I'm into farming in video games and I see a lot of potential for farming to be introduced to Skyrim. It would add further roleplaying scope to the game and another objective besides the combat and lore-based questing. Inspiration can be drawn from Harvest Moon in a few ways, especially the time scale of a few minutes per day, the necessity for a good amount of sleep per day and penalties for sleep deprivation, the owning of a farm but necessity to clear rocks and stumps off the field in order to use it, ability to upgrade the farm by purchasing things such as a greenhouse, chicken coop or barn. I have considered specific aspects of this mod that would make it both immersive, involved, challenging and rewarding but above all, realistic. I want some realism to fall back to after I slay a dragon by shouting at it. I want to defend my herd of cattle from a dragon or some bandits or a pack of wolves. I want to get married and have my farmer's wife help me tend the farm. Skyrim has such a fantastic world within which to live the life of a farmer that missing this opportunity seems almost criminal. Here's the list of farming features that I have compiled so far: A farm can be bought in each hold but taxes must be paid to the Jarl on a regular basis. Each farm will be suited to a certain aspect of farming due to factors such as climate, distance from the city, terrain features, soil quality, abundance of grass, you name it. The player can upgrade the farm by purchasing things such as a greenhouse, chicken coop or barn. This will allow the player to keep animals (cows need a warm place to sleep) or grow different produce such as tomatoes in the greenhouse. Crops (potato, cabbage, etc.) can be planted in a player-owned field. Fields require plowing before crops can be planted - requires an ox and plow (each sold separately, batteries not included). Crops have individual respawn timers and can only be harvested a certain amount of times before they must be replanted. Different crops take different times to grow. Crops require watering or they will die after a few days but not so long that going on one of the more extended quest leaves you with a dead farm to come back to. Having a wife/husband to maintain your crops would extend the time that you can stay away. Food will be producible in larger quantities so as to make them a viable source of income. Livestock can be bought from other farmers and even sold to them should they require a new animal (radiant quest similar to a farmer buying cabbages from you but much rarer). Animal breeding is possible but very slow. Feeding livestock will be necessary (like tending crops) but more expensive. Livestock can be sold at stables outside of cities or butchered for meat. The player must manually walk their livestock to the stable - no avoiding bandits of wolves on the way there by fast travelling! Animals can be bred but only at certain times of year and pregnancy takes in-game months. Wheat can be milled and cooked into bread and pastries. And here's a list of gameplay modifications to add to the immersion: The time scale will be much higher, leading to much shorter days so that growth actually happens in the player's IRL lifetime. Eating, drinking and sleeping will be necessary on a daily basis, probably using Imp's More Complex Needs. Actions such as planting and harvesting crops, cooking, plowing and milling will take in-game time and will have animations to match. Any products that require time will be worth more to justify cooking as a roleplaying element but not worth so much that a player would choose to cook everything rather than sell raw produce. Potentially certain merchants will buy only raw foods and others only cooked foods. Any interest? Is this even possible?
