pack A Real Explorer's Guide to Skyrim

Astakos · February 28, 2016

Skip the Settlements part, the immersive college, the realistic inns by perseid, and Nernie's villages. You MIGHT be able to install ETaC if there is still an immersive citizens patch and that it's been improved. (If it's not been improved you'll get some minor pathing errors)
You might also get some issues with the ORS mods.

And don't use the REGS STEP patch since it's out of date, it's not needed anymore regardless.

Hey CJ!! I really hope that life is treating you well and that u r doing fine! ::):

BTW, Immersive College of Winterhold is absolutely compatible with ICAIO. Town of Winterhold and College of Winterhold will always be compatible with ICAIO, as per author's compatibility article.

Which means that Winterhold-Expansion Ruins should be compatible as well(I am not using it).

Take care mate! ::):

Kelmych · February 28, 2016

I've been using the Realistic Inns by perseid (which are also in SR:LE) without any problems from Immersive Citizens. I've been waiting to see the town mod from the Immersive Citizens author before installing ETAC modular (and then merging these as described on the Nexus page) without the 4 areas that are problematic. I have most of the REGS mods installed and I haven't seen any obvious problems so far. I use STEP extended including the lighting mods as well as many of the SR:LE mods, and I have a custom version of the SR:LE compatibility patch I prepared.

Bandy · February 29, 2016

Many thanks for replies gentlemen, and for potential future support mentioned. I still love nothing more than just running around a smooth rendering Tamriel and exploring, so REGS was looking like the pack for me.

Relatively speaking I'm new to Skyrim, and know enough about safely installing/using mods to be bit dangerous, as my very first character can attest, just one too many CTD finally killed him after 55 satisfying levels. Long live Gidmarr the Elder. Though have improved considerably by now following STEP guidelines, and my STEP-x is running well with just a few perk adjustment mods thus far (Smithing & Stealth rebalanced), I still do not know what the limits are for including some mods I really enjoyed the first time around.

1) The initials standing in for long mod names is understandable, but please put yourself in my shoes, it is another language sometimes. ICAIO= ? Ah, Immersive Citizens AI overhaul... maybe I can figure some of these out afterall...

2) I would consider Winterhold Expansion Ruins quite important for visual aesthetic considering the backstory, though lost a horse in the walls once; he wouldn't come out even with whistle, and I NEVER fast travel...

3) I tried ETaC on my first TESV install based on what it promised for immersion, and though my system is quite robust [ i7 4.4 GHz, GTX 980Ti 6 GB ], it was pretty stuttery. I assume that my bad modding habits were likely to blame there. So this or perhaps lite version should install well into STEP-X?

4) "4 problematic areas" are mentioned, and alluded to in a thread that provides merging instructs, but is not linked. If its handy please link.

TirigonX · February 29, 2016

I've been using the Realistic Inns by perseid (which are also in SR:LE) without any problems from Immersive Citizens. I've been waiting to see the town mod from the Immersive Citizens author before installing ETAC modular (and then merging these as described on the Nexus page) without the 4 areas that are problematic. I have most of the REGS mods installed and I haven't seen any obvious problems so far. I use STEP extended including the lighting mods as well as many of the SR:LE mods, and I have a custom version of the SR:LE compatibility patch I prepared.

I think CJ mentioned Realistic Inns because there are issues with Relighting Skyrim (which is in STEP core). With both mods installed there are too many light sources in some inns which cause lights turning on and off.

Edited February 29, 2016 by TirigonX

Kelmych · February 29, 2016

I haven't looked at the inns in detail yet. I need to compare the version of Relighting Skyrim in STEP with the special version in SR:LE which eliminates many of the light from RS.

TirigonX · February 29, 2016

The SRLE version of Relighting Skyrim only covers places that aren't touched by ELFX. That version works fine with the inns. But it makes only sense to use it if you're using ELFX too.

Kelmych · February 29, 2016

Exactly. I will look at a patch to eliminate the RS lights only in the RRE inns.

Kelmych · March 1, 2016

Many thanks for replies gentlemen, and for potential future support mentioned. I still love nothing more than just running around a smooth rendering Tamriel and exploring, so REGS was looking like the pack for me.

Relatively speaking I'm new to Skyrim, and know enough about safely installing/using mods to be bit dangerous, as my very first character can attest, just one too many CTD finally killed him after 55 satisfying levels. Long live Gidmarr the Elder. Though have improved considerably by now following STEP guidelines, and my STEP-x is running well with just a few perk adjustment mods thus far (Smithing & Stealth rebalanced), I still do not know what the limits are for including some mods I really enjoyed the first time around.
Just don't have too many script intensive mods

1) The initials standing in for long mod names is understandable, but please put yourself in my shoes, it is another language sometimes. ICAIO= ? Ah, Immersive Citizens AI overhaul... maybe I can figure some of these out afterall...
after a while users tire of typing in the entire name. A good glossary would help, but we don't have one.

2) I would consider Winterhold Expansion Ruins quite important for visual aesthetic considering the backstory, though lost a horse in the walls once; he wouldn't come out even with whistle, and I NEVER fast travel...
I have used this mod for a long time. Without it Winterhold isn't consistent with the lore.

3) I tried ETaC on my first TESV install based on what it promised for immersion, and though my system is quite robust [ i7 4.4 GHz, GTX 980Ti 6 GB ], it was pretty stuttery. I assume that my bad modding habits were likely to blame there. So this or perhaps lite version should install well into STEP-X?
In addition to "normal" problems with the Skyrim engine, a lot of stuttering problems are related to choices of INI parameters. Have you used sINIp and the INI tweaks in the STEP 2.2.9.2 page? Have you looked at the material in the INI tweaks threads on the forum? If you expect that there won't be any stuttering at all good luck; the engine has its issues. There isn't a lite version of ETAC that I'm aware of. There is a lite version of JK's Skyrim but it doesn't add structures.

4) "4 problematic areas" are mentioned, and alluded to in a thread that provides merging instructs, but is not linked. If its handy please link.
I'll ask CJ if I can make some edits to update the REGS page a little.

GrantSP · March 1, 2016

Quick reminder about acronyms. Anytime you see an acronym in this forum, place your cursor over it, often they have been added to our database of names and the full mod name will be expanded, if it doesn't ask for it in the 'Blacksmith -- Forum' page.

Hint: If it has a dotted line underneath it is included.

Kelmych · March 1, 2016

Thanks GrantSP. ICAIO has an expansion, but for me the dotted line under it is very faint by the way.

Bandy · March 1, 2016

Thank you for advice, I have followed STEP ini settings at this time, and am a bit loath to try tweaking them further.

RE: ETaC "lite", what I meant was doing a modular install leaving out some of the locations that caused me problems the first time, such as Winterhold external market and Dragonbridge.

I also may have been confusing ETaC with one of the 'citizens' mods where there is the full NPC install or you can reduce the number of NPC's added during the install settings.

Kelmych · March 2, 2016

I just built (but haven't tested yet) a version of ETAC without Inns starting with the modular files and patches and leaving out the problematic areas that the ETAC author mentions have issues with ICAIO (Falkreath, Rorikstead, Riverwood) and the Whiterun Extension since I previously didn't find it that useful and it can affect other mods. I also didn't include Dragonbridge South which would need to be separate anyway.

ETAC is not 'Interesting NPCs' or 'Inconsequential NPCs'. It only adds a few NPCs in the structures it adds.

By the way, the patching section of the forum for ETAC has the best step-by-step description of merging mods with navigation mesh entries that I've seen. I used Mator's Merge Plugins utility vs. the older script version used in the examples. Both the resulting ETAC - Complete plugin and the ETAC - Complete Patches plugin that result from this exercise need to have the Navmesh fix.

discoclash · April 2, 2016

Quick question on this pack from a pretty new modder. Since there is an option in the step extended patch for not having ICAIO installed; would it work to just disable IACAIO, use the corresponding patch, and then install REGS? Or are there more issues than that?

thanks!

edit: and by disable i mean remove it completely from the MO profile

Edited April 2, 2016 by discoclash

pralima87 · May 12, 2016

I'm looking at the REGs patches and there are some issues with the "REGS Patch - STEP Extended.esp".

Are those harmless?

[00:00] Checking for Errors in [09] REGS Patch - STEP Extended.esp

[00:00] GannaUriel "Ganna Uriel" [NPC_:0001365D]