LE Total Overhaul Idea: Old Folks Home Mental Recovery Project

[NexusMan77]

Okay, I can't think of a very good name for this project, but the idea itself seemed to me to be pretty good when I thought of it.

 

Here is the idea: many old folks are retired and living in homes, bored out of their minds, sad that they cannot often go into the mountains they spent their youth in and take that epic walk they used to take, see the sights of nature, deer, moose, etc... or go fishing on the lake. What if we could give them a videogame experience that wouldn't insult their intelligence or their sense of style (most old-timers never grew up on computers, so they hate videogames and are not used to the idea of playing them and are resistant to even try.) But what if we could give them the total package? The sights, the sounds, the weather, the trails, the fishing, the hunting (yes, with a rifle) ... skinning and trapping ... etc... and then we get some volunteer organization to help set up a few of these on an experimental basis in these old folk's homes and hire an on-sight tour guide to teach the old folks how to use the computer if they don't already know (not all old folks are old folgies you know) ... and then that guy would also try to temp them to come and take a walk, see the sights ...

 

Skyrim would need to be totally reconfigured to get rid of all unnatural monsters and focus only on keeping animals, fish, birds, etc... and would need to import a few new mod ideas, like binoculors to watch birds ... and some code to give them a reward for spotting new birds. So there would be a number of game types you could play as already pre-set ... like a hunter (who hunts deer or elk) with a rifle, and can shoot them (I guess this would be a modification of the bow and arrow system) or they could hunt with the actual bow and arrow. Every mod that enhances game play toward these features should be added in and standardized. We find a perfect match of mods and then Wrye Bash them down and then install Skyrim and add the Bashed Patch so every game on every computer is exactly the same.

 

The other ways to play the game would be Fisherman, Trail Hunter, Trapper, Bird Watcher, Tourist, or General (Hiker) ...

 

1) Fisherman hike out to their destination, inflate an inflatable raft and hop in, then assemble their fishing pole from their backpack and begin fishing. It would be a complete minigame, with rewards based on fish size and weight, beauty of the fish, and would require them to take a photo of their catch that would go on a reader board system to show who is the best fisherman in the retirement home. I imagine SKSE would help to accomplish something complicated like that.

 

2) Trail Hunter get points for finding trails and navigating them all the way to the end, or junction point, so the game would use the Waypoint Reached idea it already implements where it says "You've found Castle Rock!" and marks the map. Once you have discovered enough trails, you become an Expert, and then you become an authority and must help some wayward travelers return to a safe location. You get points for NOT USING your MAP during these sessions, meaning, the more traveling you do, the better you remember the terrain, the more points you get. So all the map and compass features would be reduced in functionality, and the map would also require that you press the M button 3 times quickly, not once, so you aren't inadvertently penalized for opening your map accidentally due to fumbling fingers.

 

3) Trappers go out and set traps based on a Set Trap skill they can develop up with practice. Then they must return to the traps in a timely manner. Not to soon, but not too late either. This portion is made up of a Mod with code to make sure that if your traps are sprung, if you wait too long, other wild animals will come along and try to pry open your trap and eat your catch. Or if you wait too long, the animal can die and fester, and turn sour, and ruin your furs and meat, meaning your catch is useless in value to you. The Trapper then has to go into town with his weekly catch(es) and haggle with the merchants for his get. How much money you make per week as a Trapper is recorded into the game. All money made in other ways does not count, only the money you make as a Trapper is awarded onto your score.

 

4) If you are a Hunter, (wild=bow and arrow) (domestic=rifle), then you must use wind patterns (a new mod must be created to achieve this, I'm sure) to tell you if you are up-stream or downstream from your prey. There is a mod already on the Nexus for beast races giving them the ability to hunt by scent, to smell if someone is approaching... that mod could be further modded to give all wild animals the ability to use those features, so they can smell you coming if you aren't down wind from them, and if you aren't silent enough. You have to learn to wear the appropriate clothes, hide your scent with animal fats you rub on your body, and walk in stealth mode. Another mod must be added for using a rifle with bullets and sound effects, etc... and if you fire the rifle without a silencer, you will scare off all the animals in a certain radius from the shot... so you only get one chance, or you have to move to a new region and try again. You get points based on the number of points the Elk's rack contains, the overall weight, and the health of the animal... all of which you will be able to ascertain using a skill called Hunting Prowess which lets you begin to know these things as you add points into at every level up.

 

5) If you play a Tourist, you just wander around anywhere and take photos. But some locations in the game would be marked as hot spots for photography, meaning those photos have more value. the game records where each photograph was taken, whether you were facing the sun and got a lense flare, how close you were to a flowing water source, if you caught a wild animal in your photo, if it was at dawn or dusk, or noon, or night time, and analyzes all that information to create a value for each photo. Once you return to your home, you are given a score as to how good of a tourist you were on that day.

 

The old folks pick a career, head out, and enjoy all the immersive rapture that is Skyrim when properly and fully modded. Each computer would be quadcore, and they would have a large widescreen monitor to convey the wonder of the game to the full vantage of their eyes. The best ENB shader system, and all the graphical tweaks would be worked out and standardized, to create a living breathing "normal" world for the old folks to wander through. There wouldn't be any combat in this game, nor anything particularly scary from a distance, no dragons, no skeletans, just animals, and all the most frightening creatures like wolves would be programmed to stay well away from the player, to howl on high well away from the character, who could enjoy the sight of them, the sound of them, without getting their heart-rate turned up ... we don't want any of these old-timers dropping dead because of our Overhaul Mod.... we just want them to feel they can go back out and enjoy the life they once knew, the only way that they can. With the right sound mods, graphics mods, texture mods, an AI mods in place, we could achieve this.

 

The old folks would wake up every day just bristling at the chance to get on the computer for their hour a day experience! Everyone gets a turn, and if someone doesn't want to play, they can donate their time to another one. I know from my own experience with Skyrim, I feel very very excited each day to open Skyrim and continue my adventures because of the immersion Bethesda and the Modding Community has achieved together. I don't think either one could exist on their own, but together, you have all achieved something beyond description, the feeling of a real, living, breathing world, with day night cycles, life, richness, fun, adventure, and striking audio-visual experiences at every step along the way. Wouldn't you just love to wake up an old person's boring life (not assuming all old people have boring lives, but some do I would intend this Mod to precisely reach THAT kind of old person) ... bringing them a new reason to wake up every day, even if they must be wheeled to computer and helped into place at the monitor and mouse, once they grab ahold and launch their game, their old body would be forgotten as their mind re-remembered the joys of outdoor exploration, hunting, fishing, bringing to their consciousness the vitality of their youth, and all the JOY THAT COMES WITH such consciousness.

 

Age doesn't matter, all that matters is what your mind can perceive, and what that perception means to you. I think this could wake up a whole lot of old people in a new way, and make Skyrim that much more a legacy for our world than it already is. Thanks to Bethesda and all modders who truly care about their craft. I really love you all.

[bben46]

Old fogy here - 66 years old computer geek. You may be surprised at how many old timers do play computer games. Unlike the youngsters we usually don't turn playing a game into a social event - although some do.

 

One of the problems I have seen is they are reluctant to play children's games. They have worked all of their life and consider games a waste of time - even though time is all they may have now. Their experience with computer games is more on the order of Nintendo than Bethesda. Garish colors, catchy but repeating tunes. Silly cartoon characters, Nimble fingers required. :rolleyes: Emphasis on smashing enemies and things with a kill everything in sight (DOOM) kind of play. Being killed often and having to start over every time.

 

Yes, a simpler game with most of the gratuitous violence and magic removed, allowing them to go hunting, hiking, exploring or fishing might be interesting for some of them. Others will want to graduate to a more active game - add a few monsters, bandits etc. Leave the dragons in - or make them optional - they just fly around and don't attack. Others will be just like the kiddies - playing for a few minutes and quitting - saying "it's just too hard." or "This is stupid."

 

The hard part will be just getting them to try it. If you can make it, I have a few fogies that I can try it on. :tongue:

Also, from what I have seen getting them a decent computer that can play even a toned down Skyrim may be a problem. Mostly what they have are donated used business computers that are around 10 years old.

 

Actually WII bowling went over big at one of the local retirement homes. They even formed teams and had a league.