Starting over; Playing Skyrim my way. Also: mod suggestions!

[Aristocrap]

I remember my first playthrough as a Nord ranger - I hurried through quests, tried to find the best loot, powered up my leveling, defeated Alduin and then went on to defeat the Empire in Skyrim. Now that I think back on it, I didn't stop very much to sit back and appreciate the vast world. I didn't play my character with any real personality, and after I finished the main questline I went on to try and level up my other fighting skills. In all, I completed the game, but it felt very hollow and I soon got bored. Now I understand why.

 

For whatever reason, I didn't think about treating Skyrim like an RPG, rather I had a more linear mindset of "go here, do these quests, make these items, etc." This way of playing probably was instilled from countless action/adventure games that were not as open or allowed as much freedom as Skyrim does. Rather than take my time and treat it like an RPG, I treated it like one of these games, and that was my folly.

 

This time around, I'm deleting my old saves and starting fresh. I'm going to pour some thought into my character and play the game like it was intended to be played - open, free and as my character. I'm not going to use the console (save for correcting glitches or technical mishaps) or mods that give me a distinct advantage. I won't refer to wikis or maps. I won't fast travel (I can see myself breaking this rule already). I'll eat several meals a day and sleep when I feel it necessary. I'm going to play in a way that will immerse me into the world. The mods I use this time around will be purely aesthetic and help PC performance. I'm not cheating myself this time around! I've forgotten much of the layout of the dungeons and the procedure of questlines, so this second playthrough will be very fresh.

 

With all that said and off my chest, which mods in particular help you immerse yourself in the world of Tamriel? Perhaps mods that ensure you eat and sleep, or just add some depth of life and combat to the game. I'm looking for these in particular, but also mods to help beautify the game. I didn't use a ton of aesthetic mods last time around; it felt darker and gritty. This time, I'd like it to really feel like a fantasy.

[luzburg]

Climates of Tamriel is amazing for weather and lighting. Alternative starts is good for role playing.

[JanusForbeare]

Well, based on what you've said, I'd suggest:

 

No Fast Travel (might as well remove the temptation altogether)

Hardcore Compass (be prepared to get lost)

Imps More Complex Needs (There are several needs mods out there, and just as many different schools of thought on which is the best. This is my favourite, but other users might make different suggestions.)

Frostfall (cold weather is cold)

Fishing in Skyrim (not everyone is a hero)

Jobs of Skyrim (similar to the last suggestion, this gives you other ways to spend your time besides fighting)

Winter is Coming (cloaks!)

Dice Games in Taverns (one of my favourite minor mods)

Fighting Words (okay, shameless self-promotion, but some people enjoy unrestricted brawls)

Alcohol Drunk Effect (always fun)

Footprints (pretty much what it sounds like)

Hunting in Skyrim (one of the few new guilds that has been added so far)

 

There are a bunch more, but that's all I can think of at the moment. You should also take a look at Skyrim Gems... it's a one-page list of some of the mods that are noted for dramatically enhancing the immersion of your gameplay.

[slainia]

Janus - I thought about removing the ability to fast travel for myself, but it came down to 2 things for me.

1, I hate load screens, especially the "hey, go through the city gate, wait wait wait, hop on a carriage wait wait wait" thing, so decided I would allow myself to fast travel to the city's stables IF i was in the city.

2. fast travel can be useful for fixing glitches with followers, or finding them again. The same with your horse. not entirely necessary with follower tweak mods, but still gets me out of annoying glitches sometimes.

 

anyway - my suggestions for making the game harder and in the end much more rewarding?

 

I have most of the mods i'd suggestin my signature, but i'll post a few of the others I use to make the game drastically more interesting for myself:

 

Camping mod - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11074 i think frostfall probably does it better, but it's an idea if you just want the camping part.

Travelers of Skyrim - just adds npcs traveling back and forth from various cities. Several are merchants - apothecaries (they'll even cure diseases for you), alchemists, general merchants. There are also mercenaries for hire.

Piratelords' Loot overhaul - by itself it could probably be overpowering the economy (it allows you to loot any vanilla static barrel) because he added a lot more content to the barrel leveled lists, but if you combine it with a mod to make the economy tougher it's WELL worth it. a lot more interesting, too. You'll find scrolls, dwemer and nord coins, ore or leather and so on. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/17930

 

the next ones l think l do have in my sig, so i'll just mention them briefly.

 

Ankh's racial tweaks mod is frickin awesome. It basically adjusts the height of the races so they make sense, overhauls carry weight limits for the races, and a few other things. one of the results is that it somewhat fixes the first person staring at npcs crotch thing.

 

Hardcore lockpicking - you want a challenge? Take this. Locks will be hard, you will have to put perks into it, buy lots of picks, and sometimes maybe even train it. Worth it though.

[wimwinkle]

Immersive HUD - iHUD is a must, I really couldn't play without it and really help with the immersion

WATER - Water And Terrain Enhancement Redux Vanilla water is so unrealistic this mod make the water look so much better