Falskaar and DDSopt

[john7]

I am back again. I am trying to optimize the falskaar textures. In the insructions it says Click the [browse] button near the top text-box and select the mod folder to optimize. It does NOT say which folder this is. I deduce it must be textures but I have three folders in the texture folder "actors", "Falskaar", and "Terrain". Is it just one of these or all three ? I apologize for needing help at practically every step. I promise if I have to ask for help one more time I will give up and delete this whole mess until someone goes back and clarifies the instructions. I hope it is not like this all the way through. Very discouraging. Looking at the DDSopt guide it seems it would be a BSA I am looking for but there is no BSA in Falskaar. There is an ESM. Also each of those three folders mentioned earlier have multiple folders inside them. Really confusing as to which folder I am supposed to be opening in DDSopt.

Edited June 20, 2015 by john7

[john7]

If I knew how I would take this post down so no one would waste time on it. At the rate this install progresses for me it would take me three months just to finish the install. There is no need to reply to this topic as I deleted everything back to vanilla. I sure hope all of you hardworking people bringing this awesome attempt forward will keep up the good work and keep us 140 IQ simpletons with moderate OCD and minor tourrettes in mind when and if you add many more details to the instructions.

[oqhansoloqo]

Installing STEP can take a few days, especially if you go with STEP Extended and also choose to optimize textures, etc.  It's not a simple task, but this is extensive modding, and the guides have greatly simplified the process for those willing to go through with it.  Without the guides, this level of modding would be even more difficult.

 

EDIT: I should have stated above: STEP, STEP Extended, or Skyrim Revisited (which adds many extra mods as STEP Extended does).

Edited June 20, 2015 by oqhansoloqo

[john7]

I do see it as my personality or perhaps "mental" DisOrder but I have to stop every other step and ask for clarification. Then wait for a reply. Like the one that broke me...I still have no idea what files in the Falskaar mod I was supposed to open in DDSopt. I looked everywhere I could find on every link provided and no such detail ( for me much needed detail ) could be found. I most certainly thank you for replying nonetheless.

[Yippee38]

I just ran into this problem too.  I see where it comes from.....

 

In the past, Neovalan walked us through the process of optimizing the Bethesda textures as part of the guide IIRC.  Now though, he has provided a .zip file that you can just install via MO.  While that makes the process much quicker and faster, it means that you don't read through the guide on how to optimize textures that he references.  As a result, you don't get the knowledge of how to do that.  If you read that guide, it walks you through the process, and then you will understand where to point DDSopt.  Even though it's a bit of reading, it's probably in your interest to run through optimizing the Bethesda textures once so you understand the process.  You have to optimize several mods while installing SR:LE.

 

It's worth it though.  Keep plugging and you'll get through.  This forum will help you figure out what you cannot on your own.

[Yippee38]

john7,

 

Actually, I can help you with this.  It's pretty straightforward once you understand what's going on.

 

In the SR:LE DDSopt Processing Subguide, step 2 is saying point DDSopt to the mod folder of the mod you just installed.  In this case, that is Falskaar.  So you want to point it to the <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/<Mod To Be Optimized> directory.  For this specific example, that would be <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/Falskaar.

 

After that, open Windows Explorer and go to the <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/ directory.  Create a new directory called <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/<Mod To Be Optimized> Optimized.  In this case, that would be <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/Falskaar Optimized.

 

In step 3, you point DDSopt to that directory that you just created (Falskaar Optimized).

 

The rest of that guide should be straightforward.  If not, ask.

 

What you are doing in step 2 is using DDSopt to browse to the folder holding the unoptimized files for the mod you are optimizing.  Falskaar.  So think of the top of DDSopt as the source of the unoptimized files.

 

In step 3, you are using DDSopt to browse to the folder where you want to optimized files, that you will be creating, to end up being placed.  In this case, Falskaar Optimized.  So think of the bottom of DDSopt as the destination of the new, optimized files that you are going to create.

 

After you optimize the textures and normal maps following the guide, the last section at the bottom has you add that newly optimized "mod" to MO.  In this case, you will end up with:

 

X  Falskaar

X  Falskaar Optimized

 

Because the second overwrites the first, the game will use the optimized textures and normal maps (which reside in the Falskaar Optimized folder).  The rest of the mod still comes from the orignial (Falskaar) folder.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Yippee38

[Yippee38]

One more things John7.  When following the guide and you see a line like this:

In the center text box, type "*.dds" and then click [Apply].

I would suggest that rather than using the drop-down to select that file type, you instead copy the text inside the quotes (for the line above that would be *.dds) and paste it in the window.  There are lots of those in the drop-down and it would be very, very easy to select the wrong one accidentally.

[Bradl3y]

john7,

 

Actually, I can help you with this.  It's pretty straightforward once you understand what's going on.

 

In the SR:LE DDSopt Processing Subguide, step 2 is saying point DDSopt to the mod folder of the mod you just installed.  In this case, that is Falskaar.  So you want to point it to the <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/<Mod To Be Optimized> directory.  For this specific example, that would be <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/Falskaar.

 

After that, open Windows Explorer and go to the <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/ directory.  Create a new directory called <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/<Mod To Be Optimized> Optimized.  In this case, that would be <Mod Organizer Path>/mods/Falskaar Optimized.

 

In step 3, you point DDSopt to that directory that you just created (Falskaar Optimized).

 

The rest of that guide should be straightforward.  If not, ask.

 

What you are doing in step 2 is using DDSopt to browse to the folder holding the unoptimized files for the mod you are optimizing.  Falskaar.  So think of the top of DDSopt as the source of the unoptimized files.

 

In step 3, you are using DDSopt to browse to the folder where you want to optimized files, that you will be creating, to end up being placed.  In this case, Falskaar Optimized.  So think of the bottom of DDSopt as the destination of the new, optimized files that you are going to create.

 

After you optimize the textures and normal maps following the guide, the last section at the bottom has you add that newly optimized "mod" to MO.  In this case, you will end up with:

 

X  Falskaar

X  Falskaar Optimized

 

Because the second overwrites the first, the game will use the optimized textures and normal maps (which reside in the Falskaar Optimized folder).  The rest of the mod still comes from the orignial (Falskaar) folder.

I don't know if John7 ever got this working correctly, but your explanation made everything crystal clear for me and I really appreciate it.

 

This was bothering me for quite some time. I was about to skip the falskaar / wyrmstooth ddsopt process entirely until I finally came accross this post.

 

Thank you

[Ardhes]

Thanks Yippie38 for pointing me into the right direction with your explanation, one question - maybe Bradl3y can answer this too, during these steps you have to add:

"*_msn.dds", I allway get an empty window, when the programm is looking for that file. Am I missing something? cuz the guide tells me to checkmark those afterwards oO

[Yippee38]

 

Thanks Yippie38 for pointing me into the right direction with your explanation, one question - maybe Bradl3y can answer this too, during these steps you have to add:

"*_msn.dds", I allway get an empty window, when the programm is looking for that file. Am I missing something? cuz the guide tells me to checkmark those afterwards oO

I never worried about that when it happened.  I think that only some of the stuff that needs optimizing (maybe the official DLCs that now come in a MO installable file) uses those files.  To keep the instructions/guide consistent, he put that in as a step.  If one mod doesn't use those files, it's no big deal.  If you do that step though, you won't miss those file in the case where it is needed.