SKYRIMLE Skyrim Better Roads (SkyBeRoads) by SilentResident

[dstansberry]

I was looking at THIS mod, which purports to improve the roads around Skyrim, not so much in improving the textures as in... well, best let her say it:

 

 

"What the Skyrim Better Roads does:
 

• [*]Makes the roads reflect the social, economic and strategic importance of the nine Holds. The road to Solitude will be better than the road to Winterhold. [*]Makes lore-friendly changes to the roads of Skyrim. The main roads will have better improvements than the secondary roads and the small paths. [*]Makes the bridges more unique, and less identical to each other in appearance. Each bridge will borrow elements from the architecture of the Hold cities. [*]Improves the roads by fixing eyesore issues and immersion-breaking bugs, and thus, bringing immersion to your travels. [*]Moves around some of the grass & shrubs from the middle of the main roads to the capital cities, but leaves the grass on the secondary roads untouched. [*]Adds stone fences to the main roads, and wooden fences to the secondary roads, (with some exceptions to this rule) to secure and solidify the roads of Skyrim. [*]Adds some other decors that help the travelers climb the mountain paths easier during the rainy or cold nights. The paths no longer look like slides! [*]Adds a select few trees and shrubs there and there on roadsides, especially if there are fallen tree leaves around the road, but no actual trees nearby to explain them.
  

What the Skyrim Better Roads does not:
 

• [*]It does not do any landscape edits. [*]It does not do any terrain edits. [*]It does not do any script/quest/navmesh edits. [*]It does not contain any scripts - the mod is completely safe to uninstall from your game, anytime! [*]It does not contain dirty edits. It is an absolutely clean mod. Verified with TES5Edit! [*]It does not add any Lanterns to the roads. Download Lanterns of Skyrim for lanterns that lit the roads at night. [*]It does not add more signposts to the roads. Download Point the Way for new signposts.
  

The Skyrim Better Roads does not alter the landscape or the terrain! Also it does not do any navmesh editing!
My mod is fully compatible with all other mods out there."

 

I liked many of the changes depicted in the screenshots, but was wondering if anyone had given it a try yet?
 

[AddictedxGamer]

This looks like an interesting mod!

 

I try to play as realistically as possible.  When my character needs to travel in Skyrim, he/she does so on foot or on horseback, sticking to roads and pathways for the most part.  At times, I'd find myself wondering just how I could walk or run up down a pathway on a hill with such ease, when there were no steps.  Realistically, it's just not that easy to go up or down steep hills if there aren't any steps.  You have to go slowly, digging your feet in as you go so you don't slip and fall.

 

Many of the images the mod author has uploaded showcase the addition of makeshift steps to such pathways, which would make them easier to traverse.  I like that a lot!  However, I find that some of the images depict changes that I don't really care too much for, such as the wooden fence added by the large boulder on the roadway near Whiterun.  It just seems like such an odd place for a bit of fencing...  I'm also not sure how I feel about the changes made to the stone bridges.  Honestly, I don't know as the people who built the bridge would have taken the time to make the bridge that extensive, seeing as it doesn't make it any more or less functional at allowing people, horses and carriages to cross it...

 

All in all, I like the idea of the mod.  Some of the additions showcased so far are very pleasing, and others; not so much. Though, I haven't actually used the mod yet, so I can't comment on functionality, bugs, etc.  I made sure to track it on the Nexus to see how it progresses.  If all is well with it in the near future, I may consider adding it to my load order once I start playing.  

[egocarib]

I agree that some of the roads really benefit from additional steps and other minor cosmetic tweaks, though some of the changes introduced by this mod feel a bit too liberal for my own tastes. Like these kind of bridge edits, which feel a bit ostentatious and unrealistic to me.

[AddictedxGamer]

I agree that some of the roads really benefit from additional steps and other minor cosmetic tweaks, though some of the changes introduced by this mod feel a bit too liberal for my own tastes. Like these kind of bridge edits, which feel a bit ostentatious and unrealistic to me.

Those are exactly the bridge edits I was talking about.  I just don't imagine that the people of Skyrim who built those bridges would have made them that way.  The big archway things don't make the bridge any sturdier than it would be without them, so why would they use the time and resources to make them that way?  Other edits I like, as I said, but; not those bridge edits.

[Harpalus]

Those are exactly the bridge edits I was talking about.  I just don't imagine that the people of Skyrim who built those bridges would have made them that way.  The big archway things don't make the bridge any sturdier than it would be without them, so why would they use the time and resources to make them that way?  Other edits I like, as I said, but; not those bridge edits.

The installer allows you to install only the road improvements and exclude the new bridges.

[AddictedxGamer]

The installer allows you to install only the road improvements and exclude the new bridges.

Oh, good to know!