I've gotten all the mods in and tested it out, but either the SkyUI or Map mod are causing problems on the map. I get a SkyUI error on there. It looks okay, but I'm getting an error. I uninstalled the map and re-installed SkyUI, but it's still causing issues. Not a huge problem, but annoying on an otherwise error-free 60-mod install.
I should have played SE for a little while with no enhancements in there so I had a comparison. Other than the Total Body mod, I'm not noticing any real changes with upgraded meshes and textures, though my water looks good and has nice reflections. The Total Body mod scrubs out the gross filth smears/shadows covering so many faces - but leaves everyone looking kind of washed out. An overall improvement, so it'll stay.
The
Alternate Start Live Another Life mod has a LOT of options... and can be really hard thanks to Cold/Wet/Combat AI/Leveled areas. My first start, I was "Left for Dead" - and woke up on a tiny frost-bitten island wearing nothing bug rags. No towns in sight. I swam to shore, went North, and was mauled by wolves. Restart. I swam to shore and went South and was murdered by little blue Goblins. Restart. I swam to shore and was murdered by wolves again. Roll all the way back to character select... I tried a Bandit start, and it was pretty cool to be on good terms with a small group of Bandits, but everything in the woods hated me - and so did town guards everywhere I went. I eventually gave myself up, served my time, cleared my name, and now Bandits hate me and I'm kind of right back where I was when the original game starts. I could have gone on a challenge run as a Bandit, but wanted to be able to sell off goods and don't even know if Bandits get a retail outlet anytime before a Thieves Guild. I even got to the dragon-sieged town and started the quest there to warn the towns. It was kind of cool to show up after everything happened and wander around saying "Hey, I know what happened here ... and here... and here. I know why you're dead. I know why that wall collapsed!"
Enemy casters are much harder with the Apocalypse and Ward mods, and melee enemies are harder with the Wildcat mod. I like the huge variety of armors and weapons available thanks to the diversity mods, and it's made it easy for me to give up hoarding - with no home and limited inventory, I sell off everything I don't immediately want to keep. I actually feel like a wandering adventurer now instead of a flea market shopper. Thankfully, there are quick skills for increased carry capacity and backpacks introduced by one of the mods between Camping and Ordinator.
The Frostfall mod works well with Wet & Cold, and my character doesn't do well at all in freezing temperatures. I can only wander around for a brief time out in a blizzard before I start getting warnings about frostbite. Food/Water/Sleep needs are interesting and workable. I don't mind lugging around a small stockpile of food and a couple waterskins. I haven't tried collecting rain in a bucket and prefer to just pay a small fee at an Inn to refill my water. I haven't tried camping yet - I don't have the equipment, but should make some. I need to at least figure out how to make a small fire so I can warm up and dry off. Plus side, I have a use for chopping firewood. My only complaint here is that I need to put on items to see what their water & cold resistance stats are. I'd love to be able to see them in the UI so I can make informed decisions. *Edit: A little research seems to indicate that I need to fiddle with SkyUI and maybe re-install Frostfall to interact with it, and then I'll see these values.
I
might uninstall the
Simply Bigger Trees mod. I really like the way they look - and it makes the countryside seem ancient and untamed... but it also obscures most vision near trees and I find myself easily ambushed by things I just don't see coming - or I lose track of someone I'm supposed to be following. It could just take some getting used to.
I'm not sure how I feel about the huge expanded skill tree in Ordinator. I love that it rewards diversity - but it's got ~400 skill points to allocate, and I only get 1 each level. I like having a character that can perform multiple things - especially at higher levels when I've mastered the Bow/Stealth game and want to branch out into spellcasting to supplement it and shake things up. Ordinator seems to encourage really digging into a skill tree and spending a lot of time in it.
My character is a Bosmer (Wood Elf) - but a rugged rogue, not a sharp-chinned wisp. I'm trying to go the route of Thief - Bows/Lockpick/Sneak/Pickpocket - but it needs a lot of practice to get useful. I keep falling back on Restoration/2H Weapons to save my skin. I've only just reached Whiterun and am working through the quests there before continuing. Exploration last night yielded me coming up behind two giants with me perched up on a safe spot in the mountains, and I was able to kill both from stealth with ~80 arrows. A coup in terms of quick loot, but a loss in terms of ammo.
*Edit: Actually, you know what... the Archer/Thief has been my go-to for the last 3 Elder Scrolls games. I think with the changes to spells, I want to try on a Spellcaster. It's been a
really long time since I used one as anything other than pet summons to keep enemies distracted.