Kuldebar

This... I stopped trying to force LOD distance loading as a method to fight "popping" and I sure as hell never mess with uGrids. I can tell you I am getting much better (read immersive) play experience by using modest LOD settings (fade distance, etc): [LOD] fLODFadeOutMultObjects=10.5000 fLODFadeOutMultItems=9.7500 fLODFadeOutMultActors=7.0000 fLODFadeOutMultSkyCell=1.0000 In conjunction with those very modest settings, I am running: High Quality LODs by Ethatron And for those files, I am not running the "ULTRA" versions of anything: Medium Resolution Mesh, Vanilla-sized textures...and yes, I do only use HD Vanilla Landscape with Parallax. I find this eliminates the awful LOD transition you get when going from distance to custom texture. (Consider how Cabal's Keeps look in the distance until you approach as an example, the same holds true for objects like terrain and rocks) So, I stick with vanilla in exteriors and go heavy custom in dungeons and caves. As someone stated earlier in this thread, I'd much prefer lower quality distant views with no popping, then higher quality LOD's and crazy popping. With a balanced approach based on your PC specs, the game engine will handle things much, much more smoothly, any popping that will occur will usually be at the very edge of your reasonably set range and not at random or sporadic intervals. A shot from my game: Mist, clouds and fog play nicely in keeping LOD glitches in check, my views are very nice on clear days.

Anyone using this preset may notice paper, notes and books to be...a little bright. Bronze316 includes Paper Pack by Mancer but you may notice that only partially addresses the issue. The other half of the puzzle is this: Unblinding Books - HD by VaiN These two mods used in conjunction will resolve the glaring brightness issue, I tried several other texture mods, but none did the trick or ended up making it worse. Mancer's mod is old (2011), but the Paper Pack (non-bright version) still holds up as a good replacer. VaiN's mod is higher resolution and covers what Mancer's does not, I have Unblinding Books load after Paper Pack.

From my experience on my system, I'm more prone to have black textures (usually on player character face) when compression is disabled but I haven't tried turning off compression since going to a much lighter texture build. (I use HD Vanilla + Parallax for Landscape now)

I am using the 512 version which is 2x bigger than vanilla. I elected not to use a higher resolution one just to keep my VRAM usage in check.

Yeah, you are right, completely forgot that part...yes I have it overwriting mine as well, I had no noticeable performance issues walking up the Throat of the World. A 5kb file is replaced by a 341kb file.

I really like it and how you implemented it. I also believe wind driven snow should have a more granular/grit quality and not be treated like "smoke" as vanilla tends to do.

OK, solution, havok/physics treatment for all amulets and pendants...you know, so they will react to gravity? EDIT: to seriousness and gravitas: This issue is insurmountable by any practical/justifiable efforts. Past Jewelry makers for Skyrim have "bulked" up the jewelry item (shorter chains, bigger links, bulkier chain elements, larger beads, etc) so that it would clip (in a controlled manner) some body weight types while still being visible in order to accommodate other body weight scales. The compromise was jewelry a pimp might be proud of... or perhaps just someone who really likes their fabulous costume jewelry: Skyrim issues: Bigger baubles:

Since the mod is changing animated texture/mesh items (windblown snow), screenshots aren't going to be of very much informational value. It's in the movement and how the light catches them and their material properties. Dusty Powder versus ice crystals, light smoke like "snow" versus small windblown flakes of ice...that's how I would frame the comparison between vanilla and SNOW respectively. The video linked above (watch it in HD) should give you an idea, I found it useful to watch the Vanilla segment and focus on one particular area and THEN forward to right before the MODDED segment begins @1.12... Here's some links to the separate segments... Vanilla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LQgYIoAoAP4#t=13 Modded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LQgYIoAoAP4#t=73 Two particular things to watch out for: the effect when snow is blown over an object, like a rock, notice how fast/heavily it falls (my favorite part of the mod)the granularity of the wind driven snowNow, having said all this, nothing beats in game viewing of the effect because you can pan your view, clear days are best to see the mod without other weather effects masking it. Of course, since it's a simple texture/mesh replacer there's no potential for damaged saves if you remove it. If this mod required an ESP, I'd not use it because the benefit it brings is fairly subtle most of the time and not worth an ESP slot.

I remember I really like Snow FX for ENB but it got purged from my mod list when I went on an ESP reduction spree. The ESP slot versus return value kind of thing. I actually went the Super Performance route further proving my unsophisticated taste in texture (I guess) [example: I run HD Vanilla Landscape Textures + parallax...I save all the pricey "good" stuff for indoors and go crazy 2k+] Skyrim Performance PLUS by VirusType2 aka Vergis Now, (perhaps somewhat) paradoxically the vanilla stuff that SNOW by ramccoid changes bugs me more...I'm guessing because it's far more noticeable being that it's animated and will often be present on clear sunny sky days. Darken and blur the screen and set the snow falling, well, then I don't care if the snow is "detailed" but get it blowing across the path and cliff faces on a cobalt sky bright day...now it can't be ignored even by a man who likes discount, performance snow.

I can't say with 100% certainty from first hand knowledge because I don't use Snow FX for ENB anymore...but Mindflux states that it "should be compatible with all texture replacers." Assuming there's no overwrite, I'd suppose. :)

We need a TES5LodGen ...badly. [WIPz] TES5LODGen

Fire and Ice Impact Mod by LuckieCharm No pain trying this one out, this is a simple replacer for the decal textures of fire and frost impacts...no scripts but good quality textures, I will need to see in-game to sure the latter. So, I tried it out...and no: The frost is alright-ish...but the fire appears to be geared toward wood scorching and not suitable other surfaces. Looks like it's time to check out Realistic Magical Impacts by pinpinade Much, much better: Note: for the frost texture, I am using: Mystical Ice Spell Effects by Nopheros

@Keith I see, and understand. I've been very happy with Relighting Skyrim and two plugins made specifically for Relighting Skyrim by Jawz: ELE Plugin - RS Light Color v0.0.37 ELE-FX Emittance And, of course I use Manny's Indispensable LoS Now, I prefer to not play in pitch dark dungeons or nights so my interiors and nights are closer to vanilla though a tad darker, I spent a long time choosing those textures for caves and dungeons, I want to see them! (Recently started using Seasons of Skyrim, true HDR, performance version and loving my 30+ FPS average outdoors!) Back, closer to the topic...Dawn of Riften may indeed have the same issues as DoW, but I spend a lot less time in Riften...those Skooma Addicts always want gold!

I think that is the path to sanity :p I personally felt that Jenna was churning out content faster than you can patch it for her main project and your off-shoot of it. Talk about double duty. Old saying...work smarter not harder. :p I'm using Jenna's version of ETaC right now, really like it...don't mind the Dwemer building in Falkreath either (surprisingly!) I tested it out in a test run, hadn't known what to expect.

I'm happy with misty and foggy distance views...no z-fighting for me! :) Parallax-ed Vanilla HD Landscape Textures...with all the ultra stuff saved for caves, dungeons and other interiors which my venerable 6850 Cyclone can handle just fine.

When you set out on this problem, did you first verify that it wasn't just an isolated glitch? I mean, if it isn't repeatable, it's not something that can be readily solved via the process of elimination. Skyrim will always throw stuff at you that can simply be resolved by closing the game/and/or rebooting your PC...specially rendering type glitches. I had an invisible floor once inside Arcadia's Cauldron...I was like WTF?!! I exited the store, went back in...same thing. But after closing the game and loading back my save (I save before entering any interior cell) the issue was gone and never returned. In my younger impatient days, I might have rushed out of the game and started turning off mods...but I learned the hard way to differentiate between anomalies and systemic issues.

Makes sense, best to save outside the cell and re-enter for the test...many cell changes get "stuck" even when the source record change is removed.

Great points. There's better brains than mine interacting with the hard working crew of LOOT, most of my issues with LOOT involve my own ignorance of it and how it works and based on the forum threads I have read, they have enough confused people chiming in over there; some of them with very bad attitudes. I have no doubts that as LOOT becomes further refined much of my ignorance will either become irrelevant or turned into a working knowledge. I have enough sense to not say, "LOOT" doesn't work, because I know that it will and can work...I just don't know enough to tell the difference when it needs a helping hand or other input from me. :)

Can't beat the process of elimination as a means to isolate a cause!

I'm guessing I can unpack the BSA in MO and nix the ESP in order to test it our in a running game? That sound like a solid plan? --Scratch that...I just realized that I have my game running with minimal VRAM usage out and about...don't want to mess that up with ridiculously sized distant LOD files. :/

Yeah, I was making a more general statement on Gopher's Mod testing while giving credence to his ability to find major issues, let's say like the ground swallowing up your horse.

Gopher's testing methods are a tad unorthodox, but very helpful in pointing out major pitfalls in the mods he "tests", for sure. Don't take it wrong, I enjoy watching his testing videos, but cringe a little at his devil may care mod ordering and the utter lack of any controlled testing (clean) environment. The new Mod "A" make work perfectly fine until mixed with older Mod "B" in a load order. I never hold conflicts with other mods against a mod, I either decide to use one over the other or wait for the extraordinary work of people like you who make compatibility patches.

What's up with Dawn of Riften? I just retired Dawn of Whiterun for performance reasons. :(

The difference is in the overall coarseness of the blown snow but the change I like the most can be found in the moving drifts (the background upper right in the video) they are heavier and more pronounced than vanilla.

I cut and pasted Mist settings from Undramatic ENB and am running Seasons with the latest binaries. I didn't change anything else...I love mist and also the performance improvements brought about in the 250+ binaries. They talking about this? Shadows by HHaleyy