GUIDE [WIP] DDSopt & Texture Overhauls

[z929669]

Discussion thread:
DDSopt Guide by STEP
Wiki Link

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GET DDSopt:
Github Pre-release versions
Official Nexus versions (select pre-release update 4)

[peppergomez]

Edit- nevermind.

 

I had a Wrye Bash related question (I just installed the standalone version) but I figured it out.

I do notice however that the three HRDLC1.rar files in Wrye Bash are yellow, indicating that some resorcues are not identical (eg. another package has overwritten them with another version of the files).

 

I also notice that the HRDLC 1-3 are above the STD (the STD is below a grey ==Last== indicator. I am assuming that the order should be STD, then HRDLC1-3. Still reading the Wrye Bash read me to see if I can or should reorder them in Wrye Bash, or just wait to use BOSS.

 

Oh, do I need to install or integrate BOSS within Wrye Bash in some manner to get it to communicate with Wrye BAsh?

 

Also, does Wrye Bash also need to be integrated at all with SKSE, in the same way that Mod Organizer will allow me to launch Skyrim via the SKSE? Acutally, that raises a more fundamental question- after all this STEP procedure is finished, what app will I use to launch Skyrim- WryeBash? I am viewing Wryebash and Mod Organizer in an either/or way. Since they both do the same thing, or serve the same purpose, I am assuming that I only use one or ther other, but not both.

[ddsoptuser]

Hello,

 

I used your very useful guide to optimize my textures and saved quite a bit of memory with it so I wanted to thank you for your guide, but I'm having an issue with ddsopt and normal maps. When I go to resize the normal maps I follow the process you lay out but the filter does not seem to work and it just resizes everything in the folder and not just the normal maps like it should. I've got the most up to date ini files for ddsopt so that shouldn't be the issue, does anyone know if I'm doing something wrong or what is causing the problem?

[Kelmych]

Edit- nevermind.

 

I had a Wrye Bash related question (I just installed the standalone version) but I figured it out.

I do notice however that the three HRDLC1.rar files in Wrye Bash are yellow, indicating that some resorcues are not identical (eg. another package has overwritten them with another version of the files).

 

I also notice that the HRDLC 1-3 are above the STD (the STD is below a grey ==Last== indicator. I am assuming that the order should be STD, then HRDLC1-3. Still reading the Wrye Bash read me to see if I can or should reorder them in Wrye Bash, or just wait to use BOSS.

 

Oh, do I need to install or integrate BOSS within Wrye Bash in some manner to get it to communicate with Wrye BAsh?

 

Also, does Wrye Bash also need to be integrated at all with SKSE, in the same way that Mod Organizer will allow me to launch Skyrim via the SKSE? Acutally, that raises a more fundamental question- after all this STEP procedure is finished, what app will I use to launch Skyrim- WryeBash? I am viewing Wryebash and Mod Organizer in an either/or way. Since they both do the same thing, or serve the same purpose, I am assuming that I only use one or ther other, but not both.

A number of STEP mods overwrite textures in Skyrim - textures and the 3 HRDLC, so WB will show these with a light yellow box. If you look a the Conflicts tab in WB you can see exactly which textures from which mods overwrote these.

 

If you click the Order column in the Installers tab, the STD textures should at or very near the beginning (low installation order number; e.g., 1) and the archive files with the HRDLC textures should be just after STD (installation order number just larger than that of STD textures). Note that BOSS changes the load order of esp files as shown in the Mods tab, it does not change the installation order shown in the Installers tab.

 

You do not need to do any additional integration of BOSS with WB. The integration happens using files that are automatically written in the \AppData\Local\Skyrim directory.

 

If you use SKSE you launch Skyrim with the SKSE launcher vs. the Skyrim launcher. You do not need to integrate SKSE with WB (if you want you can add the SKSE launcher to bash.ini so the launcher icon shows up in WB in the icons at the bottom, but it isn't necessary and doesn't provide any additional integration). MO and WB are roughly comparable, although MO does not have the ability to create a bash patch like WB. If you use WB for managing installation of mods then you have no need for MO.  If you use MO you can still use WB to create a bash patch but this is a little more complicated.

 

In addition to the Wrye Bash guide on the STEP Wiki, the help file (click the question mark at the bottom) has a lot of useful information about WB, but it isn't aimed at a first time user. There are some older pdf files here describing an earlier version of WB you might find useful.

[peppergomez]

Thanks.

 

The load order numbers are as follows in Wrye Bash:

 

HRDLC1 Order 0

HRDLC2 Order 1

HRDLC3 Order 2

STD Order 4

 

I imagine that this order needs to be reversed, so I moved STD up to the top by clicking on it and dragging it to the top. so that it's now STD 0 and HRDLC 1-3 Order 1-3 respectively.

[Kelmych]

Yes, STD need to be first or the HRDLC won't overwrite it. After the HRDLC in installation order comes the Unofficial High Resolution Patch (extracted into an archive of loose files), and then the rest of the STEP mods.

[peppergomez]

Thanks. Onward onto STEP I go~!...of course once Bioshock Infinite unlocks I'm guessing I'll be transfixed by that until I finish it.

(hopefully I've gotten the really hard parts out of the way with the DDS optimization process)

[peppergomez]

More questions- Just ran BOSS from within Wrye Bash. It lists Update.esm as containing dirty edits:

"Update.esm Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

Contains dirty edits: 92 ITM, 3 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. A cleaning guide is available here."

 

so, I have opened TES5edit and am going to clean update.esm for a 2nd time (I did it earlier, pre-DDSopt)

 

In watching the TES5edit tutorial video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wt4W1dZF9IE#!

 

At the 4:10 mark, he recommends clicking on Properties>Local Files in Steam, and verifying the game cache to get the Bethesda master files. I am assuming that I DON'T want to do this because it fixes/replaces the BSA files, but I assume that means Steam will overright the DDSoptimized ones I created with the unoptimized vanilla ones.

 

So basically my question is this- now that I have completed the DDSoptimization, I don't ever want to run the Verify Game Cache command from Steam, right?

 

I'll just follow the TES5Edit cleaning process without doing that step.

 

 

 

Also, after I have cleaned the Update.esm in TES5edit, I was thinking of loading a new Skyrim game, just to see what kind of performance I get.  Will I need to build a bashed patch before I run the game, even though I haven't installed any STEP mods yet (STD and HRDLC1-3.rar files are all that appear in the Installers tab in Wrye Bash)? (In the Mods tab I have Skyrim, Update, Dawngaurd, and Dragonborn ESM files, all checked, follwed by Bashed Patch, 0.esp, which is unchecked)

[mishmash]

1- So basically my question is this- now that I have completed the DDSoptimization, I don't ever want to run the Verify Game Cache command from Steam, right?

 

2- Will I need to build a bashed patch before I run the game, even though I haven't installed any STEP mods yet.

 

1. Correct.

2. Don't think so but why not do it anyway, it's simply a question of right clicking the bashed patch and rebuild patch, you will need to do this every time you alter the load order.

[peppergomez]

Thanks MishMash.

[peppergomez]

Just dragged/copied the Ancient Nord Armor Fix-2808-1 into the Installers tab in Wrye Bash and got the following File Operation Error pop-up:

 

 

Not sure how to proceed. The mod does appear (pink box beside it) in the Package list.

 

Actually, this is happening wheneer I drag a .rar file from the Bash Installers folder into the Package tab in Wrye Bash...the file doesn't appear and nothing happens until I click on Wrye Bash, at which point a Windows notification beep sounds and a wxPython: stdout/stderr pop-up window similar to the above with "Trackback" appears, and which always ends in "FileOperationError: 113"

 

This did not happen when I dragged/copied the STD and HRDLC1-3 RAR files, so why is it happening now when I have done the same with Ancient Nord Armour Fix, Appropriately Attired Jarls, and Argonian Decapitation Fix RAR files?

[mishmash]

Ignore it, it also throws up an error when you use a BCF (a conversion file you will come across during STEP installation) that can also be ignored. And you're welcome :happy:

[peppergomez]

OK, thank you. I forgot to post that I right-clicked Install and they seem to have isntalled just fine.

Thanks part two.

 

I owe you and Kelmych several virtual beers. :-)

[peppergomez]

I am assuming that Fuz Ro D'oh, Nitpick, and any other mods incompatible with 1.9.32 are a no go. I only ask b/c it's odd they are still listed on the STEP list of mods, since 1.9.32 is now a live patch and out of Beta. Maybe b/c it's so new STEP still lists mods that were compatible with the previous Skyrim version.

[peppergomez]

PS Do I ever want either Alias Mod Names or Merge Patches checked when I rebuild/update the Bashed Patch? And I am guessing I want to keep the default check beside Tweak Settings and Leveled Lists.

[Kelmych]

Merge Patches is useful as it can save using a few esp files. I have three STEP mods which have esp files that WB can use as merge patches. If there are any tweak settings you feel might be useful use that box, and you certainly want to check Leveled Lists.