Introduction:
You all know my passion for Dragons. They brought me to the modding scene. You also know my mantra : "Gameplay Reinforces the Narrative". The dragons described in lore, often pale in comparison to ones seen in gameplay.

This extends to every aspect: Their AI, mechanics, sound implementation, etc. The word "Dovahkiin" feels so meaningless when these beings, you're likened to, do not inspire an ounce of dread.

I wanted to create a mod that puts an end to this, and elevates dragons to the next level. This Project has been in the works for about 2 years in total (in one form or another). It took an enormous amount of time to rewrite it as cleanly and efficiently as possible, with SKSE acting as its foundation.

Showcase:






Breakdown:

- Shouts, AI and Combos:
This mod adds close to 100 shouts, some of which you may recognize from ESO. Dragons use all shouts in their arsenal, making fights refreshing, varied, and unpredictable. Different dragons have different shouts that suit their "personality". This is because learning (and deepening your understanding) a word of power is meant to affect you in some way.

For instance, Master Paarthurnax chooses not to use shouts like Marked for Death, or Drain Vitality. Instead he has more supportive shouts like Clear Skies, or Battle Fury for his allies. And yes, he will support you in the fight against Alduin. Conversely, Alduin is a beacon is primal power. He knows almost every shout, even those the Dragonborn and Paarthurnax don't.

Certain shouts can also interact with each other. For instance if a target is affected by the Ice Form shout, a dragon can decide to use Unrelenting force to shatter the ice and deal far more damage.


-Voicing:
This part of the project took an ungodly amount of time, mining the game voice files; finding suitable lines to create more through careful splicing and editing.
The result is virtually all shouts are voiced (99 - 100%; and yes even for unique dragon voices like Odahviing, Paarthurnax, and Alduin).

And these are not random lines. They are exactly those stated in the lore (e.g., Sov Ag Slen for Lightning Breath; Tiid Klo Ul for Slow Time), and for the newer shouts, their words are as lore friendly as possible (taken from ESO and matching what the shout is trying to achieve).

This along with their revived combat dialogue make the dragons come to life, like the intelligent beings they're supposed to be. Finally, the voicing is handled completely on SKSE, making it 100% snappy and consistent, instead of using the laggy, vanilla quest system.

Thus it serves as an effective counter-play, as you can listen and anticipate/brace yourself for a particular shout.


- Mechanics:
Dragons now use their stamina to maintain flight. Depending on their flying state, it consumes more or less stamina. For instance, in the cruising state, since they have the most velocity and least air resistance, it's much easier to maintain flight (aka less stamina consumption). When a dragon's stamina reaches a low level they'll land and try to recover.

Certain dragons may prefer to fly more often and skirmish, whilst others may prefer to be on ground and brute force their enemies. Their magicka levels also have effect on gameplay. No, it doesn't stop them from shouting since shouts are not dependent on magicka in lore. We'll leave you to discover its effect on gameplay!

All dragons have unique resistances and weaknesses. This is to encourage experimentation and learning, instead of brute forcing everything. Using frost spells against a dragon like Sahloknir may not be wise.

All these features combine to make dragons, a singular, terrifying entity, without needing to turn them into conjuration mages to make-up for poor AI. Thus, when you meet a dragon like Durnehvir, he feels truly unique, along with his story.

- Easier Compatibility with Dragon Re-mesh and Re-texture mods like Dragon SE or GOT Dragons:
The Leone Dragon Project NPCs module (aka esp) has all the ARMA records (aka armour add-on) for all the dragons in the mod. You can simply redirect the path to a different mesh from another mod.

Since Dragons SE is awesome, I've already implemented its paths already. You just need to download the mod, as well as the expanded version by PLSET to cover all dragons and introduce the most variety! If you use Majestic Dragons, simply place it below these mods.

Installation:

-Leone Dragon Project Assets - Position 1:
For this mod folder, you'll need the Elemental Dragons , Violent Alduin , and Ultimate Dragons mod assets. For Elemental Dragons, get the main file (Elemental_Dragons V1_01) and remove the esp. Then For Violent Alduin, get this file (Violent Alduin v1_0 -Normal-) and also remove the esp. Then you'll need to optimize these assets using cathedral assets optimizer. There are videos on the page on how to do this. After this, simply put all the assets into this mod folder.


For Ultimate Dragons, get only the Meshes folder from the main file (Ultimate Dragons SE). Put it in this mod folder. Then, get the Meshes folder from the optional file (Crash Stomp Fix), and put it in this mod folder . Yes, confirm the override.

-Leone Dragon Project Animations - Position 2:
This folder's installation is optional. But installing the animations will make the fights alot more interesting. For this mod folder, You need these mods: Dragon Animation Replace, Distar's Creatures Preview, and Dragon Combat Animations. This is essentially the assembly of an OAR module for all the awesome, Dragon animations available.

Please, start the video below from 0:17 and watch it to see how to install. You'll notice there's an extra folder in the MELEE section (folder 6942073). This folder now contains animations from Dragon Combat Animations . Simply install the animations into the 6942073 folder, similar to the process seen in the video.

Now, folders 6942074 (replacing the old 6942073 seen in vid) and 6942075 (replacing the old 6942074 seen in vid) are in the IDLES, and INJURIES sections, respectively.


-Leone Dragon Project Main - Position 3:
You just need to install this and you're good. Note the positions of the mod folders listed, as these will dictate their positions in your mod manager. As for the esp, you just need to enable them. They are linked such a way (through master requirements) that they will sort themselves naturally.


I'm sorry, I wish the installation process was a nice one-click process, but I don't own all the assets. I've tried my best to simplify it. Besides, this is a culmination of so much brilliance from many mod authors. I hope taking a moment to gather the assets isn't too much to ask.

NOTE: This mod should not be used in conjunction with the  Classic Paralysis. It uses it's code to mimic the effect (and make it look unique) of slowing time for the slow time shout that the Dragons possess. Other paralysis attempts look like OG Skyrim's version (aka Rigor-Mortis then fall to the ground). Yes, it's the same DLL in my HoY mod. One will simply override the other if you have both mods.


Source


This work is Dedicated to Master Paarthurnax, the Dovahkiin's friend and Mentor.
Paarthurnax: "What is better? To be born good? Or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?

Credits:
This mod would not be possible without the brilliant work of many mod authors whose permissions make allowed me to realize this work. I wanted to add to their legacy and unite great aspects into one coherent system.

1)Kittytail- Beautiful Spell assets used in shouts.
2)Keysmash2c- Beautiful shout assets from his Thoom mod.
3)serio420 - Inspiration for new shouts.
4)KuzakuSara - Great Dragon AI system written on papyrus which I tried to translate and flesh out on SKSE.
5)184Gesu - Great mod with lots of shout and storm assets. Thus why the original mod is required for the assets.
6)tktk1 - For the awesome UD mod with lots of dragon animations.
7)powerofthree - The foundation of my growing C++ knowledge, and his code makes the slow time shout possible, and look unique.
8)DarkWandererAmon - For fog asset used in the Alduin's Mist of Souls shout. Check out his Dragon Use Thu'um mod if you want a more modular experience than what this mod offers.
9)Voeille - For the awesome Talkative Dragons.
10)maxsu2017 - for the great BDI. It made development on SKSE so much easier thanks to individualized variables.
11)ntn9713c - for inspiring me to fully voice the Dragons' shouts.
12)Satafinix - For Immersive Dragon Sounds.
13)Credits to many reddit posts that discovered many niche aspects of the game. Along with countless hours of my own research, i started understanding how AI works in Skyrim on a fundamental level.
14) Thanks to the SKSE and CommonLib Team.