» Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:59 am Why Skyrim will be the best “console port” ever
There are about 16 trillion threads (last I counted) complaining about why life is not worth living because Skyrim is a "console port", so, I decided to make a thread focusing on why The Elder Scrolls games (and many other Bethesda games) are some of the best PC games ever made. This is not a console bashing or PC elitist thread. I don't dislike consoles or console gamers. In fact, I celebrate the fact that the Elder Scrolls has the fortune of being enjoyed by such a wide audience.
This thread is about Mods. Mods are the main reason I buy Bethesda games. To my knowledge, no other game series has the amazing capacity and user-friendly system of modding that the Elder Scrolls and Fallout3/NV are famous for. It also has the largest, most talented, and helpful modding community that I've ever been part of.
I wanted to make this thread to be a compilation of links to mods from past Elder Scrolls games which will give hope to mod users and inspiration to modders. We can look back at mods we loved to use in Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fallout NV and look forward to potential mods for Skyrim.
I'll start by laying down a few categories, and listing several mods appropriate to each. These categories are related to several complaints I've seen people express on the forum about Skyrim. Complaining about the game is nice, but why not be proactive and start generating mod ideas about how to make it better?
The mods I'm listing are special because they worked beautifully in the game they were made for and show the amazing possibilities for Skyrim allowed by the mod support Bethesda gives their customers.
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- Playable Dragons
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=31821
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOPz0QPJAfo - Allows you to make a character that uses the skeletons and animations of several different creatures. Maybe the same method could be used with the dragons in Skyrim, at least the ground animations... For flying see the next category.
- Dragon Mounts
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=oblivionmods.detail&id=2774 - Allows you to summon a customizable dragon mount. No doubt this inspired Bethesda's inclusion and design of dragons in Skyrim, at least a little...
- Hypothermia
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32752 - An amazing mod that monitors the temperature of the area you're in, and also the body heat of the player. Factors like time of day, location, and weather influence the temperature of the play. When your core temperature gets too low, you shiver and suffer penalties. You can warm yourself up by being near (or on!) fire (i.e. fireplace, fireball, etc.), and keep dry by wearing a cloak when it rains. Since Skyrim obviously has a very cold climate, and dangerous looking weather high up in the mountains, why shouldn't keeping warm be a big part of the game?
- Armor
http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36660 - In Fallout New Vegas the only armor slots are body and head. This mod allows you to customize your character's armor by utilizing the "invisible" extra slots that all characters have. It adds pauldrons, belts, knee pads, and every other kind of equipment you can think of. Perhaps Skyrim's default armor system can be bypassed in a similar way to allow more customization.
- Combat
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20163 - Skyrim's combat looks amazing, but many people are complaining about the apparent lack of locational damage. This mod gives reasons to aim at vulnerable parts of an enemy, and adds many new features such as combos and special attacks.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8273 - A huge overhaul to every conceivable part of combat. Dismemberment, spell effects, critical hits, mounted combat (at least in older versions) shield bashing, kicking, dodging - these are the features I can think of off the top of my head. It also overhauls NPC AI. NPCs are unpredictable and dangerous! They can do all the things previously mentioned, and can adapt and even outsmart the player. To beat NPCs you have to be unpredictable as well, and use every one of the new features at your disposal to outsmart them and catch them off guard.
http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/514-duke-patricks-combat-archery/ - This is supposedly the mod that influenced Bethesda's overhaul of archery for Skyrim. It makes archery a more complex, useful and dangerous form of combat. It adds many benefits for being a careful and intelligent archer, and several new things an archer must account for to be successful.
- Magic
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9562 - Adds a unique spells system with over 300 new, unique spells. It adds spells totally different from what the vanilla magic system allows. It shows what the game's engine is capable of. Skyrim's new spell system along with modders will allow for limitless possibilities.
- Stealth
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18065 - The perceived problem by some of a bandit taking the time to mourn his friend who was murdered right in front of him by the player, instead of looking for revenge was a problem in Oblivion too. In this mod when an actor sees a new friendly corpse they immediately start to look for the killer.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16150 - With this mod arrows which whistle past actors will catch their attention. Now they can see and hear near misses.
- Physics
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5011 - This mod changes the ragdoll physics of characters so that their bodies fall and tumble more realistically instead of shooting across cells when they're killed. It lets you customize the force created by normal weapons, enchanted weapons and magic.
- Cities
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16360 - Brings cities in Oblivion into the exterior world cells like they were in Daggerfall and Morrowind. No more loading screens when you stroll into town to rest from your adventures, visit the local tavern, or hit up a noble's house for loot. In Daggerfall the bigger cities closed their gates at night, but with the climb skill you could sneak right over the walls and into the city. What's more immersive than that?
- Economy
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25078 - This mod completely overhauls the economy of Cyrodiil. It makes every town feel unique, by changing the prices for certain items in each. In the capital, high class items like jewelry, fine clothes, and Alyeid artifacts are highly valued, while weapons and armor aren't needed. It makes merchant barter gold change dynamically with events that affect the empire as a whole (e.x. the Emperor's assassination, closing of certain Oblivion gates).
- NPC Adventurers
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4387 - Adds NPCs all across the wilderness as well as populated areas who are explorers just like the player. All of them can help the player in some way either by offering services like repairing equipment, recharging enchanted weapons, or buying and selling items and loot, or just by helping the player in a fight. It makes Cyrodiil a much less deserted place.
- Character Levelling
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35333 - This mod shows that it's possible to completely change the character levelling system. It removes skill progression, and replaces it with a system similar to Fallout's xp system. I like it because it is extremely customizable, and it allows you to play the game without micromanaging your skill usage. If you increase the amount of experience you get from quests, you don't have to worry about HOW you complete the quest, you can just play and reap the rewards.
- Map Redesign
The new map style for Skyrim looks like it gives new possibilities to modders who add new areas to the world. However, some people say they would like a more traditional looking map. A complete map overhaul might not be possible for Skyrim, but these map mods for Oblivion prove that some editing may be possible.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3002
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2634
- User Interface
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10763 - Makes the entire interface more "PC friendly" by allowing many times more items to be viewed on one screen, and reducing the size of UI components (health, magicka, fatigue, compass, etc.)
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7897 - Removes the potentially immersion breaking quest arrow from the game.
- 1st Person
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtP4rkJBky4 - More aesthetic than utility, this mod lets you see your body (torso, legs, arms) while in 1st person.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20891 - Allows some NPC and 3rd person animations like lockpicking and reading to be seen on the player character in 1st person.
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=mods.detail&id=4905 - Makes closed and semi-closed helmets affect 1st person view, adding immersion and a trade-off of less visibility for more protection.
- Overhaul
http://sites.google.com/site/fo3wanderersedition/ - In my opinion, the best overhaul for any Bethesda game. It seamlessly integrates the biggest and best mods and countless smaller mods which add specific complexity and fun to the game. Perhaps the best part is its in-game customization menu. You can change, tweak, and disable almost any feature that the overhaul adds on the fly. The makers have gone to great lengths to get several incompatible mods to work perfectly together, and have added entirely new features themselves. A great example of what can be accomplished with a dedicated team, and a great guide for overhaul makers in the future (i.e. Skyrim).
- Utilities
I use 200+ mods for Morrowind, Oblivion, and Fallout 3. It's sometimes difficult to get them all to work together and have a stable game. Any serious mod user needs certain utilities to help organize and persuade them all to get along.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22368 - (Wrye Mash, Wrye Flash, depending on which version/game you're using) - Essential for a good modded game experience. It has so many features it's impossible to summarize. It makes the game work. No doubt a version will be made for Skyrim. The only question is what will it be called? (Wrye Smash?)
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Please post other mods that give you hope for the mod-filled future of Skyrim. Preferably mods that deal with specific issues you have with what we've seen so far in the game footage and journalist reviews, and I'll add them to the list.
Cheers!
