AddictedxGamer

Bump! I'm heading out to run some errands, but I'll be back later. Hopefully someone can help in the meantime. Thanks! I apologize if bumping is frowned upon.

I'm trying to do the same thing right now; create a list of mods I want to use, grouping them into the following categories. Essential - Mods that I won't play the game without. For example; Frostfall. Almost Necessary - Mods that I really want, but could possibly live without. For example; Follower Commentary Overhaul. Wanted - Mods that I want, but could easily live without. For example; aMidianBorn Book of Silence. Extras - Mods that I won't really notice playing with or without. For example; A Matter of Time - A HUD Clock Widget. It's easily one of the most frustrating things I've ever done.

The link could be placed right before the button that says Benchmark at the end of each category.

I have no idea; I've never actually looked through them in detail. I've only done that with the main guide; 2.2.9 (and 2.2.8 when it was current). As I said, a lot of the mods I want to use are included in either Core or Extended, but there are quite a few that aren't. A quick glance at Skyrim Revisited showed me that some of them are included in it, but I don't know how many. I also don't know for sure if it requires STEP Core, or if it's compatible with Extended (I assume it's not though). I consider mods such as Frostfall and either iNeed or Realistic Needs and Diseases to be essential to my game; I won't play it without them. I mentioned the aMidianBorn Book of Silence earlier because I didn't realize it was included in the main STEP guide (I don't know how I missed it). Immersive Armors is another nice touch to add more/nicer armors to the game, but Immersive Weapons I could live without if I needed to. More than likely I need to sit down with my list of mods and note which are covered by what; Core, Extended, or one (or more) of the packs. Maybe I'll get lucky and Skyrim Revisited can be used with STEP Extended, or maybe it will be okay to just add the mods I want to use to Extended after I've finished installing it. That's where the confusion comes into play, but I'm hoping the STEP Staff can help me sort it all out. STEP Staff: Would it be helpful if I posted a complete list (attached as a document or posted in spoiler tags) of the mods I want to use in my game?

Honestly, I'm starting to get confused again... The vast majority of the mods I want to use in my game are covered by STEP, between Core and Extended. There are some that are missing though, as I've mentioned already; Frostfall, iNeed, Immersive Armors, Immersive Weapons, and who knows how many more. A quick glance at Skyrim Revisited reveals that 3 out of those 4 are included in it, but I don't know which ones aren't. Maybe I should take the list of mods I want to use in my game and find out which are covered by STEP Core, which by STEP Extended, and which by Skyrim Revisited? Then I can try to narrow down which one would be best; STEP Extended or Skyrim Revisited. I suppose the two are incompatible? STEP Core is still needed for Skyrim Revisited though, right? Sorry to be such a pain! I'm confused. :confused:

I've got another question. I want to use Frostfall along with Wet and Cold, and when I get to the XP32 Maximum Skeleton mod in the guide, the detailed instructions mention that the options given don't work with Frostfall. They are designed to work with Wet and Cold instead. Which options do I pick to allow both mods to play nicely? I intend to use a backpack and, when in cold or rainy conditions, a cloak. So having the quiver play nicely with both the cloak and the backpack is ideally what I'm looking for. EDIT: I know that quivers will always clip through the cloaks added by various mods (Cloaks of Skyrim, Winter is Coming, etc). I'm just looking for help with which options to choose for the XP32 Maximum Skeleton while using Frostfall with Wet and Cold. Like I said, I plan to use a backpack and wear a cloak, so having the quiver affixed to the belt rather than on my back, underneath the backpack (using the Frostfall option in the XP32 installer) sounds like what I should choose. I just want to be sure though. Thanks!

Oh, so once it's sorted with LOOT, that will fix itself? Okay, great! Thanks!Also, I think your idea of potentially having screenshots of the correct load order in Mod Organizer at the end of each section would be a great addition to the guide. It would definitely help people understand everything better.

If I put the Unofficial Skyrim Patch above Dawnguard like you said to DoubleYou, I get an error in the top right that tells me to move it below Dawnguard...

Thanks, Double! I really don't have a good explanation on my part. The only thing I can say is that I admit that I'm an idiot. I didn't read the detailed instructions in the guide for Dawnguard, HearthFires, Dragonborn or the High Resolution Packs. That's why I didn't know the order to put them in. This is also part of the reason why I didn't know how to go about cleaning the master files for Dawnguard, HearthFires or Dragonborn. Personally, I think adding a note to the bottom of the instructions in "2.B. Clean the Update ESM" mentioning that the master files for the DLC need to be cleaned the same way would be a good idea. Mention that the detailed instructions for each of them needs to be read to ensure it's done right. Maybe posting the above load order would help clear up any further confusion that people have. For me the problem was mostly my own doing, caused by my lack of reading. I thought the detailed instructions for the DLC were just going to tell me how to install them via Steam or something, which I already knew how to do. Had I known that they detailed how to handle the cleaning of the files and where to place the mod created in the process, I would have read them. Anyways; thank you!

So, when I install WaAF, I just tick the optionals for the one(s) I'm using and install them (aMD, IA, IW, etc) later on at the end of the Clothing and Equipment section?

When I clean the master files for Dawnguard, Hearthfires and Dragonborn, do I follow the same process as listed by the guide for cleaning the Update master file? Meaning, creating a new folder in the Mod Organizer mod directory and enabling it in the left pane. I did so already, and the following files are marked as redundant by the silver lightning bolt. Cleaned Dawnguard ESM Cleaned HearthFires ESM Cleaned Dragonborn ESM Also, when it says to put them at the top, does it mean the very top, above the following files? HighResTexturePack03 HighResTexturePack02 HighResTexturePack01 HearthFires Dragonborn Dawnguard *All marked by "Non-MO" in the category column. Pictorial example:

Hi, I just have a few quick questions. 1) Can I use aMidianBorn and/or Immersive Armors/Weapons with STEP:Extended? 2) If using any/all of the above, where in the installation order should I install them? I ask because the 29th mod in the guide is Weapons and Armor Fixes, and some of the optionals are for aMidianBorn and Immersive Weapons. Would I install WaAF with those optionals, and then install aMB and IW at the very end of the guide, right after WaAF, or right before WaAF? Thanks!

Thanks for the reply! I'll give your method of stress testing a try the next time I do it. As for the weapon and armor mods; I might be willing to sacrifice the weapon mods for the armor mods, as I like the diversity added to the armors. I need help figuring out what to do about the Weapons and Armor Fixes Remade issue though; the patches in its FOMOD installer and their relation to those weapon and armor mods.

I've checked in all of the STEP Packs and none of them include Immersive Armors, Immersive Weapons or the aMidianBorn series. I have no idea why either. Are they bad mods? :( What defines "stable" in a stress test? Is it the length of time before you CTD (if you do at all)? For example, if I can go for at least 5 minutes without crashing, is that a stable game? From now on when I test, I'll run instead of flying.

Oh, I get what he meant now. I didn't realize he was referring to if I wanted to have different profiles within the Mod Organizer. That's what confused me, haha. :P Your posted method of stress testing the game is exactly how I currently do it. Only, I don't fly around at mountain altitude; I fly down and discover locations, trigger enemies into attack mode, etc. It increases the number of scripts running to really check for stability. Before doing a fresh installation, my vanilla game would still crash during the stress test. Sometimes it would be a minute into it, others a few minutes in, or sometimes not at all. It was rather erratic and most of them couldn't be accurately reproduced (I take the same "route" every time for the most part). That's why I did a fresh download and install of the game; to verify that there were no corrupted files. The vanilla game should never crash during these tests from what I've read. Thanks! Thanks for clarifying on the installation order. This is what was confusing me the most. Just to be absolutely sure, you're saying that if I'm installing STEP:Core (essential) AND STEP:Extended, I just install and activate every mod (green bar and non-green bar) in the order they're presented. Right? One other question I just thought of... Weapons and Armor Fixes Remade (I believe that's the mod) has options for Immersive Weapons and aMidianBorn, but they're not used in STEP. Seeing as I want to use those mods, what do I do? Should I deviate from the STEP installation order and install those two mods right before Weapons and Armor Fixes, and toggle the options for them in the FOMOD menu? Or should I toggle the options for them and save their installation until after I've fully installed STEP:Core and Extended? :confused:

1) I suppose it's only natural for some people to try and steer me away from STEP while others try to steer me towards it; opinions vary from person to person. STEP is very well-written and seems to have a lot of time and effort put into it, so I suppose it works to create a stable game seeing how it's as popular as it is. As for my end result, I want to stick close to what the game developers initially created, while making it look and feel more realistic. This is why I like to use mods that make things feel more real; Frostfall, Deadly Combat, Deadly Dragons, Dragon Combat Overhaul, iNeed, etc. 2) You've completely confused me here... I wish to install both STEP:Core and STEP:Extended, but now I haven't the faintest idea how to install them both. :( 3) Alright. 4) Do you test after installing a mod, after installing an entire category, or after installing everything? Noting about how long to test for would be helpful as well. Thank you! :)

Hi, I'm looking to get some clarification on a few things about STEP. I'll start with some basic information that you may need to know to be of assistance. If you don't need it, just ignore it. My PC Specs Skyrim Installation Information Modding Utilities Information I have the Legendary edition of the game, so all of the DLC is installed. The master files (Update, Dawnguard, Dragonborn and Hearthfire) have been cleaned with TES5Edit. It is also a clean installation (I just finished downloading the game from Steam again). I copied the directory into a zip archive for future usage. I've also already installed ENBoost and configured the Memory Patch via the SKSE.ini file. 1) Will STEP really help bring me a stable game? 2) When installing STEP, what is the proper order of installation? I know that the Core Mods are to be installed in the order they are presented, but what about the mods not marked by the green bar? I assume those are the mods used for STEP:Extended. Are they meant to be installed DURING the installation of STEP:Core, or AFTER the initial installation of STEP:Core? 3) What are the limitations on mods that can be installed after STEP? 4) How and when do I test the mods that I've installed? I'm sorry if this is a complete newbie post, but I've never been able to run a stable game before. This is likely because I would install mods at random without properly reading their "Read Me" files or testing the game after installing them. I know now that I was going about it completely wrong, but I want to make sure that I do everything right this time. If I'm to use STEP, I need to be clear as to exactly how to do everything. Thank you! :)

Bump.

I can confirm that this post appears to be the correct way to install SKSE. This helped me as well. A nice way of checking if SKSE is installed and working is to open the console in-game and type "GetSKSEVersion" (without the quotation marks) and press Enter. It should prompt a response with your current SKSE version. If an error message displays, something is wrong. You also, most likely, won't be able to launch SKSE through the Mod Organizer if it (SKSE) was installed incorrectly.

Hey, everyone. I'm having trouble understanding the guide for Benchmarking during the STEP installation process. I understand how to actually run the Benchmark itself (starting Fraps and GPU-Z, starting a new game, etc); it's what comes afterwards that confuses me. :confused: Here's what I need some help with. 1) What am I looking for in the GPU-Z Sensor Log? 2) How do I use the Excel Macro thing? It keeps saying something about not being able to find GPU-Z Sensor Log... 3) What do I do with the finished Excel Spreadsheet afterwards? Compare it to my results in future Benchmarks throughout the STEP installation process? Thanks!

Everything else is in the correct order though, right? I would think that if it wasn't, you would have said so, but it never hurts to check. Thanks for the reply!

Exactly. Number 3 of section 3.A.1 says: "The STEP Patch may need to be manually sorted and activated. Place it directly before "bashed patch, 0.esp."

Alright, thanks! I'll stick with 2.2.8 until 2.2.9 is the official, currently supported version. EDIT: Is there some sort of e-mail notification system for when the new version is released? Sort of like how I can subscribe to e-mail notifications to let me know when AMD releases a new driver for my video card. EDIT 2: Just so I understand completely, this is how the process goes, correct? 1) Install and activate the STEP:Core mods in the Fixes category in the order they're listed. 2) Run BOSS or LOOT to sort the Load Order 3) Benchmark the game 4) Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each remaining category 5) Install and activate the STEP:Extended mods in the Fixes Category in the order they're listed. 6) Run BOSS or LOOT to sort the Load Order 7) Benchmark the game 8) Repeat steps 5 through 7 for each remaining category 9) Create a Bashed Patch 10) Follow any remaining applicable steps in Step 3 of the guide Is that right? Seeing as it says "Benchmark" after each category, I'm assuming you're supposed to let BOSS or LOOT organize everything so you don't crash. Sorry to be such a pain, guys. I just don't want to mess this up, as this could be the key to finally having a relatively problem-free time playing Skyrim! Every other attempt at playing with mods has been riddled with crashes, and I want this time to be the one that lets me enjoy a modded Skyrim!

Wait, what? It says at the top of the 2.2.9 Guide that it will be officially unveiled as STEP 2.3.0... That's why I was asking if I should wait for 2.3.0 to be released. If 2.2.9 and 2.3.0 are two entirely different versions, you may want to have that point clarified at the top of the 2.2.9 page. Anyways; I should just follow the 2.2.9 Guide instead of the current "Official" version? If nothing big is changing, then I don't see the harm in using it, other than that I'd have to wait for the new STEP Patches to come out upon the official release. Seeing as I need practice with the Mod Organizer, I may just follow the current version (2.2.8) and then update to 2.2.9 once it's officially released and replaces 2.2.8. I like the idea of having STEP:Extended come out as a STEP Pack rather than be hosted on the same page as STEP:Core. It will be less confusing for newcomers to STEP (such as myself).

That's what I figured. The guide says that the mods marked with a green bar are for STEP:Core, so I knew they were essential, but didn't know for sure about the other mods. My assumption was that they did in fact make up STEP:Extended though. I guess I didn't make that clear in my last post. Thanks for the information! Oh; do you happen to know how different STEP 2.3.0 will be from the current version? If it's going to be a massive overhaul, I might wait until it's released to follow the guide. That way I'm not doing the entire process more than once in a short period of time, haha. Then again, I could use the practice if I'm going to switch from the Nexus Mod Manager to the Mod Organizer (which I probably will). This was confirmed by EssArrBee in the post above yours, but thanks for posting anyways!