Alternate Start - Live Another Life
===================================

Misery and despair have haunted you all your life. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, you've been arrested and thrown in the dungeons. Your trial was supposed to be weeks ago, only nobody has come for you. It's been so long since seeing daylight you no longer know what month it is anymore. The dungeon is cold, damp, and worse still, you're running out of food. At least you have that leak in the wall for water. It seems as though you've been forgotten, soon to rot away and die. The eight have forsaken you! Or... have they?

Live Another Life provides an alternative means to start the game for those who do not wish to go through the lengthy intro sequence at Helgen. You will be given the opportunity to choose your race and then choose a new life for your character to lead. A wide variety of choices will be available. What you choose will have a lasting impact, so choose carefully or the gods may forsake you again!

Download Locations
==================

Skyrim Nexus    - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9557
Steam Workshop  - http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=75889890
TES Alliance    - http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/1108-live-another-life/
Dark Creations  - http://www.darkcreations.org/forums/files/file/270-alternate-start-live-another-life/
AFK Mods        - http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/files/file/270-alternate-start-live-another-life/

Live Another Life Bug Tracker: http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/tracdown/categories/8-alternate-start-live-another-life/

Installation Requirements
=========================

Official Skyrim patch 1.9.32.0.8 or greater. Using earlier game versions will result in CTDs and other problems. Just don't.

You will need to turn on subtitles to see the text for the startup quest.

Alternately, download and use Fuz Ro D-oh - Silent Voice (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/14884) to see subtitles only on those NPCs with no voiced audio. This requires SKSE.

Installation - Wrye Bash BAIN
=============================

Drop the archive into your Skyrim Mods\Bash Installers folder, then install as usual.
Make sure the mod is active in the Wrye Bash mods tab.

Installation - Steam Workshop
=============================

Subscribe to the mod via the Workshop page, then use the Skyrim launcher to allow it to download and install.
Make sure it's active in the Data Files menu.

Installation - Nexus Mod Manager
================================

Use the "Download with Manager" button on the Live Another Life page at Skyrim Nexus. The installer should take care of things from there.
Or add it to NMM manually through the "Add File" dialogue.
Then simply make sure NMM has the mod activated.

Installation - Manual
=====================

Drop Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp and Alternate Start - Live Another Life.bsa into your Data folder.
Activate the mod using whatever management tool suits you.

Upgrading from Version 1.x.x to Version 2.x - IMPORTANT, DO NOT SKIP THIS!
==========================================================================

Version 2.0 of the mod is a total redo, so nothing will match up. You cannot use it on an existing game with the quest in progress. So take care when upgrading.

If your character is currently still running the quest "Live Another Life" you *MUST* complete that using the version you have now. Set aside version 2.0 until every character you have that's using this mod has completed that quest by activating the burned corpse. Then proceeding with either rescuing Hadvar/Ralof, or by visiting the Jarl in Whiterun. When you see the message saying "Live Another Life" has been completed, you can safely remove the mod from the game. Civil war start characters will already be past this point and are the only exceptions.

If the character is using the farmhouse, you'll need to make sure you clean out any valuables you've got inside prior to uninstalling the mod. Sorry, but there's no provision for reassigning ownership to that afterward.

Once you've reached a point where you can do this, save your game. Exit, then delete the .esp and .bsa files. Load each game you need to remove the mod from, then save again in new slots for them. Once you've done this, you can either leave the mod out, or install the updated copy and activate it.

For new games, there is obviously no need to worry about this, but by new, that means not even a prison cell save you're keeping hold of.

Upgrading From Version 1.1 or Older
===================================

When upgrading to version 1.2, it is necessary to uninstall the loose files from version 1.1 or older.

Version 1.2 now comes packed as an ESP+BSA combination since it is now available through the Steam Workshop. Leaving the old loose files behind will cause all of the scripting to break.

Use whatever mod management solution you're using to uninstall the old version, then install the new one. You won't lose any data and there is no need for a clean save.

Old files from 1.1 all started with either the ARTH or ART prefixes. They are all safe to remove. You should also remove the QF_MQ101_0003372B.pex file from Data\Scripts and also remove QF_MQ101_0003372B.psc from Data\Scripts\Source if it's there.

Uninstalling Live Another Life
==============================

First things first. You need to be sure the main quest has been started before you can uninstall this mod. The quest "Live Another Life" must have been marked as completed, AND you must have "Before the Storm" listed in your journal. Uninstalling prior to this will break the main quest as well as the civil war.

It should also go without saying that if you're using the farmhouse start, clean your stuff out of it first because if you don't you'll lose it all.

Once that's done, use your preferred method to uninstall the mod. The .esp and .bsa file must both be removed entirely.

Steam Workshop users should be sure to unsubscribe before doing this or the launcher will simply replace those files again.

Load Order
==========

Due to the sensitive nature of the mod, it should be loaded relatively late in the load order. A lot of other mods may seek to make modifications to Helgen and the charactergen quests. Moving this further down in your list will likely help, a lot. I highly recommend going with the order BOSS specifies since it is now compatible with Skyrim's new load order system.

Compatibility
=============

Tested and confirmed to work with Open Cities Skyrim.

Known to be incompatible with any mod which attempts to remove the essential flags from any NPCs in Helgen.

Song of Ice and Skyrim ( http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=20793 ) causes the game to get stuck loading the prison cell, regardless of load order.

Descent Into Madness ( http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/16461 ) causes the game to get stuck loading the prison cell, regardless of load order.

The Oblivion Racial Bonuses module from Occupy Skyrim ( http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/12479 ) is not compatible since OCS OSR.esp alters MQ101.

Sellswords ( http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/27942 ) is not compatible because it alters MQ101 to be able to offer its alternative game mode.

The Forsworn Legacy (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/27369) - Use the "Savegame Version" and delete Data\Scripts\QF_MQ101_0003372B.pex after installing it. DO NOT USE the "new game" version as it will not work with my mod.

Mods which alter the following quests will not be compatible without a patch:

MQ101 - Unbound
MQ102 - Before the Storm
MQ101DragonAttack - [Vanilla dragon attack on Helgen]
CW00WindhelmMapTableScene - Jagged Crown scene for Ulfric and Galmar (USKP fixes have been included)
WERoad01 - Farmer refugees after dragon attack

Mods which edit the following scripts will not be compatible unless patched:

dunPostHelgenEnableScript.psc
QF_MQ101_0003372B.psc
QF_MQ101DragonAttack_000D0593.psc
QF_MQ102_0004E50D.psc
TIF__000D50CA.psc
TIF__000D50DB.psc
TIF__000D50E0.psc

Known Issues
============

The Thane offer won't be available in every city right away if you use a property owner start. The quest interaction makes doing so impossible without sacrificing too much of the content to it.

When picking the Companions guild start, you need to go watch the fight before Vlikas will go outside to train you.

When choosing one of the two civil war starts, you are strongly advised to let the Jagged Crown scene play out. If you don't, the quest may fail to start and the entire civil war quest line will get jammed.

There may be some unfound dialogue that references Helgen. If you find some and have NOT activated the burned corpse yet, please report those with as much detail as possible.

Starting the Main Quest
=======================

Skyrim has a lot more flexibility in pursuit of the main quest, even when playing the default Helgen scenario. Alduin's appearance does not force one to pursue the main quest beyond Helgen. So this mod is mainly providing a mechanism to bypass Helgen and not encounter Alduin either. The game will patiently wait for you to follow along. So there's no special effort really needed to avoid it, just don't do it :)

For most starts, you'll be given an initial quest to investigate rumors of war activity near Helgen. Ask around, people will point you where you need to go to follow this. It will eventually lead you to the encounter with Alduin in the campsite near Helgen. From there, the main quest starts in earnest and you can go straight to the Jarl in Whiterun, or follow the objectives to the corpse and into the cave with Hadvar and Ralof.

Choosing the campsite start skips the startup quest, you will begin immediately with the encounter with Alduin. Choosing a civil war start bypasses all of this, by necessity, so you won't need to deal with Helgen at all.

Using this mod to follow the default Helgen sequence will play out the same as the vanilla game.

Troubleshooting
===============

Nothing happened. I tried to start a new game and ended up going to Helgen. Again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make sure the mod is actually activated. Even if your mod manager tells you it is. NMM is notorious for lying to its users, claiming a mod is active, but in reality it isn't. Check with Wrye Bash, or with the official game launcher, to be sure that the mod really is active.

Help! I'm stuck at the main menu starting a new game!
-----------------------------------------------------

Skyrim version 1.9.29.0.8 or greater is REQUIRED for this mod. Be sure you're using that first. Update through Steam if necessary. Older versions of the game are not supported.

Mods that make large scale blanket changes to either essential flags or quest item flags may be blocking you from playing.

Check the Data\Scripts folder and make sure there are no copies of the following files:

  dunPostHelgenEnableScript.pex, QF_MQ101_0003372B.pex, QF_MQ101DragonAttack_000D0593.pex, QF_MQ102_0004E50D.pex, MQ101QuestScript.pex, TIF__000D50CA.pex, TIF__000D50DB.pex, and TIF__000D50E0.pex

  If these files are present, they will break the quest controls for Live Another Life. You'll need to figure out which packages installed these since they would only come from mods. Skyrim's own
  files are in Bethesda's BSAs and get overridden by the ones in my BSA.

Verify its placement in load order. This mod should be loaded near the end of the list, not the beginning. BOSS has it placed appropriately and should be used if you are in doubt.

Help! I clicked on the bed and nothing happened!
------------------------------------------------

This can only break if you still have an old copy of this mod installed that used loose files instead of a BSA file. Follow the instructions in the section for upgrading from 1.1 or older.

The Live Another Life quest never finishes, it's stuck in my journal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Not exactly. The quest remains active because it's necessary for it to do so. Follow through on the startup quest in order to get rid of it.

My quest will close out when you've rescued one of the guys in the cave, or by skipping that and going to see Jarl Balgruuf about the attack on Helgen.

General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak are missing. You broke my game!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I did no such thing. You need to kick off the main quest before they'll be available. Sorry, yes, this means no joining the civil war until then. Don't blame me. Bethesda tied everything too close together to unravel the mess without breaking a whole bunch of stuff.

If you're looking for a bit of amusement though, you can always use the console and player.moveto yourself to where they are. You should recognize it :P Don't do this if you're playing serious, it could actually break something.

I found your burned up corpse and clicked on it, but nothing happens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

This isn't quite the problem it used to be since all you'll be missing out on is the journal, which is a good read, but not critical to anything.

If it simply refuses to work, just skip it and either go to the cave, or go to Whiterun.

OK, I did that, then went to the cave, but nothing is there.
------------------------------------------------------------

The quest marker isn't GPS accurate. You should be able to easily spot two poor hapless souls on the ground, doubled over in pain. That's Hadvar and Ralof. Go talk to one.

If these guys are NOT here, then you have another mod somewhere else that has overridden their AI priority and caused them to get moved elsewhere. Nothing I can do about that except raise the priority on my quest scripting. Load order cannot fix this.

No, you don't get it! A whole bunch of pieces in the Helgen cave have gone missing. What have you done!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't me! No, really, chances are this was the fault of TESVSnip.

As of version 2.0 of Live Another Life, causes for this are coming from other mods that have likely also been run through TESVSnip.
That program has turned out to be dangerous and cause data loss due to improper handling of compressed record data.

If you are having trouble with this problem (commonly referred to as "blue voids") check the readmes of your mods for mention of TESVSnip, sometimes simply referred to as Snip.
Remove those mods first. Check the cave. You'll likely find the problem has resolved itself.

Only the mod's author can correct these issues, and they'll need to do it by rebuilding their work without using TESVSnip on the files.

I walked by the farmhouse and the game crashed.
-----------------------------------------------

That's probably navmesh related. This mod is now compliant with Skyrim 1.6.89 and on its own won't have this issue, unless you haven't updated your game. That's the first thing you should check.

The second thing you'll need to check if that doesn't solve it are mods that have not been updated for Patch 1.6. The change in navmesh data formats is enough to make older mods that edit navmeshes invalid and cause CTDs.

Options Available
=================

Choose from one of the many options to start your character. As more ideas are fleshed out, this list will grow.

Caught Crossing the Border Illegally
------------------------------------

For those who wish to use this to play through the original game start at Helgen, this option will streamline the process to skip the race selection dialogue during the lead up to your execution. Most of the tutorial prompts will be removed as well.

Immigrated to Skyrim
--------------------

You will arrive by ship in the port of Solitude, Dawnstar, or Windhelm with little more than some basic supplies, middle class clothing, and a decent sum of gold to start over upon your arrival.

Property Owner
--------------

You will start off with the fully furnished house of your choice in one of 4 major cities. Windhelm is not included due to the quest that interacts directly with the house there.

Each house will start you off with appropriate class clothing and some leftover cash to spend. There will also be a selection of weapons fitting to the city available on the storage chest in the bedroom.

If owning property in a city is boring, or you'd prefer to have access to all of the available hold questing, you can choose instead to own a farmhouse. The farmhouse is situated on the main road southeast of Dragon Bridge and comes complete with a pair of NPCs to act as your farm hands. Your farm will generate a regular income that you can collect from the farm hands. You do need to come home from time to time to collect it though.

Member of a Guild
-----------------

You will be a new recruit in one of the joinable factions in the game. The Companions, College of Winterhold, Dark Brotherhood, or Thieves Guild. Your starting equipment will be geared toward the faction you have chosen.

For the Thieves Guild, you will begin just inside the Ragged Flagon, having just emerged from the Ratway. Talk to Brynjolf to seal the deal.
For the Dark Brotherhood, you will begin immediately inside the Falkreath Sanctuary and need only speak to Astrid to complete the process.
For the College, you'll be placed just outside the Hall of Elements and will have completed the initial joining phase.
For the Companions, you'll begin in Jorvaskr and begin with the mission to train with Varkas.

The Bards College will be added later if Bethesda does more to flesh out the faction. Right now, they're just a token guild that's not worth much.

Patron at an Inn
----------------

You will be able to choose from one of several inns throughout Skyrim. Some are relatively safe, others not so much. Nightgate Inn in particular is isolated in the mountains and is more dangerous than most others. Do be careful.

Outlaw in the Wilds
-------------------

You will begin as a member of a group of bandits. For the sake of variety, the group of bandits will be chosen at random. You will begin with standard bandit level equipment. The bandit faction at the start location will remain friendly to you as long as you don't piss them off first. Tread carefully though, you WILL have a bounty of 500 gold in the hold the game chooses. The guards will not take kindly to seeing you trotting into a civilized area unless you're prepared to pay up.

Soldier in the Army
-------------------

You begin as a recruited soldier in either the Stormcloaks or the Imperial Legion. Which one you choose will determine the gear you start with. You will begin at the point immediately after what would be each one's first mission, which is little more than a cannon fodder quest on either side.

Camping in the Woods
--------------------

You are a lone hunter, camping in the woods. This will start you off with decent low level equipment, a campfire, cooking pot, bedroll and tent. The camp will be in the forest/hills near Helgen and will serve as an alternative method for witnessing the dragon attack that will not require you to actually be in the village when it is destroyed. The camp will remain in place permanently should you wish to return and use it as a base.

Shipwrecked off the Coast
-------------------------

Shipwrecked! You were a passenger aboard a merchant ship on the way to Solitude when the ship struck an iceberg off the coast and then capsized. Make your escape from the doomed vessel, retreiving any useful items on your way out, then make your way to the nearby ice floes. From there, you'll quickly realize it's a LONG way off to shore.

Take care if using survival mods, especially those with hypothermia modules. You can freeze to death quickly!

Attacked and Left for Dead
--------------------------

You find yourself in a remote area, robbed and left for dead by bandits. They were kind enough to leave what they thought was your corpse dressed in ragged clothes, but nothing more. Can you survive the harsh wilderness and reach safety alive?

Vampire in a Secluded Lair
--------------------------

Mara's Eye Pond has always been home to you, for as long as you can remember. It isn't even clear to you anymore how long you've been a vampire, but you know you still hunger for prey and still have an urge to adventure.

Be aware - this starts you off as a stage 4 vampire. Everyone and his uncle will try to kill you the moment you've left the safety of the dungeon you're in. If you intend to mingle with the city folk, you'll need to feed first.

The end table immediately in front of the bedroll where you start is a safe storage container.

Necromancer in a Hidden Lab
---------------------------

The laboratory you discovered in Blackreach is running low on supplies. It looks like you'll need to set forth soon to replenish, and perhaps see what's going on in the world these days.

Fair warning - there is a Dwemer Sphere outside the door to the lab. You'll need to plan ahead before leaving.

Vigilant of Stendarr
--------------------

You have been accepted into the Vigilants of Stendarr and have been granted living access to their headquarters outside of Dawnstar.

The chest next to you when you begin is yours and is a safe storage container.

Caution: If you are playing Dawnguard, you'll lose access to the safe storage chest once the quest line kicks in and the hall is destroyed. If you are keeping valuable stuff there, be sure it's cleared out before you hit level 10.

Live in an Orc Stronghold
-------------------------

You'll begin in the orc stronghold of Dushnikh Yal. Though you have lived there for some time, they still call you outlander, and now you once more hunger for adventure.

For some people, this may be considered an unbalanced option since you get decked out in a full set of orcish armor and a nice big orcish battleaxe, but you're still level 1. Death can still find you easily enough.

Khajiit Caravan Guard
---------------------

You've been with the caravan for a long time now, and finally your group leader has hired a new guard. Time for some adventure, but you'll always be welcome at the camps in Whiterun or Markarth as always. This option only activates for a Khajiit.

Member of a Forsworn Tribe
--------------------------

Once the true rulers of The Reach, your tribesmen and kin have since been forced to carve out a life in the rugged mountains, away from more comfortable living. The time has come for you to leave and find adventure on your own. Only available for Bretons.

Note - You get a usable chest in the start location that's safe to keep things in.

Argonian Dock Worker
--------------------

You've been on these docks for months now, perhaps longer. The locals aren't treating you any better and it's high time you did something about it. A life of adventure and glory is just the change of pace you need.

Note - The first end table inside the door, with the soul gem holder on it, belongs to you and can be used as storage. The container does not respawn.

Redguard Alik'r Warrior
-----------------------

Disillusioned with life back home in Hammerfell, you joined the Alik'r and set out to Skyrim on a mission. Only things are not what they seem and it looks like time to set out on your own. Nobody back home will know the difference anyway.

Dunmer Refugee (Windhelm)
-------------------------

Morrowind is still a very hostile place, and you've decided to take your chances in Skyrim instead. Upon arrival though, Windhelm isn't at all what you expected or were hoping for. It looks like it's time to cast aside your expectations of an easy life and become an adventurer.

Note - The bedroll and sack you start standing next to for this are yours. The sack is safe storage.

Dunmer Refugee (Raven Rock)
---------------------------

The mainland of Morrowind is still a hostile place, and you've had enough. You're taking your chances on Solstheim in Raven Rock. Upon your arrival though, it's not at all what you were hoping. They almost treat you as an outsider. It looks like that easy life isn't there to be had after all. Might be time to take up adventuring instead.

This start will replace the refugee option if Dragonborn is installed. You'll begin in the abandon building on the edge of town and from there, you're on your own.

Note that for Raven Rock, there is NO SAFE STORAGE so don't count on stuff getting left behind in the containers still being there later! You'll also need to use the fast travel marker to go to Skyrim the first time since the boat ride will not be available until after you've begun the Skyrim main quest.

Altmer Agent of the Thalmor
---------------------------

You're assigned to the Thalmor Embassy near Solitude. As part of your regular duties, you are tasked with routine investigations of various matters in Skyrim. Though Elenwen has yet to trust you with a field assignment - until now. How fortunate that it should mean finally getting to do some adventuring on the side while you're out.

You begin the game inside the Thalmor Embassy on the upper floor, standing next to a bed. Since the Embassy does not respawn in the vanilla game, all storage should be safe. You will be a member of the Thalmor faction, so you can take what you wish from the building at any time, and can sleep in any of the beds you can find.

Once you have arrived at Helgen, you will be removed from the faction and the Embassy will then be closed to you until the party during the main quest. Thalmor may become hostile toward you at this point due to their assumption that you've abandoned your post. Be aware that membership in the Thalmor faction may also make Stormcloaks hostile toward you, including cities run by them! Unlike the bandit start, you will retain this membership for as long as you avoid going to Helgen.

Surprise Me
-----------

Random roll that will pick one of the above. The standard Helgen start will not be included in this. Race specific starts will only apply if the player's race matches.

Credits
=======

Chesko - For his polygon shape detection script.
Nikkita - For her awesome work on the voiced lines for the statue of Mara in the starting cell.

Licensing and Legal
===================

Redistribution is strictly forbidden without prior consent. This means do not upload it anywhere unless you have obtained permission from me.

Non-English translation versions may be uploaded without permission on the following conditions:

1. All mod files contained in this archive are retained with their current names.
2. No alterations are made to the contents of the plugins or master file other than those necessary to translate the English text.
3. No alterations or additions are made to the meshes and textures other than those necessary to translate English text.
4. This readme is included, in ENGLISH, exactly as it is written in the version it was downloaded with.

All inquiries regarding this mod must be directed to me. If after 180 days contact cannot be established or you have not received a response, stewardship of this mod will fall to the community at TES Alliance (tesalliance.org). I can be contacted via PM at Bethesda Game Studios Forums, TES Alliance, TES Nexus, Great House Fliggerty, Dark Creations, and AFK Mods under the username Arthmoor. I can also be contacted via my blog at http://www.iguanadons.net using the contact form there. A good faith effort must be made before assuming that contact cannot be established before concluding that I am no longer maintaining this mod.

Mod history archives such as Morrowind Mod History are permitted to keep a copy of this mod within their archives for historical purposes provided all authorship and credit information is retained and the contents of the mod are not altered in any way.

Revision History
================

Version 2.3.2
-------------

The campsite start was not set up to handle returning Ulfric and Tullius back to where they belong after the adjustments in version 2.3.1 were made.
Facegen data for the farmhouse NPCs needed to be regenerated due to having incorrect paths in the generated mesh files.
A dead crewmember for the shipwreck start that I forgot to place is now in the ship, floating next to his old bed.
Three more start locations for the Left For Dead option have been added. Skyrim is surprisingly crowded - these are getting hard to find.
Fixed a missing ownership flag on one of the snowberry bushes at the farmhouse.
Fixed the weapon racks inside the farmhouse so they'll work with the fixed rack scripts supplied by the USKP 1.3.3 update.

Version 2.3.1
-------------

The script that determines the player as having approached Helgen was not checking the worldspace to be sure they were actually still in Tamriel.
Ulfric and Tullius will now be moved back to their proper locations when the player sees Alduin since conditions are proper for them to return home at that point.
The setup script that does the reset for the player default spells will now refer back to the original vanilla function. My duplicated copy has been removed. This will allow mods that have modified the default race spell handling to work as intended if they've modified the vanilla script to do this.
All vanilla markers used by the script that moves the player out of the prison cell have been replaced with dedicated markers belonging to the mod. This should help prevent situations where the transfer fails and you are dumped back into the cell with Ulfric and Tullius fighting it out.

Version 2.3
-----------

A new start option for Dunmer has been added. If Dragonborn is installed, this will start you off in Raven Rock instead of Windhelm.
A new start option to join the Dawnguard has been added, which begins immediately following the end of Awakening, back in Fort Dawnguard.
A new start option for Altmer has been added. You will begin at the Thalmor Embassy and be on friendly terms with them until you reach Helgen.
Unbound (MQ101) was never marked as completed when using a start that required visiting Helgen to initiate the main quest. This would block the startup of any mod checking for the completion flag on MQ101.
The Mara statue now has voiced lines, thanks to Nikkita. No, really, huge thanks even. Quality voice acting is a rare thing.
Merged necessary fixes from USKP 1.3.2.

Version 2.2.2
-------------

Merged fixes from Official Patch 1.9.
Merged fixes needed from USKP 1.3.1.

Version 2.2.1
-------------

The trigger box in Helgen Keep that collapses the first tunnel section should not be active once bandits have taken over the keep, nor should it be playing dragon roar sounds at that point. (Bug #11878)
The torturer in the keep is never disabled in MQ101 stage 500 like he should be. (Bug #11877)
Dawnguard vampires should no longer act hostile toward their thralls. (Bug #12115)
Khajiit starts will now have an active caravan camp to relax in before departing on a life of adventure. (Bug #12222)

Version 2.2
-----------

A new version tracking system has been created to better manage patch upgrades for the mod.
If the Vigilants start is being played, a check for Dawnguard being installed will now be made to transfer the inventory from your chest inside the Hall to a chest outside for when the Dawguard quest progresses to the point where the Hall has been destroyed.
The second collapsing hallway section added in Helgen Keep will now be disabled once Helgen is taken over by bandits.
There will no longer be a jarring forced teleport that takes place when the player approaches Helgen. Alduin will instead begin his flight as naturally as possible from just behind the city walls.
Adjusting for Alduin's new flight path, the burned corpse with the journal is now found inside the remains of Helgen.
The corpse journal and quest logs have been rewritten to better suit the new configuration, along with the camping start in the woods.
If you are able to reach South Skybound Watch before having been close enough to Helgen, Alduin will begin his flyover if you climb to the top of the ruined tower there.

Version 2.1.8a - Hotfix
-----------------------

The alias usage set up in 2.1.8 for innkeepers didn't work and would result in the complete failure of the Live Another Life quest to operate. All aliases would be blank, with the first visible result being the Mara statue not appearing. The failure only occurred with certain mods installed. This has now been redone in a way that doesn't trigger the problem.

Version 2.1.8
-------------

Disabled a dialogue branch where you could tell the Jarl in Whiterun that the Imperials were about to execute you if you did not use the Helgen start.
A topic where you could ask Viarmo about dragons has been delayed until the MQ starts.
A topic where you could ask Fihada for arrows to take down a dragon has been delayed until the MQ starts.
A greeting delivered by Heimvar in Solitude about dragons has been delayed until the MQ starts.
Dialogue for the Helgen rumors which rely on the innkeepers in Solitude and Windhelm will reference the innkeeper aliases for these towns in case the primaries happen to be dead.
An objective will now be displayed to inform you when your farmhouse profits are ready to collect if you chose that start.
If Savlian Shoal is killed, the farmhouse profits can no longer be collected.

Version 2.1.7
-------------

Fixed the error which caused the Helgen cart ride to break yet again. This damn thing is far too sensitive.

Version 2.1.6
-------------

Two scripts were left out of the distribution that are necessary to advance the startup quest.
An objective marker has been added for Darkwater Crossing. This will only take effect for a new game.
Fixed a possible loophole that could have contributed to General Tullius not being available for the cart ride to Helgen.

Version 2.1.5
-------------

Refined the Helgen approach script to detect any horse the player may be riding and keep them with the player when transported.

Version 2.1.4
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Choosing the Helgen start will no longer strip the player's inventory which will preserve anything that other mods add at the beginning of the game.
The farmhouse now has an anvil, tanning rack, and grindstone for simple crafting operations.
The farmhouse also now has a stable across the road to put your horse if you own one.
Redid the script trigger that detects approach to Helgen since the trigger box method was not reliable.
A new start option has been added for Dunmer.

Version 2.1.3
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Set ownership on the exterior barrels and furniture at the farmhouse.
Added some salt piles to the farmhouse interior so the cooking pot can be used immediately.
Dialogue scripts for the statue were calling the wrong objective number after the 2.1 update changed them for the startup quest.

Version 2.1.2
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The initial rumors in Helgen dialogue will now display a new objective to go to Solitude or Windhelm if it's asked outside of those two cities.
Dialogue referencing Shady Sam as wearing hooded leather armor has been updated to reflect his new outfit.
One of the bandit start options was still pointing to the old marker at Faldar's Tooth, causing bandits to remain permanently friendly to the player. Visit Nilheim to correct this, as this is the location that replaced Faldar's Tooth.
When choosing the shipwreck or Redguard start, the startup quest will no longer silently advance stages causing the dialogue to be blocked.
Further general script optimizations.
When getting close to Hadvar and Ralof in the cave, the objective marker will split to highlight them both instead of remaining focused on the middle of the cave floor.

Version 2.1.1
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Further minor script optimizations to remove more calls to Game.GetPlayer().
Papyrus wasn't starting the house purchase quest fast enough which caused the house variables to not be set at all for property owner starts.
All submenus for the initial dialogue to choose a start now have "walk away" support to randomize the choices in those menus. This are also accessible via "Surprise me" options in each one.
The Left for Dead start now randomizes between 5 different locations. More may be added in a future update when more good locations are found.
The Helgen approach trigger is now equipped to deal with mounted players properly.
During the initial character generation, 3rd person mode will be available again after fixing the bed script to force a fade to black before swapping in the player's starting gear.
Made some fine tuning adjustments to the prison cell lighting to eliminate striping issues that were noticed.
Shady Sam gets a new outfit.

Version 2.1
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Navmeshes have been refinalized with CK 1.6.89 to update their formats for Patch 1.6. Skyrim 1.6.89 is now required for this mod to function.
All Papyrus scripts have been recompiled to be sure they're in compliance with Patch 1.6's compiled script formats.
House quest starts have been corrected to set the proper starting variable for the ownership quest. Retroactively fixing this will not be necessary for existing games.
A new startup quest has been added to make the Helgen run-up easier to manage. This should kick in retroactively for anyone who hasn't been to the corpse yet.

Version 2.0
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Complete rebuild of the mod after it was discovered damage had been done by TESVSnip which caused significant data loss to an unknown number of forms.
DO NOT attempt to use this update on an existing game. See the update instructions further up!

Optimized scripts used throughout the mod to reduce the number of function calls needed to process the information.
Added player safe storage to the vampire start. Use the end table next to the starting bedroll area.
Added a quest objective for the wilderness start to clarify the existence of the burned corpse.
Modified the journal entry for the wilderness start so it makes more sense with the above objective addition.
Fixed a bug where ignoring the burned corpse would result in Hadvar and Ralof not being placed in the cave.

Version 1.4.4
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For DB starts, Grelod the Kind was not killed as she should have been.
The block added to keep people out of the torture room was not properly disabled for Helgen starts.
Made it possible to warn Riverwood about the dragon if the player ignores Hadvar and Ralof, or doesn't completely follow through on rescuing one of them.

Please note that none of the following changes will matter if you've already begun a game with this installed. These changes only affect newly started characters.

Added a Redguard start for the Alik'r.

Version 1.4.3
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Typo - it should be a "Burned Corpse".
Fixed a bug in the friendly fire script that allowed the Four Skull Lookout bandit start to be exploited.
The bandit start location at Faldar's Tooth has been relocated to Nilheim to avoid complications from the interior portion of the hideout. This will change your allegiance to Nilheim if you started at Faldar's Tooth.
The trigger boxes that control the bandit/vampire friendly faction stuff have been fixed to use the proper actor detection method.
Removed several abandoned script properties from the Live Another Life quest.
Blocked off access to the torture room in Helgen for non-vanilla starts.

Please note that none of the following changes will matter if you've already begun a game with this installed. These changes only affect newly started characters.

Moved the 3rd person lockout to the initial stage of the quest so it can't be invoked during script lag following the race menu. (NO, I will NOT remove this feature.)
Cleaned up vanilla NPC handling in the scripting prior to the scenario start by switching their static properties over to quest aliases. Static properties eat memory long term. Quest aliases purge once the quest is done. My small part to helping keep Skyrim memory use under control.

Version 1.4.2
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A bug in the gift menu handling for Hadvar or Ralof made it possible to break progression into the main quest if the player didn't actually give one of them a potion.
A quest objective has been added that will display after picking your start option and being moved to the destination.

Please note that none of the following changes will matter if you've already begun a game with this installed. These changes only affect newly started characters.

3rd person camera control will be disabled until after you've picked a start and used the bed to begin.
The crazed adventurer's tenure as a plot device has been terminated and the actor burned at the stake for his insolence. Find the journal on the burned corpse now instead.
Helgen cleanup will now leave behind the expected amount of damage and rubble.
The Headsman in Helgen will no longer be hanging around after he should be dead and gone.

Version 1.4.1
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Changed the farmhouse profits quest to use RegisterForSingleUpdateGameTime() rather than a repeating update to prevent it running updates forever if the mod is uninstalled. (STUPID PAPYRUS!)
If the player skipped the Helgen cave after reading the journal, the "Live Another Life" quest never closes out. This has now been fixed and will be taken care of upon entering Dragonsreach and speaking to the Jarl.
Blocked Marmal's scene in Riften about dragons from playing before the MQ has begun, along with several other dialogue options from other NPCs elsewhere.
Generated facegen texture data for the farmhouse NPCs to eliminate the grey face bug.

Please note that none of the following changes will matter if you've already begun a game with this installed. These changes only affect newly started characters.

Fixed the crazed adventurer not equipping their weapon/shield. They should be slightly more of a threat now.
Changed the torches carried by the orc in the shipwreck start to use non-shadow versions.

Version 1.4
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Moved the bandit start location in Knifepoint Ridge over to Four Skull Lookout, in The Reach. This avoids script timing issues with entering and leaving the mine.
  (Note that this will change your allegiance to the new location if you started in Knifepoint Ridge)
Rebuilt the navmeshes at the farmhouse start location.
The campsite start had no cook pot or axe for the chopping block.

Please note that none of the following changes will matter if you've already begun a game with this installed. These changes only affect newly started characters.

Reworked the main quest hook. You will now be attacked by a hostile crazed adventurer rather than finding one dead on the road due to difficulties in getting them to STAY DEAD!
Eliminated the camera bobbing and locked arms at startup.
The civil war start scenes will now play for Jagged Crown instead of the less important comments about Balgruuf, which should trigger as expected later.

Version 1.3
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Corrected a deleted reference at the farmhouse location that could lead to game crashes exiting to the main menu.
Cleaned out numerous dirty edits in various locations. Should help with odd compatibility issues.
The Khajiit caravan start added the player to the wrong faction, making bandits non-hostile. This is now corrected.
The farmhouse start should not have access to the bookshelf and weapon racks unless the player actually started that scenario.

Please note that none of the following changes will matter if you've already begun a game with this installed. These changes only affect newly started characters.

Starting "Before the Storm" (MQ102) is now done via a journal found on a dead adventurer on the road outside Helgen, for all but the campsite and civil war starts.
  + Reading the book will initiate the quest, and will activate Alduin's overflight of the area. So you'll be able to see the dragon now.
  + Hadvar and Ralof will be found inside the cave you would ordinarily come out of, which is down the dirt path from where the dead adventurer is.
  + This will allow you to decide who to pick as a friend, or ignore them both and let their fate be decided apart from yours.

Disabled the stray Imperial soldier left behind during the Helgen cleanup stages.
Cut some stages off of the Helgen cleanup that didn't need to be touched.
Several minor dialogue entries have new conditions added to block talking about dragons if MQ102 hasn't been triggered yet.
The campsite start will now provide fur armor rather than leather.
Starting positions for the two civil war starts have been relocated further from Ulfric and Tullius to avoid crowding them at the beginning of their scenes.
Added an option to start as an Argonian dock worker in Windhelm.

Version 1.2
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Repackaged with a BSA so the mod can exist peacefully on Steam Workshop now that BSA load ordering is fixed in Bethesda's 1.4.27 patch.
Fixed the issue with exploiting attacks on the bandit/vampire locations those starts sent you to. It was far to easy to kill them one member at a time while the others watched.
Moved the vampire start to Mara's Eye Pond. Bloodlet Throne interferes with future plans for the Helgen area.
Moved the College of Winterhold start outside in the courtyard.
Added an option to start as a Vigilant of Stendarr.

Version 1.1
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Tweaks for timing issues on the woodland hunter and Dark Brotherhood starts to try and fix issues with the quest stage sequences that disrupt player animation states.
Adjusted lighting in the initial prison cell due to a bad radius set on the light reference.
Fixed a bug in the Thieves Guild start where Brand-Shei would not be in jail where he belongs.
Fixed a bug where Breezehome still had old junk enabled due to a bad property assignment.
The bandit start will no longer allow you to kill your fellow bandits with impunity. Be aware that in some cases simply raising your weapon in front of one can get you attacked.
Modified the prison cell to remove all of the takeable junk. The bed will now explicitly remove only the prison attire instead of everything.
The two Whiterun start options will now prevent the gate guard from stopping you to block access to the city since you're already inside.
The bed will no longer start Helgen if no choice has been made yet.
The Helgen map marker has been removed from the initial map display. It will now be discoverable like all the others.
Silent audio files on the Mara statue have all been shortened to 2 seconds each.
Added an option to start as a vampire. This will be a stage 4 disease using Bloodlet Throne as a base.
Added an option to start as a member of a Khajiit caravan.
Added an option for hardcore survivalists where you are left for dead in a remote area.
Added an option to start as a necromancer holed up in Sinderion's laboratory in Blackreach.
Added an option to start as a member of a Forsworn tribe. Only available to Bretons.

Version 1.0
-----------

Initial release.