What's your opionion on survival mods?

[Anska]

I've had a soft spot for survival elements in computer games ever since laying my hands on "Robinson's Requiem" when I was a kid - the game was notorious for its survival elements and I probably killed myself more often with the first-aid kit than it actually did me any good. Recently, when chatting with a friend, who usually is very fond of such elements in games too, about survival mods for Skyrim, I was rather surprised, when she mentioned that she had turned all of her's off. She stated, that while she generally liked them, they would turn games which weren't conceived for these kind of mechanics into more of an annoyance than a fun entertainment. For example in vanilla Skyrim reaching Serpentstone Island or Septimus Signus's Outpost is a minor hassle - if you try the same journey with Frostfall enabled, it suddenly gets enormously challenging. The same can be said about really long dungeons, when one of your mods forces you to sleep regularly.

 

While I don't agree with my friend, I think she has made a valid point and I would love to hear your ideas on the subject.


As for myself, I enjoy survival mods because they add an additional challenge and because I find, that I pay more attention to my surrounding, when my surrounding actually has an effect on my character. Journeys like the one to Serpentstone Island (Yes, Galmar, I'll kill you one of those terribly dangerous ice wraith...) become more interesting again, because their success becomes largely dependent upon just how well you planned your trip in advance. This is especially true if you venture into unknown territory. I wouldn't go as far as saying that the immersion it terribly important for me, it's more like I enjoy dealing with an additional difficulty that can't just be easily out-balanced by over-powered items and the like.

[StayFrosty05]

I'm a 'Realism' and 'Survivalist' Junkie myself and immersion is very important to me, but do not use any of the realistic needs Mods....I would really very much love to have some realistic survivalism Mods installed in my game, but due to my intense RL interest in survivalist techniques and older Cultures and their traditional survival lifestyles I strongly disagree that the current realism Mods are correct....I find they are more of a punishment than a realism element. Yes, they introduce realistic needs, but they fall very short on what can be done about these needs, the Dovahkins options....And so thus, at this point in time I just RP it without the Mods until such a time that a much more realistic needs mod becomes available.... :blush: