thalastwon Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 Didn't see this one anywhere on the board, so I would like to go ahead and throw this mod into the pot. Been trying out random mods just for the heck of it and came across this. https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/29145 It is a caves retexture that seems to keep decently close to the vanilla, while adding some better bump mapping. So far its been gorgeous inside caves. Scene: Exiting Bleak Falls Barrow, immediately after the first word wall and obtaining the Dragon Stone from the boss draugr Vanilla-HRDLC >> Current STEP - Snow and Rocks 2K >> Beauty of Skyrim >> Hectrol Caves Med. Res 2K  Scene: a different shot just down the hallway from where the other shots were taken, still in BFB Vanilla-HRDLC >> Current STEP - Snow and Rocks 2K >>  Beauty of Skyrim >>  Hectrol Caves - Med Res 2K  More compares on this post and the one below it:https://forum.step-project.com/showthread.php?tid=1351&pid=44817#pid44817 Mod Testing: Detailed comparison shots against Snow and Rock Textures HD (current STEP) and Beauty of Skyrim - Caves and Mines (Provided - thanks michaelrw)Now, this is where the community comes in - which of the 4 comparison shots in this post looks the best? Vote on the poll above, and (optionally) provide reasoning for your decision.
Farlo Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 This mod conflicts with "Snow & Rocks HD", how it stacks up against that is the real question.
Trexasle Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 UGh Goddammit I love it. The Problem is now picking and choosing sets between Snow and Rocks and This.
CaBaL Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 i like a lot this work...really a lot...like many other hectrol things....there's a small problem in color maps compression.... (dxt5 with empty alpha) nothing that ddsopt cannot handle perfectly without quality loss.
TechAngel85 Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 Someone do a comparison and post the screenshots here. I'm all compared out at the moment or I'd do it. EDIT: nvm, I see it in the OP. Hectrol is the clear winner in those shots. Would like to see more than one location though.
Neovalen Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 Looks nice, going to have to give it a whirl.
thalastwon Posted January 12, 2013 Author Posted January 12, 2013 When I come back from work in about 7-8 hours, Im going to get some more comparison shots up for you guys. But so far I'm definitely in love with it!
Neovalen Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 One thing I'm noticing just by comparing textures in a tool is that Hectrol removed a lot of a vegetation from the textures, (i.e. moss). So in other places it might not look as good. Going to have to go investigate various caves to look it up.
Neovalen Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 Alright, after looking at this in game I have to say I like snow and rocks hd better especially for caves that have mist/vegetation/water sources... makes no sense there would be ZERO moss where water/plants are present... the textures are great and I like them but they don't fit everywhere. This might be a good case for a partial use. :) Eventually I will have to look into which textures are better/worse for each case.
TechAngel85 Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 If the mod is separated by location or could be (i haven't downloaded it or I'd check the file structure), then it would be rather easy to make a BCF or batch file to only use this mod in specific locations where the lack of vegetation wouldn't make too much of a difference. This probably wouldn't be for this upcoming release. I've already almost completed a batch file that will combine all the mods in the Conflicting Graphics section. I've stopped work on it until the authors die down on their updates a bit. Specifically SMIM.
Farlo Posted January 12, 2013 Posted January 12, 2013 Unfortunately this mod is only 11 textures (cavebasewall01 through cavebasewall05 and their normals) and I assume they're used in quite a lot of places, so separating them by location isn't going to work. Someone want to post this thread on the mod's comment thread? Maybe he'll have something to say.
TechAngel85 Posted January 13, 2013 Posted January 13, 2013 This mod may need to be compared to Re-Defined Dungeons if any of those textures overlap. I don't have my WB setup or I'd check.
Farlo Posted January 13, 2013 Posted January 13, 2013 This mod may need to be compared to Re-Defined Dungeons if any of those textures overlap. I don't have my WB setup or I'd check.Surprisingly it doesn't, just Vanilla/HDDLC and Snow & Rocks HD. It also conflicts with SRO... but nevermind that for STEP :P
JudgmentJay Posted January 31, 2013 Posted January 31, 2013 Not sure if you guys were still considering this mod or what, but I took a couple comparison shots. This is basically Texture Pack Combiner which uses Snow and Rocks Textures HD compared to the same thing with Hectrol's installed over it. Hectrol >> Snow and Rocks Textures HD I think Hectrol's is a drastic improvement even if it removes the neon green moss. Hectrol's still has a slimy, mossy appearance to it without being overbearing. One thing that caught my attention is in the bottom right of the second comparison where the dirt meets the edge of the cliff. The transition doesn't look good for Snow and Rocks, but it's pretty well blended for Hectrol's.
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