rothbardian

Is there any general consensus in the STEP community about what the top 4 or 5 ENB packages are in terms of overall quality (meaning great aesthetics paired with lack of glitches/bugs/rough spots). If not I'd love to hear people's picks. Thanks.

lol, I just came here to ask if anybody has had some mileage using T.A.Z. to see if its glitchy or has compatibility problems with the STEP install! Anybody else care to chime in?

EssArrBee, I'd be doing this for myself since I'm thinking about upgrading in a few months. How about the other STEP Core tools, like Wrye Bash, SKSE, and TES5Edit? (I don't use DDSopt since I have plenty of vram.) If I install those to the Skyrim directory, can I drag the whole darn Skyrim folder to a new machine and be good to go? Trying to make this as turnkey as possible so that if I get a clean, functioning Core 2.2.9 install on one computer, I don't have to debug and go through lots of steps again.

Thanks for the info EssArrBee. If possible, it would be wonderful to get guidance on making a portable STEP Core install. I asked about this in another thread, but other than being advised to backup the MO/downloads directory, it's a big question mark regarding the degree to which you can transfer a clean Core install to a new machine. Somebody pointed out that LOOT installs files outside the Skyrim directory, but if all the other tools are installed to the Skyrim directory, then can you just drag the whole Skryim folder to a new machine? I think this is an important issue because the incredibly long legs of this game and vibrant mod community means pretty much all of us at some point will be upgrading, and as amazing a resource as STEP is, the process is grueling for inexperienced people like me (and still time-consuming for experienced folks). Being able to snapshot a clean 2.2.9 Core install so that you know you can have it running in a snap on a new machine would be awesome.

Just out of curiosity, is 2.3's eta on the scale of weeks or several months?

Aside from the monster fill rate needed to drive Skyrim on an Ultra HD monitor, I'm wondering, if one had sufficient rendering power, are there any other issues with running Skyrim at 4k resolution? For example, does the UI break or render too small to read at this resolution?

Oops, missed that, thanks DoubleYou. :) ENB question: I got clarification earlier that I *don't* need to install Boris Vorontsov's Antifreeze patch or his generic injector. But I just downloaded ENB 0.254 and looked in the zip file to see that there are two separate folders: InjectorVersion and WrapperVersion. Should I pretty much assume that the wrapper version is what is used by default if an ENB doesn't specifically mention which one to use, e.g. with Natural lighting and Atmospheric (which doesn't seem to be CoT compatible either)? This ENB also requires "ENB Helper" -- is that good to have anyway regardless of what ENB you use, or does it have any compatibility issues? https://www.dev-c.com/skyrim/enbhelper/

Ok, thanks for clarifying DoubleYou. When you say "might not have done the LOOT rules" that are integrated throughout the mod pages, are these separate files that need to be downloaded from the Nexus mod pages? For example, the Audio Overhaul page on Nexus says the AOS_2_1_Installer includes up to date compatibility patches and versions for the official DLCs. Does that mean you've already done the LOOT rules by using this installer? Is see on the Step page for AOS this sort list below and don't know if this is a manual adjustment I make in LOOT or is handled by a file. Sorry I'm having trouble wrapping my had around this! Meta Rule Instructions AOS.espLoad after: ADS.espRealisticWaterTwo.espWet and Cold.esp

Since LOOT meta rules are an essential part of the Core install process, it would be wonderful if the when and how-to for it could be integrated into the Core guide itself. It would save other newcomers from wondering the same thing I did, i.e. whether it's essential. Also, the branch page isn't clear (at least for new people) *how* to do it. It just says:Please ensure that you have added the necessary LOOT meta rules from the following mod pages: Weapons and Armor Fixes Complete Crafting Overhaul Remade Audio Overhaul for Skyrim Realistic Water Two aMidianBorn Book of Silence SkyFalls and SkyMills

K, cool. So I can ignore "LOOT meta rules"?

Thanks Aiyen. What about "LOOT meta rules"? Can I ignore whatever they are for the Core install? Big picture, I'm trying to figure out if/how I can go through the Core page and just do what *that* page says, step by step (pun intended). And if the Core page is not sufficient instruction to do a Core install, what specific steps do I need to do, and when/how do I do them? For example, the Core page references Wrye Bash and says to use it, but it points to a really involved page with tons of info. For a newcomer to Skyrim and to modding, it's overwhelming in that it's not clear exactly what I need to do in Wrye Bash for a Core install and when I need to do it (beyond the top level direction of 'make a bashed patch'). And then when I find other Wrye Bash pages like the LOOT meta rules help page for bashed patches, and I'm just like, ack...where? when? how? Hope what I'm trying to say makes some sense.

Understood, thanks. I'm going to stick with Core since the guide is less complex and uses LOOT. I'm still trying to wrap my head around bashed patches. You only make a single bashed patch after any given mod suite install (e.g. Core or SRLE)? And you remake the bashed patch only if you change a mod with a plugin (meaning an ESP, but not just BSAs?) And this is all for the purpose of 'merging mods' so they work better together? What happens if you install Core with MO and LOOT but don't make bashed patch(s) -- they conflict, or just perform worse? The bashed patch help page talks about LOOT meta rules. So these are separate individual files I need d/l and put some place before I run LOOT and before I make the bashed patch? And after I've made my 'STEP Core Bashed Patch', what do I do with it and where do I put it? Run LOOT again? Or does MO automatically see the patch and I just need to check it to enable it? Or enable it in MO and then run LOOT again? Arg, sorry, I'm easily confused apparently. :O_o: Thanks again -- it's awesome how generous people here are in sharing their knowledge and answering questions.

Got it, thanks Neovalen. I'm scanning through STEP 2.2.9 and don't see ELE mentioned anywhere. As I work my way through the install process, where does ELE come in? I just downloaded ELE Interior Lighting 0.0.4 and see that it's 4 esp files. What do I do with them? I read the author's post but couldn't find instructions. Thanks again.

Aiyen and Nozzer, thank you so much for the recommendations! I was reading up on ELE here, and am a bit confused. It seems to conflict with Climate of Tamriel (or at least partially conflict). If I plan to use CoT, which of these ELE files do I install? Download: I always clean with TES5EDIT* both automatic and manually going through each edit for any unwanted edits. * With unofficial releases such as tests there is a possibility that I forgot to do the necessary checking with TES5EDIT, the files not located in this comment but in later ones throughout the thread are unofficial/test releases! Download Link - Enhanced Lightning for ENB/ELE - ALPHA v0.0.3 NMM Installer, updated 05/25 Download Link - ELE - Interior Lighting v0.0.4 (Former ELE - Imagespace module) Remove old ELE - Imagespace.esp files! Download Link - ELE Plugin - RS Light Color v0.0.37 Download Link - New Sky mesh, uploaded 5 June -14 p.s. Just noticed 2.2.9 is out. Woohoo! :)

Got it, thanks Aiyen. Other than Vividian and Realvision B, if you guys have any other top ENB picks you recommend I'd love to hear them. Is it possible for an ENB to be buggy in the sense that it might look great in most places but be 'untuned' or just plain messed up in others, like in dungeons for example?

This might already exist someplace, but it would be neat if there was a STEP-crowdsourced list of ENBs that did what the Core mods do, namely, enhance the vanilla experience as opposed to a big deviation in graphical style. Thanks for the Realvision B tip Nearox. Is adjusting ENB settings the same process for all ENB packages? I assume it's editing some sort of config file?

Nozzer, did any of those other ENBs require mod merging, or is Vividian the rare exception? Are all ENBs easy to uninstall? It seems like depth of field, though it looks really dramatic, might impact gameplay, no? Would be curious to hear from others here whether DOF impairs gameplay and is best left for screen shots, or if it's just seamless bonus eye candy.

Thanks again for the clarifications. Much appreciated. Has anybody done benchmark testing on a handful of respected ENBs? It sounds from the caution about RealVision's outdatedness that there might be a substantial performance delta among different ENBs. Regarding portability, since I'm holding off for the 2.2.9 update, what I'm wondering about is all the 'stuff' that goes on around the basic downloading of all the mods. Can all the utilities (MO, LOOT, Wrye Bash, SKSE, TES5Edit, ENB) be installed in a folder like MO or the base Skyrim folder? And do their installers spawn other files elsewhere on your machine, along with registry entries, etc. Or is it all actually portable to a new system just by dragging and dropping?

Thanks for the guidance everybody. Vaportrails, I think you misunderstood something I wrote on #7. On the last bullet point, I was saying that I'm going to follow your recommendation to *not* do the Legendary install and to stick with Core instead (plus, hopefully, the handful of additional mods I listed). I'll also follow your recommendation to wait for 2.2.9 Core. Does anyone know if 2.2.9 will incorporate Climates of Tamriel? It seems like it enriches the vanilla experience and is meant to be used with most ENB packages, so if it's not going to be part of Core, I'm wondering if it's for content reasons or if it's because it introduces stability problems. My other question about the upcoming 2.2.9 is if it could list a few ENBs that have been vetted as stable and don't require extra steps like mod merging. Aesthetics are subjective of course, but for newcomers like me, having a few vetted ones to choose from that perform decently, won't mess up your Core install, and don't require mod merging to make work would be incredibly helpful and appreciated. It was a revelation for me that Realvision is relatively stagnant and has worse performance than many newer 'niche' ENBs. I think the only big question left for me is to what degree it's possible to do a portable STEP Core install. Anxiously awaiting 2.2.9...thanks again for the help and for this amazing undertaking!

Thanks for the all responses! I feel like I'm plugging leak after leak in my tiny but growing dam of Skyrim setup knowledge. Questions that are still outstanding: 1) ENB Manager and Changer -- is this still recommended and safe to use? I ask because it looks like it hasn't been updated since 2012. 2) If I install ENB 0.254 and Vividian ENB, do I need to separately download and install ENBoost? In other words, will doing that give me additional performance/stability beyond whatever ENBoost stuff has already been incorporated into 0.254? (People responded to this question but I'm still not really clear on the answer.) 3) One of the reasons I'm hesitant about using DDSopt (if having 4GB vram is sufficient) is that I've read it can reduce image quality. For example, in the description for Skyrim Realistic Texture Overhaul, the author warns: ATTENTION: DO NOT USE DDSOPT WHILE USING THIS MOD, IT WILL DECREASE THIS MODS QUALITY DRASTICALLY, MY MOD IS OPTIMIZED FROM RELEASE. Is this mod the only exception? 4) If anybody else can give more insight on how to make a portable STEP install beyond copying the MO/downloads folder, that would be much appreciated as it appears there's a ton more setup work involved with all the utilities, the cleaning, making bashed patches, etc. 5) This question was answered but I didn't understand the answer: If I use Vividian ENB per Neovalen's recommendation, is it mandatory to follow the 'mod merge' steps from his guide (which I don't really understand)? Or is it required with his Legendary install but not the Core install? 6) The STEP guide gives extensive directions throughout about BOSS updating. But with LOOT, what do I need to do? In other words, if I follow the Core install -- but using LOOT instead of BOSS/BUM -- what do I need to with LOOT throughout the install process? 7) Here are blanket statements I've derived from the answers I've received thus far. Please speak up if I've misunderstood or there's a better solution: - I should *not* use Boris Vorontsov's Antifreeze patch. - I should *not* use Boris Vorontsov's generic injector. - The only download I need from Boris Vorontsov's site is ENB 0.254. - I do not need to install the Creation Kit for installing STEP (if I'm not going to author mods). - Making Bashed Patches is a must for a Core install, not a suggestion (though I still don't quite understand how I'll know when I need to make one). - I should do the Core install since the Legendary install is substantially more complicated and not necessarily tested with LOOT. Lastly, 2 new questions: 8) The Core guide mandates using Stable uGridsToLoad but doesn't appear to give a specific recommendation of what UGrids setting to use. What's the current recommendation on this given a high end PC and all the other ENB and graphics mods that are used? 9) I'd be thrilled to just stick with the Core install, except there's a small handful of mods I'm really excited about. Can somebody confirm if some/all of these would be safe for me to install after(?) the Core install? Any gotchas/special tricks? Alternate Start Interesting NPCs Inconseqential NPCs (says it's compatible with Interesting NPCs) Inigo Vilja Falskaar Wyrmstooth Vivid Landscapes All-in-One (Core just lists the moss but all the work looks exceptional) Climates of Tamriel + Weather Patch (Core doesn't mention CoT, but it appears to be integral to using Vividian ENB.) Thanks again so much for everyone's help. Hopefully these answers will be useful to other beginners who are struggling like me to wrap their head around all this awesomeness. :)

Thanks so much Kelmych and Nozzer for the info. You solved most of my questions, but I'd like to clarify a few things: - Based on your recommendations, I'll use the latest LOOT and forgo BOSS/BUM altogether. The STEP guides give extensive directions throughout about BOSS updating, for example: BOSS Masterlist Update Required: (Updating Guide) RelightingSkyrim-Full.esp AFTER Relighting Skyrim.esp With LOOT, what do I need to do? In other words, do I need to just run it once after all the mods are installed, or continually run it during the setup process? - Regarding my 4th question about taking a snapshot of a full, clean STEP install so I can move it to a new machine without starting from scratch, I would *hugely* appreciate some more detail on exactly what I need to do. It seems that saving MO's downloads directory would be a start, but what about all this stuff about mod cleaning, making bashed patches, and the installation and configuration of the utilities (MO, LOOT, Wrye Bash, SKSE, TES5Edit, ENB)? There's got to be a smart way to approach this, but at my beginner knowledge level it's overwhelming and I'm intimidated to start down the long setup road if I'm going to have to largely start from scratch again in a couple months. - One of the reasons I'm hesitant about using DDSopt (especially if 4GB vram is sufficient) is that I've read it can reduce image quality. For example, in the description for Skyrim Realistic Texture Overhaul, the author warns: ATTENTION: DO NOT USE DDSOPT WHILE USING THIS MOD, IT WILL DECREASE THIS MODS QUALITY DRASTICALLY, MY MOD IS OPTIMIZED FROM RELEASE. Is this mod the only exception? - The Legendary guide says to install the Creation Kit. If I'm not going to be making or modifying mods myself, is installing it still a requirement? - Regarding my ENB questions, since you say I can install ENBoost in addition to ENB 0.254, I'm still not sure what getting "memory management capability" means for me in practical terms. Will installing ENBoost give me improved performance or stability, or is this more of a benchmarking / informational thing? - Also regarding ENB, the Legendary guide recommends the Vividian ENB, but I notice it's very niche at 15,000 d/l's versus RealVision ENB at over a million. Is it OK for me to use RealVision with a STEP install, or are there some incompatibilities or issues to be aware of? They both look amazing to me, and I'm just figuring that RealVision has probably been tested and refined more due to its massive popularity. If there's another ENB choice you guys think is the way to go, please let me know. - Another ENB question: Do I need Enhanced Lighting, regardless of what ENB I use? Or have those improvements been wrapped into ENB too? - ENB Manager and Changer -- this is still recommended? (I ask because it looks like it hasn't been updated since 2012.) - Another ENB question: If I choose RealVision ENB, do I still need to follow these 'mod merge' steps from the Legendary guide? TES5Edit Mod Merge Required: (Merging Guide) Files to merge: Vividian - Weather Patch Vanilla.espVividian - Weather Patch CoT.espVividian - Extended Weathers - CoT.espVividian - Torches Preset.espVividian - Wearable Lanterns Preset.espOutput file: Vividian ENB.esp Notice:This merge requires Wearable Lanterns to be installed. Thanks again for the help. Feeling a little less overwhelmed, despite all the questions.

First off, thanks so much for creating STEP! What an amazing resource. I'm about to embark on my first install of Skyrim and STEP, and I have a few questions that cropped up from the setup reading I've done here: 1) The Core and Legendary Edition guides seem geared around using BOSS/BUM, but I'm reading elsewhere here that BOSS is outdated and we should be using LOOT. Is it OK to use LOOT instead? Any gotchas? 2) The guides also say to use DDSopt. Is using DDSopt a suggestion or a requirement? For reference my machine has SLI GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5. 3) I read in the Core guide that Wrye Bash has been largely superseded by Mod Organizer... But that Wrye Bash is still used to make "bashed patches". I tried wading through the Wrye Bash guide, but I still don't have a good understanding of what a bashed patch is and why we need to make them. 4) When I spend the 10-15(?)+ hours to download and install Skyrim and all these STEP mods and the related utilities for managing them, is there a way to back up all this work so that I can transfer the freshly completed STEP install package to a new machine? I might trade in my laptop for a desktop in a couple months, and the idea of starting all this from scratch is kind of horrific. I understand the concept of making a backup of the vanilla Skyrim Directory per the Skyrim Installation Guide. But what about after I install MO, BOSS/BUM (or LOOT?), Wrye Bash, SKSE, TES5Edit, ENB, and a huge pile of mods? Is there a way to snapshot all this stuff to an external drive so it can be transferred to a new machine easily? (I have the wonderful program Beyond Compare if that helps.) 5) I find the 'cleaning ESMs' sections in the Legendary guide to be fairly confusing. Is there a way to avoid having to do this by opting out of using certain mods? 6) The Core guide references ENBoost, but I've read that the lastest ENB already has ENBoost incorporated. Just wanted to make sure that's true, i.e. that I don't need to separately install ENBoost. Also it's a bit unclear which exact files I should download from enbdev.com. Do I need this Antifreeze one? Do I need the generic injector? Or is this 0.254 file all I need? If it matters, I plan to use the Vividian ENB recommended in the Legendary guide unless there's an updated recommendation forthcoming. 7) Lastly, the Core guide warns against installing the latest Mod Organizer. Since several new versions of MO have been released since 1.1.2, I just wanted to ask if the STEP update that would allow the latest MO to be used was planned in the near future (and thus worth waiting for), or whether it's a ways off. If it's a ways off, can I use the latetest MO if I don't use STEP patches or DDSopt? Thanks in advance for any guidance. It's very much appreciated.