Adipose

I've always been of the impression that the various "...Raht" Kahjiit hybrids preceeded the "Mrissi" character/quest mod. Am I wrong?

Okay, players want Orcs that look more human and still be Orcs. Same with Dark Elves, High Elves, etc. ad infinitum. Why not just create a race of Half-Orcs? There's already a mod for Half-Dunmer. See, when ya cross humans and whatever else, ya gonna get who knows what cause genetics are gonna result in a LOT of variables. Modders could make'em look as human as they'd like. Course, there's no dialog interaction niche for a half-race of any kind so they'd still need to be labeled as one of the vanilla races, otherwise they're nonentities as far as the game is concerned. There's a preset for a half-Orc character that really comes out looking pretty good...if ya take the time and do it properly. Still runs as an Orc, but that's okay.

Since there are animations now for spears, both stabbing and throwing(iIrc), I've often wondered why someone didn't introduce pyla for the Legion. I suppose it's just too difficult. I certainly don't have the ability. Thing is, there are modders that do have the ability.

Running Skyrim Unbound. Trying to kill the Great Beast in the Sinding quest. Has run me all over the Falkreath...Helgen region. Hit him innumerable times. He heals almost instantly. Killed him once in the middle of Helgen but then got sniped before I could save. Zapped me while I was talking to the Hircine apparition. Did Unbound change that quest on purpose or has it just become inadvertently bugged through the programming change? Never, EVER had this much trouble in the past.

What I've, finally, noticed is that the skill leveling books seem to work or not in alternate games. Play a short while, books work and level as they should, then drop out, delete all the saves, quit, and start an entirely new game...books don't work. Rinse and repeat, books work. Etc. Way it seems to me anyway. Cause??? Haven't noticed whether it's the same way with trainers. Have mine set for five levels at a go from trainers, sometimes that works fine, other times the game just takes your money and either doesn't deliver training for the first one or two, or doesn't train at all while taking your money. Real pain in the tuchas(tookus). Save a lot prior to training.

Not an attempt to be hostile, it's just that I've logged over ten thousand real time hours on Skyrim and, though I do get in a hurry on occasion and overlook areas like requirements, it's rare. I'm an old hand in the true sense of the word...at least as far as game play is concerned. It's what I do instead of sitting at a table and playing Solitaire like my father did. Besides, it's a whole lot cheaper than shooting matches, fishing trips, or vacations in the mountains.

ROFLMAO!! Much as I'm tempted to wax snarky at this point, I'll just say: "Yes, I checked '"Requirements"'. HDT and XPMSE are all that're required. Mod is advertised as Standalone and other needed contributions are listed under '"Credits"'. That kind of listing, in a Standalone, usually indicates items used to create or display the mod and, normally, aren't required to run the mod. Not true in this case. Further, the author clearly specified the facility with which the mod works with AFT. Not so oh doubting one. Attempts to run the mod with AFT are met with a message that says something about missing script parameters and raises the question of a mod conflict. Much as I was inclined to go through all my mods in an attempt to find the culprit I decided to delete the follower mod. Frankly, I think the modder, who is pretty good and has several on the Nexus, may've dropped the ball this time. This is the first time in just about forever, that I've downloaded a mod that won't run with AFT, particularly as the modder clearly specified the desirability of AFT with this mod. Okay, finished writing. Have a wonderful day in Bitland." It is possible, though unlikely in this case, that there's some little quirk in my comp that causes it to not like the mod. It's old and a bit odd at times. I've got nearly a hundred running with Skyrim at this stage and they're all fine. I've had as many as 250 up and running in the past.

Mod looks good, no seeming conflict or requirements specified, download goes smoothly, fight my way through several beasts and hostile homo saps to reach her, rescue her from several hostiles, then note that she looks as advertised except for the fact that she has bright mauve hair. Log out, go to the mod sight, read back through the description and in the notes on recommended at the bottom a very large hair mod is listed...not requited mind you, just listed. Oh good, I get to load up my comp with yet another memory hungry mod that's probably going to cause play problems at some point. Modders, please, please be very clear as to what's required and what's not. I truly do appreciate all the work modders do, however, presentation sometimes needs more work. Apologies for any offense, but it really is a two way street.

At this point I think it's safe to say that Vortex has surpassed NMM as regards ease of use and general utility. On the whole, with all the upgrades, I'm quite pleased with it.

I'd like to see a SMALL fortified hold, a kind of Motte and Bailey, that's got the basic smithing, enchanting and alchemy works...including a smelter. In addition, I'd like it to have accommodations for me and five followers. Sleeping arrangements needn't be beds or some such. I'm perfectly fine with a room large enough to accommodate six bedrolls that I can make and drop on the floor...and NOT have them disappear into a bit quicksand. There are a couple of small hold mods that are nearly correct, but not quite. Btw, before the basement bedroom mod became available for Lakeview, I'd leave the back room empty and load it up with bedrolls. Works fine. An awful lot of castle mods, etc. tend toward overkill. Modders often seem to go accessory nuts, I suppose because they can. Seems to me that the KISS principle applies to mods as often as it does to real world activity. Just do what needs to be done and leave it at that. The more complicated a mod becomes, the greater the opportunity for glitches. Bits seem to be fickle creatures that require simple, clearly defined direction. The adventurers tent mod is probably a good example of what I have in mind...though it could be simplified and still work. Btw, the modder who did the tent is, needless to say, very good. For the most part, it works flawlessly...if you follow the directions. Ya know, come to think of it, I'd like to see a game centered in the early Middle Ages that's built around the story of a minor lord who, fleeing conquering hordes, finds a remote mountain valley with an easily defended pass at the entrance. He then fortifies the pass with a small hold, and proceeds to develop the valley. Using that as a base, the lord then, slowly but surely, begins to expand his power in the mountain region until he becomes a local power. The game ends there...or does it?

Got it. Many thanks. You'd have thought that I'd have tried that. Ah well, some days I'm on and some days I'm off. Price of aging.

Okay, I'm officially computer inept. I've added an extra Reqtificator slot to the Dashboard. How do I get rid of it?

MrStoob's "Sophia". Another great mature follower.

If you're a player who likes mature followers, I suggest that you take a look at 'Marika". Very, very satisfactory...afaIc.

My preferred Elvin appearance is to be found in many of the illustratiions that appeared in Children's Literature back in the 1920s and 1930s.

Thanks for the info.

As most of you probably know, there are several mods that address Lakeview Manor and Manor security. There is one in particular of which I'm quite fond and use regularly. However, I've now installed a mod that makes radical changes to the Manor House interior, part of which is now incompatible with the exterior mod that I normally use. With that in mind I've been experimenting with alternative exterior mods. So far, none of them are satisfactory...mostly because they aren't particularly secure. One left a huge hole in the wall which any kind of hostile entity could use to launch an assault on the manor proper. Another was better, but could still be jumped over in two or three places...though bitmapped hostiles probably couldn't manage it. I'll probably go back to my favorite mod and tweak the install a bit...hopefully. Having said all of the above, the harsh reality is that no matter what security you use, bandits and giants will still be able to spawn inside the wall on occasion. I've reached the point where the first thing I do after going out the front door is stop and listen for loud breathing from a large humanoid. Being thumped by a giant club will still launch you high into the sky, with a subsequent drop which proves that Newton was right...and which will cause you to be glad that exiting a structure results in an automatic game save.

Lol! (pitying shake of my head) Was reading mod description by a very good and experienced modder in which he thought it desirable that Dunmer be modified so that they looked more human and less like "monsters and freaks". If you want humans, run humans. Dark Elves/Dunmer are just that, Dark Elves. They ain't human and dey ain't gonna be human. Don't expect'em to look like humans. I don't think they look like monsters and freaks, they're a different race. I've never understood, and will never understand, why players feel the need to humanize elves in order to alter their basic elfish appearance. If ya want'em to look more human it's okay to create a half-elf type, but they need to be characterized as a Half-Elf. The only problem with that, is that the game dialog doesn't have any commentary which acknowledges their half-elf nature. There is no "Elrond" niche in Skyrim. That was, I think, a serious short-coming in game design as finally laid out by Bethesda. The company should've made it possible to modify in-game dialog in order to acknowledge changes in race and physiology. That would've made the game so much richer. Making Elves more human in appearance detracts from that richness in variety as well. Ah well, I'll play mine, ya'all play yours and we'll all be happy. I like my "monsters and freaks" just the way Bethesda made'em.

IIrc, FCO doesn't address the business where a follower a follower refers to the PC as "friend" as the most common form of address. Assuming FCO doesn't deal with that, is there any way to mod that so the follower uses a more familiar form of address, such as the player name, title, or some such. I know Lydia refers to the player as "My Thane". Is there any other more familiar form of address that could be created?

ROFL! Just as I assumed. Take away follower gear, leaving them starkers, then run a dungeon. They come through it just as well as they would if they were wearing armor. Definitely no point in having them wear anything...unless you just want to do so. Use AFT and remove their essential nature and they'll still boogie along just fine. Oh, they'll show some effect, but it won't amount to much and they'll still heal up in a hurry, even if you've removed all the protections and perks by using AFT. Now, one can make them completely vulnerable, particularly in Dragon or Boss fights. Unfortunately, I've forgotten how. I remember in one long done Dragon battle, the Dragon died but I lost my whole five woman team and they were all geared up to the max. Guess I'll go do a bit of research on the Net and the Nexus. I don't search Steam, mostly because it's just not a well planned site and isn't very user friendly...at least as I see it.

Okay, on searching the light ebony mail, it seems to me that the shoulder plates need to come on up to the base of the neck. As designed, the only protection for that area is linked steel(chain mail). If one wanted to avoid weight increase then take the bottom bicep piece and reshape it to fit the spot now covered only by links. One good hit with any kind of heavy weapon and that area where the collarbone and neck merge is toast...along with the character. A curved steel plate, or pair of plates, is necessary. Should be able to do that without increasing overall weight...if the lower arm plates are sacrificed. Just looking at it makes my neck twitch. Note, this is only critical if one is playing with one of the picky location damage mods. Otherwise, you could probably have a character wearing just about anything and as long as it has an artificially assigned strength factor it could be anything...up to and including a tee shirt and a pair of shorts. So, in the end I suppose, it depends on how realistic you want your game to be. Of course, if you're also running about with an unrealistically powerful weapon, then the bad guy could be encased inside an M1 Abrams and you'd still slice him open like a wet cardboard box that you hit with power mower.

I'm quite fond of Amazing Follower Tweaks...as are a good many players. One of the aspects of the mod that I've come to appreciate is the provision for making someone a follower. Since I'm using the mod "Flower Girls" one is able to find women of "negotiable affection" in most of the major towns/cities. If one wants to, ahem, rescue them from a life of sin and degradation it's possible through use of AFT. I believe the term is "intervention". The result can be unpredictable. The first one I recruited had very low stats...fives all across the board. However, after about three or four level events she began to level with me and became a very useful follower. However, I'm now running her with two other retired ladies of the evening and she's not yet moved off her fives, though the others started off respectably leveled and have continued up with me. Go figure. Mod results have a tendency to be unpredictable and it seems to me that the more one uses the more unpredictable they become. Unexpected consequences and all that. Also, the bigger a mod is the more unpredictable the consequences will become...at least in my experience. Frex, I'm using a truly massive armor mod now and while it's a very good mod, and I'm only running about 98 mods, a small handful of the npcs are running about with pale mauve gloves and boots. My understanding is that this indicates a stressed video card, stressed memory allocation or ... ? Oh well, back to mod management. Bless Vortex, Loot and FNIS.

Was trolling the Net for open world Samurai rpgs. First off, seem to be very few rpgs actually set in Feudal Japan. There is a new PS game out titled "Ghost of Tsushima" which is declared to be open world. Not available for PC as yet. Maybe never. It's controlled by Sony. Change the physiology and graphics our old Witcher would easily become a Ronin. Not likely, but 'ya never know. Very few story driven rpgs available, and only a tiny portion of those are based on the Samurai culture and mythology. Actual Ronin, historically, lived lives that often burned bright, but most often for a short time and usually ended tragically. I suppose there are exceptions but I'm unaware of any. The story of Sukeroku is probably a good example. Many times I've created an Akaviri clone of a Samurai/Blade. It's not hard as there are good housing, clothing, armor, weapon and character mods available. However, Bethesda's creation isn't really set up for it as there's NO dialogue that adds immersion to that game center, as is the same with most other characters and races that step outside of those created by Bethesda. I've often wondered why Bethesda didn't add an Akaviri dimension to the game proper since they're very much part of the lore and, iIrc, they are referenced...hmmm, maybe I'm misremembering that. IIrc, the Blades evolved out of Akaviri culture.

AAARGH! There's a modder doing really great mature female character mods...but they're all presets!!! Such a nice change from the treacly Anime characters that currently abound. Too bad the creator can't turn them into npcs for the game. Oh well, so it goes. Still and all, kudos to the modder.

Due to reformat of ssd I was forced to download a new Vortex install. Much improved due to lots more help on sorting. On the whole a distinct improvement over previous versions.