Modding on the Spectrum

Gooooooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 15th of Rain's Hand and wage slaves rejoice the weekend has arrived. :steambored: AhhhYa, Excuse please. The tyranny of the sun has returned to the desert, and Ah'vrie is still getting used to it yes he is. Time to empty the ash pits and rebuild the fires. You might want to cover your tankards for a bit. This can get a tad dusty, but Ah'vrie needs his coffee... There, much better no? A happy fire warms more than the room as Ah'vrie's mother used to say. Now to tend the garden, scrub the kettles, and put fresh water to the boil....

We have an old friend returning as our brew of the day. Kahawa ya Congo. Nice to see the trade caravans reaching more distant lands again. And this will pair nicely with Bordeaux. We'll bake fresh after Ah'vrie returns from the markets.

Checking the hot sheets we have 53 new With lot's of jiggles, dangles, patches and goofs as always. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa...

Aiue released Detect Minerals as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89237
"Detect Minerals (gem & ore deposits) spell." An interesting first mod. The old cat likes the idea better than glowing veins. But the author is correct, the effect shaders need a little work.

darkbladenomad released FNIS and NEMESIS Guide and Files
"This is a short guide with a copy of the setup file that you can use to make Nemesis and FNIS work together."

Not exactly eloquent prose, but lays out the corrections to the default output redirect, and INI edits clearly enough. Thanks.

dunkd00d released Magical Jumping
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89233
"Perform a string of jumps featuring dynamically changing animations, effects and sounds. Brought to you through the power of Better Jumping, Dynamic Animation Replacer and Payload Interpreter."

Don't you have to eat the mushroom first? :steammocking: No video "yet" and definitely some assembly required. but might be fun. Check the requirements

Dispensation released Fishermen Sell Creation Club Fish
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89208
"A simple quality of life and immersion mod that lets the Fisherman NPCs sell Creation Club fish and other fishing-related items."

Let's face it, if there was ever a QOL edit to the leveled lists, this one should have been handled by the devs as part of the 1.6 update. The old cat is not so sure about including rare fish to the lists though... Thanks, have a cookie

rengren released Fishing Not Grinding
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89220
"Add a menu to choose a rod and improve.the odds of catch rare/uncommon. items."

And if that's all it did, the old cat would have probably added this to his build, However that is NOT all it does. "In Vanilla, special rods had a plus over the regular. Now they improve somewhat and worsen somewhat." The old cat does not like sneaky edits, and the menu activator is to look at the fishing supplies at a 75 degree angle... The old cat will probably not be testing this one.

Okay, let's get to the good stuff...

StoneSpiralGaming released Ruins Puzzle Pillars Redone
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89215
"A high quality retexture for the puzzle pillars found in Nordic Ruins. Created from scratch using a hand drawn height map and then textured using 3d scans of real world assets."

Nicely done for manual tessellation, and the textures should work well with any retex. Thanks, load it low.

Temryuu released Ysolda's House - Tem's houses
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89231
"Lightweight, vanilla overhaul of Ysolda's home interior. ESL Flagged." This is the start of a planned series to show a little love to basic NPC houses overlooked by most overhauls. Subtle and nicely done using all vanilla assets. This one gets a cookie.

Ryn2g has the same idea and has added Sven, and Faendal's houses
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files
Consistent with the others. Worth a look and a cookie

And we'll finish up with another ring by Avebrave
Ave's Jade Sapphire Ring Replacer for Beyond Skyrim - Bruma
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89214
"Replaces the Jade Sapphire Ring in Beyond Skyrim - Bruma with a new model." Beutiful work as always. Thanks

And that will do for today. The ale was delivers on time, the new batch of mead is ready, and it seems that egg stealing bunny has vanished. We'll be serving Mudcrab scrambles for the early meal. and Ah'vrie will decde the late meal when he returns from the markets yes he will. The fires are stoked, the floors are swept and mopped, and We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Goooooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 16th of Rain's Hand. A good day to sleep in, spend time with the family, take care of a few choirs... Right, draw the blinds, put out the cat, and lock the doors. Thar B Dragons to hunt! Excuse please while Ah'vrie tends the fires, scrubs the kettles, and cleans the inn for our most honored guests...

Brew of the day is Capetown, and we'll be baking fresh when the old cat returns from the markets. Checking the hot sheets we have 57 new with all the usual bimbos, himbos, accessories, patches, and goofs. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa.

We'll start with a shout out to CHIMgarden for releasing Male Player Animations (DAR) as a follow up to their Female Player Animations. The old cat uses a few of their conditional animation DAR sets, but doesn't play in third person unless riding, mining, chopping, or bathing so the old cat will pass on this. However, the author also has a conditional dog barking DAR file useful for people that want to disable defenseless little puppies :steammocking:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files

Byku released Undelete Navmesh Tool
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89312
"A set of xEdit scripts that automatically fix deleted navmeshes in mods. No need to use Creation Kit. 2 options available." Color an old cat VERY skeptical. Must be run in quick autoclean mode, and can't be used on the DLCs. Reading between the lines the old cat is not getting a warm and fuzzy on this one. Would required "extensive" testing. Pass

Skipping all the jiggles, dangles, and accessories we'll jump straight to the good stuff...

Temryuu released Severio Pelagia's House - Tem's Houses
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89320
"Lightweight, vanilla overhaul of Severio Pelagia's home interior. ESL Flagged." The old cat is really starting to like this one's style. Adds a bedroom loft, new clutter... Really well done. This one gets another cookie.

Ah'vrie thinks Temryuu embarrassed Hylios Sykes who rushed out an overhaul to Ysolda's house... Meh, but at least there's no ivy on the walls. We do love having choices.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89227

Ryn2g released Ryn's Hod and Gerdur's House
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89297
Another well thought out overhaul. Turns the bedroom into a room, adds a storage loft, and the old cat does like the warmer wood tones. This one gets a cookie as well

We'll finish up with two more towns by RubberSpaghetti
https://www.nexusmods.com/users/36481565?tab=user+files
Nightgate inn, and Stonehills. Like all the rest in the series, these add mostly just light exterior clutter. It does add a path to the inn from the road... about time, but The old cat is questioning the empty fishing boat in the middle of the pond.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Gooooooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Morndas the 17th of Rain's hand and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. Wage slaves lament, the weekend is over. Hide if you can or work if you must it's Morndas again. Excuse please while Ah'vrie stokes the fires and puts fresh water on the boil...

Brew of the day is Honduras, and the biscuits are Bordeaux. Checking the hot sheets we have 55 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat this day over a fresh cuppa, and make it a double.

Nirvana201 released Nirvana's Fort Greymoor as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89380
Add's a little market area and opens a well at Fort Greymoor, navmesh done by Ryn. Nice little first effort. Thanks

AnubisOffical released Spell Research - Ancient Text Crafting as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89369
"This mod allows you to craft ancient texts from ruined books you find in your travel. If you are an artifact lover like me, Spell Research artifacts are some of my favorite parts of the mod. This will allow you to have a constant stream of arcane lore to decipher. Particularly useful if you don't have a lot of starting spells to research off of." See a need fill a need. The heart of modding. Thanks, have a cookie

JJerem released Strongholds - Largashbur
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89354
hopelessly over the top wooden fortifications just like his other stronghold. Not for old cat's but it looks like they had fun.

INIGO 2.4C UPDATE ESP FILE by nesbit098 with permission of Smartbluecat
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89385
"INIGO 2.4C esp has been updated and run through xedit to remove undeleted navmesh references and errors." That's for making this available to the community. Have a cookie
Downloaded for my impending restart

Xtudo released Ash Guardian Expansion - My optimized textures SE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89393
Mihail keeps pumping them out, and Xtudo keeps fixing them... Thanks

And that's about it for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Temryuu released Battle-Born farm House - Tem's Houses
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89423
Lightweight, vanilla overhaul of Battle-Born farm's home interior. ESL Flagged.

Came out right after I posted LOL. Well thought out like the others. This "feels" like a lived in farm house. This one has a feel for it. Have another cookie. Tracking for the inevitable all in one.

Goooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. it is Tirdas the 18th of Rain's Hand and divines be praised we have survived another Morndas. The blessed moons will be gibbous tomorrow and new on Turdas. We hope the goddess enjoy's her rest, and the hunters enjoy their hangovers. Anyway, it is time once again for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli, and the biscuits are classic Fig Newtons. Checking the hot sheets we have 44 new mods today with plenty of jiggles, dangles, and patches, but not a lot of substance. Let's see what did catch the eye today.

JobiWanUK is still tweaking Flower girls. Two mods today
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files

Hentof released Eldenroot - Simple Improved Trees
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89473
"The foliage is simply made "layered" so the transparent pixels are not to be skipped by the renderer, similarly to the Oldrim original textures. Bark and clutter have been modified by the AI and edited so there is no moss on the ground level. Meshes are separated by two options: no normal maps and with them."

The trees don't even look better in the supplied pics... turning off the normals and rendering invisible vertices just makes everything a little blurrier. This one probably thinks that fusafusa shell fur crap looks better as well :steamfacepalm: PASS!

tommas666 released Armor Affects Casting
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89462
"Armor gives a debuff to your magic skills depending on how many pieces you are wearing, and your skill on the relevant Armor (Light/Heavy) debuff gets lower once you gain levels in the relevant Armor Skill until (almost) no debuff. Armored Mage friendly (with training of course xD)"

What can an old cat say? "Duh!" This is yet another of those 'I have no self control' mods turned into a mechanic. We all know the original D&D trope behind why mages wear robes... So if you're a mage don't wear heavy armor. However, in this case the old cat can see that with the game forcing the player to use a little magic now and then, even when playing a barbarian berserker brute. One could be forgiven for adding this. This old cat just tends to prefer head cannon to baby sitting.

And finally The Hermetic Art - Alchemy Reimagined by Kspace as a third mod
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89493
"The Hermetic Art overhauls the fundamental mechanics of alchemy to add more immersion and flavor."

Worth a serious look, but the synopsis of this mod is simple. Make alchemy much more tedious and much less valuable. It also removes base experimentation by giving recipes for basically all of the vanilla potions...

"Warning: The Hermetic Art adds significant complexity and time investment to alchemy without necessarily making it stronger than in vanilla Skyrim. This mod is not intended to fit neatly in to the regular dungeon-delving play style of Skyrim. It is aimed at those who specifically want to add depth to roleplaying an alchemist. Now on to the explanation."

Right, so having to grind tundra cotton before adding it to a potion adds depth? Grinding cotton? Really? Maybe bards should have to murder a cat every time they play the lute as well? You know, for immersion... :steamfacepalm:

Your game your way, but not for old cats (I think Gnewna is finally wearing off on the old cat :steammocking: Tedious simply for the sake of tedium is NOT immersive.

And that will do for today, The fires are stoked, the kettles... What? Ah'vrie said not much caught the eye today. Would you prefer NSFW load screens and gay Sidgear mods? Anyway, the fires are stoked yada, yada We-B-open! :steamhappy:

Goooooooood Morning Tamriel!

It is Middas the 19th of Rain's Hand and another beautiful 'open window' predawn here on warm sands. Tomorrow are the new moons and the hunters have already begun their... celebrations. Anyway, it is time once again for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water put to the boil.

Brew of the day is Stockholm roast, and the biscuits are oatmeal raisin. Checking the hot sheets we have 46 new, but more like 36 if you don't count spammed main menu art. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat this day.

LaffzalotOG ported HASTE from Horrible Andy as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89514
A broad scoped QOL tweaks from oldrim. Covers way too many things for the old cats taste and becomes a patching nightmare in a large build, but thanks

h495 released Dunmeri Barset for The Retching Netch (BOS) as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89530
"Uses Base Object Swapper to swap the bar and stools in The Retching Netch for Dunmeri versions from Dunmeri Furniture in Gray Quarter by Czasior" If it makes you happy. Thanks

Lets see... inago777 released My enemy Wizards NO esp
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89488
Another No plugin facegen mod from maki kouitirou, Making enemy corpses pretty. Your game your way, Thanks

Let's get to the good stuff...

Carriage Drivers - New Clothing SE by Xtudo
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89508
"A standardized vestment for the carriage drivers. Vanilla, Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul, Carriage Drivers Are Alive versions available. ESL" Instant download for the old cat. It's about time someone gave the CFTO driver in Windhelm a bloody coat LOL. This one gets a cookie.

Ryn's Sleeping Giant Inn
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89519
"An overhaul of the interior of Sleeping Giant Inn, in Riverwood." Worth a look. The new bar location will probably play hell with vanilla pathing but it's consistent with the other Riverwood retexes. :steamthumbsup: Thanks

L3st4t released Vargrl3s Whiterun Re imagined
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89228
Yeesh, no offense but the old cat will Re-Imagine this in someone else' game LOL

And finally our mod of the day. Sound the trumpets, the old cat has been waiting for this one.

Atlantean Landscape -Complete- Complex Terrain Parallax by Wizkid
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89542
"This is the "all in one" version of my Atlantean series. Includes mountain and road textures."

The old cat will be testing this over the weekend for certain. This all in one version includes a specific version for Terrain Parallax Blending Fix, has it's own blended roads, and it's own mountains and snow textures... Jury is out until Ah'vrie sees it all together, but the separates so far have been really good together. 2 cookies (I'm looking forward to this)

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Gooooooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Turdas the 20th of Rain's Hand And a chilly desert predawn here on warm sands. Tonight is the new moon, and we wish the goddess a peaceful rest as her hunters drink themselves stupid once again. There might be a touch of sour grapes involved as the old cat does miss his friends and all the stories, but he has the inn to tend yes he does. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Brew of the day is Inspirazione a Venezia, and the biscuits are Verona. Checking the hot sheets we have 40 new with the usual eclectic mix of jiggles, dangles, patches and goofs. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa this day... Honestly not much.

TatiyaBichoo released Inline Bodysuit Armor Buff patch as a first mod Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89624
"I have buffed the armor rating of Inline Bodysuit." That you did Have fun

Jeannetta182 released Fancy Unique Lunar Forge
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/87686
"A unique model with ENB lights for the Lunar Forge at Silent Moons Camp. The magical Lunar Forge now can actually look magical, even though it's not gameplay-wise Uses wSkeever's Animated Water and has a patch for ElSopa's Medieval Anvil."

Frankly the old cat is surprised this wasn't done ages ago, and the look is not bad. Ah'vrie's only complaint is not including a script that controls the glow. It should only glow during the active hours it's allowed to craft lunar gear. Several of the pictures show it glowing in the day time and that just ruins the effect for the old cat. But it should be a rather simple fix. Ah'vrie replied to an earlier post.

6Four9 released Northern Farmhouses
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89628
"A Combined Meshes Of Cities Of The North Dawnstar and Falkreath with Vanilla Farmhouses, give a new unique looking Farmhouses with Northern Vibes"

Okay, the old cat will offer that these do have a unique look, and the textures in use are from several different texture packs so it will most likely look different in your game. Ah'vrie has a problem with the actual design of the roofs. Mostly that they weigh more than the entire rest of the house, and they would leak badly even in a light rain. Worth a look, but Ah'vrie's pet smoothskin can't unsee the silly. Pass

And finally ICFur's Yukon Tundra Grass by kirara386
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89615
"Replaces tundra grass and field grass with colorful custom textured tundra shrubs to make Skyrim's tundra look more like the fall Yukon tundra."

"I was going to release this with along with a bigger grass mod, but since it's so vastly different than vanilla or any other grass mod I've seen, I decided to release it on its own to see how people feel about something so different. Maybe it's a good change or maybe it's not."

Based on https://education.nationalgeographic.or ... dra-biome/

The old cat has to admit, she did a really nice job recreating Fall in the Yukon. Seriously worth a look and a couple of cookies. It will be interesting to see how it's received.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed. and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Goooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 21st of Rain's Hand and thank the divines the weekend is nigh. The blessed moons are gibbous as they continue their eternal journey. Anyway. It's time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Brew of the day is Istanbul espresso, and the biscuits are toll house. Checking the hot sheets we have 31 new. Let's see what catches the old cat's eye over a fresh cuppa...

SkyrimDennis83 released Modest Riverwood Cabin
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89644
Not their first mod, but their first house. Simple, uncluttered, and right where everyone else places their first house LOL. Thanks

Skyriba released Ring of Khajit Anniversary Edition
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89645
"Treasures of the God of Thieves" Yeesh, Avebrave it ain't, and it looks uncomfortable.

Speaking of Ave... No offense to Skyriba, but this is how it's done

Ave's Silver Sapphire Ring Replacer for Beyond Skyrim - Bruma
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89655
"Replaces the Silver Sapphire Ring in Beyond Skyrim - Bruma with a new model."

Let's see... Kittytail released a new version of Storm Calling Magic (2)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89643
More lighting for mages... why not

AlexMercer1998 released Armor recipes compilation
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/84672
They singled out 14 armor/clothing mods and crated crafting recipes for the specific outfits. Original mods required. Thanks

And our mod of the day... RedBag's Falkreath
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89631
"Falkreath overhaul, featuring extremely detailed unique houses, new 4K textures, and an Arena you can fight in!" and a stave church, and new walls/walkways... It's a new town

Honestly it's nicely done and different. The old cat is not thrilled with the uniform dark brown color palette, or the Arena. But what the old cat really didn't like is the re-use of the carved portal and dragons skull from their Dragon's reach overhaul in the Falkreath Jarl's house... Not for old cats, but seriously worth a look and a cookie. Of course this will be a patching nightmare for any mod that touches Falkreath... Oh wait, there's more

RedBag's Falkreath - Patch Collection by monkeyangie
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/84122
Looks like about 70 mods covered... The old cat would need over 20 already... PASS

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Gooooood Morning Tamriel amriel riel el...

Ah'vrie wishes you well, but It would seem Ah'vrie is greeting an empty inn this 22nd of Rain's Hand. This is unusual for a Loredas, but it does make it easier to clean yes it does. Anyway, Ah'vrie will greet the weekend as he always does, by cleaning out the ash pits and rebuilding the fires... There, now to scrub the kettles and put fresh water to the boil...

Brew of the day is Indonesia, and our biscuits will be Irish butter cookies this morning. Checking the hot sheets we have 40 new with plenty of jiggles, patches and goofs. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa.

RationalBadger released PickPocket Min-Max Tweaks as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89739
"Tired of your maxed-out thief character failing at picking pockets 10% of the time because reasons? Customizable minimum and maximum chances selectable through the FOMod installer." Thanks, Have a cookie for not being a house in Riverwood

MCCatYT released two first mods today. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files
Bruma Name Patch, and Skyrim Alcohol Effects Overhau.

Fixes Skyrim Bruma so it doesn't call it "Tamriel", and makes wine have more visual effects. Why not.

Styyxus released Skills of Survival - Custom Skill
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89754
"A custom skill that expands Survival mods with some perks that help with the downsides of survival and lean into a hunting theme." If it makes you happy. The old cat will stick with Sunhelm, Campfire, and Hunterborn.

Let's see... Ender108 tweaked Raid weathers for brighter nights
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89736

AkilTheAwesome released yet another reshade preset
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89751
A bit over saturated and favors the reds.

We'll finish up with Whiterun Stables - Tem's Houses
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89757
"Lightweight, vanilla overhaul of the Whiterun Stables interior. ESL Flagged." Consistent with their other whiterun house overhauls. Subtle floor plan changes and warm wood tones. The old cat is holding out for an AIO, and will probably add these. Nicely done, and cookie worthy at that.

This one sees the ale was delivered on time last night, and the new batch of mead is ready so Ah'vrie hopes we have some thirsty guests today. Ah, it seems we have our first guest of the weekend. Ah'vrie better warm the ovens.

The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept and mopped. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open! :steamhappy:

Goooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 23rd of Rain's Hand, and so far it's been a very quiet weekend at the inn. It smells like a skunk got into the basement, and Ah'vrie could have sworn he was hearing ghostly strains of Bob Marley echoing from some of the barrels... Possibly a trans-dimensional echo chamber? Such things are beyond the understanding of a mere Khajiit innkeeper. Certain mysteries must simply be accepted. Anyway, it's time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Brew of the day is Istanbul Espresso, and the biscuits are Bordeaux. Checking the hot sheets we have 52 new with all the jiggles, dangles, patches, and goofs we've come to expect. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa.

A quick shout out to Mirax for her Train And study - Lost Library patch
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89783
Thanks Lizzy, that's been on my list of to-do's for a while. Downloaded and endorsed. Have a cookie.

EdDante34 released Valerica 1.7 High Poly Head Conversion
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89675
True to the original, and a worthy follow up of their Feb release of Seranaholic 1.5. Seeing as the old cat reverted to Bijin for this build, these might make an appearance.

Fremennik released The Old Ways - Nordic Religion as a second mod.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89771
"New shrines and amulets for the Nordic totem gods." It's a shame all the new amulets are the Sarthall amulet. Maybe Ave can make them new models.

Okay, we have a couple of reshade presets.

dim. - A Moody ReShade Preset by granfdad
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89767
seriously favors blue and green. Reminds the old cat of Far Harbor. Not for old cats

Secunda Shroom - Reshade by Fink0
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89809
This one has an almost sepia feel to it, but with strong greens. Interesting

Edryu released Hammer and Whetstone - Portable Tempering
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89808
a "lite" version of their Repair Kit mod from October. The "3 use, then it vanishes" and a "tempering penalty" bit are utter nonsense, but at least you can turn it off in the MCM.

RubberSpaghetti appears to be done with their town overhauls.
Spaghetti's Towns - Darkwater Crossing, and Spaghetti's Towns - AIO were released today
https://www.nexusmods.com/users/36481565?tab=user+files

devikyn returns with Vanilla Complex Parallax - Clutter and Furniture
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/89791
"Part of a series of vanilla parallax mods; Adds parallax to all of the clutter in the game"

Okay, Ah'vrie is sure a lot of work went into this, and is not dissing the author, but this mod illustrates why you have to be subtle with tessellation algorithms. Picture number 2 sums up the old cat's point perfectly. "FUR" is not supposed to resemble a topographic map of the Alps. Sorry devikyn, but no, just no.

And we'll finish up with Yet another ice mod from RokHel based on IMR of course

FrozenLands
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/87802
"FrozenLands is a massive region overhaul mod that makes the landscape and surroundings much more rough, claustrophobic and interesting to explore"

The old cat really want's to like this ones ice textures, but they're too... dry. They need to be wetter, darker, more reflective/refractive. The color and surface roughness is spot on, but it just doesn't look like ice. It needs depth. Anyway, just an old cat's opinion he says knowing full well he may end up using this mod anyway. :steammocking: :steamfacepalm:

The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open! :steamhappy: Enjoy the rest of the weekend