MadWizard25

Happens in all exteriors. My go to place to see if i have reduced/ fixed the issue is the plains around whiterun, but its essentially everywhere. Hehe, I dont have a main save at all, havnt actually played since patch 1.3. Just constantly testing with throwaway characters. So yep, new game and all! Good point about driver customization. I have changed some settings using Nvidia Inspector. I will try with default there. Partially. This is one of the "types" of texture popping i get. I refer to it as decal popping, although thats probably wrong terminology. Most obvious is moss on walls of ruins, just as you have Neovalen. I have to get really really close before it all magically pops in. I think I will make a quick fraps movie and post on youtube when im off work. So you guys can get a clear picture :)

Default ini's dont help. Modified ones dont either. I know which mods cause the issue. Its a combination of all the hi-res texture packs from STEP. If i remove all the mods recommended in the first two sections, SRO, 2KHD, etc, then all the misc clutter stuff, vegetation etc, the popping is much less apparent. In terms of texture re-placers, I have pretty what STEP recommends, and all at 1024. I also have some armor and weapon mods that have textures, but those are few. Thats another frustration, with my computer specs i dont think its a hardware limitation, and yet with all the STEP texture mods (all optimized as well), i get massive and sudden popping. I well clear of my vram limit, im on SSD drive, and my RAM and CPU are capable. Now that i have eliminated freezes (i hope), im addressing this issue. Another note is that this issue was more apparent after patch 1.5 I have run out of ideas :confused:

Ah, forgot to mention i have used the latest pre release version of DDSOpt to optimize all my textures. Doesnt help much. In any case, the transition is not the worst part, its really the true texture popping that bugs me. To clarify, ugrids helps, but the popping is still as sudden if you look beyond the increased draw distance. The sudden massive pop of all these textures was never so evident in vanilla skyrim. For example (and this all on default ugrids), in vanilla, the grass would not all suddenly pop in as one big mass, but would gradually be rendered as you walked along. With a modded skyrim, still at default ugrids, the grass now just appears as one big block all of a sudden. My main issue is the mass pop of textures of all types that seem to all be rendered at the same time, very abruptly. Increasing to ugrids 7 mitigates this because the pop occurs at a further distance, but it still happens, and is still very evident.

Thanks for that bitdman, added it. Im very happy you noticed this, if you spot anything else that should be included or is wrong, mostly regarding content at the moment, please feel free to post here Thanks as well fri :)

Hopefully it is, but probably a year or two down the line :) @torminater I get the flickering on walls sometimes during transition as well, but hardly happens, just assumed it was part of the sudden change.

Interesting, will have a look. Thanks!

I stand corrected.

Yes, although its not a specific fix. There are several reasons for CTDs and freezes in exteriors. 1. Freezing while walking around - Running several script intensive mods such as Warzones, wars in skyrim, SkyTEST, Real Wildlife, or any other mod that affects spawns, especially the ones that increases spawns (such as ASIS, SkyMoMod, uGrids), can cause freezes. The trick here is to find what your computer can handle. Most people can only run a few. 2. Freezing in combat - similar to above. If you are running a lot of combat related mods, such as Deadly Combat, Dual Combat, Dance of Death, etc, can cause freezing. Again, uninstall until the issue goes away. 3. VRAM limit - If you massively go over your vram limit, then it can cause the game to freeze. The fix is to slowly reduce hi-res mods you have installed, and use a program such as GPUZ to monitor how much vram skyrim uses. 4. Corrupted save game - if you have corrupted your save game somehow, usually buy installing mods, you can either start a new game or follow this guide to try cleaning it; https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Troubleshooting#tab=Mods_and_Savegames So generally it is a case of having to many script or vram heavy mods. Regarding the scripts, it seems it is a game related issue. So no matter how good your computer is, running many script heavy mods is very hard to do.

I would really appreciate some thoughts and suggestions with this issue. As the various issues with my skyrim setup have been every so slowly ironed out for 1.6, i can focus a little on an issue that has been bugging me for quite some time. The dreaded texture pop! I understand that this is an engine issue, but with vanilla skyrim its much less apparent and abrupt. It was also evident in oblivion, but by the time i modded oblivion, the mod scene was 5 years old. With all the optimizes and patches, this issue never happened with a fully modded oblivion. Im using the term texture pop quit generically. The actual issue relates to several types of pop in. These are mainly related to exterior environments. Its totally immersion breaking to see a plain vista, move a few meters and then suddenly see many LOD to normal objects change, objects such as npcs and monsters, and grass to just massively pop in all at once. I have; 1. Grass pop  grass ini tweaks, such as increasing the amount of grass rendered does work but it still pops in. With an increased grass draw distance, there is just more grass that pops in.2. Tree LOD to normal pop Again, ini tweaks regarding trees does not seem to change this much. I can increase the draw distance that normal trees are rendered, but i still get a massive pop in from LOD to normal when i cross a certain distance.3. Terrain pop Terrain detail such as rocks, waterfalls, etc. This has been mitigated by some mods, but is still apparent, especially LOD to normal transition.4. NPC/ Monster pop This is the least evident, mostly because these things do not take up much of the vista. But sometimes is still noticeable.5. Decal pop Certain decals, like moss on ruins walls, also pop in, and are more delayed than the above ones. Still, its not so bad since they are again a small part of the environment.I would not be asking for help if it was not so bad. Its bad on open plains, and its bad in forest, etc. Major eyesores are the terrain, grass, and tree pop in. Every thing just pops in at a certain point, usually when im half way across what is rendered using ugrids 5. Fixes i have tried; 1. Moved skyrim to an SSD drive - didnt help at all. 2. Various ini tweaks regarding draw distance for certain things. A lot is already covered in the z-fighting fix tweaks. Other tweaks like LODmeshes had no effect. 3. Mods - these help by allowing me to see more lod terrain in the distance, but the transition pop is still as evident. 4. Removing Hi-Res DLC - actually helped a bit. No idea why, removing other large texture packs didnt reduce the issue as much as removing the DLC did. 5. Texture optimization using latest DDSOpt pre-III - did not help, but helped in ensuring i stay well clear of my vram limit, which allows me to eliminate that as the problem. 6. Various tools such as CleanMem, Gamebooster, FPS Booster, CCleaner, etc. Nothing either. Fixes I have not tried; 1. uGrids 7 - This would work. I know it works with my setup, but its just causes too many stability issues. 2. Rolling back to a nvidia driver earlier than the last 2xx version. Currently using latest stable release 301. Beta drivers higher than that did not seem to make a difference. Thats about it. Has anybody experienced this problem? It would be fine if things were rendered gradually, but the pop in so immersion breaking it drives me crazy. If you know a fix, even a partial one, I would be super happy to hear it :) Thanks! Computer Specs: CPU: i5 2400 3.1GHz GPU: gfx 560 Ti 2GB RAM: 8Gb DDR3 HDD: 60GB SSD OS: Win7 64bit

Ok will try 1 pre rendered frame, vsync forced on and 58fps cap. Im not using RCRN, rather a ENB profile. However, the ENB also uses HDR, so maybe this is the issue.

Nice vid :)

Edited to remove BS

Everybody check you Skyrim Unplugged settings quickly :D

Ill handle acronyms in a simple way. If a term has an acronym, i will first spell it out in full, and then in parentheses right after will add the acronym. From there on, the acronym will be used. For example; Run Wrye Bash (WB). Click on the Installer tab in WB...

Thanks for the help LMW :) The thread you linked was very informative! I do run fullscreen. I did not realize that with vsync off you would always get tearing, no matter what. I fixed it in the end. Once again clean uninstalled drivers, installed nvidias 301 release, disabled vsync in ini, forced standard vsync with NI, triple buffer on, and pre rendered frames to 3. No tearing. Unfortunately, i get mouse lag, even with mouse acceleration off. Cap at 58fps eliminated this, but it has to be with vsync off. Ah well, the price to pay :)

I have a problem regarding screen tearing. Lately, while testing mods, i have been getting some horizontal screen tearing. Its not static, but scrolls up or down the screen when moving in game. As far as i know this is an issue when the refresh rates of the monitor and my video card refresh rate in skyrim are mis matched, but im not expert :P This has been going on for a few weeks, but have ignored it due to time constraints. I previously did not get screen tearing when using a 58 fps cap. My monitors refresh rate is 60hz My most preferred setting is capping my fps to 58 using Nvidia Inspector, which reduces stuttering and input lag for me. Its also noted that this setting is for 60hz monitors. This is odd because screen tearing should not occur at below 60 fps, as far as i know? And yet im experiencing it at 58 fps and below. I also tried capping at 60 fps but screen tearing still occurs. By default i have in game (iPresentInterval) vsync turned off, due to the input lag i get with it. And since i never go over 60 fps, i have no physics problems either. However, turning it on, or forcing vsync on using NI, does not get rid of the screen tearing either. I also tried rolling back my nvidia drivers, using a clean uninstall method, but i still occasionally get screen tearing while trying out above options. So im clueless as to why im getting tearing now, any help would be much appreciated :)

Thanks for mentioning SIS, completely forgot about that. Will def be in the guide. It will get its own section. Ok, good idea regarding the mod utilities. 1st steps in workflow should be loading mod up in MO or WB. Will also get its own section. Sounds good fri, can already start on those parts :) Edit: regarding the wiki. I have several sections, but i dont have the option to edit a particular section. I have seen this on the other wiki pages, but atm, i have to edit the entire mass of text. Anybody know what i did wrong, or how to implement this?

Yeah methodology is important. I have basic idea of the workflow, it being bottom up approach, but my real issue is saves. I dont have a vanilla skyrim, nor do i have a pure STEP setup either. Which are same of the basic save profiles we need. I hope to outsource this to some others though. Or i need to set a weekend aside which is tricky atm. I have been spotty in forum attendance and wiki work because im supposed to complete my masters degree by September, so new administrative and course loads keep popping up, not to mention my half baked thesis i need to complete. And due to that added pressure, ive been de-stressing by socializing IRL, so computer based projects are getting a bit dusty unfortunately. With no holiday its a bit of a mess lol. All i have been able to do lately is some light forum work and testing a mod or two for specific issues. So atm, i have been chipping away at it, i think most of the sections are present, if not filled fully, but the real vacuum is in the strict methodology part. I have no issues with anyone else contributing, so please feel free, and it would speed things up. In fact, id like to discuss some of the specific workflow for in game testing so i can flesh out the sub sections a little more. 1. The start --> 1st step in the guide for the in game testing part i think. Unless anyone has another idea of how to start this part? i) use intro sequence ii) use LAL Im unsure about the start. Should we recommend that people follow through with the intro sequence? The advantage of this is that if a mod destabilizes skyrim, it may already manifest in the intro sequence. I cant back this up with sources, but im sure i have read quit a few threads about random mods breaking the intro. Its also fps and script intensive, so its easier to observe if a specific mod is the straw that breaks the camels back. The advantage to LAL is evident. It cuts down on repetitive testing fatigue, and is more attractive to mod testers, so it may be easier to convince people to test mods by letting them use LAL. Im not set for either one, in fact a fusion of the two might even be best. We certainly dont want mod testing to only happen once. So if we ask that you start a new game at least 3 times before you are sure the mod is stable, we could recommend both starting scenarios. 2. Testing locations. Had some great ideas in the thread already, but as a rule of thumb what would be a good amount? If we take all the DDSOPT testing locations as well as others mentioned, it would be too much. I dont want a wall of text, which might scare some testers away. We need to agree on a couple. 3. Quant. Measurement VRAM: I like z92 method, so thats already in my notes. 60s run through, with waiting roughly 30s to allow gpu/ cpu to equilibrate. Scripting: no idea to quant this, not even possible i think? this may just have to be qualitative, coupled with pap log output. Also, 60s will not be enough for this. If its a heavy script based mod i think we may have to recommend just completing the quest, or smithing something, etc etc. GPU: same as vram with gpu-z RAM: anyone know a good log system for RAM use?

It does look bad, but I understand why the admins banned him. He should have posted his opinion elsewhere. This sort of comment on a mod release thread is like potentially throwing a match into a bone dry wooded area. Trouble ahead. Management is not fun... Glad they took quick decisive action, too much risk otherwise, even if he is an high caliber modder.

Mod inertia, this should have been a suggestion a long time ago :)

I have this with butterflies as well. Attributed it to severe clipping as well, since they mostly seem frozen in a halo around small clumps of grass. Delayed animal reactions as well, but thats probably just a script lag issue.

I would roll back to an earlier driver version. The latest beta drivers game me horrible tearing with adaptive or standard vsync. Now im back to using Nvidia Inspector to cap at 58fps, and everything is fine.

If its gone it could be for a variety of reasons. I know there are some alternative options. Such as Illuminated Tree LOD, which is quite nice (been mentioned on this forum before). https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/17984

I believe you can use the ENB Configuration tool to tweak early morning light intensity, dont quote me on that though ;)

Hoho, enjoy :D You will probably be bug fixing for a couple weeks after that as well :P Somewhat, but thats just my inability to stop modding and testing and adding more, etc. With stuff like SLI and mods ontop of a already buggy game, im not surprised. Increased complexity diminished returns.