The Elder Scrolls

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Buoyant Armiger said:
Also, if you're not adverse to minimal modding on first playthrough, I'd suggest OpenMW, the Code Patch, the Optimization Patch, the Patch for Purists and the Expansion Delay.
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Code patch does nothing for OpenMW since its an engine replacement, not a mod. You will want Optimization Patch and Project Atlas, Morrowind was made in a different time so the assets aren't optimized (they are just plain not optimized at all actually) for modern GPUs, so without those mods to fix things you get awful framerates.

Here is an OpenMW Vanilla modlist: https://modding-openmw.com/lists/i-heart-vanilla/
This site also has a graphics overhaul list if you want to use that, pick and choose but follow the instructions for installing mods, especially groundcover.

Don't bother trying to get the vanilla engine to work, its a pain in the ass and OpenMW does everything better and actually runs on modern PCs. The people who have hate boners for OpenMW are just salty that their hacked together Lua mods don't run on it. If you want to make the graphics look better then OpenMW also supports normal maps and has built in post processing, they aren't included in that mod list but you can find normal maps for project atlas on the nexus.

Here is the big list of post processing shaders:

and the PBR core shader replacers, there aren't very many PBR mods yet since its not officially supported atm:

You will also want to turn on object paging in the launcher for expanded view distance and LODs, and you can find all the fixes from Code Patch in there as well.
 
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Panoramic Overton Window said:
So I've never played an Elder Scrolls game but I'm interested in giving it a try. Which game would you all recommend I start with? I don't mind outdated graphics and clunky interfaces if the writing is superior.
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How would you even know if the writing is superior if you've never played one? Sounds like a bait post just to get the morrowboomers jerkin themselves.

That said, obviously morrowind based on the low effort bait criteria.
 
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Rick The Stick said:
How would you even know if the writing is superior if you've never played one? Sounds like a bait post just to get the morrowboomers jerkin themselves.

That said, obviously morrowind based on the low effort bait criteria.
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No bait being thrown. I have only the vaguest notions of what's in TES games and I was asking for recommendations for someone who values good story-telling and role-playing above all. Different people will have different preferences; some will care more about game mechanics and visual beauty.
 
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Rick The Stick said:
How would you even know if the writing is superior if you've never played one? Sounds like a bait post just to get the morrowboomers jerkin themselves.

That said, obviously morrowind based on the low effort bait criteria.
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Morrowinds writing isn't good though. It's lore is good.

Edit: Nobody should play Elder Scrolls for the writing. Anything good is all out of game shit and borderline fan fiction. Go read a good book instead or play a better RPG. I say this as a fan, but I also strongly believe that Elder Scrolls is a series you had to get into at a certain point in your life to get any real enjoyment out of, especially if you're looking for superior writing or RPG mechanics.
 
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Panoramic Overton Window said:
No bait being thrown. I have only the vaguest notions of what's in TES games and I was asking for recommendations for someone who values good story-telling and role-playing above all. Different people will have different preferences; some will care more about game mechanics and visual beauty.
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And with the criteria given there was only ever going to be one answer. Especially on this board. Which is fine, because I agree that overall morrowind is better written(for what little that actually amounts to for an Elder Scrolls game anyway), but its like going to a Star Wars board and saying "never seen the movies. Which one should I watch and which has the best story/writing? I don't care if it has worse special effects". You'd obviously only be told to watch the Original Trilogy, and to find the non-special edition versions. Even of that is the best answer, it's still baity. Unintentional or not.

xXx: State of the Union said:
Morrowinds writing isn't good though. It's lore is good.

Edit: Nobody should play Elder Scrolls for the writing. Anything good is all out of game shit and borderline fan fiction. Go read a good book instead or play a better RPG. I say this as a fan, but I also strongly believe that Elder Scrolls is a series you had to get into at a certain point in your life to get any real enjoyment out of, especially if you're looking for superior writing or RPG mechanics.
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Morrowind does have good writing, and the games as a whole do have some fantastic lore within themselves. Hell skyrim has some fantastic world building and lore given to you through in-game books you can read.

Also disagree with this notion that you have to find something at the right time in life to get into it. It's simply a matter of "it clicks or it doesn't". Point in time be damned.
 
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Rick The Stick said:
(...) it's still baity. Unintentional or not.
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Never attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance - especially not when said ignorance is plainly presented
Panoramic Overton Window said:
Which game would you all recommend I start with? I don't mind outdated graphics and clunky interfaces if the writing is superior.
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Based on your post history (GTA5, Starfield), you may want to try Skyrim first. It will be more similar to what you've played before.
 
I need help fellow farmers.

I've just got back into PC gaming, decided to set my rig on fire by chucking skyrim and infinity mods at it. I've seen the constellation collection for skyrim on nexus and unless I pay money I have to manually install 1400 mods

is there a way to get out of the dungeon, without using the wizard key download the collection without paying for nexus premium?
 
Bog-standard Poster said:
I need help fellow farmers.

I've just got back into PC gaming, decided to set my rig on fire by chucking skyrim and infinity mods at it. I've seen the constellation collection for skyrim on nexus and unless I pay money I have to manually install 1400 mods

is there a way to get out of the dungeon, without using the wizard key download the collection without paying for nexus premium?
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You could use Wabbajack and set up some sort of auto script to click the downloads, but idk if that collection is available on Wabbajack, I don't think people really use Nexus collections for actual mod lists and more for just grouping mods and patches together.

Here is an autohotkey script someone made for Wabbajack download clicking: https://www.reddit.com/r/QuestPirac..._got_bored_with_the_manual_job_that_you_need/
and here is another one: https://github.com/ge1c4t/Wabbajack-Automagic
 
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Epoch said:
You could use Wabbajack and set up some sort of auto script to click the downloads, but idk if that collection is available on Wabbajack, I don't think people really use Nexus collections for actual mod lists and more for just grouping mods and patches together.

Here is an autohotkey script someone made for Wabbajack download clicking: https://www.reddit.com/r/QuestPirac..._got_bored_with_the_manual_job_that_you_need/
and here is another one: https://github.com/ge1c4t/Wabbajack-Automagic
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Thank you kindly, i'll give that a go.

OT slightly, but I own the base version of Skyrim on steam. If i wanted to download a pirated version of all the dlc and stuff, would that conflict with the steam file?
 
Bog-standard Poster said:
OT slightly, but I own the base version of Skyrim on steam. If i wanted to download a pirated version of all the dlc and stuff, would that conflict with the steam file?
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Oldrim or Special Edition? If you have base Oldrim you can just load the DLC ESMs and BSAs like mods, but if you are using Oldrim I highly highly recommend switching to Special Edition just for 64 bit stability and ESL support. If you have SE and are talking about pirating the Anniversary Edition DLC then its also the same as in just load them as mods. There is no DRM on Skyrim beyond the Steam DRM, and it doesn't check if you own the DLC or anything, it just loads like a mod.
 
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Harammurabe said:
But lore is writing. Your statement doesn't make any sense.
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By that logic, every Elder Scrolls is a masterpiece.

It's almost like the writing involved in lore is seperate from dialogue is seperate from scenario, etc. etc.

A games writing (or story I guess) is the sum of all parts. I wouldn't say Morrowind has bad writing either, but it's not to the higher standard that I see so many people put it at.
 
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Scream Aim Fire said:
I'm wondering how they're going to be handling the Civil War plot from Skyrim in the future
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The trend with Elder Scrolls is to effectively annihilate the country the player was in previously so they don't have to acknowledge player choices. Morrowind got blown up, Cyrodiil got ravaged by war, they'll just say that the country was wrecked by dragons or some unseen event between games to justify not saying for sure who won.
Panoramic Overton Window said:
So I've never played an Elder Scrolls game but I'm interested in giving it a try. Which game would you all recommend I start with? I don't mind outdated graphics and clunky interfaces if the writing is superior
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Honestly the 'big 3' all have a different appeal so which you wind up liking most will be up to you. Start with Morrowind and if it doesn't sink it's teeth in try Oblivion, if that doesn't work Skyrim, I don't think any of the games are bad persay.
xXx: State of the Union said:
Morrowinds writing isn't good though. It's lore is good.
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This is probably the most underrated comment and I'm sure it's accuracy will hurt a lot of feelings. In many ways the sequels actually improve the writing when it comes to character and NPCs. Morrowind has bright spots and fun moments but you don't go into it for the writing, you go in to explore a
 
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