NoukNouk Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 (edited) Hello,After seeing all the incredible armor mods around, I'm feeling very motivated to try and design my own armor mod.However, I can't really find a good list of what a good and complete armor mod should have for it to be considered suitable for upload.I did get as much info as I can myself, ofcourse. But I could use a little help if you have the time! :blush:This is what would make me download myself and what I think I would need to do:- Correctly skinned- Morphs are working correctly- Well named so it doesn't override other people's work- Correctly packaged (file hierarchy and .esp files all correctly done)- Thoroughly tested- Preferably male and female versions- Preferably meshes for beast races included- Correctly categorized, no insane ingredients, not overpowered- Enchantable, craftable, temperable- Fits the game's aesthetics- Preferably (somewhat) lore-friendly- Cleaned with TES5EditI'd like to get it as nicely done as I can for my first upload. I'd hate to upload something that has a really obvious flaw because I missed something.Can you guys tell me what an armor mod should include for you to consider downloading and using it? What makes you mash the download button within a few seconds?What would make you refuse to get an otherwise decent armor mod? Things that annoy you?Thanks in advance for helping me out! Edited October 16, 2014 by NoukNouk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hynda Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 I'll tell you what convinces me to download and use armor mods and I will skip most of what you say, which is right on the most part so you are already aware. The first thing I consider is the most obvious it has to look good, aesthetically appealing. If the armor is ugly, or it looks like it was randomly made, or if I simply dont like the looks of it for any kind of character then I will not download it. There are several well done armors that I have simply not downloaded because I dont like them. The second thing I consider is the quality of the textures, just like you said, it has to fit the enviroment, most of the time when I download certain object I dont like their shinny appearance, their textures are either too plain, or simply unfitting. I take a good look at it, I dont entirely like armors that depend entirely of assets from the game content, but at least it shouldnt look out of place. I have a hard time with several cloaks mods because of that, they look really bad. Now regardless of how good an armor looks, I wont download it if it modifies too much in my game, I like the Contractor and Mavari armors a lot but most of the armor mods from that user include a bunch of daedra in several places randomly, I tend to play in legendary, and simply stumbling across 3 OP enemies that can 1 hit me out of nowhere breaks my immersion. This last thing is because there are 2 instances in which I want to wear an armor, if its for a new character or one of my old already high level characters. I dont like the idea of having to create a new character for a new concept in an armor and then leveling high enough to get smithing perk just to wear 1 armor. The same as I dont like the idea of finding an ultra high level armor just to find the armors being useless. The kind of mods that I like are those where the armor is integrated correctly with progression, if you create a new character because you felt inspired by the armor or the weapon, then you can select an early version at low levels, and you'll also have an more powerful version available preferably with better looks, that motivates me to play the kind of character I want and keep playing with it. There are several mods that do this, and I like it. I dont like the fact that armor mods simply overrun my crafting menu, it takes forever sometimes because most armors are either in the steel section or in the daedric/dragon one. I have the misc section full of garbage and last time I installed an armor mod I simply wanted to see what kind of materials I needed for it, and it took me ages to scroll down. I guess that's the problem of the game's UI that is already fixed with some mod, but if there's more variety in the options where you can craft armors it's something I welcome. I also like armors that include some new concepts to the game while looking good at the same time. Something like armors for original classes and the such. I dont like when they're too dark or too bright, if they're too dark you cant see it correctly, if they are too bright they look stupid and out of place. I think that's all I can remember, dont forget to make them temperable too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoukNouk Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 (edited) Thank you!So if I understand correctly:- Not looking like a leathery old butt- Should fit in the game, not too shiny/plastic, dark or light. Not too dependent on game assets.- Several texture options, good quality overall. Have 1024x1024 and 2048x2048 available. Do many people use even higher resolutions?- Appropriate for characters of all levels/progression, possibly have a set or retexture for each category that adds something. Possibly class related.- Add something besides just the armor, like it's own story/lore, but no Ultima Weapon-type monsters that randomly burn you to a crisp. Something to do, not just one boring random armor.- No cluttering, so hidden in the crafting menu and only visible when you have the materials available? Or maybe they only ever appear if you have a certain book in your inventory?- Temperable! Forgot to add that.This sounds good, and having more options and a small story behind it (even if it's just a journal or book with a story and directions) sounds like more fun to do. And doing several recolors/retextures for progression is way better in my opinion. It will take longer to do, though. But that won't stop me.Thank you for your input :smile: Edited October 16, 2014 by NoukNouk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelfeathers Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 My big pet-peeve is clipping. If there's obvious clipping, I will immediately uninstall the mod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoukNouk Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 Clipping through objects, clipping through armor parts, etc? I can avoid some of the major clipping but there may be some, still. Not any more than the vanilla game hopefully. Any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted4169574User Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 In my opinion, not only does it have to look nice, it looks like it would actually protect against attacks. Great examples of these qualities are the Judeau armor, JackoOs Knightly Armory, and the Elite Knight armor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelfeathers Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Clipping through objects, clipping through armor parts, etc? I can avoid some of the major clipping but there may be some, still. Not any more than the vanilla game hopefully. Any tips? I understand that some clipping is unavoidable. But what really gets me are those armors that look pretty when your character is standing up, but as soon as you crouch your butt sticks out through the back of the armor, or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambria Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Funnily enough the most popular armor mods consist of very little armor :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottC12 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 In addition to all the above, I like stand-alone armor that does not replace the vanilla armors. I also like them to be forge-craftable. If it is the sort of armor that others could have (not a unique set), it is good if it can appear in the leveled lists, so you can come across others wearing the armor. I prefer more historical Medieval-ish armors, such as some of the Witcher 2 or LOTR-style armor mods, even if they are not so lore friendly - but that is a matter of personal taste. I also like the armor to not be overpowered/god-like, maxxing out with Steel Plate stats and requiring the Advanced Armors perk, tops. For the ladies, I prefer practical armor to many of the skimpy Frazetta-style outfits that pass for armor here on the Nexus (but I may be outnumbered). Good discussion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoukNouk Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) Clipping through objects, clipping through armor parts, etc? I can avoid some of the major clipping but there may be some, still. Not any more than the vanilla game hopefully. Any tips? I understand that some clipping is unavoidable. But what really gets me are those armors that look pretty when your character is standing up, but as soon as you crouch your butt sticks out through the back of the armor, or something like that. Ahahah yes I hate that! I hope to avoid stuff like that by deleting body parts that are hidden by the armor, and some good testing and skinning. Although a nipple slip could be plus during combat. :D In addition to all the above, I like stand-alone armor that does not replace the vanilla armors. I also like them to be forge-craftable. If it is the sort of armor that others could have (not a unique set), it is good if it can appear in the leveled lists, so you can come across others wearing the armor. I prefer more historical Medieval-ish armors, such as some of the Witcher 2 or LOTR-style armor mods, even if they are not so lore friendly - but that is a matter of personal taste. I also like the armor to not be overpowered/god-like, maxxing out with Steel Plate stats and requiring the Advanced Armors perk, tops. For the ladies, I prefer practical armor to many of the skimpy Frazetta-style outfits that pass for armor here on the Nexus (but I may be outnumbered). Good discussion! I agree, I only like replacements if they're similar to the default armor, but just vastly better quality textures and meshes. I've already found stunning replacements so I won't make a mod like that, I wouldn't use it.And I definitely agree on the lady armor... it shouldn't be that different from the male counterpart and it should look like it can actually protect her! I don't dislike skimpy armor, but if the male armor is looking awesome with loads of protection and badassery, and the female version is a chainmail thong bikini... :dry: pretty disappointing.I'm going for a mix of medieval and fantasy-like armor right now. I've used some reference pictures of leather armor, plate armor, lighter and heavier armor. I hope it doesn't look too illogical in the end. I can always make different versions.I want to have an open policy where people can take the armor and change it around if they don't like something. Or use parts in their work. If people are interested in improving or editing some stuff, they can. As for leveled lists, should I just get people to do a bash patch? Or do I need to do something extra? The armor will pretty much show up in different versions/textures at different skill levels and perks. Would a bash patch put this throughout the world at the correct player level as well? What is that based on, armor stats? Noob question I'm sure. In my opinion, not only does it have to look nice, it looks like it would actually protect against attacks. Great examples of these qualities are the Judeau armor, JackoOs Knightly Armory, and the Elite Knight armor.Those are freaking amazing! :ohmy: I'd better practice! Edited October 17, 2014 by NoukNouk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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