Keeping it "real"

[MotoSxorpio]

OK - the rest of my tutorial run-through with realism mods in place.

 

I didn't find an "improved" lockpicking mod that suited me, so stuck with vanilla. I'm not quite sure WHAT would improve it for me, although I may try the lockpick crafting mods later. Anyway, to continue...

 

Following the discussion above, I installed Dungeon Actors Have Torches 1.6 and Exterior Actors use Torches with minor fixes 1.32. I then worked my way through to the log pile, in sneak, carrying katana and torch. As the area was lit by torch and firelight, I put out the torch and snuck towards the pile - got spotted ... pushed and rolled the logs. Looted the corpses and chest, then on towards the goblin cave.

 

Staying well back, I swapped to the rusty iron bow. Waited til the first goblin was close then took him out with a single shot - remembering to aim a little high as Duke Patrick's oombat archery mod seems to make arrows drop more than vanilla Oblivion. Obviously his screech was still not enough to alert the other goblins. Picked off the other two "normal" goblins, then lined up to shoot the goblin witch. Shot - hit - and because of Duke Patricks Actors can miss now mod, he managed to miss me totally with the responding fireball and lightning. Killed by second shot.

 

Worked through to the Inperial Subterrene, and then noticed one effect of the Dungeon Actors Have Torches mod - nearly every Mythic Dawn assassin was preceded by a bright yellow glow as they were all carrying torches :)

 

Out to the sewer, where apart from the allowance for arrow drop, everything was as vanilla Oblivion.

 

Saved at sewer exit.

 

The main way this has differed from my "normal" run at the tutorial is I had to rely on my sword, and hardly used my bow except in the lit goblin cave. Once I get some kind of night eye ability I'll revert to my normal modus operandi, but til then I'm forced to use a blade :( - not an entirely happy camper at that. However, it DID make it more difficult and more "realistic" which is the whole aim.

 

Have you tried: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=37863

[MarkInMKUK]

Off-topic, but on the subject of realism, I've recently started watching the "Ancient Discoveries" series of documentaries. I know at various points I've mentioned what is and isn't possible given the apparent look of the game, assuming it was based around a 13th-15th century European model, but I'm beginning to realise what MIGHT have happened if the Greeks and Romans had not fallen from their technological height to the barbarism which followed.

 

Examples of things which the Greeks and Romans had created (and used)

 

Magically opening temple doors.

Machine guns (OK, mechanical, rapid repetitive shot crossbows).

Accurate water-powered clocks with chimes / bird sounds.

Steam turbine.

Cataract surgery, brain surgery and the beginnings of neurosurgery.

Giant barges larger than two tennis courts with underfloor heating and piped water.

Astronomical/astrological computers capable of predicting solar, lunar and planetary motion in an easily portable device.

Accurate odometers capable of measuring roads to place milestones with precision.

Programmable automata (imagine an entirely automated representation of a Greek play lasting 20 minutes, all operated by a mechanical device).

 

I'm sure as I watch more of the series I'll learn more, but for now I'm busy revising my opinion of where to place the game date-wise. As the legion appear to be very Romanesque, maybe the "fall" never happened in this gameworld - in which case it could easily be set closer to 6th or seventh century Europe instead of 13th-15th, and with far more advanced medicine and mechanics than Europe would have again until the 19th century.

 

And what would this do to the kind of mods we consider to be "in keeping" instead of "fun but not really realistic"? Clocks of Cyrodiil, for instance, could easily be re-imagined as being based on water-driven mechanisms - and if you tied that into the "Let the people drink" mod you could have a crisis where all the clocks stopped too. Various timed effects triggered by things you do could be added - such as lighting a sacrificial fire to access a temple several minutes later as the doors automatically opened. You could even argue that the abolition of slavery would force this kind of mechanical upgrade, as the free labour previously relied upon no longer exists. You could also add quests where you have to restore items to Ayleid ruins to access them, as the door mechanisms might rely on water which had later become blocked off.

 

Hope that sparks some ideas for people.

Edited July 14, 2011 by MarkInMKUK

[roiyaru]

Well this'll be a short suggestion and I dont know if its what your looking for but.. The mod deadlier creatures V2 is imo an overlooked mod that fixes a gamebreaking flaw in the oblivion world. Basically you can walk along at a merry pace and have some creatures not even hit you due to having to stop and wait for their slow attack animations (Watch the video in the mod). This makes it so that creatures and others can actually attack you while running, making them deadlier and more realistic. A real wolf wouldn't stop before he bites you and miss now would he?

[MarkInMKUK]

It certainly adds to the realism - thanks for the suggestion! Welcome to the thread, and please feel free to chip in with more suggestions.

[roiyaru]

Kewl ^^

 

Than ill just some more, hopefully no one has snagged them already in this thread but this mod- Arrow Speed And Damage Realism

 

Makes arrows decently faster and they do more damage. I always hated how in the oblivion world I had to pepper my enemies with 3-4 arrows each to take them down. When in reality 2 in the chest or even 1 on a good shot should do it. Also arrows were extremely dodge able before, now you have to be a bit more perceptive to get passed the greater speed of the arrows. If you've ever shot a longbow you would know that its a helluva lot faster than vanilla speed.

 

This mod-Get Wet Update

 

Actually lets your character get wet in the rain or after swimming and you can see the water droplets on you rolling down your body.

Edited May 27, 2011 by roiyaru

[MarkInMKUK]

There are several arrow mods - I use the tweak in Wrye Bash to help mine along :)

 

Get Wet, when I tried it, dropped a sort of layer of silver over the whole body - hardly looking like wet cloth or leather. Maybe it works better on people in tin cans, but us light armour types look more realistic without.

[schijnn]

Get Wet Better Brightness has a dark version that I like the look of very much. Not sure if these were mentioned before, but original color darker nights, darker nights for SI, let there be darkness, and let there be more darkness are all very nice, as well. I just wish there was a mod that limited the range of night-eye effects. Sneaking Detection Recalibrated is also wonderful.

[MarkInMKUK]

We had a short discussion on Night Eye mods back on Page 3 - there's one called "Less Overpowered Night Eye" which looks interesting. As soon as Razorpony has a pre-release version of his "proper-foot-shaped2 Khajiit ready to go, I'm going to start my first Khajiit character off and have a try (probably a sneak thief so I'll call him "Crouching tiger" I think).

[MarkInMKUK]

Adding to the Realism comments - if anyone has any ideas how to fix Reneer's Rain Mod they'd be very much welcomed by a lot of people. I've recently tried it for a second time and got the oft-mentioned instant CTD problem as soon as I go outside, so left it alone again.

[MarkInMKUK]

Reviving the realism thread a bit:

 

I've been watching a documentary series from 2003 about Landscape Mysteries in Britain. One item covered was the Yorkshire coast around Whitby, where the cliffs and rocks show mysterious traces of ruts and masonry. Apparently there was a massive local industry, now long defunct, which modified the whole of the landscape, to the tune of 25 million tonnes of rock being shifted. The industry? Dying cloth!

 

Had you ever wondered why the richer characters wore brighter clothing than the poor, generally? Had you ever wondered WHY we refer to some strong, vibrant colours as "rich"? The answer lies in the middle ages initially, and the "sumptuary" laws, where it was decreed which social classes could wear which colours and qualities of cloth.

 

Part of the process of creating bright, vibrant colours is a substance being used as a "mordant". This pre-prepares the cloth to take the dye, and makes the colour added more "fast", so that it does not fade or wash out so easily. During the middle ages, Britain's biggest export was cloth, and pre-died cloth would fetch a far higher price than raw undyed cloth.

 

A commonly used mordant in the late 1500's and early 1600's was Alum, imported from Italy and Bengium or even further afield at great expense. Then a Yorkshire land owner noticed that the shales outcropping on his land were similar looking to the shales used to extract alum in Belgium, and Britain's first mass chemical industry was born. Outcroops of the same shale were discovered along the coast, where erosion had worn away the surface of the cliffs. Vast open-cast mineworkings were created to remove the shale, then to cook it (calcination) for nine months, and then various other processes, before the Alum could be shipped by sea to other areas of Britain. And the same ships taking the Alum away were bringing in processing materials - coal from Newcastle to the north, and stale urine from London to the south.

 

This got me thinking even more than usual; about the lack of infrastructure in Oblivion. Why are the numbers of rich and poor so similar? Where is the labour force needed to sustain the upper classes? Why is there no trading at ports, bringing in goods for manufacturing?

 

I guess it's a compliment to the quality of the game that ideas of adding in an infrastructure even occur to people. And with the tools the modding community has developed, some of that infrastructure could be added. But is Cyrodiil big enough? What kind of infrastructure could such a small (relatively speaking) area sustain? And which parts of infrastructure should be added first? Feel free to comment - I'm fascinated by the whole idea and would love to explore the whole concept some more.

Edited July 13, 2011 by MarkInMKUK