Immersive Skyrim

[PanzersEast]

Need to get the DLC... there are some pretty good mods that have been released and I am going to update my Skyrim File after I can get and test them and update the correct install order.  The Bosmer armor pack mentioned above is worth downloading and very nicely done.

The Way of the Dovahkiin - Ultimate Deadly Encounters aka Sands of Time
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/12452
Deadly encounters are the name of the game with this mod.... I always like to find mods that make Skyrim more dynamic in environment and this one fits the bill.  You need both of the DLCs to run and once I have them I will test it out.  Keep an eye open when you sleep, fast travel, etc...... no where is safe now


Ebonvale
Trade Settlement
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/41391
This adds another settlement to the Skyrim world with a very interesting backstory and some unique offerings.  This settlement resides between Whiterun and Riverwood and is very high in detail.  I am currently testing it out. 


Organized Bandits In Skyrim
http://www.skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/31264
Has been updated since last I used and now has MCM integration.  I will be updating and testing tonight.  It gives more dynamic feel to Skyrim and bandits are now to be respected.... especially now that they are organized in groups and do not like you.....

PE

[Gusington]

Thanks PE. Are there any mods available that offer a truly large Skyrim city?

[Kushan]

I highly recommend:

Audio Overhaul for Skyrim:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/43773//?

Overhauls all the sound effects. Makes them a little louder, more clearer, and able to be heard from a longer distance.

ENBoost
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/38649//?

I got a pretty massive performance boost from this. I like it alot more then I did Hidalgo. The install process seems complicated but is rather easy. The only thing to note when using is to make sure Vsync is on or use something liek dxtory to lock your FPS at 69-60, I had items it buildings getting thrown randomly around rooms because my FPS was too high.

A Matter of Time - Clock Widget
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/44091//?

Adds a MCM configurable SkyUI clock icon to the UI. I thought I was goign to hate it when I first heard about it but after using it I find it a lot more immersive then constantly going to the menu to check the time in game. Have it set to the same toggle key as iHUD, so I can toggle everything at once.

Less Intrusive HUD II
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/35154//?

Allows things like health/mana/stamina/compass/etc bars to be moved and resized. Fully compatible with iHUD and SkyUI

[sandman2575]

I haven't used one Skyrim mod because I don't think my brain could handle it. The game is so gigantic even without mods...

There's a lot to be said for the wisdom of this line of thinking!  I've spent most of my Skyrim time modding the damn thing, rather than actually playing.  Exactly what happened to me with Oblivion, and exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't do this time.... *sigh*

Still, Gus, if there is *one* mod you really should install, it's SkyUI.  The crappy console-imported UI is just painful.  Do yourself a favor and install just this one.


General question for all you heavy modders out there -- how many plug-ins are you guys playing with, in general?  I found I've had to *leave out* a bunch of mods I wanted to play with just to keep the number around 200, which is in itself insane.  Even with this 'modest' number -- that doesn't include serious overhauls like SkyRE, Frostfall etc. etc. -- I'm getting ocassional CTDs, which just sucks.

[Gusington]

I too fear performancs issues. Right now Skyrim has a perfect record on my machine with about 150 hours in...not one crash in all that time. I don't want to ruin that.

And honestly.the UI never really bothered me that much. Irritating...yes sometimes. But it really doesn't annoy me enough to futz around with it.

[Kushan]

General question for all you heavy modders out there -- how many plug-ins are you guys playing with, in general?  I found I've had to *leave out* a bunch of mods I wanted to play with just to keep the number around 200, which is in itself insane.  Even with this 'modest' number -- that doesn't include serious overhauls like SkyRE, Frostfall etc. etc. -- I'm getting ocassional CTDs, which just sucks.

251 plugins I believe is the max amount. Also be aware that Skyrim will crash if it gets over 3.1GB of RAM uses. I find it helpful to keep my mods limited to ones that will effect my current play through. For instance when I play a mage, I don't have Hunterborn installed. I realized a longtime ago I don't have to install every mod for ever playthrough. I start with game play mods like SkyRE and Frostfall that I use all the time, then install texture mods, then install mods just for what ever type of playthrough I'm doing

[Gusington]

Damn Kushan, you are a Skyrim battlemage.

[PanzersEast]

Thanks PE. Are there any mods available that offer a truly large Skyrim city?

Yes there are... but the best one is Falskaar http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/37994//?

This is on par with official DLC and has over 8,000 endorsements on Nexusmods and only requires the latest version of Skyrim.  It adds an entirely new area to the game.

PE

[Gusington]

I love you. This will be my first mod. Does it have its own backstory or.is it strictly a locale mod?

[PanzersEast]

I love you. This will be my first mod. Does it have its own backstory or.is it strictly a locale mod?

It has its own backstory and adds about 20+ hours of gameplay.  Even after you beat it you can return to the area via a boat.

PE

[Gusington]

Thanks man...looking it over I remember you recommending it months ago. Is it available on Steam?

[PanzersEast]

Thanks man...looking it over I remember you recommending it months ago. Is it available on Steam?

I believe it is on Nexusmods only, however there is a manual download and install so you do not have to use the NexusMod Manager.  It is straight forward to manual install by following the below directions, or if you wish, I can walk you through the Nexusmod Manager install.

*To install Falskaar simply extract all items in the archive into your Skyrim/Data folder. The archive should contain 4 items, "Falskaar.esm", "Falskaar.bsa", "Video/Falskaar_Intro.bik", and "Video/Falskaar_Outro.bik". Place Falskaar.esm in your load order above all ESP files, as close to the DLC as possible. (So close to the top) Exact order may not matter, as Falskaar shouldn't conflict with many things, but it should be near the top as other mods may later edit Falskaar.

PE

[Gusington]

Yeah saw that...cool. Will install this evening. Thanks again man.

[sandman2575]

I realized a longtime ago I don't have to install every mod for ever playthrough. I start with game play mods like SkyRE and Frostfall that I use all the time, then install texture mods, then install mods just for what ever type of playthrough I'm doing

This is very smart.  Wish I had thought of this before getting into my current game.  There are definitely mods I could afford to uninstall based on my character type / play style.  But I'm worried f I uninstall any at this point, I'll corrupt my saves going forward.


Have you guys gone the ENB route?  I'm using RealVision and like the atmospheric effects it adds, at pretty minimal fps impact using the 'performance' version.

Also, I think you don't need ENBboost with the latest ENB series (0.229?) because this version incorporates it.

[Kushan]

This is very smart.  Wish I had thought of this before getting into my current game.  There are definitely mods I could afford to uninstall based on my character type / play style.  But I'm worried f I uninstall any at this point, I'll corrupt my saves going forward.

Depends on what type of mods. Anythign game play changing or ones that might have scripts its generally not a good idea to uninstal mid game. I've lost a few saves by abusing it too much by installing/uninstalling mods constantly. Learned my lesson after the 2-3rd character. A lot of the new mods that are utilizing SkyUI's MCM function have an uninstall option that will stop any scripts that they run.

Have you guys gone the ENB route?  I'm using RealVision and like the atmospheric effects it adds, at pretty minimal fps impact using the 'performance' version.

Also, I think you don't need ENBboost with the latest ENB series (0.229?) because this version incorporates it.

I have not. I'm currently using RCRN (Realistic Colors Realistic Nights). I was using a combination of Climates of Tamriel and RLO (Realistic Lighting Overhaul) or Enhanced Lights FX. CoT is still my preferred weather mod, but I like the colors / lighting with RCRN. I've been thinking about trying an ENB at some point. Trying to find one that I like and that doesn't have a huge performance hit. Some of cinematic ones are fine for screenshots but I'd hate to play with them.

Not sure if its included or not. I know its built into the config file for ENB but I downloaded ENBoost and replaced the default ENB ini file with one for my graphics card/amount of VRAM that came with the ENBoost download.