phantompally76

It appears that Chesko's new fishing mod has been removed entirely from Steam.

In response to post #24572569. #24572664, #24572779, #24573134, #24573299, #24573349, #24573499, #24573674, #24573719, #24574234, #24574579, #24574739, #24574904, #24574909 are all replies on the same post. All seriousness aside, JJgoodtimes, your comment was DY-NO-MITE!!!!! And I agree with you, if mod reviewers end up getting free copies, that's going to upset the same crowd who are flooding Steam's comment section with the ascii middle finger right now, who are signing that petition (which now has over 9,000 signatures), and who are calling for mod author boycotts. I wouldn't go as far as to say that crowd is in the right, but I will go as far as to say that it's a very large crowd, and it can do a LOT of damage.

In response to post #24572569. #24572664, #24572779, #24573134, #24573299, #24573349, #24573499, #24573674, #24573719, #24574234, #24574579 are all replies on the same post. boulegue, exactly how much is Valve paying you to play the devil's advocate on here tonight? I mean, I can understand both sides of the argument, to a point....but your replies consistently (and suspiciously) smack of self-service.

In response to post #24572569. #24572664, #24572779, #24573134 are all replies on the same post. The question is how many of the irate modders out there tonight who are unendorsing chesko and isako's mods out of spite (which I don't condone, but totally understand) will in turn unsubscribe from Brodual, Gopher, and all the other popular mod reviewers that they perceive as being advocates for charging a fee for untested alpha content? So far I've only seen a reaction by Gopher, who was being diplomatically cautious about the whole thing. I fear (and I really do hope I'm wrong) that this will also have an adverse affect on the Youtube modding reviews community. I'm not sure how many reviewers will risk losing subscribers, traffic and revenue by reviewing paid mods. Only time will tell.

Man, what a controversy. This is going to alienate a TON of mod testers who view modding as a hobby and who refuse to pay money to playtest mods still in development. It's also going to alienate a TON of mod authors who view modding as a career and feel entitled to compensation, and who are going to be sadly dissatisfied with just how little compensation they receive, and the overall loss of respect and support they will suffer. Some of the very best Skyrim mod authors out there are taking a beating online tonight. Is it deserved? Well, that's not for me to say. But it's a safe bet that a lot of the most popular mods are months (if not weeks) away from becoming abandonware. I'm also very curious to see how the SKSE devs responds to all this. I'm not sure Valve/Bethesda/mod authors who buy into this are on stable legal footing in regards to SKSE. Ultimately, I think all this will result in a catastrophic loss of interest in modding and/or playing Skyrim at all. And THAT is the worst part of it. I can only speak for myself, but after reading arguments from advocates on both sides of the issue, there's definitely a sour taste in my mouth tonight.

I can count on one hand the number of mods on Nexus (or on Steam, for that matter) that I would pay any quantity of money to download and install. The real problem with this initiative is that 99.9% of the mods out there are in no shape to be "marketed" for sale, for any number of reasons, including; 1). Still in alpha/beta testing stage after 3 years of development 2). Unfinished/abandoned/no longer supported 3). Require 1 to 5 other mods to function 4). Imbalance core gameplay to such an extent as to make the games unplayable 5). Cause more issues than they alleviate 6). Contain copyrighted materials beyond the scope of the games themselves (including superheroes, popular film franchises, and other video games, for example) 7). Are filled with dirty/wild edits, or bad scripting that causes save bloat 8 ). Ambitiously overreach beyond the capabilities of the game engines, resulting in frequent CTDs 9). Contain assets created by other mod authors (who would most certainly expect a piece of the pie if any money were to change hands) 10). Were created and exist solely to offend as many individuals as possible 11). Contain adult content (when you start charging a fee for adult content, you cease to be an amateur modding community and become......something else entirely) 12). make very minor changes to individual textures, items, spells, quests, furniture placement etc. The only way I could see any sort of monetization on fan-made mods working would be a strict (and draconian) QA process, leaving only the well-made, well-tested, polished, sanitized and professional-quality mods to be monetized. However, this would only serve to divide and/or alienate the modding community; it might result in better, more stable mods across the board, but it would also result in bitter claims of favoritism, discrimination heavy-handed censorship, and the loss of artistic freedom. It would also result in a steep drop of overall interest in the hobby. All that said, I don't want mod authors to think that I don't appreciate their work and their efforts; I most certainly do. I'm just not comfortable paying money for the privilege of TESTING incremental, custom changes (that may or may not even work correctly with my individual hardware/software) to a game I've already paid for.

In response to post #23607584. #23645249, #23647084, #23650264, #23653244, #23663254, #23664754 are all replies on the same post. If it were really that simple, there wouldn't be an increasingly heated discussion about it.

I enjoy trying out and playing with mods, and I thought I'd share with the community my favorites. A thousand+ hours of trial and error have narrowed down my list of really good mods that add to the game immensely without trivializing gameplay or adding unnecessary bloat, and without compromising stability. Rather than try to create a "Top 25" list or something, I'm grouping them into different categories (graphics, gameplay, equipment, player homes, etc.). Keep in mind, these are MY favorite mods. If YOUR favorite mods aren't accounted for, that doesn't necessarily mean they're not good mods, but rather they simply don't suit my tastes or needs. Also note, a few of these mods have dirty edits, and cleaning them in TES5EDIT would be a good idea (except for Convenient Horses, in which the dirty edits are apparently required to function correctly). I won't be linking to the mods' Nexus webpages, because we all know how to do a search. DISCLAIMER: We all download and install any and every mod at our own risk. If one or more of these mods don't work for you or cause problems/catastrophes, well, that's not my fault, because they work just fine for me, otherwise they wouldn't be on this list. I. "Required" Mods These are mods that I run whether I really want to or not, because most other mods require them to work correctly. * SKSE - Only because many many mods require it * SkyUI - Mainly because most mods require it, but it has some nice UI choices * BOSS - Pretty much a requirement if you're not well-versed in how to align mod load orders. BOSS also uncovers dirty edits that need cleaning (see below). (There are other alternatives to this one, but BOSS has always done the trick for me). * TES5EDIT - Used to clean mods with dirty edits. This goes a very long way in improving stability. II. Mods I Can't Play Without The following mods are always loaded on my playthroughs, no matter what. Without these mods, I wouldn't even play Skyrim. * Better XBOX 360 Controller - I play with a controller rather than mouse/keyboard, so this mod is essential for me. With it, I have 8 hotkeys instead of 2 (DPAD up down left right, and LB + DPAD up down left right). * 360 Walk and Run Plus - I usually play in 3rd person, and this mod really adds to immersion. It basically allows your character to run "toward camera" when weapons/spells aren't drawn, instead of backing up. * Glowing Ore Veins 300 - Without this mod, there's absolutely no way I would ever be able to find enough ore to legitimately level up Smithing. It makes ore more visible (and not just in the dark). * Random Vampire Attacks in Towns Disabled - Without this mod, I probably wouldn't even install Dawnguard, because a game in which half your questgivers die before you even get the quests isn't very fun. * Run For Your Lives - This mod prevents said questgivers (and most non-military NPCs) from stupidly trying to attack dragons. Another mod I wouldn't even try to play the game without. * Convenient Horses - While I don't use all the features of this mod, I feel there's no point in trying to play Skyrim without it. With it, horses are no longer a massive and useless liability, and actually serve their intended function. * Imaginator (as well as the Imaginator MCM Menu mod) - I immensely dislike ENB mods. They're universally overcomplicated to install, set up and get working, and most of them require half a dozen or more additional mods to function properly. Imaginator does just about everything an ENB does, without any of the hassle. It includes several presets, and allows you to completely change the game's look. I strongly advise also getting the Imaginator MCM menu (it's a separate mod by a different author) and changing settings via the MCM Menu rather than summoning the "Imaginator Helper" NPC. It has been suggested in the past that the script that operates the Helper causes (or caused) save bloat, and as a result, Imaginator gets put on lots of "Mods To Avoid" lists. Using Imaginator along with the Imaginator MCM Menu mod, I've not had any problems with save bloat at all. Definitely run it through BOSS and TES5EDIT to be safe. III. Mods with Additional Gameplay Features For the most part, I avoid mods that add new content/spells/game mechanics/etc., because 99% of them are overambitious, overreaching, and overpowered. However, I've found a few that are truly good mods, featuring content that adds to each and every playthrough. * Frostfall - This is a truly excellent "survival" mod, well-designed, well-implemented and thoroughly tested. It adds an entirely new dimension to Skyrim, and you'll find that once you've tried it, you'll never want to play without it again. Whether you want a bigger challenge, or more roleplaying immersion, Frostfall just makes sense, and it's so well-made it could be mistaken as having been in the original game. * Dynamic Things - This is a terrific mod that lets you be more interactive with things in the game like crates, hay bales, target dummies, and lots more. You can even cut down trees and bushes for firewood, break rocks and boulders for stone, and loot containers that have no functionality in the vanilla game. * Become A Bard - Quite simply, this mod (which is only available on Steam, unfortunately) does exactly what it says; you can equip lutes/drums/flutes and play songs. Additional songbooks are available, and a lot of talented musicians have added their own compositions (although they're not all lore-friendly). There's a whole reputation system in place, and adds a massive layer of roleplaying. * Wood Chopping to Max Carry Weight - This little mod definitely gives you something to do while AFK. Now instead of only gathering 6 pieces of firewood at a time, you continue to do so until you're just below encumbered. An Honest Mod for Honest Work. IV. Graphics Mods Apart from Imaginator (which mainly deals in color tint, contrast, saturation and brightness), these are my favorite mods that improve graphics and textures. * Climates of Tamriel - This series of mods greatly improves the weather of Skyrim, and more. Options include darker dungeons, darker nights, interior mood lighting, etc. * Static Mesh Improvement Mod, or SMIM - Probably the most subtle retexture mod. It greatly improves the look of the entire game, from roads, to houses, to rocks, to tomatoes. * aMidianBorn Book of Silence - One of the reasons so many weapon/armor mods exist is that much of the vanilla/DLC gear is drab and low-res. This mod makes Skyrim's armor and weapons look better than 95% of the weapon/armor mods out there. Even iron and leather armor looks terrific. V. Gear Mods For the most part, I try not to run with too many weapon/armor mods, for a number of reasons (mainly because most of them, especially the popular ones, unbalance the game economy, or provide unfair advantages to the player. They also tend to clutter up crafting menus). Aesthetically, there are thousands of nice armor/weapon mods out there. For me, two stand out, and admittedly because armored knights and warriors are my go-to archetype in gaming; * Lost Paladins of the Divines Wrath Armor (plus Divine Fury Steed) - As far as I'm concerned, this is the best looking set of armor created for Skyrim to-date. Consider it the "good-guy" version of Daedric, because the "legit" version has the same stats, and it serves as the perfect alternative for warriors/paladins who don't want to look like death knights. Includes unique textured sword/shield, or greatsword (with sheath!), this gearset truly looks and feels like it could have been added by Bethesda as DLC. The horse is a perfect match, as well. (I should note that this is craftable gear, and features both an enchanted and unenchanted version. The enchanted version is highly overpowered in my opinion, but if you just totally ignore the enchanted version, the unenchanted version is identical to daedric statwise. * Medieval Warfare Armors (Crusaders, Knights Templar, Hospitaller, Teutonic, Chivalry) - In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated mods out there. It adds a LOT of new armor styles and a few new weapons, all with some historical relevance (and also a nod to Chivalry: Medieval Warfare). If King Arthur/Knights Templar/Crusaders/Monty Python is your thing, you'll love this mod! VI. Player Home Mods This is an area in which I've really concentrated playtesting. There are a lot of nice houses out there. Some of them are more buggy than others. Some of them are ridiculous. Very few of them feel like home to me. Here are the ones that I really enjoy, the ones that I would definitely want to live in myself. * Castle Stonespire - 99% of all the "castle" mods out there are just too big, or too inaccessible, or constantly CTD. Castle Stonespire is, in my opinion, in a league of it's own. It's just the right size, so you feel like a feudal lord (instead of the God-Emperor of Tamriel with a dragon in the basement and 600 guest bedrooms). It's a perfect example of "Less is more". * Elysium Estate - I really like this house. It's well-designed, and has some neat unique features that aren't over the top. Lots of customization options, plenty of roleplaying gimmicks, and probably the most lore-friendly hottub out there. It has storage organization and trophy display in mind. * ANY player home created by gentester (Candle Pond Ranch, Bridge Farm, White River Cottage, Darkwater Lodge, Aspen Manor) - In my opinion, these are some of the best player homes that have been created for Skyrim. I'm sure some might take to task the modern furnishings of a few of them, but just have a look at them, they are absolutely beautiful! And most importantly, gentester recognizes the importance of fertile soil; all these houses feature plenty of Hearthfire farming/gardening opportunities, something that almost every other player home mod author glances over (with one exception, see below). * Heljarchen Reform + Heljarchen Farm + Heljarchen Reform/Heljarchen Hall Patch - When these 3 mods are used in tandem with the Hearthfire Heljarchen Hall player home, it creates a really nice home base. "Reform" basically adds fortified walls around Heljarchen Hall that upgrade along with your house, and Heljarchen Farm adds a dilapidated farmstead just down the hill from the house that you can repair, improve, hire workers, and run a farm. Features a crop field with LOADS of fertile soils, a greenhouse with even more fertile soils, animals to husband (...), a brewery, guard tower with patrolling guards, and an optional addition to the farmhouse to make it more "family friendly". A modder has made a patch that allows it all to work together, creating one of the most interactive, customizable, and immersive player homes available. If you dislike the location of Heljarchen (and a lot of players do), there are also tons of Lakeview Manor mods out there. Well, there you have it. Mod authors, if your mods aren't on my list, please don't be upset. Not all mods are for everyone. And modders, if I didn't include one or more of your favorite mods, by all means create your own lists, I would love to see them!

vgamer4, That's not for me or you to say. This is the section for mod requests. The OP made a mod request. He/she didn't ask for whether you approve of said request or not. But we'll certainly take your name off the list.

Because we need more statue mods right now.

When I was younger, I would always play female characters in MMOs. So did all my friends. Looking back on it, I have no clue why. It certainly wasn't for any of the reasons proponents of sexykawaii always give ("If I'm going to have to stare at an ass for 60 levels, I want it to look hot" or "female models look better than male models" or "chicks with swords are big bewbs are the win"). Honestly, in retrospect, I think it was really weird, and borderline creepy. These days, all my toons are males, so I guess I grew out of it. That said, whenever I play MMOs I automatically assume every female character I encounter is a very immature male or a very disturbed male. Is that unfair? Absolutely.

1). I never fast travel. 2). I only use the console when I have to deal with a bugged quest or the game crashes before I can save and lose loot. 3). I don't use any exploits like the resto loop or invisible chest. 4). I stick to original character concept until that concept's skills/perks are maxed.

Then you've been extremely lucky.

I've been playing for what, 3 years now? And I still haven't even gone to Soulsheim (I probably even spelled it wrong) yet. So I can't offer any input whatsoever on Dragonborn. There's plenty of content in vanilla to keep you busy for a long time. Dawnguard is really fun, but be ready to go on longer dungeon crawls and get essential followers whether you want them or not for long periods of time.

I've always viewed the difference between them as being more aesthetic than min/maxing. In fact, I think they're both ugly sets, which is one of the main reasons I got into modding in the first place.

I always stay neutral. Neither cause is worth fighting for really, because the Thalmor are the real enemy, and the entire conflict was conceived, instigated and nurtured by the Thalmor to breed instability and maintain control. It's a stupid, useless war.

RND is no longer supported, and it junks up the loot tables in every sack/barrel/chest in the game with beehive husks, slaughterfish scales, and Hearthfire locks/hinges/iron fittings/nails. iNeed is still being tweaked and updated with new features. It also affects container loot tables, but (IMHO at least) a more realistic and positive way, although some players take exception to the amount of salt they can now loot. It also removes a lot of the random food drops so that cooking becomes more relevant. Some players argue iNeed also removes a lot of the random gems/ores/leather strips from sacks and barrels, but it's not like there's a shortage of those materials available in a playthrough with iNeed installed. iNeed lacks the ability to refill waterskins anywhere in rivers and streams, but you can do so at waterfalls. You can also create your own well buckets and rain barrels to drink/refill skins in or outside your player home, and at wells in town. Either of those mods work fine for food/sleep needs, really.

Good luck is all I can say. Save often, and be sure to clean your fans.

Do your crashes happen while navigating menus? Or when loading? Or when simply travelling? What are your system specs? I'm sure you've already checked lead orders through BOSS or some other load order mod, and have cleaned any dirty edits with TESVEDIT. If not, you might try those. Otherwise, the authors of all those mods will assert that their mods don't cause crashes. It's up to you to decide whether you want to believe that or not. Also, keep in mind that Skyrim is a completely unstable game (especially on PC), with or without mods, and internet heroes who say they never have any CTDs are lying. You can go through all the troubleshooting steps on a 5,000 dollar rig and still get CTDs with Skyrim every half hour or less with or without mods installed.

I attempted to install that mod a couple days ago, but to no avail. Once I figured out that its creator(s) and his/her bandwagon of cheerleaders refuse to acknowledge the possibility that perhaps there's something wrong with it, and vehemently blame all issues on mods you have never even installed, I swiftly uninstalled, and will never look at it again. There's even something wrong with their Nexus page right now, so /shrug.