Lexy's: Legacy of The Dragonborn Special Edition

[DarkladyLexy]

FYI, there is an "xedit script - adjust interior lighting" patch under "optional" files on the ELE page.  I'm not saying it needs to be changed, just thought you'd like to know.

that is my train of thought now just need to work out how to use it properly. ELFX won't be pulled anytime soon (If ever) I have other more pressing issues to deal with. 

[Kneph13]

FYI, there is an "xedit script - adjust interior lighting" patch under "optional" files on the ELE page.  I'm not saying it needs to be changed, just thought you'd like to know.

and Yes, there is that.  I'm of the mind of...."it is isn't broke don't fix it".  This lighting set up has been used for years, why?  Because it works.  Vivid Weathers needed to be changed, Obsidian is just better in nearly all aspects.  But if you haven't noticed, there aren't a plethora of mod authors introducing new lighting mods.  There is a reason for that.

[godescalcus]

Don't think I'm calling for any ELFX removal. On the contrary, I just spent half a day looking into the damned winking skeever in xEdit to try and find ways to make it not so dark, but couldn't find a way to change ELFX with only xEdit. You can get static formids from the game but not light bulbs, so I tried guessing those from the x,y,z positioning and tweak those - but with limited results. Only thing that made the blasted inn brighter was to delete the whole cell record from ELFX - which fixed the darkness to some extent, but not in every corner. And it made the whole place poorer, for sure. The truth is ELFX disables some of the main lights in that place in favour of smaller, more close to the ground sources with very tiny radiuses. Cosier, yes, but in that particular place it'd damned not realistic. Dark dungeons? Sure. Pitch black taverns is another thing. And it does come from ELE and not ELFX. It's the lighting templates from ELE that make it so that when ELFX disables some light sources it gets so dark.

 

Matter of opinion, but while I defend ELFX I still think that crawling in dark dungeons is great as long as it doesn't take part of the game away with it. I really like to be able to see how huge some spaces are. Look up the making of skyrim video and see how the devs wanted those dungeons to be perceived as huge. I don't want to say we're forced to see things the way Beth's guys see them, and it's not that many that are too dark for that IMO. From todays crawling I can say this issue is much less apparent on this build than it was with the SLE guide. I guess different versions of the mods may account for it.

 

If it were something we could manage, and I've been stretching my limited skills trying to achieve that, I'd tweak this lighting combo in those places where it needs tweaking, and leave it as it is, which is next to grand.

Edited July 14, 2018 by godescalcus

[redirishlord]

FYI, there is an "xedit script - adjust interior lighting" patch under "optional" files on the ELE page.  I'm not saying it needs to be changed, just thought you'd like to know.

Thanks for pointing that out, I missed it. Now I can experiment with a more durable "fix" to tweak my personal lighting instead of using the Skyrim Re-Engaged ENB menu global interior & exterior brightness slider.

[godescalcus]

and Yes, there is that.  I'm of the mind of...."it is isn't broke don't fix it".  This lighting set up has been used for years, why?  Because it works.  Vivid Weathers needed to be changed, Obsidian is just better in nearly all aspects.  But if you haven't noticed, there aren't a plethora of mod authors introducing new lighting mods.  There is a reason for that.

I agree with your conservative approach and use the same "if is isn't broke don't fix it" attitude myself. I just don't agree that the setup can't be improved, while I do agree that it's probably as perfect as it can be without touching the mods themselves. And that it can be a matter of taste. All of the main city taverns are a bit too dark IMO, and so is the temple of the divines and a few other places. But there are times when I like the darkness. Here's one that makes me think of Caravaggio:

 

[UrbanLegend619]

most of what LOOT Moaning about is cos either the plugin has been merged or I took care of it in the Conflcit Resolutions but LOOT can tell that.  Sacrosanct - Vampires of Skyrim.esp doesn't need cleaning Convenient Horses.esp should be ok too.

 

Edit: also Immersive Citizens - AI Overhaul.esp and Dawnstar.esp are actually OK together so ignore LOOT. RDO and IAFT are ok cos i sorted conflicts

Thank you so much for the quick responses.  

 

I have a few more questions I'm hoping you or someone can answer.  Seems I'm only hours away from maybe starting this puppy up.

 

Pre Smash Patch:

After Wrye Bash deactivated all those plugins and I moved them to the bottom of the load order (right panel), I was supposed to re-activate them, right?  So that Merge Plugins would see them?  And after I create the merge plugin, I continue to leave the mods that got merged activated?  Just a little confused here.

 

Also, when I unchecked aMidianBorn_ContentAddon.esp in Wrye Bash (based on the Notice in that step), it also de-activated "the great equalizer.esp".  I'm hoping that's right?

 

 

xLODGEN

When I move the SSELODGen_Output to MO and activate, do I leave it at the bottom of my load order?   Then move 'A Quality World map' underneath that?

 

If that's the case my load order at the bottom is currently: (RIGHT SIDE)

The Great Equalizer.esp

All the Wrye Bash mods deactivated (however, I've re-activated them)

Pre Smash Patch Merged.esp

Conflict Resolution Merged.esp

Smash Patch.esp

zPatch.esp

Dyndolod.esp (Although I haven't got here yet.  I'm about to start this one)

 

 

LEFT SIDE

The Great Equalizer Output

FNIS Output

Pre Smash Patched Merged

Smash Patch

zEdit Output

ReLinker Output

SSELODGen_Output

A Quality World Map

Better Falskaar and Wyrmstooth Maps with Roads

Dyndolod?  (not gotten this far yet, but assuming)

 

Again, thanks for you patience.  Hoping in the future to maybe even be of use when I get all this working and have a better understanding.  

[UrbanLegend619]

And then to follow up on the previous questions, sounds like TexGen64 output and Dyndolod64 output at bottom of left side and Dydnolod.esm after Gray Cowl, but Dyndolod.esp at the bottom?

[Kneph13]

I agree with your conservative approach and use the same "if is isn't broke don't fix it" attitude myself. I just don't agree that the setup can't be improved, while I do agree that it's probably as perfect as it can be without touching the mods themselves. And that it can be a matter of taste. All of the main city taverns are a bit too dark IMO, and so is the temple of the divines and a few other places. But there are times when I like the darkness. Here's one that makes me think of Caravaggio:

 

     I really like that picture.

 

I honestly wasn't directing my previous comments at "you" @godescalcus per se.  But at the many doing exactly what I was talking about on the Discord side.  I tend to agree with the majority of things that you bring up and suggest.  Just wanted to clarify.

[Kneph13]

     And on another thought:  I think it might be a good idea to concentrate on including LOTD museum supported mods into the guide (if possible) prior to adding anything else new (if that is Lexy's overall direction).  It is the highlight of the guide and what it is built around after all.  I'll shut up now.

[godescalcus]

Ok, here's a full day's worth of wastefully modding with xEdit: tweaked nothing but one light bulb in the Winking Skeever. No imagespace edits, no lighting template edits. Just the good old combo with one tweaked bulb. There are shady corners for you shady rogues, a well lit central stage for Lisette, atmosphere and all. No funny ELFX flickers that I noticed (I didn't add or remove anything, just changed the light bulb and tweaked the radius, fade, etc).

 

Original first, then tweaked.

 

 

Not saying it can't be improved, but at least it's done in accordance with ELFX's direction, just tweaking it a bit.

Edited July 14, 2018 by godescalcus

[Shadriss]

You swapped your weather system during a live playthrough?  Or this is on a fresh start?

Fresh start. I'm not silly enough to change out THAT big of a thing on a playthrough.

 

I've been digging through the ENB files and there are a few that affect interior lighting, for those who think it's too dark (of which I half agree, just not enough to give up elfx for   ).  

 

enbseries.ini -> ambientlightingintensityinteriorday and ambientlightingintensityinteriornight

enbeffect.fx.ini -> brightness - interior and contrast - interior

 

The enbeffect.fx.ini is most easily tweaked in game by bringing up the enb config (freeze game with console, then shift+enter.  Saving is a pain...you save, then apply.  Or maybe it's apply, then save, which would make more sense but I'm fairly certain it's the nonsensical order.).

 

I hope this helps!

Thanks for the extra settings - my only question is which ENB you were using, since a lot of setting names change from ENB to ENB... or at least, judging from the differences between Re-Engaged and Phoenix, they do.

[Shadriss]

What I was doing when I had those ctds was messing with dyndolod, rw2 and the retexture section, not because of the ctds but because I was testing mods and configs. Try Xp32 4.20 as suggested in the posts above. Try disabling dyndolod and the NPC retexture.

I'll take a look at both of those - the Dyn portion especially. I ended up doing my run of xLOD generating tree LOD as well (because all the Falskaar tree LOD is missing somehow... or I just never noticed it wasn't there at all in previous runs), so that's a definite possibility. Barring that, NPC will be my next test.

 

@ Godescalcus - lol I completely disagree with your sensibilities there... I love my dark dungeons, I find them atmospheric and exploring them to be much more fun/tense.  That's a different strokes for different folks sort of thing though.

 

But yes, really, ELE is the mod that makes things darker.  I wasn't guessing earlier when I said that.  RS + ELFX BOTH make the game a little darker at least in some areas, but they do that only by moving around and sometimes removing light sources.  

Not trying to be a nuisance, just trying to make sure poor Lexy doesn't get convinced to change the lighting in the guide only to find that people still complain about dungeons being too dark. 

First - I've been wrong before. I made a guess based on previous builds that, as it turns out and has been proven, is wrong. I'm ok with being wrong. In fact, I'm glad I am, because it means I still have things to learn.

 

Second - I'm not sure anyone was ever trying to convince Lexy to do that. Read over the course of posts - I made it clear that I wasn't recommending that, only that there were only (in my incorrect assumption at the time) two ways to deal with the lighting. One of those ways is still valid - adjusting ENB values. The other was off base, and should be ignored in light (HAHA) of the evidence.

 

Removing ELFX is going to be a bad idea.  As baronaatista said ELE is the darkness culprit.  Some effects that ELFX adds are going to be sorely missed.  We have been using this RS/ELE/ELFX setup since SRLE  why change it now?   This is your guide, Lexy.  Make it the way you want and stop listening to all these people trying to make you change it to "their" game.  If they want a change, let them make it to "their" setup.

What I said above - I don't think anyone was trying to get her to remove it. I specifically said, after she brought up the possibility, that I was surprised it was even being considered. Obviously, it's a moot point now since she's clearly said it's not going, but please don't read into people's (my) words things that weren't there. As I said - I didn't want to start a war, and ELFX is one of those things that tends to start one.

 

So, all that said, has anyone messed around with the ELE file mentioned above to adjust interior brightness? I'm real curious if this will address my concerns there or not.

 

EDIT: Also, apologies for the double post - the two didn't merge for some reason.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Shadriss

[godescalcus]

only that there were only (in my incorrect assumption at the time) two ways to deal with the lighting. One of those ways is still valid - adjusting ENB values. The other was off base, and should be ignored in light (HAHA) of the evidence.

Seems like there's a third, which is to dig into ELFX and tweak it. A lot of trouble if done with xEdit, I swear. But I'm happy with the result I got (posted above). No need to change the guide, only one record edited (a light bulb).

 

I think we all agree that the SRLE light combo still rules ;)

[Shadriss]

When you said one bulb, I get the impression that it's only for one location... but it affects everywhere, doesn't it? Interesting approach to the problem, and not for a lot of people (not without step by step, anyhow), but if it works, great. I am curios how that will affect dungeons and such, which is where I really have problems.

[Kneph13]

I'll take a look at both of those - the Dyn portion especially. I ended up doing my run of xLOD generating tree LOD as well (because all the Falskaar tree LOD is missing somehow... or I just never noticed it wasn't there at all in previous runs), so that's a definite possibility. Barring that, NPC will be my next test.

 

First - I've been wrong before. I made a guess based on previous builds that, as it turns out and has been proven, is wrong. I'm ok with being wrong. In fact, I'm glad I am, because it means I still have things to learn.

 

Second - I'm not sure anyone was ever trying to convince Lexy to do that. Read over the course of posts - I made it clear that I wasn't recommending that, only that there were only (in my incorrect assumption at the time) two ways to deal with the lighting. One of those ways is still valid - adjusting ENB values. The other was off base, and should be ignored in light (HAHA) of the evidence.

 

What I said above - I don't think anyone was trying to get her to remove it. I specifically said, after she brought up the possibility, that I was surprised it was even being considered. Obviously, it's a moot point now since she's clearly said it's not going, but please don't read into people's (my) words things that weren't there. As I said - I didn't want to start a war, and ELFX is one of those things that tends to start one.

 

So, all that said, has anyone messed around with the ELE file mentioned above to adjust interior brightness? I'm real curious if this will address my concerns there or not.

 

EDIT: Also, apologies for the double post - the two didn't merge for some reason.

     I went back and looked and I did in fact misread your post.  But I wasn't directing my comment directly at you either.  It was all the other little birdies chiming in.  I don't want a war either.  You also tend to add quite a bit to the guide and I appreciate those efforts.

 

     Seems I don't do a very good job of explaining my line of thought or reasons behind them and am often thought of as lecturing or yelling at folks.  A reason I bowed out of posting on Discord.  I don't mind being wrong either, I often am in one way or another.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Kneph13