The immersion thread

[McCrack12358]

When the creation kit comes out somewhere next month, I'll start making my first mod for a Bethesda engine. Since I don't want to start out too ambitious, I've decided to make a mod that fixes all the small things that break immersion. So the question I have for you guys is:

 

What are all the little things that break your immersion?

 

Just post it here, and if time permits, I'll pick it up. I won't promise that I'll implement every idea immediately, since I also have anoying things such as a social life and stuff, but I'll try to do my best. Here are some examples of little things that break my immersion:

 

- Standing in a campfire/forge doesn't hurt you. Why not? You're standing in fire.

- Horses can sometimes walk almost straight up a mountain.

- You have spells that can level a small town, but you can't even break a small pot. It's not possible to make everything breakable (aside from the fact that it's too much work, it would probably create a lot of lag if there's to many fragments of broken stuff), but a lot of misceallaneous items such as pots could be modded to have a health rating and be breakable.

- Casting ice on something that's on fire doesn't have any effect and vice versa.

- When you get the special cutscene when you kill a dragon, you just see your character sitting on a dragons head and sort of waving his sword by the side of his face. It looks retarded.

- You can't kill children, and that's ok, but at least they could be 'immortal' in the way that essential npc's can't really be killed, instead of being absolutely immune to any damage.

 

These are just a few examples. So please let me know if there are any other little things that bother you and post them here. Or if you want to help on this mod/already know a mod that fixes one of these problems, just let me know and I'll post it here.

[drewSkidoo]

1) being able to swim in sub-zero waters

2) i agree with the horse being able to climb mountain slopes that are nearly 140 degrees

3) carrying 300 (whatever it is) of items, weapons, etc. There is only so much one can carry

4) terrible AI

5) your dog being able to lay down in the water and bark. pft

[McCrack12358]

4) terrible AI

 

What are the things about the AI that break your immersion? Please be specific, the more inspiration I have the better the mod will be! Aside from that, these are pretty good examples, especially the dog one. Grrr...

[CampanaAliquanta]

There is a large realism overhaul thread that covers a lot of the immersion breaking stuff like food/hunger, cold/hypothermia and things, so I'll list the stuff that I think is outside the remit of that.

 

1) The stupid annoying whiny spoilt brat kids with American accents - they're too modern. I don't like the idea of a mod that lets you kill any, but there are plenty that need a clip round the ear. I can see a Jarl's children being stuffed full of a very modern sense of entitlement, but not the rest. You never see any of the peasant children working. And if they were going to misbehave I bet they woudln't be sitting fat and lazy and making smart alec comments on a verandah, they'd be climing trees and throwing stones at you.

 

2) Not enough variety in the children (more ages and races needed).

 

3) The bizarre way every NPC you walk near addresses random and irrelevant comments to you, even if you haven't started a conversation with them. It's as if the game is trying convince you how special and unique you are, and that the whole world revolves around you, and that's just too jarring.

 

4) Empty towns/high guard ratio - a few more civilian NPCs to pad large towns/cities and slightly less guards. Even if they're generic.

[CampanaAliquanta]

Another thing occurs to me, but I don't know if it would really benefit. The roads look too good. Surely some of them should be muddy mires. Given how mud-encrusted the clothing is, I think the towns and roads are suprisingly free of dirt, mud, refuse and vermin e.g. rats, mice, flies etc. It wouldn't necessarily make the world look prettier to add all this stuff in though.

[McCrack12358]

Thanks for the tips Campana. Also, I'm planning something different than the Immersion Overhaul team. They want to add more elements that increase the realism, I simply want to fix the immersion breakers. Also:

 

3) The bizarre way every NPC you walk near addresses random and irrelevant comments to you, even if you haven't started a conversation with them. It's as if the game is trying convince you how special and unique you are, and that the whole world revolves around you, and that's just too jarring.

 

I stumbled on a mod that already fixes this. Here you go:

 

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=746

[billyro]

Something that can't be fixed: The first person cinematic kills. I just hate it how you pull them off the screen and then stab them. Surely if you pay attention to where you're stabbing. I know that there won't be a fix for this, because the player's body in first person is just a layer above everything else, and can't penetrate through objects.

But yeah, just putting that out there.

 

EDIT: I can't remember if this is true, but I believe you can cut Arvel down from the spider web by shooting him with an arrow.

Edited December 7, 2011 by billyro

[Levgre]

I stole someone's key to take a cursed sword from the basement. Next to the sword was a book where said person talked about how it must remain hidden and out of the wrong hands.

 

I go back upstairs and I sell it to him, and he doesn't care at all that I stole it despite his warnings (not technically stolen so it was sellable).

 

So yah, NPC reactions need to be more complex/accurate.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Levgre

[SunWolf]

All the generic characters pretty much sound exactly the same. It's like talking to a bunch of robots. I remember an oblivion mod that had variable pitch added, so everyone sounded different, was a clever way to help me feel Luke the npcs are unique....

[NoDebate]

1] - 3rd person horse riding.

2] - 3rd person Werewolfing.

3] - Vampirism in general. (I wholly expect this will be a separate project in the future. But, I am just voicing my concerns in how bland it really feels. I want Sun Damage back. :|)

4] - "Rubber" arrows. Turning people in to pincushions. Particularly, taking an arrow to the throat and being K.