Ambitious Skyrim

[Leto]

Having gone through the process of comparing them, I realize now that they really are quite different.  I make a lot of different design choices.  It might be best to just pick one instead of trying to create a hybrid.

[MosAnted]

Having gone through the process of comparing them, I realize now that they really are quite different.  I make a lot of different design choices.  It might be best to just pick one instead of trying to create a hybrid.

Thanks for the list. I was directed to your threads after further modding of my STEP Extended install, and after isntalling a multi-follower mod (EFF in my case) and finding out it made the game too easy, I was looking to balancing out the scales without making the game crazy-hardcore and frustrating. I realize Ambitious Skyrim and STEP Extended are very different, but having a list of parts in which they differ/conflict is useful as personally I find myself disagreeing with several of your design choices. With this I can more easily see ways to tweak my install to customize it more to my liking ,and most importantly I find your insight into ASIS and enemy AI both in this and Steppin Out very useful.

[MosAnted]

 

Fixes

Remove Distant Decal Fix - included in another mod According to the STEP thread, even though most fixes were included in the USKP, there are still 20 meshes that aren't, so that's why STEP lets it be overwritten by USKP

Remove Closefaced Helmets - obsolete and incompatible, broken link to needed patch Why do you say it's obsolete? And which patch is missing? If you mean the WAF one it's been incorporated into the latest installer

Remove Smart Souls - Acquisitive Soul Gems is superior From what I can tell the funcionality of Acquisitive soul gems is alread incorporated in the USKP (the fixes) and Smart Souls, so there's no need to waste an additional .esp slot, which is why AS was dropped from STEP IIRC.

 

Interface

Remove High Quality 3D Map - Map Overhaul is superior It seem everything from HQ 3d Map is included, thanks for bringing this to my attention

Remove Main Font Replacement Fertigo Pro - using Centaur font from SRLE Tried it, went back to Fertigo since I found Centaur too small, unless there's a way to increase font size I'm missing?

Remove Smaller Cursor - too hard to find cursor in hectic combat Agreed

 

Conflicting Graphcis

Remove Skyrim Distance Overhaul - using High Quality LODs instead I'm pretty sure they both do different things don't they? At least they don't conflict in MO

Remove Serious HD - using Skyrim HD instead recommended by Vivid Landscapes

Remove Skyrim Realistic Overhaul - using Skyrim HD instead

I've been debating making these changes myself, will try them out and see how the end product works out.

 

Landscape & Environment

Remove HD Enhanced Terrain - using Vivid Landscapes instead I remember you saying you were usingthe Pro-Blended version, does Vivid Landscapes include distant terrain too?

Remove Enhanced Distant Terrain - broken link It's been merged into Ruffled Feather

Remove HQ Snow - using Quality Snow HD 4K instead because it has a darker snow version to deal with blindingly white snow problem. Did you have the same problem if you installed CoT Weather Patch with the 10% brightness setting? That seemed to fix it for me.

Remove Improved Vanilla Mountains - using Parallax combatable textures instead.

Remove Point The Way - Weathered Road Signs is superior

Remove Real Wood Textures - Farmhouses - using Vivid Landscapes instead

Remove Re-Defined Dungeons - using Parallax combatable textures instead. Are these the Vivid Landscapes textures?

Remove Visible Windows - has issues, no longer needed What issues do you mean?

 

Characters and Creatures

Remove 83Willows 101BugsHD - too many, too bright, too many alchemy ingredients I have to agree, was about to remove it myself

 

Clothing and Equipment

Remove Syrim De-LARPification Project - Better Shaped Weapons is superior MO remarks that there are over 20 files not overwritten by BSW. I think BSW only covers swords and daggers and SDLP covers other stuff like axes so i think it's better to keep BSW overwriting SDLP.

 

Gameplay

Remove Lock Overhaul - Stealth Skills Rebalanced is superior I don't think SSR adds the option to smash locks or open them using magic does it? I think it still has a place.

Remove Non-Essential Children - killing children should not be part of anyone's gaming I don't much care about killing them, but it irks me not being able to pickpocket them.

Remove Wet and Cold - fights with AFT only show helmet during combat and spams hoods into follower inventory and causes too much script lag I don't care about that particular feature from AFT ,if I don't use it do the issues with W&C go away?

I hope you don't think I'm challenging your choices, but I find it easier to make a decision myself after discussion with differing points of view.

 

I noticed you removed "Revenge of the Enemies" back in Steppin Out. What did you end up using to improve enemy AI?

 

Also, why did you chose to go with Hypothermia instead of using the "Light" preset from Frostfall?

Edited March 22, 2015 by MosAnted

[Leto]

Distant Decal Fix - sounds good.  I added it.

 

Improved Closeface Helmets:

 

Strike 1:

Compatibility issues/patches with Weapon and Armor Fixes, AmidianBorn Content Add On, Apophysis Dragon Priest Masks, and anything else that mods helmets.  A lot of confusing steps on which .esp to use from where.

 

Strike 2:

A known bug reported by SRLE:  "Using helmets dropped from the skeletons added by Skyrim Immersive Creatures results in odd visual glitches due to not having the slot changes of the Improved Closefaced Helmets mod. Workaround is to not use the helmets dropped by the skeletons on the player or companions."

 

Strike 3:

I put Lydia in a Dwarven helmet and it looked awful, just like the thirteenth image on the Nexus page.

I balance what a mod offers against the risk and hassle and ICH fails that test for me.

 

It looks like Smart Souls is better than Acquisitive Soul Gems because it doesn't require and .esp or to be updated when the USKP changes.

 

Added Skyrim Distance Overhaul because it adds value.  Not installing Waterfall Effects (like SRLE) or Morthal Swamp Trees (like STEP) because I've read about them causing significant FPS hits.

 

Vivid Landscapes - Tundra Region - Matching LOD Textures - Terrain Noise was completely overwriting HD Enhanced Terrain so I decided to go with a matched set for Vivid Landscapes.

 

I added Enhanced Distant Terrain to The Ruffled Feather. 

 

The blindingly white snow was caused by SweetFX.  The CoT Weather Patch was insufficient to fix it.

 

Visible Windows - Read the comments on their Nexus forum to see what the issues are:

 

"Hey, this was a great mod, when it was made, but now, not so much. I see that in most cases only the glass texture is changed, or at least within the frame. But window textures include a lot more like the frame itself and other textures surrounding the window. This mod bases its textures on old vanilla ones, that makes hd-dlc windows have better textures on the stuff outside the frame or that isn't glass. I suppose it would be quite easy to update though. "

 

"It didn't play well with the ENB+ELFX, turning interior window's glow color to orange."

 

"These are awesome retextures; however, I am not going to use them unless I can use vanilla tints for all of them. The tint of the indoor windows do not match the interior lighting, which breaks any aesthetic gain that this mod provides for me."

 

Added Skyrim Delarpification for axes.

 

Lock Overhaul - a quick look at the Nexus forum shows too many problems for me; especially since I don't need to bash or spell locks open.

 

Wet and Cold - I don't know if it will spam hoods into your followers inventory.  You'll have to check that for yourself.  As for script lag, I've read conflicting reports.  Some say it causes too much script lag, others say it doesn't.  I'm skipping it.

 

I use Ultimate Combat for enemy AI.  Check out the description on Nexus, it's by far the best.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Leto

[MosAnted]

There's a bugfix patch for Hypothermia here that you might want to consider.

[Leto]

Thanks for letting me know.  I'll definitely add that.

[MosAnted]

I was checking out the Axe & Pickaxe rebalance. The Damage increase ends up making them stronger than about 60% of the base game weapons. It increases their base damage to 15. For reference, the Elven War Axe does 15 damage as well. Also it overrides changes from WAF Remade. I'd recomment using the "weight change only" plugin and then manually making a compatibility patch in TES5Edit.

[Leto]

Good catch.  I think I'll just get rid of it.  It's a trivial mod and not worth all that hassle. 

I've recently added Knapsack Backpacks which should make up for the weight.

Thanks for helping test and debug this mod list.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Leto

[MosAnted]

No problem! Since I'm in a similar boat (starting from STEP Extended and moving own to a more personalized modlist) your list is helping, and I think it's just as fair to help you back!

One more thing: I notice you are using both Gemling Queen Dragon Claws and Ruins Clutter Improved v 2.8, but on the nexus page for GQDC it says it's not compatible with the v2.8 version of Ruins Clutter Improved, so the solution is either to drop Gemling Queen DC, or to use the STEP solution: Install Ruins Clutter sans Dragon Claws.

[Harpalus]

Is there somewhere that you've collected your thoughts on what mods you've removed, and why? I quite liked your "Stepping Out" guide for your thoughts on the subject, and I was hoping for something similar in Ambitious Skyrim. As someone who enjoys maximizing gameplay while minimizing my ESP load order and script load, I quite like your guides. It drew attention to some problems/thematic conflicts/bugs (Improved Closefaced Helmets) in my load order that I hadn't noticed. Thank you!

 

Is there a section in the Ambitious Skyrim "Complete Guide" that I missed?

Edited March 25, 2015 by Harpalus

[Leto]

I decided to remove Gemling Queen Dragon Claws and add a few other simple texture replacers.

• Removed Gemling Queen Dragon Claws
• Added Barenziah's Glory
• Added Bloodstone Chalice Reborn
• Added Book Covers Skyrim
• Added Rustic Clutter Collection
• Added Rustic Cooking Station
• Added Rustic Potions and Poisons

It would be a lot of work to list all the mods I didn't include and why.  If there is a particular mod you'd like to know about, just ask.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Leto

[MosAnted]

I'm not 100% sure but I think the extra AMB Iron armor textures (the engraved ones) were added in the latest update of the Content AddOn as an additional Iron Armor variant, so it might not be necessary to install the separately anymore.

[Leto]

Thanks,  I needed to update the Content Add on and remove Iron and Steel.  The latest content addon combines 3 separate .esp's which is nice too.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Leto

[Asturia]

Thanks for this guide.

I'm using it now and enjoying it very much.

 

Although my wife is asking me why I'm always playing the same part of the game over and over again.

But hey, that happens when you want to make sure if everything is working

[Leto]

Glad to hear it.  Thanks for letting me know.