Skyrim: mods and tweaks

[jpinard]

I permanently removed all of my 3-5 second pauses which usually happened when sprinting through the outside world (most likely related to ugrids=7 and ultra settings).

I did this by running the game in High Priority after seeing a suggestion somewhere else to try that to remove stuttering, and it worked. Instead of doing it via Task Manager every time the game loaded up, I made a .bat file with the following as a guide:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true

So the .bat file has:

Start "TESV" /high "C:\Games\Steam\Steamapps\Common\Skyrim\TESV.EXE"

This is fascinating. I'd always been under the impression (and with my own testing in previous high-cpu use games) that changing priority mode's was a placebo effect as I couldn't get consistent benchmark (via fraps) stats.
Do you allow your computer (via BIOS or Win) to stepdown under low use to power save? I have a dual boot BIOS, so I boot into OC mode (which doesn't allow power saving or cup throttling) when gaming. Maybe this is why?

[DeepT]

Ok, I found out what it was. It was a crafting meltdown mod that lets you recycle stuff. Removing that fixed the issue.

[Pogo]

Do you allow your computer (via BIOS or Win) to stepdown under low use to power save? I have a dual boot BIOS, so I boot into OC mode (which doesn't allow power saving or cup throttling) when gaming. Maybe this is why?

Yeah my computer does step-down, but I would find it odd for it to do so at any point in Skyrim since the game is so processor-intensive. Definitely not a placebo, but Skyrim so far has done lots of unpredictable shit (like higher FPS causing slowdowns for some people).

Ok, I found out what it was. It was a crafting meltdown mod that lets you recycle stuff. Removing that fixed the issue.

Yeah I still recommend that nobody get any gameplay mods until the tools are out and the game is patched a bit.

Right now I'm playing through the main quest with my rogue. When good mods are out I'll get them but probably restart the game as a mage or something.

[DeepT]

Pogo: I am playing the game for the first time with that DLL injector and your settings. It really makes the game look beautiful. Thanks for that stuff.

[Papageno]

Guys, can someone tell me what causes the banding or striping effect on outdoor textures in this game (and more importantly how to get rid of it)? I noticed it in Windhelm and it just looks awful. I'm running a GTX260 core 216 and (I think) the latest WHQL drivers.

[Daagar]

Uhh, I know it's not Boris. Boris is just the guy that loves creating and porting effects to be used in Direct3D.

I know what I'm using, it's this:
http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=822

And he's the same guy that made F:NV Enhanced Shaders here:
http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloa...e.php?id=34868


edit: I think I see what you mean. There are now two versions, one with HDR and one with the palette/color correction.

God damn convoluted shit.

Ahhh, thanks for the clarification. You are using a mod of a mod :) The fixes Boris does is the true "ENBseries", and the HDR stuff is a mod on top of that. Wasn't even aware of its existence! More stuff to try out now!

[Balasarius]

So I used the Skyrim configurator to bump up my shadows and the Y-Axis (not X) on my mouse slowed to a snail's pace.

wat?

Putting the original .ini file back fixes it, and scanning the original and changed version nothing changes except shadow settings. A google search shows that this is NOT an uncommon problem - http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/61580...kyrim/60959751

But there are tons of crazy ideas on how to fix it - none of them worked except lowering the shadows. So odd.

[Daagar]

The y-axis movement is limited by your framerate. Higher shadows = lower framerate = crappy y-axis. :(

[Balasarius]

I was still getting over 20fps, though. It wasn't bad at all.

[Balasarius]

So, ugrids is a once you turn it on you're committed kind of thing? Skyrim crashes when I remove ugrids or lower it to 5.

I think raising it to 7 has caused issues with shadows from fireplaces. Increasing shadow quality fixes it, but then my mouse doesn't go up or down anymore.

[instant0]

No. You will have to load your uGrids 7 savegame with uGrids 7 enabled, then you can change it in game to, for instance 5, and save again, and it should be safe. At least that is how I understand the workings of it.

[Balasarius]

How do I change the ugrids with the game running?

[Pogo]

Whoaaa, no that's not the procedure, you won't know if you can load your saved game after the uGrids value has been changed to 5.

If you can't load your saved game, then you need to keep it at 7, then load your game and follow this procedure:

Another thing with uGrids – this is getting a bit long, isn’t it – is that your savegame gets ‘bound’ to which value you set. So if you set a value of 7 and save the game, that save won’t work if you set the value back down to 5. There is a way of recovering it, though:

1) Load game with uGridsToLoad at the ‘safe’ setting – the one it was at when you saved.
2) Load the save, which should load correctly.
3) Open the console and type the following:

setini “ugridstoload:general” 5
saveini
refreshini

This has restored the uGridsToLoad setting to its default while your save is already open.

4) Save the game. The save you create now will work at any uGrids setting from the default up.

For anyone testing out HDR, I think I'm on my final settings here:
http://pastebin.com/pD2qrDJ7

[jpinard]

Guys, can someone tell me what causes the banding or striping effect on outdoor textures in this game (and more importantly how to get rid of it)? I noticed it in Windhelm and it just looks awful. I'm running a GTX260 core 216 and (I think) the latest WHQL drivers.

I always got banding in WoW and it drove me nuts too. I haven't gotten far past the intro in Skyrim, but in other titles it is the "application + video card + monitor combo". Could try the latest beta drivers from NVidia as they're supposed to help Skyrim a bit? http://www.geforce.com/Drivers/Beta

[instant0]

Pogo:
AdditionalConfigFile=enbseries2.ini

Isn't on pastebin?

Can you use the enb files from the creators web page
(enbseries_skyrim_v0093patch6) or doI have to register on Skyrim nexus to download them from there?

[Pogo]

No, that switch is in the enpatch.ini file, not enbseries.ini.

Do NOT paste that bin into enpatch.ini

HDR mod should be attempted only AFTER uninstalling OR renaming the FXAA Injector's D3D9.DLL


And you have to grab HDR v1-4 (it just updated from v1-3) from here:

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=822

It's the Main File. The v1-6 that everyone is seeing is for the non-HDR palette texture mod.

I keep saying HDR in my posts, I think it's pretty obvious what to get if you just read the titles of the files in the Downloads of that link.

[instant0]

Actually, on your pastebin that switch is on line 18. Hence why I asked where that file was :)

[Calistas]

Ok, so the HDR mod has had an update since yesterday. Cool, will install and update tonight!

[Balasarius]

Thanks Pogo, that worked. But my weird shadows didn't go away with ugrids=5. Pic here. It only happens indoors and from fireplaces and firepits.

I disabled the FXAA post-process injector, the 4gb patch, and, um, that's about all I'm running. I added some stuff to skyrim.ini for water reflections; turned off vsync, mouse accel... that's about it.

It's driving me nuts.

Edit - people on the SA forums were saying it's probably caused by the weird grate under the cooking pot and over the fire. Maybe I'm looking at the game too critically.

Edit2 - thread on Reddit about it here - http://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comme...fting_shadows/

[Sebmojo]

HDR mod should be attempted only AFTER uninstalling OR renaming the FXAA Injector's D3D9.DLL

Looks like he's got them working together - will try it out and confirm.

FULL FXAA INJECTOR COMPATIBILITY: I just tested and can confirm FULL COMPATIBILITY between this mod and FXAA PP Injector :) You can load a third d3d9 by proxy in the enbseries.ini file like so:

[PROXY]
EnableProxyLibrary=1
InitProxyFunctions=1
ProxyLibrary=d3d9injFX.dll

Just rename your d3d9.dll from the FXAA mod to d3d9injFX.dll and install like normal. It WORKS! You can toggle Shaders with Shift-F12 and FXAA with the Pause key!
Basically you have a chain of .dll's running in Proxy, and as per Boris, the proxy process is 'free' in terms of performance impact...w00t! Welcome to a new world of possibilities :P

Yep, works fine - no performance impact at all, and it looks amazing :) The FPS counter is a nice touch too (keypad *).

[Balasarius]

This is a good article, if it hasn't been linked before - http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guid...ok-even-better

I now understand that ugrids have nothing to do with shadows. :)

[Pogo]

Thanks Pogo, that worked. But my weird shadows didn't go away with ugrids=5. Pic here. It only happens indoors and from fireplaces and firepits.

Like you're finding out from others, that's not a shadow glitch. The game seems to reflect that kind of pattern from urns. Attempting to fix it will actually make the effect more pronounced (i.e. if you have high shadow quality settings). Increasing shadow blur "helps," but reduces shadow edge definition.

Looks like he's got them working together - will try it out and confirm.

Yep, works fine - no performance impact at all, and it looks amazing :) The FPS counter is a nice touch too (keypad *).

I wouldn't use both at the same time if you have my settings. By all means feel free, but my HDR settings include saturation, part of which is slightly less saturation at nighttime. The HDR's sharpening effect is also better than FXAA's.

[walTer]

Couple of questions on tweaking.

Is anyone using the mod installer they have up at Nexus? I am since I prefer it - I am not overly confident in my cut and paste abilities- plus it does make removing any mods easier. Is there a benefit to using it or not using it?

Also when I try to install Pogo's tweaks I keep getting a yellow triangle with the red question mark in it...does that mean that the mod did not install? I have tried the injector/settings install as well as doing them separately and still get that triangle. Is there an issue with using that mod with the installer or is that just some quirk with my machine maybe?

...and I just noticed this morning that "download with manager" is not available for the new version- this might answer my question?

[soondifferent]

So the enterprising folks working on the script extender has a fix for the 1.2 resistance bug. Not certain how safe it will be for savegames going forward, but I'm pretty sure these guys know what they're doing.

link

[Pogo]

walTer I've never tried their mod manager. I suppose I should, but maybe my tweaks throw out some kind of warning because I modify the .ini files in more ways than just values? I don't know. If it works, don't worry.

[Skipper]

Pogo: I am playing the game for the first time with that DLL injector and your settings. It really makes the game look beautiful. Thanks for that stuff.

Same here. I just loaded it up last evening and was overjoyed at the differences. Thanks greatly for your effort, and for assisting those of us in thread, Pogo.

[Joe M.]

A crossfire update for some AMD cards:

New in Catalyst 11.11c: Delivers AMD CrossfireX performance scaling for the AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series

Link

[HRose]

Not just:

Elder Scrolls Skyrim
Improves performance 2-7% on single GPU configurations

Work great.

[Pogo]

Same here. I just loaded it up last evening and was overjoyed at the differences. Thanks greatly for your effort, and for assisting those of us in thread, Pogo.

Shit, is it too late to ask you to go the HDR route instead?

:P

[HRose]

Also, could someone make me one of these latest injectors things WITH support for the dll that limits fps?