Riprock

I always thought that TES could use an actual Bandit storyline- a whole parallel society type of thing where you work your way up in a bandit clan. You raid caravans, waylay travellers, and even raid towns.

Skyrim? 1) No real "good" or "bad" path. I really like the 'gray area" that Skyrim allows you. I look back at all the "Empire vs. Stormcloaks, which are right" discussions, and to me, that right there means that the decision was a hard one for players, and that's because the dev team made it that way. That's a good thing to me- decisions mattered to the players. They have less impact on the character, but making the player think and talk and consider is a good thing 2) Seamlessness in the story forks. In this regard I mean the CW quests and how they run if you're also doing the MQ. I don't want to post any spoilers (yeah, but some people still may not know) but I'm talking about the way you'd never know that certain events were missed if you weren't doing both at the same time- the game neatly blends that in without any sense of anything missing by the player. That is good story branching 3) Overall subtlety of skills. I don't like Skyrim's system better than OB or MW, or less than either. It is different and has it's pluses and minuses. However I like the subtlety of the perks vs. skill level. I have different characters that use perk trees differently- that seems to have been the whole point. I like the freedom of that. I can have high skill in say one handed, but I don't need to spend a single perk in it 4) Placement of towns. They make logical sense in most cases now. Take Skingrad in OB for example- this big town with a wide avenue right in it's middle. But that avenue is far removed from the main road. Makes no sense to me at all. It's location and situation is wrong. Skyrim uses more logic in location 5) Combat is more fun. Not that any TES game is a showcase for it. 6) Appearance of caves and dungeons. I dislike their linearity, but they sure do look better 7) atmosphere and lighting

I don't even accept donations. In my mind, modding has always been a voluntary, free service. I don't like that it's being monetized through the Steam Workshop, and I'm not a huge fan of the fact that it's being monetized here. It's a slippery slope, and one that I think is best avoided. Bethesda, on the other hand, is rolling in profits that far, far outweigh their development costs. They can afford to spend more time and money innovating and thoroughly bugtesting their products, but they choose not to. I don't have a lot of sympathy for a company that chooses flash over substance, and Beth is definitely going down that road. I've been a fan of TES since the Daggerfall days, but there's a lot about Skyrim to be disappointed in. If another competitor steps onto the playing field and starts releasing quality, moddable, open-world RPGs, it's a safe bet that they're going to start getting my money (and time as a modder). Beth really needs to get their act together if they don't want to lose their traditional fan base. I don't accept donations either; respectfully, I've put thousands of hours into researching historical events for a combat flight sim for which I have produced very popular, free, third party work for, and that doesn't count the accurate historical paint schemes I researched and produced. I have spent hundreds of dollars on research material, and, well, etc etc etc you get the idea. I will not say that being a modder for TES is easier or harder than the work I have done; it is different, surely, but at it's heart, it is still lots of work done for zero monetary gain on the part of the modders- in this case, you, and me. I agree with you; it is not something I like seeing, third-party people getting money. But it is demonstrably going on. I do my work for love of doing it and sharing it- you sound like you have a similar attitude. I wouldn;t take money if it were offered. It's a gift, not a thing I have for sale. Hearing that people liked it is my reward. I cannot speak to Bethsoft's profit margin and development costs. They have so far not included me in their business model discussions ;0) I will not comment on these things I have no way of knowing, but I will say that yes it is reasonable for them to be making a profit, and I'm sure they are I've been a fan of TES for a little less time than you, but I also agree- Skyrim has it's downsides. So did Oblivion. So did Morrowind. But in Skyrim, at least they made a concerted effort to listen to the fan base. Whether or not it is even possible to do that and pelase a majority is a serious question, and I don't have an answer for it, but it is remarkable that they tried. Personally, one of the things I like about TES is that each installment is a little different. To me, that helps keep it fresh and enjoyable. However, I cannot agree that the fact I pointed out- that modders can and do accept donations now- not all, certainly, but some do- is either debatable, or linked to Beth's failure to satisfy anyone with Skyrim; it is just a fact, whether you or I like it or not.

Businesses produce some kind or service or product for a fee Expecting them to make product for no profit is silly Expecting them to have never-ending projects is silly Expecting them to not try to maximize return on investment is dumb We have great modders here. For years, the idea of "if modders do this for free well then why do we pay for DLC" Well first, people donate to modders. So don't tell me that modders 'do it for free' when you can donate to them Secondly some people flatly don't use mods. You won't see them here- obviously Thirdly if you don't like paying for games, DLC etc, don't buy them, wait for a better mod Lastly, for every great modder there's three that releases nothing but half finished 'beta' product. We remember great modders and conveniently overlook bad modders. They exist And the same old same old 'selling out, dumbing down' (thanks for reminding me, lol) arguments and jaded observations are derivative, bland, old and boring

Thanks. I guess that makes sense

I just looked at three mods, all new stuff. Each of them had 'files hidden by author'. OK, well, that's their business I guess. I found another mod, an older one, that looked good. No files are available for download yet. But yet it has thousands of downloads. Ohhh kaaayyyy... I look at a fifth mod, a really popular one. I try to download: author has hidden the files. I'm asked to please respect that (?) Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over Are there any mods on this site any more?

The mods are the whole backbone of this site. Respectfully, I'm not asking "Why the changes?" I'm asking "why the changes that take the focus away from the mods?"

The changes have not been for the better. You've gone from "could be optimized better" to "changed apparently at random"

Seems to depend on what you want to change or add. Try something easy to spot, like a moon replacer, so you can be sure you get the hang of installation

Going for a perk-driven build is a challenge, for sure. Do-able though. I don;t think your build is 'broken'. I think you need to capitalize on your alchemy skills: poisons, invisibility, frenzy. Consider putting some effort into enchanting

I swear this mod was hear on the Nexus but now I can't find it: it was a mod that allowed the 3rd person dual wield stance (right hand weapon over your head, left hand weapon low at the ready) to be viewed in 1st person. Just looked for 45 minutes to an hour and no luck I searched under: dual 1st 3rd wield animation stance pose two view can't find it and I forget the name. Any help???