Thank you for that update. I'll probably wait for it anyway because I'm deep into a new playthrough right now.
I'm not trying to max out everything. I've been happy with vanilla graphics since SE, but I'd like to see what my PC can do. Seems a lot of the options are overkill. 8K textures is a good example. Even if the performance hit is negligible, it still takes up more storage. Crazy grass detail and density is another I can easily do without. I'll probably stick with the baseline for everything besides running the game at 4K, but perhaps there's some other things I should probably change for that as well?
I'm pretty minimalist about modding. I've followed this guide for nearly as long as it's been around, but I've never actually followed it, only using it for the curation of "vanilla" mods. I've always appreciated the approach this guide takes, as it seems to be what I would do myself if I were curating an extensive modlist. Basically, only including changes that Bethesda themselves might have made if time, money, and a need to not overwhelm the player with too many options were not a factor. Well, and maybe some widely considered "essential" mods you'd get tired of being harrassed for not including? I'd be interested to know which, if any, of these you'd rather not.
I also appreciate that you've all kept this guide manual, even after automated modlists have been available. I know there have been efforts to create automated S.T.E.P. before, but this guide has always been the best tutorial for customizing my own modlist, and there always seems to be something about other modlists that are not quite as "vanilla" as they claim. Well, that's been the case for a long time, unless you know of a recent project with results similar to what an automated S.T.E.P. would be?
Anyway, I'm always pleasantly surprised to see this project is still alive and well. Thanks again for everything!