SKYRIMLE RCRN AE -- HDR Lighting and Weather Enhancement

[GITech]

keithinhanoi Wrote

    After some careful testing of the RCRN AE install process, I'd like to expand on DoubleYou's series of steps to get RCRN AE 2.1.4 working with Mod Organizer.

 

    This is a work in progress, and as much as I have tried to be careful and ran through the steps several times, these steps may not work as described for you.

 

    Take a deep breath - this is a bit long.

 

 

    How to install RCRN AE 2.1.4 with Mod Organizer v1.0.11:

 

        Download the RCRN .rar archive and extract the executable into Skyrim's real data directory.

        IMPORTANT! Make a new Mod Organizer profile with NO mods enabled in the left pane AT ALL.

        Ignoring this warning may cause some files of your mods being overwritten by the RCRN installer. However, if you have created mods for the official Dragonborn / Dawnguard DLCs in Mod Organizer's mod list in the left-hand pane, you will need to enable the mods you made for the Dragonborn / Dawnguard DLCs in order for the RCRN installer to recognize them.

        IMPORTANT! Make certain your Overwrite directory is completely empty!

        Move any files in Overwrite to their respective mods or use the "Create Mod..." feature. If you do not clear out your Overwrite folder it may be very difficult to find / separate the files installed for RCRN. Note that you can move any files back to Overwrite if you wish after RCRN has been installed.

        Click on the Data tab in the right-hand pane of Mod Organizer.

        In MO's list of files in /Data, find RCRN_AE_214.exe, right-click on it, and select Open/Execute.

        The RCRN Installer will try to detect your Skyrim install directory. Make sure it matches the one set in Mod Organizer.

        The RCRN Smart Assistant will first check for an existing ENB / HiAlgo install. Make a choice about whether the installer should adjust your .ini files.

        NOTE: The RCRN Smart Assistant will not report any incompatible mods, because you are installing to a MO profile with all of your mods disabled. You will need to check for incompatibilities on your own. Refer to this support page for a list of mods that are known to be incompatible with RCRN AE.

        The last step of the installer is to choose your main RCRN preset - Legacy, Classic or Pure.

        When you hit Next in the "Ready to Install RCRN" window the following will happen:

        a.  All the RCRN files intended to go into your Skyrim base directory will be installed there as expected.

        b.  All files intended to go into the /skyrim/data directory are conveniently placed in Mod Organizers Overwrite directory. DO NOT move these files out of Overwrite yet.

        c.  In addition, several empty folders have been created in your real Skyrim data directory where the installer would have put the files (evidently Mod Organizer doesn't prevent an application from creating folders in your data directory).

        NOTE: Keep in mind that some files may have been installed based on whether the installer found either or both the official Dragonborn / Dawnguard DLCs when you installed RCRN. If you remove/disable/add either of these DLCs, RCRN will not work fully as expected, or you may experience a crash at the logo screen due to a missing DLC. To handle this, you will need to add the RCRN Customizer as an executable in Mod Organizer.

        In the Notifications section of your Windows Taskbar, find the icon for RCRN Updater, right-click on it and select Exit

        In MO, open the Modify Executables window (click on the gears icon, near top-left corner)

        Add RCRNCustomizer.exe to MO's executables list by doing the following:

          a. Type a name next to Title (eg., "RCRN Customizer")

          b. Click the [...] button next to the Binary text field, navigate to your /skyrim directory, locate and select RCRNCustomizer.exe

          c. Click the [Add] button

        Choose the RCRN Customizer from MO's executables list (above the right-hand pane) and click the [Run] button.

        NOTE: EVERY time you run RCRN Customizer, it will WRITE some files into MO's Overwrite folder, based on RCRN's current settings, regardless of whether you change any settings. If you intend to maintain RCRN as a mod in Mod Organizer's left-pane list, you will need to copy any files written to Overwrite into that mod after you close the RCRN Customizer.

        Additionally, depending on what setting you change in RCRN Customizer, some files related to RCRN can be DELETED from Overwrite or a even a MO mod folder. This is most important to understand if you turn off RCRN's Snow Textures FIX, because if you are using a different enabled mod that provides any of the same loose texture files, they can potentially BE DELETED from that other mod.

        For this first time installation setup, however, RCRN's installed files are still in Overwrite, making it easier to add all of them as a "new" mod in MO when finished with the RCRN Customizer settings.

        In RCRN Customizer, first do the following:

          a.  Click the Advanced Settings button.

          b.  DE-select (untick) Updater AutoLaunch

        Now make any RCRN settings changes you wish in the [settings] and [injection+] tabs. (Refer to RCRN's RCRN Customizer support page.) Then close RCRN Customizer and return to Mod Organizer.

        Right-click on Overwrite in MO's mod list, select Create Mod..., enter a name for it (eg., "RCRN"), and finish. This puts all of the RCRN data files in the new mod you have just created.

        In Windows, navigate to your real Skyrim /data directory and:

          a.  delete the RCRN_AE_214.exe installer.

          b.  optionally, delete any empty directories created in /Skyrim/Data during the install process.

        In Mod Organizer, switch back to the MO profile with your active mods and savegames.

        Enable the RCRN mod you made, check that its .esp plugins/.BSA archives are enabled.

        Disable any incompatible mods / plugins. (Refer to this support page)

        Notably, ELFX is compatible with RCRN, except for its ELFXEnhancer.esp plugin, which should be disabled.

        Run BOSS or manually set the plugin load order. (Refer to RCRN's support page)

        Click on MO's Tools button (puzzle pieces icon) and select the Ini Editor.

        In skyrimprefs.ini, do the following:

          a.  Under [Display], make sure you have the setting bFloatPointRenderTarget=1 (not =0)

          b.  Under [Launcher], make sure you have the setting bEnableFileSelection=1 (not =0)

        You're finished. Cross your fingers and start Skyrim / SKSE as normal in Mod Organizer.

 

    ------------ NOTES -------------

 

    WHAT GOT INSTALLED:

 

    In main Skyrim directory:

 

        RCRN AE Installation Guide

        RCRN - READ ME.txt

        shader.fx

        injFX_Settings.h

        RCRNCustomizer.exe

        RCRNCustomizer.exe.config

        d3d9.dll (or RCRN_d3d9.dll if you selected auto configure for ENB / HiAlgo)

        RCRN/ (a directory containing 101MB of files - see note below)

        injFX_Shaders/ (contains 137KB of files)

 

    NOTE: The RCRN directory includes

 

        alternate .esp plugins, .bsa archives, texture assets, .dll drivers which are used in order to activate options

        the RCRN uninstaller

        backups of files from before the RCRN installation (eg., enblocal.ini)

        preference, settings, error log, and support files

        RCRN_Autoupdater.exe, which is immediately started as a background process, with a alias placed in your /Users/.../Windows/Start Menu/Programs/Startup directory to be run when Windows starts. Since it is run outside of MO, it will not recognize MO's virtual /data directory, which is why I suggest turning of AutoLaunch in step #14. The Autoupdater can be launched from the RCRN Customizer, and if the Customizer is run from within MO, the Autoupdater should theoretically work properly. Until RCRN AE is updated from v2.1.4, this remains to be seen.

 

    In Mod Organizer's Overwrite directory:

 

        RCRNvolumetric.esp

        RCRNvolumetric.bsa

        rcrnShaders.ini

        rcrnShaders.esp

        rcrnShaders.bsa

        RCRNdragonborn.esp  (installed if DB DLC was present at installation)

        RCRNdawnguard.esp  (installed if DG DLC was present at installation)

        RCRNdgdb.esp  (installed if both DB & DG DLCs were recognized at installation)

        /scripts/rcrn_DynamicInterior_V20.pex

        /textures/landscape  (contains 10 snow-related textures)

        /textures/landscape/roads/road01snow01.dds

        /textures/landscape/roads/road01snow01_n.dds

        /textures/landscape/trees/treepineforestbranchcompsnow.dds

        /textures/sky/sun.dds

        /textures/sky/sunglare.dds

        /textures/terrain  (directory containing a set of 2688 landscape LOD textures)

        /Video  (directory containing RCRN's Skyrim startup video)

 

    -------------------------------------------------

 

    I have posted this as a thread in the RCRN Community Support Forums in an effort to help anyone trying to get RCRN installed with MO, and will update it with any improvements or to fix any errors.

 

    With that in mind, I kindly ask to please let me know if you spot any issues or errors with the install process I've described.

 

    I am also going to add instructions for uninstalling RCRN AE, after some further testing. But it will be a much shorter list of steps!

 

 

keithinhanoi Wrote'keithinhanoi''60941''1386909600'@Aiyen:

 

Although I agree with you that my guide does show just how much RCRN's installer wasn't meant to work with MO, having looked at how the install and subsequent customization settings are handled, I can understand why they have taken the route of an automated installer and customizer.

 

I think aLaaa mentioned 60+ .esp plugins to cover all of the potential variations given the users settings preferences and installed DLCs.

 

The only other way I can think of at the moment to handle this would possibly be through MCM menu settings, and scripts that check for the presence of either/both official DLCs. I imagine that could be far more complex than the installer/customizer combo they've come up with, and may not even be technically feasible to do in the first place. Add to this the requirements of SKSE and SkyUI.

 

I suppose a FOMOD (or BAIN?) installer would also be possible, but you then lose the "ease of use" aspect of the customizer, or at least it would not be as slickly presented all in one executable. With RCRN as a FOMOD, you'd have to reinstall it again and again in most cases where you want to change the custom settings.

 

Whether or not you agree with the method of installation, I honestly feel the RCRN team deserve respect for producing something so well organized that can offer all of the customization options it does, and still be as accessible to the largest number of people modding their Skyrim game as possible.

 

Personally, I'm a user of Mod Organizer, with a set of mods derived from (but not strictly following) S.T.E.P., and yes, I'm a control freak about my Skyrim / Windows setup - and have to realize that I'm not part of the group that RCRN AE was "targeted" at.

 

That's fine, I can deal with it, and know that MO is still powerful enough a tool to allow me to get RCRN working for me. It involves a lot of steps, but actually is a lot easier to deal with than working with some other external executable tools within MO.

 

That said, certainly my variation of DoubleYou's guide is not meant for first time MO users!

---

Nice write up keithinhanoi

 

I was thinking of using a similar method but ended up using https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/24402/? instead.

'Doh! Why didn't I think of that for managing RCRN's shader, etc. files installed in the /skyrim directory?!

 

What brilliant idea - a bit of a hack, but very useful to be able to "switch" off RCRN's shaders (which would still remain even if you "turned off" the /data assets part of the mod in Mod Organizer.)

 

Thanks for mentioning that, and I'll do some more investigation into whether I can add that to my guide in an "Advanced Users" section at the bottom.

Thanks for the RCRN install through MO instructions!

 

Though I am still waiting to do it...

 

Do you have any updates for me before I go ahead and do this?

 

Do I really have to do it with a clean profile? Meaning, how would other mods get overwritten if I did it with my profile with the full mod list checked? I thought MO doesn't overwrite files from other mods.. it just puts them in a priority order and that order can be changed...

 

What BAD things will happen if RCRN is installed with a 'simpler' method using my current profile?

 

Thanks for any further clarification and/or instructions.  :)

[Noobsayer]

Mainly in order to get RCRN working and looking like intended then you need a few things. 

From a fresh install of ENB then you need to have the following set in the enbseries.ini EFFECTS section. 

 

UseOriginalPostProcessing=true

UseOriginalObjectsProcessing=true

EnableSunRays=true

 

And in the enbeffect.fx file you need to have APPLYGAMECOLORCORRECTION set to active (remove the // in front).

 

Quick question as a fan of RCRN. How does one edit the enbeffect.fx? What program to use, that is? Windows doesn't seem to know what to do with it and frankly, neither do I! lol

[rootsrat]

Any text editor, including Windows Notepad.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Noobsayer]

Any text editor, including Windows Notepad.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Derp, I swear I tried that before but apparently not.

 

Anyways, if it says this I'm good to go?

 

//use original game processing first, then mine

#define APPLYGAMECOLORCORRECTION

I know the // isn't part of what's applied, just put it there for reference :P

[Aiyen]

Yes, remember if you are using a preset created by someone else then you do not want to have

UseOriginalPostProcessing=true

UseOriginalObjectsProcessing=true

In the enbseries.ini since it will override any changes the preset come with. Perhaps you do want that and are only interested in the effects, in which case you should be good to go.

 

That above guide was only for a default ENB install because the guy only wanted the rays, not everything else.

[Noobsayer]

Yeah, I was mostly interested in keeping the colour balance etc. the same, just wanted to add a couple of ENB effect pretties on top of it. I really enjoyed CoT as well (thanks to the weather patch team, was kinda buggy before that) but I love hearing rain indoors and aLaaa isn't lying about how awesome those sunrises and sunsets are in RCRN, so I keep coming back to it. :)

[Noobsayer]

Sorry, I'm back! lol. Again with the idea that I want RCRN to be able to read the vanilla shaders n such, if the enbeffect.fx has this line:

 

#define APPLYGAMECOLORCORRECTION 1 // This will

 

deactivate the use of Vanilla post-processing and only use ENB

 

own post-processing.

... then that means I need to change the 1 to a zero to allow vanilla post-processing?

[Smile44]

Correct line as standard reads:

 

//#define APPLYGAMECOLOURCORRECTION

 

Like this night vision does not work

 

But if you remove the // part then night vision does work. I don't believe adding a 1 or 0 to the end does anything useful AFAIK.

 

:)

[Aiyen]

Some files have 1 or 0 as a true/false statement. This is mainly because they have put the default shaders inside an if loop.

So it is very possible that you might need to set it to 0 for it to activate. In this case it would seem like that.

 

If you want to be extra certain then just find the respective loop and check what it needs to be set as to be true.

[Smile44]

Yup that is true just wasn't sure that it applied in this case. Not at my pc so unable to look the .fx file to check what else is involved with that file.

 

Bye the way Aiyen I really liked your preset, found nights and dungeons a little too bright, for my tastes but loved the colour balance. I have not yet used the latest version but am looking to try it out with my weather pack as an alternative as well as looking at this new mod Realistic Nights. I still have not gotten around to testing. RCRN yet, need to get on with that but between RL and looking at spawning / overhaul mods I have not had the time.

 

:)

[Aiyen]

Glad that you like it, but we should keep that sort of commentary in the proper threads! :)

And you should also test out RCRN at some point... does offer some nice features, worth looking into if you have an interest in weathers!

[Smile44]

Oh I will do, I'm looking forward to seeing it in action, have been waiting for an ENB preset to go with it so that I can see it at its best.

 

:)

[Noobsayer]

Thank you both very much :)

 

EDIT: I dunno if you've seen but there's an ENB for it in the works here.

[keithinhanoi]

Hi all,

 

I have updated my Guide to Installing RCRN AE with Mod Organizer.

 

It now has some clearer explanations to some steps, and especially the reasons why a new MO profile should created. Also, I've added guides for how to use the RCRN Customizer in MO and finally, how to completely uninstall RCRN from MO and your system.

 

Because the formatting is not as easy to create here in the STEP Forums, I would like to kindly refer everyone interested to read the guide in my original thread on the RCRN Community Support Forums where I will continue to maintain the most up-to-date version of the guide.

 

Finally, I'll take this chance to reply to a few questions people have asked in this thread:

 

@Bundy714: I'm sorry to say that in the end I found ENB Manager and Changer a less than intuitive solution to explain in a guide, and think it's better to refer to the RCRN website's support pages and forums to get information about using RCRN's injector along with and ENB, or just using an ENB alone. Anyhow, that portion of RCRN is installed outside Mod Organizer, so it's not within the scope of my guide, I think. I hope my earlier reply post to you has been helpful.

 

As for the comparison between CoT+RLO and RCRN, it has now changed into comparing CoT+RLO and RCRN+ELFX for me, but I'm still working through some strange overly brightly-lit areas and conditions that I've seen while running CoT. I've also been doing a lot of troubleshooting of CTDs from the mod lineup I want to use for my next play-through, which has sucked up most of my time. Generally though, I really really like what I'm seeing with RCRN, but keep in mind that I am unable to enjoy CoT with ENB, and this means I don't get the full benefits of prod80's CoT Weathers Patch mod, for example. However, the RCRN team has said they will include compatibility with MannyGT's Supreme Storms and Supreme & Volumetric Fog (and of course RCRN already has that feature anyhow.) So that will help a lot, because they really add a lot to the non-sunny weathers of Skyrim.

 

Long story short, I'm still not 100% sure I'm going to stick with RCRN for my play-through, but it's still well over a 50% chance I will right now.

 

@GITech: As mentioned above, I have updated my guide with better explanations of what kinds of things can happen if you install RCRN with your current game's MO profile active. The implications of what the RCRN Customizer application can do are even scarier though. There's a potential for deletion of files in some of your other mods if they are active when you run the customizer.

 

I don't see any dangers or problems with making a new clean profile in MO through. It takes up almost no space on your drive (just a few text files, really, and doesn't hurt anything about your current game. More of a pain to me would be having to move files out of the Overwrite directory if I had the habit of leaving things in there. But I don't - I move things into their own mods or back to their source mods (an especially good idea if you actually try to manage different games in different profiles.)

 

I' suggest you hop over to the RCRN forum thread and take a look at the edited explanation in Step 13 of the guide (look in the spoiler text).

[GITech]

Thanks keithinhanoi!

 

Heading over there now! :) :) :)