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Disclaimer: This mod is subject to change. Even if it is currently compatible with mods x, y, and z, it may not always be.
26 December 2017: Fixed a rogue snowdrift and added some miscellaneous details.
Windhelm, the oldest and coldest continuously inhabited city in Skyrim. I personally felt it needed to be a bit older and a lot colder. In pursuit of that goal, I have added a number of new buildings, expanded the Gray Quarter somewhat, and absolutely filled the place with snow and ice. I think I can honestly claim that this is the coldest Windhelm mod ever made. There is snow everywhere.
There are a number of general architectural additions as well, including a bridge inspired by the one in JK'S Windhelm, various shacks and other refugee dwellings in the Gray Quarter, and the addition of geeothermal springs to Valunstrad, which I added to justify leaving that area relatively ice-free. Makes sense lore-wise too, seeing as that's where the rich people live, and much of the rest of Eastmarch is... well, a blasted wasteland due to volcanic activity. All in all, the effect is designed to make Windhelm feel more cramped, more snowy, more lived-in, and in many cases more unpleasant.
"bethesda put more icicles in your (bleep) snow city you (bleep) cowards"
-me, complaining to my friends while making this mod
Reasonably Comprehensive Feature List:
-12 new buildings, no interiors
-A junky little hideout for your penniless refugee character
-More room for refugees in the Gray Quarter, where Dunmer are reduced to sleeping outside because Stormcloaks are not nice
-Snow and ice all over the place
-General architectural additions to help make Windhelm feel a bit more lived-in
-Everybody gets more firewood
Reasonably Comprehensive Issue List:
-Performance hit: bad looking from the palace down the road toward the gates, pretty fine everywhere else
-Compatibility: probably not compatible with any other mods that edit Windhelm, though you could probably try Snowy AF Windhelm in case you want the place to be even more of a disaster
-Navmesh has not been altered, NPCs may run into things but I haven't seen anything yet
-The collision on the roofs of the Gray Quarter is really bad. I fixed it up a bit so it's at least navigable, but you will undoubtedly find yourself able to walk through planks, or, around the edges of the quarter, unable to walk through what ought to be empty air (the stockade tower comes to mind). Sorry. It's baked into the models, so while I can add more collision if you find holes you can fall through, I can't really take it away.
FAQ:
Q: Is this mod compatible with [other city mod]?
A: Probably not. Haven't actually tested it, so you're welcome to if you'd like, but probably not.
Q: SSE????!!!!!!
A: Not in the near future.
Q: But why? The 64-bit engine is far superior for rendering many objects at once, so it significantly decreases the performance impact of most city mods.
A: Yeah, but I'm lazy and I really don't want to do upkeep for double the mods. You're always welcome to port it yourself.
Q: Why won't you make interiors? This mod ruined my immersion.
A: I very rarely actually go inside buildings in Skyrim, and I don't really like making interiors and linking them up with exteriors and whatnot. It's a whole lot of extra work for something I know I'm never going to use, and something that I feel the mod works fine without (y'all didn't complain when Witcher did it; give Skyrim the same consideration).
Q: And NPCs?
A: Pain in the bum. Especially given that I don't want to make interiors. I'd recommend using a mod like Inconsequential NPCs or Populated Cities if the absence of inhabitants really bugs you.
Q: Okay, well, what about navmesh? That's like, basic.
A: Have you seen navmesh? Most intimidating interface I ever saw in my life. Also, I do my best to build out of the way of NPC paths. You might still get a collision or two, and your followers will be very confused, but it shouldn't be a total disaster.
Q: All these answers are permutations of "I'm lazy." Why are you even making mods?
A: I make them for myself, and then, when they make me happy, I offer them to you all, typically as-is (though I'm always open to creative suggestions). The point at which they make me happy is not as advanced as it might be for a more skilled and dedicated mod author, but it's just a matter of what you're willing to live with. I'm perfectly happy to live without interiors, NPCs, and navmesh edits. If you're not, I'm sorry to hear it, but these aren't the mods for you. Another Skyrim is never going to be well looked after. If something's genuinely broken, I'll fix it, but at the end of the day, I made these mods for me, and while I am delighted beyond words that other people enjoy them (seriously, the reception to these has been more positive than I had ever dreamed), the amount of work I'm willing to do on them is very limited.
Q: Why does this mod tank my performace?
A: It adds a whole lot of buildings. I optimize as best I can, I really do, but there's only so much you can do. Sorry. I know your pain.
Q: Performance? Compatibility? Mods in screenshots?
A: See "Reasonably Comprehensive Issue List" for the first two, and "Mods in screenshots" towards the bottom of the description for the last one.
Q: Will you do the other cities?
A: The plan is to do all major cities, with the possible exception of Markarth, and the towns if I get around to them.
Future plans:
Add a mini-quest at some point. I have one sort of planned, but I wanted to put this out as a holiday present to all you lovely people. Also, add an actually nice player home in Windhelm so you're not stuck with either Big Old Scary Murder House or Tiny Cold Dirty Hole in the Wall.
Mods in screenshots:
Noble Skyrim
Suki's Preset (NLA)
Credit:
Thanks to Bethesda for making this wonderfully enduring game. Even if you didn't put enough icicles in your snow city.
Changelog:
26 December 2017: v1.1. Fixed a snowdrift that was showing off its skirts, added some miscellaneous crates, barrels, fences, icicles, gates, and so on and so forth.
26 December 2017: Fixed a rogue snowdrift and added some miscellaneous details.
Windhelm, the oldest and coldest continuously inhabited city in Skyrim. I personally felt it needed to be a bit older and a lot colder. In pursuit of that goal, I have added a number of new buildings, expanded the Gray Quarter somewhat, and absolutely filled the place with snow and ice. I think I can honestly claim that this is the coldest Windhelm mod ever made. There is snow everywhere.
There are a number of general architectural additions as well, including a bridge inspired by the one in JK'S Windhelm, various shacks and other refugee dwellings in the Gray Quarter, and the addition of geeothermal springs to Valunstrad, which I added to justify leaving that area relatively ice-free. Makes sense lore-wise too, seeing as that's where the rich people live, and much of the rest of Eastmarch is... well, a blasted wasteland due to volcanic activity. All in all, the effect is designed to make Windhelm feel more cramped, more snowy, more lived-in, and in many cases more unpleasant.
"bethesda put more icicles in your (bleep) snow city you (bleep) cowards"
-me, complaining to my friends while making this mod
Reasonably Comprehensive Feature List:
-12 new buildings, no interiors
-A junky little hideout for your penniless refugee character
-More room for refugees in the Gray Quarter, where Dunmer are reduced to sleeping outside because Stormcloaks are not nice
-Snow and ice all over the place
-General architectural additions to help make Windhelm feel a bit more lived-in
-Everybody gets more firewood
Reasonably Comprehensive Issue List:
-Performance hit: bad looking from the palace down the road toward the gates, pretty fine everywhere else
-Compatibility: probably not compatible with any other mods that edit Windhelm, though you could probably try Snowy AF Windhelm in case you want the place to be even more of a disaster
-Navmesh has not been altered, NPCs may run into things but I haven't seen anything yet
-The collision on the roofs of the Gray Quarter is really bad. I fixed it up a bit so it's at least navigable, but you will undoubtedly find yourself able to walk through planks, or, around the edges of the quarter, unable to walk through what ought to be empty air (the stockade tower comes to mind). Sorry. It's baked into the models, so while I can add more collision if you find holes you can fall through, I can't really take it away.
FAQ:
Q: Is this mod compatible with [other city mod]?
A: Probably not. Haven't actually tested it, so you're welcome to if you'd like, but probably not.
Q: SSE????!!!!!!
A: Not in the near future.
Q: But why? The 64-bit engine is far superior for rendering many objects at once, so it significantly decreases the performance impact of most city mods.
A: Yeah, but I'm lazy and I really don't want to do upkeep for double the mods. You're always welcome to port it yourself.
Q: Why won't you make interiors? This mod ruined my immersion.
A: I very rarely actually go inside buildings in Skyrim, and I don't really like making interiors and linking them up with exteriors and whatnot. It's a whole lot of extra work for something I know I'm never going to use, and something that I feel the mod works fine without (y'all didn't complain when Witcher did it; give Skyrim the same consideration).
Q: And NPCs?
A: Pain in the bum. Especially given that I don't want to make interiors. I'd recommend using a mod like Inconsequential NPCs or Populated Cities if the absence of inhabitants really bugs you.
Q: Okay, well, what about navmesh? That's like, basic.
A: Have you seen navmesh? Most intimidating interface I ever saw in my life. Also, I do my best to build out of the way of NPC paths. You might still get a collision or two, and your followers will be very confused, but it shouldn't be a total disaster.
Q: All these answers are permutations of "I'm lazy." Why are you even making mods?
A: I make them for myself, and then, when they make me happy, I offer them to you all, typically as-is (though I'm always open to creative suggestions). The point at which they make me happy is not as advanced as it might be for a more skilled and dedicated mod author, but it's just a matter of what you're willing to live with. I'm perfectly happy to live without interiors, NPCs, and navmesh edits. If you're not, I'm sorry to hear it, but these aren't the mods for you. Another Skyrim is never going to be well looked after. If something's genuinely broken, I'll fix it, but at the end of the day, I made these mods for me, and while I am delighted beyond words that other people enjoy them (seriously, the reception to these has been more positive than I had ever dreamed), the amount of work I'm willing to do on them is very limited.
Q: Why does this mod tank my performace?
A: It adds a whole lot of buildings. I optimize as best I can, I really do, but there's only so much you can do. Sorry. I know your pain.
Q: Performance? Compatibility? Mods in screenshots?
A: See "Reasonably Comprehensive Issue List" for the first two, and "Mods in screenshots" towards the bottom of the description for the last one.
Q: Will you do the other cities?
A: The plan is to do all major cities, with the possible exception of Markarth, and the towns if I get around to them.
Future plans:
Add a mini-quest at some point. I have one sort of planned, but I wanted to put this out as a holiday present to all you lovely people. Also, add an actually nice player home in Windhelm so you're not stuck with either Big Old Scary Murder House or Tiny Cold Dirty Hole in the Wall.
Mods in screenshots:
Noble Skyrim
Suki's Preset (NLA)
Credit:
Thanks to Bethesda for making this wonderfully enduring game. Even if you didn't put enough icicles in your snow city.
Changelog:
26 December 2017: v1.1. Fixed a snowdrift that was showing off its skirts, added some miscellaneous crates, barrels, fences, icicles, gates, and so on and so forth.