STEP:Mandate

STEP:Core

STEP:Core Flowchart

Skyrim was originally created for the console, and while Bethesda has released official texture packs and patches to correct for the PC platform, they missed a great deal. Core STEP comprehensively enhances vanilla Skyrim for the PC in order to properly finish what Bethesda attempted. Specifically, ...

STEP:Core is about ...

... bug fixes and corrections to malfunctioning aspects of vanilla Skyrim.
... HD asset replacements in the style of vanilla Skyrim.
... improvements to existing content that increases the consistency of vanilla Skyrim.
... interface mods that improve the menus and UI for the PC.
... new content that is interpreted as a "should have been included" resource and remains consistent with vanilla Skyrim.

STEP:Core can be defined as a comprehensive assemblage of game modifications that are 100% consistent with the above bullets. This will maximize the stability of a core "fix" whilst minimizing the possibility of conflicts. Another way to think of STEP:Core is that it simply takes the Unofficial Skyrim Patches a step further by integrating them all along with other miscellaneous fixes and vanilla asset enhancements. Template:Notice Small

STEP:Core is NOT about ...

... content that conflicts with TES lore or vanilla Skyrim lore.
... mods that subjectively alter or contrast with the style of vanilla Skyrim.
... new content that is out-of-scope with vanilla Skyrim.
... mods that subjectively alter game settings (GMSTs) of vanilla Skyrim.
... mods that have a high likely hood of having "data conflicts" with other mods.
... mods that have a high performance penalty.

STEP:Extended (aka: the STEP Pack)

STEP:Extended is about ...

... content that is consistent with Skyrim and TES lore as established by Bethesda's creators and extrapolated on by the STEP community in accordance with the Imperial Library and the UESP.
... continuity and qualitative consistency of all in-game behaviors and assets (e.g., sounds, graphics, models, gameplay, etc.)
... new content, assets and effects that "fit" Skyrim and TES lore.

STEP:Extended is a somewhat subjectively creative extrapolation or the STEP community's vision of what vanilla Skyrim could and should be. STEP:Extended does come with a bit of a performance cost, but it is worth it for those that want to experience a more "realistic" style of play. In addition to adding upon the visual and acoustic enhancements of vanilla Skyrim, STEP:Extended modifies aspects of the vanilla game in terms of gameplay mechanics by using scripted mods that alter GMSTs and add or subtract specific functionality to yield an overall more immersive experience. The cost is paid in terms of a slight performance drop and a more advanced mod-maintenance overhead. STEP:Extended ultimately takes most of the vanilla-extraneous STEP experience of days past and adds the "best" options of Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited that adhere to the STEP:Extended Mandate, without the maintenance overhead of that Pack.

STEP:Extended is NOT about ...

... Sex mods, body replacement mods or beauty mods that unrealistically affect or digress from the ambiance of the TES series.
... Music replacement mods or game style overhauls.
... Gameplay overhauls that affect a particular play style (i.e., gameplay alterations are chosen that affect all play styles without bias).