So yeah, basically I'm comming from the old Skyrim Improved Mod. I stripped this thing down to the bones, and got rid of a whole bunch of 'features' that 1. weren't compatible with the general philosophie of this Mod, and 2. just there to unecessarily inflate it. Crafting, Combat, Creature and Follower changes/additions were abandoned completely. I kept thoose things creating fun, and got rid of the things that created bugs and exploits, and stood in opposite to what the mod wanted to achieve. I've kept some things that were fun, like the added magic and changes/additions to archery, but basically this Mod is now much slimer. Salt ores are gone, so is the ownership. Mining animation has been brought back in and with it the standard numbers of ores harvested. And before you start asking why I named it Survivalist Ingenuity...well, the name was close to the SI tag, and ingenuity should not be related to genius and wizardry, but rather to resourcefulness and subtlety. This decision gives the Mod a whole different perspective in how it should be developed. While before it was just a bunch of features randomly throwen together, it is now more true to its nature.

Release 10.06.2012, Version 0.9.1:

Fixed carry weight spell viewable when getting added to your inventory.
Fixed Ralof firing collectable arrows in starter dungeon.
Raised maximum encumbrance speedmult to match the prerequisites.
SIUFOPatch: Removed Horse from Riverwood.

Requirements!

Make sure your version of Skyrim is always up to date. I won't support older versions of the game. At the moment SI uses Skyrim Patch 1.5.26

You'll officially need http://skse.silverlock.or Version 0.9.1 of SI uses SKSE 1.5.6

INSTALLATION:

Installation with NMM:

Press the download with Manager button on the Nexus and confirm the requested programm
Once downloaded open up NMM and click the mods tab to import the SurvivalistIngenuity.7z
Start the mod via NMM and choose which compatibility patches you wish to use
After installation enable the plugin files in your prefered reorder tool or in data files when starting up Skyrim
Have fun!!!

Manual Installation:

1. Unzip the files anywhere
2. Move the .esp and .bsa file 'SurvivalistIngenuity' to your 'x:\...Skyrim\Data' folder
3. Choose the patch files you wish to use and copy to your Data folder
4. When starting Skyrim, click on data files, and make sure the 'SurvivalistIngenuity.esp' is checked. If you use SKSE and/or Wrye Bash, make sure the file is activated and your load order corrected. Use http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=6 to automatically get the correct load order.
5. Run Skyrim!

To get the full benefits out of this mod, I recommend you to start over a new game, though the features of Skyrim will also work without a new start. If you're using Survivalist Ingenuity on an existing character, the mods core elements will be configurable via the bock 'Codex of Survival' added to your inventory when starting the game. Make sure to exactly think about what you're doing when, for example, resetting your skills to 1 on your level 59 character. Once you've resetted your skills, there's no turning back.

If you are using a new version of Survivalist Ingenuity upon an existing character made with SI, make sure to make a clean save before playing on. How to do this?

1. Load your game and find a interior cell, save the game
2. Exit game, turn off the SurvivalistIngenuity.esp and load the previously made save, save again
3. Exit game, enable the new version, go into the game and save again
4. Exit the game once more and then start playing with the clean save

Main Gameplay Changes:

Survivalist Ingenuity complete configuration via Book:
When starting your game a book gets added to your inventory, use it to start the Survivalist Ingenuity configuration menu. You can configure all gameplay features inside this menu. Make sure to read the text provided inside the config menu exactly, to prevent making wrong choices.


Automatic health regeneration for PC and NPC turned off: Basically this turns off automatic health regeneration for all humanoid races, including the player. Automatic health regeneration in combat is also turned off. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu.

Slower magica and stamina regeneration for PC and NPC: Just as the sentence implies, this lowers the automatic regeneration of magic and stamina for all humanoid races, including you. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu. This will also enable the feature of regenerating stamina much faster when crouching(sneaking).

Basic athletics and slower speed: You'll start with 75% of default running speed at level 1. You'll slowly build up more speed when leveling up. The highest speed you'll get is 125% at level 100. The formula of speed progression is based on different multipliers through the leveling up process: You get x2.5 speed in the first levels, you reach 100% (default speed) at around level 12/13, with level 50 you have 117,5% speed. Once you've reached Level 101 you no longer gain higher speed. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu.

No starter spells, racial powers and racial abillities: You'll start without any magic capabilitys. No spells, no powers and no abillitys. The same is for every humanoid race. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu.

Reset all skills to 1: This feature is turned off by default, and you should only use it if you really want a challenging game. Lowering all off your skills to 1 is a hard step to take, and combined with the lower skill progression in Elys Uncapper Mod, renders you almost incapable to survive in Skyrim. Combine that with a Basic Needs and Hypothermia mod, and your Skyrim experience will remind you more of an adventure in the Zone. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu.

Carry Weight lowered to 120 from default 300: This feature is also turned off by default. What it basically does is taking the ability from you to carry 6 tons of steel around. Who can do this in real life? Ok, Skyrim is a game, but for my taste the vanilla carry weight renders the game into a simple slash, hack and loot fest. Your carry weight won't be gone forever. There are new spells, rucksacks and other options to increase your carry weight throughout the game. Apart from that you'll gain +2 carry weight every time you level up and choose stamina as raised attribute. Also, why not let your followers 'carry your burden'? The carry weight formula unfolds as followed: Vanilla = 300(basic)+100(perk) = 400+Stamina increase+magic at level 10; Survivalist Ingenuity = 120(basic)+80(max rucksack)+80(max perk) = 280+stamina increase+magic at level 50+. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu.

Hotkeys: There are hotkeys for 9(10) different things. Instant quit = F1, Trade with follower = NUM/, Command follower = NUM*, Call Horse = NUM Enter.

Real Encumbrance: This progressively slows down your movement speed, when more weight is added to your inventory. This works in combination with basic athletics and other speed/weight related stuff imported by SI. Once you've exceeded your maximum carry weight you eventually come to a complete halt. This feature is configurable in Survivalist Ingenuity Menu.

Changes to loot, ingredients, harvestables, potions and food:

Potions have duration: Health, Stamina and Magica regeneration potions now have a duration. So you no longer get instant attribute healing from them. The effect developes in 3-5 seconds depending on the potion you drink. The same goes for ingredients that are used to make the said potions.

General loot decreased: In general looting is now much more sophisticated in terms of quantity and quality. You not only get less loot, finding something really precious is seldom. Also the loot in the starter dungeon is significantly lowered. Do you remember how it was in Oblivion were you couldn't obtain the armor and weapons dropped by certain NPC's? This is true for the starter dungeon of Skyrim now. You will leave Helgen underground with a hand full of loot and maybe like 15 Gold.

Milking spiders only with refining bottles: You no longer get frostbite venom from spiders without having a refine bottle. In order to get one, you just need to clean a empty bottle at the forge and then carry it with you, when killing a spider and trying to milk her. In addition you can now refine the common spider venom to a more lethal version, the 'spider poison'.

Harvest branches from trees: Branches are needed for a some crafting recipes. In order to get them, you'll just need to harvest them from trees.

New ingredient and food: I've added new ingredients mainly to be found on creatures around Skyrim. There are also new food recipes for the hungry people playing Survivalist Ingenuity.

More loot activated: Finally I made changes to certain loot being more frequent, like feathers from Hargreavens and hawks, or Trolls now spawning Troll skulls.

Changes to arrows and archery:

Craftable Arrows: Yes, you also get the chance to craft every single arrow ingame. You'll need feathers, arrow heads and arrow shafts to make a bundle of ten arrows. Arrow crafting is depended on skill and perks, so you won't be able to craft ebony arrows when not having the appropiate perk. Additionally I've introduced new arrow types, Silver, Golden and Quicksilver arrows. Read more about it in the Archery section.

Arrows have weight: Arrows now have weight. This has an effect to your inventory and to combat as well. Some arrows are heavier than others and thus having different trajectory. A set of 100 arrows weights 10(kg) depending on the arrows class. The heaviest arrows are Golden arrows. Weight has the most impact on Golden arrows as you'll soon notice. There is a knowen bug, you experience when you served your time in jail. It will corrupt your carry weight. Use the special spell that has been introduced with version 0.4 to fix the bug. Just cast the spell and any instance of arrow weight dummys will be removed by the spell. But be aware, this spell also removes all arrows to prevent exploiting.

Arrows have different stats: Arrows now all have different statistics from each other and different abilities. For a spreadsheet, look inside the docs folder of the downloaded package. The heaviest arrow is the golden one. The most lethal probably the daedric and ebony and the most controlable the elven, glass and orc arrows. They all have different properties and you'll need to find out for yourself which arrow suits you best.

Added Silver, Quicksilver and Golden arrows: Silver, Quicksilver and Golden arrows are special arrows that are only craftable if you have the arcane smithing perk. Silver arrows ignore normal weapon resistance and quicksilver arrows emit light and are the fastest available arrows. They fly with almost 0 trajectory, but have the lowest impact force and damage of all available arrows. They are good in combination with refined spider poison and the weapon of choice for far ranged combat. The golden arrows ignore normal weapon resistance and have the highest impact force. It is a exceptional close combat arrow. The new arrows are craftable as well.

Zoom in your bow while crouching (sneaking): You can now raise your accuracy with bows when crouching, without the need of a perk. The zoom is very low and the feature does not stack on the regular Eagle Eye perks. Additionally all Eagle Eye perk variants now have two zooming modes, one when standing and one with increased zooming when in sneak stance.

Changes to magic:

Added new Magic: There are 16 new spells. 5 spells to increase carry weight, 5 spells to increase running speed, 5 spells to slow down time and a regular nighteye spell. All thoose spells can be found in tomes throughout Skyrim. You can also find potions and scrolls with the new magic and you're able to enchant items with some of the new magic.

Light enhancing spells: I'm using the Realistic lights mod. This is why I made the candlelight spell more sophisticated and all spells give off light when casted.

Toggleable Nighteye and Vampire Sight: Yeah. Basically thoose two abilitys are now toggleable.

5 new Summons: The 5 new summons are a 'Large Familiar' Bear Spirit, a Draugr 'Ghost Archer', a Whispmother 'Ghostspirit', a Hallow Dead named 'Hollow Death', which basically is Arnulf in ghost form and you're also capable of conjuring Alduins Ghost once you've ended the final stage of the main quest.

Additional minor changes:

Craftable new and old misc items: You can now craft new stuff like rucksacks, refine bottles and lockpicks. Rucksacks increase your carry weight when worn and refine bottles are a prerequisite when trying to milk venom from spiders. Additionally there are now branches which you need to collect in order to get certain recipes done.[/url]

Perk Overhaul: The Perk tree has been greatly expanded. There are over 85 new perks and extended versions of old perks, granting you more choices. This is valuable specially for higher level characters.

Bug fixes and fixed annoyances: In addition to the fixes in crafting I've also made some changes to other things: cabbage, leek and chicken nests do now respawn. NPC's and followers no longer block doors and bottlenecks. Just bump them and they move away farther and faster. Days and month now reflect their Earth like counterparts. I'm still to lazy to learn the lore about days and month and I wanna know which day it is, cause I'm writing live journals when playing the game. Certain misc items like lockpicks are weighted now. And finally I got rid of a whole bunch of annoying messages that spoiled my game experience.

Cutthroat merchants: Merchants buy from you for 33% of the vanilla prize and sell to you for 3x higher then vanilla. Money progression is significantly slowed with this.

Increase in costs: Level up training costs 1.000 gold at level novice, and is available to you only 3 times. Hirelings cost 5.000 gold instead of 500, furnishing homes is 5x more expensive. Travelling across country is 5x more expensive. In addition you get slightly more reward for certain radiant quests and the value of pelts and hides are increased for the hunters. I decided to make that change in order to give the player a greater motivation to do jobs to improve his income. In general it will be very hard with Survivalist Ingenuity to get a decent amount of income.

Traps and diseases more lethal: Contracting disease now actually does something negative to you, specially with hardcoe settings enabled. Traps are 5-10x more lethal then in default game. Most traps mean instand death to you and your followers, so be prepared and carefull when venturing thoose Dwemer caverns.

Unique Barenziah quest book: The Barenziah quest is a very good addition, but after playing two times through the vanilla game, I no longer have the nerv to search for thoose stones. I've created a unique book which tells you where to find thoose nasty gems, but only if you understand the riddles inside the book.

Smaller changes and additions: Timescale is lowered to 5 from vanilla 20. This means 5 minutes in game is the same as 1 minute in real life. So a Skyrim day lasts 4 hours and 48 minutes in real life. In addition to longer candlelight spell and magic giving of light, I've raised the duration of torches and the radius of emited light. In addition every vendor has now at least 1.000 gold. NPC's now use Ammo in their inventory. They no longer carry infinet amount of arrows. You're able to find salt in ore deposites on a random base. NPCs will no longer have infinite abounts of arrows, this will also let you find much less arrows in corpses.

Recommended Mods:

Survivalist Ingenuity is build around most of the, in my opinion, best gameplay enhancements mods like Frostfall: Hypotermia, Basic Needs, More Monster Mod and the Ultimate Follower Overhaul. I recommend using the following list of mods in combination with Survivalist Ingenuity in order to get the best Skyrim experience possible.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11163
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=14037
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=7654
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=10843
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=3863
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=2653
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=9694
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=14767
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=1175
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=10579
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=5312
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=10012
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=10886
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=8601
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=193
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11609
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/19

Compatibilities:

There’s a folder inside the Survivalist Ingenuity package that provides compatibility with other mods. Use those patches only if you have the appropriate counterpart.The folder also contains several optional plugins that revert changes by user request. Use them only if you want certain features turned off. Load them behind SurvivalistIngenuity.esp.

Knowen Bugs:

- The Ghostmother Summon sometimes duplicates itself when stucked inside a static or similar, the bug resolves once the Ghostmother dies
- The athletics/speed feature might kick in only once you've gone into sneak state, sheathed/unsheathed your weapon, or started to sprint. This actually is a vanilla engine bug, and there's nothing I can do about it at the moment
- The bug you might experience with your carry weight going crazy after you've been released from jail is fixable with the supported spell. The spell will remove every instance of arrow weight dummy from your inventory, fixing it. But beware, the spell will also remove any instance of arrows to prevent further bugs and exploits. After you used the spell to clean arrow weight dummys, the 'arrows have weight' feature will work like supposed to

FAQ:

1. Is this another personal changes mod? Could you do this or this?

Ehrm...sure this is a personal change mod. I think I'm doing this primarly of personal preference and if someone else feels the same way about the game and how it should be improved then he/she is going to enjoy the mod. If not, the world won't go down if you don't download Survivalist Ingenuity.

Will this work with mod x, y, z?

If mod x, y, z is not in the list of recommended mods, then there's a chance of conflict. Fortunately most features of SI are addtitions and not changes, so there shouldn't be to much lost mod features if you'd prefer to load another mod after SI. From my experience SI can be safely used with Deadly Combat, Duke Patricks Combat Thingy, Arthmoors Life Another Life, Real Wildlife, Imps more Complex Needs, Water etc. Conflict potential exists with mods that make extensive changes to leveled lists, but you could compensate this with Wrye Bashs bashed patch.

Could you please spellcheck and overhaul your grammar, I'm getting eye cancer!?

Sure. If you write me a 10.000 words and bug free German transcript I'm trying to improve my English skills even further, to please your grammar nazism...

Where do I get arrowheads?

Craft them add regular forges.

Why did you made the game so hard? Are you suffering from a serious case of sadomaschism?

No, I'm just an old veteran gamer who plays PC games since 1989, and I'm used to actually exert myself in order to get something done in games. In vanilla Skyrim there is no exertion.

Why is it so hard to sell things to merchants?

Because I wanted it to be like that. There are plenty of options to make money fast, you just need to search for them. Remember what I said about exertion?

Is it impossible to survive with this mod, Frostfall, Basic Needs and MoMonsterMod?

Not impossible, but much harder, specially in lower levels.

You said you want to keep it lore friendly. Why are you using More Monsters Mod then?

Because it's an awesome addition to Skyrim despite it not being lore friendly. Aside from that, anybodys likes slashing monsters in games, don't you also?

You said there are hotkeys. Which keys do I have to press?

F1 = instant quit
NUM/ = trade with follower
NUM* = command follower

You are using Elys Uncapper, which .ini settings do you recommend?

I'm using this:

SkillCaps = 100
Skillformulacaps = 100
Enchanter Caps = 100
SkillExpGainMults = 0.2
PCLevelSkillExpMults = 1
PerksAtLevelUp = 2=2
HealthAtLevelUp = 2=10
MagickaAtLevelUp = 2=10
StaminaAtLevelUp = 2=10
CarryWeightAtHealthLevelUp = 2=2
CarryWeightAtMagickaLevelUp = 2=2
CarryWeightAtStaminaLevelUp = 2=2

I'm going to pimp the Nexus site once I found the time and muse to do so. Until then, get the extremely well expressed, and in best sense of art, made ReadMe, over here. As an real artist I need to find the right time in order to express myself^^

http://www.file-upload.net/download-4432862/SI_ReadMe.html.html