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Discussion thread: Skyrim Skill Interface Re-Texture by Arndas Wiki Link While the old "Skill Interface by Tko007[/size]Skill Interface Retexture" mod was removed from the Nexus and thus got removed from STEP, this one is available. Note from the new author: "Are you the same guy (Tko007) that made the older version? No, I am a different guy. Tko007 has been inactive for quite a while, so I decided to remake the mod. I did not use any of his files for the creation of this mod (other than for reference). I also created some extra options (there were fewer options in the original mod) that are completely new." He also includes a retexturing of the werewolf perk tree from Dawnguard. Accepted for STEP 2.2.9.1. Install options are still needed.

I posted this elsewhere, but I bet this thread gets more views by core contributors, so I'm posting it here too: With the current STEP Extended installation instructions, there is an issue with this file in Re-Defined Dungeons: candles01.dds. It overwrites the same file in SMIM and ends up causing the melted wax base texture to go transparent. The result of that is that candles look like they are floating above what they are supposed to be sitting on - air in between. I resolved it by using MO's hide function on the file in Re-Defined Dungeons, so the SMIM version of the file would take dominance. I don't know if it was the best way to fix it, but it sure looked better than how STEP Extended has it currently (without instructions on how to fix the issue). I suggest that a note is added to the guide to do this, or another solution is used.

Personally, I already went through this mod in TES5Edit and resolved conflicts with the most recent non-beta UPs and other mods for my own custom patch. The mod hasn't been updated with the UP changes for a while now - meaning, some of them have been getting blocked by EBQO for many many versions of the UPs. EBQO hasn't been updated, like, forever, so I couldn't wait for it to be done officially. Here are the issues that I found that conflict with the current non-beta UPs (EBQO blocks the fix from the UP), all within the "Quest" category: Quest USKP: 0001BAEC, 0001CF25, 0001F256, 0001F257, 0001FD72, 00026C4D, 0002C258, 00030B36, 000376EE, 00039792, 00039B3B, 0003B681, 000434A3, 000443F4, 0004E4E1, 00053318, 00064958, 00069043, 00076335, 000799E0, 000799E2, 00093807, 00094158, 000BC096 and UDGP: 03002850, 03002853, 03004C3D, 030098CB and also UHFP: 0500BE09, 05010BEE

What I have trouble figuring out most often is what types of mods containing textures should or shouldn't be optimized. I've always found that to be the most confusing since I really don't know crap about textures beyond knowing how to follow the directions in the STEP Mods and Optimization part of the Skyrim DDSOpt Quick-Start Guide. Is it a good idea or a bad idea to find all of my non-STEP mods that contain textures in BSAs, extract the BSAs, optimize all the textures with DDSOpt, and then remake the BSAs with "Archive.exe"? I pretty much already did it with most of my non-STEP mods that have loose textures in them... I just never know if I'm really messing something up or not just because I don't really know much about texture files. I know that with STEP mods you have gone through and pointed out which ones are worth optimizing and which ones aren't. I don't have the knowledge to be able to figure that out. I do have a rudimentary understanding of exterior textures, body textures, etc. Though very rudimentary - just to know that some of the tools know how to separate these different types into separate folders so that DDSOpt could apply different optimization methods to the different types. So, do you recommend that I optimize all non-STEP mods, leave all of them alone, maybe just leave the BSA archived ones alone, or somehow figure out which ones and optimize only those?

Do you mean that you don't think that you need to optimize the SIC textures because they are already optimized? I was thinking of doing something similar with SIC and potentially other mods not in STEP that use BSAs to hold texture files, but keeping high resolution (up to 2048x2048) instead of reducing it. I guess my main purpose would be to set the proper mipmaps and make the files possibly smaller and more efficient, rather than to reduce texture quality.

I just figured it out - it's Re-Defined Dungeons. The exact file is: candles01.dds. The way I resolved this by using the "hide" command on the file in MO in the Re-Defined Dungeons mod.

excellent retexturings.

way better than what is currently used. techangel - I thought the same about the silverware one that gamwich did, based off of his photos in the nexus. After I installed it, and saw it in-game I felt differently.

excellent retexturings

I have this problem also. I didn't realize it was the base part for drips. I actually was thinking that each candle was offset above, but you're right... it's one of the textures used for the candle that is transparent/missing. Thank you for that information. Now I have to figure out which one.

It does depend on the mod. For instance - if you are installing a mod that only adds meshes and textures, then you don't even have to make a bashed patch again. All you have to do is install the mod and then you can continue playing a saved game with the new changes. With plugins or plugins with scripts, it depends. Some you would need to recreate your bashed patch for. Some you would need to start a new game to start using. And some you wouldn't be able to remove once you save a game with them installed. Oh, and there are some programs out there that you can get and run that can clean save games and actually remove remnants of uninstalled mods, but sometimes those don't work right. It really depends on how the mod works that you are trying to implement or remove. That's all I know. EDIT: or rather, what SRB said in the previous post.

Nice - that is great news. :)

So are you saying that none of the BSAs in MO actually have to be extracted if after a certain limited number of them you go and rename the rest of them to names that don't exactly match their associated plugin name? It that's true, then that's f'd... What kind of retarded crap is that (for it to actually work that way)? lol Does it benefit us in any way to go about renaming BSAs instead of extracting the files from them, like will we get better FPS or anything like that?

Yes. Say that you make a custom patch plugin that resolves issues between different plugins in your mod list. Afterwards, you decide that you no longer want to use one of the plugins that your custom patch plugin resolves a conflict for (and/or is included as a master within your custom patch plugin). What you need to do is go into your custom patch plugin and remove all the records within the custom patch plugin that contain data that was grabbed from the plugin you are trying to remove. After you do that you can clean and sort master in the custom patch plugin and it will remove the plugin that you no longer patch from your custom patch plugin's masters list. Sometimes if I know I removed all references, I just go into the header and delete the master record manually... but you have to be careful doing it that way, because if you didn't actually remove all of the references to data from the plugin you delete that way you can screw things up pretty bad. With the clean and sort masters functions, TES5Edit will automatically make certain there are no references before removing the plugin you no longer want as a master. At least I'm pretty certain what I have said here is accurate information. Someone tell me if I'm wrong.

LOL - those are funny. Thanks for the laughs. :D I talked with the author of Animal Tweaks, Crushboss, and after reading about it all he understands and sees what I'm talking about. He reviewed the USKP changes too. He's planning on changing them back to cave bears. I don't know what SkyTEST's plans are though. :)

Well, considering that supposedly SIC is not dead yet, I may wait until they fix it themselves. Unfortunately, considering how long it's taking v7 to come out (and it's been talked about for a long time) and I'm getting more impatient every day, I might end up fixing it myself. I'll post here if I end up doing it. What's a shame though, is that some other mods and popular mods went in a completely different direction with the bear/cave bear issue. Namely SkyTEST, and Animal Tweaks. I think it started with SkyTEST and the idea was absorbed by Animal Tweaks: that cave bears were a mistake by the original programmers... that they were actually meant to be your typical North American "black bear". So both authors nerfed the cave bear from tougher than a regular bear to weaker than one, and smaller. The problem is - a "cave bear" is NOT a "black bear". A cave bear is a cave bear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_bear That makes the original design make sense. Ooooops... I guess they thought they knew better. Forget the fact that the game brings back mammoths and sabre cats... "Naw... what's a cave bear? That's supposed to be a black bear, damnit! And I don't mean that it's just supposed to be black-colored. It's supposed to be an Ursus americanus. I'm going to change it into one, because that doesn't seem right... I mean, a cave bear? What?!? There ain't no such thing as no retarded cave bears. And those stewwwpid programmers didn't know that a black bear is supposed to be smaller and weaker than a grizzly. So why don't I make it that way?" It irks me that those otherwise pretty good mods would do that and end up unbalancing their compatibility with proper NPC leveled lists by going and making that totally unnecessary and illogical change - not to mention screwing with the lore. Why?

That's good news. The bear fix is an easy one too - it shouldn't take more than 1/2 hour for one of them to go through the records and fix it.

SIC is a pretty damned sick mod. The lore-friendly purist option adds so many really nice things to the game, while keeping it true to the TES game universe. NPCs using potions, goblins, huge variety of creature variants (skeletons), NPCs using more powerful spells, random spawns, special spawn events, HLE integrated so that you get challenging enemies throughout play as you level up, etc. I wouldn't want to play without it, because I also agree that I have yet to see anything that compares at quite the same level. If I don't get a response soon about the bear varieties situation, or if I see no activity by the SIC team, I may have to end up making my own patch for it. I've been holding off because I thought "why not have the mod authors fix it on their end, so that everyone gets the fix instead of just me?"

Yes! I really like the first one - it looks very configurable, so you could get rid of all the stuff that gives you telescopic vision and just get the extra info that tell you what you are looking at. Just what I was looking for. Thank you, Kryptopyr.

By the way, I always see this message every time I run LOOT with FNV. NewVegasBountiesII.esp CRC: 11D6AFEA Relations Warning: Contains 2 deleted navmeshes. Clean with FNVEdit. Having spent some time with xEdit, I remember seeing a script that says that "apply filter for deleted navmeshes". Can this be used to amend the situation? Also, were we supposed to install the "essential" version of the sentry bot toy? The Yuki mod merging instructions imply that, yet instructions to get the "essential" version were not given prior.

Thanks for the suggestion - know of anything that's more immersive or better integrated at just giving the player some kind of quick assessment of the NPC in the distance? Since it seems as though there is nothing built in the game like this. It would be cool if someone made a mod that will give you a difficulty rating of a NPC if you point the cursor at them and press a particular key. It could take your level and then compare that to the level of the enemy and then give an indication like "very easy", "easy", "fair", "hard", "very hard". And it can be a color range from green to red. I'm surprised no one good at creating mods thought of this idea before.

I like the Vault Girl section - good idea. I don't typically play as a female, but if I did I would likely use it - unless it messes something else up. I'm glad you have been able to include so many Yuki mods. Without any testing or knowing how things balance out, I like WilliamImm's mod suggestions. Don't know if the metal armor mod has any game balance issues though or the stealth suit one.

My concern is not really whether a NPC is hostile or not. My concern is having some sort of idea the relative level of a NPC before getting the NPC's attention or getting close enough to be killed immediately by a level 1,000,000 NPC (exaggerating, lol). Since there are mods that can throw in hostile NPCs that are well over the ability of the player, it would be nice to have a way to tell what you are facing before you get in a situation where you are already destined to die.

Let me know if you need help. I've gotten pretty decent at looking at TES5Edit conflicts, and last time I checked it didn't look like FNVEdit was much different. :)

BTW - I don't think CaliberX is going to get that IMPACT patch. Just by judging looking at the Nexus mod page forums for those two mods, it doesn't look like either mod author is working on it anymore.