Modding on the Spectrum

Gooooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Tirdas the 26th of Evening Star and a chilly predawn here on arm sands. The blessed moons are gibbous tonight so beware the goddess' crazy puppies for the next few days and keep those silver weapons close. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Amaha awe Uganda, and the biscuits are Toll House. Checking the hot sheets we have 41 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa... Maybe two.

captainswoop self ported Foxchase Manor from oldrim as a first SSE mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107732
"Player home in a reclaimed Imperial Fort with village alongside" Thanks

xxcv released Realistic Needs - Frostfall - CC Survival - USSEP Patch as a first SE mod
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107775
"Alpha - This mod restores some of the Realistic Needs functionality to certain foods that may be overwritten by survival mode, USSEP or their fixes and patches" Thanks, but next time specify your load order as well... It's why the old cat avoids reviewing patches

Likenstien released No Modern Books in Old Ruins as a second mod.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107756
"Removes modern books (typically skill books) from ruins" Your game your way.

Camillemain released Male Atronach and Spriggan
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107753
"Adds male versions of atronach and spriggan to the world, and a spell to summon a male atronach lasting a long period of time." Why not? The girls can't have all the fun. Thanks

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, yada yada We-B-Open!

Goooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Middas the 27th of Evening Star. The blessed moons are past full and beginning to wane once again, but keep those silver weapons close for another day at least. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is from Honduras, and the biscuits are Apricot thumbprint. Checking the hot sheets we have 42 new, but very little catches the eye as the year races to it's end...

HugLefuer released Assassins don't wear uniform
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107806
"Assassins clothes less remarquable for roleplay"

It's basically a confused cheat... They don't want the DB uniforms to be disenchantable (which is a common cheat) so they created 'instructions' that destroy the armors and allow you to craft new ones instead Hard pass on lame guilt mods

inago777 released My Haafingar People No esp
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107789
"It changes the appearance of the less noticed "Haafingar" people." We like choices, thanks. Only it changes principle NPCs as well not just 'unnoticed' ones.

Lets see... ICFur released Queen Bee Statue - Improved Vanilla Texture and Mesh
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107830
"An AI up-scaled and retouched texture for the Queen Bee Statue. Changes also made to the vanilla mesh to improve appearance of of metal." A noticible improvement, thanks.

And finally Chest Variants - Base Object Swapper by Pieter82
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107813
"Adds various diverse Chest meshes using Base Object Swapper" And why not? The only thing this one noticed is a snowy chest was swapped with a standard variant on the steps to high Hrothgar... Might need a little more 'intelligent' tweaking.

And that's about it. lots of patches and jiggle but not a lot of substance today, and one or two that did catch the eye were specific to a mod list so left out. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are... Ah'vrie will mop later. We-B-Open!

Goooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Turdas the 28th of Evening Star and a chilly predawn as the year races to it's end. The blessed moons have set and it is once again time to tend the inn. Excuse please while the fires are tended and fresh water is put to the boil.

The brew of the day is whatever was grabbed with closed eyes LOL. Yum, mild boxwood and floral notes with a hint of chocolate... Umatima wa Uganda. Biscuits are Almond biscotti.

Checking the hot sheets we have 39 new mods, mostly character presets. Let's see what catches the eye today over fresh cuppa or three (If I can stop yawning lol)

Blinkour2 released Legendary Dragon retexture
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107874
"A new texture for the legendary dragon." Shifts the color more towards the red/purple spectrum and reworks some of the scale textures. Looks good, but could have used a few more pictures. Thanks.

TalQual released Fantasy Candle Light - ENB Preset for OMF ENB Lights by Oz3
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107892
"My personal ENB light preset for candles light. More colorful, fantasy, vibrant and bright" Has a few requirements including the authors own optimized meshes. A bit much for old cats, but an interesting look. Thanks

rhonjhonson released New coin. Antique silver.Tetradrachms SE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107880
"Replaces standard coins with real antique tetradrachms" The old cat likes the look of these. Of course Septims are supposed to be gold, and it will still be ridiculous to find these in Dwemer ruins LOL. Thanks

And finally we'll end with a body preset (NSFW)

kaosTwo - 3BA
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107858
"A skinnier re-build of my previous 3BA preset kaosOne"

It's nice to see a preset every now and then with reasonable proportions and natural curves. This one scales well from an A cup to a B cup... Frankly it's nice to see a preset that isn't breasts with feet. This one gets a cookie.

And that it folks. Renthal made a 'small' wooden bridge mod Low res and unsupported. It pains the old cat to ignore such talent but...

The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 29th of Evening Star and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it is once again 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...

Our brew of the day is from Honduras, and today's biscuits are Oatmeal raisin. Checking the hotsheets we have 36 new mods with all the usual jiggles, dangles, patches and goofs. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa... definitely a fresh cuppa.

Freyr95 released Campfire Cooking Gives Alchemy Experience
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107918
"Sets the Campfires in Campfire - Complete Camping System to award Alchemy experience for cooking. ESL flagged." Nice...

The old cat uses a mod that provides a little alchemy XP for regular cooking, Nice to see that extended to Campfire cooking as well. Have a cookie

abstractprimal released An Abstract Skyrim - Falkreath
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107946
"A series of small, modular, lore-friendly additions to the city of Falkreath." The old cat is not sure crowding the city with first era ruins and stonework is either lore friendly or small, but it's certainly different and we love choice. Thanks.

And finally, Snazzy Silver Inkwells - Base Object Swapper (BOS) by gutmaw
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107905
"Swaps the standard Inkwell with a new Silver Inkwell in wealthier places using Base Object Swapper"

I guess Rally's feather and ink wasn't snazzy enough Obviously you'll need to patch the two if used together. Thanks at least this one has a lid.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, yada, yada, We-B-Open!

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 30th of Evening Star and a crisp and clear predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the ash pits are emptied, and the fires rebuilt. You'll want to cover your tankards for a bit. This tends to get a might dusty... There, much better no? Now to compost the ash, harvest the garden and draw fresh water...

Brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli, and the biscuits are Almond biscotti, though Ah'vrie will probably bake fresh when he returns from the markets yes he will. Checking the hot sheets we have 43 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa or two.

Eudalus released Sturdy Lockpicks
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108044
"This mod increases the strength of lockpicks so they no longer easily snap, crack, or explode when picking locks. There's a variety of different options and strengths to choose from as well as alternative weaker lockpicks."

Well it is annoying for new players, With ARS you craft 10 picks for 1 iron, and get xp for making them sooo... Your game your way. This is a very reasonable 'cheat' for new players though. Have a cookie

Aosana released Sword Fern 06 Remover - Base Object Swapper
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108048
"Removes the ugly TreeSwordFern06 and TreeSwordFernCluster06 models from the game using the power of Base Object Swapper." Ah'vrie always thought they were ugly as well. Thanks

Glanzer released Markarth Murder Prevention
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108015
"Moves the attacker's spawn point further away from the victim, giving you more time to prevent a murder"

Okay, Ah'vrie has to admit he never thought of simply moving the xMarker for the spawn a little closer to the Silverblood inn. Safe, effective, and compatible with basically everything. This one gets a cookie. Tracking for my next build.

Let's see... we have a couple of Parallax mods. Unfortunately you can always tell a noobish lack of subtlety.

ThePagi released Yummy Snow - 4k Parallax Snow Landscape Textuers
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107944
"Texture replacer for snow landscape textures. Crispy and fluffy snow."

The tessellation is noticeably exaggerated. Keep working at your craft and someday...

JPdreamer released HD Remastered Northern Roads - Complex Parallax
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107975
"Retexture of Northern Roads landscapes, in 4K resolution and with complex parallax."

Same problem as the mod above. Obvious stretching do to exaggerated tessellation. (check the 'stone' picture) The textures look good if it wasn't for the parallax. Thanks, but pass

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

Hanaisse released Mystical Meridia's Beacon
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108034
"A mesh replacer with animated texture for Meridia's Beacon, flowing with renewed daedric energy." A vast improvement over the 'Styrofoam' vanilla model. Ah'vrie requested
a more transparent version with subsurface refraction. This one gets a cookie as is though.

ICFur released Improved Wall Baskets - Meshes and Textures
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108028
"A mesh and texture replacement for wall baskets." In 1, and 2k, and nicely done at that. Another vast improvement over vanilla. This one gets and instant download and a cookie.

And finally our mod of the day. Sound the trumpets and summon the dancers...

NPCs React To Frenzy by JaySerpa
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107492
"This mod makes NPCs react to Frenzy/Fury/Mayhem spells. Enemies will be surprised to see their friends turning against them and will say fitting lines."

Classic Jay. Still on a mission to make Illusion magic more interesting. Two cookies and the old cat will be adding this to the JaySerpa group in his next build yes he will.

And that will do for today, the ale was delivered on time and a fresh batch of mead is ready. We're serving Slaughterfish scrambles for the early meal, and Ale braised Sabrecat for the late meal. As always we'll have a hearty stew simmering all day...

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!

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 31st of Evening Star and everyone is cordially invited to witness the death of the old year, and the birth of the next. Having survived yet another year is something worth celebrating. Ah'vrie has been brewing a special mead for tonight as well. Be forewarned it's been blended with Colovian brandy and Ah'vrie's secret spices so it has something of a kick. Anyway, excuse please while this one tends the fires and puts fresh water to the boil for the last time this year...

Our brew of the day is Istanbul Espresso, and the biscuits are white chocolate macadamia from a local bakery. Checking the hot sheets we have 60 new, mostly jiggles, dangles, and cheats. Lets see what catches the eyes of an old cat this day over a fresh cuppa or two.

csjcsj released Dibella Manor as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108122
"A player house with many style room" Which is another way of saying crap from all over the game shoved under one roof with no theme LOL, We all start somewhere.

Chronepsys's Clear Spring Cottage
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108112
"A small and cosy house near the Clear Spring on the edge of The Rift." This one is worth a look. Simple, lore friendly, the correct kit for the region, and terrific views. What's not to like? This one gets a cookie.

shamino05 ported and renamed No More Spitting Chaurus and Spiders by SpellingSword
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108141
"Chaurus & Spiders no longer spit" Well it is gross... your game your way, thanks.

oldkottor released Immersive Bureaucracy
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108073
"before you can buy an alchemy or an enchanting laboratory for your house, you need to acquire a certificate from a corresponding trainer. These certificates cost nothing, you just need to have the corresponding skill at 50 or higher."

You shouldn't be allowed to swing a sword without training either... PASS

lets see... slipkid69 released NATURAL BEAUTY reshade
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108107
"Here is a Reshade pre-set for SSE without mods" Desaturated and sharpened. Not for old cats, but thanks all the same.

ellder4mk released YESHUA ENB For Dolomite Weather 1.2v
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108155
"YESHUA ENB, crafted to deliver elevated visuals and sophistication" Well that's one opinion, yours may vary. Limited dynamic range, weak shadows, and way overdone DOF... Not for old cats, but worth a look.

TheShiningAbsol released College of Winterhold - Glowing Symbols
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108076
"Adds a glow to the College of Winterhold symbols" Looks... Magical Have a cookie

We'll finish up with Arc's Dragon Masks REDUX 2k - 4k
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108039
"Each Dragon Priest mask has been meticulously redesigned and retextured to elevate its visual fidelity" Translation minus the ego... upscaled

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept and mopped. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes everyone well at the start of this new year. May it be happy, healthy, and profitable for us all. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it's already Tirdas the 2nd of Morning Star... A short week without a Morndas? It's shaping up to be a good week already. Anyway, excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Cape Town, and the biscuits are almond biscotti. Checking the hot sheets we have 50 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat to start off a new year...

Varangian94 released Colovian Falkreath as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108210
An interesting concept, that falls utterly short on execution. roofs over existing roofs, stone facades around existing wooden buildings... but it is only a first effort. Keep working at your craft, and have a cookie for the effort.

TalQual released Heartfire Oven with ENB and Smoke addon - Embers XD
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108252
"A simple mesh replacer for EmbersXD to give Heartfire Oven subtle ENB and Smoke addon" Thanks, it's already available, and is also part of a few overhauls as well. but we like choice.

TheOscar0 released Return Aegisbane
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108242
"Adds the option to return Aegisbane to it's rightful owners... Or tell them that you're claiming it as your own." Tobjorn's been through enough. Thanks, have a cookie

SilverViperUA released Talkative Dragon Priests - Less Talkative
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108225
"This mod is similar to "Talkative Dragons - Less Talkative", just for the Dragon Priests..."

The old cat gets a kick out of this one. The author released a mod to reduce the volume of the priests in May, now returns to decrease the frequency of dialogs from the same mod. Sounds to the old cat like a mod that doesn't need to be in this ones order. LOL

shad0wshayd3 released one new mod and updated half a dozen others
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... user+files
Todays mod is a .DLL update for Quickloot RE to 1.6.1130

And finally we have a retexture for Elianora's Skaal Village Overhaul
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108241
"Retexture for Skaal Village Overhaul. Available in 4k, 2k, and 1k. With or without parallax"

Okay, now the old cat really likes this one, and the texture choices as well. Turns the Skaal village into something you could turn into a Christmas card. Nicely done, lore friendly, and just bloody pretty. This one gets two cookies, but Ellie sometimes doesn't always take kindly to people changing her mods, so grab it while it's still up if you like it.

Instant download for the old cat... and in 4K parallax. Great textures and subtle tessellation. :steamthumbsup:

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:

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Middas the 3rd of Morning Star, and a chilly predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons have set and it is once again time 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 we'll be baking fresh biscuits when this one returns from the markets a little later. Ah'vrie is thinking sour cherry oatmeal cookies. It's been a while. Checking the hot sheets we have 41 new, mostly jiggles and cheats, but at least a few caught the eye. Let's have another look over a fresh cuppa...

kundrun released Starting on Solstheim - Level and Encounter Zone Tweaks
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/107843
"Leveling and EZ changes to let you start your play-through on Solstheim."

Specifically if your character is under level 20, the base enemies will be adjusted down to the players level similar to the mainland. Above level 20, the mod basically turns itself off. The intention is to allow you to use ASLAL or SUR to start in Solsteim without immediately having to contend with level 25+ enemies. There's cheating, and then there's cheating. This is one of the good ones. Thanks, have a cookie.

Roasted Cow Replacer- Mihail's Shards of Immersion
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108294

Roasted Cow Replacer - My optimized textures SE by Xtudo (of course)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108307

"High quality replacement for the low poly vanilla cows being roasted inside the Hall of Valor in Sovngarde." Well it's a definite improvement certainly. Even if the leg binds laugh in the face of gravity and have the old cat scratching his head and chuckling... chains

And finally gutmaw released Snazzy Mesh Fixes - Windhelm Interiors
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108315
"Just fixing some meshes for Windhelm interiors"

The old cat is usually a sucker for these types of micro fixes, only in this case the "fixed" mesh is just as bloody ugly as the original. There's no plugin, but this one is solidly in the 'why bother' camp.

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!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Turdas the 4th of Morning Star and a very chilly predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons wane through the first quarter tonight, but for now 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...

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Venezia, and the biscuits are Almond Biscotti. Checking the hot sheets we have 36 new mostly jiggle and patches. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa... make it a double.

GREENGREENGREENG released Reduced healing fx as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108360
"Removes the big glow from healing effects and reduces the brightness of the particle effect." An eye saver to be sure. Thanks, not the first, but cookie worthy none the less.

Next we have a tale of two note mods...

Likenstien released Stormcloak Quest Notes
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108377
"Adds 35 "quests" to extend the Stormcloak questline and make it feel more like a war effort" It has a fair number of soft dependencies, and references a number of small side quests that have nothing at all to do with the CW. But why not, Your game your way.

On the other hand...

oldkottor released Shame On You
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108378
"The Greybeards should be pacifists, right? But they do not even register the fact that the dragonborn is killing dragons..." Proof positive that some people should actually play the game before modding it LOL The old cat doesn't know about you, but it's always the dragons that attack first. Hard pass on silly, but thanks

Snazzy Interiors - Windhelm Viola Giordano's House by Gutmaw
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108261
"Complete remodel of Viola Giordano's House in Windhelm" And now that single railing fix yesterday makes more sense. Now the old girl looks much more well off. Thanks.

And finally, Elianora returns with a meme...

Shack of Minuscule Overall Layout - SMOL
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108396
"I was told I had been dethroned as the builder of a smallest shack in Riverwood. So I made an even smaller one. This is about 10 % smaller than the previously SMALLEST shack."

We still love you Ellie It's actually really nice for impossibly tiny. Have a cookie

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the old cat needs more coffee. Have a great day. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 5th of Morning Star, and thank the divines the weekend is nigh. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it is once again 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.

Our brew of the day is Istanbul espresso, but it's really a mixed bag as the old cat uses up the remnants of last years roasts while waiting for the first coffee shipment of the year. The biscuits are Toll House. Checking the hot sheets we have 50 new mods with all the usual jiggles, dangles, patches and cheats. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa today...

sattman porteded Skyrim Community College by RKO381 as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108454
"Adds a building northeast of Winterhold that contains skill trainers with many of them being vendors. It also adds skill books and offers alchemy and enchanting tables."

A nice training / merchant cheat for new players. No cookie, but an interesting port. Thanks

Kraeten released Eastwatch as a second mod
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108435
"A brand new Nordic Outpost for the player to call home, provided they have the gold to restore it!"

Frankly it doesn't offer more than it offers seemingly by intent. Doesn't even have a cooking pot. Your game your way, but not for old cats. Pass

Fartquad released 4 today. Alteration, destruction magic, and a couple of early follower buffs.
https://www.nexusmods.com/users/2318343 ... files&BH=0

mjbabyface released Remove All Scrolls (and)(or) Spell Tomes II
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108464
"You'll no longer find "randomly generated" spell tomes anywhere in Skyrim." This one obviously shouldn't be playing a BGS game no he shouldn't. Your game your way. Pass

konaherson2 released better small cast iron pot rigidbody
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108420
"The original small cast iron pot couldn't put objects in it, now it can" Ooookay, no idea why you would want to but thanks.

And the top slot goes to EnaiSiaion

Fury - Animal Taming of Skyrim
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... ods/108212
"Fury adds the ability to tame, feed and train animals to Skyrim. Interact with an animal (if hostile: damage it first) and feed it some of its favourite food to make it your friend. Fury integrates with vanilla perks as well as popular perk overhauls."

"This mod is based on the Instincts Animal Taming mod by Mumirnik, used with permission. Mumirnik is no longer supporting Instincts, but I have taken over development. See the changelog for a list of changes from the last version of Instincts. Future updates will further integrate Fury into Enairim."

It adds a perk to speech called beastmaster which is required to do any training. Worth a read, it will be interesting to see where Enai takes this. Tracking for now.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the wenches are eager to serve you. We-B-Open!