LE Windhelm Outskirts

[OpenWorldAddict]

I have found many mods that add things outside of cities to give each city more flavor.

 

Complete Solitude adds buildings just outside the city gates

Solitude Dock District adds buildings near the docks. Both of these mods combined add emphasis to the feeling that Solitude, which is the capital of Skyrim, is crowded and busy. You really feel like your in the capital of the land.

 

Whiterun Outskirts Market adds buildings and a marketplace outside of Whiterun. It adds to the feeling that Whiterun is the trading hub of Skyrim.

 

Riften - Thief Addition adds a whole slums area outside the city near the lake adding to the feeling that is a skum filled city.

 

So why have them. The reason is that they give you a feel and culture of the city before you even enter the city gates. It is that kind of thing that the cities of Skyrim have been missing. In Vanilla skyrim the cities felt bare bone, including the exteriors.

 

What's missing is exterior expansions for Markarth and Windhelm.

 

In this mod request, I will talk about the exterior of Windhelm and what it needs to feel complete.

 

Windhelm is the second largest city in Skyrim. The people of the city are segregated by race due to the racial tensions between the resident Nords and immigrant Dark Elves and Argonians, as well as Khajiit.

 

Windhelm is the old capital of Skyrim, meaning that it used to be the capital, but that torch had long ago been passed to Solitude. Still is a big city. It's a gateway for those traveling to Morrowind or Solsheim.

 

Outside the city there is a lot of glimpses of old grandeur, but there is no clear sign that this once was the bustling capital of the north. The bridge crossing the White River almost looks like it could've held several structures across it's span. When I think of this, bridges like the Rialto in Venice, or the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. There's more examples then I can think of that kind of thing in this world.

 

At the crossroads on the other side of the bridge, you only have the stables. This is where people begin their approach into the city, and that approach is underwhelming. This is especially true if you consider that this city at one time was the capital of Skyrim.

 

The harbor is small. The buildings there fit well with the harbour theme. Except there is one problem. There is only one living quarter at the docks, the Argonion assemblage, but it isn't one that is open to the public. Because of the hostile atmosphere of the city towards outsiders, the harbor should be filled with places that foreigners like Bosmer, Orcs and Khajiit can take shelter.

 

Now for my recommendation:

 

Windhelm Outskirts should have three different parts, the three areas that I just mentioned, the White Harbor, the Gateway Bridge, and the Eastmarch Crossroads.

 

The White Harbor:

 

The harbor of Windhelm should be extended to the north east. There should be a northern gate for those who want to travel along the coast north to WInterhold. Near the gate should be a harborside inn to provide for those who've arrived by boat without them entering the racist city. The inn should also serve as a tavern for dockworkers at the end of the day. Between the north gate and the vanilla harbor area, there should be several shacks piled upon each other that are harbor homes for those that live here but can't gain entrance into the city. There should also be a path that heads west from the western end of the harbor that crosses under the bridge. From the otherside, there should be some stairs going onto the bridge. This allows people to leave the city southward without having to pass through the actual city.

 

The Gateway Bridge

 

The bridge leading into Windhelm should have many narrow buildings spanning it's length on each side. Many of the buildings should be old, boarded up and abandoned buildings that are deteriorating. These buildings would have been homes, stores, and other things that were in use during the times when Windhelm was the capital. When it lost that title, over the centuries less and less people lived and worked on the bridge. However, there should be two buildings on the southern end of the bridge that are still in use. One is a small barracks for Stormcloak soldiers, and the other should be a tiny inn for those don't want to make the journey into the city. Even then there maybe still a couple of buildings still in use, maybe someone's home, maybe even a store.

 

The Eastmarch Crossroads.

 

South of the bridge near the stables is the crossroads. Starting from the bridge west of there, going as far east as the closest farms, and upto the Gateway bridge, there should be merchant stands trying to make sales with people entering and leaving the city.

 

So, this my idea. I would really like to see it implemented. It would add so much life and realism to the Windhelm area.

[GideoVames]

I really like this idea. I'm not all that great at modding but I might fool around in the creation kit with ideas just for fun. If anything good comes out of it I'll post it.

Personally i'd like to see the major cities be bigger and have more than just a couple market stalls expanded on the outside. They would feel more city-like but I think it would be slightly odd to have a city on the outside but a complete city on the inside of the walls. A lot of medieval cities were castles with walls and the village and markets sprung up on the outside of the walls. I guess you could make slums on the outside and have the richer citizens be the ones on the inside? idk

[OpenWorldAddict]

Someone has already done the bridge. It's called Windhelm Bridge Overhaul. Kudos to mod author. It also looks great! It add building on top of the bridge with a walkway on top for guards. At the center of the building is a market with stalls, below the market is a barracks-type area next to a prison. Many Parts of the building are open to the air, so there is really no protection from the cold inside it. It also has the look of lost grandeur from centuries of erosion from wind and snow. It really enhances the approach to the city.

 

So that is taking care of. Gateway bridge has been done by the author of Windhelm Bridge Overhaul. Now we just need an overhaul of the docks area and an overhaul of the crossroads.

[draconisking]

This might not be exactly what you are looking for but these are some of the Windhelm enhancement mods I use:

 

Dawn of Windhelm: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/43701/?

Hidden Hideouts City edition: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/53329/?

Windhelm exterior altered: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50977/?

Windhelm Bridge Overhaul: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50243/?

Better City entrances: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/48855/? (Sligthly incompatible with the previous one, never tried them together though)

 

And you could also try Skyrim bridges overhaul (it changes, amongs others, the bridge between anga's mill and windhelm): http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/48855/?