Staff Picks - 16 Nov 2016

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Welcome to the new "Staff Picks", a new regular feature where we will spotlight some of the amazing work found on Nexus Mods. These mods may be old or new, popular or unknown, serious or silly... anything goes! Hopefully you'll find something you may not have seen before, and who knows, maybe we'll even learn a little about ourselves along the way. ;)

BlindJudge’s pick:

Game: Dying Light
Mod: Timepiece
Author: Impus

I’ve always been into the whole ‘Zombie’ genre, right from the original Dawn of the Dead movie, so was beside myself when I saw the first trailers for the game Dying Light - I mean, it was Dead Island, but GOOD. So when it was released I jumped on it like the undead craving brain and absolutely loved what I found.

Luckily for me, the development team of Techland also opened the game up for modding and a slew of decent mods have been released.

Timepiece is a small, but for me, quite essential mod that allows the player to look at their wristwatch when they are outside of a safe zone. This is essential as the zombie horde become faster, stronger and generally a lot harder to kill come darkness. Now I can keep track of time on the go and make sure I make it back to safety in time.


SirSalami’s Pick:

Game: Fallout 4
Mod: Remove Ugly Flat Trash
Author: inawe

Ever wonder why floors stay filthy even though NPCs are sweeping all of the time? Well someone did, and author inawe has started cleaning the streets quite literally with a clever little mod that removes most of the trash and clutter from a few commonly used floor textures in Fallout 4. This can result in a slightly more ‘lived-in’ feel for many of the places you visit in the wasteland, indoor and out. While some may say this creates a slightly less immersive experience, after what feels like a lifetime in the filthy wasteland, I think a little tidyness can definitely be appreciated.

I’m a sucker for simple mods that make a noticeable impact on an entire game and this one is a great example.


TerrorFox's Pick

Game: The Witcher 3
Mod: HUD Positioning and Scaling
Author: FPSRazR

One of the first things I look at, with every single game I play, is the user interface (UI) and heads up display (HUD). It’s one of those things I think most people don’t think about too much, but can make such a huge difference in the way a game feels. As such, I always tend to look for HUD/UI mods first, as there is almost always something I think could be done better. Specifically, I tend to look for mods that let me customize my HUD by moving things around, resizing, hiding, and so on.

Enter “HUD Positioning and Scaling”. This mod allows you to resize and reposition pretty much every HUD element. Simple as that. No more oversized and poorly positioned HUD encroaching on your screen space!

I highly recommend combining this with Friendly HUD by wghost81 for the ultimate HUD tweaking experience. (Yeah I just snuck a second mod into my staff pick. What of it?)


(Guest submission) DuskDwellers Pick

Game: Skyrim
Mod: Alternate Start - Live Another Life
Author: Arthmoor

This mod is great for a number of reasons - it's perfect for people who enjoy creating several characters and not having to sit and wait through all of the lengthy introduction sequence each time. It allows you to start in different and interesting locations, with a character who has a totally different background to the main game which in itself increases the game longevity hugely.

But one of the best reasons for me, a Nexus Mod Manager developer, is that it has saved me countless hours in testing time as it throws me directly into the game - for that, I thank you Arthmoor!

Every week, we feature a few mods that have caught our staff’s attention, as well as some that were submitted by you, the Nexus Mods community. If there is a mod you’d like to see on this list, send the name of the mod along with a brief (less than 200 words) description of why you like it to [email protected] and we’ll consider posting it up. Thanks, and have fun modding!

52 comments

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  1. fredlaus
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    Maybe now is the time for zaldiir to enter the stage?
    He made a difference for me regarding gaming.
    By opening the modding world around Oblivion he became my hero and he still is.
  2. elderscrolliangamer
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    Think of me what you will, but I'm sure EVERYONE knows what Alternate start is now. It's featured everywhere. Makes me wonder why I bother with my mod at all. And yes I KNOW it's boring going through the base game opening again, and NOBODY has gone through it more than me. I ONLY released my mod, because I though people deserved to see and play through what Bethesda cut out. All I get is grief from most people, so literally, what is the point? I've nothing against Arthmoor, his mods are good. It just makes me want to undo the 200+ hours across many months I spent finding the cut stuff, re-implementing it, making new scripts (with no prior experience or guidance), spending hours and hours playing it and bug testing, then attempting to fix those bugs, then chopping up individual lines for the new Hadvar, then manually implementing each individual line, and trying to get his voice to be on par with other npcs. Seriously, it was painful to make.
    1. uncleboz
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      hey i consider your opening overhaul to be essential man, makes the opening scenes that much better and immersive.
    2. fullmetalfreak
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      You've made a fantastic mod. So has Arthmoor. Arthmoor's mod being featured here doesn't degrade the good work you've done at all.
    3. killerspinach
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      I am running a risk you will take this the wrong way. I haven't tried your mod yet, i am planning too though my next play-through. What you've done seems impressive though and I wouldn't be surprised if that 200 hours was a modest estimate due to the seeming complexity of your project. That said I have been reading your comments on your mod page and now this comment and it seems you're stressed over the whole thing. The creative process is usually very stressful and idk if that's what's going on with you or not but if it is I suggest you consider taking a couple days away. Also I thought alternate start was a funny pick too, they should pick from stuff uploaded in recent weeks and give some attention to things that aren't as known so i do actually agree with you.
    4. Brakier
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      I will test your mod now elderscrolliangamer, btw, your mod is more well known then you think. people have just not got around to try it out yet. wow, i just saw your age, only 17? thats impressive.
    5. dejec1989
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      Different strokes for different folks, In the time that SSE has been out I've used both your mod and Arthmoor's mod for a few characters to give them different starting experiences, so thank you for your mod.
    6. DFX2K9
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      I'd never heard of it before you comment got my attention.

      I like the startup sequence now and again (especially if I'm going for the full immersion thing), but with HDT physics, the wagons have been doing some.... odd things.

      That, and setting up one's character is a bit easier in the little Alternate Start dungeon room. Now, if I could figure out how to tie your mod into the 'crossing the border' option that normally starts the vanilla sequence, I'd be down for that in a heartbeat.
    7. NoGround
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      killerspinach has a perfect response, take a few days to yourself. Another bit of advice, if you don't mind me mentioning this, is that modders (not authors) sometimes need to figure things out themselves. If their issue is something you can't do or are working on, just ignore the post. Even better, if a patch exists and it's in the description (which obviously wasn't read on their end), completely ignore them. At that point, it's their fault. Keep it easy, man, you got this.
    8. neonlights12
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      I prefer the vanilla opening over alternate start, I use it every time. And by "every time" I mean every playthrough over the last three years I've been playing and modding Skyrim. The next time I start a new save I'll give your mod a try!
    9. cedaie
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      'This is the voice of your ego. If you listen to it, there will always be someone who seems to be doing better than you. No matter what you gain, ego will not let you rest. It will tell you that you cannot stop until you’ve left an indelible mark on the earth, until you’ve achieved immortality. How tricky is the ego that it would tempt us with the promise of something we already possess.' - Jim Carrey

      tl;dr, We all have incredible things to offer society. I'm sure there's many players that have had an unforgettable moment in Skyrim due to your intro overhaul. Something they would have missed with Alternate Life, and because of the time you spent working on your mod, you gave them that experience. This should be what you focus on.

      Competition has no place in the modding scene.
    10. Aireal2
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      2 thing's,

      1.. Arthmoor's mod is a guest pick and they are saying any one can submit their favorite mod

      2.. Soon as I have the Data ( tonight after midnight) I will be downloading your mod. It look's to be a perfect fit for my DiD competition play through's. Seriously one of the rules is that we "must play through the cart scene" with every character. ( subsequent starts in the 1st tower)

      I do generally use LaL, with a Vanilla start...the whole cart ride, in our competitions. Two people use the same character ( both console players) but the majority of us go through the whole kit and kaboodle. SE version as that's the only reason I got it, competition..better looking more "vanilla" game. So I will also be adding a link on our web-site back to it ( both versions) as a...Hey.. ya might wanna try this.

      Keep up the good works!
    11. elderscrolliangamer
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      @Brakier I was 16 when I actually made the mod
      @cedaie I have no wish to compete against other people's mods. It's because of others I've been inspired to make my own. Sometimes people just say negative things and 2 mod authors have tried to persuade people to use their mods instead in the past (for my Oblivion mods).
      Anyway thank you for the support guys, I was kinda expecting a mob of angry people telling me to get over myself xD
    12. fredlaus
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      You have done a tremendous job elderscrollian.
      The main reason is you bring out more personality to important NPCs which again is important for the feel of the game.
      I for my part have stopped killing Ulfric immediately after leaving the cave. Tullius is another story though.
      Putting all this together is a piece of a champions' work.
      Love your work.
    13. Brakier
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      I think the reason that we werent an angry mob ^^ was couse they way you wrote, i could feel guinee sadness, and i think alot of people feelt it, that dosent not take away that your mod is a really great one =)
    14. User_25021314
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      If your Opening Scene Overhaul was compatible with Live Another Life, I'd definitely use it and endorse it and tell all my friends about it. Instead, your page says "IF YOU WANT AN ALTERNATE START, GO CHOOSE ONE" next to Live Another Life compatibility... way to make yourself sound like a dick :-)
    15. elderscrolliangamer
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      Auraelus, emphasising a point doesn't make me a 'dick'. As previously stated, I have nothing against the author, Arthmoor, and if you'd bother to look underneath, you'd see another one of his mods, which I've said is fully compatible. So I'm not being a dick to the author, and it's in capitals because people kept nagging about it; they have no excuse to ask about compatibility now. No offense, but you don't even make mods, so leave me to make my own decisions thanks.
    16. Jupezus
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      You sound bitter as f*#@ sir.
    17. elderscrolliangamer
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      I don't care what you think I sound like, all I care about is sharing what I make with the community and making sure it works for everyone.
    18. jzcdrummer
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      Hey elderscrolliangamer (elder? can I call you that?), I wanted to let you know that I really want to enjoy your mod. The concept is awesome and I actually enjoy the new voices (I've played it through once I think), but. I personally run a load order that, for some reason, just does not let me use your mod.

      Could be the fact that a few mods I run are script heavy when they initialize (IA/IW, Requiem, stuff like that). But I want to make your mod work, because I see the hard work involved and it is a cool overhaul.
    19. killerspinach
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      I presume you are now feeling validated good for you man, good for you.
    20. MythDinoex
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      I never used alternate start.
    21. EbrithilUmaroth
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      Yeah, honestly I think your mod is a great addition to Skyrim. It actually makes me want to see the opening scene again and I will when I start my next character.
  3. Psnornagest
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    Im glad to see a Dying Light mod featured here! This game has mod tools and is damn amazing. I wish it got more attention from people with talent and vision to make it the absolute perfect zombie survival game it could be.
  4. AlphiusRavenshadow
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    I generally consider Live Another Life/Alternate Start an essential mod for Skyrim (and Oblivion), and I love the amount of control it gives me in setting the origin of my character - aside from the same old "caught crossing the border illegally, walked into an ambush etc etc plot point". Like with Oblivion, I find the opening of the game boring and repetitive to play thirty million times so mods like LAL, Skyrim Unbound etc go a long way to freshening things up for me.
     
    But none the less, some interesting picks and I'm looking forward to seeing next weeks selection.
    1. ToshiroIreto47
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      Indeed... Alternate Starts used to be a MUST in Le Olde RPGs.

      but since the "Cinematic" phase of Gaming isn't over yet... we won't get much choice outside Modding. D:
  5. Everlive
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    IMO, Skyrim Unbound is the much better alternate start.
    1. deleted21090499
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      I don't know. I also prefer unbound, because of its greater functionality, but I can see why Alternative start is preferred from a role playing point of view.
    2. Triaxx2
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      I prefer the sadly no longer updated Random Alternate Start. Jump in, and then be randomly assigned a starting location. No control, and no vanilla opening. You do get a bit of starter equipment though.
    3. Everlive
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      You can roleplay more in Unbound, imo. You just have to be more open and creative.
    4. Jason9894
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      I agree, i've used both extensively and Skyrim unbound is a clear winner in my opinion.
  6. ZZZ02
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    I knew a skyrim mod would be featured but I really wished that it was one that was NOT on the front page...
    1. Jinxxed0
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      yeah. I would have thought it'd be a nice chance for the staff to highlight some unknown mods. Not mods everyone already knows about
    2. ZZZ02
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      Yeah like my favorite mod is Staff Casting but it is so hidden no one knows about it. Perfect for use with Ordinator or other mods that include staff perks
    3. Dark0ne
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      Every week, we feature a few mods that have caught our staff’s attention, as well as some that were submitted by you, the Nexus Mods community. If there is a mod you’d like to see on this list, send the name of the mod along with a brief (less than 200 words) description of why you like it to [email protected] and we’ll consider posting it up. Thanks, and have fun modding!


      Go go go!
    4. elderlord
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      Would love to see if you could do this but maybe add a requirement that the mod never entered hot files or something similar. Otherwise, great little article if a bit predictable.
    5. Aireal2
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      That would be rather unfair, as I am sure some very nice mod's have entered the "hot files" 4 to 5 years ago and new players might not know a thing about them.
    6. ZZZ02
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      Dark0ne is that an Email address I am supposed to send it to?
  7. Tigon_3rd
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    I misread the NMM software developer as just a mod dev using NMM in general at first, but anyway.
    Isn't it faster to just use the command COC at the main menu instead of "Alternate Start", or is it because you're testing the NMM software and thereby have to have mods loaded?
    1. Arthmoor
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      It's at least party because coc from the main menu is unreliable since it doesn't process the required initializations the game needs to be in a proper state.

      LAL has long been used as a diagnostic tool for a lot of people because it's quick to load, has options in most parts of the game, and allows time for scripts at startup to settle before running off to start playing.
    2. DuskDweller
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      I used it a lot while testing the installation and performance impact of various virtual install systems, so being sent right into the character creation, where you can test right off the bat different types of mod was a real boon.
    3. Tigon_3rd
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      Thanks for the great reply. Both of you.
  8. fredlaus
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    Now we are getting somewhere - this is overly interesting. Stuff I rarely see anymore. Yummie.
  9. FlyLeafx
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    not Alternate Start again here... i see it everywhere
    1. Roriksbork
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      Most people who have played through Skyrim's vanilla intro about two hundred times won't mind seeing Alternate Start three or four times later on.
  10. Aireal2
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    I love this! And that their is a guest submission, that's even better, it's a very nice feature and Ill be sure to keep up with it and try out new mods.