The Road to Living Skyrim 3.0.0
This list is subject to change at any point.
Timeline
This timeline is current as of 1/5/2020 and is subject to revision or delay as needed.
12/1/2020: Pre-alpha complete, patching and actual work begins.
2/1/2021: Alpha complete, first Beta available.
2/28/2021: Beta complete
3/3/2021: Full release
Guaranteed
Stability Above All
Once again, the most important goal of LS3 will be stability across playthroughs of any length. This has been mostly accomplished with LS2, but with LS3 I’m looking to take it even further. Once again mods that cause issues will be unapologetically removed.
Method Patched
LS3 will once again be method patched.
NPC Visuals
LS3 will feature a completely new suite of NPC visuals, combining several different overhauls.
Magic Revision
In my constant battle to find a balanced and fun overhaul for magic, this will be receiving yet another revision.
A New Readme
I will be writing the LS3 readme from scratch, making sure to answer as many common questions as possible and address possible issues.
Combat Gameplay Overhaul, TUDM, and Nemesis
Nemesis, TUDM. and CGO will once again not be in the list for reasons that are well known. Just kidding. Nemesis and TUDM will be in the list, and possibly Jump Behavior Overhaul and Movement Behavior Overhaul. CGO will (still) not be in the list.
HUD/UI
This will be receiving a slight revision to make things a bit more intuitive and user-friendly.
Very Likely
The Best of LS1 and LS2
This is going to be a guiding principle of building LS3: I want the performance of LS1 (where anyone with a 6GB+ graphics card can run it at 60FPS with ENB), with the stunning visuals of LS2. I do not know if this is possible, but I’m going to try anyway. Either way, expect LS3 to be more performance friendly.
Armors/Weapons
The selection here will be trimmed down, for two reasons: The first is that it is untenable to maintain crafting, temper, and breakdown recipes for the number of weapons and armors in the list. The second is that integrating as many armors and weapons into leveled lists as there are in LS2 is unwieldy, and has a tendency to break if you even look at it funny.
User Frustration
One of my goals for LS3 is going to be to reduce user frustration as much as possible. Obviously, not every mod is going to be to everyone’s taste, but things that are tedious, weird, or unintuitive will be explained in the new readme and if possible I will provide alternatives.
MCMs
To the end of reducing user frustration, I will be looking into automating as many MCMs as possible. Expect there to still be some MCM tweaking needed when you start a new save, but less than LS2.
Loot Overhaul
There has been quite a lot of discussion surrounding the loot available in LS2. I’ve made my position fairly well known, but just in case, here it is again: I want to do something about it, but don’t know /what just yet. LS3 is the perfect opportunity to address this issue.
Gameplay Changes
LS2 has a weird mashup of EnaiRim and SkyRem. It’s a fairly opaque combination to navigate, and I’d like to gravitate towards one unified solution. As with previous versions of LS, I will not be using one single overhaul a la Requiem or OMEGA, but I do want there to be consistency between all of the gameplay overhauls being used. SimonRim is currently under investigation for LS3.
The Population Mods
Expect these to receive yet another revision. Genesis is wonderful, but can be chaotic and Populated Skyrim is a bit on the heavy-handed side. I’ll be seeking a happy middle-ground between these two options.
Maybe
Hand-picked NPC Visuals
It is possible that we will spend the time needed to hand-pick the look of each NPC touched by the NPC visual overhauls.
Character Creation Options
I am investigating expanding the options available for character customization in LS3.
Player Homes
I may include a few more player homes in LS3.
Economy Revision
I’m investigating revising the economy mods in the list to make things a bit more interesting without things being obscenely expensive.
Unlikely
Combat & Overall Balance
I have heard user testimonials that the game is both too difficult and too easy. To this end, I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a solution that is at least somewhat balanced, but don’t count on this making the cut.
Crafting Overhauls
As before, things such as CACO and CCOR will not be in LS3. I may investigate more lightweight alternatives, but we’ll see.
Not Changing
CBBE & Bodyslide
As before, I like CBBE/Bodyslide and they will be staying.
Quests
The quantity and availability of quest mods in LS3 will not be any different from LS2.
Frostfall and other Survival Mods
These will not be included in LS3.
Music/Audio
I like the current audio setup for LS2 and will be keeping it.
Towns and Cities
JK’s Skyrim is staying. Don’t expect any major changes in this department.
Everything Else
Everything not explicitly mentioned in this document is unlikely to change, but anything is possible. I’ll be working closely with my team to discuss mods and this could change at any moment.