pack A Real Explorer's Guide to Skyrim

[EssArrBee]

If you want to create an LOD then copy a mesh and add _lod to the name. DynDOLOD does good enough on its own for buildings, bridges, and roads but you'll need to add the rest on your own.

[Astakos]

It wasn't as difficult as it seems. After cleaning the two plugins and fixing the deleted NavMeshes before merging, there was just one vanilla static object record which caused an error during the merge, which Mator confirmed to be a non-issue. The reason why it was called out as an error is because one of JoopvanDie's two plugins moved the object into a neighboring cell. Mator's script caught that difference in the external reference, and flagged it as a record that did not copy over. So I manually fixed it after merging.

 

I also noticed the facegendata files did not get renamed correctly, but that might be due to my choice of name for the merged plugin - I will have to investigate further and query Mator about it. JoopvanDie renamed them, so there should be no mismatched head skin color on NPCs.

 

Also, I did send JoopvanDie a bunch of feedback, though I forgot to mention the errors Dialogue record errors that TES5Edit identified - so thanks, Astakos, for posting the comment about that. As for the ITMs in the new merged version that he put up, those must have happened with whatever he did after he received the merged plugin from me.

 

Long story short, my main feedback was first, to find a way to add LOD for all the landscape changes and added structures so that you don't see giant holes in the landscape from a distance, and second, to add more wildlife / NPC encounters to the areas he's opened up to explore, so it doesn't seem as empty and somewhat lifeless.

 

Regarding LOD generation, JoopvanDie could really use some help - so if anyone know a source of good information on how to do this, please let me / him know.

 

I haven't had a chance to explore all of the areas of the merged mod, but it strikes me as still unfinished, but with an immense amount of potential to become another interesting area in the outskirts of Skyrim to explore. I commend him for all of the work he's produced already.

 

I really second your opinion here on everything you said. I do believe that JoopvanDie's mods have a lot of potential and the idea behind them is great!

But they need "a bit of polishing"...I mean it the good way! 

 

I am already exchanging messages with JoopvanDie about some other "technical" issues that I spotted in his merged esp (not due to merging...these "technicalities" were also present before the merge).

 

If you so wish Keith we can further discuss it in pms as it will be entirely off-topic in this thread.

 

Thanks! 

[Harpalus]

Does anybody know what the "unexpected issues" caused by Expanded Winterhold Destruction Ruins are? I went to add another mod or two from REGS to my load order and noticed that I can't download it anymore. The author appears to think the mod is beyond repair, seemingly, because it's hidden "indefinitely".

 

Perhaps REGS should be updated to remove it? Or if it's still fine, do we have permission to host it? I didn't have it downloaded, so it looks like I missed my chance to see the mod.

[YouStoleMyName]

Hi, first post, quick question... if I choose not to install some of these mods, will the Step Extended patch be missing any master files, and/or give me a problem of some kind in MO?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated, as is all the work that goes into this site, and all the mods. THANK YOU!

[Nozzer66]

It would depend on which ones you don't install. The problem you may have is a missing master or two on the Extended patch. If you're handy with xEdit you can remove that mod's records from the patch.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Nozzer66

[YouStoleMyName]

First off, thanks for the reply! I should've added which mods I don't want, but I wasn't 100% they were the only ones at the time. I've come to the decision that I don't want Inconsequential and Interesting NPCs. I feel like between vanilla, STEP EX, and REG, the game has plenty of people and doesn't need the possible hit to framerate when added with everything else. (I haven't previously tested either of the two mods, so I may be worried about nothing, lol!)

[keithinhanoi]

First off, thanks for the reply! I should've added which mods I don't want, but I wasn't 100% they were the only ones at the time. I've come to the decision that I don't want Inconsequential and Interesting NPCs. I feel like between vanilla, STEP EX, and REG, the game has plenty of people and doesn't need the possible hit to framerate when added with everything else. (I haven't previously tested either of the two mods, so I may be worried about nothing, lol!)

 

That's really a shame to cut out Inconsequential and Interesting NPCs before you've even tried them. Adding those two mods should not affect your framerate in any noticeable way.

 

Neither mod just adds lots of random NPCs.

 

Interesting NPCs in particular add a large variety of NPCs with personality and purpose. It has custom voice acting, and is well-integrated into the story lines and lore, adding some extremely clever quests and even interactions between the new NPCs and vanilla NPCs that will seem like it was part of the original game. Not to mention so potential followers that rival stand-alone follower mods in terms of quality and depth of the character.

 

I could never recommend to anyone that they miss out on all of that.

[Nozzer66]

Well going without those two shouldn't cause you an issue with the STEP Extended patch if that's what you want to do. 

 

But Interesting NPC's is quite good. Wouldn't cause too much of a frame rate issue. And like Keith says, some very good NPC's that will act as followers and some mighty fine added content.

[YouStoleMyName]

That's a pretty strong recomendation. I suppose I should at least try them then, I can always make another profile without them. Thanks for the info guys!

[Judassem]

Does anybody know what the "unexpected issues" caused by Expanded Winterhold Destruction Ruins are? I went to add another mod or two from REGS to my load order and noticed that I can't download it anymore. The author appears to think the mod is beyond repair, seemingly, because it's hidden "indefinitely".

 

Perhaps REGS should be updated to remove it? Or if it's still fine, do we have permission to host it? I didn't have it downloaded, so it looks like I missed my chance to see the mod.

I second this question. Are those issues game-breaking? Should we drop the mod to avoid any future corruptions/CTDs?

[hishutup]

My question is what mod is so broken that it cannot be fixed?

[gpthree]

The Winterhold mod has been put back up here:

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/30554/?

[YouStoleMyName]

Is there a single perk mod that is compatible with this pack and Step Extended? I used SPERG in my unenlightened pre-Step days, but I'm not sure about compatibility, and if there is a 'better' mod out there. I don't want to install the whole perma pack unless I absolutely have to

[Nozzer66]

Nothing wrong with SPERG. Doesn't really matter which perk overhaul you use, they'll all need some fettling to fit properly.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Nozzer66

[YouStoleMyName]

Would a simple cleaning with TESVEdit do it, or is there a patch/collection of patches? Or would it be a more complicated solution? I've got very limited experience with all this (mostly what I've learned through the Step guide, that's about it). Thanks!