STEP 4 - 19-Utilities

[xFeywolf]

Hello again!

I am following the STEP Guide and have now come to the 19-Utilities section. Upon [Expand]ing the DynDOLOD 3 Alpha section it wants me to do follow these steps:

Quote

1. Ensure that both x86 and x64 versions of Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019 are installed.
2. Download the DynDOLOD 3.00 miscellaneous file. The Resources file was installed previously, so ignore it.
3. Extract the archive to the Tools folder (e.g. ..\Modding\Tools\DynDOLOD).
4. Create a folder for the application output called, DynDOLOD_Output: ..\Modding\Tools\DynDOLOD\DynDOLOD_Output

The issue is that for #2, on the DynDOLOD 3 Alpha page there are no miscellaneous files? Am I supposed to just download the main file and install that following #3? Thanks for the help beforehand!

[xFeywolf]

Also - this part is confusing me:

Quote

Modify INIs

The guide disables grass LOD by default. Instructions for enabling grass LODGen are also provided and may be enabled at a later time as instructed by the guide if adequate performance headroom is available.

Navigate to C:/Modding/Tools/DynDOLOD/Edit Scripts/DynDOLOD/DynDOLOD_SSE.ini, and modify as follows by removing the semicolons at the start of each line where necessary:

Expert=1

Level132=1

GrassGID=gid DoubleSidedTextureMask=mountain,mtn

DoubleSidedMeshMask=mountain,mtn

Navigate to C:/Modding/Tools/DynDOLOD/Edit Scripts/DynDOLOD/TexGen_SSE.ini, and modify as follows:

TreeMSAlphaThreshold=127

The part I highlighted in black.. Do I want to make the changes listed in the window below(s) or should I leave them as default as listed in the base DynDOLOD_SSE.ini?

[CorneliusC]

1 hour ago, xFeywolf said:

The issue is that for #2, on the DynDOLOD 3 Alpha page there are no miscellaneous files? Am I supposed to just download the main file and install that following #3? Thanks for the help beforehand!

You would want to download and install the main file ... (Instructions might relate to an older version of the mod?)

1 hour ago, xFeywolf said:

The part I highlighted in black.. Do I want to make the changes listed in the window below(s) or should I leave them as default as listed in the base DynDOLOD_SSE.ini?

You would want to make the changes as listed, 'modify as follows'. Please also watch out for the mentioned semicolons and remove/ uncomment them ...

[xFeywolf]

5 minutes ago, CorneliusC said:

You would want to download and install the main file ... (Instructions might relate to an older version of the mod?)

You would want to make the changes as listed, 'modify as follows'. Please also watch out for the mentioned semicolons and remove/ uncomment them ...

I ended doing exactly as you stated. Now my only issue is the Nexus STEP Patches all require the AU as Masters which I do not own so now I'm not sure what to do.

[CorneliusC]

31 minutes ago, xFeywolf said:

Now my only issue is the Nexus STEP Patches all require the AU as Masters which I do not own so now I'm not sure what to do.

I wonder how you could get past this issue on this forum? The AU is required and considered the current 'final', full game version. For example please see Modding SSE 1.6.xxx Without The Anniversary Upgrade ... It also explains why this wouldn't function any other way as opposed to patching several different versions.

Edit: I see you already discussed this here yesterday:

Edited November 8, 2022 by CorneliusC

[xFeywolf]

39 minutes ago, CorneliusC said:

I wonder how you could get past this issue on this forum? The AU is required and considered the current 'final', full game version. For example please see Modding SSE 1.6.xxx Without The Anniversary Upgrade ... It also explains why this wouldn't function any other way as opposed to patching several different versions.

I am currently running into this exact issue as I am now at the STEP 4 - 20-Patches step and am trying to wrap my head around how to move forward as the Nexus STEP Patches require the FULL GAME which means I can't install the STEP Patch - Lighting and Weather as it requires the STEP Patch - Conflict Resolution -- neither of which I can install despite possibly finding a way around the latter (which I will not mention here for obvious reasons).

[z929669]

5 hours ago, xFeywolf said:

Hello again!

I am following the STEP Guide and have now come to the 19-Utilities section. Upon [Expand]ing the DynDOLOD 3 Alpha section it wants me to do follow these steps:

The issue is that for #2, on the DynDOLOD 3 Alpha page there are no miscellaneous files? Am I supposed to just download the main file and install that following #3? Thanks for the help beforehand!

Updated this instruction to reflect current Nexus mod page.

[z929669]

2 hours ago, xFeywolf said:

I am currently running into this exact issue as I am now at the STEP 4 - 20-Patches step and am trying to wrap my head around how to move forward as the Nexus STEP Patches require the FULL GAME which means I can't install the STEP Patch - Lighting and Weather as it requires the STEP Patch - Conflict Resolution -- neither of which I can install despite possibly finding a way around the latter (which I will not mention here for obvious reasons).

As already mentioned explicitly: We do not support those running without all DLC. This is why.

All I will say is that you should download, install, and enable all mods and patches as the guide instructs (except for the 3 or so mods that are not yet updated for 1.6.640 ... keep those disabled for now). You will not be able to move beyond Performance Tuning though, because your game will be broken. You must sort with LOOT, run xEdit with all plugins activated, and resolve the missing patch dependencies on your own (if xEdit will even run, since you are missing masters). There are workarounds and ways to get it all working without CC, but this is beyond the scope of the guide and most community help. You will need to learn how to use xEdit and patching. We have guide for this, and they also exist elsewhere.

I recommend spending the measly $20 to get the CC content so that you can load everything into xEdit, get rid of the CC records, and uninstall the AE update ... that's well in excess of $20 worth of labor Or just use the CC content.

If you can install and use Step, you almost certainly have access to $20, no? Your PC costs at least 30 times that.

[xFeywolf]

2 minutes ago, z929669 said:

If you can install and use Step, you almost certainly have access to $20, no? Your PC costs at least 30 times that.

At this present moment in time NO I DO NOT  due to personal/private matters I do not care to share on a forum. My PC was purchased/built a few years ago, as with Skyrim, so "almost certainly" having access to something I do not (as mentioned vaguely previous buy stating I do not own aforementioned content in previous topics) is a very bold assumption. I am doing everything I can with this current installation to make sure it works as well as possible so that I can get it to work relatively properly until such a time where I can afford the AU.

[z929669]

14 minutes ago, xFeywolf said:

At this present moment in time NO I DO NOT  due to personal/private matters I do not care to share on a forum. My PC was purchased/built a few years ago, as with Skyrim, so "almost certainly" having access to something I do not (as mentioned vaguely previous buy stating I do not own aforementioned content in previous topics) is a very bold assumption. I am doing everything I can with this current installation to make sure it works as well as possible so that I can get it to work relatively properly until such a time where I can afford the AU.

Fair enough. There are many reasons why one couldn't obtain the AU (lack of funding being only one of them). I thought you might be avoiding the AU out of principle (the main reason most people don't have it and don't obtain it [and use $ as the excuse, which is definitely reasonable]).

An alternative approach is to skip the Step patches (and many kryptopyr and other patches) completely and create your own. Then you don't need to worry about anything but dependency of your mods on the CC content. The only problem is that you don't have the ability to see how those patches are working as a basis for your own.

---

Another approach would be to install everything and let MO tell you what master are missing for what mods, and then either disable those mods or download different versions that may exist for those same mods. Then maybe most things will work well enough without your having to patch.

[xFeywolf]

57 minutes ago, z929669 said:

Fair enough. There are many reasons why one couldn't obtain the AU (lack of funding being only one of them). I thought you might be avoiding the AU out of principle (the main reason most people don't have it and don't obtain it [and use $ as the excuse, which is definitely reasonable]).

An alternative approach is to skip the Step patches (and many kryptopyr and other patches) completely and create your own. Then you don't need to worry about anything but dependency of your mods on the CC content. The only problem is that you don't have the ability to see how those patches are working as a basis for your own.

---

Another approach would be to install everything and let MO tell you what master are missing for what mods, and then either disable those mods or download different versions that may exist for those same mods. Then maybe most things will work well enough without your having to patch.

I do appreciate all of the help I have recieved up until this point. I do also apologize if my previous response came off as rude. I do, however understand why the assumption was made as to why I don't own the AU as, in the beginning when AU was released, that was the reason I didn't want the AU - merely out of principle.

Further thanks for the suggestion(s) under your "horizontal line"(?) (that's what Chrome describes it as). Seeing as that approach will most certain be the best possible solution for my given situation would it be possible/okay to ask if I should continue strictly following the STEP Guide (save one exception when I replaced the UNP related mods in 08-Character Appearance with CBBE instead) and then disable/replace whatever is missing a master?

Again, the biggest culprit(s) are currently the Nexus STEP Patches with a few exceptions from kryptopyr's Patch Hub that STEP recommends installing as either standalones or a merged custom file. The STEP Patch - Conflict Resolution (albeit I don't know everything it changes) I may be able to work around, however the STEP Patch - Lighting and Weather is harder as I really want to use all of the mods related to this patch (especially Realistic Waters Two SE) and I am not sure how to go about it..

Edited November 8, 2022 by xFeywolf

[xFeywolf]

I also haven't installed the Unofficial Skyrim Creation Club Content Patches because of the aforementioned reasons.

Edit: Reason I skipped over it entirely is because when installing via the "Individual" FOMOD choice instead of "Merged" is because none of the options pertain to the CC content I am able to install.

Edited November 8, 2022 by xFeywolf
Giving reason as to why I skipped the USCCCP.

[z929669]

For your situation, you should be using the guide loosely as a validation of mods to use in your mod list, the order that they should be prioritized, and how to set up your game environment, MO and other modding tools, and BethINI. You can also use the LODGen portion as a reference, particularly if you are using Cathedral Landscapes/Weathers.

Follow guidance as it applies and handle patching/conflicts by extrapolating and referencing the many xEdit/SSEedit guides out there.

[xFeywolf]

On 11/9/2022 at 12:47 AM, z929669 said:

For your situation, you should be using the guide loosely as a validation of mods to use in your mod list, the order that they should be prioritized, and how to set up your game environment, MO and other modding tools, and BethINI. You can also use the LODGen portion as a reference, particularly if you are using Cathedral Landscapes/Weathers.

Follow guidance as it applies and handle patching/conflicts by extrapolating and referencing the many xEdit/SSEedit guides out there.

I posted this as a seperate topic, however want to link it here to see if I can maybe get a response: Safe to "Update"?

Edit: I realized after the fact that I worded part of what I was asking incorrectly and edited what I actually meant as a reply on that topic.

Edited November 10, 2022 by xFeywolf
Clarification