The OFFICIAL Anandtech Forums TeS V: Skyrim Thread

[lkailburn]

Good question. I use detailed cities and detailed outskirts with TPC and they work fine. I see that T.A.V.E does re-texture in some areas. I would say try it, but it may be a pain deleting it if it causes a texture mess.

I will say that I have installed mods that re-texture watery rocks and flora over the TPC and it never messes up the textures, it just replaces them as far as I could tell. Not sure if it has to do with load order or not?

I use Steam to install all of the gameplay mods and NMM to use the TPC. I find it easier because not all mods install correctly with the NMM and with Steam they do.

I'll give it a go tonight and post up the results

-Luke

 

[austin316]

Guys, the modding sounds incredibly complicated. Are there any instructions on how to mod and maybe a list of a few good ones?

 

[Face2Face]

Guys, the modding sounds incredibly complicated. Are there any instructions on how to mod and maybe a list of a few good ones?

See below

 

[Atomic Playboy]

-Modding Skyrim-

After reading through this thread, it seems that some people have some questions about mods. This post is an attempt to alleviate some of those issues, as well as give a list of some mods that people might want to try out.

Modding Skyrim can be an ordeal. Mods that may seem completely unrelated may nonetheless prove incompatible for any number of reasons. Because of this, it is highly recommended to do a number of things when considering mods:

First, read any readmes to determine potential compatibility issues before you start installing.
Second, use a mod manager like Nexus Mod Manager to install all your mods to reduce the risk of compatibility issues.
Third, rather than continually overwriting existing mods as new ones are released, start from a fresh install of Skyrim.
​

These tricks will generally help cut down on incompatibility issues and make your modding experience more enjoyable. With the right collection of mods, you can tweak Skyrim to your liking and give yourself a unique experience designed to meet your expectations.

-Installation-

Generally, you want to start with a fresh install of Skyrim (as mentioned above), then install Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) and Nexus Mod Manager (NMM). SKSE allows for further scripting options which certain popular mods (such as SkyUI) take advantage of. After you’ve gotten NMM and SKSE installed, open Skyrim and set your visual options, then run SKSE through NMM to make sure everything is loading properly. If Skyrim opens, you’re ready to move on to the next steps.

I recommend downloading individual mods from Skyrim Nexus, then installing them through NMM, as opposed to having NMM download them for you; it just keeps the process cleaner in my mind. Downloading mods from Skyrim Nexus requires a free registration. To install individual mods, open NMM, go to the Mods tab, and click on the icon with the green plus sign that says “Add Mod from File.” This will open a dialogue box where you can navigate to the .zip or .7z file you downloaded from Skyrim Nexus. After the mod is pulled into NMM, you need to activate it by clicking the icon with the green arrow that says “Activates the selected mod.” Some mods may give you some options you can change during installation; choose the options you would prefer and try it out to see how you feel.

If you don’t like a mod or want to replace it with an updated version, you can deactivate it in NMM by clicking the icon with the red arrow that says “Deactivates the selected mod.” After you’ve done this, you can delete the mod by clicking on the icon of a large red X that says “Deletes the selected mod.” Deactivating a mod will remove it from loading into Skyrim; deleting the mod removes it from NMM entirely.

Generally, I like to go in and test that the game will load after each mod I install just to verify that things are working. It’s no good to install 50 mods at once and then try to figure out which one is making your game crash. If you follow the tricks I laid out at the beginning, you should be able to avoid conflicts, but it doesn’t hurt to load Skyrim between each mod just to verify that nothing has gone wrong in the process.

-The Mods-

Here’s a list of the mods I use, divided into sections to make them more manageable. Some mods are what I would consider essential; bug fixes or utilities designed to make Skyrim run smoother (these have been marked with a * below). Graphics, texture mods and mods which affect gameplay are more of a personal choice, so use what fits your style. I have a gallery of pictures that I’ve taken so you can get a sense for what my game looks like. Check it out; if you like what you see, these are the mods that will give you a similar appearance. I would generally recommend installing utilities and bug fixes first, then texture mods, and finally gameplay mods, so that’s why they’re arranged in this order.

-Utilities-

*Skyrim Script Extender – This is required for several mods which take advantage of scripting functions, including SkyUI (to use all its features). Install this before installing Nexus Mod Manager and NMM will recognize SKSE and automatically configure to launch the proper exe file when starting the game (installing it after works fine, but you may need to manually select it in NMM).

*Nexus Mod Manager – Everyone should use this. It handles your mods, makes installing or removing them a one-click process, and connects to Skyrim Nexus to let you know when any updates have been released for individual mods. You can use it to install everything except for ENB configs or SKSE.

*SkyUI – This is a revamped UI that looks and works significantly better than the default UI which was intended for consoles.

A Quality World Map with Roads – A higher resolution version of the map, complete with all roads filled in (if you prefer) and no cloud cover obstructing locations.

Necessary Map Markers – This adds a number of markers to the map for player homes and major landmarks, all of which can be fast-traveled to (after being discovered).

FRAPS – This is not really a Skyrim mod, but it’s a useful tool to gauge your FPS, as well as take screenshots (Steam shots are compressed and don’t look as good).

-Bug Fixes-

*Unofficial Skyrim Patch – Fixes numerous bugs and glitches.

*HD Textures DLC Fix – Fixes numerous inconsistent textures in the official Bethesda HD texture pack.

*Daedric Shield High-Res Texture Pack Fix – Does just what it says. Use if you’re using the official Bethesda HD textures.

*Proudspire Manor Bug Fixes – Fixes inconsistent properties in Proudspire Manor.

*Shadow Striping Fix – Fixes the blocky shadows that are sometimes cast by fireplaces and torches.

Weapons and Armor Fixes – Fixes incorrect properties assigned to numerous weapons and armors.

Smithing Perks Overhaul – Fixes incorrect properties assigned to smithing various armors and weapons.

-Environmental Visuals-

Texture Pack Combiner – Hugely recommended. This is a collection of the best textures from the three largest HD texture packs for Skyrim, plus an additional 40+ optional mods that cover the bulk of every environmental texture in the game. The author did a fantastic job choosing textures that fit well together and keep the same feel as the vanilla game. Follow the author’s instructions carefully. It’s an ordeal to download everything and place it in the proper folders, but the end results completely transform the game, and best of all, it eliminates potential conflicts since it does all the work for you. Note that you MUST download the mods manually and not through NMM since you are required to place them in specific folders and run a batch file to prepare the mod.

*WATER – There is no better water mod out there. It upgrades the visual quality of all the water in the game with almost no performance hit. Everyone should be using this. Make sure WATER and WATER – Get Wet are at the end of your load order in NMM or there may be glitches.

Glorious Grasses – Greatly increase the frequency of grass patches in wilderness areas.

Enhanced Blood Textures – Improves blood textures and effects.

Deadly Spell Impacts – Hugely improves the quality of impact textures from ice, fire and lightning attacks.

Finer Dust – Makes dust particles smaller.

Glowing Ore Veins – This makes ore veins stand out with a brighter texture to separate them from normal rocks. Some people consider this cheating or immersion breaking.

Immersive Skyrim Thunder V5 – This isn’t a visual effect, but an improved thunderclap sound for storms. Highly recommended.

-Character-

Xenius Character Enhancement – A mod which improves character visuals for all races through higher detailed eyes, lips, faces, bodies and scars.

CoverKhajiits – Greatly improves the textures for the Khajiit race, although it only works for the heads.

AOF Believable Hair – Replaces default hair textures with higher resolution equivalents.

Apachii SkyHair – Adds new hairstyles for both sexes, all races. Does not replace Vanilla hairstyles.

Improved NPC Clothing – Adds greater detail to the basic clothes worn by all NPCs in the game; maintains same look as Vanilla, just higher resolution textures.

aMidianBorn Armors – This is an ongoing project to retexture all the Vanilla armors in Skyrim with high-resolution equivalents. At this point, he’s covered Iron, Steel, Steel Plate, Leather, Dwarven and Elven.

Immersive Armors – This adds a large number of lore-friendly armors to the game. They can be found in the world or crafted at forges.

Cloaks of Skyrim – Adds craftable cloaks and capes to the game. They can also be found on NPCs.

-Gameplay Mods-

Craftable Arrows – An absolute necessity for archers. Dawnguard adds this ability, but the recipes in this mod are more convenient (one ingot, two pieces of firewood for 25 arrows).

Auto-unequip Ammo – This will take the quiver off your back when you stop using a bow.

Skyrim Community Uncapper - Opens up leveling beyond 100 in each individual skill, modifies the bonuses received for leveling up and allows you to obtain every perk in the game (requires SKSE).

Proudspire Manor Dragonborn Edition – Adds a complete crafting setup in the basement of Proudspire Manor, with an enchanting table, apothecary table and full smithing room. Also adds a number of storage places and buttons which will auto-sort loot and ingredients into pre-named chests, or call up any named Shrine for the player to activate.

Reweighed Potions – Changes the weights on potions to correspond to their strength; potions that restore 10 HP no longer weigh as much as potions that restore 150 HP.

Rich Merchants – Gives all merchants in the game 10,000 starting gold. Makes it much easier to sell off goods without having to fast-travel around Skyrim for a year.

-Lighting-

-UPDATE- I now use Opethfeldt6 ENB rather than ForceWithin. ForceWithin is a great preset, but I find Opethfeldt6 looks more realistic and has better all around lighting.

ForceWithin ENB – ENB configs significantly change Skyrim’s lighting to improve lighting and shadows, add features such as SSAO and dynamic Depth of Field, and adjust the color palette. I use ForceWithin’s preset because it seems fairly balanced, but there are a wide variety to choose from, whether you prefer Vibrant, Bleak, Realistic, Sharp, Colorful, Ethereal, Mystical or simply an enhancement on Vanilla. ENB configs can seriously sap performance, so you may need to find one that works with your rig. This is probably the single biggest change you can make to Skyrim’s look, so if your machine can handle it, I highly recommend it.


This list is hardly comprehensive, nor meant to suggest that only the mods I personally use are worth using. It’s meant more as a jumping off point for people to take a look into modding the game to their own liking. Browse around Skyrim Nexus, look at the top files, see what appeals to you. There’s something for everyone.

Now get back to your adventuring, before you take an arrow in the knee.

 

[Face2Face]

Atomic Playboy Great write up - This should be sticky somewhere!

 

[QuantumPion]

I may come back to play Skyrim & Dawnguard but I don't have my original savegames. I don't want to have to start with a new guy and have to re-level all my combat and stealth skills again, which was time consuming grinding. Is there any mods that let you quickly build a new character & skill up without screwing with the leveling mechanics or messing up the difficulty by cheating with conventional console commands?

 

[lkailburn]

Atomic Playboy Great write up - This should be sticky somewhere!

+1 for a sticky

A ton of mods/utilities I didn't know about. I'm actually going to use it as a guide/checklist to see what I like/can handle on the new card this weekend. How much of a hit do you think the ENB takes? Thanks Atomic!

 

[Atomic Playboy]

+1 for a sticky

A ton of mods/utilities I didn't know about. I'm actually going to use it as a guide/checklist to see what I like/can handle on the new card this weekend. How much of a hit do you think the ENB takes? Thanks Atomic!

One mod author put the estimate at around 57% performance hit with ENB if you're using all the features, but you can disable them individually to lessen the blow. Dynamic depth of field is cool for screenshots but a lot of people don't like playing with it enabled, and it's about a 12% performance hit. SSAO makes the game look better, but you can lose it and still have a very good looking game, and it's around 15% or so. So without those two, you're looking at about a 30% performance hit.

Here's a breakdown courtesy of SkyRealism ENB Preset:

Enabling ENBSeries: -10% fps
Enabling SkyLighting: -15% fps
Enabling Sunrays: -2% fps
Enabling Detailed Shadows: -2% fps
Enabling ENB SSAO: -16% fps
Enabling SkyRealism DoF: -12% fps

Total Cost: -57% fps

You shouldn't have any problem running a nice ENB config on a 7870, but you probably won't be able to install every HD texture mod under the sun. ENB is capable of hiding the faults of the Vanilla textures, so I'd start with that and some of the more prominent TPC mods (and WATER; definitely WATER). Keep adding stuff until it's unplayable, then dial it back a bit. I just added Lush Trees on top of everything else I use (as recommended by TPC, so I didn't list it individually), and my game can drop to 25 FPS in forests. And that's with a GTX 680... This game can get crazy if you mod everything.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I may come back to play Skyrim & Dawnguard but I don't have my original savegames. I don't want to have to start with a new guy and have to re-level all my combat and stealth skills again, which was time consuming grinding. Is there any mods that let you quickly build a new character & skill up without screwing with the leveling mechanics or messing up the difficulty by cheating with conventional console commands?

Skyrim Community Uncapper, in addition to letting you go past level 100 in all skills and change how perk points get assigned, will let you change how fast each individual skill levels. Think that smithing takes too long to level? Use a different multiplier and slow it down. Want to build your one-handed up in a hurry? Use a different multiplier. It involves some INI tweaking, but you can customize it so that things will level up quickly at lower levels and then switch it up to slow down to a normal setting as you get up to the level you want. Play around with it, it should be able to do what you're asking.

 

[cytoSiN]

I may come back to play Skyrim & Dawnguard but I don't have my original savegames. I don't want to have to start with a new guy and have to re-level all my combat and stealth skills again, which was time consuming grinding. Is there any mods that let you quickly build a new character & skill up without screwing with the leveling mechanics or messing up the difficulty by cheating with conventional console commands?

Skyrim Community Uncapper, in addition to letting you go past level 100 in all skills and change how perk points get assigned, will let you change how fast each individual skill levels. Think that smithing takes too long to level? Use a different multiplier and slow it down. Want to build your one-handed up in a hurry? Use a different multiplier. It involves some INI tweaking, but you can customize it so that things will level up quickly at lower levels and then switch it up to slow down to a normal setting as you get up to the level you want. Play around with it, it should be able to do what you're asking.

Or you can "borrow" a savegame that suits your play style from the Nexus, or from someone here I'm sure.

 

[Face2Face]

I installed Sharpshooters ENB and never really liked it. The DOF is nice for screen shots like you said, playing the game with it for me is horrible. I may have to give the realistic one you listed a try....?

EDIT: Also, playboy does NMM search for updated versions of the mods like Steam/Skyrim mod manager?

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I installed Sharpshooters ENB and never really liked it. The DOF is nice for screen shots like you said, playing the game with it for me is horrible. I may have to give the realistic one you listed a try....?

EDIT: Also, playboy does NMM search for updated versions of the mods like Steam/Skyrim mod manager?

Yes, NMM keeps you up to date with mod updates, provided they're available on Skyrim Nexus. I don't believe it keeps you informed of updates with Workshop mods.

 

[Face2Face]

Yes, NMM keeps you up to date with mod updates, provided they're available on Skyrim Nexus. I don't believe it keeps you informed of updates with Workshop mods.

Okay, thanks for the info. Every time I start Skyrim it automatically scans all of the workshop mods I have installed and updates them if they have updates. I downloaded some of the mods from your post and will install them using NMM. I may just keep the mods I have in the workshop they way they are now..? Both the workshop and NMM are easy to install and uninstall the mods you do not want.

 

[Face2Face]

LOL at your naked toon! Screenshots look great!

I added FXAA Post Processing Injector 2.1 with the Preset 4. Game is a bit more sharp and stunning!

I also added True Realistic Lighting, Enhanced Blood Textures and Cloaks of Skyrim.

Great addition to the mix!

Post some screens of the FXAA PPI and the realistic lighting mod. Not sure I want to go ENB.

 

[murphy55d]

FYI, at the moment, hearthfire and the unofficial skyrim patch are not compatible. Many people(myself included) have an immediate CTD when you enter Breezehome, with both installed. They're working on it now, some kind of static mesh conflict I believe.

 

[Face2Face]

FYI, at the moment, hearthfire and the unofficial skyrim patch are not compatible. Many people(myself included) have an immediate CTD when you enter Breezehome, with both installed. They're working on it now, some kind of static mesh conflict I believe.

Good to know. I don't have the unofficial patch installed. When it comes to that kind of stuff, I will let Bethesda take care of it.

 

[Rhezuss]

Ok earlier I posted something about "image noise"...here's 3 SC that shows this:
Those weird lines move as I move and disappear as I approach them...I think it's called noise but not sure...

 

[lkailburn]

:-/ ew those lines are weird ^

Just installed my new 7870 and turned everything from someplace between low/medium(where I had it with my old card) to full Ultra.. I've got to say i'm not really impressed. There are some major differences, but I found myself flipping back and forth between my own comparison screenshots trying to find all of the difference. This is without any mods or HD pack from bethesda. I'm going to try the TPC next! Hopefully the rest of my rig will handle it.

Luke

 

[Agent11]

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Tes5Mod:Tes5Mod
Here is a good site for information

http://forums.nexusmods.com/ and http://forums.bethsoft.com/forum/117-v-skyrim/ are good places to go for information as well though.

BOSS
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/6
Wrye Bash
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/1840

Two very important utilities for making your mods play well together, and even making mods that would otherwise conflict play nice together.

What ENB version do you use Rhezuss?

 

[Rhezuss]

I'm not using an ENB...whatever that is lol

I'm using the Texture Pack Combiner with some optional mods in it, plus Realistic Lighting, True Realistic Lighting and WATER.

Just tested and found the culprit: True Realistic Lighting. Those weird bars are still there but much less apparent.

 

[Agent11]

Try this http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/17802 It's weather and lighting so it doesnt work with mods that change weather patterns, although it does work with mods that just change visual effects like lightning and rain.

ENB http://enbdev.com/download_mod_tesskyrim.htm adds a lot of settings to customize the visual experience, many very high end.

That is the core files, you will also need a preset. Such as one of these.
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/searchresults/?name=enb&

I use the 1.3 enb and have a preset designed to work with it. If you get 1.9 I would suggest this one http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24828 I have been thinking of trying it out but I like what I have atm so meh

 

[dennilfloss]

OK. Think I fixed it. I simply emptied the folder holding the tree meshes and copied just the Lush Trees meshes there. Deleted the Flora overhaul esp. Also increased my treeslodswitch to 43200. Branches still look flat but maybe they were like this before and I had never noticed. At least the firs no longer look like they bear fern fronds at a distance now.

 

[lkailburn]

OK. Think I fixed it. I simply emptied the folder holding the tree meshes and copied just the Lush Trees meshes there. Deleted the Flora overhaul esp. Also increased my treeslodswitch to 43200. Branches still look flat but maybe they were like this before and I had never noticed. At least the firs no longer look like they bear fern fronds at a distance now.

Here's my tree with completely vanilla settings (no hi-res dlc) on ultra for comparison



-Luke

 

[dennilfloss]

So the flat branches have always been there and I just hadn't noticed. Excellent. Thanks for the pic. Really helps.

Now I can resume playing.

 

[Qbah]

Atomic Playboy - I've built a "Combined" TPC pack. Can I 7-zip it and import into NMM? Or how do I install and use it?

EDIT: NVM, I see it described in the TPC mod. Thanks!

EDIT2: Oh my GOD!! The game looks stunning O_O But... now I'm running out of VRAM I get the same stops I did on my old 1GB HD5850 Need to figure out a way around it... MSI AB says I'm using 2015MB of video memory