Smile44

Wow these are a hell of a lot better. I don't have a normal STEP set up at the moment so can't do proper compares. I have downloaded it and will have a look in game shortly if they look as good in game then we may have a new winner IMO. I especially like the vanilla deep normals and wet rock textures. I will report back in a bit. :)

As always vanilla does look accurate but is problematic due to the stretching etc.. Mountains grow through convergent tectonic plate movement which forces the ground and rocks up between them as they converge (usually). This will lead to rocks having a variety of angles and types rather than uniform positioning of the same rock and as such you are very likely to find varying rock types especially on the larger mountains. BB looks a lot as if these mountains were formed from extrusive igneous rocks which is not how mountains form (volcanic ones do but not normal ones), though detailed they have far to many uniform wrinkles (a bit like bubble wrap). Brown though interesting in places just looks wrong a lot of the time too soft (sedimentary looking in texture). Superior does look good up close but as soon as you look further away the textures start to look painted, smudging etc.. Alternative look too rounded in many of the shots - erosion produces smoothness / weathering produces jagged edges (generally speaking). AOF looks good but I think Rocking stones improves on it after all RS is based on AOF textures and uses SMIM and NS. With the "fixed meshes" pictures the differences between AOF and RS are minimal though visible but without those fixes there is a clear difference and you can clearly see a variety of angles and shapes and rock variation that would be visible in normal rocky / mountain landscapes, though this is not flawlessly executed it is realistic. Interestingly there is clearly a different mod set up for the shots showing the "fixed mesh" rocking stones than the others, perhaps not a great deal of difference but enough to make comparisons difficult in some shots. In these shots AOF and RS are on the whole consistently more realistic than the other options, though not always better. They do improve on vanilla mesh and texture wise if not on accurate / artistic interpretation. Of course this is all entirely subjective - so regardless of whether or not there are mesh issues with RS it is my favourite of these options at this time. :)

Boo! Not one stands out in all the pictures, they all have plusses and minuses in different shots. Not an easy one. Rock patterns vary alot in some shots, any geologists about? :) P.S. Great shots Z.

Sometimes windows itself can cause problems with these programs. Usually SUM works fine for me and no problems, all installed in MO / mods via MO no real issues but every now and again I have had to revert to a previous System Restore point because a windows update has interfered with some operation or other. It does sound like an install issue though, (I know that is not what you want to hear) I would try each patcher individually first i.e. you have an Automatic Variants.esp and a Dual Sheath Redux.esp and see if they work. Then install and try SUM. Don't change any of the settings other than to check the merge plugins box. It should run fine from there and if so you can remove the individual patches. Hope this helps. :)

Hi DC, I put a suggestion on the Requiem board where you posted about your SR _ Requiem set up which was to ask if anyone was interested in sharing ideas towards putting together a STEP pack based around Requiem. STEP CORE should not have anything in it that could cause any problems with with anything then various STEP packs will be made (by anyone) which can then be added on top - presumedly checked out by members here so that they work etc.. (Get a STEP compatibility badge or something). I realise you yourself are busy but if you were interested down the line, in perhaps at least posting your mod list and load order for a fully functioning Requiem / SR install it would really help to that end. But STEP CORE and packs are still a way off - it would be good to lay the ground work in so tests can be done. What do you think? :)

Well Requiem has it's own AI and it is pretty effective so probably not necessary to use another. :)

Crikey my bad, I thought it was already in this forum - and wondered why it hadn't moved. All makes perfect sense now - I need more coffee. Probably while I go and catch up on Monday Night Football, taped so do not know the scores yet. :)

OK all sorted! Thanks for your generous and informative help. :)

Thanks buddy, I will get Python installed - still confused about overwrite though, I mean I am used to 12.9 and its not an issue there, I usually only have the cleaned vanilla ESMs, bashed patch patch and skyproc patchers in there as plugins. Of course a number of other files end up in there e.g. the texture files for AV etc - it is a simple enough thing to sort out if the overwrite folder in 0.99 series MO needs to be kept clean of all files (even easier if it's just plugins that need to be removed and placed in mods) but it does seem to be quite a departure from before. :)

This is not a mod suggestion but more a guide (STEP Pack) suggestion. :)

Really useful information I will be doing this later. Just out of curiosity (as a knowledgeable person is about) I have 0.99.6 installed and it runs great but the error triangle is telling that a) I have files in my overwrite folder and b) I do not have Python installed. Is this supposed to be the case / if not how do i fix? Thanks in advance for any guidance on this as it is annoying - I will check the MO boards if I can't find an easy solution (like something I missed in the read-me) :)

Probably wise. :)

Yes it is safe to assume that it needs to be on the blocklist for all SkyProc patchers - author does not know why but there is no real issues with doing so and will have little effect. DSR patch only works for Requiem not the Dragonborn option so just block it and you should be good to go. :) There are patches for SIC so it can be kept. More patches should be forth coming. But yes you need to be brutal with mod cutting. You managed to get AFT to work ok, I really like the options that mod provides but I've tended to stick with EFF as it is recommended in same list. :)

RLO looks better IMO, but it's not perfect as at times there appears to be sunlight coming from more than one direction in the temple shots, but Joravaskr and Bleakfalls Barrow look great. Again until RLO is finished it will not be consistent in quality. ELFX looks good but the light is often far too bright but does look quite good with Unreal ENB. :)

You will need to add Requiem - Dragonborn.esp to the blocklist this problem occurs with ASIS as well. You will need to remove some mods from SR such as Trade and Barter, Ars Metallica, SkyTEST, etc.. as Requiem already covers these. @DanielCoffey has managed to put together am SR build with Requiem - he mentions it on the "Mods that synergise well with Requiem" Topic but doesn't go into enough detail. Getting it to work is possible but it can develop problems down the line with script build up ion the save games, again depends on how many mods you have activating scripts. I would take AV out, Deadly Dragons out, as well as mods already mentioned. I tried to start a thread about this on the mod page (same section) no takers so far perhaps I should have put it on the main post page - I wondered if experienced Requiem users would be interested in creating or contributing to a Requiem based STEP pack. I still think this is worth doing. I'd like to help but it will need some more experienced conflict resolving experts to help get it working properly. :)

Latest version (0.7) looks really good and the snow and dirt definitely tops SRO IMO. :)

SUM.esp will do nothing in the Skyrim directory it needs to be in overwrite. I do not know how you are managing to get those files in skyrim because if they are generated through MO then they will automatically go into overwrite. :)

With ERSO you probably don't want to use ERSO 10 - RUS-(SIM)-Travellers and Adventurers, ERSO 10.02 - Adventurers and Travelers, ERSO 10.05 - Immersive Patrols without installing ERSO 09, which is what these are adjusted for - better off using Immersive Patrols (merged .esp) and perhaps the Adventurers and travelers mod themselves. :)

In active prisons with guards etc. you would expect the cages to be maintained (Langleys), but in older ruins or bandit infested dungeons they would perhaps be far more rusted and decrepit (Cages HD). Vanilla sits in the middle. This mod CHD does look as though it is a re-colour of vanilla - I agree. :)

I'm happy to help where I can. Let me know how I can be of most use and if I can do it I will. :)

Excellent points and I whole heartedly agree. A mod may change something for the better in an artistic improvement etc.. but if this improvement is not obviously better than vanilla then it needs to be in extended. rather than core. CORE needs to be as simple as possible - a FIX to fundamental problems with the basic game. Any more than that and 2.3 STEP will not achieve it's aims. This is the base upon which the packs will be be built knowing that at the CORE the game is as stable and correct as it can be. There is no to little discussion about where the game needs to be fixed / improved based on game play (Skyfalls is one exception) but graphicly there are not too many changes that need to be made. Lets keep graphics out of CORE STEP unless absolutely neccesary to correct an eyesore. This type of discussion can become extremely circular and not go anywhere quickly - there should be as little subjectivity as possible in CORE. Objectivity yes but nothing that needs to be put to a vote. This idea of voting is ideal for Extended STEP but not core. Artistic interpretation has no place in CORE STEP. AFAIU it. (On account of the variation in subjectivity that exists). :)

Ditto? DITTO? This is how you sum up the glory of fish. In the grand scheme of things I can't really argue. :)

NO - NO! how can you make such a decision? OK. it's late I may be a little tipsy, I have no point to make, nothing to see here. :)

It is in this mod that I first noted it - perhaps it has been updated or I have not installed it correctly - if it is working for you then that must be the case. Next time you get a chance stand at the end of the lake near Riverwood just where it becomes a river leading to the first waterfall - if you have flow to that first waterfall then I will need to fix that. :) OK have downloaded and installed the latest version of RW2 and the problem appears to no longer be there in that there is an animated texture running over the top of the lake water texture to give the appearance of moving quickly towards the waterfall. Tis good enough for me. :)

It is in this mod that I first noted it - perhaps it has been updated or I have not installed it correctly - if it is working for you then that must be the case. Next time you get a chance stand at the end of the lake near Riverwood just where it becomes a river leading to the first waterfall - if you have flow to that first waterfall then I will need to fix that. :)