Guciec

ABOUT: Dual Sheath Redux mod & it's detailed instruction "Also install the patches for aMidianBorn, Elemental Staffs and Skyrim Weapon De-LARP-ification Project." Meshes included in the DSR patches are overridden by meshes from these mods above installed lower in the mod order [Wrye Bash]. So in fact they are not applied. Guide needs update or comment in the detailed instruction.

sorry for excessive use of the thread, just updating my modlist.

Addition of the SkyFalls and SkyMills - Animated Distant Waterfalls and WindMills isn't included in the changelog.

WATER description doesn't specify which water surface waves pattern to choose. Starting from 1.85 version there are 4. (Regular) Calm (Regular) Alternative Calm Alternative in that order. There's also a gif file in Fomod folder showing visual differences between all 4 versions. I didn't checked these different patterns in game yet so I'm going with regular.

aMidianborn Book of Silence includes now 2 more packs - Creatures and Dragonborn DLC, guide should specify whether or not install these packs. https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24909/?

OneTweak by virusek https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/40706/? Is a fusion of two mods in STEP 2.2.7 mod list. It works flawlessly. Double cursor fix - 2D6 Borderless window - 2C2 I think guide should be updated and OneTweak implemented as a simplification of a mod list.

you need to correct this entry. There is still a conflict with 'bring out your dead' - it can be resolved by modifying ESP files in Tes5edit - following the Neovalen instructions from Skyrim Revisited. I didn't confirm conflict with Book Covers mod. and link to skyrim revisited instructions should be added to STEP.

Version 1.3 don't have ITMs or UTRs, anymore, according to TES5Edit 3.0.30. Conflict between 'Bring out your dead.esp' and 'TheChoiceisYours.esp' is still there, Skyrim Revisited patching instructions still apply, with exception that Wrye Bash requires adding 'unofficial skyrim patch.esp' to the patch-plugin's masterlist since 'bring out your dead.esp' has it as a master. Tes5Edit doesn't show the conflict between 'TheChoiceisYours.esp' and 'BLESSINGS - Altar Descriptions.esp' anymore. I didn't check potential conflict with 'Book Covers Skyrim'. Either way STEP 2.2.6 requires editing and updating in the matter of this mod.

STEP 2.2.6 contains insufficient info considering this mod. Especially: 1) suggests to use high res meshes in baseline, but should it be only meshes? 2) which texture pack should be chosen for the STEP build? it looks like Serious HD as it is loaded last from these texture packs. 3) which baseline texture and normals resolutions should be chosen?

But the article "BSAs and You" shows that while using HDD drive for skyrim *.bsa archives for vanilla bsas are better because reading time is noticeably shorter. And how vanilla BSAs can create conflicts if all the mods are loaded after them so have higher priority? And isn't MO or Wrye Bash detecting and showing possible conflicts? I understand unpacked BSA mods, but why vanilla BSA?

The guide in the section: Optimize the Vanilla Textures Proposes to compress optimized files into the .7z achives, but why do it if you can fuse optimized textures in 'vanilla optimized' folder with 'Vanilla Extracted' files and repack files back into full BSAs, that in turn can be switched with the original ones. Why keep them in compressed files in wrye bash or MO? The installation of this packages will extract all files into loose files in the data folder wouldn't it? According to "BSAs and You" loose files increase the loading time because decompression from bsa archives is faster than using decompressed files.

Sorry I saw my mistake in the interpreting of the process. And add a sentence to the guide to make it more dumb-proof: "On HDD drives coping process will take long, and executable window might look like frozen, select newly created folders and check properties, when its size reaches the size of the "Vanilla Extracted" directory the process is almost finished." < Organizing the Vanilla Textures for Simpler Optimization ---> 'At the completion of this reorganization processing the Working Directory will contain a new temporary "Vanilla Optimized" directory and three additional temporary directories named "Vanilla Textures", "Vanilla Normal Maps", and "Vanilla Uncompressed Normal Maps". "Vanilla Textures" will have folders for each vanilla BSA, "Vanilla Uncompressed Normal Maps" will have one folder for each HRDLC, and "Vanilla Normal Maps" will have folders for the 4 vanilla Skyrim BSAs plus a folder for "Dawnguard" if it is used. None of these folders will be empty.' I try to optimize Hi-Res DLC step by step but this fragment is causing me problems. 1) 'None of these folders will be empty.' sentence isn't explicit in saying which folders, the ones generally created in the Working Directory or the ones created in the sub-folder "Vanilla Normal Maps". 2) When I used 2_Pre-optimization.bat the effects weren't exact to the ones described in the quote above: a) "Vanilla Normal Maps" has no folders inside, nothing actually b) 'None of these folders will be empty.' whichever folders the author is thinking about there are empty folders. Please, help and clarify the guide.>>

I change the guide, added link to AA/SMAA comparison in the Hacks section of the guide. I clicked too fast accept and probably didn't documented it well enough. It's my first Wiki implementation so please check it out and delete or modify if it is inappropriate. Thanks

So I have installed Skyrim Performance Monitor, excellent program. https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/6491/? And additionally to it standardised performance test: Skyrim Performance Monitor Testing Hall https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/30187//? And checked my baseline computer performance in skyrim on automatic optimal game's graphical settings - ultra. And basically I'm now sure that my rig sucks. I'm running on the bethesda hi-res resolution pack. At first I ran basic performance test: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4kJRACJ1z7c094RHgyb05ZcXM/edit?usp=sharing And get smooth 60 fps in empty areas, and around 30 in a fights with multiple enemies. But my V-RAM in occupied location is used in 95% almost all the time in effect there is little to no room for improvement of graphical quality of game without compromising the relative smoothness of its gameplay. Interesting enough extreme test in outdoor location crushed the game while loading final location with 100 NPCs, and stutter almost all the time, so it's definitely not on my rig. I run the basic test also with injectSMAA and game's AA disabled, and performance-wise there was no difference, no stutters, as I described/showed earlier SMAA gives me a slightly smoother edges than game's AAx8, so it's a plus. Unfortunately SPM cannot record fps while post processing is on so in the second SS you can see fps rate at 0. But I assure you the smoothness was unchanged. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4kJRACJ1z7M3U2VUNDXzEtUW8/edit?usp=sharing Now while implementing STEP I will have to focus on the performance only graphical options. Still I hope I'd be able to implement one of the ENBs to see and feel some of these incredible effects they have to offer. Comment please, every feedback is most welcome.

Ad.1 ENB, has built in ss capture feature? (https://enbdev.com/) Am I undestanding correctly? Ad.2 I have got a lot of reading and learning along side STEP to make a decision what I want in the choosing of post processing application. Ad.3 So, build in game anti-aliazing is a different process than SMAA/FXAA/MSAA that are post-processing filters? My monitor resolution 1680x1050, and Vcard is Gigabyte Radeon HD7770 OC with 1GB GDDR5, so I have nothing fancy to use.

Thanks for fast response Aiyen. So generally: 1. with which software should I make screenshots for most reliable capture? 2. Which post processing is best for use? 3. Can one tell conclusively that SMAA is better AA than build in game AA (MSAA???) ?

Hello, I'm new to internet forums, and STEP forums, so please feel free to correct my netiquet via pms. I'm new in posting screenshots on forums so every know-how advises are most welcome via pms. I created new Skyrim install (High Res Pack included), following STEP guidelines, and I'm going to install full STEP or Skyrim Revisited. But I found SMAA in installing guide so I thought I'll try it out and I did. I used DX9 setting, there is also DX10, but I found in the Internet that Skyrim is running on the DX9. Presets on the clean Skyrim with SMAA are as follows: AA 8x https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4kJRACJ1z7QkVzanFmcmV2aTA/edit?usp=sharing NoAA https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4kJRACJ1z7cExxbmt5RUNwRE0/edit?usp=sharing Funny thing with SMAA on and AA off, my comp is doing 2 screen shots at a time: Before post processing: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4kJRACJ1z7c0czYkJpbDdLVXc/edit?usp=sharing NoAA+SMAA, after post processing (raw bmp file is 25% bigger than the 3 above): https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_4kJRACJ1z7MGFOQWJOSFhFQ0E/edit?usp=sharing I haven't established base FPS performance yet, and didn't check on fraps fps counts with different settings, but I might do it if asked. Thanks for reading, Mike Advocem: I made also SS with AA2x and SMAA turned on, and effect is paradoxically worse than with the SMAA only.