"Elder" mod

[ziitch]

Back in the day, or around mid-2005, Bethesda made the claim that in Oblivion people actually aged in the game - as years pass, people's faces would age to reflect that. Of course, while it was a bold claim, the time that passes in the game while playing is so slow that the feature isn't/wasn't that prevalent, so I'm guessing it was removed in the released version.

 

However, this relied on the .egt files provided, in which nowadays modders basically find too cumbersome to use or take too much time to perfect, so they either use a renamed vanilla file or a blank/heavily undetailed version for custom races or vanilla race retextures. This mostly eliminates the visual evidence of aging in elder characters, like Roshaan or Gemellus Axius. Even when used, the details from the .egt file leave noticeable artifacts, and can give the face a green or blotched look to it.

 

However, in Fallout 3, Bethesda "fixed" the problem of elderly characters by making them a separate race, with different textures. So, to simply put it, why not use the same method as they did to solve this "age-old" problem?

 

In other words, the first and simplest thing to do is make a clone of all the human head-based vanilla races and apply a modified version of the face texture, with the appropriate age lines and bruising defined in the face.

 

Now, there's also other optional goals and ideas I have as well:

 

- For one, making starting out as an elderly person appealing, such as starting with major skills at a Journeyman or Expert level, but with random or chosen drawbacks of age added, such as frequent stumbling/falling from stronger blows or from jumping or falling short distances, less fatigue, slower movement, less elemental or weapon resistance, arthritis, osteoporosis, or even weakened senses like poor vision or hearing, its severity to the extent of deafness or blindness. Also, with major skills added in, not all the drawbacks will occur or be reduced - You'll be only inflicted with two or three of them. Finally, certain drawbacks, like arthritis or osteoporosis, are more like an addiction - You have to monitor it or it might just be the death of you in battle.

 

- Adding the newly-created elderly races as enemies where appropriate - Dealing with someone like a old,experienced Conjurer can be deadly, meaning that you would only have to approach them with even more caution.

 

- Additional texturing for the body, feet, and hands, to complete the aged look, and perhaps a new head mesh that includes more notable features like wrinkles on the forehead and crow's feet on the eyes

 

- Facial differences, like yellowed or bloodshot eyes, missing teeth or gums only, and perhaps larger or "elderly" ears (since ears don't stop growing, and elves should have a slight distinction of age in their own ears as well).

 

- Make use of the .egt file like that of the Argonian race - Adjusting the age results in a different type of wrinkling and signs of past stress, allowing for appropriate and different signs of age for males and females where needed.

 

- Apply the same feature to popular custom races, like the Mystic Elves.

 

I know Beautiful People tried this, but it didn't go into a full extent like this. Perhaps we should try putting back the "Elder" in "The Elder Scrolls"? :P

[ziitch]

Bump....

 

Come on now, there's got to be someone else who would like to see a little more detail in the older NPCs.