Changing Majestic Mountains (Lightside, Darkside, Main)

[Whitestar127]

I selected Darkside during the guide installation. But now that I've tested a bit I feel that they are way too dark in some areas, even with ENB. The best example is outside whiterun (south side); they look really really dark there. They look dang good on snowy mountains though. Almost wish there were two versions, one for snowy mountains and one for the rest. But anyway, I want to change from Darkside to "main" (standard) version.

I'm new to the whole DynDOLOD/TexGen/xLodGen thingy. So I'm a bit confused about what exactly I have to run again. Can I get away with only re-running Texgen when changing MM version?

 

This is what I guess I have to do:

1. Delete the MM mod and re-install it with main version (i.e. not Lightside or Darkside)

2. Delete everything under the Step SkyrimSE - TexGen Output mod folder

3. Run Texgen with the given parameters

4. Copy or move everything from DynDOLOD/TexGen_Output to the now empty Step SkyrimSE - TexGen Output mod folder

 

Is that correct? Or will I have to run xLodGen and/or DynDoLOD as well (since the guide states this: "Users should rebuild XLODGen any time a mod is installed or removed that alters the landscape (ground shape and textures). User should rebuild DynDOLOD any time a mod is installed or removed that add, remove, or relocated exterior objects such as buildings, roads, rocks, trees, etc.")?

I'm guessing that since I only touch textures and not any meshes I only have to run Texgen?

[z929669]

On 4/23/2021 at 9:19 AM, Whitestar127 said:

Is that correct?

Mostly correct, but you DO need to run DynDOLOD again. I suggest:

1. Untick the MM Darkside mod, TexGen Output, DynDOLOD Output, and Occlusion mods in MO in case you want to compare with Main later (you don't even need the MM xLODGen file, since it is 100% redundant with the MM DynDOLOD file, which you DO need ... it works for all MM versions)
2. Rename TexGen/DynDOLOD Output mods with a "MM - Darkside" suffix
3. Delete everything under "TexGen/DynDOLOD Output - MM - Darkside" (except for meta file)
4. Re-run LOOT
5. Install MM Main and tick the mod.
6. Move it to just after the MM Darkside mod (and before the MM DynDOLOD mod)
7. Refresh MO by hitting F5 (to be sure all assets are prioritized correctly before next steps)
8. Run TexGen as normal
9. Create NEW "TexGen Output - MM Main"  mod
10. Create NEW "DynDOLOD Output - MM Main"
11. Add to new "TexGen Output - MM Main" mod, and place just after the Darkside one. Tick this mod.
12. Run DynDOLOD as normal
13. Add to NEW "DynDOLOD Output - MM Main" mod, and place just after the Darkside one. Tick this mod.
14. Enable Occlusion mod
15. Run LOOT
16. Launch game & take screens
17. Now you can simply untickall MM Main mods and tick all MM Darkside stuff (MM DynDOLOD is always enabled), run LOOT and launch to get screen compares.

[Whitestar127]

Thanks, but now I get a CTD when starting a new game (from the main menu inside the game).

One thing I didn't understand; in point 3, why should I delete everything under TexGen/DynDOLOD Output - MM - Darkside? If that's deleted then surely I can't activate (tick) it again in point 15? And what does "MM DynDOLOD is always enabled mean"? I assume it means that the DynDOLOD belonging to the mod in question (Main or Darkside) should always be enabled.

Sorry, but I'm new to this and need to be spoonfed apparently.

 

Here are some images of how it looks in MO 2 now.

 

[z929669]

6 minutes ago, Whitestar127 said:

Thanks, but now I get a CTD when starting a new game (from the main menu inside the game).

One thing I didn't understand; in point 3, why should I delete everything under TexGen/DynDOLOD Output - MM - Darkside? If that's deleted then surely I can't activate (tick) it again in point 15? And what does "MM DynDOLOD is always enabled mean"? I assume it means that the DynDOLOD belonging to the mod in question (Main or Darkside) should always be enabled.

You need to delete it because it is invalid for the changed load order. you are generating the output again and placing it under that same mod in step 9.

Be certain after step 9 that all mods get ticked as described and also be certain that the plugins are all activated in the MO right pane.

Load into a clean save to check things. Be mindful that you want to load a game in an interior cell every time DynDOLOD data is changed. If in doubt, start a new game to get a clean save and COW to the area. COW tamriel 14 -24 should get you somewhere near Riften.

[Whitestar127]

12 minutes ago, z929669 said:

you are generating the output again and placing it under that same mod in step 9.

Hmmm, but you said "Add to NEW "TexGen Output - MM Main" mod, and place just after the Darkside one. Tick this mod."

That's not the same mod. It's a new one, which you can also see on the attached images. I don't suppose that matters though. And I have checked everything and still get a CTD as I'm about to load into that cell in Alternate Start.

For some reason I also suddenly got some ITD records in Luminosity Lighting Overhaul.esp when running LOOT. Those weren't there after I had gone through the whole guide and installed everything. So I autocleaned it with xEditQuickAutoClean.

[z929669]

Hmmm. Semantics. The instructions are accurate, so if you are getting a CTD, then there are other factors that I am not aware of.

I added new steps #7 and #8 in previous post ... I thought it was obvious, but perhaps now it makes more sense?

TexGen creates the assets needed by DynDOLOD. The assets are created from your load order. Saving said assets and your DynDOLOD output into mods that can be activated/deactivated means that you can reuse them later (with corresponding load order).

Changing the mod lineup in any way means that you need to regenerate ... if it is a mod that alters textures or meshes in the open world. Possibly even terrain. Depends on what changed. Read the MO warnings, search for conflicts, enable/disable mods based on reasonable conclusions.

You can always copy your MO profile into a new one and enable mods selectively from top to bottom. You do not need to start over, but rather approach your problem selectively and purposefully (i.e., using an algorithm), given all of the tools at your disposal. Modding is largely problem solving. Much like any hobby (computers, cars, cooking, etc.)

[Whitestar127]

16 hours ago, z929669 said:

I added new steps #7 and #8 in previous post ... I thought it was obvious, but perhaps now it makes more sense?

I guess it was kinda obvious, because it's exactly what I did. But yes those added steps make it more obvious.

Anyway, it looks like I forgot to merge the Lod Pack for DynDolod into the MM mod when I installed it, so I redid all your steps and did that as well.

But still, CTD.

 

The only things I have done after finishing the guide (at which point everything worked perfectly) are:

1. Installing ENB Helper (to be able to use ENBs).

2. Using BethINI to remove AO and DoF.

3. Installing and testing a couple of ENBs.

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Whitestar127

[z929669]

I would use an app like ENB Manager to properly configure you ENB. This could be what is going wrong. You could have messed with some SKSE stuff, since these are both installed directly into Data outside of MO.

Otherwise, you likely have a plugin missing or enabled that doesn't belong to current load order.

[Whitestar127]

18 hours ago, z929669 said:

You can always copy your MO profile into a new one and enable mods selectively from top to bottom. You do not need to start over, but rather approach your problem selectively and purposefully (i.e., using an algorithm), given all of the tools at your disposal. Modding is largely problem solving. Much like any hobby (computers, cars, cooking, etc.)

Thanks, I followed your advice. Re-activated one by one and got as far as ready for STEP 5. Game ran fine.

But, when running xLodGen just now it froze for some reason. The last 4 lines looked like this:

[12.08] Error creating textures for level 4 quad [-28,0] Assertion failure (C:\Delphi\Projects\xEdit\Core\wbImplementation.pas, line 17281)
[12.08] f:\skyrimse_modding\tools\xlodgen\xlodgen_output\textures\terrain\dlc2solstheimworld\dlc2solstheimworld.4.-36.4_n.dds
[12.08] f:\skyrimse_modding\tools\xlodgen\xlodgen_output\textures\terrain\dlc2solstheimworld\dlc2solstheimworld.8.-40.0_n.dds
[12.08] f:\skyrimse_modding\tools\xlodgen\xlodgen_output\textures\terrain\dlc2solstheimworld\dlc2solstheimworld.16.-48.0_n.dds

Didn't have this issue the last time. Will try again.

EDIT: Now it worked.

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Whitestar127

[Whitestar127]

Well, I got there in the end. Thanks for your patience.

MM Main looks a lot better than Darkside for this install IMO. Darkside looked good with snow cover but was just waaay too dark in other places, such as outside Whiterun and around Oakwood. Main has a more brownish color that goes well with the rest of the terrain.

I would like to experiment with Lightside also, but I'm afraid I'll break everything again. What would be the best way to keep this install "safe" so I can easily get back to it? Just copy everything into a new profile and do the experiments threre instead? Does everything get copied, as in can I just immediately launch the game from the new profile after copying?

Or would it perhaps be better to just create an "image" of everything the way it is now? Backup the Skyrim install folder + the Skyrim Special Edition folder under Appdata\Local\ I mean.

[z929669]

If you want to change MM between Main/LS/DS, then all you need to do is install each variant into its own mod followed by the MM DynDOLOD file. The DDL file should always remain active, and all you need to do is enable ONE MM variant and regen LOD.

You can save the LOD ourputs into three variations as well to easily switch between them. This is just a resource change, so it is very simple to do.

With MO, there is no need to 'backup' as you mention. If you installed MO as standalone/instanced, then you can create completely different mod lists. Under a single instance, you can have many different profiles base on that mod list. See the MO guide for more info.

[Whitestar127]

 

On 4/25/2021 at 2:23 AM, z929669 said:

The instructions are accurate, so if you are getting a CTD, then there are other factors that I am not aware of.

No surprise I suppose but this turned out to be very true.

There was one thing I forgot to mention: I installed the True 3D Sound for heaphones mod after following your instructions above, and before starting a new game. Silly, I know. It just didn't occur to me because I regarded that mod to be ultra safe and not conflict with anything. Big mistake as it turns out, because I found this in a support post "The DLL file included in this mod caused me to CTD upon starting a new game. Was tearing my hair out trying to figure out what mod it was in MO2, and even on an unmodded game, only to realise it was this. Everything works fine without it installed."

followed by:

"Actually I'm willing to bet you have Alternate Start - Live Another Life installed. This 3D Sound mod is not compatible with the starting prison cell in that mod, because those cells have some custom sound settings in its ESP that seem to not play well with 3D sound (in my experience normally when having Immersive Sounds Integration installed as well... possibly due to a conflict with that sound mod and the ASLAL cell). Simply rename the DLL, start the game, create your character, leave the starting cell, then name the DLL back to its normal name. Voila! Working 3D Sound. Just be sure to remember to rename the DLL temporarily again if you start another new game. This DLL doesn't affect your save in any way, so it won't harm anything to disable mid-playthrough."

 

That mod is old now by the way. The newer version is Binaural 3D Surround Sound for Headphones - HRTF.

But there are two issues with the new version as well:

1. The sound conflict is still there - I got a CTD before arriving in the cell of ASLAL.

2. "Audio Overhaul is not compatible for some users." (from the description page).

Issue 1 can easily be avoided by doing the highlighted text above (from the support posts), or by doing like I did; simply wait to install it after leaving the ASLAL prison cell.

Issue 2 I have no clue about. I have Audio Overhaul installed (as per the Skyrim SE guide) and I don't have any issues. Yet.

The mod can't be installed using MO2 or Vortex. Just like ENB the files have to be manually copied to the Skyrim SE game folder. The files look like this:

 

So the dll file and the hrtf folder containing the mhr files go into the Skyrim SE folder. But they have to be removed every time you want to start a new game (using ASLAL) and then copied back after leaving the cell. At least that's my experience. 

Just thought I'd mention this here for completeness sake.

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Whitestar127