baronaatista

Fair enough. I was (am still, kind of) finishing up a really big install, and my northern situation was really bothering me - the whole thing forced me to check out a LOT of options and come to some very solid conclusions. At the last minute actually I found this fairly new glacier mod - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/62546/? and I love it, especially in combination with Real Snow. My situation is sorted.

I've been playing with Hunterborn essentially since I started modding Skyrim (3 years ago) and absolutely love this mod. Just finished a big install, checking some things over, and I found myself on the Hunterborn nexus page, and then here... Enjoying the updates, really excited for the Campfire/HB skill tree, as well as the prospect of CACO/HB/Last Seed/Campfire synergies... Many thanks mr. Teabag.

I'm not fully aware of what Requiem does, but as I understand it, it delevels a lot of the world and makes a lot of tweaks to combat and such... I just finished my own tweaked version of Dreadflopps install, which for gameplay revolves around MorrowLoot Ultimate, Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul, Ordinator for perks, and Revenge of the Enemies / Combat Evolved, as well as Frostfall/INeed/Hunterborn/YouHunger. https://wiki.step-project.com/User:Dreadflopp/Dreadflopps_Modular_patches It took some time to do, as well as some tweaking to refine it, but I now have a massive, incredible RPG setup that looks beautiful and runs like a dream.

Well, nobody seems interested lol. The combination I've landed on is Real Snow with Real Ice (with parallax) Half Ice-cube Half Dull. It's the same glacier textures Neo uses in SRLE... still not ideal for me, but the closest to what I'm looking for. If there winds up being interest, I will be installing a proper STEP: Extended profile and can provide more screeshots - even of additional textures if anyone has suggestions, though I've deleted the saves so it'll have to be new ones.

I'm sure there have been many, many threads and posts on this topic. I am attempting to approach it from a different angle than usual - though even that I'm sure is false, there have probably been discussions at least of the nature of what I'll attempt to get at here, but I searched and couldn't find anything, so here this is. First, I'll link this article which I found interesting; https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2014/feb/21/writing-video-games-can-narrative-be-as-important-as-gameplay * then a couple days later I found this video, talking about the exact same themes; The article is obviously a bit dated, but it brings up some important and still-relevant points about narrative and gameplay that I feel are really worth considering. Many gamers (and seemingly developers) are quick to dismiss storytelling as taking a back-seat to gameplay, and they have a point. Games are about engagement, about doing and participating rather than passively taking in a story. This is what distinguishes games from other forms of storytelling, and is their most desirable asset. That doesn't mean however that storytelling/writing is not important, or even that it's not as important as gameplay. What it means is that storytelling needs to be thought of differently in the context of video games. Its this point that I'd like to expand upon in the context of TES and Fallout. Now it's safe to say that pretty much everyone can agree that Bethesda has issues with its writing specifically in regards to storytelling and dialogue. I find they actually do quite an excellent job of the lore, or the world-building aspects of writing. As far as I'm concerned the worlds of Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Skyrim are the primary reason that I love these games as much as I do. However, I believe BGS has problems with their actual approach to narrative and this is exemplified by Fallout 4. I don't intend to dissect problems with past or present games so I won't go in depth there but the whole thing does leave me concerned about TESVI, thus this post. The problem as far as I see it is that Bethesda tend to think of the 'story' as the quest-lines or whatever, the big events. So yeah, you need that stuff, at least some of it (I really wish they could be more creative and come up with something better than destroying the super-powerful badguy who wants to kill everything for the main quest, and the destruction of the guild for the guild quests). For the player though, that's not the story. The players story starts before that, and ends... well, when they stop playing, but potentially and in most cases, after. I'm attempting to get at the conception of what the story is in these games. In practice, the story is the players experience of this world. The best part of these games is exploring and interacting with the world - the most authentic 'storytelling' being done in these games is the natural storytelling that arises from the players interaction with it. It is this aspect of these games that seems to be getting less and less focus however as they move forward. I somewhat understand that in terms of a design decision - doing this type of storytelling requires a lot of subtle refinement in just about every area of the game; it is also often not noticed, not appreciated, very complex - and as such, can be confusing and intimidating for new players. I contend that it is worth it. Now this does have to do with choice and consequence, but the point is that the emphasis is on consequence. The big world-changing choices almost never work in practice, as there are just too many angles that one could conceivably be coming at these choices from, and the word has to change too drastically afterward for it to make sense if the game is to continue. Consequence however, is the single best storytelling device these games have. This isn't strictly related to the complex interactions of player and npc - a 'true' economy is one great example. Having certain goods be more plentiful in certain areas and therefore cheaper, while more scarce and therefore expensive in others is one small way to achieve this - the ideal of course would be a complex and robust system that included purchasing businesses, and the ability to sabotage businesses/goods producers to drive them out of business, etc. - this feature alone could open up an entire avenue to experience the game from. I personally love the old-school RPG mechanic of the 'critical fail' as a storytelling device that flows from gameplay; too low a skill in something and risk the chance to critically fail - to not only not succeed, but to harm yourself in the attempt. The (small) chance to trip, if you move too erratically too rapidly (perhaps combined with low agility). Mechanics like these force on-the-spot problem solving, and generate stories on their own. I do understand why it's not for everyone but I would throw in realistic needs, diseases, injuries, and reaction to weather/environment as well - these are clearly becoming popular features, I'd like to see them incorporated at least as an optional with the base games moving forward. NPC's reacting to the weather by equipping appropriate items, seeking shelter from rain/snow, reacting to danger more appropriately. NPC's reacting to the player more appropriately is of course huge. If you steal from someone and get caught, sure you pay your fine or whatever and can avoid jail, but that person should remember - they no longer trust you, depending on what you stole/attempted to steal, perhaps they hate you, and depending on their constitution, perhaps they'll attempt to kill you, or have you killed. If you get known for being a thief, citizens in that town, or perhaps in several/all towns/cities will be wary of you. If you're a famous warrior, you should be revered and an infamous murderer should be feared and reviled - conversely, a nobody should be overlooked, uncared for, and often treated like rubbish. You won't be offered quests by every single person you come across who "also" happened to be looking for someone just like you. Doing certain quests, or certain actions will prevent you from doing other quests. Again I understand why it's not for everyone, but again an optional feature I'd love to see - every NPC can die. Those that should be hard to kill, are - either because they have guards, are located in well-defended locations, are very powerful themselves, or all of the above. A variety of AI packages would be helpful - Beth base AI being a great low-level or 'stupid' AI with higher level characters receiving more AI 'abilities' /more refined AI; such as high-level mages or stealth characters having advanced stealth detection abilities, higher level characters in general having better survival AI. Group-fighting tactics; there are spells for healing in this world, why are battlefield healers not a standard thing? Ranged attackers should attack from range, seek and attempt to attack from cover (a real cover system would be nice) stealthy attackers should attempt to sneak, and frequently use poisons - (which are actually dangerous) heavy warriors will rush in headfirst, while light/medium warriors will use movement and timing. Detection AI needs a ton of nuance. The simple act of being able to climb ledges would open up yet another new world of gameplay, especially if it were fully-fleshed out (meaning breaking into buildings through upper-windows, jumping and grabbing ledges, running along rooftops, etc.) The gameplay/storytelling opportunities it would present are enormous. I think I've pretty much made my point; the most engaging and authentic storytelling that happens in these games, and the type of storytelling that they are uniquely equipped (but under-utilized) to deal with is the organic storytelling that comes from the players interaction with the depth and nuance of the world. I do admit that some of these features can turn off some of the broader base of fans, but I believe that if handled properly would be appreciated by both casual and 'hardcore' fans alike.

Hey Darth, I was in the middle of re-building my install when Wyrmstooth dropped off, and re-worked it on the spot then. I think the solution I came up with on the spot (I was very tired, don't fully remember) was to pull the Falskaar esp out of the modular version and use it with regular ELE_Legendary_Lite.esp... I'm guessing this is a foolish non-solution and that I should follow the solution you went over on the last page?

I can do more if we narrow down some choices, and maybe look at some specific combinations. My conclusion is fairly similar to before - honestly none of these really kill it for me, and I'd really love to see a talented texture artist do a complete northern landscape retexture, to get a little more consistency. My favorite snow textures are; Real Snow - a little overworked, but my favorite. I can hear the sound of snow crunching under my feet when I look at it. Wish it had some of the shine from STEP HQ Snow Texture, but it has all of the character of Quality Snow HD 4K (by Yuril) with none of the issues. Unfortunately the textures are impractically huge for a landscape texture. Real Ice and Snow - blending is great, has some character to it, and overall looks quite good. It's just a little low-res for me, and also a little bland, but it does the job. STEP - really enjoy the sparkly quality to this one, and it looks very authentic, if somewhat 'pristine'. Again, a little bland for me - the visual variety provided by the other textures really adds something worthwhile to the Northern landscape IMO. - both snow mods (Alternative and Quality Snow HD 4K) by Yuril have some serious issues with road textures obviously and generally dont do a very good job of blending. My favorite glacier textures are; I'll preface by saying that I generally don't like shiny glaciers... in game the effect most often looks more like a melting ice-cube than it does a glacier. That being said the two truly non-shiny textures I've seen so far have some issues. Real Ice (Full Dull) - Looks more like a real glacier to me than any of the others, but doesn't seem to play as well with shadows, and it does look a bit odd having no shine at all Real Ice (Classic) - This to me looks like a better version of STEP Just Ice. It's whiter, which looks better in the landscape (to me) and it's shininess looks great. Even better with parallax. Transparent and Refracting... - I love the Icicles from this mod, which is why I got it, and will use it for regardless. Discovered the glacier texture in the installer and I think it looks great. Not quite as shiny as the shiny ones, nor as dull as the dull ones. Potentially my overall favorite. Real Ice and Snow - The actual texture here I'm not a huge fan of - it doesn't exactly look like a glacier to me; in fact I'm not really sure what it's attempting to simulate. However it's simplicity and the overall coloration look quite good in the distance. Again, a little low res, and again, a bit odd to be quite as dull as it is, but it does the job, and has a quality snow texture designed to work with it.

This next group pairs a couple snows we've seen (I'll indicate which) with other versions of Real Ice and one other glacier texture.

Okay. Comparisons incoming... Tried to get a pretty broad range here of Ice and Snow replacers. I'm showing off both together because these two textures have a lot of direct interaction, and it's important that they look good together. I didn't get the final shot - pure snow for STEP textures, thought of that after. I'm also, as I noted previously, not using STEP: Extended (at least not exclusively or specifically) - Vivid Weathers is definitely affecting colors here, but it should be affecting them largely all the same way, so they should serve as a good basis for comparison anyway. I will absolutely install a proper STEP: Extended Profile soon, I've just been finishing up my own epic install the last bit. Note that some of these shots were taken highlighting trouble areas, so they're not always the prettiest. links; STEP Ice - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/13268/? STEP Snow - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/743/? Real Ice and Snow - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/13466/? Real Ice - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/5388/? Real Snow - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/29036/? Quality Snow HD 4K - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49011/? Alternative Snow - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/6086/? Transparent and Refracting Icicle and Frost Atronach - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50316/?

Just finished up - the new version of WB actually just merged my patch mod right into it, carries forward all the proper records... Tried out the generate bash tags script, but it threw up an error in TESVEdit, so I added the tags manually that I thought might be appropriate from the list of available tags on the patcher update thread - I suppose a moot point though. Many thanks Kelmych!

Yeah, I did a bunch of reading - that patcher update thread here, and on the Bethesda forums, is pretty interesting. The whole thing makes me really question what's going on in my bashed patch, and that I probably need to review it in-depth post-creation. I'm going to d/l the 307 WB and use the script, then review, as you suggested... just toggling my LO right now, finishing up this massive install and I may need to edit the patch I made earlier at the end. Again, thanks for the advice!

Is that generate bash tags script really working for Skyrim? I remember even on my FNV install from the F&L guide, it seemed like it wasn't consistent in what tags it assigns. In addition, from what I read, it just assigns all available tags, and isn't able to sort what SHOULD be applied vs. what can. Not at all claiming to have any knowledge here, just remember that I read these things. I will consult the sources though, and maybe I will try out the script, just to see what happens... Thanks for dropping a line.

Okay so I'm new to this deeper side of modding, still learning how to more fully and properly use the tools. I have a pretty crazy install (essentially a Dreadflopps install (STEP: Extended + SRLE + SRLE Extended + Dreadflopps packs + my own additions)). I wanted to add Better Unique Items to this, so I made a patch (I think, lol) in TESVEdit - I loaded all my plugins, expanded BUI, and 'copied as overwrite into' all relevant changes from other plugins - AOS, CCOR/WAF, MLU, SIC/RoTE, Unique Uniques. I think. Pretty sure I got that part right. The mod does contain records for a vanilla NPC, which I why I'm carrying records from SIC/RoTE.... Anyway when I make the bashed patch, it seems to overwrite my plugin completely and only carry forward certain changes... As a matter of fact, while I didn't check all that thoroughly, it seems to only carry forward records from one plugin, and doesn't merge any records, which I found odd. I'm assuming I need to add Bash Tags? I have some knowledge of what they do (checked Wrye Bash advanced guide/readme) but almost none as to their actual implementation... I also read somewhere that only certain tags work for Skyrim? I would guess to carry forward changes to these weapons/armor - Names, Stats, Invent, possibly some AI tags for the NPC? Any help, even if just to point to information (other than the Wrye Bash readme) would be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. I'm pretty solid on my personal decision here (well, very solid on Just Ice vs. Real Ice and somewhat sure of HQ Snow vs. Quality Snow HD 4K) but I would love to contribute, so if screenshot comparisons are desired, I'd be happy to provide them. Finishing up the last bits of an epic install tonight, I'll hit back here tomorrow with pics... My one thought is that I am running Vivid Weathers and ELFX which even w/o ENB does change the lighting/color scheme from STEP fairly significantly. I can take it out but I'd have to shut off DynDOLOD and a bunch of other mods, but as this is just a texture comparison, as long as all the lighting/coloration is consistent (even if not completely STEP) it should provide a solid base for analysis? In the future, maybe even tomorrow, I will create a full STEP: Extended profile to do proper testing from.

Confirm-diddly-irmed my friend, thank you so much.

Ive been doing some running around and comparing STEP (HQ Snow Texture) with this mod. I did take some screenshots, but as I'm new at this whole thing I probably screwed up a million things (ie I'm using ELFX and Vivid Weathers, some pics with Vividian ENB VW settings, and I wasn't really able to get the same shots to compare from, as I was running around the whole time) so I'm not sure if they're worth posting. My end result is actually mixed. For the open stretches of snow, this mod kills - the texture is so much more detailed and realistic. As well, the road textures are much better at their base. However there is a decent amount of noticeable stretching, the transitions can be quite harsh, specifically with the road textures. In addition, it does not blend well at all with STEP Just Ice (ice mod from the Ruffled Feather). As a matter of fact, it doesn't blend well with Real Ice, which is by the same author. I tested different versions of Real Ice with this snow, with STEP snow, and both snows with STEP ice. Undoubtedly the best combination is current STEP IMO. That being said, I'm not in love with any of the options honestly, and can only hope that some quality texture artist takes it upon themselves to do a complete Northern Landscape retexture, so we can get something a little more comprehensive.

Has anyone actually used BM with these textures? I just re-installed BM and SkySight Skins (no feet mesh) and while now feet show up in footwraps and such, the texture seems to be missing or broken

Oh damn sorry, all respect to the mighty Kryptopyr. SHE is one hell of a mod creator. I'm certainly hopeful for the future, and that blended functionality with Last Seed sounds nothing short of amazing. All I plan on doing is enjoying the results of her hard work in my game - so I'm definitely not complaining. I just hope to see it finished, I suppose. * and the work of Teabag and Excinerus! I'm somewhat new to this side of the community, still learning the basics, please forgive my ignorance. I have nothing but respect for all the talented mod-makers out there.

Small detail but these maps are damn beautiful. In my game they go. Talk like Yoda now, I do.

Decidedly better than vanilla, and I'm not at all saying they should be passed up because of that detail. Just that it sticks out to me.

This is a really excellent retexture, really love the look of the leather and fur here. I absolutely cannot stand the belts though. If you watch the video, 1:56 he does a screenwipe of old textures to new... everything else looks great but those belts (specifically the white stitching) just stand out like a sore thumb. The vanilla texture, the belts looked busted up and worn - as you would imagine some hearty Solstheim wilderness folk's stuff would look. In this retexture the belts look like they were just purchased at Sears.

RoTE rules, can't play Skyrim without it. And there used to be lots of Nords who could shout, just few with any real proficiency at it. The Draugr are undead ancient Nords, after all. Anyway as to this texture... I really love the armor and cloth material here, but the skin texture leaves a bit to be desired as far as I'm concerned. As Octo pointed out earlier, there are some nice details in the vanilla texture of the face that get lost, specifically in the forehead and cheeks. In addition, the hands have almost no detail at all. Not a huge issue, not gonna be staring at his hands for any length of time, but that's my basic problem with this - it just doesn't look as decaying and undead as I'd like it to. As it compares to AMB, I probably do like it better, but only by a little.

Man I absolutely love this mod and am incredibly grateful to Kryptopyr for all the great work he's done on Skyrim mods. I must say though I am slightly worried that it's going to get away from him. The feature list is absolutely enormous and seems to be only getting bigger. I really hope he can stay focused, keep careful delineation of what the intention of the project is, and really refine the details rather than expand the premise. I can remember a really promising follower mod that has gotten bogged down with features and a lack of updates....