Oh good. The trolls have come out to play.

It's only ever a matter of time, isn't it? :sigh:

When it comes to PC I'll buy because I like what it proposes to do and to indicate to Bethesda that this type of stuff is cool in the hope they'll include more features off the bat in the next ES title.

Anything Bethesda does to make their worlds seem more alive is good in my book. Having families is a great option, for those that want it it can add depth to their character, the whole having people to fight for, giving them reason in the wider game world.

Only problem with Heathfire for me (PC) is that the grand majority of my characters aren't the type that would build themselves a home. Of my last 3 one of them would maybe do it. The others are a Daedric/shadelike being and a rogue respectively.
I hereby decree all roleplayers be exiled from the fair country of Skyrim into the faraway lands of the Sims. Those who remain shall be the purest and worthiest of man. They will contribute to our kingdom with their level 81 prowess as well as teleportation magicks and 'Power Learning' techniques. Any who hides his true nature shall be flogged upon the holy stone of Akatosh, who looks down upon such acts of desecration to the holy Action Gamer ideal. This fate is administered under the judgement of the Eight!

Not if they don't release the script sources. Like the script sources for Dawnguard they STILL haven't released ._.

you never know maybe they got spears hidden away in this dlc for a surprise to people or even werebears cant really bash this until we've seen all the details.

Because you actually build it in the game - you don't just suddenly have a house dropped randomly somewhere, it's something unique for your character to do and a part of their story. Sure, I can build a house in the CK, but I can't shake the feeling that that is what I just did - quit the game and made it and now OH there's a completely out of place house right there. I can try to explain it all I want, but this feeling won't go.

This also allows me to follow its construction, which is a great feeling, similar to how Raven Rock and your Strongholds worked in Morrowind.

In short, this is a more immersive way of doing things than plonking a random house down.

O rly? http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9782/

Bethesda employees know the engine better than the modders, having more experience on it, and have access to the source code, meaning that they can hard code something which cannot be obtained via clever hacks or script alone.

On the other side...

While I don't doubt their creativity, their biggest limitation is that they work for a structured company with certain goals and schedules.

Last, Bethesda developers are hundred of people versus hundred thousands modders, some of which are professional coders and artists who use their talent not only in their profession. I think quite a few PC users will end up buying Hearthfire because its "canon" material even they could get free (and equally valid) alternatives.

Not really a fair statement when you consider that the vast majority of game-breakers have something to do with this or that mod being played. OEM only here, XBox and PC, and haven't had a single game-breaker.

^YES, My character loves collecting alchemy ingredients
Very,Very Unlikely. There would probably have to be a quest for that.

We buy it to support Bethesda for supporting PC gaming. They don't have to port their games nor do they have to release a creation kit, but they do. So i support them for supporting my platform of choice.

It's not what i was expecting, that said it's one more mod i no longer require as it will be official.