peppergomez

Hmm, tried again with those settings. File size for the optimized Skyrim - Animations.bsa is still 339 KB. I originally had Game set to Automatic. Tried it on Skyrim and still got the same result. Tried using DDSopt and got a file size of 39,228 KB using Compression of 10 (maximum). Note that I had a check next to Don't Process Any of the Known File Types At All (DDS, PNG, etc)---is that correct? Also, will a compression setting of 10 (max) results in any noticable degradation of quality in any of these BSA files- poorer animations, sound, etc. quality?

Thanks Mishmash. Installed BSAopt and followed the instructions to convert the remaining 6 vanilla BSA files. One thing that doesn't seem right though is the final file size of each BSA file after converting it. For instance, Skyrim - Animations.bsa went from its original size of 41,373 KB vanilla to 339 KB optimized. That seems wrong to me--way too small. I notice in your screenshot you posted that your Skyrim data folder has a Skyrim - Animations.bat file size of 39,228 KB. Is that post-BSAopt? I'm not sure what's up with the file size after doing this. I've tried this twice now (I made sure to delete the first version before trying to save a second). The first time, Show Recursive wasn't checked, so the second time, I checked it. See screenshot for my BSAopt window: Note I am not renaming the BSA as in the instructions because I am saving it to a different folder and have the vanilla BSA files in a different folder, not in the Skyrim>Data folder. So there's no overwriting. Are there any settings that I need to change within BSAopt? I haven't made any tweaks.

My next question (and I do hope they will end soon, haha): I have the 4 archive files of my Vanilla Optimized textures that I created using Winrar: HRDLC1 through 3 STD From reading the instructions here https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt_%26_Texture_Overhauls#tab=DDSopt_Optimization it's not clear to me what I should do with these 4 archive files. At this point, I only have 2 BSA files in my Skyrim>Data directory: Dawnguard.bsa and Dragonborn.bsa. I just copied them there after creating them from the optimized DLC folders using DDSopt. These 4 archive files are not BSA files, but are the folder structures for either HighResTexturePack01 through 03 or for Skyrim - Textures.bsa. I assume when the optimized versions are copied back into the Skyrim>Data folder they need to be reconverted into BSA format, right? If so, I don't see the instructions for that process. Also, what about the other vanilla .bsa files that weren't optimized, but that I still removed from the Skyrim>Data folder as per the instructions? There are the following: Skyrim - Animations Skyrim - Interface Skryim- Invalidation Skyrim- Meshes Skyrim - Misc Skyrim - Shaders Skyrim - Sounds Skyrim - Voices Skyrim - VoicesExtra Update Aren't they going to be needed back in the main Skyrim>Data folder? Below is a screenshot of my current folder status: Top folder is my main Skyrim Data folder. Middle folder is the folder with all the original Skyrim (and DLC BSA files). Am I correct in thinking that the Dawnguard, Dragonborn, HRDLC, and Skyrim - Textures BSA files will stay in this folder, but that the rest of the BSA files (which I listed above) should go back into the Skyrim>Data folder? Bottom folder is my Vanilla Optimized folder and shows the 4 archive files of optimzed HRDLC and STD that I am unsure now what to do with. I know they need to go back into the main Skyrim>Data folder, but because they are no longer BSA files, I'm not sure how to proceed. Note that I am using Mod Organizer, and not Wrye Bash.

Heh, no prob. Whatcha drinking?

Forgive me if I am confused, but thje input file is the source directory, which is a folder structure, and not the destination directory, which is where I am saving the BSA. I did add .bsa to the end for that. I tried again, and this time on the Save As menu for the destination/output directory, I chose Save and not Use Folder. It did create a BSA file. I hope I did this correctly.

No joy again. Still creating a bunch of folders (grass, music, meshes, etc) and no BSA file. No idea what I am doing wrong. Crap. This **** is complicated. Just to verify- you ARE putting a check beside Ignore>Don't process any of the known file types Right? Also, are you clicking Use Folder or Save when choosing the output folder? I have been doing Use Folder since that's what the instructions have said to do thus far.

Also, I am confused by the "Repackaging Resources into BSAs" process....if done correctly, shouldn't it create a single .bsa file for each DLC? In my case, just a Dawnguard.bsa and a Dragonborn.bsa? And not a series of folders (grass, lodsettings, meshes, music, etc)? I thought I followed the instructions here correctly: https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt_%26_Texture_Overhauls#tab=DDSopt_Optimization Repackaging Resources into BSAs To move the optimized textures back into BSA(s), use DDSopt by setting [ignore]' > [Don't process any of the know file types] and pointing the output to YourOutputPath\YourFileName.bsa. This is not recommended for the four vanilla BSAs that contain only textures, as then BSA(s) will need to be registered in Skyrim.ini, and load time is slightly increased (and this option is more complicated). This is, however, the recommended approach for the addon DLC BSAs. For the input file, I chseo Vanilla Optimized\Dawnguard For the output, I created the location of Optimized BSAs\Dawnguard\Dawnguard.bsa, then made sure to select .bsa for the Save as Type: I ended up with a bunch of folders and no .bsa file though.

PS- Just want to confirm that in step 8, I am moving ALL the BSAs in the Skyrim Data folder, not just Skyrim - Textures, Dawngaurd, Dragonborn, and the 2 HighResTexturePacks. Namely: Skyrim - Interface Skyrim - Animations Update etc. etc. The instructions: "Move all the original BSAs, including all the BSA files that were extracted earlier into the "Vanilla Extracted" directory, into a new folder (e.g., "Original Vanilla BSAs")." https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt_%26_Texture_Overhauls#tab=DDSopt_Optimization

Thanks. Edit- Redid the entire DDSopt process from scracth, ran the BAT files and happily have no error messages. I see a text file in the DDSopt Working Directory for each HRDLC, and here's the info for each: Code: Select All Looks good to me!

I don't suppose anyone would have a couple of minutes to help out via either IM or Skype or something? I am confused and hesitant to blunder through these steps only to mess them up. (Edit- Solved my earlier problem- would be worth mentioning not to save as default text document in Notepad. It took me some research to learn that you have to save as All Files in order to create a .bat file.) I now have the following in my DDSopt Working Directory (BTW, I moved this directory to another hard drive, one that isn't an SSD): HRDLC1 folder HRDLC2 folder HRDLC3 folder HRDLC_Removal _Fix.bat HRDLC_Removal_Fix_START.bet I just ran the HRDLC_Removal_Fix_START.bat and got this error: Windows cannot find 'BAT'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, then try again The text in the CMD field reads "E:\Skyrim modding\DDSopt Working Directory>Start BAT" When I click OK at the above error message: One other suggestion for improvement: Unless I am missing something, Step 4 here https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt_%26_Texture_Overhauls#tab=DDSopt_Optimization doesn't provide the correct file name: "Run HRDLC_Fix-START.bat with administrative privilege" Shouldn't it be "Run HRDLC_Removal_Fix-START.bat" instead? Could anyone help me out with this error I am getting? Also, I pasted the "Start BAT" and "Remove BAT" text into each respective BAT file, as indicated in the instrucitons. That's correct, right? Here are what the instructions say: "Copy the following into a text editor, and save as "HRDLC_Removal_Fix-START.bat": Start BAT subst r: ".\HRDLC1\textures" subst w: ".\HRDLC2\textures" subst q: ".\HRDLC3\textures" rem ENSURE THAT THE RELATIVE PATHS AND FILE NAMES ARE CORRECT ABOVE. rem IF NOT CORRECT, PRESS CTRL-C TO KILL THIS PROCESS & RECTIFY THE BAT. rem ENTER THE FULL OR RELATIVE PATHS TO THE EXTRACTED BSAs AND ARCHIVES. rem CHECK THE LOGS LOCATED IN THE CURRENT WORKING DIRECTORY! pause HRDLC_Removal_Fix.bat >HRDLC_Removal_Fix.log 2>HRDLC_Removal_Fix_ERROR.log" Note that after I closed the CMD file, there is a HRDLC_Removal Fix text doc and a HRDLC_Removal_Fix_Error text doc. The Error text doc reads: 'Remove' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. Does this refer to "Remove BAT" which I pasted into the text file based on the instructions provided: "Copy the following into a text editor, and save as "HRDLC_Removal_Fix.bat": Remove BAT REM DELETE EXTRANEOUS FILES IN THE OFFICIAL DLCs del q:\actors\placeholder.txt del "r:\armor\elven\elven - psd.lnk etc etc" The HRDLC_Removal_Fix text doc has quite a lot of text in it. Is there no Spoiler option for posting text in these forums? I looked for one so I wouldn't have to take up so much forum space. I realize posting all this is not good forum etiquette, and I will remove it as soon as someone can give me an idea if it looks like it ran properly.

I am still on step 2B in the STEP process- doing the DDSoptimatization using DDSopt. Have completed all the steps prior to 2B but no steps beyond that. My Skyrim is now updated to the 1.9 patch. Obviously I'm going to see if Silverlock has an SKSE that is compatible. Posting here b/c I'm curious if there are other things I need to do- changes to make or undo, etc. Thanks.

@kelmych- thanks. Is there a way I can tell if my system has assigned those paeticular drive letters? Be better to figure it out ahead of time. @bitdman- agree 100% and it's why I am willing to jump through all these hoops to get STEP installed. I did the STEP install about 1.5 years ago (before my computer broke) and was blown away y how much better Skyrim was to play. Well worth the effort to do so again! Thanks again everyone for the assistance and for helping bring this to the community. My hat is off to you.

Thanks kelmych and everyone else

Huh?????????

Thanks a lot Mishmash. OK, can anyone field question 6 about how (and where) to create these three virtual drives? Man, I am dying to play Skyrim again...chompin' at the bit. :-) For those who prefer not to scroll back a page, here it is: 6) How do I create the "q:\" "r:\" and "w:\" virtual drive paths to the respective HRDLC folder? "IMPORTANT: These batch files should be placed into the working directory alongside of the HRDLC folders. They are configured to use drive substitution with 3 virtual drives, each representing the relative path to the corresponding HRDLC. The virtual drives used in this example are q:\, r:\, and w:\. The BAT will not execute properly unless these file paths exist. Either create them or change the paths to reflect the folder locations existing in the working environment."

Thanks, bitdman. I realize I've typed a lot of text below, so I've numbered my questions to help folks see them. A few questions: 1)Why wouldn't you use an SSD? 2) Can I create a "Working Directory" folder in "My Documents" on the same drive I have the "Skyrim Vanilla Extracted" folder? 3) Am I making a backup of the HRDLC1-3 folders before or after I finish the Repair the HRDLC Textures steps? I am reading the DDSopt guide and following the steps as I go along. Currently on DDSopt Optimization section. https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt_%26_Texture_Overhauls#tab=DDSopt_Optimization I will also read about BSAopt soon, I am sure. (well, isn't that also done through DDSopt, since this application also works with BSAs- and in fact I just selected the HRDLCs 1-3 and the Skyrim Texture BSAs using DDSopt in the preceding steps). Also, another question: 4) Do I need to have already installed the Unofficial High Resolution Texture Patch by the time I complete the Repair the HRDLC Textures steps on the DDSopt Guide? (https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:DDSopt_%26_Texture_Overhauls#tab=DDSopt_Optimization). The instructions that step 2 (pasted below) of the Repair the HRDLC Textures mention the Unofficial High Res Texture Patch, which I haven't yet installed b/c I am not to the point of installing mods yet. (I only wish to optimize the official Bethesda textures) I'm referring to these instructions: "These batch files are updated versions of the ones that were originally provided in the Skyrim Nexus mod file HighResTexturePack DLC Cleaner v2_2-14719-v2-2. They have been updated to accommodate the new Hi-Res DLC (HRDLC) that includes three separate BSA files and the fixes provided in the Unofficial High Resolution Patch (UHRP). The purpose of this updated batch file is to delete extraneous files, a 'fix' which cannot be incorporated into the UHRP. It does not add any files to the HRDLC. " I want to make sure I do everything in the correct order here, and my present focus is on optimizing vanilla textures using DDSopt before I proceed with installing the mods in the STEP process. Thanks. 5) I don't suppose there are any tutorial videos for this are there? Would be really helpful. Typing DDSopt into Youtube only pulled up a few unrelated entries. Yet another question (Christ, I feel like I need an Engineering degree for some of these procedures, haha). This time concerning virtual drives as referenced in below instructions. I have no idea what a virtual drive is, or how to create one (though I am googling it). I have the three HRDLC folders in a folder in Documents called "DDSopt Working Directory" and wonder if that is okay, and if so, how I would assign a virtual drive path to each HRDLC folder. 6) How do I create the "q:\" "r:\" and "w:\" virtual drive paths to the respective HRDLC folder? "IMPORTANT: These batch files should be placed into the working directory alongside of the HRDLC folders. They are configured to use drive substitution with 3 virtual drives, each representing the relative path to the corresponding HRDLC. The virtual drives used in this example are q:\, r:\, and w:\. The BAT will not execute properly unless these file paths exist. Either create them or change the paths to reflect the folder locations existing in the working environment." PS- I hesitate to say that these steps are "too" difficult, since that of course is relative. But damn...these are a lot of hoops to jump through!! :-)

Thanks. I have begun optimizing the HRDLC and STD files using DDSopt. I am confused by what is meant by "working directory" in the instruction below (taken from the guide). "Before optimizing the High Res DLC files several additional steps are required to prepare them. The "HRDLC1", "HRDLC2", and "HRDLC3" folders will be moved into the working directory and cleaned, then moved back to the "Vanilla Extracted" directory. If dthe optional steps to eliminate duplicates are used then proceed with the steps below, otherwise skip these five steps. Repair the HRDLC Textures Move the "HRDLC1", "HRDLC2", and "HRDLC3" folders from the "Vanilla Extracted" directory to the working directory. Create batch files according to these instructions to remove redundancies among the HRDLCs. Extract the customized BAT files (created in the previous step) into the same working directory as was used for the rest of the folders from previous steps (i.e., not into a sub-folder though). This directory will then include folders named "HRDLC1", "HRDLC2", "HRDLC3", as well as the two batch files. " PS- Step 6 (optional) in the Extracting Textures portion of the guide didn't seem relevant to me. I typed *txt into the middle field and pressed Apply, but no files appeared. For the 3 HRDLC instances I didn't ahve "Show Recursive" checked, but I did check it for STD. Didn't see any .txt files appear though. So I followed the Extracting Textures procedure witout removing any workflow files from the BSAs, in case that matters. The Step 6 instructions: " (optional) Type "*.txt" into the filter field in the center of the Browser Tab and click [Apply]. Untick all of the "placeholder.txt" files, remove the filter text, and click on [Apply] again (these are workflow files that should not have been included in the BSAs)."

Thanks. I defintely want to optimize textures. I game at a pretty huge resolution, and having completed the GPU-z log, I see my frames are averaging 39 pre-STEP. So, I'd like to use DDSopt and/or Optimizer Textures to make vanilla Skyrim as optimized as possible before I install mods. Assuming that is a recommended way to go about things. Is it an either-or choice between DDSopt and Optimizer Textures, or do folks use both? I'd like to use whatever does the job best, if it's either/or. Currently confused about how to use DDSopt, but hopefully I'll get some help on these forums to my post concerning it. EssArrBee-- that's kind of what I was thinking---use the optimizers on vanilla Skyrim pre: mod installation. So, DDSopt or Optimizer Textures? (The fact that Optimizer Textures doesn't have a guide for best practices makes me hesitant to use it b/c I have no idea what I am doing.)

Just came across this from the Skyrim Installation guide, which is about a month old. Are all of these configuration changes recommended (and will increasing the tinttextureresolution have much of an impact on performance/framerate?) Also, I notice that I don't have an SKSE folder in my Skyrim Data folder, as is indicated below. I just created one, which is where I am placing the skse.ini file. I assume that's correct. Thanks. "Extenders SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) SKSE is an external program that exposes console commands and the internal scripting language (Papyrus) to modders. Install by extracting into the skyrim\ (alongside TESV.exe).(optional) SKSE can be configured using Data\SKSE\skse.ini, which must be created manually. Add the following as desired:Highly Recommended: this will fix and/or prevent script-based save-game bloat ...[General]ClearInvalidRegistrations=1 To pick the size of dynamically built tint textures (default is 256) ...[Display] iTintTextureResolution=512  ; other values could be 1024 2048 4096 To write a minidump to %USERPROFILE%\My Games\Skyrim\SKSE\Minidumps\ when the game crashes ...[Debug] WriteMinidumps=1 Forced container categorization ...[interface] EnableContainerCategorization=1"

Hey folks, I am not clear if I should be installing all of these and running each of them before progressing any further in the STEP process. STEP simply says that they "aid in Skyrim mod management." At this point in the STEP process, I haven't yet installed any mods. I have installed and run BOSS, BOSS Userlist Manager, Mod Organizer, and TES5Edit (to clean dirty files). I have also installed DDSopt and Skyrim Performance Monitor, but haven't done anything with them (currently confused about how and when to use DDSopt). I just downloaded Optimizer Textures and am considering whether to run it now or not, presumably to optimize vanilla Skyrim textures before installing any mods. There's no STEP guide outlining best practices though for use of Optimizer Textures, so I am not really sure if it's appropriate for me to use it at this point, and how best to use it. The readme file for OT has pretty basic instructions for usage. Currently reading the forum for the app on Nexus, but that's a piecemeal way of getting info. Can anyone advise on when and how to best use Optimizer Textures? So, in general, advice about what I should be doing with these utilities at this point would be welcomed. Thanks a lot.

I now realize I misunderstood the directions. I thought I had to point DDSopt to my main Skyrim folder directory in the Browse field under the Browser tab. That is what I did, and why I got this message: "Sanity-check of the directory-names results negative! You likely identify names in bad shape in the listing and have to unselect them. Continue to salvage parts?" I know realize that I simply need to select Skyrim under the Game heading at the top left of the DDSopt window. D'oh. Problem is, now whenever I run DDSopt, it is skiming that main Skyrim location and giving me that error message, and pulling up .bsa results from the Data folder. I assume that I don't want to be occuring. I even uninstalled and reinstalled DDSopt but it's doing the same thing. I guess I need to I get it stop scanning that main folder, but I don't know how to do so. I looked on youtube in the hopes there would be a video tutorial, but no luck. Could someone explain how I can accomplish this? I have to admit that the instructions on the DDSopt guide are fairly complex, at least upon one or two briief reads without using the DDSopt at each step. Also, to clarify something basic: Is it best practice to use DDSopt to optimize vanilla Skyrim textures before installing the STEP mods? I had thought it might be, but Kelmych your reply suggests not. So I guess my question is- when should I use DDSopt? I am at step 2.B in the STEP process--- installing utilities. So no modes installed yet. Also, another STEP-recommended utility is Optimizer Textures...which seems like it would accomplish much the same as DDSopt. Is this correct? If so, does one only need to use one or the other? Thanks for bearing with me. I'll get the hang of it.

Thanks. I think my current question got hidden away in m post- that about the sanity check of directory names results bring negative. (see my post quoted by bitdman) Could someone take a shot at answering this? Thanks!

Bumping this. :-) Also, should I install the NCC optional file(s)? Thanks.

Edit--- Nevermind my question that I origianly posted in this reply (labelled "***orignal post***" below)...found the answer on Nexus...I needed C++ x64. Be a good idea to mention this in the guide, I think. I do have this question still, however: I just pointed DDSopt at my main Skyrim folder. DDSopt ran for a bit, and then popped up this notification : "DDSOpt Sanity-check of the directory-names results negative! Youi likely identify names in bad shape in the listing and have to unselect them. Continue to salvage parts?" So I guess I've already done something wrong, lol. Note that I have a vanilla install of Skyrim (well, I do have SKSE installed) and that I have been following STEP in the correct order. Also, I installed Skyrim in my C: drive location, not in Program Files x86. ***original post**** Installed DDS and ran the x64exe in Admin mode. Got this error: DDSopt x64.exe System Error The program can't start because MSVCP110.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the progrma to fix this problem. Didn't see any mention of this .dll file on these forums or in the DDSopt guide. Checked the DDS related files and don't see anything like it. BTW I installed DDSopt .7.3, then installed/overwrited DDS pre-release update 4 over that, then created the DDSopt.ini file as per the guide's instructions. Anyone able to help? Thanks!

Thanks. So if it's used on vanilla Skyrim textures, I guess it makes sense to follow the procedure BEFORE installing a bunch of STEP mods then, right? In other words, run DDSopt quite early in the STEP process, to optimize vanilla Skyrim textures, before moving forwards?