Total Realism Overhaul

[Mansh00ter]

http://www.zerocreations.com/TRO/main_post_title.jpg

 

Mod Download

Total Realism will be released in separate modules and as a complete pack, all available from the Nexus.

Currently only the Basic Needs module has been released, with more soon coming.

 

--You can download the modules here--

 

As the title says, this mod will be all about adding immersion and realism to the game, with accent on immersion. The end goal is to provide the player with a wide assortment of small "everyday" activities and gameplay requirements designed to pull them further into the game world and also make basic gameplay much more challenging and interesting.

The mod will at first come in the form of modules so that the players can mix and match the features they like, and pending availability of scripting support there will be later an ingame options menu where players will be able to set all the parameters to their liking.

 

To that end, these are the planned changes so far. If you have any suggestions I am of course open to them! Items marked with a ? mean that I am not sure they can be pulled off - need to take a closer look at the game with the Creation Set before I can make the judgment.

 

Interface changes:

 

• removal of immersion breaking elements, such as compass bar, enemy and quest indicators (I know this can be done in the settings, this is for those who don't like a temptation sitting there)
  
• overhaul of the way important information is handled, such as adding fullscreen visual and audio cues instead of a health bar
  
• figure out a suitable way to represent the mana bar with visual/audio cues
  

 

World Navigation changes:

 

• Map Check ability - the idea is to take the existing Clairvoyance and make a more immersion friendly version even for people who like to play a magic-free character, so that the process looks more like a proper map check than casting a spell; see if it is possible to add a cue as to how far the destination is
  
• removal of fast travel - temptation is a bad thing!
  

 

Survival changes:

 

• food, sleep (perchance dream) and drink requirements for the player character; to include:
  
• total consumables overhaul so that they include nutritional value; eating an apple is not the same as eating a roast pig
  
• you can get stuffed on food, which will slow you down for a little while
  
• water skins, ability to refill water in rivers and streams, wells etc.
  
• you can get drunk and pass out
  
• chance of getting sick or diseased if eating uncooked food (but it can save your life in a pinch)
  
• certain diseases making it impossible to hold food down
  
• disease progression more impactful; deadly diseases
  
• dying of thirst, starvation, visual cues for sleep deprivation
  
• combat, sprinting (maybe even running for long periods of time), intense spellcasting and other physically/mentally intensive activities reduce the time before the player needs to sleep
  
• wounds and bleeding, also bandages in case you don't have a healing spell handy. Some wounds only to be curable with proper treatment.
  
• replacement of instant healing potions with over time healing potions
  
• remove health regeneration / magicka regeneration to be tied in with "basic needs" (more tired you are, less magicka you have and slower it regenerates)
  
• health can be restored only though magic, potions or other proper healing methods (sleeping or eating have no effect)
  
• environmental hazards; going around scantily dressed in a blizzard will not be good for your health, even if you are a Nord. Trudging through rain/snowstorm for hours will make you tired. Hypothermia will slow you down.
  
• clothing overhaul; different types of clothing for different situations. You will want a nice warm fur coat (figure out if it is possible to add an "overcoat" so that the player can still wear armor underneath) high in the mountains
  
• deployable camping gear; specifically, methods to combat environmental hazards (campfire), cooking gear, small tent and a bedroll
  
• merchants are going to be ripping you off - make gold less available in the game; owning a horse should be a more impactful achievement, and the player should be encouraged to plan their way ahead, as well as forces to stealing in order to survive if they are poor with their purse management
  

 

Combat overhaul:

 

Combat to be made deadly regardless of level. Includes:

• all weapons to be made more dangerous; even an untrained bandit hitting you in the back of the head with a two handed sledgehammer can be lethal unless you have proper armor/magic up
  
• blocking to be made much more effective; make blocking practically a requirement, attack mashing no longer to be a viable tactic.
  
• ?figure out what to do with dual wielding; parry/evade mechanic
  
• make combat dynamic have as much of rhythm between attack and defense as possible
  
• ?dodge mechanic for player and NPC's
  
• reduce the impact weapon skill has on overall damage of the weapons
  
• reshuffle weapon perks if necessary
  
• deadly archery; having a piece of wood piercing your internal organs is not comfortable. Getting pierced by an arrow will slow you down. Getting shot by more than two should kill you.
  
• drastic difference between bow types; high end/long bows take much longer to draw, but offer far greater stopping power than lower tier/short bows
  
• ?headshots lethal
  
• archery skill overhaul; archery skill to affect combat accuracy (less skilled you are more you "weave" with your aim)
  
• armor overhaul; armor to be a lot more effective, killing a heavily armored foe will be more like bludgeoning them to death compared to slicing apart a measly brigand
  
• magic-armor interaction; wearing a full set of metal plates and getting hit with a lightning bolt is not a good thing. Fire, on the other hand, is more bearable. But not if you wear leather, then it's the other way around. You get the idea.
  
• lethal magic; as a mage you can expect to be sliced in half if someone hits you with a big sword. Only fair you can burn them horribly to death before they get close
  
• ?full dismemberment
  
• ?selectable (combo) finishers
  
• damn horses run off if hit in combat
  
• (optional) all NPC's killable, including children and quest/story NPC's - to be kept strictly optional for those who like it
  
• ?blood splatter overhaul; add blood splatter after combat, proportional to amount of fighting done, complete with a custom shader. This will lower player's Speechraft (Charisma) until they clean themselves. Provide methods for cleaning (linen rags, bathing).
  

 

Inventory and Item changes:

 

• overhaul weight values for all ingame items according to a new formula: weight AND volume; this means that otherwise light but bulky items will have higher weight to simulate inability to carry 100 sacks of straw on your back. The goal is to make inventory management a gameplay mechanic - the player will no longer be able to haul twenty axes into battle
  
• carry weight addon items; rucksacks, knapsacks, carts, pack horses; items players can buy, complete with an ingame model, and which can make inventory management and dungeon raiding easier
  
• ?weapon and armor durability; bring back weapon and armor condition. Weapons to require periodic maintenance, using blacksmithing skill, actions and resources. As their condition deteriorates with use, so does their effectiveness. Items never break beyond repair.
  
• ?weapon maintenance tools; portable, craftable tools for field maintenance, such as sharpening stones. Some gear will always require a proper forge to repair/maintain (such as armor/shields)
  

 

Stealth & Crime Overhaul

 

• remove stealth indicator
  
• increase duration of alert mode after NPC's get attacked or have their buddies killed by a sneak attack
  
• more stringent crime penalties; getting caught in people's homes should call in the guards unless the NPC is a friend, same-faction holds should "bleed" bounties (committing a crime in one Hold should also incur smaller bounties in adjacent friendly Holds)
  
• people remember crimes longer
  
• ?suspicion; sneaking around, committing crimes (even when undetected) and other anti-social activities lower the players reputation with that city, which incurs various penalties, such as raised prices in shops and inns, higher bounties for detected crimes etc. Decreases over time, or with socially acceptable activities, such as donating to local temples, handing out charity to beggars or buying rounds at the local inn
  

 

 

Environment Changes:

 

• dampen (not remove completely) ambient light in caves/interior cells; the aim is to produce a more atmospheric feel of being underground/in a smoky Nord lodge.
  
• torches/lanterns/illumination spells to be made actually useful; increase light radius with proper light faloff
  
• droppable lit torches
  
• darker nights
   
  

 

This much for now, I think if I manage to cram all on the list into the mod it will make for a nice start on the road of total realism. Feel free to add your suggestions or requests!

Edited February 25, 2012 by Mansh00ter

[Tadaa]

Visual cues for sleep deprivation idea is pretty cool, some people can get hallucination if they stay up too long. My friend had some crazy hallucinations when he was in army, saw shadow people in the woods. But as for game itself, it's easier to keep them as sounds (whisper noises maybe?) and maybe later expand from that.

 

I'm so waiting for creation kit, so we could get basic needs mod out. I think it really fits for this game, for me it's not about playing Sims, more like resource management of scarce items, it adds more challenge and tactics. System shock 2 game did it right with scarce items.

 

Good luck with your mod. :thumbsup:

Edited November 16, 2011 by Tadaa

[topeira]

Very deep and interesting changes.

Do u have the knowhow on how to script AI as well?

And how to integrate stuff like bashing with dual weilding or staggering for various amounts of time? (by using existing animations)

[Ashrok]

Environment Changes:

 

• dampen (not remove completely) ambient light in caves/interior cells; the aim is to produce a more atmospheric feel of being underground/in a smoky Nord lodge.
  
• torches/lanterns/illumination spells to be made actually useful; increase light radius with proper light faloff
  
• darker nights
  

 

Have you tried turning the brightness all the way to the left? Gets pretty dark then ;)

Rest sounds awesome, but frickin hard to play, i like it

[Silpher9]

Awesome Idea! Have nothing more usefull to say sorry

[Ashrok]

Just a quick addition: make nothing invulnerable, not even story characters, dogs or childs, but make murder a real bad crime and the prize you have to pay when going to jail higher plus the escape a lot harder.

[AlteredAgain]

Watching this thread. Arwen stated she would like to make a realism mod like she did for FO3 and FONV. I'm excited for any possible mods that will make Skyrim a harsh and unforgiving world.

[NeoH222]

A realism mod would work. I didn't dare to turn on Hardcore in Fallout New Vegas since it seemed I could never find what I needed, but Skyrim on the other hand is different. There are more food and drink options, and to be honest, all that stuff would work with it. I would love to go out of my way to hunt nearby deer or get water from the many rivers I pass by.

[CyanRaven]

I love almost all of these changes! One question, though, if I may; will different races be more resistant to cold than others? A nord should obviously get a bonus in the weather resistance department, but would a wood-elf have to bundle up extra tight to keep his little pointy ears from freezing off?

 

 

Anyway, this sounds AWESOME. Good luck, can't wait til it's out!

[NeoH222]

I love almost all of these changes! One question, though, if I may; will different races be more resistant to cold than others? A nord should obviously get a bonus in the weather resistance department, but would a wood-elf have to bundle up extra tight to keep his little pointy ears from freezing off?

 

 

Anyway, this sounds AWESOME. Good luck, can't wait til it's out!

 

Hm, it would be interesting. Though I am not sure about argonians. It would suck for my argonian character to be forced to carry some heat source with him just because he's cold blooded. But, that's the sense of realism I guess.