...because of mods. However, I finally got to try out a bunch of Oblivion mods at a buddy's house, and to be honest, it was a giant mess. There were some cool ideas, but none, and I mean none of them worked the way they were supposed to. On top of that, many caused glitches and bugs that made the game so unstable you would think it was coded by a high school computer class.

Since then I looked to see what is available for Skyrim, and although exploding chickens would be humorous for a couple minutes, I haven't found anything worth building my new PC for just to play Skyrim. What is your opinion on mods? Are they more hassle than they are worth?

I play PC but haven't yet really figured out mods. Some are however very useful, like the ones that darken the game (plan on getting that soon). And there's also console commands which are very awesome for fixing minor bugs like stuck quests. Using W,A,S,D and a mouse while in melee fighting is also better IMO.

Sounds like he had no idea how to properly add mods.... I had a fully modded Oblivion and there were no problems what so ever.
Mods are completely worth it *if you download the right ones and dont just download lolanimearmor* it makes the game so much more enjoyable.

Don't know where you're looking :S

I have SkyUI which makes the interface perfect!

Night sky ... beautifully enhanched sky look at this

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/487751203997416377/8F3766B2F878B271280C4FA0ACC3B9A19F50F6AC/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/Carl2202/ScreenShot4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/Carl2202/ScreenShot2.jpg

Sounds of skyrim which makes the world feel very real (more realistic noises you'd hear)

realistic HD and water textures

and lastly, ressilient dragons, making dragon fights epic now, most dragon fights were hack slash easy.. now they're epic and awsome, i actually get nervous about en encounter now

as above said, your mate must of just installed everything - if you pick and chose correctly and decent mods, they're the equivillant of DLC

Then you took an arrow...

I love them. Sure, they may cause more frequent crashes, but you can fix that with more frequent saves. Being able to tailor your game so much really offsets the disadvantages IMO.

Well install usefull mods for textures and stuff.

Mods can cause problems, but they can also fix them. They add tons of value to a game. I'd never play a game like Skyrim without the ability to mod.

I have oblivion on PC with a lot of mods that add more quests, new weapons, change the cities to have more shops, updated graphics, water now has neutral fish swiming around etc etc etc...

But I just don't like playing it on PC. :/

You have to work at it, to get mods to work properly with your game. Then it's just a matter of whether you think it is worth it. For me not only is it worth it, it is necessary. No game made is perfect, no game made has everything I want in it. I really appreciate Bethesda's support of the modding community.

I'm a console player too, but... I can't deny the awesomeness of mods. I played Oblivion on the PC after I'd finished it on the PS3 and they really do make the game better. It's the little things I find which make the biggest difference - darker nights, atmospheric sounds, making campfires and tents. There's no denying they improve the game.

I thought your first line was gonna be "...but then i took an arrow in the knee".
But in regards to what you actually said, I think you need to see good mods by
good modders that change things that matter. There is a Skyrim mod for instance
that adds 50 new weapons reminiscent of Morrowind weapons. It works perfectly in my game
and the weapons show up on bad guys and in stores. Also I don't get any crashes with 15 mods running so far.
And if I did get crashes with a mod, I wouldn't use it.

Yeah, he probably just had the wrong ones loaded up. I got kind of depressed about it because I have been saving up for this computer and really looking forward to modded Skyrim, and my heart sank when I tried his computer. This post has restored my faith.

never lose faith! Modded material is seriously as good as DLC's released by Beth themselves. You just have to pick the right ones, granted there is plenty of rubbish out there

im extremely jealous of pc users and their mods to be honest. i just dont have a comp that is good for gaming. Mods make TES worth it even more

I think your friend just got some crap mods cause my modded skyrim is 10x better than before

This. i have hundreds of mods for MANY of my games. and no problems what so ever. it's just a matter of not being stupid and following instructions!
sounds to me OP's friend is an idiot who started clicking without reading and learning what to do.

It sounds like your friend used a lot of obscure mods, or he didn't really know how to maintain a proper load order. Most of the really popular mods from OB were very well maintained and had very few bugs. I had 100+ mods on my OB save game and I can only think of 1-2 glitches that every really occured.

To the OP: So your experience in your "buddy's house" determined your outlook of mods? Apparently, your buddy/you has a mess thanks to his/your taste and knowledge of mod compatibility. In my experience in mods, at least 70% of the problems is cause by the user end.

Are mods worth it? YES! Here's what my mods do for me:

• graphical enhancements (water textures, high res textures, "fuller" trees and grass, and so many more)
  
• realistic lighting (dungeons now require torches or lighting spells, it adds an entirely new element to the game)
  
• sound mods (hundreds of sounds added to dungeons and the wilderness-- dungeons are actually kind of scary now)
  
• tougher dragons / more dragon loot
  
• redone UI made for the PC-- everything is organized and hotkeyed

I have loads of others, those are just a few.

Ive never had issues with mods (and ive been playin since morrowind). just need to read compatibly and readmes. not to mention on sites such as nexus people upload mods, and as soon as they find out theres a bug they disappear and stop supporting the mod because they are afraid to admit they masde a mistake.

mods wont cause any issues, if you do it right

I don't use mods at all. And, yes, I do play on PC. I have Skyrim and Oblivion for Xbox as well. Morrowind I play exclusively on PC. All mod-free. Just my personal taste.

though mods would be nice, the only thing i envy PC players for is hd texture packs... but hey, never had it, i'm not missing any thing then right?

You have to make sure the mods are installed correctly. Also you have to make sure you have non bugged good mods. OP your friend probably did not know how to mod the game. When I get a PC I am going to fix the bugs I am having with this game if Bethesda does not fix them by the final patch. I am also going to make this game have the depth I think it should have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fFZVF5iL18&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAmYNTJDCsk

Wisely chosen and installed mods can turn Oblivion into an amazing game. Your friend's game is a mess because he made it that way. Usually I just stick to minor bug fix mods and texture improvements the first few play through and then add the more "overhaul" type mods later.