GUIDE Skyrim Installation Guide

[Kelmych]

I edited the SIG HRDLC page and added a succinct set of options based on VRAM. I wanted to add another sidebox with "advanced options", but first I need to add material on use of reduced size normal maps in the DDSopt guide that these would specifically reference (this is discussed in the guide but I need to add specific examples)

[mishmash]

Looks very good now :)

[Guciec]

I change the guide, added link to AA/SMAA comparison in the Hacks section of the guide. I clicked too fast accept and probably didn't documented it well enough.

 

It's my first Wiki implementation so please check it out and delete or modify if it is inappropriate.

 

Thanks

[z929669]

I change the guide, added link to AA/SMAA comparison in the Hacks section of the guide. I clicked too fast accept and probably didn't documented it well enough.

 

It's my first Wiki implementation so please check it out and delete or modify if it is inappropriate.

 

Thanks

All constructive edits are welcome, thanks ;)

[Searcher7]

Hi. New member, first post. Am working on some general Skyrim troubleshooting hints and associated script files.

 

In the WIKI Installation Guide (Updated: 19:29:35 8 September 2013 (UTC)) -> Configuration -> 2nd para

 

"Additional Skyrim-profile resources are located in %APPDATA%\Local\Skyrim..."

 

Under Windows 7 (Home Premium x64), my %APPDATA% environment variable contains "C:\Users\XXXX\AppData\Roaming"

"Roaming" is on the same directory level as "Local", hence the given location does not work on my machine.

 

Some googling revealed that Windows 7, at least, sets a system environment variable pointing to the "Local" directory: %LOCALAPPDATA%. My %LOCALAPPDATA% contains "C:\Users\XXXX\AppData\Local", hence the following points to the desired data files on my machine; "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Skyrim".

 

I am not a programmer or anyone well-versed in Windows, but I have found the STEP Guide to contain excellent information so far and just wanted to point this out. I don't know if the original path applies to any other version of Windows or not.

 

You people are great; 42 mods so far and I never expected Skyrim to look so good while playing so well.

 

EDIT: Previous EDIT content deleted, should have known better.

[z929669]

Thanks Searcher. You are welcome to make edits to the wiki if you want, or simply post suggestions on the discussion page of the guide. Remember to add four tildes to the end of any comments you make in the guide itself if you have any, as this provides your username and timestamp ( ~~~~ )

[Simondererste]

I find the section HRDLC a bit unclear and vague.

I'm not sure if i can just go over it and "ignore" it or if i should use it and how.

• Alternative performance/quality texture options
• Conversion of the DLC BSAs to loose files (improving access times)
• Automated elimination of redundancies (using batch files)
• Unofficial High Resolution Patch (UHRP) (see Box 1)

Is the order here important and where can i find alternative performance/quality texture options? How do i convert bsa to loose files/eliminate redundancies?

It's clear that i can use those things in the box but don't have to and that they should be done before UHRP but do i need UHRP and where can i find it(links)? The box 1 could maybe have a name Box 1 somewhere to it, beside it is somewhat clear which box is meant.

For my vram: VRAM 1.5GB and over: skip HRDLC Optimized and load the full official HRDLC, according to the Baseline (if VRAM<2Gb) or Extreme STEP instructions.

is fitting but i don't know where what those Baseline (if VRAM<2Gb) or Extreme STEP instructions really are because i technically just started reading with this chapter.

Also i get a guide to INI tweaks once here: https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Skyrim_Installation which leads me to here: https://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweak-guide#15

and later in the "Main" STEP guide: https://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.2.8

 

I may be able to figure most things out myself but i just try to clarify which things can confuse users of the guide. Hope you can take my "input" and improve the guides. Keep the good work up!

[Kelmych]

This guide, and the BSA Optimization guide, haven't been getting many updates lately; for example, some of the pointers to other guides are now outdated and some of the recommendations should be modified since we have done more testing since this guide was written. We have been concentrating on the DDSopt, Mod Organizer, Wrye Bash, and a few other guides. Some of the specific topics you mention are covered in the DDSopt guide.

 

I expect this guide will be getting some updates soon since it's in need of attention.

 

Edit: Updates have been made to the Skyrim Installation guide. Key updates were:

• references to the DDSopt guide have been expanded and updated,
• HRDLC fix discussion was updated,
• notice about memory management patches added.

Some additional work is needed. The STEP guide no longer specifically references Baseline, Performance, and Extreme STEP so other changes are still needed. The STEP guide does have a recommended baseline load set. The DDSopt guide discusses VRAM-based options for texture optimization choices. With the emergence of the new memory patches it will take a little time before updated guidelines are provided on loading mods.

[DoubleYou]

Updated the Guide Forum Thread link and added section on editing security settings of Skyrim folder to prevent the need of running every program as administrator so much.

[DoubleYou]

Removed the 

[*]Conversion of the DLC BSAs to loose files (improving access times)

from STEP solutions for the HRDLC problems. As far as I know, extracting the DLC BSAs are not going to help solve HRDLC problems...

 

Also, this guide seems to have strayed from its purpose. Should it not be a guide ONLY about installing Skyrim? Yet includes a bunch of other section that seem rather unrelated and focused more on modding and optimizing the game. Perhaps we should split out these portions into other smaller guides.

 

And for Skyrim Editors, some of these tools I don't think we should be mentioning...

[Kelmych]

We should keep the file type descriptions, but probably in another guide such as a mini guide about file types. The information about utilities could be moved to another guide, but it would still make sense to remove parts that are already covered at the same level of detail in the STEP guide. The utilities material also needs updating (e.g., it still includes Script Dragon).

 

For completeness we should have a guide that includes some of the more complex installation issues. Steam allows installing games in multiple directories; I use this myself to put Skyrim on an SSD but we don't have a guide that describes how to do this. It could be part of the Skyrim Installation Guide, or we may feel it is more involved than what we want in the SIG.

 

Overall I'm not sure the current Skyrim Installation guide fulfils its purpose. One goal was to keep it quite short, but IMO in doing so we've left out some of the details that are not covered in the STEP guide. and that should be covered at least briefly somewhere (e.g., issues in using UAC controlled directories for games and utilities used with games). Also, as the STEP guide and other guides have evolved they now cover some of the material that used to only be in the SIG. I also feel that the guide should be better integrated with the use of Mod Organizer use, perhaps even pointing to specific sections of that guide.

[Simondererste]

Can anyone add a picture from a clean vanilla Skyrim and Skyrim/Data folder to this guide or anywhere?

Something like:

As you can see, mine isn't as clean as it should be :)

Also if non Steam version looks different there should be an upload from it too. there are none(but uplay version?whatever)

Edited June 17, 2014 by Simondererste

[sgtnapalm]

I found something that might be a good addition to this guide, or at least maybe the ini guide.

 

https://www.mouse-sensitivity.com/

 

This allows you to convert your ideal sensitivity from one game to another (including to or from Skyrim.) For example, I play at 1800 DPI and 4.25 sensitivity in Team Fortress 2, or at 2.139 inches per 360 degree rotation. To get similar sensitivity in Skyrim, I would need to manually change fMouseHeadingSensitivity in SkyrimPrefs.ini to 0.026. This effectively takes the guesswork out of setting your ideal sensitivity for games, and as such I believe this would be a welcome addition to STEP becasue it further simplifies getting a fresh install exactly where you need it to be.

[phazer11]

There are no "Non-Steam" versions and any versions which do not use Steam are pirated therefore we will not help anyone who is using a "Non-Steam" version. I will upload a screenshot from my archived install folder and post it tomorrow after my class.

[Kelmych]

IMO it would be good to include the files from the Creation Kit in the screenshot of the Skyrim directory, or show a version with it as an alternate. The Creation Kit includes Archive.exe which seems to be the only guaranteed safe way to create a BSA for Skyrim.