Skyrim timescale - what is safe?

[rootsrat]

I read many different sources regarding Skyrim timescale, and whilst it's clear that setting it too low will definitely break your game (quests and NPC schedules & behaviour), I did not find any consistent info in regards to what is the safe threshold. 

 

There are reports of the following values: 10, 8, 6 and 5 being the border values.

 

My question is - does anyone have any evidence or experience which is actually safe to use? I used to use timescale 8, it played nicely with my style of gaming (slow pace, exploratory role playing). For this playthrough I raised it to 10 to be on a safe side, but I find it a tiny bit too high, and I would like to lower it to 8 again.

 

What are your thoughts on this guys?

[Redferne]

The default timescale is 20.

That being said all the game is tailored around this value. So any script that needs a duration will be affected if you change the way time passes.

I played with a timescale of 10 and never see any difference in quest. But I did see some strange behaviour on NPC like a store opened after 9pm. Usually a reload of the game fixed the problem. So it is possible it might not be related. But I never had the problem on the default timescale.

In the end I prefer the original timescale, it allows me to see different time of day on short playtime session.

[CJ2311]

I did an entire playthrough of the game (DG + DB included) with a timescale of 6 and didn't notice any issue with quests. Every thread I seem to have read about timescale said the limit was 5 though, but I went for 6 for the added safety :P

[keithinhanoi]

I played with a timescale of 10 and never see any difference in quest. But I did see some strange behaviour on NPC like a store opened after 9pm. Usually a reload of the game fixed the problem. So it is possible it might not be related. But I never had the problem on the default timescale.

Strange timing of events like shops closing / opening or delayed NPC actions might be related to setting iPresentinterval=0 in skyrimprefs.ini.

 

I suggest reading this Beth Forums thread post from way back in 2011 claiming that iPresentinterval should not be disabled.

 

Basically the idea presented there is that the Skyrim's internal timing is based on rendered frames, and disabling iPresentinterval will break that function of the game. Definitely we know that turning iPresentinterval off will allow Skyrim to render in excess of 60 FPS, and anything above that will result in issues with the havoc engine's physics of the game, so is is recommended to use an FPS limiter to avoid that problem.

 

Reading through that entire thread, though, it's unclear to me whether using an FPS limiter to clamp to a maximum of 60 will bring back normal internal timing to the game in the way that iPresentinterval provides.

 

So, I leave it enabled (iPresentinterval=1) just to be on the safe side. Of course, with my relatively "weak" GPU, I don't usually get frame rates well above the 40's except in interiors, so I don't experience the stuttering that people claim happens with iPresentinterval enabled.

[Octopuss]

I have timescale set to 12, and the Riverwood trade has his shop permanently open, which is super weird, and this thread made me wonder whether it couldn't be related.

As for ipresentinterval setting, it doesn't seem to do anything if ENBoost is running. I disabled vsync in enblocal.ini and set this back to 1, and my FPS was still jumping to 100.

[Kelmych]

I use the dynamic timescale mod and I haven't seen any problems. I think the range it uses is from 6-20.

[rootsrat]

Thanks for your input guys!

 

This was certainly an interesting read too:

 

 

Strange timing of events like shops closing / opening or delayed NPC actions might be related to setting iPresentinterval=0 in skyrimprefs.ini.

 

I suggest reading this Beth Forums thread post from way back in 2011 claiming that iPresentinterval should not be disabled.

 

Basically the idea presented there is that the Skyrim's internal timing is based on rendered frames, and disabling iPresentinterval will break that function of the game. Definitely we know that turning iPresentinterval off will allow Skyrim to render in excess of 60 FPS, and anything above that will result in issues with the havoc engine's physics of the game, so is is recommended to use an FPS limiter to avoid that problem.

 

Reading through that entire thread, though, it's unclear to me whether using an FPS limiter to clamp to a maximum of 60 will bring back normal internal timing to the game in the way that iPresentinterval provides.

 

So, I leave it enabled (iPresentinterval=1) just to be on the safe side. Of course, with my relatively "weak" GPU, I don't usually get frame rates well above the 40's except in interiors, so I don't experience the stuttering that people claim happens with iPresentinterval enabled.

 

 

[Octopuss]

My main concern is how is this related to ENB, and whether having "double vsync" wouldn't cause some problems. But like I posted before, ipresentinterval=1 and vsync disabled in ENB resulted in FPS going over 60 anyway, so I really don't know what to think.

[rootsrat]

Let's not OT, please create a separate thread, quoting the relevant posts. Thanks :)

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[keithinhanoi]

Here's something totally on topic that I forgot to mention about slower timescales (below 20).

 

Exterior & Interior / Dungeon cell NPC respawn times are based on game time, not real world time.

 

So if you slow down how fast the game time passes, then it will feel to the player that it takes longer for cells to respawn new NPCs.

 

Therefore, I suggest changing both of Cell Respawn Time values to be lower if you like to encounter new NPC "enemies" often. This can be done in the Tweaks section of Wyre Bash's Update Bashed Patch window.

 

For example, If you reduce the timescale by half to 10, then set Cell Respawn Time from 10 to 5 days, and Cell Respawn (Cleared) from 30 to 15 days.

 

If you use lifestorock's Skyrim Immersive Creatures, then these respawn times can be set in the mod's MCM menu, along with his wonderful respawn time randomization features which add a level of unpredictability to when cells are cleared and new NPCs spawned.

Edited March 14, 2014 by keithinhanoi

[rootsrat]

Good tip, Keith, thanks. I actually use SIC, so I don't edit the cell respawn times, as the randomizer works perfectly fine :)

[Kuldebar]

This topic has always interested me. Although I've defeated most major problems with Skyrim: Mod conflicts, CTD. low FPS, etc, there still remains a few glitches that I am left wondering about.

 

I always run my game at 10 or 12 via iNeeds, but there are some issues that I am starting to attribute to me deviating from default timescale, glitches mostly involving NPC activity:

• They tend to stand around more, inactive
• Navigation weirdness, clusters and clumps of NPC's
• They have can have strange schedule quirks: Riverwood seems especially susceptible to this issue; the children NPC's stay up way past their bedtimes and stand in the road...since Riverwood normally reverts to the default timescale regardless, I wonder if iNeeds timescale script is manhandling the timescale situation and thus borking things up a bit.

Much of these issues aren't that noticeable if you just pass through an area, but if you dawdle and observe, you start noticing the weirdness.

 

I will (once more into the breach!) be starting a new play through. (I have given up on SkyRe for the moment...way too many compatibility issues and patch maintenance for my taste)

 

In my new game I will reluctantly use the default game timescale and see how I fare.

[keithinhanoi]

I always run my game at 10 or 12 via iNeeds, but there are some issues that I am starting to attribute to me deviating from default timescale, glitches mostly involving NPC activity:

[*]They tend to stand around more, inactive

[*]Navigation weirdness, clusters and clumps of NPC's

[*]They have can have strange schedule quirks: Riverwood seems especially susceptible to this issue; the children NPC's stay up way past their bedtimes and stand in the road...since Riverwood normally reverts to the default timescale regardless, I wonder if iNeeds timescale script is manhandling the timescale situation and thus borking things up a bit.

Much of these issues aren't that noticeable if you just pass through an area, but if you dawdle and observe, you start noticing the weirdness.

 

I will (once more into the breach!) be starting a new play through. (I have given up on SkyRe for the moment...way too many compatibility issues and patch maintenance for my taste)

 

In my new game I will reluctantly use the default game timescale and see how I fare.

 

AFAIK, all iNeeds does is set the timescale for you, with the same functionality as the console command, set timescale to xx.

 

With the console command method, anyhow, the timescale will remain constant, so I'm not sure why you'd think Riverwood reverts the timescale to the default 20 value, but next time I'm in Riverwood I'll check on that using the show timescale command. 

 

In my new play through, I'm trying out a timescale of 10, and I have to say that I'm also noticing what seems to be too many NPCs standing around with nothing to do, though not just at nighttime. Same thing with groups of mindless loitering NPCs. Up to now, I hadn't thought of the possibility that all might be related to the timescale setting.

 

The timescale can be changed at any time, as the dynamic timescale mod shows, so I think we should try changing it to something low and back to default, to see if these odd NPC behaviors are resolved with the default 20 value. I have to assume it would be a good idea to do that when far away from the places where we have observed the problems, and also wait a few days (at least) for things to "flush" out before going back to check.

[Kuldebar]

keithinhanoi, on 10 May 2014 - 5:17 PM, said:

AFAIK, all iNeeds does is set the timescale for you, with the same functionality as the console command, set timescale to xx.

 

With the console command method, anyhow, the timescale will remain constant, so I'm not sure why you'd think Riverwood reverts the timescale to the default 20 value, but next time I'm in Riverwood I'll check on that using the show timescale command. 

Yeah, correction: it doesn't revert, but needs to revert or weirdness happens, as explained below:

 

According to MTichenor/ 'IndigoNeko', the author of SkyRealism - Time and Travel, he states:

 

Quote

Current list of areas where TimeScale defaults back to 20:

 

[*]Riverwood

[*]Solitude

 

Source:

 I suppose if you've never played through the entire game with a 20:1 ratio, then you wouldn't notice it. The two main areas that you'll immediately see the difference are solitude and riverwood, which is why I have them in my exclusion list. If you're using 1:1 ratio, in Riverwood, if you do the Golden Claw quest line, Lucien's sister will take forever to get through her dialogue and eventually walk to the bridge. In Solitude, the execution scene goes through normally, but the people stand around for a good half hour, staring at Rogvir's corpse, when they're supposed to wander off 1 by 1 over the course of a minute or so. The reason I set it to 6 is because if an NPC needs to go through a door or entrance and it's being used or someone is in the way, they have a small in-game delay. At 20:1 it's only 1 or 2 seconds, but when you've got it at 1:1, they'll stand around for 20-40 seconds before they try going through a door again. When I put it at 6 seconds, they'll go through the door in about 4-6 seconds or so, which doesn't feel too unnatural. A good example of this is the quest to kill the dragon out front of whiterun, when the four guardsmen follow Irilith outside. At 1:1, it takes them nearly 3 minutes to all individually file out, whereas with a 20:1 ratio they get out in about 10 seconds. Hope that explains my reasoning.

 

...a couple of them out there that modify the timescale, many with customizable options. But I couldn't find one that would automatically change the timescale to compensate for quest events. So I made one myself. I'm seriously hoping that people will find the quest events that don't work with the timescale of 6 and let me know about them, so that I don't have to go searching. So far I know of only the scripted events in riverwood and the execution in solitude.

 

[Garfink]

I have had my game on Timescale 10, set via wyre bash and have never had a single issue.  Even Lucien's sister shows you how to get to Bleak Fall's Barrow in a timely manner.  But now that you mention it, I have noticed that there is a 8-12 second delay as people cue up to go indoors, its no biggie.

 

I found that at Timescale 10 and using iNeeds at default settings, the hunger/thirst/sleep cycle is near perfect compared to the default settings in RND.  I can get up at 7 and work till 11 and still function.  

Edited May 14, 2014 by Garfink

[Glanzer]

I use Dynamic Timescale to set outdoor areas to 8, city areas to 3, and indoor areas to 2.  I haven't had any problems in about 8 months of playing.  I would set those values lower but I'm a bit paranoid from everything I've previously read.

 

@Garfink:  I had to relax the sleep needs in RnD a bit because around noon it was telling me my Dragonborn needs a nap.   "You've just killed 10 bandits and a dragon, but now it's time for your nappy poo"  LOL  So I just lengthened that a bit to the point he gets that message in the evening.