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Is anyone else having an issue of texture corruption (purple textures)/BSOD when compressing back into bsa using these tools? I can never seem to get it to work correctly (extract/optimization to another folder work fine). It is just the compressing back into bsa. So instead I've been using FO3 Archive Utility to pack back into bsa. It seems to work fine. Does BSAOpt/DDSOpt do something different I should be aware of?

I've heard of people getting good performance, but most of them are running 2GB cards with crossfire/sli. I really don't know where to find a good cross-section of people to compare with to see what my upgrade options are. Thats why I came here. :)

Alright, reinstalled, generated ini files from scratch. No change in FPS. I'm guessing I just don't have the raw horsepower to run it even at default.I still find it odd that my FPS doesn't change more than 1-4fps even when running vanilla vs full STEP/ini tweaked/DDSOpt. Going to try the disable shadows tweak someone posted about and see what changes (if anything). Sorry about the spam updating, but removing shadows using the Shadow Removal mod my 5760x1080 went up to 30-35fps. Thats a nice jump but still not where I want to be. That being said, does that mean my CPU or binding me or my GPU? That being said, the game looks like ass with shadows removed. :)

I just realised I left RCRN installed. Going to do a full reinstall and see what results I get. (there goes another full day putting STEP back in... at least I don't have to redownload.)

Unfortunately the scripts included are compiled (no source supplied by the author). So it wouldn't matter in this case sadly. :(

Thank you for the response. After doing some quick tests, disabling shadows entirely... fInteriorShadowDistance=0 fShadowDistance=0 fShadowLODStartFade=0 bTreesReceiveShadows=0 Did absolutely nothing to my FPS @ 5760x1080. Still ~20. Now at 1920x1080, my fps was pretty much minimum 50 and topped out at 60(cap) occasionally. There were no particle effects on screen, so I assume that isn't a factor. I'm guessing I'm hitting a VRAM/GPU cap and not a CPU cap. Next test I'll remove all the textures from my texture folder and try again. Update: Removed all texture mods and still at 5760x1080 my fps did not appreciably increase. Capped out at ~ 25 at max but stayed around 20 still. I'm guessing that means it's raw GPU horsepower?

As the thread topic states, I'm trying to find a bottleneck. Using the same system, just changing the resolution from 1920x1080 to 5760x1080 I go from 45-55fps to 16-20fps. I'm guessing the bottleneck is the GPU, but I suppose it could just as easily be CPU or System Memory. I've attached GPU-z recordings at each resolution. Test run was from the entrance of Whiterun through the plains to the fort. I really love playing at 5760x1080 but I can't stand playing at 20fps. Luckily I still have some money left over from my tax return. System specs listed in my sig. Any help is appreciated. Additional Information - Attached is my Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini (with txt extension since it wouldn't let me attach)

* For Nvidia Users Only (Until Boris Updates Again)

I've just run through most of STEP 2.1.1b, here are some discrepancies/items I've noted for the next version (unless otherwise noted I used the fps friendly version of every available mod). 1. Installing SMIM - There are four files instead of three that you need avoid overwriting in architecture/whiterun. 2. Installing Hvergelmirs Shield Retexture - It also overwrites "Detailed Guard Shields and Banners - Worn" in addition to "Accingite Vos". 3. Installing Ruins Clutter Improvement HD - It did not over-write anything from "Re-Defined Dungeons" despite the note in the guide. 4. Installing Better Dwemer Ruins WIP (Dwemer and Falmer Related Only) - It also overwrites some files from "Ruins Clutter Improvement HD" in addition to "Bellyaches Animal Pack". 5. Installing Skyrim Redesigned - It does NOT overwrite anything from "High Quality Food and Ingredients" only from the other two (salmon already replaced by Tobes). 6. Installing Burial Urn Retexture - Overwrites "Ruins Clutter Improvement HD", should probably be moved up to section B2. 7. Installing Detailed Chests Texture Replacers - Overwrites "Ruins Clutter Improvement HD", should probably be moved up to section B2. Mods I've omitted/replaced/changed in my own load (for various reasons listed below): Crimson Tide - I just use Enhanced Blood Textures instead as Crimson Tide can be buggy and is not being actively supported by the author. HighRes Glass Armor and Weapons Retex - I used Improved Green instead of Ice Blue to be more lore friendly. I did not install RCRN or any other lighting mod. Waiting to see the fixed ATI version of ENB and RCRN v3 since they are forthcoming. I did not install natual eyes/xce as I will use other mods for these. I recommend "Improved Eyes Skyrim" (https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=9249) for eyes especially. I did not install Bellyache's Fur and Quilted Saddles as I use Horse Armor. I did not install Better Decapitation Gore Texture as a texture is already included in Enhanced Blood Textures. I installed the "No Wings" version of Lockpicking Interface Retex to avoid the chuckle factor and looks more natural to me. I did not install Dynavision as it is rumored to cause save game bloat even after it has been removed (see comment threads). I did not install Imaginator yet, as I haven't settled on a lighting mod. I did not install More Dynamic Shadows and Striping Fixed for reasons as noted in this thread. I did not install "Small Crosshair" as it is still buggy in regards to spell casting (when it turns red it reverts to old crosshair) and also when ordering followers around the crosshair does not change. I installed and recommend "Smaller Cursor" (https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=2317) I did not install time on loading screen (just not for me) or interface hard coded key tweaks (I don't remap anything) I used Centaur font main menu replacement instead of Fertigo Pro (just personal choice). I did not install "Cowardly Horses" as it's not compatible with my follower/horse armor mods. I did not install "Dark Brotherhood Forever Moved to Misc" as the comment thread did not look promising. Did not test myself. I did not install "More Interactive Items" because I find picking up carts by accident annoying. I did not install "Trainer Gold Exploit Fix" as it feels immersion breaking that I cannot pickpocket my gold back and I can restrain myself. ;) I actually installed the BSA version of the USKP and loaded it first, is there a particular reason this should be loose files version / not overwrite? I hope you find at least some of this helpful.

Unfortunately I didn't see a weapon version for Standard - HighRes... only Improved Green.

Agreed Fri, however the USKP didn't include even some of the basic fixes such as: The duplicated "Circlet of Extreme Magicka" that is fixed with WAF but not with USKP. If you look at similar circlets by Bethesda you will see a pattern where Extreme/Eminent are the top two tiers of enchantment. WAF fixes the two "Circlet of Extreme Magicka" by renaming the stronger one "Circlet of Eminent Magicka" to match Bethesda's implementation of the others. I believe the reason it was not included in the USKP is because they consider this "improvement" rather than "fix" in the most strict sense of the word. I really wish things like this were included in USKP but I don't think it's going to happen.

Speaking of Crimson Tide, I believe the mod author has stopped supporting the file (or at least he hasn't posted in quite a long while - last post march 22). There are still quite a few bugs remaining in the current version (some users - myself included - have reported undead bleeding even though the mod states it is fixed and some animals do not bleed at all). If you haven't already done so, I'd suggest looking at the latest enhanced blood textures as they have also now included bleeding effect/blood pools/gushes.

No I'm running single card XFX 5870 1GB. I really want to get an upgrade soon, just waiting for those 4GB 680's then I might buy 2.Running Ultra with High Shadows from launcher (haven't tweaked ini at all this install), 4xAA, 16xAF, 1920x1080 on the center monitor only (have 3 connected).Started a new game, went from Helgen to the top of the steps in Whiterun. GPU-Z shows 958MB usage looking out over the city. Saved game, exited to desktop and waited 5 minutes. Loaded game, GPU-Z shows 942MB after waiting 30 seconds for stabilization. Either it's my side monitors or the AF being 16 instead of 8 like yours. Just ran with 8x AF and no change in mem usage.

They are not all included. This has been verified in the comment thread for USKP and WAF.I still consider WAF a requirement for my build.

Wow, it's reporting 982MB Memory Usage (Dedicated) during the starting sequence in Helgen (Execution) with NO mods except for the DDSOpted HDDLC and Vanilla Textures. That is pretty shocking considering the DDSOpt guide's highest was Windhelm @ 900MB. I'm running full screen but have 2 side monitors. Maybe I need to disable Aero to get more VRAM savings. Running a OC'ed 5870 1GB card. Edit: Looks like 932MB with Aero disabled.

You can check ATI VRAM using GPU-z, so not sure where you got your info ....Hrm interesting. It has a bar for it, now to do a little testing. I actually got that info by looking up "ATI VRAM Monitoring" on Google awhile back. Several sources reported (and I just verified this data is still out there from mid 2011) that you can't monitor physical vram on ATI, only Nvidia. I'll definetly be giving this a shot, perhaps ATI fixed the issue.

If I recall correctly for ATI cards there is no method of checking VRAM usage. This is because ATI disabled that feature in their drivers awhile back.It's basically a guessing game for us. Sadly it's one of the reasons I'm thinking of going with the 680 this time around instead of the 7970 and I run in eyefinity right now. That and Boris has stated he can no longer support ATI for ENB (read top of his ENBDev news page), apparently his current ATI card doesn't support the features he needs.

Check the new methodology under the SIG - DLC for removing redundancies in HRDLC. Will do. For now my issue is DDSOpt/BSAOpt blue screening my computer when trying to put HighResTexturePack01 back into bsa format.HighResTexturePack02 and Skyrim - Textures.bsa did not have issues. I have 6GB system ram, I wouldn't think that would be it but maybe?Edit: It finally went through. I changed nothing but it finally worked after the 4th try/reboot. Very strange... I am guessing that you have a 32-bit system? Note that you get both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of DDSopt. Are you overclocking? I have a 64 bit system i7-920 @ 3.6Ghz. This is actually the FIRST blue screen I've gotten on the box since I built it years ago. (got it when the i7's first came out)It gave me a scare so I ran prime95, etc on it but it didn't crash me, is just DDSOpt(x64) and BSAOpt on HighResTexturePack01->BSA. So weird but manageable I guess. It only happened on that one file and as I said it worked the 4th time lol. Running Win7 64 bit ultimate edition fully patched and have latest drivers for everything.

Check the new methodology under the SIG - DLC for removing redundancies in HRDLC. Will do. For now my issue is DDSOpt/BSAOpt blue screening my computer when trying to put HighResTexturePack01 back into bsa format.HighResTexturePack02 and Skyrim - Textures.bsa did not have issues. I have 6GB system ram, I wouldn't think that would be it but maybe? Edit: It finally went through. I changed nothing but it finally worked after the 4th try/reboot.

Thank you (and the rest of the STEP/Wiki team) for the answers and all the hard work.

Good to know, I'll have to search for that thread. The main reason I'm doing it isn't for performance reasons but for disk space on my SSD. Doubling up textures takes up double the room.

I gave it a try replacing the Skyrim - Textures.bsa with just the optimized. Didn't work, just ended up with a crash. Replacing the DLC packs was fine however.

I followed the guide to the letter. (which includes getting rid of the png and txt files) I'm not sure what happened but it seems to have gotten farther this time. I made sure to exclude the files explicitly marked as corrupted by DDSOpt in the instructions. Now I'm going to go to bed so maybe I can actually install STEP tomorrow after this run is done. :)

Argh, frustrating. Followed the wiki guide for DDSOpt and apparently it blue screened while I let it run for the last 3 hours. Ah well, starting it over again and hopefully with better luck this time.