Skyrim Mods: Issue 1

Skyrim mods will definitely be a repeating subject here so I'm going to post each new mod post with a different issue number.  So for the first post Ill explain a little bit about the basics of how to mod Skyrim (and all other Bethesda games by extension), and show some of the mods that have come out thus far.

As of yet the creating kit, formally known as "The Elder Scrolls Construction Set" has not yet been released for Skyrim, but official blog posts have confirmed the obvious, that it will exist.  Because the Kit hasn't been released there haven't been a lot of big, game changing mods.   Mostly its new textures, FXAA injectors, and some minor game changes.

How to Mod Skyrim:  There are varying levels of difficulty for mods.  adding new items, texture changes, and adding new racing are very simple.  Usually all you have to do is download the mod(s), and cut and paste into the Skyrim/Data directory (that's Steam/steamapps/common/skyrim/data for Steam users) Then on the launcher open "Plugins" and select the .esm and your done.  If you are going to use a lot of mods at the same time, or have more intense mods, like ones that add cities, you will need to use a mod manager.  The website "Skyrimnexus" has made a new mod manager for Skyrim
http://www.skyrimnexus.com/content/modmanager/

The mods managers allow you to activate and deactivate mods with you having to go into the data folder and remove all the files manually, it also allows you to change the load order of mods.  There are a lot of other features that I have yet to need to use, but as I learn how to mod myself I will probably be learning about.  Mod managers are highly recommended even for simple mods, because they make the experience a whole lot easier, and it a little safer if something messes up.

What Mods I'm Using:  Right now the only mod I'm using is the Enhanced Night Skyrim mod.  Basically it uses a higher resolution night sky, and makes it noticeably more pretty.  There's also been a few new versions that give you options for the colour of the galaxy, and adds varying degrees of star density.  Neat stuff.

Here's a youtube link to a demo of what the mod looks like

Some Cool Mods:
make the moon look like halo: http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1459

glowing, high visibility ore veins: http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=193

FXAA injector, changes colour saturation, other colour effects:
http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=131