GUIDE SkyrimPrefs INI Guide

[DoubleYou]

• Finished [Trees] here as well

[DoubleYou]

• Finished [TerrainManager]

[Kesta]

• Finished %5BTerrainManager%5D

Any additional infos on fSplitDistanceMult ? This ones seems to greatly improve the distant terrain quality.

[DoubleYou]

fSplitDistanceMult is definitely my favorite. Currently thinking I might stick to a restricted tweak:

[TerrainManager]
fBlockLevel0Distance=20480.0000
fBlockLevel1Distance=32768.0000
fBlockMaximumDistance=100000.0000
fSplitDistanceMult=1
fTreeLoadDistance=20480

Not sure how DynDoLOD is affected, as I've been doing all my testing with vanilla.

[Spock]

Under the [Display] section you state

fTreesMidLODSwitchDist sets the distance trees switch to their LOD versions?

 

(assuming the question mark means you could use more information)

This looks very similar to the screenshots of skinned trees from the Configuration guide in game, with the difference that it is a distance parameter. It is too bad the switch doesn't fade, it could really help with popping. 14000 is the value that pushes it very close to cell transition if you like two separate smaller pop ins (with the later showing full foliage) to one complete pop in.

[DoubleYou]

If you disable tree animations, it seems to remove tree pop-in entirely, while still giving fully skinned trees. I cannot explain the phenomenon.

[TechAngel85]

If you disable tree animations, it seems to remove tree pop-in entirely, while still giving fully skinned trees. I cannot explain the phenomenon.

The tree animations are terrible anyway so I would not really chalk that up at a loss. Then again, a lot of users do notice small things like this though...of which, I think most are just standing around staring at things rather than playing the game. Just an observation. My real question would be, what is the 'noticeable' performance difference, if any, with such a change. Reducing tree pop-in would be nice.

[DoubleYou]

It naturally would depend on tree mods a bit, and whether or not you use skinned trees, and what level of AA you are using (I would assume that moving trees would be more performance costly when using AA than non-moving trees). 

 

Thanks for the tip about fTreesMidLODSwitchDist, however, as I had not gotten that far. Gives me an idea of what to look for. I have been working backwards through the guide to complete it, and the Display section I'm leaving for last, since it's the largest section.

[Spock]

With all the tree mods and ENB SSAO, it did make a small difference on my r9 290, even a few fps when I used a lower value like 5000. I imagine it might make more of a difference on older machines. (talking about mid lod switch)

The difference is probably a little lower on NVidia cards because they can traditionally handle more geometry (but SSAO will be more expensive, especially on Kepler cards).

[DoubleYou]

This guide is now complete in its entirety with exception of the [Display] section.

[DoubleYou]

If anybody can figure out what fLeafAnimDampenDistStart and fLeafAnimDampenDistEnd do, let me know. I've tested them to exhaustion and cannot for the life of me figure out what they do. I thought they might control falling leaves in Riften, but they don't. I thought they might "dampen" tree animations, but they don't. I'm at my wits end, and the settings were added with Skyrim, and I find it hard to believe that they do nothing. The descriptions of what they do around the net are bogus, that much is for sure. Any other place where I might find leaf animations?

[GrantSP]

So that doesn't change the distance from the camera that trees sway?

[Nearox]

This has become a really good guide. Major props :)

[DoubleYou]

So that doesn't change the distance from the camera that trees sway?

Not as far as I can tell.

[DoubleYou]

  The SkyrimPrefs INI Guide is now complete!    :hurr:

 

Of note, according to my testing, the specularity fade settings do not appear to work. If anyone can get it to do something, I'd be obliged. The same can be said of any settings highlighted in yellow.