The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Mod Thread

is it just me or does skyrimnexus suck? slow as hell to load pages, and can't login to get files over 2 MB because the login server doesn't respond. Is it really getting that slammed at 10:30 am?

no kidding! but is this really prime time for servers to get slammed?

It's not 10:30 everywhere, Khoram.

To be a little less snarky: http://www.skyrimnexus.com/news/arti...

I'm more bothered by the new template.
I've been using the old nexus template for something like 4 years now.

This isn't even a mod, it's just settings, but if you want full control of the map -- zooming all the way down to street level, all you have to do is append this to your skyrim.ini file:

[MapMenu]
uLockedObjectMapLOD=0
uLockedTerrainLOD=0
bWorldMapNoSkyDepthBlur=1
fWorldMapNearDepthBlurScale=0
fWorldMapDepthBlurScale=0
fWorldMapMaximumDepthBlur=0
fMapMenuOverlayNormalStrength=2.2000
fMapMenuOverlayNormalSnowStrength=0.8000
fMapWorldMaxPitch=360.0000
fMapWorldMinPitch=0.0000
fMapWorldYawRange=3600.0000
fMapWorldTransitionHeight=130000.0000
fMapWorldMaxHeight=130000.0000
fMapWorldMinHeight=130.0000
fMapWorldCursorMoveArea=0.9000
fMapWorldHeightAdjustmentForce=100.0000
fMapWorldZoomSpeed=0.0500
fMapLookMouseSpeed=3.0000
fMapMoveKeyboardSpeed=0.0005
fMapZoomMouseSpeed=5.0000
sMapCloudNIF=0

Featured at PC gamer today: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/15/sk...

Just saw that map stuff last night after I turned off the game -- very excited to try it out when I get home today.

My number one desired mod? A way to have more hotkeyed favorites. Eight isn't even close to enough.

I just want an organized favorites menu! A and D to move between panes!

Creation kit! NAO

I just want an organized favorites menu

After more hotkeys, being able to sort the menu (or at least have it group stuff by type -- ie, weapons, then spells, then shouts or whatever) would certainly be a close second. Hell, if more hotkeys aren't possible, a sorted favorites menu would go a long way to addressing the same problem (ie, I want faster access to more stuff).

Hyetal wrote:

I just want an organized favorites menu! A and D to move between panes!

Creation kit! NAO

You're telling me!

Oh and as for the map stuff - it's still very finnicky. The settings proposed by the modder resulted in crashes for me, tried some alternative settings in the comments that made it work, but poorly. I'd suggest waiting until a more fleshed out solution in in place.

This is my list (ignoring bug fixes):
1. Multiple favorites panes you can swap between with A/D like Hyetal said. All, Weapons, Spells, Potions, ect
2. Being able to sort in inventory and traders. By name, by type, by gold value, by damge, by armor value, ect
3. Not an interface remake, I actually like it, just some reworks. This image shows a lot of what should be fixed: http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5679/...
4. MORE CHESTS IN HOUSES.
5. Telling companions to use melee or ranged only.

That image is the best thing. The best thing. I totally agree with everything, and I'm a little baffled by Bethesda's inability to realize it. Like you, Fed, I do like it, but those (some would call minor) changes would make it perfect.

Edit: Agh, now that I've finished the main story, and explored quite a bit, I'm thinking I want to wait for the Creation Kit to start over.

Hyetal wrote:

That image is the best thing. The best thing. I totally agree with everything, and I'm a little baffled by Bethesda's inability to realize it. Like you, Fed, I do like it, but those (some would call minor) changes would make it perfect.

Some UI elements just seem like they were dictated by marketing rather than user experience. The skill trees, for example. In every preview, Todd Howard gushed about how you "literally look up at the stars" to see your skills. That's a nice bit of marketing buzz, but it avoids the facts that

a) you're not actually looking up at the stars in-game, you're going to a separate screen full of constellations. I doubt all of Skyrim's visible constellations are arranged in a neat line like that.

b) it's a goddamn terrible user experience

If they really wanted to capture that "look up at the stars" experience and still have a good UI, the could have done something like:

-Show the actual night sky

-Arrange all the skill names and values in a vertical list down the right edge of the screen, making all skill values visible without scrolling.

-Selecting a skill in the list pans the camera across the night sky and zooms into the appropriate constellation

-None of the "zooming around inside the constellation" bullsh*t, just show the constellation head-on and let you mouse over any star for a perk description, and click to buy that perk

Pow. Accessible UI, good user experience, still preserves the whole constellation motif. If the Creation kit allows something like this I might actually try to make it.

And I would give you many kudos on Skyrim Nexus, mutton.

I would kudos you right up the ass.

Something I've been thinking about is the "streamlining" word. It seems for a game such as Elder Scrolls, it has such complexity that unless you butcher the game and simplify that, you need certain complexity in the interface to show it - there's a point where if you streamline too much you're harming yourself.

That, plus it seems the emphasis on flashiness over utility has interfered with usability.

I just want to see an entire perk tree at one glance.

Then make sure you give mutton some kudos when he makes that mod (oh, you have to do it now)! He craves the kudos, you know.

I'd like a mod to allow you to extinguish pesky torches when sneaking around. Not sure how big an impact it would have on stealth effectiveness, but it would be realistic.

Maybe with water arrows? I just invented that

From my experience, shadow does have a major impact on stealth.

There are actually torches than you can extinguish, but for some bizarre reason, not all of them, or even a fair majority. I think I've only found... three? Four? It's weird.

Adding unlit fires in dungeons to my mod wishlist. With the function to be able to light torches, fireplaces, ect with fire spells or torches.

Running Man wrote:

I'd like a mod to allow you to extinguish pesky torches when sneaking around. Not sure how big an impact it would have on stealth effectiveness, but it would be realistic.

Maybe with water arrows? I just invented that ;)

Frost seems like an obvious solution...

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

Adding unlit fires in dungeons to my mod wishlist. With the function to be able to light torches, fireplaces, ect with fire spells or torches.

There's a quest in the Thieves Guild line that deals with lighting fires, so that should definitely be possible.

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

This image shows a lot of what should be fixed: http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5679/...

You nailed it. 100% agree.

DonD wrote:
FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

This image shows a lot of what should be fixed: http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5679/...

You nailed it. 100% agree.

Oh, that wasn't me.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/852oa2d

edit: actually, this is the real source: http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php...
Somebody on reddit posted an image without giving credit to the creator, SHOCKING!

rabbit wrote:

This isn't even a mod, it's just settings, but if you want full control of the map -- zooming all the way down to street level, all you have to do is append this to your skyrim.ini file:

[MapMenu]
uLockedObjectMapLOD=0
uLockedTerrainLOD=0
bWorldMapNoSkyDepthBlur=1
fWorldMapNearDepthBlurScale=0
fWorldMapDepthBlurScale=0
fWorldMapMaximumDepthBlur=0
fMapMenuOverlayNormalStrength=2.2000
fMapMenuOverlayNormalSnowStrength=0.8000
fMapWorldMaxPitch=360.0000
fMapWorldMinPitch=0.0000
fMapWorldYawRange=3600.0000
fMapWorldTransitionHeight=130000.0000
fMapWorldMaxHeight=130000.0000
fMapWorldMinHeight=130.0000
fMapWorldCursorMoveArea=0.9000
fMapWorldHeightAdjustmentForce=100.0000
fMapWorldZoomSpeed=0.0500
fMapLookMouseSpeed=3.0000
fMapMoveKeyboardSpeed=0.0005
fMapZoomMouseSpeed=5.0000
sMapCloudNIF=0

Featured at PC gamer today: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/15/sk...

These settings changed my map to look like this:

IMAGE(http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613842889474218729/BABF922D6F5D9969ED70C86B5E44BE830262C64A/)

Not exactly what I was hoping.

Yeah a lot of people on the nexus were having issues with it as well.
My initial guess would be either the LoD options or the cloud option are causing the issue.
Try again but don't change these settings:
uLockedObjectMapLOD
uLockedTerrainLOD
Or just change those settings back to default

Oh, also, you can only use the map when standing outdoors.

Yeah, that's what Mac is encountering. Your map will appear that way if you're in a city or indoors. Go outside and try again, it will work. I didn't like those tweaks in the end, there are other issues such as it only shows parts of the world that have loaded, it screws with actually getting to the edge of the map when zoomed in (try to zoom in on Riften), and more. I turned it all off, but I hope a full fledged mod can do something better.

I wonder how hard it would be to give the option to make helmets invisible? It'd be nice to see my scowling Dark Elf face once in a while without losing out on the helmet benefits.

plavonica wrote:

I would like to be able to swap out my companions/mercenaries. Like in Dragon age or just about any other WRPG. I picked up Jenassa just because she happened to be the first person to want to hang out with me, and for 500 gold she has faced dragons, giants, bears, uncountable bandits and even the undead. I have outfitted her with the best gear I can, even to the detriment of myself. But I would like to try a mage companion. Maybe a paladin type companion. Maybe a thief to help me in my heists. But I don't want to lose Jenassa and all I have put into her. Totally awaiting that mod.

Well if you tell her to go away she will keep all the stuff you gave her and you can always go back and get her again.

plavonica wrote:

I would like to be able to swap out my companions/mercenaries. Like in Dragon age or just about any other WRPG. I picked up Jenassa just because she happened to be the first person to want to hang out with me, and for 500 gold she has faced dragons, giants, bears, uncountable bandits and even the undead. I have outfitted her with the best gear I can, even to the detriment of myself. But I would like to try a mage companion. Maybe a paladin type companion. Maybe a thief to help me in my heists. But I don't want to lose Jenassa and all I have put into her. Totally awaiting that mod.

There's gotta be a better way to say that.

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

Adding unlit fires in dungeons to my mod wishlist. With the function to be able to light torches, fireplaces, ect with fire spells or torches.

Their engine doesn't seem to like dynamic lighting very much. I climbed up a lighthouse and looked at the fire, and it wasn't illuminating anything.