Lightened Skyrim (by nicola89b and Firegtx)

[DoubleYou]

Discussion topic:
Lightened Skyrim by nicola89b and Firegtx
Wiki Link

---

This mod sounds like a no brainer to me. Anyone try it yet?

Dropped from testing: This mod doesn't account for USSEP (purposefully, it would seem), and it makes some bizarre and nonsensical changes.

[easyrider1988]

Please edit the Nexus link.
I don't have SSE installed currently, but this is my Tracked mods list and I'll definitely check it.

[Greg]

I corrected the link.

[DoubleYou]

2 hours ago, Greg said:

I corrected the link.

Thanks! 

[z929669]

A no brainer as long as they did not remove anything noticeable

[DoubleYou]

This mod has has Large Reference Bugs. Until such bugs are fixed, I feel it impossible to recommend we use this mod. Therefore, I am dropping this one from testing.

[TechAngel85]

17 minutes ago, DoubleYou said:

This mod has has Large Reference Bugs. Until such bugs are fixed, I feel it impossible to recommend we use this mod. Therefore, I am dropping this one from testing.

Unfortunately, most people don't know about those, much less how to fix them. They just need to run a xEdit script on the mod that sheson provides. But I agree, this one shouldn't be considered until those are addressed (though RWT had them for years and we still had it... ).

[DoubleYou]

Well, we didn't really understand these issues ourselves fully, simply because it's all so very confusing. I feel much more confident about LOD now than I ever have been after all the testing I've had to do. Also, RWT adds content to the game. This one doesn't. It'd be a different story if this mod actually added content.

[Mousetick]

Where do you see large reference bugs created by this mod? Can you show the specific warnings from DynDOLOD?

I don't have any warnings for this mod with DynDOLOD alpha 74.

The large references that this mod disables are automatically patched by DynDOLOD in DynDOLOD.esm so that they are buried underground without being disabled, which works around and avoids the LOD bug.

There are some large references that are disabled by this mod and then overwritten by Realistic Boat Bobbing in the load order, which re-enables them and changes their positions. These overwrites by RBB trigger the LOD bug and are reported by DynDOLOD. Which I solved by flagging the RBB plugin as ESM.

[z929669]

22 minutes ago, Mousetick said:

Where do you see large reference bugs created by this mod? Can you show the specific warnings from DynDOLOD?

I don't have any warnings for this mod with DynDOLOD alpha 74.

The large references that this mod disables are automatically patched by DynDOLOD in DynDOLOD.esm so that they are buried underground without being disabled, which works around and avoids the LOD bug.

There are some large references that are disabled by this mod and then overwritten by Realistic Boat Bobbing in the load order, which re-enables them and changes their positions. These overwrites by RBB trigger the LOD bug and are reported by DynDOLOD. Which I solved by flagging the RBB plugin as ESM.

Agree RBB is a LR offender, but the major offender is ELFX Exteriors. I've never noticed LR warnings with this mod either. Other offenders are Smooth Shores, Obsidian Mountain Fogs, and Snowy Roads In Snowy Regions. Not to say that any of these are actually creating any apparent LR bugs though.

If this mod does affect performance, do tell, because I think it's worth it if it does. I haven't noticed any impact myself, but also have not explicitly tested this mod. I just have had it in my load order for a while while testing other stuff.

[DoubleYou]

I will have to relook at this. I made a note of the issue several DynDOLOD generations ago, and maybe a DynDOLOD update is able to fix the issues. 

[DoubleYou]

23 minutes ago, z929669 said:

Agree RBB is a LR offender, but the major offender is ELFX Exteriors. I've never noticed LR warnings with this mod either. Other offenders are Smooth Shores, Obsidian Mountain Fogs, and Snowy Roads In Snowy Regions. Not to say that any of these are actually creating any apparent LR bugs though.

If this mod does affect performance, do tell, because I think it's worth it if it does. I haven't noticed any impact myself, but also have not explicitly tested this mod. I just have had it in my load order for a while while testing other stuff.

I thought our instructions said to disable all the ELFX plugins? 

[z929669]

20 minutes ago, DoubleYou said:

I thought our instructions said to disable all the ELFX plugins? 

They do, but I have had it enabled lots of times in the past. But thanks for posting this ... I need to disable it.

[Mousetick]

Yeah you may want to take a closer look. And perhaps double-check before dropping mods too quickly. There are a bunch of other mods in the guide that do trigger large references warnings from DynDOLOD and there is the question of what to do with them.

I have this list from my notes but I can't guarantee its accuracy:

• Landscape and Water Fixes
• Cutting Room Floor
• Realistic Boat Bobbing
• Obsidian Mountain Fogs
• Embers XD
• Hearthfire Extended
• Oblivion Gates Remade
• SMIM
• Aspens Ablaze
• Butterflies Unchained
• Smooth Shores
• Farmhouse Chimneys
• Likely any new location mod such as Arthmoor's villages which I don't use.

I was able to keep using all these mods and get rid of the DynDOLOD warnings by flagging them as ESM in xEdit (as well as their requirements in the load order as the case may be) and by splitting my CR patch into an ESM and an ESP (as the CR patch can also create large reference bugs).

I'm not suggesting that the guide should instruct users to flag plugins as ESM, as that complicates things and presents its own set of pitfalls if one is not careful. I'm just saying this is an effective solution.

3 hours ago, z929669 said:

If this mod does affect performance, do tell, because I think it's worth it if it does.

I can't say for sure as I don't really have any point of reference for comparison and I don't run before/after performance benchmarks. All I can say is that I've been using it all along since I started implementing STEP 2.0 last fall, and it has not caused any readily identifiable issue for me. So it doesn't seem to hurt, and it probably helps too since there is less stuff for the engine to render.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Mousetick
Corrected list of mods

[z929669]

8 hours ago, Mousetick said:

Yeah you may want to take a closer look. And perhaps double-check before dropping mods too quickly. There are a bunch of other mods in the guide that do trigger large references warnings from DynDOLOD and there is the question of what to do with them.

...

I can't say for sure as I don't really have any point of reference for comparison and I don't run before/after performance benchmarks. All I can say is that I've been using it all along since I started implementing STEP 2.0 last fall, and it has not caused any readily identifiable issue for me. So it doesn't seem to hurt, and it probably helps too since there is less stuff for the engine to render.

I am not in favor of dropping mods just because they have LR warnings. The vast majority of LR warnings to not manifest --in any reasonably-detectable way-- into LR bugs in game.

I'm marking this one for testing again, given that I agree that all evidence suggests that this mod invokes no LR bugs and it does reduce the number of rendered objects (even though the diff is not noticeable on my particular system). ... sheson would say something like: "If you can reduce the number of redundant rendered objects, why would you choose not to do so?"

... and if he wouldn't I would Now if the mod does introduce issues, that's another story.

Given all that^, our reasoning, and our results thus far, I am inclined to actually vote to accept this mod.