Official STEP Lighting Solution

[toshaka]

I dont think you can really recommend 1 lighting mod tho.

Cos a lighting mod is kinda more personal taste for someone.

I do agree that counts for textures too, but thats a bit on a diffirent level I think.

[TechAngel85]

@MontyMM,

I'm not saying it's evil or that the scripts would conflict. I am saying; however, that the potential for this is more present with EL&FX than it is with RLO because of the scripts and more added/removed lighting sources vs RLO. Anything that sticks within the games engine is going to be inheritedly more compatible in the long run.

 

@Everyone,

Personally, I agree with Neovalen to an extent. Lighting mods/weather mods/ENBs are so much of a personal choice that they should be left to packs (filled with complimenting mods). However, having a Baseline mod that fixes most issues isn't a bad thing either, regardless of how hard it might be to agree on a single "fix". If we can do it with a lighting mod there's no reason we can't do it with a weather mod and ENB as well to provide a complete and total package, IMO.

 

However, I thought we all agreed to wait on this stuff until the next release so that we could push this one out?

[MontyMM]

@MontyMM,

I'm not saying it's evil or that the scripts would conflict. I am saying; however, that the potential for this is more present with EL&FX than it is with RLO because of the scripts and more added/removed lighting sources vs RLO. Anything that sticks within the games engine is going to be inheritedly more compatible in the long run.

 

 

All things being equal, this is obviously true - with no mods at all being best.  But if one finds that the extra script burden and edits provide a significant advantage (overcoming the limiting light source restriction), then the complications of compatibility may be worth tolerating, as must be the case for every mod.

[stoppingby4now]

I have a lot of comparison images up now (all interior), which can be viewed here.

 

If there any suggestions for additional locations, I will be happy to add them.

[TechAngel85]

I have a lot of comparison images up now (all interior)' date=' which can be viewed here.

 

If there any suggestions for additional locations, I will be happy to add them.

A couple of your images aren't loading under Bleak Falls Borrow.

[stoppingby4now]

I have a lot of comparison images up now (all interior)' date=' which can be viewed here.

 

If there any suggestions for additional locations, I will be happy to add them.

A couple of your images aren't loading under Bleak Falls Borrow.

Not sure how I managed that...it's fixed now.

[toshaka]

I must say that EL&FX gives way to yellow light.

Even in combo with RLO, RLO gives more of a natural light compared to vanilla.

[MontyMM]

Thanks S4N, good job.

 

On the basis of those shots, I'd have to say that RLO is my preference in most cases. And, unsurprisingly for my tastes, the least vanilla. I know it is outside the scope of this question, but for me, ELnF wins when it is providing the light sources, and a good ENB takes care of the actual lighting effects. But since ENBs are off the table here, RLO seems to do a decent job of dealing with the vanilla ambient fluorescence. I'm not crazy about the blue night lighting in some shots.

 

RS and OLSE are making some nice subtle improvements, without straying too far from vanilla.

[toshaka]

Not sure, but I remember sydney making some comments about those blue light getting more suttle in newer version.

MT from SkyRealism is going to make a special preset for RLO anyway to take all that in account too :)

[TechAngel85]

I'm noticing a very clear pattern here. If you want my honest to God opinion, Relighting Skyrim should be your clear choice as it stays closes to vanilla but still fixes a lot of the issues in lighting and shadows.

 

I'm even more against EL&FX after seeing these screenshots. This mod as a serious issue with "spotlight" lighting (something that RLO makes clear that they're against because it's unnatural)...in almost every shot I can notice a "spotlighted area" too! This "spotlight" is in most cases circular as well when the window is a different shape...? It may also have dynamic lighting coming through the windows at night; however, it has no ambient lighting from this light (even vanilla has some) which makes the light coming through appear completely fake (most noticeable in Temple of Kynareth shots). Bleak Falls Barrow...wth is that?...that too bright/blue issue I mention before is very apparent here and in many of the other shots.

 

RLO is the most immersive of the mods, IMO. It provides realism and a warmth to the lighting which should exist seeing that the lighting sources are flames. Granted it may be a little too "warm" in some of its lighting, but not all. It also provides the ambient light from windows which EL&FX is missing. It draws you into the spaces without being over done. Though it may be young, it's doing it right for me.

 

EL&FX + RLO...lets not even go there.

 

OLSE is okay, but it's actually removing shadows from a lot of the scenes...which although could help performance, also provides a fakeness...you can sense that something is missing from the space and then you notice! The lights aren't casting the proper shadows. It's also kind of "drabby" in most scenes.

 

Relighting Skyrim, if you're wanting a "close to vanilla as possible" but still an "enhanced vanilla lighting", is the clear winner. It stays very close to vanilla but still provides improvements. There were only a 2 or 3 shots overall that I didn't like with RS (too bright over vanilla). Main complaint? No lighting from windows.

 

RLO is still my personal favorite and I would LOVE if STEP chose it because it's what I will be using (these shots just re-enforce this); however, for STEP purposes and following the Mandate, Relighting Skyrim is (probably) my solid vote.

[stoppingby4now]

My take.

 

For starters, RLO's lighting is too red. For anything burning to give off light in the red spectrum, it would need to burn at around 800C+, but the breaking down of wood into gasses occurs around 500C. Wood just doesn't burn hot enough to emit light in the red spectrum without help, and it's typically going to be in the upper yellow to lower orange specturm. Candles burn at a significantly lower temperature than wood does, and they will almost always remain in the yellow spectrum, so RLO just isn't realistic from that standpoint. The second issue, is that RLO lighting from windows gives off too much ambient light, such that walls surrounding windows get too much direct light. It's like a light was placed in front of the windows set to flood. And, as has been stated already, the sun rays at night are too blue in spots. I do, however, love the shadows with RLO.

 

As for EL&FX, I find they hit the color temperature practically spot on in the majority of cases. Though I wouldn't recommend it for base step, my favorite currently is in fact RLO+EL&FX.

 

If going with a more Vanilla feel, I'm liking OLSE the best, as I find Relighting Skyrim to be too bright. However, it's also important to note that there is collaboration going on to merge OLSE lighting into Relighting Skyrim, so who knows what the future will bring.

[Farlo]

It's getting science-y up in here!...

 

Sorry, I'll go back to hiding from this thread...:hurr:

[MontyMM]

Yes, you've captured some of the problems with RLO there.  There's something about it that just doesn't "look right" to my eyes, even though one can see where it's succeeding.  I also find the contrast much too sharp in some scenes.  I definitely agree that the RS/OLSE project is going to do the best job of satisfying the mandate.

 

EDIT: Agreed - the entrance to Bleak Falls is a mess with ELnF.

[stoppingby4now]

Bleak Falls is disappointing with EL&FX, however, from daytime light coming through the opening in the wall. I do agree with tech on that.

 

RLO, IMO, will be a much better candidate for inclusion once Vision Lighting is complete.

[toshaka]

Hence why RLO is still not finished.

They are half way, they only released it to keep people quiet and find more bugs etc.

Tho s4n has some good points I dont agree completely.

Its a bit too much warmth true, but I dont see it as red spectrum more yellow/orange, maybe a bit too orange.

 

But like the rest, for base step yeah I do agree with RS/OLSE too.

 

And I still say its personal taste just like ENB's ;)

 

:Edit a point tech has right tho is about spotlight issue with EL&FX a bit too much, would be nice seeing EL&FX merge with RLO and both use the good things :)