erehwonnz

A few words of introduction, so bear with me! :thumbsup: Before the release of Skyrim, I'd never heard of modding or the Nexus. How much I've learned since November! :biggrin: I've been awed by the creative content this community produces again and again. Your imagination has enriched the world of Skyrim for me, and I'm grateful. And curious. As an endlessly curious person, I'm lucky to be in a field that allows me to explore what I enjoy, to think about spaces in which I get to play. So, as a relative newcomer here, I'm asking y'all, modders or users of mods, to consider modding with me. Studies suggest that gaming helps us learn and share as communities while encouraging technical know-how online. So I've a quick 5-question survey for anyone who is willing to contribute to my geeky academic musings. I'd also like to pose some questions for you to consider in this thread. A survey for modding folks! And some question to mull over in this thread: What motivates you to mod (and learn the technical process of modding), to download mods (and learn how to use/troubleshoot them), and participate in the Nexus? How did you learn to mod or use mods? What role has the Nexus community played in that learning? What can people outside the Nexus learn (skills, approaches to the internet, working in online communities) from what goes on on the Nexus and in modding communities? Alternatively, do other communities lack something (e.g. Steam)? This isn't some kind of lab-rat study: I'm genuinely curious to hear about modding from the people who make it what it is, and any feedback and conversation will be endlessly appreciated. :thumbsup: I hope to hear from you. -Ryan

These are some great ideas! I have to second the notion of an improved telekinesis spell. For a thief character, such a spell would open up some some new possibilities.

Some really nice ideas here. Silly as it sounds, the male hairstyles really disappointed me in Skyrim, and I too would love to see some alternative ones.

Hm, while I agree with the other ones, pretty sure my spouse has been traveling with me for the bulk of the game. :)

Onmund has been a decent companion. He at least has a marginal back-story and doesn't frequently get in the way while supplying decent cover from a distance. Sometimes he does seem to go wandering off a bit, but generally he's been reasonably pleasant and neither as dangerous to one's well-being as Lydia nor as arrogant as Marcurio.

Well, that's eerie. The image of an angel becomes itself an angel, eh? (Anyone?) And I thought the worst was coming home to find the Chaurus eggs I collected on the move down the stairs.

Yes! If nothing else, we should really see more rubble beneath the city. Imagine a new questline surrounding an underwater ruin...pretty compelling. As it is, I don't really feel like this is a place where a disaster occurred. Where are the signs that the city stuggled onward after its ruin? Did no one build their shacks and homes around the old ruins, make cornerstones and walls of rubble? I think I want to look out at the sea and feel this sort of aged atmosphere: http://assets.vg247.com/current//2010/11/frontEndRuins.jpg or http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/gallery/guild-wars-2-images/concept1.jpg It's a pity that some of the richness of the conceptual design work didn't appear in-game. Compared to the slightly whimsical, verdant Riverwood put down on the page, the in-game Riverwood seems a pale sibling. Knowing little of the logistics of modding a town, I wonder whether there's a way to restore some of this lost whismy and some of the greenery to Riverwood, to give a stronger sense that the town is among the trees and mossy stones. I really miss the moss or grass-covered rooftops that seem to make the houses look like hillocks. http://conceptartworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The_Art_of_Skyrim_05a.jpg The link text notes that Riverwood became the template town, and I think that factor (coupled with its early introduction) make it feel weary and a little dull (as much as I love this world as a whole). Markarth has that waterfall set back in the cliffs; that might be a place to add new structures (I really don't know the logistics--I'm just imagining), especially since the concept art suggests a much taller city. I find it somewhat disappointing that Markarth's iconic tower is entirely empty. Moar towers! http://parkablogs.com/sites/default/files/images/skyrim-03.jpg Solitude has some decent open spaces to add houses or businesses. The concept art suggests something more akin to Bree in Fellowship of the Ring, with the building rearing and leaning out of the night. http://images.wikia.com/lotrgames/images/1/1a/Bree.jpg Side note: all this water around Solitude and Riften and no seabirds floating along? Makes the space feel a little dead. Whiterun seems like it could stand to gain another ring of city altogether: as it is, it has quite a bit of structure leading into the gated part of the city. I'd like to see the innermost ring gain a gate, creating multiple tiers implying breadth. And, most importantly, roof-climbing! ;)