GUIDE System Setup Guide (SSG)

[FendisKhan]

I am excited to see the progress that has been made since my last visit to STEP. Thanks for all the great work!

I noticed a couple of typos on this page (stepmodifications.org/wiki/Guide:System_Setup_Guide):

1) There are two places where reference is made to "Modding Folder". I believe these should read "Modding" folder (since the folder is recommended to be called "Modding").

2) The suggested folder for xLOD outputs is currently "xLODGen_Oputput".  This should probably be "xLODGen_Output" (without the "p")

[FendisKhan]

In the section titled "The "Modding" folder structure should now reflect:" the second line refers to the folder "..\Games\Modding\GameName".  I am not sure what step in the instructions produces that folder. Did I do something wrong? Or will that folder be created in a later step?

Also, it might be helpful to mention the subfolder "..\Games\Modding\Tools\xLODGen\xLODGen_Oputput" (with the correction I mentioned earlier).

Edited May 8, 2022 by FendisKhan

[Greg]

6 hours ago, FendisKhan said:

I am excited to see the progress that has been made since my last visit to STEP. Thanks for all the great work!

I noticed a couple of typos on this page (stepmodifications.org/wiki/Guide:System_Setup_Guide):

1) There are two places where reference is made to "Modding Folder". I believe these should read "Modding" folder (since the folder is recommended to be called "Modding").

2) The suggested folder for xLOD outputs is currently "xLODGen_Oputput".  This should probably be "xLODGen_Output" (without the "p")

I corrected these typos in the System Setup guide.

6 hours ago, FendisKhan said:

In the section titled "The "Modding" folder structure should now reflect:" the second line refers to the folder "..\Games\Modding\GameName".  I am not sure what step in the instructions produces that folder. Did I do something wrong? Or will that folder be created in a later step?

Also, it might be helpful to mention the subfolder "..\Games\Modding\Tools\xLODGen\xLODGen_Oputput" (with the correction I mentioned earlier).

I left this one alone, but I think you can ignore the ..\Games\Modding\GameName folder listed here. I suspect this was left over from before Mod Organizer supported global instances. If you choose "Create a global instance" as recommended by the guide, this one installed copy of Mod Organizer can be used to manage all supported games.

[z929669]

2 hours ago, Greg said:

I corrected these typos in the System Setup guide.

I left this one alone, but I think you can ignore the ..\Games\Modding\GameName folder listed here. I suspect this was left over from before Mod Organizer supported global instances. If you choose "Create a global instance" as recommended by the guide, this one installed copy of Mod Organizer can be used to manage all supported games.

Exactly. This had been fixed I thought but must have missed this one instance. It had been inconsistently recommended in many areas so all should now be consistent.

[TechAngel85]

Just keep in mind when making changes to this Guide is that it's used for all games, not just Skyrim, so try to keep things generic.

[FendisKhan]

Typo in Guide:Mod Organizer/Hide Assets:

3. To hide a file or folder, right-click on if and select [Hide].
 

[Badfrog88]

The System Setup Guide shows the file structure as:

C:\Modding

C:\Modding\Tools

Then under Steam Installation shows C:\Games.

This thread seems to indicate the file structure should be:

C:\Games\

C:\Games\Modding

C:\Games\Modding\Tools

with Steam being installed into the Games folder. 

Am I understanding this correctly?

[z929669]

1 hour ago, Badfrog88 said:

The System Setup Guide shows the file structure as:

C:\Modding

C:\Modding\Tools

Then under Steam Installation shows C:\Games.

This thread seems to indicate the file structure should be:

C:\Games\

C:\Games\Modding

C:\Games\Modding\Tools

with Steam being installed into the Games folder. 

Am I understanding this correctly?

The Steam instructions indicate to install Steam outside of UAC-controlled paths. C:\Games is a suggestion for game paths. It's independent of C:\Modding\* ... which is also a suggestion for modding-related paths. The point is that the path doesn't matter as long as it's organized and intuitive.

---

Edit:I removed the reference to 'above', which is probably why you are asking.

[Badfrog88]

1 hour ago, z929669 said:

The Steam instructions indicate to install Steam outside of UAC-controlled paths. C:\Games is a suggestion for game paths. It's independent of C:\Modding\* ... which is also a suggestion for modding-related paths. The point is that the path doesn't matter as long as it's organized and intuitive.

---

Edit:I removed the reference to 'above', which is probably why you are asking.

Thank you for the clarification, and that was exactly why I was asking. I’m going to begin my reinstall tomorrow. 

[TechAngel85]

The Guide has been updated:

• The Modding Folder section has been tidied by removing some verbiage, organizing the structure, and adding a note that a SDD/M2 drive is recommended.
• Miscellaneous subsection added to the Tools Installation and Setup section for programs like 7-zip and Notepad++.
• Adjusted some spacing within Tools Installation and Setup section for emphasis.
• Corrected the file folder structure example at the end of Tools Installation and Setup section.

[z929669]

2 hours ago, TechAngel85 said:

The Guide has been updated:

• The Modding Folder section has been tidied by removing some verbiage, organizing the structure, and adding a note that a SDD/M2 drive is recommended.
• Miscellaneous subsection added to the Tools Installation and Setup section for programs like 7-zip and Notepad++.
• Adjusted some spacing within Tools Installation and Setup section for emphasis.
• Corrected the file folder structure example at the end of Tools Installation and Setup section.

Good changes. Thanks.

I did tweak verbiage in two places and punctuation in one place

[TechAngel85]

4 hours ago, TechAngel85 said:

The Guide has been updated:

• The Modding Folder section has been tidied by removing some verbiage, organizing the structure, and adding a note that a SDD/M2 drive is recommended.
• Miscellaneous subsection added to the Tools Installation and Setup section for programs like 7-zip and Notepad++.
• Adjusted some spacing within Tools Installation and Setup section for emphasis.
• Corrected the file folder structure example at the end of Tools Installation and Setup section.

The Guide has been updated, again:

Quoted previous update for convenience

The Display Calibration section at the end of the Guide has been reworked. The Staff recently re-discovered the vast differences between monitors as we've upgraded our personal systems. This section has been updated to reflect the fact that there is too great a difference between monitors for Step to reliably provide any sort of "standardize" instruction for this calibration. As such, we're providing links to RTINGS's guide for the calibration process.

RTINGS are independent professionals who provide reviews of computer electronics, including monitors. The products they review are voted on by their community and are not paid for by any company; allowing them to provide bias free reviews. During their process for monitors they use professional calibration equipment to provide the most accurate color calibration possible. They will usually provide a ready-to-use, professionally calibrated ICC profile for download.

[z929669]

The Guide has been updated, again:

• Moving Steam and installed games from the default location is now a soft requirement
• Updated Steam maintenance instructions
• Updated MO initialization instructions
• Updated BethINI download instructions to support both old and upcoming guides
• Updated spoiler instructions where applicable, and added consistency to all spoiler titles
• Simplified driver-maintenance instructions
• Further improved consistency of language and paths referenced (more work to do in this area on mod and guide pages)