[WIP] Distinction - A Gameplay Overhaul

[GrimyBunyip]

About Me
Since I'm recruiting collaborators, it's a good idea to tell you about myself and what my expectations are.

I'm Grimy Bunyip (although I go by MorionicIdiot on Steam and the Bethsoft forums)
I'm going to grad school for a masters in CS in 5 months.
So I want to make one last, huge mod before I go.

I've made 3 notable mods so far: GELO, SkyTweak, and SkySet

And since then I've realized one thing:
Brainstorming and modding on my own is really boring compared to working with others.
At the very least, so it would just nice to have a few extra ears to bounce ideas off of.

That being said, I'm don't really expect any specific skills from anyone.
But I do expect collaborators to be willing to learn some new skills if necessary.
Since most modders have to learn something new each time they make a new mod.

I'm fine with doing this entire project on my own if that's necessary.
And even with a few recruits, I'd still expect to be doing the majority of the work myself.
But any extra helping hands would be appreciated.

 

In terms of communication, I'm personally a fan of gtalk.

But either that or private messages on skyrim nexus.

What kind of people am I looking for?
I'm in particular need of people who can do models/meshes/nif's
And don't worry, I'm not going to any absurd requests like remodelling every item in the game.
Other modders in the team might put in a request for a few models every now and then.
Maybe they want to make throwing knife for a combat mod for example, that kind of thing.

Aside of that, I'm looking for modders and brainstormers.
People who have ideas for new perks, gameplay mechanics, etc.
I'm pretty good with coding/scripting, so I can implement ideas,
but it definitely doesn't hurt to know how to do those kinds of things on your own.

 

If you're interested, post here, or send me a PM, or email me at [email protected]

About the Project
The project is tentatively named Distinction.

There's a lot of gameplay overhauls centered around Hardcore-ness and Immersion
And while immersion and hardcore elements are not mutually exclusive with this mod,
I really want to focus on character creation.

What do I mean by Character Creation?
If you play your character in skyrim, and play someone else's character in skyrim.
The gameplay will always feel pretty much the same.
No hard you try to make yourself unique through perks, armor, weapons, skills.
At the end of the day, your character creation decisions have very little impact on gameplay.

Enchantments, perks, weapons, gear, yada yada.
The player makes decisions when he chooses them.
And these decisions should reflect meaningfully in gameplay.

That's the goal of Distinction: To make characters very distinct based on these gameplay decisions.

Modularity
There's one reason I don't use gameplay overhauls.
Because they're never "quite right", there's always something about each one that bothers me.
And naturally the best way to allieviate this is modularity.

Sure, a lot of gameplay overhauls claim "modularity" by dividing their mods into submodules.
But each submodule forces the player to decide:
Do I want everything in this sub-module? or do I need to settle for vanilla?
But I plan to do one better.

MCM Settings
Each submodules will have an MCM settings menu that allows users to fine tune the mod in game.
How long should timed blocks last? How long should my potion cooldown be?

Redundant Submodules
Most modders only release a single vision for any given game mechanic.

Lets say we have a modder who thinks that potions should be stomach wrenching amalgamations.
He releases his gameplay overhaul submodule: Vile Concoctions
It punishes players who drink too many potions too fast with debilitating potion sickness.

Well what if you don't like that vision of alchemy as a game mechanic? Well then you're out of luck.
It's that modder's way or the vanilla way.

Distinction is going to approach this by adding redundant submodules with radically different design paradigms.
Lets say one member of the team releases vile concoctions.
Someone else might release another submodule, lets call this one Nature's Balm.
This one reinvisions potions as druidly elixirs made from herbs, rather than noxious chemicals.

That way users aren't cornered to buy into one vision of a game mechanic.
They'll have a more diverse selection to peruse.

What kind of Content can I expect?
Depending on the people I recruit, anything and everything really.

I don't believe I know the single best way to play Skyrim.
I have my own opinions, and I intend to implement them.
(I like diablo style loot and I like game mechanics that reward good reflexes, timing, and planning for example)

I intend to allow redundant submodules.
So if another member of the team has a vision of a gameplay overhaul that is radically different from mine:
I'll do my best to help him/her reach their vision, and insure compatibility between submodules.

But all of them should be centered around one theme.
Changing the game so as many decisions of any kind, will directly affect gameplay.

Credits
Everybody will be credited of course.
Specifically once in the mod descriptions page.
And again in the MCM menu of each mod in game.

If you're looking for something else other than that, you can bug me about it.

Edited April 4, 2013 by GrimyBunyip