AssyMcGee Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I was thinking about this topic earlier. I would love for an alternate start mod. I used one in Oblivion that let you start as a homeowner in any of the cities, basically you started out living in whatever house you could buy in that town. That was kind of neat and allowed me to roleplay to that character. Normally if I started in Chorral I was a wealthy merchant, or I'd mix things up. I started in Bravil once as an eccentric Ayleid researcher. I think the way that mod handled starting the MQ was either you commit a crime and get sent to jail in the Imperial City, or find a dead knight on the side of the road with The Amulet of Kings. A bit easier to mod the MQ into an alternate start mod in Oblivion I feel. But Skyrim could be done. I think the best way to do it is to have you start off as a farmer or something in a neutral hold, like Whiterun, right in the middle of everything. Perhaps you have family in Helgen, or they are coming from Cyrodiil. Maybe even you have to go there to sell your produce or work out a deal. Then the dragon swoops in and bam, main story started. That or a Dragon Age Origins start would be kind of cool. You pick an area with some specific quests for that character. Like starting as an Imperial foot soldier in Solitude, or a mage in the College. You'd already be a member of the faction, and get some sort of quest to take you to Helgen. Imperials, watch over the execution. Stormcloaks, free Ulfric. Companions meet up with a new recruit, the College, meet a reclusive spell researcher. There could also be plenty of filler between starting and actually getting to Helgen, just to keep things interesting. Those are just my 2 cents on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galacticat42 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I have an idea. Start anywhere as anyone that you want. Game starts as normal and you are the guy that you are normally. Instead of escaping though, you get crushed in a building and wake up where you chose to be in the menu. You had a dream about Helgen then hear that it really did happen. So for example, you pick that you want to be a farmer in whiterun. The screen goes black and the game starts as normal. When Alduin arrives, you're one of his victims. You wake up in bed, sweating and see that it was only a dream. You go about your normal business and hear a rumor that Helgen was attacked. You then confess that you saw it in a dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk42i Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 The absolute easiest way to mod an alternate start is as a guard in Whiterun ordered to go defend that tower where the dragon attacks. Once you find out you are dragonborn the rest proceeds as normal..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levgre Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Start waking up in a inn room in Whiterun (or anywhere else). Have some other guests staying at the hotel, who can start you on various quest lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satsujinka Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 It wouldn't really work in the greater context of Skyrim, but I think being able to play as Alduin would be awesome... but that would require completely restructuring the game. It also might not be too compelling, since for a great deal of the game you'll be flying around resurrecting allies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertex23 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 (edited) I've been thinking about starts as well...and really, anything can work. Picking the side you want can be as simple as walking up to the generals and asking to join. Bam, done. A farmer in the Whiterun fields which was destroyed by the DragonA slave coming from Hammerfall, High Rock, Morrowind, Cyrodil, ect.A hunter living in the woods.Can even start off as a bandit and have your faction set to a bandit so they won't attack - likewise, can have a Hold have a perma bounty on you so you won't be able to do trade with that city. Say, you're a Bandit and hate the Imperials - you start off as a Bandit who can't enter the Imperial owned cities. You could even make it so even the Stormcloak Holds don't like trading with you, so you suffer harsher sell prices - but you get the benefit of bandit camps who would specialize in illegal goods thus making skooma / moon sugar a valuable item. edit: The Bandit one might be hard as since you belong to the bandits, you can't really kill them...and they're everywhere which would make raiding hard. I guess limit the bandit faction / split them up? Hopefully that would be possible :x. Well, I'm sure there's going to be a "More NPC" mod that makes it so more random people walk the roads and such so maybe it won't be too bad. Edited December 11, 2011 by vertex23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbomb Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 See that Thalmor on horseback talking to Tulius, as you come into Helgen? I want to start as that guy. :biggrin: You are the aid to the Thalmor ambassador, at game start you are listening to him and Tulius talking. He's telling Tulius that no exceptions, if they were caught they must be either traitors or Talos worshippers, and they all need to go to the block... He turns to you with some chatter as Tulius leaves to do his bidding, explaining that pretty soon Skyrim is going to be firmly back in control... but that maybe this rebellion can have its uses, above his pay grade, etc... The dragon attacks! WTF!? On one of the swoops he's fried, both your horses killed from under you... His last words to you "Get back to the embassy, you have to inform _____ that this has happened!" And your pro-Thalmor campaign has begun :biggrin: Obviously this would take a lot of scripting and a whole new questline, but I'd love to see a Thalmor-centric game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbomb Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 You know that shrine to Talos, on the side of the hill behind Helgen? You are the (secret) Talos priest's acolyte that helps your group of believers escape from Helgen when the dragon attacks. You are on one of the porches watching the wagons roll in. The priest and one of the elders of the town are talking in hushed tones. "It is a tragedy what the Empire are doing here, those men are only defending Talos." "Everything happens for a reason, and Talos doesn't need our help, my son. Get the children inside." The other three or four go inside, you and your priest are on the porch. "I don't know what's going to come of all this fighting. The Imperials had no choice, and I fear that Ulfric's men are just going to make things easier when the elves make their next move..." Then the dragon attacks! WTF?! The priest runs to help heal the soldiers fighting, his last words to you: "Take the believers into the tunnel, get them safely out of the city, I need to stay and help in the defense. Our flock is depending on you, go now!" Then, you go into the house. It is a secret Talos church, the trap door leads to a little church in the basement. Then the main "tutorial" quest is fairly similar, just modify the start of the dungeon to be from the back of the basement church, and the cave that exits is just behind the outdoor Talos shrine. The added fun / suspense is that instead of having a tough soldier buddy to help you through, you have a bunch of unarmed followers depending on you to lead them to safety. All you have is a crap mace, shield, and healing spells. :biggrin: When you make it out, the followers tell you that they will be safe here, and that you need to warn the Jarl in Whiterun that this has happened. Thus kicks in the normal starting quest progression. And if / when you come back to your flock, you get the added emotional bonus of having a direct connection when you see what the rogue Thalmor has done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skree000 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 be the little kid at the beginning who is 'told to go back inside', and then witnesses a dragon attack. start in the wreckage of your parents home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOldNord Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 One word: Forsworn! It wouldn't be too much more involved than what has already been done for bandits and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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