Arthmoor, you're my hero. <3 Definitely need this for my next character. Out of curiosity, how does this game behave when this mod is activated using an original-start playthrough? I'd imagine it doesn't have much affect on an existing savegame and just new ones?

Yep. Looks like the radius on the bulb was wrong. Not sure why, but it was, and oddly still looked just fine to me.

http://oi41.tinypic.com/11t5tfb.jpg is what it looks like for me now, which for me is bordering on almost too bright. It has a corrected radius of 384 now. The base light should have been 512, but the reference got set to something stupid small like 110. 512 was insane nuclear radiation and had to go once I fixed it.

@Rinzei: It has no impact on a post-start game other than the farmhouse and shipwreck sites being available.

Awesome! Have been waiting for a mod like this one. thanks!

One issue only, if you decide to be a soldier in the conflct, you're bound to start the MQ at some point. Could this be fixed somehow?
I am really pissed now, as I did this to RP and not be the Dragonborn.

(Angry at the game, not you. This is awesome)

Try out this mod: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=9048

Well all of the current options already silently start the MQ. The civil war stuff is also tied in pretty strongly, but on my first play through the game I was able to complete it long before I had advanced the MQ much past the initial dragon attack at Whiterun. So the MQ won't block you from finishing the war, but the war can block you from finishing the MQ. That's where the peace conference scene comes from.

Anyway, and people, please, don't get your hopes up too high on this, I have been seriously mulling over the idea of shifting goals here and turning this into a full blown MQ avoidance mechanism to start the game with. Meaning I'd be looking at not destroying Helgen, and the only stages of the MQ that would fire would be those absolutely necessary to get the game to allow you to begin playing. the plan here would be to have the MQ initiate upon showing up in the woods near Helgen, getting caught, and then triggering the MQ proper from there. Complete with being dragged through Helgen in a slightly modified way, necessary to safeguard your gear long enough to escape your execution.

It would be a lot of work, and I have no idea what kind of consequences it would have on the world as a whole. I get that there's already a mod for this, but with as much as there is that's tied to it, I wonder just how thorough the job was at preventing it.

It also may not be the least bit feasible for civil war involvement if events there are intended to trigger the MQ through some unknown back door.

When the heck does all this 'civil war' stuff start?
I keep creating new characters and have gone as far in the MQ to talking to the Dragon, I have yet to see any civil war, or do I have to join the Stormcloaks or Empire in order to start it?

You have to actually pursue the quest to join either the Imperials or the Stormcloaks. I'm not sure what happens if you complete the MQ without picking a side first.

Any plans to include other factions that don't have main quests? Silver Hand, Penitus, Witches, Necromancers, etc?

That would be cool. And very, very time-consuming, I'd imagine.

I know one faction that could be added provided that you first do the quest for them and what I'm referring to is of course East Empire Company.

Necromancers can be done, they're on my list of additions. That menu is gonna get long though

No idea what's involved in witches, I haven't actually seen a lot of that around other than a couple of Hagraven dens.

Silver Hand and Penitus, no, those are directly involved in faction quests and I'd rather avoid messing those up.

Great mod that works great.

I'm working on my mod http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1340123-wipz-skyrim-on-steroids, and there is a module on that mod that is called sos_Origins which deals with character's original perks, situation and entry into the world.

San I borrow some of the neat ideas that you have implemented here for that module?

Thanks for the great mod with neat ideas.

After looking at my own pic again, I started fiddling with my mods and this one. I use Yadda's lighting mod, so it's a combination of ENB and FXAA. That's why it's as dark as it is. Removing it did fix the problem, but I'm not a big fan of the vanilla lighting. While Skyrim's lighting is better than past games, I still feel that lighting is one of Bethesda's weak points. Anyways, looking at my pic again, I realized what the problem was. It was the shadows. There was a streak of light right up my character. So I opened up your mod and raised the light a little and it solved the problem.

Why the lighting mod affected the shadows in the way it does, I have no idea. And I do still have a problem with really bad shadow banding on my character's face. I don't know a fix for that. So I might just have to deal with it. It's not like I can't open up my command console afterwards to make adjustments.

I might restart my early on guy to kick this. Looks fun.

hats off dude! seriously good wrk!!!
not that it needs more but hay, some ideas for additions:
-any neutral trade starts like smith or alchemist would be cool, ie alchemist shack with all its containers made safe ect.
-thalmor spy, on such a secret mission even the highest ranking thalmor in skyrim no not of your position, your cover is an embasy start as a justicar scout, can use barrecks as home.
-grey quarter start for dark elf.
-The duel, start in the middle of know where facing of against your rival...

I would support this idea Arthmoor. It would be nice to explore without having to fight dragons all the time.

This idea appeals to me greatly. I've been thinking about playing an Altmer mage in the future and I'd use this beginning for sure if it were an option. I also like your Dark Elf Grey Quarter beginning. Neat roleplaying ideas!

The problem, I think, is that these beginnings would really only work with those two races. It's a lot of work to create alternate starts that only Altmer or Dunmer can use.

But, that said, if someone did make them I know I'd use them.

This mod is awesome, I can finally play a faction neutral start!

I must ask though. Would it be possible to add a start where you're just a citizen of helgen and you watch the execution then run out of the gates when the dragon attacks?

Finally tried it and all I can say is that it's brilliant. Even if you want a vanilla start it's a big improvement. Not only does it skip the boring intro but also the starting model is easier to work with. Great job.

I would love that. Currently I'm avoiding the MQ and avoiding being the Dragonborn, so that would help.

Fantastic work.

Actually stuff like this isn't as hard as it might seem. Well, the Thalmor one might not be so easy, but a Dark Elf in the Grey Quarter wouldn't require much more than providing the player a bed in one of the slum buildings. Nor would providing an Argonian a spot in the hole in the wall they live in on the docks.

As far as being a citizen of Helgen, that's not so easy either There's an awful lot of stuff that's enabled even before the MQ is advanced to where you fade in to the title screen. Probably not that hard to disable though since it's mostly stray Stormcloak troops. Disable enough of them and it would be viable to wander through there before the MQ. Although there are no actual interiors in the place either.

This sounds like a great idea. Any chance you can make the spawn locations totally random. It'd be great to randomly start in different locations (jail cell, cave, etc.) whenever I start a new character. I also love the idea of being infection with diseases upon starting. Great work!

+1 for a "random" option. Would be nice to be surprised