This mod improves dialogue that other mods don't, contributing to make conversations in Skyrim as plausible and immersive as possible, while taking compatibility into account. Everything here is intended to feel like it could have been part of the vanilla game all along, but it also supports alternate start mods.
Requirements
This mod does not have any known dependencies other than the base game.
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Conversion permissionYou are not allowed to convert this file to work on other games under any circumstances
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Asset use permission in mods/files that are being soldYou are not allowed to use assets from this file in any mods/files that are being sold, for money, on Steam Workshop or other platforms
Asset use permission in mods/files that earn donation pointsYou are not allowed to earn Donation Points for your mods if they use my assets
Author notes
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[Dragons] removed Maramal's alternate dialogue during the scene in the Bee and Barb inn
[Dragons] added conditions to the quest and packages for Maramal's scene, so that it can happen only if dragons returned and all know about them (as stated by Talen-Jei)
[Dragons] improved changes to dialogues, packages and quests related to dragons (a whole lot of work)
[Dragons] added condition to DialogueWindhelmCandlehearthScene6 so that the dialogue happens only when it makes sense (in line with the guidelines I follow for all changes related to dragons)
[Dragons] forwarded fixes from the latest version of Skyrim Supplemental Patch (no requirement)
[Vendors] added condition to prevent Zaria from saying "So you're an alchemist, then?" because she gives you the Alchemy tutorial
[Vendors] added condition to prevent Neloth from saying the two lines about the player character's magic abilities, because he sells staffs and because you get to know each other
[Fixes] changed faction of vampire traveling merchant and vampire traveling pilgrim (disguised vampires of Dawnguard DLC's quest DLC1RH01) to the vampire version of the faction instead of the hunter (Dawnguard) one, so that the dialogue options with them are correct
[Fixes] removed one of Uthgerd's replaced voice files, it was edited to add a slight delay but it doesn't need it
[Fixes] added lip file for the last of Uthgerd's dialogue lines during the cut stables scene, because it didn't include the last two words
[Fixes] replaced voice file of one of Farengar's dialogue lines during the start of the quest "Bleak Falls Barrow" to fix the lack of a pause between that line and the following one
[Fixes] changed full stop into a question mark at the end of one of Malborn's lines, to better reflect the way he delivers it
[Fixes] removed change to the subtitle of Uthgerd's line about a jester (not needed)
[Fixes] fixed missing comma in a subtitle of one of Tullius' combat dialogue lines (and forwarded change to the Dialogue Info from RDO)
[Fixes] fixed missing comma in a subtitle of a guard dialogue during the start of the Barbas quest
[Fixes] improved changes to Jaree-Ra's two random dialogue lines to prevent them from being said too close to each other
[Fixes] added similar improvements to the two remaining dialogue lines that Jaree-Ra says to remind you about his offer
[Fixes] changed Solaf's greeting dialogue line to be said only once, because there only so many times you can say "Well met" to someone
[Fixes] added condition to two of Nivenor's random lines about Bolli, so that she can't say them if he's near her
[Fixes] added condition to Keerava's random line about the Civil War going on so that she can't say that if the war is over
[Fixes] fixed a persuasion dialogue option during the conversation with Viarmo about making up King Olaf's Verse, it was missing "(Persuade)" if you were going to fail that persuasion check
[Fixes] changed player's starting question to Dinya from "Which of the Eight Divines do you serve?" to "Which Divine do you serve?" (much more suitable to all kinds of player character's backstories)
[Fixes] improved conditions of edited scenes
[Fixes] added condition to a scene between Romlyn and Indaryn about Maven to prevent it from happening if Maven is close to them
[Fixes] improved two more Taarie's dialogue lines related to the quest "Fit for a Jarl"
[Fixes] added conditions to Romlyn's dialogue lines to prevent him from talking about his cheap Black-Briar mead when Indaryn or Maven are close to him
[Fixes] added further improvements to Romlyn's dialogue to take the death of Indaryn into account
[Fixes] added an alternate dialogue line to Galmar, when you ask him to join the rebellion, so that he doesn't call you "outsider" if your character is a Nord
added patch for Sofia - The Funny Fully Voiced Follower for the main file and the "Fixes" component
Version 1.6
added new component, "Recut", that aims to fix and improve vanilla conversations to restore cut dialogue lines
[Recut] moved the detection of the level required to start quest DA13, to allow Kesh to talk to you even if you don't have the required level for Peryite’s quest (if you do so and ask him permission to commune with Peryite, you'll hear a cut vanilla dialogue response from Kesh to deny your request)
[Recut] added alternate line to the one that Kesh says when you first talk to him, to make his restored dialogue response fit a little bit better in the conversation
[Vendors] added conditions to two random dialogues of Arcadia, one about Ataxia, the other about the Rattles, to reduce their chance to be heard by 25% if the player doesn't actually have those diseases (the reduction isn't applied for the Ataxia dialogue if the player is a vampire or has any disease, because Arcadia just thinks that you look pale)
[Races] removed edit to Narri's dialogue, because there are other correct instances in the game of people of elven and beast races being called "man" specifically (instead of "mer" or "wanderer", "adventurer", etc.) and because the change didn't actually fit with the character (tavern wench who wants to charm patrons to get them to stay at the tavern)
moved the remaining feature of the "Races" component to the "Fixes" component
[Fixes] edited a player's question to Maramal, during the conversation about marriage, from "Why don't you remind me?" to "Could you remind me?" , to remove any hint of rudeness, which is out of place in the conversation
[Fixes] added conditions to Taarie's dialogue lines about the player's outfit to improve the way they are said: the dialogues that criticize the outfit are available only if the player's clothes don't have the ClothesRich keyword (and if the quest "Fit for a Jarl" is at stage less than 200, for one of the two options), otherwise only the friendlier dialogue options are available
[Fixes] tweaked a subtitle and replaced two voice files of Uthgerd to fix the strange timing of the scene at Whiterun's stables about a jester with a coffin on a cart and a broken wheel (the scene is part of the vanilla game, but it was cut, you'll benefit from this change if you have a mod like Cutting Room Floor - not required)
[Fixes] removed replacer of Bolli's line, because it was already done by USLEEP with the exact same result (sorry, forgot to check before making that fix)
[Fixes] postponed the exit of Kesh's dialogue about retrieving ingredients for Peryite's ritual from the dialogue about agreeing to help to the dialogue about asking where to find the ingredients
[Fixes] fixed punctuation in one of Kesh's dialogue lines, based on the way he says it (forwarded in "Recut" component)
[Dragons] improved conditions of Neloth's edited dialogue lines
Description This mod aims to improve dialogue that other mods don't, contributing to make conversations in Skyrim as plausible and immersive as possible, while taking compatibility into account. It's a collection of many miscellaneous improvements to dialogue and conversation that other popular mods don't have (Guard Dialogue Overhaul, Relationship Dialogue Overhaul and alternate start mods, mainly - see Suggestions below). All dialogue lines added by this mod are voiced by copying and editing pieces of the game's voice files, to make everything feel like it could have been part of the game all along. The following is a summary of the mod's features, organized by components. For more details I invite you to check this article. Videos are also available in this playlist on YouTube, they contain a few examples (they were recorded in Skyrim LE but the content of the mod is the same).
Vendors
Sometimes vendors and court wizards assume the skills and interests of your character by saying something like "So you're an alchemist then?", which can become rather annoying, depending on your character and the amount of roleplay you do while playing. Well, they bothered me, so I changed them to be said only to characters that seem like they actually know a thing or two about those skills. So, now they'll no longer mistake, for example, a warrior with mace and shield for someone who wishes "to master the arcane arts". Not only that, Ulfberth, the vendor at Warmaiden's, and Fihada, the fletcher in Solitude, also received similar improvements: they will judge your skills with a minimum of common sense now.
Dragons
It all started when I noticed that Alternate Start - Live Another Life and Skyrim Unbound Reborn missed some dialogue lines that NPCs were free to say even before dragons could spawn. However, I realized that the vanilla game could have used some improvements as well regarding the way rumors about Helgen and the return of the dragons spread across the province, so I decided to expand: I added proper conditions to the missed dialogue lines, but I also added alternate dialogue lines that can happen instead of the vanilla ones depending on your progress in the main quests. These new lines were designed to make conversations flow as well as the vanilla ones without mentioning dragons. I ended up developing my own guidelines that dictate how rumors should spread in Skyrim (see "Detailed description" article). The result is a component with two versions to choose from: one for the vanilla game (or LAL) and one for Skyrim Unbound Reborn, each with its own guidelines.
Fixes
A collection of relatively small fixes and improvements that aim to improve upon the vanilla game in a simple and organic way, while trying to avoid conflicts with other mods as much as possible. The features included can be explained with these categories: dialogue replacer fixes, that fixes weird deliveries or recordings of dialogue lines; misc fixes, that fixes typos in subtitles found during development; dialogue frequency improvements, that changes the chance of random dialogue lines to be used, like Jaree-Ra's annoying ones; player dialogue improvements, that improves the text of player dialogue options to make conversations flow better in general (no backstory-specific changes); scenes improvements, that improves the conditions on which scenes play; conversations improvements, similar to "dialogue frequency improvements" in concept, but improves whole conversations, like the one with Brunwulf or the one with Taarie. For more conversation improvements and new dialogue options, by the way, I invite you to use my other mod too, More Dialogue Options.
Recut
When you approach Kesh at the Shrine of Peryite, he only starts a conversation with you if your level is high enough for his daedric quest, so you can't talk to him about his daedric lord and ask him to commune with Peryite before that. However, he actually has a negative answer to give you. So, I restored that cut dialogue line and allowed you to enter conversation with him from the start: now you can talk to him right from level 2 (not level 1: you have to level up once after installing this mod for the dialogue to show up - I have yet to figure out a way to avoid this), have a little chat about his worship and hear that line if your level is low enough. Nothing of the actual quest has been changed: he'll answer positively only if the requirements of the quest are met and you should experience no conflicts whatsoever with other mods that affect daedric quests.
Installation All files of the current version use the ESL format. The main file includes all components. For the main file or the "Dragons" component: choose their versions based on whether you have Skyrim Unbound Reborn or not. Optional files are also available, one for each of the components listed above, in case you don't like some of them. Check this article if you need help to use more than one at the same time.
Compatibility and load order All current files are ESL-flagged. This mod is designed to work alongside with USSEP, Relationship Dialogue Overhaul, Guard Dialogue Overhaul and alternate start mods such as Skyrim Unbound Reborn and Alternate Start - Live Another Life. Skyrim Unbound Reborn not only works alongside this mod, but it's fully supported, with a dedicated version of the "Dragons" component (and the main file). Load this mod after other dialogue mods and the two alternate start mods mentioned. Versions 1.5 or later of the "Dragons" component (and the main file) conflict with mods that edit the Companions' quest CR14 "Dragon Seekers". One of them is Economy Overhaul and Speechcraft Improvements, for which a patch is available here. There are two conflicts between the "Fixes" component (the man file too, of course) and Sofia - The Funny Fully Voiced Follower: a patch is available in the Optional files and can be safely merged in other ESPs. Load order doesn't matter as long as you load the patch after both mods. A patch that changes the player's dialogue to something a Khajiit would say (like Khajiit Speak does for the vanilla game) is available at Even More Khajiit Speak Patches.
