Total NOOB with a ?

[Quahogs]

About a week ago I didn't have this game, a new pc specifically for this game, nor a clue what a mod was.  So am I in over my head ? Yup.  But I'm blown away by the level of immersion and realism this game offers.   My last RPG attempt before life got in the way was Daggerfall or MOrrowind for goodness sakes.  

 

I'm totally impressed with level of detail you guys/gals at STEP attack this game.  Even though all of this is above my pay scale I'm going to go thru the STEP process to bring this game up to speed as close as I can get it.  I'm dying to get this thing started but I must resist !  

 

My very simple question is how does following all of the S.T.E.P s in 2.2.6 differ in downloading an ENB mod or Climates of Tamriel ?   I notice that STEP 2.2.6 does not include those as additional game adj features.    Is STEP an alternative or are ENB and/of Climate mods a possible addition to STEP ?    Thanks guys and sorry for such rudimentary 1st post !  

 

Q 

[rootsrat]

STEP is a guide to mod your game in a way that will be true to the vanilla (i.e. not modded) game. STEP tells you what mods you should download and install and in what order. It does not include mods that change the actual gameplay - as we want your game to be enhanced but not changed - that's the reason for those kind of mods not being included in the guide.

 

There is nothing wrong with getting mods that change your game at all, but this is not STEP philosophy :)

[torminater]

At least it is not STEP: Core philosophy. If you want to further change your game to get a "survival" feel into the game, we'll offer that and other things in packs, which can be safely added to the STEP:Core install.

[rootsrat]

At least it is not STEP: Core philosophy. If you want to further change your game to get a "survival" feel into the game, we'll offer that and other things in packs, which can be safely added to the STEP:Core install.

 

Just to clarify - this is the upcoming new version of the STEP guide - watch this space! :)

[Quahogs]

Thanks all. So what you are saying is that Climates are not part of 2.2.6 because the Vanilla game doesn't take into account climate change or weather in such detail ? See below what I read on Climates of Tamriel. :

 

"Project Reality: Climates of Tamriel is the official weather & lighting mod of S.T.E.P. - Skyrim Total Enhancement Project"

 

Now just because a mod isn't included in STEP 2.2.6 that doesn't mean it's not a plus or interesting or non-conflicting addition correct ?

 

Q

[torminater]

Exactly, CoT was the official lighting mod of STEP but only several version numbers ago.

[rootsrat]

And most of us use CoT anyway :)

[youtoo]

if you have not played rpgs in a long time... play the game for a while and enjoy before you kill yourself modding. as someone who has messed this up a few times, it can get frustrating until you learn stuff and its a big learning curve. the learning curve includes breaking stuff. since you will learn from your mistakes.

[rootsrat]

if you have not played rpgs in a long time... play the game for a while and enjoy before you kill yourself modding. as someone who has messed this up a few times, it can get frustrating until you learn stuff and its a big learning curve. the learning curve includes breaking stuff. since you will learn from your mistakes.

 

That is a really good suggestion actually. I would play vanilla game first to get the feel and finish the main quest at least :) Then start modding.

[Quahogs]

 

if you have not played rpgs in a long time... play the game for a while and enjoy before you kill yourself modding. as someone who has messed this up a few times it can get frustrating until you learn stuff and its a big learning curve. the learning curve includes breaking stuff. since you will learn from your mistakes.

That is a really good suggestion actually. I would play vanilla game first to get the feel and finish the main quest at least :) Then start modding.

 

Yes probably a good idea.  But might be too late since I think I'm hooked on creating the perfect world.

Funny about breaking things as careful as I am something happened where Skyrim wouldnt launch. WTH I thought all was fine 15 mins ago.   I tried backtracking and removing recently added mods ( I'm up to 2E) but it worked again after I unchecked Guard Diag Overhaul on the Steam Data file box OR when I uninstalled the Nexus mod mgr (which I installed just prior to having issues or so it seemed ). 

 

Could the NMM install have prevented launch ?   This leads me to another question  -->  does BOSS automatically create the correct mod order or must I monitor this manually thru BUM ?

 

I actually started the STEP process manually without the aid of a mod manager .  Is it too late to incorporate Wrye Bash or Mod Organizer (MO) ?  Will those programs recognize what I've installed so far ?   

 

Thanks all...  I will not make a trainwreck out of this I swear !  lol

[rootsrat]

Ouch.

 

In that case I would recommend reinstalling Skyrim from scratch, but using Mod Organizer this time.

 

Manual installation is beyond any recommendation, simply DO NOT DO THAT :) Maybe if you install 1 or 2 mods, but certainly NOT with a very complex set up, like STEP.

 

MO is the best tool out there IMHO. Wrye Bash is just as good and it also offers some extended functionality - but it's definitely for more experienced modders.

 

MO has one big advantage - it does not use your Skyrim\Data folder (that's one of the reasons you can't start using MO if you previously installed mods directly into Skyrim\Data folder), but instead it creates a virtual Data folder each time you run the game. It also uses separate folders for each mod installation, meaning that you will never overwrite any files in error and also you will be able to freely manipulate your install order, moving mods up and down, VIRTUALLY overwritting the files. It's a godsend, simply.

 

And BOSS is a fully automated tool, yes. You don't have to monitor via BUM (BUM is a standalone extension to BOSS). You will need to create manual sorting rules for mods that are not recognised by BOSS, but you only do it once - and then BOSS will include them in the automated process. You have to run BOSS each time you install new mods that contain ESP file.

[Quahogs]

Ouch.

 

In that case I would recommend reinstalling Skyrim from scratch, but using Mod Organizer this time.

 

Manual installation is beyond any recommendation, simply DO NOT DO THAT :) Maybe if you install 1 or 2 mods, but certainly NOT with a very complex set up, like STEP.

 

MO is the best tool out there IMHO. Wrye Bash is just as good and it also offers some extended functionality - but it's definitely for more experienced modders.

 

MO has one big advantage - it does not use your Skyrim\Data folder (that's one of the reasons you can't start using MO if you previously installed mods directly into Skyrim\Data folder), but instead it creates a virtual Data folder each time you run the game. It also uses separate folders for each mod installation, meaning that you will never overwrite any files in error and also you will be able to freely manipulate your install order, moving mods up and down, VIRTUALLY overwritting the files. It's a godsend, simply.

 

And BOSS is a fully automated tool, yes. You don't have to monitor via BUM (BUM is a standalone extension to BOSS). You will need to create manual sorting rules for mods that are not recognised by BOSS, but you only do it once - and then BOSS will include them in the automated process. You have to run BOSS each time you install new mods that contain ESP file.

Ahh fudge.  I will take your advice.  Manual sure was becoming a long process and I wasn't even close to being done.  

 

So I'll set up mod manager.  Now when I'm downloading I'll be choosing download with manager.  Does the MO totally automate the mod addition ?   Wow would that be nice :-)  

 

Would you suggest an uninstall via Windows or must I follow the reverting skyrim to a pristine vanilla installation ?  I have no real saved game that I care about.  

 

thank you

[gwoody79]

Since you installed some things manually, I would do a complete uninstall/reinstall of Skyrim to ensure you have a completely clean installation. When I used to use NMM, the STEP guide reverting Skyrim to a Pristine (Vanilla) installation works but in your case might as well start completely from scratch.

 

After uninstalling, double check that everything got removed (Skyrim folder is completely empty or not present anymore, also delete folder where saves are stored - documents>my games>Skyrim)

Now you're ready for a fresh start and reinstallation.

 

Mod Organizer does allow you to use "download with manager" for mods on Nexus that have this option. I think you will be extremely impressed with MO and everything it can do, I know I was (and still am).

 

Be sure to read the documentation both on Nexus and here in STEP for Mod Organizer and Wrye Bash if you are unfamiliar with these utilities. There is a little bit of reading and learning incorporated with using MO and WB, but in the long run it's well worth it because of what these tools can do. Personally, I use MO to install and sort load order and just use Wrye Bash to create Bashed Patches.

 

I can relate to a comment you made in OP. A little over a year ago I also felt "in over my head" trying to mod my game for the first time. The STEP guide and forums was the biggest help in teaching me how to mod the right way - very helpful and knowledgeable people here if you have any questions.

 

Out of curiosity what are your system specs? You mentioned ENB - adding it to your game will effect performance quite a bit.

[Quahogs]

Since you installed some things manually, I would do a complete uninstall/reinstall of Skyrim to ensure you have a completely clean installation. When I used to use NMM, the STEP guide reverting Skyrim to a Pristine (Vanilla) installation works but in your case might as well start completely from scratch.

 

After uninstalling, double check that everything got removed (Skyrim folder is completely empty or not present anymore, also delete folder where saves are stored - documents>my games>Skyrim)

Now you're ready for a fresh start and reinstallation.

 

Mod Organizer does allow you to use "download with manager" for mods on Nexus that have this option. I think you will be extremely impressed with MO and everything it can do, I know I was (and still am).

 

Be sure to read the documentation both on Nexus and here in STEP for Mod Organizer and Wrye Bash if you are unfamiliar with these utilities. There is a little bit of reading and learning incorporated with using MO and WB, but in the long run it's well worth it because of what these tools can do. Personally, I use MO to install and sort load order and just use Wrye Bash to create Bashed Patches.

 

I can relate to a comment you made in OP. A little over a year ago I also felt "in over my head" trying to mod my game for the first time. The STEP guide and forums was the biggest help in teaching me how to mod the right way - very helpful and knowledgeable people here if you have any questions.

 

Out of curiosity what are your system specs? You mentioned ENB - adding it to your game will effect performance quite a bit.

Thanks Gwoody79 yes I'm glad I came across this site.  There's alot of good reading in these threads.  

 

I'm using a Intel Core I7 3820 

ASRock extreme 3 x79 system board

16gb DDR3-1600 ram

NVIDIA Geforce GTX 660Ti w/ 2g discrete DDR5 vid mem

 

Is Climates of Tamriel considered an ENB ?   Do you think it would tax this system too much ?

[WilliamImm]

Climates of Tamriel is not an ENB, it is a mod that alters the weather conditions. It can be used with an ENB, and it does provide a sample ENB preset, but it itself is not an ENB.