boars. Deer are much more fearful. Wolves usually flee on sight unless they're in packs. Mountain lions also usually flee on sight but will sometimes charge. Black bears usually flee but will sometimes attack. Packs of feral dogs now roam the wilderness. Rats are much smaller and faster and populate wilderness areas around farms and fields. You may also come across wild stallions that are bullyish and try to do you in. High, snowy regions now harbor rams, while small groups of sheep can be seen roaming the wilds below. There are also rumors of two or three gigantic Ogre and Minotaur Collosus beasts nearly fifty feet tall roaming the most remote regions of Tamriel. They may carry large amounts of gear and loot when felled. Some sewers now also contain a smaller form of Dreugh. Again, all creatures have been fully unlocked at game start, which means that if you want to stay relatively safe, then stick to the roads. As the Imperial guardsmen are often heard saying, ' the wilderness just isn't safe anymore'. And the best part is, all of these creatures have more developed predator/prey type relationships: wolves will actively hunt deer and many other creatures. So will bear, boars, and mountain lions.
Morrowind Ingredients: Remember Flin, Grief, and Matze? They're in here. Other nice ingredients and foods such as roobrush, marshmarrow, and even scrib jerky are in TIE as well.
Better and more lethal Archery: This applies not only to your own equipment, but that of baddies as well. Beware bow equipped Wood Elf bandits...
Fully interconnected Imperial City Underground:? If you want a real adventure, try going underneath the Imperial City sewer system. There, you will encounter vampires, assassins, tomb raiders, scavengers, beggars, diseased rats and crabs, and much else. You may even survive long enough to catch fresh air again. Also, rumors exist of a mysterious visitor in the city's depths...
Fiercer Combat: In previous versions of TIE, players often complained of combat being too difficult (it is). However, version 1.26 now has shields becoming far greater assets for would-be warriors and brawlers. In most instances, Shields have had their ratings boosted up by over 400% and their health by over 1000% for longer lasting battles. If you can time your strikes right and protect your vitals, shield equipped fighters should not feel overly handicapped in TIE.
Another feature of combat in TIE is the chance of contracting various crippling diseases. And why not? After all, you are engaging dirty, roughed up individuals who have not washed in days or weeks.
Deadlier Vampires: TIE's 'denizens of the night' are no longer affected by normal weaponry, so take very good care of that shiny silver sword. Better yet, bring two. And don't skimp out on health potions either...
Fatigue and Health: In version 1.26, all health and fatigue potions and spells and enchantments have been modified to be much more realistic and less forgiving. However, they also tend to be more powerful. The way they work now is that instead of gulping a health potion and instantly gaining back health, health levels come back slowly over time. The same goes for fatigue. So if you've taken a few bad hits and are running away from bandits and expect to have your stats boosted miraculously, you just may end up dead. Calculate your battles...
Greater Underwater Argonian Population: See that funny looking head popping up occasionally in the waters of the misty swamp? Chances are it belongs to one of Black Marsh's citizens.
New and Useful Literature: If you've just found a safe haven within a cave and have a few minutes to spare, you might want to give a few new books a read. There is "Tactics and Maneuvers: The Field Tactician's Handbook", various recon reports for every town and city, a Mythic Dawn NOC (Non-Official Cover) list, and more. The handbook, in particular, has many dozens of tips on how to best survive the dangerous Tamrielic landscape.
Safer Roads: For those days when you just want to leave the quests alone and pick flowers and enjoy the great sunsets instead. Just don't step off the road...
Rideable Bandit Steeds: They may be a little jittery and not have saddles, but these make perfect (if not temporary) escape companions for when you've successfully stolen from dangerous baddies and need a quick getaway. Just make sure no bandits wake up or the steeds will take off.
More Restricted Areas: Duggedank worked his magic to give us increased risks in "going behind the counter" in stores, Inns, and in certain castle areas. Three warnings from the local Guards and you'll be either killed or arrested, so watch out...
Lower Encumbrance: You're just getting out of jail, so your encumbrance will have taken a direct hit. No more carrying everything you find from the tutorial. Now you have to pick and choose your items carefully otherwise you'll be too weighed down.
In-Game Time Goes by Less Quick. One minute of real time equals ten minutes in-game time instead of thirty minutes. This is great for thieving, since you no longer feel rushed in loot filled areas.
Better Clutter: Now everything you pick up has value - including cups, forks, tongs. Yay - finally a reason to loot crates and barrels! Now, where was that fence located?
Revamped weapons and armor system: What I played around with the most are the weights, damage points, and health. Also, all vendors only sell either iron or steel or fur and leather. The fancier stuff has to be searched for in ruins, forts, caves, and elsewhere. Bring good adventurer's gear with you if you plan to hunt for it. Iron for instance, is nearly everywhere. It is dependable and very hard hitting though easily broken. It is also much heavier. Steel is both relatively light, slightly less hard hitting than iron, but much easier to maintain. Elven weaponry and armor is exquisitely light, very hard hitting, but also requires constant care and attention in order to keep in good condition. Silver is hard hitting and heavy, but very easy to maintain. Also quite a bit more valuable. Dwarven arms and armor are the workhorses of the lot; extremely tough and lethal, though they are as heavy as iron. Very easy to keep in top condition. Glass arms and armor is a bit weird. It technically falls under the light category, but have you ever lifted a large solid glass item? It's a beast to lift! But in TES, it is classified as light so I kept it light. Extremely lethal, but also difficult to keep in top condition. Very valuable if you find it though. Bring lots of hammers. Ebony is heavy, tough, and valuable. It is also rarely come across. If you see it in-game somewhere, stash it. Daedric, as usual, is the rarest, heaviest, and most precious stuff of the lot.
Changes made to Version 1.27
- It used to really bug me that all the crates and barrels in public areas were freely lootable without any consequence. Now all crates and barrels in and around towns and cities have ownership, so taking anything from them is considered stealing. The exceptions of course, are those found in ruins, forts, caves, wilderness areas, etc.
- The hunters in-game now carry a very useful item on them for purchase: hunting poisons. These vials are specifically designed to help hunt and kill deer, sheep, boars, and the smaller dreughs. With one of these poisons, your target is virtually guaranteed to go down - eventually. Normally on first hit, the target goes down, stays down for a second or two, gets up, and begins to run away and will die later. If your archery skills are good, you can try to get in a second hit when the quarry gets up, or you'll have to track it.
- CorePC's Tamriel Travelers now are more readily identifiable as to what they might sell or do for the player. Smiths, for instance, wear the traditional Blacksmith aprons. Fences and thieves, on the other hand, always have their hoods. Mages and wizards wear robes, and common traders wear functional if not upper end clothing. It used to kind of peeve me that they would be running around Tamriel in high end designer wear.
- Repair hammers are far rarer. Stock up when you see them.
- Repair costs are greater too. If you don't want to spend a few grand fixing extremely valuable armor, carry hammers. There are also "Potions of Hammerhand" that can greatly assist the player with fixing armor.
Changes made to Version 1.28
- Pop quiz: did you know that in the vanilla game, less than a dozen spawn points are dedicated to
the entire Leyawiin wilderness region for creatures and such? No? Neither did I. FIXED. Over 40 new spawn
areas populate the swamps around Leyawiin now. Marshes rustle with life now.
- I went ahead and created a new type of NPC: Smugglers. These neutral NPCs act somewhat as Fences
and specialize in selling/buying illegal substances such as Skooma and other unmentionables. You'll
find them near the water in town and wilderness areas - especially near or on docks.
- A poster on the official ES forums mentioned that in his game, a certain iron claymore was making
him heavily overburdened. That...was my fault. Claymore fixed. Sorry.
Now for the biggest change: In all previous versions of TIE, the new NPCs were the main feature - both
because of their new looks and the sheer number. One could literally not go anywhere without being
exposed to a number of characters talking and walking around. While this creates atmosphere. it
also makes frame rates drop for certain older systems (ahem - like mine). So, taking Arthmoor's advice,
I lessened the percentage of NPCs at any given time. In other words, where players might have seen
five to ten TIE NPCs milling about before, they will more likely see around two or three at a time -
along with regular NPCs from the vanilla game. While some may not enjoy this change, the gain in
frame rates and immersion (Venturing into guild halls after hours for example is much more immersive
when almost everyone is asleep) will be heightened. Having played the new build for the last two days
now, I have to admit that the game seems more real and lifelike. I wouldn't want to raise the spawning
frequency again.
Changes made to Version 1.29
- Baurus now proceeds to the intended Rendez-vous point with Camoran in the Main Quest. I took the easy way out
by deleting the entry point to the Sewers in the Imperial City Market place. With so many entry pints
available, Baurus has no trouble finding his way down there to the meeting.
- That's about it. Some smaller, cosmetic changes to some creature stats and such. Hunting deer, goblins, boar,
and sheep is really fun now since the hunting poisons available from both Fences and Hunters work great.
Makes observation and careful tracking viable activities.
Changes made to Version 1.30
- Baurus has been fixed, this time for sure. If he is still pathing incorrectly after installing 1.30, it is due to a mod conflict.
Notes To Consider
This version of T.I.E. provides us with direction in which we would like the vanilla game to be carried in.
Because of this, perfection is fleeting, yet something to strive for. T.I.E. is fun to play, but it is not yet "done".
Perhaps more things will be added to it and it will never be quite done. Until then, please enjoy the mod.
Veritas_Secreto
