NAPALM13092

This is pretty awesome. To be entirely honest I would never convert my Skyrim like this as anything more than a joke, lore hound and all that, but to see these kinds of resources gives me hope for some really stellar mods that take us to the southern portions of Tamriel.

You have though. The Perk system has the potential to solve all the issues, without having to bring back the cumbersome, outdated and irrelivent attributes of yester-year. With the perks, you can easily set up classes, with pre-set levels for the beginners, and the ability to disable 'auto leveling' as people become more comfortable with the system, without the need for arbitrary attributes which, come level 30ish, are all maxed out anyway. The bone has very much been thrown, though i find a lot of people are ignoring it entirely. It remains to be seen, of course, if Bethesda is aware of the potential the Perk system has, and is willing to put the thought into developing it. I agree with you about the perk system. It was a fantastic addition that accommodated both styles of player. It is simple to understand yet allows complexity in character development. Even though it was more reminiscent of feats from D&D style games it was labeled as "perks". What other game has perks? Call of Duty does. Brilliant bit of marketing I must say. They add something old guard would like and label it as something that catches the new comers, "Bro, you see that new dragon slaying game? Pfft, that s*** is for nerds. No bro it has perks and s*** just like COD. No way, I wonder if it has commando pro or sitrep!". Boom, new with the old. That being said if you would claim the perk system alone was some harmonious marriage of new and old that appeased both players completely I would disagree. Nice touch and I commend them for it but I still feel as if more steps could have been taken. If I may go back for a moment and defend the idea of attributes. In implementation they have certainly left much to be desired but attempting to reiterate and improve a system would have been preferable to simply scraping it. The main element I feel it added to the game play experience was diversity that perks don't exhibit until much later in the game. At early levels everyone is a clean slate which is the core element of most role playing experiences. However in Skyrim that is taken to a level that diminishes the flavor different races can bring and the handful of situational racial abilities and the +5 "x" skill is no substitute in my opinion. Having a Nord or Orc feel brawnier than an Altmer or Bosmer, or a Khajiit feel more agile than an Imperial was a nice touch of that flavor attributes provided. In Skyrim every character feels like a carbon copy until you are a good portion into the game. There was a certain mystique to going against the grain and making a walking juggernaut out of a tiny Bosmer or a Arch Mage out of a 400lb Orc. I feel having a streamlined version of attributes that is less number crunchy for the common man in addition to perks would make for a richer experience. You would have easy to understand layers of game play mechanics that over time would add up to make for more diversity than any one system could on its own. I don't intend to make myself or players like me seem like victims because we certainly are not. We were still given a great game and I don't really hold any animosity towards Bethesda. I am simply stating that any idea or product has it's ups and downs and if you do not let a little bit of your cynic run free there is no hope for improvement through constructive criticism.

Its terrible that people play games to unwind after a stressful day and don't want to have to think too much about a game. Absolutely shocking, it should be illegal. I think this is a serious issue that a lot of the so called 'Old Hands' fail to respect. The 2000 odd, crotchety old bastards who think RPG's are all about numbers and stats and min-maxing hold little more than contempt for the so called 'casual' RPG player. And when you get rid of their beloved spreadsheets (anyone remember the leveling algorithm from Daggerfall? I sure as hell do) despite said not having a purpose anymore, they get grumpy. Stats, in the vien of Elder Scrolls games, were outdated. They got left behind, and rightly so. Some people, however, can't deal with change particularly well... Look at conservative america. But i digress, some changes suck. The constant handholding on quests, for instance. It's a hell of a lot better than running around asking random villagers where Arnold Buckham lives, just so i can kill the bat in the attic, but they had something that worked with Oblivion, there was no need to change it. All in all, though, it's not the 2000 number crunching complainers who make sure we get a new Elder Scrolls every 6 years. It's the 2,000,000 casual gamers who want to come home after work or school and adventure a bit, slay some monsters or rob people blind. AD&D is still around for those other people, but by and large i agree with Bethesda's choice to make the game more user friendly. I should clarify that I have no problem with the simplification of gameplay elements as I am well aware it is Little Timmy that puts food on Todd Howard's table. I only request the option to play in a more hardcore style should I so choose. Want to use a preset class, quest markers, fast travel, and casually breeze through some dungeons after work or school? I am all for that and endorse the growth of the fan base. I am not asking for excel spreadsheets and having my nuts twisted in a vice levels of difficulty, that went the way of the dodo bird for a reason. What I am asking for is being able to play without the hand holding, if I want to get nitty gritty with my characters stats let me do so, if I want to explore and find things out as I go rather than being given an in game instruction manual and schedule then let me do so, if I want to ask around and do some detective work to find a resolution then at least give me the option. I know the point you are trying to make and I would be inclined to agree with you, just know that there are a lot more than 2000 of us and we are willing to accommodate the new comers. We only ask to be thrown a bone once and a while.

I loved that about the Imperial City. Also I have good news for you. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/14351/?tab=3&navtag=%2Fajax%2Fmodimages%2F%3Fuser%3D0%26id%3D14351 While not as extensive as the IC sewers were they do allow you to sneak around a few cities undetected and give alternate access points to several jails, buildings, and exterior grates. There are even some interesting things to be found in them.

Neutral Good Human Sorcerer (2nd Level) Ability Scores: Strength- 13 Dexterity- 12 Constitution- 12 Intelligence- 15 Wisdom- 13 Charisma- 12 Alignment: Neutral Good- A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable. Race: Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like. Class: Sorcerers- Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast. Personality: Tactician- A tactician's edge is his ability to anticipate and plan for the moves his enemy will likely make. The tactician trains both mind and body and is often an excellent physical specimen as well as being a tactical genius. The tactician values ingenuity and discipline. Color: Blue- I value knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is the water droplet. My enemies are green and red. Fairly accurate considering my preference for flexible magic/stealth hybrid style characters in role playing games and heavy use of unorthodox "Art of War-esque" tactics in strategy games. I have a strong mentality that if you fight fair, you are doing it wrong.

Better Quest Objectives Yea, I have that mod. It is a godsend but the fact Bethesda doesn't do something like this to began with irritates me. Most of my gripes are not crazy new ideas but simply things they have done well in the past and for whatever reason abandoned.

As a disclaimer I will say I have liked every Elder Scrolls game with the exceptions of Battlespire, Shadowkey, and Redguard. I think Skyrim is still a fine game with many technical improvements but it has lost some luster the previous titles had. So if I may get on my soapbox for a moment... Attributes Being a long time RPG player I am fond of statistics that differentiate characters like strength or agility. Orcs should be stronger than Bosmer by default, etc. Removed Skills Even though many like acrobatics were sub par I liked having them on a RP basis. Spell Variety Elemental Shields, Reflect, Absorb, Fortify, Damage, Drain, etc. All gone, why, hell if I know. Summons 4 Daedra, 2 familliars, 3 Undead(Dawnguard), and 1 Resurrection spell is pathetic compared to 20+ summons we had in Oblivion like Xivilai, Hungers, Spider Daedra, and Liches. Spell Crafting Kinda goes without saying. Enemy Variety Elder Scrolls has wiki pages full of fascinating and strange creatures yet we get very little of that in Skyrim. I miss all the types of undead, daedra, and mythical creatures. Drauger while neat get old fast and I would kill to see some Minotaurs, Wraiths, Zombies, Scamps, Imps, Ogres, Goblins, Liches, etc. Linear Dungeons I really like that every dungeon has a written or implied story to it so this is a minor gripe overall. However I have to state that never getting lost or always without fail taking a secret backdoor to get out severely cheapens the experience. So much potential and so much done right with Skyrim's dungeons and then they botch the one thing that has never been a problem before. Large Cities Not that they have ever been massive, but the cities in Skyrim look like copy/pasted villages far too small to be the places we read about in lore. Triple the size even if it is copy/pasted buildings and you can make the districts different cells because of the toasters that are consoles. Population Skyrim has only 784 npcs compared to 3244 in Morrowind. Because of this most people are important to a quest and thus immortal and have a "requires key" house. I am not asking for 5000 fleshed out characters, even generated names, faces, and houses with phoned in "Arrow in the knee" dialogue would be nice so I at least got people to steal from or get a sense of "This is a large population center". If I can name every single NPC a town off the top of my head you are doing something wrong. Size Whether it be the forest of Falkreath Hold or the marshes of Hjaalmarch you never feel lost in the wilderness since a settlement is always in sight. I would have liked a world about 4 times the size but with the same amount of locations as vanilla. Not more content wise but simply more distance to give the areas some scale and adventure. I mean Movarth's Lair in like 100yards away from Morthal and we can see the ugly square edge of the map from atop Hrothgar. They could have at least added some non computing intensive, super low res water and land around the play area so you are not taken out of the immersion. Quest Hand Holding Want quest markers? That is fine with me, the Sherlock Holmes play style of Morrowind wasn't for everyone. However don't write your quest with the assumption that "They don't need any semblance of where they are going, the magic marker will show them". At least add something like "You need to save Dan. He is being held by necromancers in a lair along the northern cliffs of the Jerral Mountains by Falkreath." instead of "Save Dan" *insert mystical arrow*. I mean for f*#@s sake you are not breaking the forth wall at that point you are going through it like the Kool Aid Man and making the clairvoyance spell, which was an awesome idea, completely obsolete. I don't want to be "that guy" but I honestly believe most of these problems are due to consoles and the player base they incubate. Horse power wise the 360 and PS3 are holding back what an open world RPG could be and are likely the cause of a lot of the loop holes and what appears to be lazy design in the visuals department. Lastly, while this is a negative stereotype, it is still one I feel holds true from my own first hand experience that a very large portion of the console player base is young, impatient, or what I call Bro-Gamers. With games like Call of Duty perpetuating the market they want instant gratification and mouthbreathingly simple mechanics in games. Classics like Baldur's Gate or even Morrowind would never retain the complexity that made them great in todays day and age because the market share of gamers wouldn't be willing to commit the braincells to silly things like stats or riddles. So I don't end sounding like a Negative Nancy I will again state that I still think Skyrim is an awesome game and what it did commit to it did very well. It just dropped the ball on some key aspects that would have made it Bethesda's godly contribution to mankind.

@Enatiomorph It wasn't a literal meaning, more of a silly phase very loosely related that I just threw onto the rule to grab the eye like "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.." before the rule concerning character beauty or lack there of. @JanusForbeare No problem you made an awesome companion.

Rule #1 Beam me up Scotty! Never fast travel unless by carriage or boat, I have a mod that adds more carriages and make ports reachable by sea, because it kills the immersion of the journey so to speak. Just as there was a real sense of distance and development in fantasy movies and novels like Lord of the Rings, I also enjoy seeing how my character grows reacting to situations on the way from one destination to the other. Rule #2 Jack of all trades, master of none. I like the idea that my character is a specialist and not an infallible killing machine of 97 different forms of Kung Fu. Perhaps I am a skilled hunter but have limited combat experience and tend to flail and swing wildly in melee combat. Perhaps I am a street rat on the run and couldn't tell the difference between a welkynd stone and a soul gem. I don't like my characters to be too perfect. Weakness creates a richer experience. Rule #3 El Presidente of all the cartels! I think we all know how silly it is to be the Listener, Nightingale, Harbinger, etc. all in the same go. Being Dragonborn I feel doesn't entitle me to be "Archbishop of the Entire Freaking Universe" and so I tend to stick to one faction per character and maybe one other that seems like it wouldn't impede with the other like Stormcloak and Companion for example. Even within a single faction I do not like that I become their holy prophet over night so I tend to use mods to make a more believable scenario such as Tolfdir being the new Archmage rather than me. Rule #4 My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard... While I do use mods to make the characters better looking and have no beef with things like prostitution, as it would occur in a medieval social environment such as Skyrim, I do keep it within the realms of what my personal taste perceives as realistic for the setting. People in those conditions would look fairly haggard and dirty. The characters look better as far as texture resolution goes but there are no supermodels with conditioned hair and mascara in my game and most people look like they live a fairly harsh and violent life. Rule #5 You can't fix stupid! The follower AI in Skyrim makes Todd Akin look like Issac Newton. I cannot use a follower for more than 10 minutes without them doing something retarded, killing the immersion for me. Some followers are much better like Atvir Dres but those characters and few and far between so I tend to run solo. Rule #6 Do you even lift? Even though the game allows me to carry a midsized sedan and a few small boulders I tend to keep to what one would rationally carry with a little bit of wiggle room. I usually only carry one set of armor, some cloths, weapons, potions, reagents, misc tools, etc, that one would be expected to have. As far as loot goes, I tend to only pick up low weight high value things like gems or very expensive weapons as walking around with 16 iron helmets and 96 cast iron pots from a bandit camp is fairly unlikely. Rule #7 No, Bear Grylls, I am not drinking THAT. I tend to sleep at night, kinda have to with how dark it gets with mods, and wear armor and clothes conducive to that environment such as fur cloak in the snowy mountains as oppose to a latex g-string and mantassles. I also eat to regain health outside of combat and make potions that are over time rather than instant never die fizzy lifting drinks. I more or less survive as one would be expected to within the realms of being at least somewhat convenient and making use of magic and what not.

Bretons - Anglo/Gallic people of Northern France and Southern Britain (Caucasians with rounded features and a feudal culture similar that of Western Europe in the middle ages. Their names also tend to be British or French in origin.) Nords - Viking people of Scandinavia and North Central Europe (Tall Caucasians with pale skin and a Viking like culture. They have Nordic names commonly used in Scandinavian nations like Sweden and Denmark.) Imperials - Romans of the Western Roman Empire (Caucasians with pronounced features typical of Italian origin with Latin names and a military and government doctrine identical to Rome after the Republic.) Redguards (Ra Gada) - Desert cultures of North Africa and the Middle East (Dark skinned people with a desert culture, style of combat, attire, and names similar to those of the Numidians, Moors, Hittites, and Persians.) Wood Elves (Bosmer) - Native American Tribes of Appalachia and the Eastern United States (Subsistence living people with deep attachment to the land and a reclusive and slightly barbaric lifestyle.) Dark Elves (Dunmer) - Japanese after the Sengoku Jidai (Alien culture resisting and adapting western ideologies while struggling with internal strife that challenges long held tradition.) High Elves (Altmer) - Ancient Imperial Chinese of the Tang Dynasty (Historic and powerful culture with a strong sense of dominance over its own and its neighbors.) Orcs (Orsimer) - Mongols from the steppes of Central Asia (Nomadic barbarians with strong communal ties within tribes. Appear aggressive and savage to outsiders and relentless in battle.) Argonians (Saxhleel) - Aztecs and Mayans of Central America and Mexico (Mysterious spiritual culture practiced in a dark dense environment dangerous to outsiders. People are vulnerable to slavery by more advanced cultures.) Khajiit - Peoples of Eastern and Southern Africa from the badlands of Ethiopia through the savannas of Kenya to the Kalahari Desert (Culture based in semi arid to arid region with little unity and cooperation. People vulnerable to slavery and political influence from other cultures.)

double post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMI01Af-UTs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUz_dGunyXg

Top track from each respective game that I have played.

http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/19.jpg http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/whatcolor_isblue.jpg Chaotic Neutral Human Ranger/Sorcerer

Allegiance: Imperial Skyrim Race: Breton IRL Gender: Male IRL Age: 20 Location: Michigan, United States Favorite subject in school/uni major: Computer Engineering (major) Physics, Astronomy, History (interest) IRL Political affiliation: Conservative Libertarian Play/Combat style: Nightblade (hybrid of stealth and magic to support skirmish tactics) Blades or Paarthurnax: Paarthurnax Guilds joined: Imperial Legion, Dawnguard, College of Winterhold Opinion on the Daedra: Distrust the whole lot of them. Some are pure evil and others are just assholes. Who did you side with in Fallout: New California Republic, Boomers, Small towns like Good Springs and Megaton.

4chan is just a series of image boards but being anonymous all conventions of social norms and basic human dignity go out the window. At the best of times the website can be hilarious and at the worse of times it can be a venture that, lets just say, will stick with you. There are more tame boards about travel and fitness and some like the videogame boards or "/b/" are the cesspool of the internet. As for testosterone and actions heros, I love games like Halo or Battlefield. What I don't like the so called "mono gamers" that only play one specific franchise or game and feel entitled to s*** sling about anything that isn't their personal sliver of a multibillion dollar industry. This is really bad with Call of Duty gamers but all sides of the court are guilty from Elder Scrolls to Madden. It is fine to say "I like and feel comfortable with this game and don't like that one." but most people because of the anonymity of the internet start drawing battle lines even within "communities" (If the behavior here or on other forums constitutes as a community then the internet is about as civilized as Somalia.) like here on the Nexus, from MMO vs. FPS, Halo vs. CoD, Lore Skyrim Modders vs. Japanese Anime Modders, etc. As for female gaming protagonist I am not sure what the first one was but I remember the original Metroid you didn't find out Samus was a chick till the end because of her power armor but after levels of blasting aliens like a champ she kinda got to prove herself before the cat was out of the bag. Lara Croft on the other hand was a big deal back then and the obvious sex appeal marketing didn't help but now people just accept that kinda thing like all aspects of our evolving culture. I also think in 10 years the whole "you play a girl?!" thing will go away especially as the demographic continues to get older, average gamer nowadays is 24 and rising last I checked.

I agree with you and your hubby about the control theory. It is certainly odd and taboo by most people's standards but fairly harmless I would say. Everyone has little quirks oddities about them that never see the light of day nor affect their outward appearance. Who knows your dentist may be a perv for in game donkey shows and Japanese cartoon porn. :biggrin: As for modding armor, I only understand the basics of using modeling software like blender or nifscope but starting out with already existing armors from mods or the vanilla game and just tweaking those is the best place to start. I tried to make an armor from scratch and it did not go well. Sites like this are a great place to start ( http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Creating_an_armour_for_Skyrim._Part_1 ). It may seem daunting at first but it is just a learning curve and it isn't something anyone will get over night. There are also many different programs and styles of modding so browse around at different tutorials as flexibility makes a great modder. As for style or design, well that is more subjective from person to person but if you want something revealing that is still accurate to the lore of the game I think something along the lines of Conan the Barbarian would prob fit but that is really gonna be a personal taste thing. As far as rape goes I have played games and watched programs that already had rape in them whether it was implied or actually shown from Witcher 2 to Game of Thrones or Sons of Anarchy. It never really bothered me since I could make the disconnect that it wasn't real and it served the purpose of a plot device. I agree it would fit in with Skyrim especially with bandits, corrupt guards, etc. It would also serve as a great motivator to get you going after those bandits because as is they just seem like Hamburglars with fur armor. They are almost comical rather than twisted and evil people. If it was something that was already in the game I would prob be cool with it but putting that in the game myself would just feel weird. I also doubt there are any mods with that sort of content that just apply to said baddies in a realistic slave trader kinda way. Most adult mods with that 'theme' if you will turn everyone from the Jarl of Whiterun to his kids into nypho free for all horn dogs. Playing as the opposite gender gets most of its flak from the sexers and screenshotters. Yet the people doing the majority of complaining are usually teenagers not really bothered by that stuff as much as they are just cynical little shits that feel like it is their duty to judge others like their opinions are objective fact. (see: 4chan) Maybe I am a hypocrite for saying that as I have my own opinions but I tend to be more flexible and understanding than most people on the internet who are just hardliners unwilling or incapable of accepting another way of thinking. Before I get to ranty I think the other aspect of it is this sort of aura gaming still has of big buff dudes like Duke Nukem and Master Chief going around saving the world with testosterone and chainguns. I still remember the shitstorm when the first Tomb Raider game was released and yet people male and female alike have come to accept Lara Croft as a protagonist over the years. Lastly, You are never too late in taking up a hobby if it is something you love.

You and I pretty much have the same mindset when it comes to our games. I like realism and can suspend it when it comes to magic and heavy armors like Daedric and Dwarven that are so heavy to the point of being silly as that is just part of the established lore. I can also do some revealing armors that make sense like shirtless barbarians and don't mind nudity or sex if it is done tastefully or seems fitting in the situation like you described. An example is the Witcher 2 literally starts with a sex scene and boobs and bonking are thrown around like it is going out of style in that game yet it never takes away from the story and it remains one of my favorite games of the past few years. The things I can't stand is manga or anime style mods that look completely out of place in Skyrim, technology that is out of place, modern clothing, and supermodel males & females. I don't personally have any sex mods but I have no problem with other people using them. Where it gets creepy I think is things like rape, transgender, monsters, sex toys, or when someones game is modded with the sole intention of fapping. I must throw in the "To each his own" again as if they want to do that kind of thing they are entitled to go about it. I don't think it is a stretch to say we all like sex and anyone who says they never looked at porn or "relieved some stress" is a f***ing liar. However when the internet is already 20% porn devoting that kinda time to design Skyrim with that single purpose is odd to me at the very least. Back to the original topic though. There are all these demographics of people that play all kinds of genders and races for various reasons and because of one loud or strange demographic the whole lot get thrown in this "You play characters other than your gender? You must be some drooling lecher." group.

I wouldn't say that myself....as a woman I find the male body much more beautiful and attractive than the female body...thus why I guess I am physically attracted to men, not women.... :tongue: ...I play a male Dovahkin for two reasons, yup, I like looking at him (am a third person player, I have never been able to play in first person, I find it very disorientating)...and I like the whole big strong hero kinda deal. And I disagree with above poster Nathanj, just because I as a female play a male and in third person doesn't make me less inclined to RP....He has a detailed back story, as distinctive a personality as the dialogs,etc...allow, a firm moral code...he eats twice a day, drinks regularly (I use a mod that offers more than just alcohol), he sleeps reasonable hours every night, bathes, never fast travels, doesn't swig a potion mid sword swing....and this is all done without mods enforcing it....I'm RP'ing him. Fair enough point. I also do the sleep and never fast travel thing as instantly warping about and going weeks on end without sleeping takes me out of the immersion unless of course I am playing a character that is a Wormhole Wizard with a severe crystal meth addiction. You do support my main point that people can play both genders as a rich and fulfilling experience. As for the people who have a character all dolled up in covergirl make up to levels of absurdity and seem to do nothing but pose for screenshots they then photoshop them to hell and back? I think that is a outlet for creativity for them and whether anyone of us agrees with it or understands it is irrelevant as it is their thing and they are entitled to do it. The other group that gets flak here are the people that "sex" their game up as I really have no other word for a tiny plastic looking Asian girl in a ball gag prostituting themselves out to frost trolls. I can honestly say I don't have the same sympathy for those people like I do the "screenshotters" and I do find it creepy but like I said, to each their own... I just won't shake their hand unless they wash it first.

I play as both male and female characters. It partly depends on aesthetics and visuals of the game I am playing as sometimes certain races and genders just look plain bad. I also tend to have a mindset for my characters when I make them and some times it is a rugged male soldier of fortune, back woods hunter, etc. and other times it is a pretty young woman turned vengeful assassin or sorceress. I don't full blown role play my characters but I still have a general theme and sometimes that theme involves the character being female. I am also a big time lore and immersion tard so my characters look the part for the game they are in (dirt, scars, knappy hair, etc.) I do make my characters somewhat "pretty" or "handsome" but I don't doll them up with modern cosmetics, hair, and clothing. For example I have a Female Nord Ranger type character and I do have mods and some "slider fu" that makes her easy on the eyes but she has no make up, scar on her face, plain hair in a practical ponytail, and is in full practical leather armor and mail. She is beautiful by medieval harsh life standards not 2012 downtown LA I work at Starbucks and just had a boob job standards. I think the topic though was more aimed at the people with supermodel like characters and play exclusively them. To each there own I say. However if I were to analyze it from my point of view I would say they are mostly female players and they see the game as more of an artistic expression. They find the female figure more appealing in its form as most of us do regardless of gender or sexual orientation and I don't want to say dress up per say as that sounds insulting but they get their "fun" (<--- vague abstract word I hate using) from expressing creativity upon a virtual avatar. I am sure some people are just drooling creeps but it is unjust to throw people in that camp unless you really know them.

Well considering realistically a large bear or sabre cat would tear even the mightiest warrior to shreds with armor acting as nothing but annoying foil to be peeled away, most of us would be dead as a door nail if we had delusions about being some lone hero. Best 99% of us could hope for is taking on skeevers, lone wolves (prob get lacerations and die of infection), and one on one any human with as little or less combat experience than ourselves. We would all have to resign ourselves to the quiet life or join some kind of group for strength in numbers if we were to seek adventure in any form. As for myself, I am relatively fit all things considered (Jog, weight lift, and hike) and while I have no combat training obviously, I do deer hunt and have a bow I practice with in the backyard all the time for shits a giggles. A modern compound bow is worlds apart from an old fashion longbow with 140lb+ draw but none the less some of it carries over so I think I could be a relatively good marksman. I know how to pick locks in real life and years of hunting and stomping around the woods I would say has made me fairly sneaky. I don't know much about melee combat techniques but could understand basic concepts like using the beard of an axe to strip a shield or hook clothing to drag someone down. I would likely join some private security force (think the Black Briar's thugs) or a group of hunters or mountain men. I could certainly defend myself but anything larger than a wolf would kick my ass so I wouldn't be caught dead outside the safety of a city without comrades. If I were to fight in the Elder Scrolls universe and more specifically Skyrim I would be a light skirmisher/scout kinda dude I suppose. Archery (Would take a bow over crossbow) One-Handed (Axe) Block (Light Shield) Light Armor (Leather and light mail) Sneak (Avoid fights at all cost) Lock Picking (Could be a locksmith.... yea locksmith *sarcasm*) Speech (uneducated pseudo-medieval commoners are prob fairly gullible) I could scrounge out a living in Skyrim... or just get savagely killed by a troll within the first hour. One of the two. I would certainly not be some big heroic dude fighting dragons that is for damn sure.

Even if Ulfric isn't a racist (I still think he is just not to as an extreme a degree as some of his lackeys) his rebellion certainly has the undertones of it. Then again most people have some degree of racism even if it is the 'hush hush' behind closed doors kind. That however isn't my biggest problem with the Stormcloaks, the lack of a positive long term agenda is. If you want someone well known with a personal connection with the people to be in charge then wouldn't either the Dragonborn himself or the mostly unbiased and well liked Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun both make a better candidate for High King then the mixed bag you get with Ulfric? Keep in mind the moot to elect a High King hasn't occurred yet and while Elisif has strong Imperial support it is still up in the air. Also the Jarls of Skyrim are so different in their political motivations and alliances that a middle of the road guy like Balgruuf or the Dragonborn (depending on how you played it) would seem more likely to get elected then the extremes of Elisif or Ulfric that will split the vote 50/50. I agree 100% about the "bringing it up by force" bit. Is that really a bad thing though, and isn't Ulfric trying to attain his goal through violence as well? All the greatest nations in human history from the Roman Empire to the Macedonians grew and spread civilization and education through conquest. Tiber Septim brought unity and peace to Tamriel with the power of his legions and the Numidium. Diplomacy is nice when it works but sometimes change can only be brought about with iron and blood.

The Empire never pulled out of Hammerfell as much as they were forced out by the Redguards and after the Great War the Empire didn't have the stomach or the man power for yet another conflict to retain its lost province. They didn't have a choice in the matter unlike the situation in Skyrim. One of the terms of the White-Gold Concordat was that the Empire give a portion of Hammerfell to the Aldmeri Dominion which was a win/win for the Thalmor and they knew it. Either the transfer goes off without a hitch and the Thalmor gain a foot hold in Hammerfell as a launching point for the 2nd coming war or (what ended up actually happening) it causes a rebellion against the Empire in Hammerfell from disgruntled Redguards. Even though the Thalmor were forced out by the Redguards and didn't get their land it did cause Hammerfell to succeed further weakening the Empire which was a bonus for the Dominion. The Medes have controlled the Empire for almost 200 years now and are well known across Tamriel. In fact it was Titus Mede the First that took over the Imperial City and brought the Empire back from the brink of total economic and political collapse after the Thalmor assassinated Ocato and fractured the Elder Council. They are far from some unknown line of rulers as oppose to Ulfric who is nothing but a local hero to half of Skyrim while the other half despises the guy and outside of Skyrim he would be lucky to make front page of the Black Horse Courier. As far as Ulfric being a racist? That is really semantics at this point but after having conversations with some Jarls and Stormcloak commanders I think prejudice and fanatical is an understatement. What would the Stormcloak movement accomplish in the long run? Few years of peace while the Thalmor tear the further weakened Empire to pieces before turning their renewed vigor upon Skyrim, free worship of some demigod, and facade of national identity masking animosity from foreigners and even some of your own people? In the end it seems very selfish and short sighted to me.

Just to clarify I do not think either side is the 'good guys'. Both seem to be different shades of grey with a fair amount of douchebaggery under their respective belts. That being said I think going with the Empire is the logical choice even if my gut wants to be this William Wallace freedom fighter. The only point I think the Stormcloaks can really argue is the right to free religion. Other than that siding with the Stormcloaks weakens the Empire which unintentionally aids the Thalmor (Perhaps even intentionally as evidence in game shows the Thalmor want the Stormcloaks to cripple the Empire and released Ulfric when they had him captive during the war.) and it also puts into motion a racist being High King of Skyrim (Even if the stories about the Reach and Ulfric are made up as Imperial propaganda all you have to do is look at the way Dunmer and treated in Windhelm or talk to some of the pro-Stormcloak Jarls to see they are a bunch of ignorant barbarians.). I disagree with many things the Imperials have done as of late (Trying to kill me being one.) but I would rather see the Empire remain strong and united for the coming 2nd war with the Dominion and while Elisif is young, inexperienced, and a Imperial puppet to a degree, doing quest in Solitude has shown her to still be a good person with general concern for her people. Some will argue that Hammerfell held off the Thalmor on its own, (Which it did.) but how long will that last? The Dominion is a well oiled economic and military juggernaut. "Divide and Conquer" the Thalmor would rather gobble up alienated and bickering nations and city states then try to fight a unified Empire. Suppose over the decades Hammerfell and Skyrim pull the money and resources out of their ass to continue to hold of the Dominion, we will still see more of Tamriel fall to them and their influence grow. There is no perfect option but going with those bastard Imperials seems to be the better choice in the long run to stick it to the Thalmor and create peace and stability for all races.