A few questions not covered in the guide:

[mooncrow]

Hi.I have been with STEP for a couple of months now but I seem to run into various issues that need addressing.I have been following the guide completely.Information:System- Intel i7 3770k OCNvidia Geforce 660ti -Available memory - 4gb, dedicated - 2gb.16gb RAMUsing Mod Organizer;Using ini tweaks for max graphics (as stated in 3rd party links)I will sometimes CTD 30 minutes into gameplay or when a mage casts a spell in my face.No corrupted textures but sometimes I will experience tearing far in the distance (but I think this is sometimes normal?)My questions...:When installing STEP do I install Step:Core before STEP:Extended or can I install them at the same time?Basically do I install the "green light" mods or can I just go straight down the list in order?-I have some mods I would like to include in my game outside of STEP.Here is a small list. Can you point out any incompatibilites.Categorized Favorites menuUnread books glowElven Overhaul(immersive animation)AppachiiSkyHairAlternative Start Live another LifeBadolier Bags and Pouchest3ndos skyrim redoneGlowing OreAchieve ThatApocalypse Magic Of skyrimMidasThe Dance of DeathCombat realismImmersive ArmorImmersive WeoponsJaysus  *Sharlikens Compatibility patchFrostfallCloaks of SkyrimWinter is Coming - CloaksPlayer HeadtrackingRNADClimates of TamrielELFXDynavisionWearable LanternsUFOInteresting NPSInconsequential NPCSImmersive PAtrolsSkytestImmersive CreaturesDEADLY DRAGONSDragon CombatRealvision ENBNow I understand some mods in STEP will provide patches for some of the mods listed;My question then is, do Install the patches with STEP or after STEP? And can any mods outside of STEP be installed the same time as STEP?(I seem to always have a stable game until some of the mods listed above are installed.)-As for baseline... I have installed many of the mods in STEP using a HQ replacer (mostly using 2k textures)Is this even needed? Should I follow baseline for more compatibility?I can run at about 40-50 fps using all 2k textures but I am starting to think I'd be better off with baseline if I am installing many mods outside of STEP, is this true?What am I losing? Will I even notice a difference in graphics?Thanks for the help and support.I really love the guide and it's the best out, but I am partially noob when it comes to modding. :)Edit: I have one other question...In Mod Organizer we always get the option "Merge or Replace" or whatever it is.What is usually the appropriate option? I want to make sure I am doing this right...

Edited August 17, 2014 by mooncrow

[GunerX]

I am new to STEP but I know for a fact that if you are following STEP CORE you should INSTALL in the order the mods are presented. You can skip over Non-Essential Mods if you want, but all Essential mods should be installed in the order the guide lists them.

 

Also make sure you are using LOOT (not the loot that comes with Mod Organizer, but the standalone and updated LOOT, google it) and you are setting the unique Meta Rules for the STEP CORE as the guide says to.

 

 

Also if you are infact using the Highest graphic options you possibly can in the ini settings and you are CTDing randomly, try reducing some of those ini settings. Especially settings relating to shadows.

 

If you are using Skyrim.ini [Papyrus] settings found on other forums, they are probably WRONG and will cause CTD.

 

Please refer to this link " https://ck.uesp.net/wiki/INI_Settings_(Papyrus) " and read the WARNING that it has.

 

 

-edit-

 

Also I think there might be a conflict with "The Dance of Death" and "Dragon Combat Overhaul", but I think that is just a load order issue (can't remember where I read that, but google around for the answer).

Edited August 17, 2014 by GunerX

[TechAngel85]

CTD: Double check your ENBoost and SKSE setup to make sure they are done properly.

 

Tearing: Z-fighting is normal and can be described more like a "flickering" in the distance; especially on mountains. I'm not sure if they is want you are experiencing. See this video. Actual "tearing" is caused by vsync issues or overclocking your GPU too far, but appear as if they are on the monitor itself. Colored pixelation and dots are caused by VRAM issues which only result from overclocking your VRAM too far.

 

It's easier to install the entire Guide first, then copy that profile to a new one and deactivate the Extended mods if you want a STEP:Core only profile.

 

Mods:

AppachiiSkyHair - this has been known to cause some issues so just be weary if you start experiencing issues after installing this mod.

Player Headtracking - this has caused some issues with some users on some systems, so be aware of that as well.

CoT -  will likely need a ton of patching with other mods because of all of its edits to the world, so be aware of that. Some custom work in TES5edit might be required.

I don't know enough about the rest to say anything about them. TES5edit will tell you of any conflicts.

Make sure you use LOOT.

 

Patches: It doesn't matter when you install them. Probably easier to do it during the installation of the mod that needs the patch.

 

Baseline and Resolutions: The baseline is set to be the most compatible with the most systems. If you have the processing power and the memory to handle the higher res textures, then by all means that is your personal choice to install them. If you start seeing slowdowns that you're uncomfortable with, it's easy to change texture mods to a lower res texture set.

 

MO:

Merge means - copy and replace. This means existing files will be overwritten if the mod you're merging has the same files. In other words, if there are file conflicts, they will be overwritten by the new mod. Non-conflicted files will be left alone and will be retained. This option is most appropriate for mod updates and patches.

Replace means - delete the mod with the same name entirely and install the new mod. This option replaces the mod by deleting it entirely (no files are retained) and replacing it with the new mod that you're installing. You never want to choose this option unless you're re-installing the entire mod.

[Beamer]

I actually had questions along the same lines. Some mods I wanted to install were mentioned (Climates of Tamriel, ELFX, Frostfall, Bandolier etc) and theres some I want to add as well. My main question is: should I just follow STEP then save a profile with the STEP mods and create a profile on MO with STEP and the new mods? Or should I just install the new mods while going along with STEP? I'm hoping this all works fine as the last mod project i did made the game unplayable. Thanks for the help.

[Simondererste]

MO:

Merge means - copy and replace. This means existing files will be overwritten if the mod you're merging has the same files. In other words, if there are file conflicts, they will be overwritten by the new mod. Non-conflicted files will be left alone and will be retained. This option is most appropriate for mod updates and patches.

Replace means - delete the mod with the same name entirely and install the new mod. This option replaces the mod by deleting it entirely (no files are retained) and replacing it with the new mod that you're installing. You never want to choose this option unless you're re-installing the entire mod.

Is this really the correct way TechAngel?

I always do replace for safety.

So this needs some more explanation.

It comes down to how you update a mod.

Either get the new version(a) or an update/patch(b) for that mod.

 

a)As for me i mostly will download the new full version of the mod.

You may download a bigger file, but most of the time you have no other choice, because there are only some who provide an update/patch for their mod.

Using the merge option here would just have the potential of leaving dead/dirty/old files inside your mod, which may cause problems or just waste space.

If you are afraid of errors in the new version, either there is an old version available on the nexus or you do a backup(or just rename it).

 

b)Rarely, there is only an update/patch available or you don't want to download a large mod again just for small changes.

In this scenario you can use the merge option or install the update as a new mod.

Using it as a mod XYZversion1.0-1.2 after mod XYZversion1.0 in MO.

Although this may use more space, but at the same time you will keep track of what has updated(maybe you want to keep a change you did to version 1.0).

 

So as i haven't manipulated a mod i will replace it most of the time with the new mod instead of merging it with an update.

[Nearox]

I always manually remove a mod and completely reinstall. Using merge is imho not really a good idea if you are unpacking the bsa files.

[DoubleYou]

https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Mod_Organizer#tab=Installing_Mods

[Halde]

@Simondererste

 

What do you mean? You are saying exactly what TechAngel is saying.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Halde

[Simondererste]

...

MO:

Replace... You never want to choose this option unless you're re-installing the entire mod.

If someone may read through his lines quickly he might misunderstand this and try to use merge as often as possible.

In my opinion it's better to use replace in most cases.

 

The link DoubleYou provided is "more neutral" and describes it very good, so the user will chose the correct approach for him.

Also here is a nice video from Gopher: Youtube

Edited August 26, 2014 by Simondererste