Why are so many (most) Skyrim mods so UN-Nordic/Nord?

[DoctorKaizeld]

 

How many of you are students of actual history?

yes, two degrees in fact.

 

 

 

I can't reply to every single post herein, but I must say that 1.) yes, of course, anyone should play the game as they see fit, and 2.) I salute ALL modders, even modders of mods I don't enjoy, because they do what I can't do (namely, create mods!). These two points don't change how I feel, though: I don't get why so many people want to fundamentally CHANGE the Nordic feel of Skyrim. If you want to play a thoroughly UN-Northern European gameworld, Morrowind is still very much there. Skyrim IS the realm of the battle-axe and the beard and the warrior and the strong and the fur-clad, whether you like it or not. Yes, if you have the requisite skill you COULD change the Skyrim world into an anime-ridden, glowing-purple-sword, bang-bang fireworks world, but....................why would you WANT TO? Wouldn't you rather indulge in this wonderful Nordic-inspired land and contribute to that and make a world that is even MORE Nordic, rather than make it yet ANOTHER lame-ass, fluorescent Final Fantasy 12 With Spiked Hair and Men-Wearing-Makeup etc. like geso many modders seem to want to do? How many of you are students of actual history? I am. I have a thorough knowledge-base in Norse (and Germanic in general), Baltic, and Slavic history/culture/geography so it bothers me that so many don't even KNOW about this knowledge-base and seek to incorporate it into the Skyrim world.... but instead strangely go for the cartoony, garishly-colored, wimpy, "I hate strong Nordic-type warriors" approach.

most people dont go for 'cartoony' in Skyrim, they go for realism usually. there arent a whole ton of anime mods either (well there are, but theres a ton of everything these days) most people play the ES games because of the modding potential. not usually because they want to live in a 'historical' world. there are plenty of games that fill that role out there already. people just want to create something unique that fits their style that's why i always say and hear many others say it "no two modded Bethesda games are a like in anyway."

 

i also have to agree with the fact that this rant is pretty pointless and stupid. this is a fantasy world, saying people should follow the 'rules' such as nordic themed world has to be nordic is stupid. if that was the case we wouldnt have zombies in star wars (yes yes i know the retcon removes them... freakin retcon) we wouldnt have the Destroyermen book series. we wouldnt have any of the great stories and games we have today if we stuck to a simple mindset as yours seems to be.

[ElioraArin]

kolchinsky, although I definitely don't begrudge anyone making non Nordic mods I do see where you are coming from as I also want to take the opportunity to use Skyrim for a truly Nordic experience & wish there were more authentically themed mods out there - peace brother! :D

If you haven't already come across them (it took me a lot of googling to finally find such mods) the mods Mastercraft Weapons & Armor by WarlordThorvald & Banditry Fur Armor by Brandybuck allow you to keep using the more Nordic appearing vanilla armors (such as fur & studded) throughout an entire play through by making it possible to keep upgrading them to higher tiers.

I'm sure you know about Frostfall, but if not definitely try it to make your game feel like you are in a genuinely Nordic environment :smile:

Oh, & Winter is Coming Cloaks!

Edited September 18, 2015 by ElioraArin

[Notanon81]

Personally, I'm not a fan of the anime-style followers, but I choose not to download said mods. I also tend to play as a Bosmer, as they generally fit better in terms of my gameplay style, which is a ranger-type character. I also have a couple of archery-related mods on the Nexus, and am working on a couple more on and off.

 

I also tend to gravitate towards mods that add missing content that didn't get carried over from previous games, such as spells, armour, weapons and so forth. I wish there was a more concerted effort on this front with regards to the use of the overall modding talent, but again, that is my personal opinion. It annoys me a bit when I see people making weapons after weapons, but no one has decided to fill in the missing gaps like a leather shield, steel plate shield and so forth, especially after having access to the Creation Kit for nearly 4 years...

[lofgren]

Why would a modder want to fundamentally change the game?

 

Because it's ***** fun!

 

Why would a player want to play the same thing over and over again when there is an infinite variety available? That's the weird behavior to me.

[psychoslaphead]

Maybe it's just me, but when I look at this game I think about Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But then, I don't take anything seriously - least of all a cool sandbox style game that lets me make whatever goofy mod that comes to mind. Like cow flinging catapults.

[ElioraArin]

Notanon81, have you tried Immersive Archery by Zefire89? It's a great mod that makes archery more realistic & challenging that you would probably really appreciate.

I totally agree about the obvious gaps that have never been filled, after experimenting with the Creation Kit a bit myself I'm thinking it may be because although some things are really easy to do, others take a lot more work than you would at first realise - & it seems that people are wanting to veer away from the same standard gear into things that are different & more creative.

Personally I like to have both options, & I don't know if it's just me but I am getting frustrated with the fact that each TES game seems to be becoming more simplified since Morrowind? I feel that the loss in character & skill development from Morrowind to Skyrim is quite dramatic & extremely disappointing.

I'm really hoping that the next game is not so overly simplified & brings back elements from Morrowind that make it more challenging & interesting. I'm also hoping that Bethesda have been paying attention to the modding community & will have taken notes about what improvements & added elements people would generally appreciate being incorporated into the game.

[Notanon81]

Notanon81, have you tried Immersive Archery by Zefire89? It's a great mod that makes archery more realistic & challenging that you would probably really appreciate.

I totally agree about the obvious gaps that have never been filled, after experimenting with the Creation Kit a bit myself I'm thinking it may be because although some things are really easy to do, others take a lot more work than you would at first realise - & it seems that people are wanting to veer away from the same standard gear into things that are different & more creative.

Personally I like to have both options, & I don't know if it's just me but I am getting frustrated with the fact that each TES game seems to be becoming more simplified since Morrowind? I feel that the loss in character & skill development from Morrowind to Skyrim is quite dramatic & extremely disappointing.

I'm really hoping that the next game is not so overly simplified & brings back elements from Morrowind that make it more challenging & interesting. I'm also hoping that Bethesda have been paying attention to the modding community & will have taken notes about what improvements & added elements people would generally appreciate being incorporated into the game.

Thanks, will look into it. I have Archery Gameplay Overhaul installed which does a similar thing to what Immersive Archery does, but will use this instead if I'm not happy with how AGO performs. Some spells would be difficult to replicate due to the change in programming language between Oblivion and Skyrim, but the SKSE team have been pretty good with releasing new options that enable new things that couldn't be done before, so it's only a matter of time.

 

I've considered leading a project that tracks what has been imported over and filled in certain gaps and what hasn't, but haven't really had the time lately.