HowSerendipitous wrote:

Dinosawer wrote:It was really tempting but I've said to myself that I would buy it next year, since I've only bought Morrowind and oblivion last year and I'm nowhere near finished with oblivion. And there are some places in Morrowind I haven't seen yet either...

I bought Morrowind in 2002 and I can safely say there are places I've never seen in it either! And I'm totally fine with that

Well, sure, but I haven't even played the expansions yet.

I'm having a break of Skyrim and discovering Solstheim. And it's worth each second of it. Then I'll probably wander around Skyrim a little longer and then try Falskaar or Elsweyr. And there are lots of places in Skyrim I haven't visited yet (Riften, Winterhold, The Throat of the World...).

The Solstheim expansion was pretty good. Not deep, especially, but the change in scenery was interesting, the new materials and assets nice to have, and the minor callbacks to Morrowind appreciated.

Falskaar was remarkably good for being mostly the effort of one person. It's worth noting that it's mostly about fixed points of interest and one core story. There are nowhere near as many emergent moments as in official Skyrim; Falskaar feels pretty empty as a result. But it's quite pretty, and the main quest is competently implemented. Plus the voice acting is better than expected... and different from the voices in Skyrim, so that's a relief.

As for modding, I played vanilla Skyrim for several hundred hours, including finishing the main quest and a couple of expansions, before adding any mods. I now wish I had added a few key mods earlier on, though, as they make playing the game more pleasant: Skyrim Script Extender and SkyUI are very helpful for improving the UI, plus Skyrim Flora Overhaul, Static Mesh Improvement, Enhanced Lights and FX, No More Ugly Bronze Shine, and of course ENB for world beautification. (I have many more mods than these applied, but these are the ones I'd have used from the very start if I'd known then what I know now.)

And regarding open-world games... they can be a bit overwhelming if you're used to playing more linear games with fewer places, things, and "verbs" to use. Oblivion and Skyrim are in that latter category, but Bethesda's other series game, Fallout 3, has a similar vibe but feels (to me) a bit less unstructured -- the main story line (which tells you where to go and what to do) is somewhat more front-and-center, which can help minimize that "lost" feeling. If you like Skyrim but wish it were a bit less fantasy and a bit more directed, you might enjoy Fallout 3 (and Fallout: New Vegas).

I now have a fine collection of plates, flasks, bowls and pots. I'll look into those mods. After I do a quest, I watch the walk-throughs. People are missing lots of loot. Good loot too like soulstones, because they're just whipping through the quest.

Another trick I figured out, is to have a companion with you. Not only do they soak up damage but you can pick up armors and whatnot you'd normally have to leave behind. Just make the companion carry it all. Selling the items later gets you Speech points.

Compugasm wrote:Just make the companion carry it all.

<sigh> "I am sworn to carry your burdens."

Oh, Lydia. Your constant complaining is almost as much fun as taking an arrow to the knee.

In happier news, one of the perks of the Solstheim expansion is the opportunity to gain a Dremora butler who will "carry your burdens." He's also sarcastic, but at least he goes away until you summon him again.

Actually, that reminds me: the quest line for a certain Daedric prince in the Solstheim expansion is actually pretty well done. The gameplay challenges are somewhat meh, but the artwork and writing are quite good, and the rewards are really nice.

I just dismissed Sven and took Lydia. Not sure if I needed to. But I figured shes probably a little better since I got Sven at the beginning of the game.Then, I went around taking as many plate, goblets, platters and pots as we could carry out of Jarls house. Take that you Jarl. No more plates. I own them all. Eat of the floor now.

Flatfingers wrote:As for modding, I played vanilla Skyrim for several hundred hours, including finishing the main quest and a couple of expansions, before adding any mods. I now wish I had added a few key mods earlier on, though, as they make playing the game more pleasant: Skyrim Script Extender and SkyUI are very helpful for improving the UI, plus Skyrim Flora Overhaul, Static Mesh Improvement, Enhanced Lights and FX, No More Ugly Bronze Shine, and of course ENB for world beautification. (I have many more mods than these applied, but these are the ones I'd have used from the very start if I'd known then what I know now.)

Thanks for this list, Flatfingers! You've preempted my request for a lineup of must-have subtle enhancement mods (wading through the Workshop is a daunting chore).

I've only subscribed to "Pure Waters" & "Pure Weather" and "Immersive Saturation Boost".. dunno how they compare to the rest. *shrug*

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I'm still shaking my head.. Steam sales amaze me sometimes, and especially in this case. Only five bucks!
I've started out as a male Breton, focusing first on Polish (I have a thing for heals).. but since I've started hunting elk, Tech is looking mighty attractive.

I have 40+ mods on my Skyrim Mostly FX and overbeautyfiers. Strange enough, I have no mods for changing NPCs look... Anyway, the ones which add some deep to NPCs dialogs and the one to improve that "civil war" feeling are the best. There is nothing like walking or riding and seen a battle a few dozen meters afar and sprinting or galloping to help your side (or to kill all of them...). The biggest battle I could take part of was a 10 SC against 8 Imps... and there were already casualties. Patrolling is cool, too.

For water effects, I'm partial to the Water And Terrain Effects Redux mod. It just barely didn't make my previous list, but only in the interest of brevity -- it does a very good job improving the look of water.

If you're willing to brave the Skyrim Nexus, there is a staggering number of mods to choose from -- many more than from Steam Workshop. (Although I have four from there as well -- The Asteria is pretty amazing.)

If you do go the Nexus route, consider using one of the mod manager programs. I've gone with and without -- with is easier.

I followed the Nexus+Manager way and it is world and a half easier

The way modding made Skyrim a great fresh game to even play today is the way I hope the modding community will tackle LT.

To be honest vanilla Skyrim is only "alright". You need a good skill tree overhaul mod at the very least.

I love Skyrim in a same matter I loved Oblivion and, until some degree, Fallout 3, because I can make it the game I want to play. I mean, I can make my own game of it, and that's just awesome.

I rarely leave Riverbend. It's too dangerous.

Anyone looking for a comprehensive list of must have Skyrim mods might want to take a look here. This guy knows what he's talking about and writes a well laid out article for anyone looking to include mods.

Like me, for instance.

Anyone looking for modding a beautiful Skyrim experience might want to check out this awesome page. She has some of the most amazing pictures of it that I've seen.

The best skill and combat over haul mod for skytime IMHO:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/9286/?