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Firs usually tend to point up a bit at the ends of the branches, and spruce tend to not (but all upper branches tend to reach up to some degree, regardless of species). Norway spruce for example is like the weeping willow of conifers, and the Douglas-fir is more perky (even though it is not a true fir). Spruce cones also hang whereas fir cones point upwards (as with almost everything in biology, there may be some exceptions). Anxious to see the new stuff. I am liking 187 Basic quite a bit, and I am pretty far behind on this mod now ... just tested a run through of STEP with 187 though, and liking it a lot. @Vurt ... still waiting for you to pick through your mods and identify the best of the best for nice neat packaging or an installer with all viable options ... there is sooo much to choose from and so many variations that have good stuff with not so good. You are the best judge of what looks best in vanilla Skyrim background from a strictly aesthetic POV. ;) Maybe create an article on your Nexus mod asking for user input and screens?

We'd like some user input into the effects of the following [Display] INI settings that affect shadows (all eslse being equal!): Default SkyrimPrefs.ini settings (vanilla presets): iBlurDeferredShadowMask = 3 ;higher values 'blur' shadows and decrease resolution, but also decreases edge pixellation ... ideally, this should remainl rather low, but who knows for sure? fShadowLODStartFade = 200.0000 bShadowMaskZPrepass = 0 bDrawShadows = 1 bDeferredShadows = 1 fShadowBiasScale = 0.1500 iShadowMapResolution = 1024 iShadowFilter = 3 iShadowMode = 3 Problem: Skyrim shadows are bad, even on the default 'Ultra' settings. Outdoor sjadows have pixellated edjecs, so they appear as shadows of "Lego versions" of the actual ojects. There are limited known ways of enhancing shadows, especially outdoors. fShadowDistance also impacts outdoor shadow quality in that smaller values drastically improve shadow resolution, but also decrease the rendered shadow distance ... but edjes are clocky no matter what. Objective: Maximize shadow draw distance, resolution and edge smoothness ALL AT ONCE if possible. Testing conditions: Please establish the default INIs using the STEP-recommended Skyrim Launcher setup and the following INI adjustments. No other custom modifications to the base config please (it does not matter if you have mods installed or not as long as they are not altering the vanilla configuration files): bTreesReceiveShadows = 1 bDrawLandShadows = 1 fShadowDistance = 8000.0000 ;this is the 'ultra' value, 'high' is 4000.0000 Please only mess with the default INI settings indicated above and nothing else in the game or otherwise (monitor res, gamma, brightness, contrast, etc). The goal is to try and define settings that actually have a positive impact towards obtaining the Objective and to identify shadow settings that simply don't need to be messed with (have no impact or have a high performance impact). Thanks for helping out! Below is a recommendation based on testing for Skyrim shadows: Vanilla shadow users: SkyrimPrefs.ini [Display] bDeferredShadows=1 bShadowMaskZPrepass=0 fInteriorShadowDistance=4000.0000 fShadowBiasScale=1 fShadowDistance=4000.0000 ;May increase fShadowDistance to higher values iBlurDeferredShadowMask=4 iShadowFilter=3 iShadowMapResolution=2048 ;set iShadowMapResolution to 1024 (medium), 2048 (high), or 4096 (ultra) depending on the preset the Launcher assigned to you ENB shadow users: SkyrimPrefs.ini [Display] bDeferredShadows=1 bShadowMaskZPrepass=0 fInteriorShadowDistance=4000 fShadowBiasScale=0.4 ;Somewhere between 0.4 and 1.0 is best for fShadowBiasScale fShadowDistance=4000 ;May increase fShadowDistance to higher values iBlurDeferredShadowMask=1 ;Setting iBlurDeferredShadowMask to 0 will cause buggy ENB shadows. This may be increased at user discretion. iShadowFilter=3 iShadowMapResolution=2048 ;set iShadowMapResolution to 1024 (medium), 2048 (high), or 4096 (ultra) depending on the preset the Launcher assigned to you

Agree with OP. This is not ENB specific, and it will be recommended for users in out INI ancillary guide for 2.2.8

If you use WB, then go to Mods tab, sort mods using BOSS, then right click Bashed Patch.esp and select "Rebuild Patch". You will see the options. Otherwise, Google, "set timescale" +skyrim

It sounds like you are not using the BCF correctly. Put the BCF into Bash Installers/Bain Converters, run WB, right-click the RI Nexus mod and select Converters > Apply. Then you right-click the resulting new package and run the wizard.

You can set it to 30 or even 40 or whatever in the Bashed Patch process under 'Tweaks'.

Check that your timescale is not set too low. Timescale Default timescale is 30. EDIT: And Aiyen's not above is a good tip. Basically, time is a big factor and allowing for all scripting to complete. My guess is that timescale still may be the underlying issue for all.

Request a quick description of the mechanics of profiles under MO and where this info resides. I am trying to help users understand how MO can help to obviate certain precautionary OCD activity as described in the SIG (which is an ancillary offshoot of the STEP Guide). Please feel free to edit this and other guides with notes about MO features that obviate such precautionary OCD activities that are mentioned anywhere on the wiki. (and please correct any notes that currently exist if necessary)

After further review, this functionality seems to work for the most part still, but there is a significant slowdown in fetch time, and often all metadata updates aside from version. This may be a problem with the Nexus, but there still could be an API-communication issue. Need Tannin et al to confirm/deny any possible MO-side issue.

This is a topic in other contexts already, but It may be appropriate to give this a clear thread, since Nexus updates can impact MO's ability to interact with the Nexus API when downloading metadata. As of today, "Query Info" does not seem to be working properly. Nexus was offline here and there over the past 24 hours, so they may have changed something. Can anyone confirm that metadata download is not working for the most part (or that the red triangle remains next to the mod in the Downloads tab after obtaining the meta)?

OK, I got it. Did not notice you chose actual words for this thread ... they seemed generic ... laziness on my part I guess :P

is there some way to create searches that require all terms vs. one?Yes (sorry, I should have mentioned that in my last post). If you want search terms to be explicitly required, put a plus(+) in front of them. You can also put a minus(-) in front of search terms to filter out results. When doing a search on thread titles only, the following search returns only this thread: +titles +search +threadThat example is very confusing to me ... could you either use a specific example or clarify the generalization?

is there some way to create searches that require all terms vs. one?Place double quotes around any phrase to specify an exact match on that string as a whole. This can be combined for several search terms.

This should be in the DDSopt forum ...

Thanks for pushing through the banter and keeping on topic ... and releasing a version that adheres to the modding etiquette as CaBaL was inferring. Good man! ... waiting for someone else to post their XP with the current revisions, as I am swamped in RL and trying to keep up with my STEP maintenance.

Well, laws are unfortunately necessary --just as forum moderation is necessary-- but the problem is that we have too many and most of them are protective of the interests of corporate entities (did you hear? They have the same rights as individuals in the US :/ ). I am speaking mostly of media and creative 'art' (programming does fall into this area, I'd say). If you create something, you should keep it to yourself or be willing to give it away freely. Selling it for monetary profit is just wrong, IMO. Trade & barter ... skill for skill. Of course, that cannot work unless we all agree to begin doing it at the same moment (and dismantle the Corporation at the same time). Oh, and stealing is different than the media/software piracy I refer to. If you pay for a digital asset, this is not a physical thing. It is and can be cloned all over the place. It cannot be uniquely possessed, and is therefore more like water or air. A car is a unique physical thing that someone pays for and possesses physically. It cannot exist anywhere else. Taking the former does not remove it from anyone's possession (but for unnecessary sanctions imposed by the corporate 'owner'), but taking the latter does (i.e., stealing). When they say that piracy is not a victimless crime, they are ultimately correct ... but only because the 'owner' imposes penalties on their 'market' to offset dents in their 'profit' for fear of being liquidated by their 'board of directors'. What nonsense it all is. I suppose that I am an impractical dreamer, because the utopia I envision requires everyone to refrain from being a selfish jag-off in unison ... { V }

after the holidays for sure.

Again, I think it works fine and that the issue is more with regard to renamed threads. To prove either way, you would need to remember your search term and one of the unexpected results to troubleshoot.

Maybe we should start a thread for WB users transitioning to MO? Lots of info could be gleaned in such a thread ... old ways, new ways, revelations, etc ...

I would underscore that there is no point in buying a HDD except for backup. Games and OS should run on a SSD (huge difference). Get at least one very large SSD, or even better, two, and set up RAID1 for data integrity (RAID0 has a few speed advantages, but not really for gaming and OS). Also, I have not seen anyone in here advocating off-board sound (i.e., a sound card). Sound is hugely important to me in Skyrim and many games. From what I have researched in the past, a sound card can free up mobo resources and increase general performance. Just get a decent HD sound card, but don't get the high end. This should cost no more than $100 US. ... and get some decent 5.1 speakers, again, not top of the line, just mid range will do nicely. (and with your case, this little card will not block any air flow at all). I would not get a mobo with onboard sound (or disable it), and I would be sure to get something with SATA rev 3 and PCIe 3.0. This pretty much guarantees that you will have something with the most relevant technology. I am not sure what brands are best at the moment, but Gigabyte and Asus stand out in my mind. Intel brand can be decent too as a less costly alternative. Your case is like mine (I have a Cooler Master HAF 932) ... big 6-inch fans all over. Plenty of cooling and quiet and space (just get a good CPU cooler). 8 GB of RAM is all you need for gaming (I would get the fastest Corsair you can find for the mobo). I would also consider the Intel Core i5-3570K over any other processor ... best bang for much less the buck. I am an AMD GPU guy, because NVIDIA is a damn rip off (but probably just a tad bit better in some cases). I got a Radeon HD 7970 for $280 and I am very pleased. The latest generation AMD are likely better, but I am not keeping up with the current GPU races ... too depressing.

WB "unpack to projects" is simply an extracted version of a mod package to allow more direct manipulation of contents. I never found it that useful. MO mods is similar to that extent, but MO mods is more selective in that only the package contents that it recognizes (or that you choose in some cases) will unpack ti those dirs. @Phazer I like using downloads area to install my customized packages, since it allows me to generate accurate metadata about the packages and track updates. Good to know about the manual method though, as it is more efficient for non-Nexus mods. ... still have not examined MO's asset-conflict interface yet, but will report back on another thread if I have anything useful to share. Anyway, don't want to take this thread off track. There would seem to be some potentially useful info relating to the thread title here for a few poor saps ;)

Yes, WB edits standard INIs, so that can conflict with the Launcher and Steam behaviors (hence I always made them RO and removed that for WB and manual tweaks, then reapplied). MO resolves the issue with the profiles. Very nice.

I agree, totally. It is called "affirmative action" and we do it here in the US, but not by sex (AFAIK). Any form of this is discriminatory, IMO. I advocate piracy ... outside of --as a courtesy-- small arenas that already provide free content (e.g., mods on the Nexus, YouTube vids, software, etc.) ... but the latter is not strictly 'piracy', it is 'impolite'. Pay for nothing, trade and barter ;) (it only works if we eliminate the faux currency system though ... all in good time). yes, that's a very bad decision made by the content mafia. There are so many things going wrong these days... But then again... I just saw The Hobbit 2 and it was just amazing! Definitely a must-see for dragon/skyrim fans! It's always a bit schizophrenic to see what great things we (as a society) can create these days (movies/games/mods) and at the same time get handcuffed for beeing a fan (be it let's plays, SW movie mods etc.) edit: I can really recommend this movie! Just don't watch it from a modders POV, cause you really get frustrated about your current ingame graphics ;) btw: what textures are used in this screenshot? Agree, awesome movie and in keeping with all of Peter Jackson's stuff. I do like the first Hobbit a little better though, but the second did not disappoint.

OK, another update: I completely reinstalled MO from scratch, and uninstalled NMM (I don't need its functionality, since I will keep track of versioning and updating manually). It works very nicely now ... previously, I had a never-ending "downloads Pending" error whenever closing MO (including when I launched Skyrim). SO ... I am now using my Bash Installers directory and my personal OCD-restructured mod packages as a "download" source for MO (yes, this bypasses some of the build-in MO convenience, but I prefer to maintain my own packages). The great thing about MO is that it allows me to do this and to manually input the NexusID using "Query Info", so I am able to let MO help me with version-update notifications for most cases. Last but not least, MO allows me to abandon the need to set my INIs to RO, because they are copied to the MO profiles and hence 'protected' from Steam nonsense. If it has not already been mentioned within the MO doc, a word about the impact of setting INIs to RO might be stated (if there even is a potential detrimental impact).

Well, nothing worked for me (but I did not exhaustively troubleshoot the situation). Switching profiles did not work, since the default profile had my old incompatible INI settings anyway. The resolution that I was stuck on was nothing I had ever picked before. I uninstalled MO and reinstalled and now it is working correctly again. A word to the wise: I think that I may have messed things up or at least contributed to the problem by making my INI files read only, which is a standard for me, as I have had way too many issues with Steam overwriting/altering (I really, really hate Steam and all that it implies). If that does not sound possible, then I am not certain what the issue is. I also have customized MO directory paths so that everything points to my specific setup for Wrye Bash and NMM (and I do hate using all three). I'd really like to use my own packages with MO, as I revise each and every mod I download (because I have so many deep issues with the way 95% of mod authors package their material). Perhaps my insistence on maintaining control of my setup is proving to be incompatible with how MO expects me to do things. Just not sure, but I am back to square one I guess.