SKYRIMLE aMidianborn Imperial Forts (by CaBaL)

[TechAngel85]

Okay, I've checked this out in-game and my opinion of it hasn't change. Cabal overuses the browns and it makes the exploration boring. (Where exactly is all this brownish rock found in the rest of Skyrim to build structures from brown rock? All the rest of the rock in Skyrim is grey.) SRO isn't great, but it's better than this. Cabal leaned towards using smaller stones EVERYWHERE! This is a far cry from vanilla and SRO which has many massive stones in the fort structures. One example is below where in vanilla and SRO the stone is one entire piece which makes sense considering it would be a supporting beam for the rest of the structure. Cabal eliminates this by replacing it is a vertical mortared structure that would NOT support the massive weight of the structure. That and it simply looks bad!

 

Stone support beam in question:

 

This mod is just generally boring and the exterior optional makes is worse than the mod by itself. It also dievates from the design of the rest of the stone structures in Skyrim, making them out-of-place, imo. I do not consider this an improvement on vanilla. It's a stylistic change from color of brick to brick design. I'm of the opinion that SRO is better, holds truer for realistic structure design and holds truer for Skyrim aesthetics, look and feel.

[DoYouEvenModBro]

Did you happen to compare to VL with ENB?

[TechAngel85]

Did you happen to compare to VL with ENB?

Not yet. VL is next on my list.

[DoYouEvenModBro]

Unfortunately VL looks bad without ENB, even the non-enb version. Obviously I wouldn't suggest VL for STEP but since most people on here seem to use ENB, I still think it's worth the compare :)

[Octopuss]

Cabal overuses the browns and it makes the exploration boring. (Where exactly is all this brownish rock found in the rest of Skyrim to build structures from brown rock? All the rest of the rock in Skyrim is grey.) SRO isn't great, but it's better than this.

This is quite funny. After changing my opinion about the mod after looking at the screenshots and the big gallery posted before, I actually played a little with it... and within an hour switched back to SRO, coming to the (well, mostly) same conclusion.

THE BROWN! It's everywhere, and makes the walls almost completely blend in with dirt on the ground, and generally all surroundings. It felt like I had some brown SweetFX filter slapped onto the game.

 

If only the walls were white-gray like vanilla, it would be almost perfect.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Octopuss

[Aiyen]

Got to admit that I do not agree with the boring part of your post... Saying that brown makes your adventuring less interesting then grey... I am just confused about that reasoning hehe. 

[TechAngel85]

It's not the color it's the lack of depth. Amb just blends together way too much and lacks life, lacks interest. Octo put it well. Playing with it for a while without ENB...having trouble explaining it...

[TechAngel85]

Let me put it like this, SRO has variation, life, detail in the stones, a variety of stone sizes, the moss looks great, the wood look old and worn, the design structure is sound, the color is sound with the rest of the rock found in Skyrim.

 

Amb is a lot of various shades of brown lacking detail and that is mainly because most of the rock is small stones. Amb changes the design structure in a way that doesn't make sense, the color is off from the rest of the rock in Skyrim and it blends in with the dirt and the moss (very neutral palette) making it bland and uninteresting. I loose interest very quickly.

[hauntmedoitagain]

See, I can't stand to use SRO because it's overly sharp and noisy while Cabal goes for a more muted, wet, organic look that suits the game much better.

 

Yes, his textures differ visually to some degree, but thematically? They fit much better in the world of Skyrim.

[TechAngel85]

I'm just going to toss my official vote out there as, no, and wait for the final vote from the rest.

[Octopuss]

One thing that completely puzzles me about Cabal's architecture mods is the textures, despite being 2k resolution, look completely blurred and almost upscaled (while they really are not). I recently tried the farmhouses and Whiterun, and quickly ditched both, because numerous objects looked (exaggerating a bit now) like a cocktail of colours fresh out of blender even from medium range, let alone from close up.

SRO has its problems, but is still standing strong.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Octopuss

[Roberbond]

I have made a comparison among STEP Extended, Vivid landscape+vivid fort and Amidianborn imperial forts+whiterun.

I used ENB and i made a walk from Whiterun to some fortress so the pictures are very similar. I use  ELFX+ELE in the interiors and 

Immersive Content - EDFaL in the exteriors. I have leave some impressions in some descriptions.

 

My final thought is: STEP is much better and balanced

 

About Amidian fortress and whiterun:

PROS:

The wood is very good

The contrast among wood and stone is perfect in dragonsreach

the carved wood in dragonsreach’s pillars  are very good.

the grass is okey in whiterun

 

CONS:

I don´t like the masonry. I think that kind of masonry is from a castle in 18th no in 5th-10th century.

The wood sometimes are too dark

Some tiles in whiterun are perfect square. I dont believe it.

I don´t like the masonry inside whiterun. It is from a new castle. Too much perfect.

the rugs are worse although they contrast better with the textures

the roofs in whiterun are too dark and brown

There are green grass above broken walls. Always

 

About VL and fortress:

I have a problem with this pack, i think it is a very good one but I hate the main texture. I call it the MARINE TEXTURE. That texture is very typical in a stone near the sea water attacked by the salt, but impossible to see it in the mountains.

https://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj526/Roberbond38/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20iMac%20de%20Roberto/Vivid%20all%20Vivid%20fortress/2014-06-02_00074_zpsf6b6927a.jpg

I have seen this texture in Cadiz (Spain) a town near the sea.

pic001.jpg

 

PROS: 

very equilibrated

the caves are differents but i like it

with the grey stones the outside are much better

 

CONS:

The marine texture in the fortress

the brown rocks and stones

 

STEP Gallery from Whiterun: https://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Roberbond38/slideshow/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20iMac%20de%20Roberto/STEP%20EXTENDED-%20Whiterun%20forts%20and%20landscape

 

STEP Gallery more Whiterun and Interiors: https://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Roberbond38/slideshow/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20iMac%20de%20Roberto/STEP%20Whiterun%20Interior

 

Amidianborn whiterun and fortress: https://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Roberbond38/slideshow/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20iMac%20de%20Roberto/amidianborn%20whiterunfortress

 

Vivid all in one+fortress: https://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Roberbond38/slideshow/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20iMac%20de%20Roberto/Vivid%20all%20Vivid%20fortress

[DoubleYou]

After testing in-game, I'm voting no. I prefer the formation of current STEP.

[TechAngel85]

Any more final votes on this before I finalize testing?

 

No: 3

Yes: 1

 

Disclaimer: I only tallied the recent votes as several voted on VL because they use ENB; however, VL has since been dropped from Testing. It's now between SRO and this mod exclusively. Please have played with these textures in-game as the look and feel can be misleading in the screenshots.

[EssArrBee]

It's a holiday in the states so not sure if we should finalizing anything.