Staff Picks - 26 April 2017

[TheTokenGeek]

Another week, another set of staff picks and we have a few good survival mods + a handy tweak to the controls of Skyrim.

 

SirSalami has decided that he would like to cook his meat in front of all the patrons within a pub/tavern, I have decided I would like to cook my meat in the privacy of my own blocky home, and Robbie922004 has decided he wants to survive by being 100% accurate in battles within Morrowind - okay tenuous link there, but still, gave it my best shot. Terrorfox on the other hand has chosen a mod to allow him to use mouse, keyboard and controller at the same time. If you have any comments then please leave them below and if you have any of your own picks then get them to us using the handy form below.

 

We love to hear the communities picks so keep them coming by using this handy form.

 

Please fill out the form completely and ensure that you add some details about the mod and why you have chosen it (similar to how our community members have below).

 

Just remember that other mods on the site may do roughly the same thing, so keep your eyes peeled and understand that these are just personal picks. That said, hopefully, you'll find something you may not have seen before.

 

 

 

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Submitted By: Terrorfox1234

Game: Skyrim

Mod Author: CrEaToXx

Mod: Hybrid Controls

 

This mod comes from one of my favorite authors, CrEaToXx. Generally CrEaToXx’s mods lean towards simple solutions for big quality of life improvements. Hybrid Controls is no different.

 

Simply put, this mod allows you to use a gamepad in conjunction with keyboard and mouse, without limiting the functionality of either. I’ve always preferred playing Bethesda games with a controller, but that is only really viable when playing the vanilla game. As soon as you start adding mods that add their own controls and hotkeys, you quickly find that a gamepad simply does not have enough buttons.

 

So, I’ve only ever played modded Bethesda games with the KB+M combo, because I never mod lightly, and always end up using pretty much every single key on my keyboard.

 

Hybrid Controls lets me play with the comfort of a gamepad without losing all of my precious hotkeys! Simply assign a hotkey to switch between KB+M and gamepad mode. It also adds a lot more control to the gamepad itself, freeing up even more spaces on your keyboard for mod added hotkeys. All around it’s a spectacular mod that greatly improves playability.

 

 

 

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Submitted By: BlindJudge

Game: 7 Days to Die

Mod Author: Pringiz46290

Mod: Pringiz Mod Working Ovens And Faucets

 

7 Days to Die has been one of my go to games since I bought it in Alpha 7 back in 2014, as is the case with many early access it’s still in the alpha stage, but is improving substantially on each new release. Games like this (and Rust) draw upon our survival instinct and throw us into a very hostile world. Rust is mostly about the players, but 7DTD is all about the zombie hordes. Over the past few years, we have seen the introduction of many new blocks and items to help with the survival and immersion side of things, but in this post-apocalyptic world, they seem to have forgotten the simple things like faucets and ovens.

 

When I installed this mod, I thought I was going to be able to use the existing, pre-fab versions of the ovens and faucets (making the game a lot easier) so was confused when they didn’t work - but in a case of RTFM, this XML edit gives you custom recipes to build yourself these items. This makes it less early game, but more mid/late game due to the components required. I am a bit of a stickler for making my base/home as functional looking as well as defensible, so these items really helped as the kitchen now functioned as it should. My meat and water can be stored in my fridge, the meat can be cooked on my oven rather than on a campfire in the middle of the lounge and I can now bottle murky water from a tap rather than the hole in the floor I had made above a little pond. Blissful.

 

Now if only the Zombolas would stop attacking on that pesky blood moon I would live my life in post-apocalyptic harmony.

 

 

 

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Submitted By: SirSalami

Game: Skyrim Special Edition

Mod Author: Vrakyas

Mod: Cooking in Taverns

 

Imagine this. You've been long on the hunt and haven't had meat in days. Today, you've been lucky though. You check the contents of your pockets into which you've, ever-so-carefully, stuffed the remains of 2 deer, a bear, and a mammoth. Satisfied, you skip to nearby Windpeak Inn where you've decided to spend the evening enjoying the meats of your labors.

 

You arrive as your stomach rumbles triumphantly with the anticipation of the coming feast. Taking a seat by the fire, your mouth salivates as you search for something to cook with. After ransacking searching the entire inn however, inexplicably there's not a usable pan or pot in sight. Not even a spit-roast. Crushed and desperate, you throw each piece of meat directly into the fireplace, one by one, hoping for the best...

 

Tragic, right? Thankfully this doesn't have to happen to you however because Cooking in Taverns adds a usable cooking station to the various taverns and inns in Skyrim where they were previously lacking.

 

While this mod is great for anyone aspiring to be the next Gourmet of Skyrim, it also pairs well with survival mods and hunter characters as well. Additionally, NPCs can also use these stations which adds to the sandboxing options for surrounding characters. A nice touch. Otherwise, this mod considerately affects as little of the world as possible in an attempt to maximize compatibility making it an easy recommendation. Bon Appétit.

 

 

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Submitted By: Robbie922004

Game: Morrowind

Mod Author: jamespb1

Mod: Accurate Attack

 

Accurate Attack is a mod for Morrowind aimed at Oblivion and Skyrim players. It does something simple: All attacks hit all of the time, for both players and enemies. Some people who didn't play Morrowind in its heyday are immediately turned off by the chance-to-hit combat, and although many classic Morrowind players don't think the mod is worthwhile, in my experience it's great for people who want to play Morrowind but can't get into the combat.

 

It's more than just a cheat mod because it gives your enemies the same edge -- When they swing their weapons at you, they're going to hit. You can't dodge the attacks like you can in vanilla Morrowind.

 

It's definitely not for everyone, but if you ever wanted to give Morrowind a shot but stopped playing because you didn't enjoy the combat, this mod just might be the one for you. It might allow you to enjoy all the other brilliant parts of Morrowind that you want to get into, by enabling you to enjoy the combat a bit more. And more people playing Morrowind is always good in my book!

 

 

Every week, we feature a few mods that have caught our staff's attention, as well as some that were submitted by you, the Nexus Mods community. If there is a mod you'd like to see on this list, then please check out this quick and handy form.

 

If you haven't already, feel free to follow us on our social media channels where we'll keep you up to date with the latest site news, articles and much more.

 

 

Thanks, and have fun modding!

[Loveblanket]

Great selection. I never knew that Morrowind mod existed before and combat is my number one pet peeve with the game, even when it was released, so that's a lifesaver and may just get me back into a modded Morrowind LP. As for the cooking in taverns mod, it's a cool idea but not very immersive. I doubt a tavern would let you cook your food there as they try to make money selling food. Just like you can't go to a movie with your own food and drinks as they want you to buy theirs. It would make more sense if you just sell the innkeeper your raw foods and buy cooked ones from them.

[yourenotsupposedtobeinhere]

@Robbie,

I used to use Accurate Attack, until I realized it broke my favorite spell, 'Sanctuary' So I had to make a choice. Besides, Morrowind is probably the only Elder Scrolls game with a fully beneficial luck attribute. It actually makes the game more difficult. Being punched to death by a scrub in a daedric ruin isn't my idea of fun. :)

Edited April 26, 2017 by yourenotsupposedtobeinhere

[harimau93]

In response to post #49592872.

yourenotsupposedtobeinhere wrote: @Robbie,
I used to use Accurate Attack, until I realized it broke my favorite spell, 'Sanctuary' So I had to make a choice. Besides, Morrowind is probably the only Elder Scrolls game with a fully beneficial luck attribute. It actually makes the game more difficult. Being punched to death by a scrub in a daedric ruin isn't my idea of fun. :)

I agree, however its much more appeal to old veteran role-playing of D&D dice roll combat based, so your character creation must be done correctly. my advice to play with ease with vanilla Morrowind is that, no matter what kind of crazy looking style hardcore build you want your character look, please put more point into AGILITY where it increase the chance to hit and dodge hit, no matter what kind of crazy hybrid character I make I always put more into it so when I play & hit, I feel it assure for the rest of the game.

[spookymunky]

I'm still loving the staff picks posts, keep up the good work :).. on the flip side I am still getting multiple notifications hehe. I don't mind, just figured best to mention :)

[WINDWAIK3R]

When I was swapping from console controller to keyboard gaming, Hybrid controls was invaluable!

[CrEaToXx]

@Terrorfox1234

 

I'm honored by thou words. One thing is wrong though. You can't add a key to switch between controls. The button to switch between controller and keyboard/mouse is hardcoded to the controller D-PadRight+Start. As far as I can tell there's no SKSE function, nor any c++ variable that allows for "hacking" controller interface. You can't even conveniently access the guide button in Windows 10, without a giant wall of code. Hence why I had to use a different programming language to achieve what I wanted.

Edited April 27, 2017 by CrEaToXx

[Robbie922004]

Hey neat my suggestion made it.

 

Cooking in Taverns is such a wonderful little idea. That one's going in my load order for sure. It's the little things like that which really add up to contribute to a larger whole.

[GamerPoets]

I've seen the Morrowind mod when browsing through (and forgot about it as I do most things) and I have to say it's a spectacular thing. I'm brand new to the game. I'm learning how to mod it slowly. One of the things that sticks out in my mind when I've mentioned my Morrowind endeavors is that people who have played Skyrim (and some Oblivion) as their first TES game (and who tried Morrowind) couldn't "get into it" because exactly what this mod "remedies" for them. I understand that it takes a bit away from the RP elements but it's something that will really allow a lot of the younger gamers, and those new to TES in general, to give the game a chance. Anything that helps a large number of people experience the game is something that deserves a spotlight (imo). I'll be mentioning this to those who repeat to me what I"ve said above. I like to play the games as close to what they were originally intended to be as possible with some "improvements". It doesn't mean everyone else is willing. If using a mod like this can allow some to at least get some of the Morrowind experience then great. Edited April 30, 2017 by GamerPoets