Elder Scrolls V in the works - direct sequel to Oblivion

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

but sometimes I run into a lower level one that appears to be wearing the female version

Lower levels, okay, than they are female, no doubt.

And yes, the bosses are males. No need to point out the obvious.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

If by "level" you mean the Flawless, Epic, Legendary tags... no, I'm pretty sure it's not. If you have a steel dagger and, say, an ebony dagger and you have the smithing perks for both materials and you improve them both at the same crafting session, even if you can get them both to "Legendary" status the ebony should still have a higher damage rating than the steel because the base damage for the ebony weapon is twice that of a steel dagger. The ebony weapon started out better and, all other things being equal, it should always be better than its steel equivalent.

Well, I thought about an epic weapon status for a low-end weapon versus a high-end weapon that has not received any smithing at all. If the resulting damage number on boith weapons are more or less the same and maybe are separated by just one or two counters, then I think there is little difference.

Anyhow, the game becomes too easy at higher levels anyway, so i do not mind to use low-end weapons anyway. Already use a mod to increase enemy-rankings beyond 30, so that they level up with you, and a mod for slowing down own levelling. Made it a gameplay that feels not so rushed, and more developing. The mods Dowly has recommended, are very nice, especially Frostfall, while Imp'S imroved basic needs colliudes with my follower-improvements, and since I found it a bit anoying to stop gameplay every couple of minutes to eat, drink and rest, I skipped it. Have just started a new character, with gamestart at Solitude, and already got Meeko and Jenazara (Jenassera? Jezera? Who imagines these names? Does he get payed for it?) as teammates, living in the hunter'S cab at Riverwood whcih is very nice. Plan to move over to Mist Top and win Mjoll again, once I got levelled up. Skipping on magic completely these time, and on the main story as well (which nI never managed to end, the game always locks down at the Dragon to be fought at Kynareth once I met Delfine, no even console commands brought me beyond that point).

Somehow I always end up plkaying the same kind of character, doing the same kind of tactcis, perks, living in the same places. Think I am a creature of habit. Sword, dagger, bow, sneaking, ruling my gang. That'S it for me.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Skybird

And yes, the bosses are males. No need to point out the obvious.

They're only bosses until this female Dovahkiin kills them.

Originally Posted by Skybird

Well, I thought about an epic weapon status for a low-end weapon versus a high-end weapon that has not received any smithing at all.

Oh, I have no doubt that with the necessary skill levels and perks you can improve a low end weapon to the point where it's just as good (or close to it) as a higher end weapon that hasn't been improved at all. And that's useful for someone who wants a reasonably good weapon but doesn't want to spend perks on smithing bumps for higher end materials.

Personally I can't resist smithing, it's the one kind of crafting that I absolutely love doing just for the hell of it, so I always end up leveling out in the skill. Then I take perks for higher grade materials when I see them becoming readily available to my character either in merchants' stocks or found items.

The new patch made it much harder to just grind out low end items for smithing level-ups, which was frustrating at first but I like it. I've got all the perks now except Daedric and Dragon and I may not take those for a while yet... I don't plan to wear or use Daedric anyway and if I take the perk for it just to improve things I want to sell I may have a hard time finding anyone with enough money to buy them.

The only weapons I've used that went beyond the "steel" level in quality are Orchish, and that's only because I've been using the Axe of Eastmarch that Ulfric gave me when I became Thane and it was Orcish, so I made an Orcish bow to match (or just kept and improved one that I found).

The armor I'm wearing, while modded in and forged myself, falls under the Steel smithing perk but has stats close to ebony since the modder wanted to make it a viable end-game set. He did include some ebony in the forging recipe, along with things like bear claws and pelts which was really cool. I'm considering making an ebony set, but I don't know. I might just stick with what I have and keep improving it as my alchemy and enchanting get better and I can bump my smithing skill bit by bit through those means.

I may make ebony weapons since the stuff is becoming readily available and the sword I got from Ulfric at the end of the CW is ebony. But it's a 1H weapon and I promised myself 2H only on this character...

OTOH I'm also thinking I might try to play this one until I've leveled out in all the skills and taken all the perks, just to see what it's like to be so relentlessly OPed. So I'll have to get those 1H and Block skills leveled up sooner or later. Also I did just stumble across an ebony shield and I'm playing much more with found or received stuff this time around. I improve them but most of my forging goes into making cool stuff for followers.

Somehow I always end up plkaying the same kind of character, doing the same kind of tactcis, perks, living in the same places. Think I am a creature of habit. Sword, dagger, bow, sneaking, ruling my gang. That'S it for me.

Same here, I'm just much happier playing a certain type of character. Even my supposed "assassin/thief" build ended up in Dragonscale armor with high end melee weapons by the end of that playthrough, altho I did use the Nightingale stuff a lot once I got it.

[Skybird]

Have fun with Oblivion and the Shivering Isles. Old games, but still very solid and charming, I love them. In the germane dition, Sheogorath was spoken by a very well-known stage and movie actor here, Mario Adorf. One could feel and hear how much fun he had to speak those monologues and dialogues for that insane lil' basterd. And the games imo still look awfully good. The forests around Chorrol still are a sight to see.

The jump from Skyrim back to Morrowind imo just is too huge today, regarding visuals. When i tried it two years ago, I just did not get warm. I also prefer the more realistic natural ambient of the later games.

[Dowly]

And if you still want more, be sure to try the Nehrim total conversion for Oblivion.
Only played it few hours before Skyrim was released, but it was awesome.

http://www.nehrim.de/indexEV.html

[Skybird]

BTW, Frau, you have found that secret room in Mist Top, yes?

Another good one, nice eye fodder, is Roriksberg. And Dragon's Manor, very close to Mist Top.

Nice to see, but almost impossible to play (makes the game crashing if run with another house or world enhancement mod, is The Garden of Zen. Looks marvellous.

By pics, Riverside Lodge, new, looks very great too, but like most other mods I cannot get it running, the game ctd-ed every time I tried. Most world mods do that for me, due to some famous renaming bug in the Skyrim engine that Bethesda hopefully will fix one day.

Mist Top has several chests and manequins, and a complete forge, enchanter, shrine of thalos, dragon mask shrine, safe, and several weapons holders, so I do not see what your problem is with lacking functionality. But more than functionality the mod is about mood. It simply is "gemütlich". The isolation adds to that. There are quite some very big houses, complete castles, two or three with dozens of manequines and chests etc. But it feels cold, and uncomfortable. Nice to see what people have build, but does not really touch my heart. Thjat'S why I prefer smaller homes like Hunter'S Cab, Mist Top, or - to get a hold in the far West - the Hidden farm at Karthwasten. Just to have a safe haven with some chests and reserves there. Of the five default homes, I only like the one in Riften very much.

[Skybird]

(Riverside Lodge)

(Dragon Falls Manor)

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Mist Top has several chests and manequins, and a complete forge, enchanter, shrine of thalos, dragon mask shrine, safe, and several weapons holders, so I do not see what your problem is with lacking functionality. But more than functionality the mod is about mood. It simply is "gemütlich". The isolation adds to that.

Oh absolutely... there's no doubt that visually it's stunning, and the mood there is wonderful. And there are lots of things that are functional, I just don't like having so much other "stuff" that normally would serve a purpose or be movable but that does nothing but clutter things up (albeit in a beautiful way). Lots of bookcases but already books stacked on them that are just for looks, you can't see what they are or pick them up to move them or read them, so they're basically just taking up space. If you wanted to store other actual game books on those shelves, you're out of luck. There was lots of stuff like that. Or maybe it was just a glitch in my installation... I don't know, I reloaded once with it still there and there was no difference. Most of what I ran the crosshairs over was non-interactive.

Plus the inside was just way too small for my tastes. I could never stay there long much less have a follower in there with me, even if I could get one to go there and I suspect it's not properly set up for that at all. Breezehome is too crowded for me, lol, I have a mod that removes the wall/door between the main room and the alchemy lab and I keep using it even though it has some glitches because it's the only one I've found that opens up the space without doing a bunch of other stuff I don't want.

Also when I read about the location, somehow I was hoping it would be closer to High Hrothgar. I need to see if there's something that adds a player home up there, even if it was quite small I wouldn't care that much. Just someplace secluded to hang out when I want to visit there. I can sleep in HH but I'd rather have some digs of my own. Also Ulfric and I will need someplace secluded and romantic to go on our honeymoon.

[Skybird]

Closer to Iverstatt? There is a mod that adds a castle on the northern shore of the lake thnat is east of Iverstatt. "Riftborg" is the name, I think. There is also an older version of the mod named "mountain castle" or somethign with mountain in it - this one you do not want, it is old. It lacks originality, but is anything but small. Has its own guards and servants.

However, many homes have issues with spouses and followers entering them and living there, it's written to be another internal bug of Skyrim.

And another bug is that some places have immense clipping issues, and/or do not display the walls properly when approaching. Reason unknown. Solution: Save and leave the game, then restart it with that save game, and all will be visible. You can also try to load the saved game just wiothout leaving the gamed. Or you do a quick travel to some place and then immediately back to the original place you came from.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Closer to Iverstatt? There is a mod that adds a castle on the northern shore of the lake thnat is east of Iverstatt. "Riftborg" is the name, I think. There is also an older version of the mod named "mountain castle" or somethign with mountain in it - this one you do not want, it is old. It lacks originality, but is anything but small. Has its own guards and servants.

No, I don't really want anything that adds a bunch of NPCs that are going to be hanging around getting in my way and making pointless conversation when I'm "at home" trying to do stuff. A manor with guards outside might not be bad, but extra people inside? Ugh. You're talking to someone who once sent three housecarls to the Blades just to get them out from underfoot, and would've sent a fourth if the game allowed it. Added NPCs is one reason I stopped using the Dovahkiin Hideout mod, I don't need some random idiot standing over me for 20 minutes repeating "Need something?" while I'm at the alchemy table trying to mix potions.

With regard to location, I was thinking more of an addition to High Hrothgar itself that would be like a special residence of the Dragonborn. Or something up on the mountain itself, anyway. That would be "special" enough to add into the game for me, I'm not after just another place to hang my hat.

I found one that appears to be an addition to HH, and one that is a little cabin perched up on the Throat of the World. The first one appears to be pretty big and complicated and the latest version of it has added NPCs and live-in Greybeard "initiates" who are actually merchants - again, ugh. I liked the second one better since it's not really designed to be a primary residence, but it's fairly old and I'm not sure about the looks of the place, I don't mean it's ugly but I'm not sure if it looks like it belongs there or like something that was just slapped onto the existing landscape with little thought of whether or not it looked like it was actually built on the spot. Or whether or not followers can get in and out without issues, and that's a must for me.

However, many homes have issues with spouses and followers entering them and living there, it's written to be another internal bug of Skyrim.

Modded in stuff, yes, but I've had no issues with the original five homes. And not all additional, mod created abodes have that issue so it's not a "given" that is determined by some fault in the game itself as far as I can tell. I won't even download something that doesn't say it's follower-friendly. The follower mod I have allows multiple followers and I can take them home and tell one to "relax" in that place and just leave him/her there indefinitely, for all practical purposes it's like they live in that house until I tell them to follow me again or dismiss them entirely. That option isn't very effective if they can't get in the place to begin with, lol.

[Skybird]

That's me.

There I am, talking about secret rooms in Mist Top and how beautiful it looks - and not realsing before right this hour that there is a secret laboratory as well which so far I have completely overseen. The door is at an elevated position in the secret garden, and since the beauty of the garden made me keeping my sights glued to the ground, I so gar have overseen it, until just half an hour ago.



Here is hope too that the author will increase the functionality of the mod.

I try again with the Riverlodge now, I just like it by the looks. I will deactivate Riverside Extreme (or somethign like thatr) and the Hunter'S Cab as well, and hope that when Riverlodge is the only entranc ein that area, it then will work. If not - return to former status.

That must be one of the most annoying bugs in Skyrim. Bethesda really should fix it.

I also hope that any further update to Skyrim will not make some of these mods unplayable.

[Skybird]

Ah, Riverside Enhanced is the one messing it up. Riverside Lodge works without RE active.

And it works great! As nice as Mist Top, but more functionality, and bigger in size. Definitely one of the best homes out there. Beautiful, great view.

And a functional sauna! The author must be a Fin.

Well, some losses in Riverside Village then, the improvemements were unspectacular and sometimes not thjat obvious - but now that they are gone I see the losses. Which speaks for the quality of RE.

Frau, try this Lodge, regarding size and places to store stuff in, it may fit your needs. And as I said, it looks beautiful. Just the sense of gemütlich isolation I have in Mist Top is not that that intense here - both Whiterun and Riverside are close by.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Frau, try this Lodge, regarding size and places to store stuff in, it may fit your needs. And as I said, it looks beautiful. Just the sense of gemütlich isolation I have in Mist Top is not that that intense here - both Whiterun and Riverside are close by.

I think I tried it once already, some time ago... I did have a mod that added a lodge style house on the river between Whiterun and Riverwood. But I have the house in Whiterun already, I don't need another that close by.

I may look again at the one near Ivarstead (Ivarstatt). If it has NPCs inside that I don't want I can just delete them, I guess. Of course I could also do that with the one on HH itself. At any rate I probably won't want a "special" Dragonborn estate until I've progressed a bit more with this character.

[Skybird]

I think that Lodge is relatively new, but I am not certain. You can compare it via the two videos I posted above. It allows followrs inside. I have two, and a dog, inside, both floors.

Riftborg was bigger, and followers can navigate inside. But they choose their own miracle way to get from outside inside, and vice versa. Due to the size, the few NPC inside are no problem. The guards are outside on the wall anyway.

But it was no place for me. Too sterile, imo.

[frau kaleun]

Screencap of the day!

So I finally got the chance to prove myself and become an official member of the Companions. On the way to my assignment a dragon flew down over the tundra and circled for a while, but didn't attack. Then it headed off towards Fort Greymoor and attacked my Stormcloak buds who have taken over the joint. By the time I ran in to help it had landed inside the fort and killed at least two of my comrades. But we killed it where it stood.

Anyway, after that little diversion Farkas and I headed straight to Dustman's Cairn to fetch a chunk of some really old dead dude's axe. It was a tough assignment but we finally prevailed against all foes and headed back to Whiterun in triumph. On the road just east of the fort a thief had the audacity to accost me and demand my valuables. Being gifted in the art of persuasion, I managed to convince him that I was a veritable pauper and then the perfidious loon was foolish enough to turn his back on me and walk away. Not so fast, evildoer! was my only thought as I let out a gigantic Fus Ro Dah and sent him flying into the distance.

By the time he recovered and was back on his feet, my trusty friend Farkas had already descended on him with all the fury of a man who is constantly being picked on and demeaned by even his closest friends. (But not me. Me, he likes.) Being even more of a fool than I first thought, the thief attempted to escape in my direction and ran straight into the business end of the Axe of Eastmarch.



Never let it be said that the roads of Skyrim are not safer when the Stormblade is near!