Ambitious Skyrim

[MosAnted]

The SR-LE version is that ELFX wins everywhere and RS only affect the locations that ELFX does not. 

Enhancer is not used because it is not a good thing to use with ENB. ELE is required to normalize most of the image spaces so everywhere looks at least decent. 

 

In general mods that create darkness by adjusting only the image spaces should be avoided. It will never look consistent across many monitors. Instead you need to go for mods that alter the ambient colors to darker values since you then get a more consistent result. 

 

However only ELE really does that for just about everywhere... no other mod have ever had a dedicated team on it to cover the whole game. 

 

If one can use an ENB then that combined with ELE is the most optimal solution since you can then get the general lighting you want inside interiors, and you only have to adjust in a few locations to know that everywhere will look equally good (or bad).

 

Sadly SweetFX like post processing cannot do this since it does not have the ability to influence the specific interior color values... only pixel values which is again the same as just altering the image space values.  

The problem is, finding the optimal solution in the case we can't afford the performance hit of and ENB (yes, even "performance" ENBs)

[Aiyen]

Sadly people who cannot afford that are kinda short on their luck in the options department.

Doing interior lighting overhauls, even if you only touch ambient colors and lighting templates is a monumental task. And I highly doubt we are going to see more massive interior overhauls at this stage of the games life. But I would not mind being proven wrong in that regard. 

 

But perhaps what is out there will look good on your monitor... just do not expect that it will on everyone elses. 

[Leto]

The goal is to have darker dungeons, but not too dark, without gloomy interiors of the buildings in cities and towns.

 

The solution Aiyen proposes doesn't distinguish interiors of dungeons from interiors of buildings.

 

That results in the problem we are describing.  Getting the dungeons dark enough makes interiors too dark.  Getting interiors light enough makes dungeons too light.

 

Using the ELFX Enhancer to darken dungeons without touching building interiors seems like the optimal solutions to me - with or without an ENB.

 

It provides dungeons with just enough light to use a bow and building interiors that are well lit.

[Aiyen]

Oh I was not really proposing a solution, just stating how SR-LE does it, and why.. sorta. 

 

You are not the first who wanted to get differences between dungeons and village buildings.

 

I do like your quick and dirty solution, however I am fairly certain it does not play nice in ALL locations! And you just do not know until you find those ingame! 

 

The problem is that there are not just dungeons and village interiors... there are a host of different variations. For example some places will have a giant sky light and now they will have dungeon like darkness even though it makes no visual sense that the particular dungeon is dark at all. :) 

 

And the same with some interior locations.. such as prison dungeons which will now be really bright even though they should be dark... anyways I am sure you get the point. 

 

However If you go about and fix them as you find them I am sure you will end up with something nice in the end! :) 

 

 

and as a final note... Enhancer is NEVER the optimal solution if you got ENB... I can make a long technical rant about that but kinda serves no purpose here! 

[Leto]

That makes sense. 

[MosAnted]

After doing some more testing with RS + ELE and several SweetFx presets, I've come to the conclusion that RS is quite probably the ideal solution *if* using ENBs. While correct SweetFX presets can result in dark dungeons, it doesn't look quite "right" imo. 

 

So going from what Aiyen has said, while ELFX Enhancer is not good to use alongside an ENB, I think it's as good a solution there is for people who can't (or won't) run an ENB.

[MosAnted]

Leto, have you checked out Follower Live Package? Apparently it greatly expands on follower AI/scripting and is fully compatible with AFT (as the author uses that mod too), CH and MHiYH

[Leto]

Looks interesting, if a bit complicated.  I liked the idea of shared inventory with my followers but not enough to risk adding the mod to my game.

[MosAnted]

Recently released, might go well with Hypothermia https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/64798/?

[MosAnted]

Looks interesting, if a bit complicated.  I liked the idea of shared inventory with my followers but not enough to risk adding the mod to my game.

Since I'm planning to add Interesting NPCs to my game I'm going to be giving this a try. According to JohnNav (who appears to be involved in FLP and has been running tech support both in that and the AFT threads) FLP handles iNPCs followers near-flawlessly (there are reported issues when trying to handle iNPCs followers with AFT). I'll report any issues I come across, if any (hopefully none).

[JawZ]

You guys might find these images to be helpful, in deciding the interior lighting and seeing how ELE, v0.9.5, is in the game coupled with Relighting Skyrim.

 

My Flickr album containing ELE+RS comparisons

https://www.flickr.com/photos/124462020@N06/sets/72157645128113144/

 

Vanilla

 

ELE - Lite v0.9.5 + Relighting Skyrim v4.0

 

Vanilla

 

ELE - Lite v0.9.5 + Relighting Skyrim v4.0

 

[Leto]

That's some sweet lighting.  I'm going to give it a try.  Thanks :)

 

[Edit]

The interiors look nice but RS + ELE doesn't make the dungeons dark enough.

 

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=426563295

 

As you can see, this screenshot with ELFX + ELFX Enhancer is much better.

 

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=426566188

 

You don't even need a torch in the first screenshot while the second one has just enough light to use a bow.

 

The RS + ELE lighting seems to have more interior fog which wasn't to my taste.  I first noticed it in the Jorvaskar basement but you can see it in this screenshot too.

You can also see that the ELFX lighting seems more golden which I like better.

 

Perhaps it's because I'm using the default ENB, but those are my impressions.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Leto

[MosAnted]

Those were my conclusions as well Leto

[JawZ]

That is not how ELE is looking with version 0.9.5a. Something is overwriting your changes or you don't have the latest file version installed.

Which interior was that, I can take a screenshot on my end to show you how it should look with ELE + RS.

 

And if you think dungeons are too dark but the interiors are fine. Adjust the Dungeon imagespace settings in TES5EDIT. Only one imagespace for all dungeons, except for the individual DLC's, so one for each DLC+Main game = 4, + 4 interior imagespace.

 

 

I would suggest that you alter things in the Creation Kit though, while having the game and ELE running, make the changes in Creation Kit save it and then alt+tab into the game to see the changes.

This can be done by "hot loading" the plugin.

• Load the Creation Kit as normal.  Load your plugin (or create a new one)
• In this example, we’ll use plugin ELE_S_Lite.esp
• Launch Skyrim as normal.
• Make some changes in the Creation Kit, alter 1ELE_S_Dungeon_IS by adjusting setting Brightness and White both to say 0.5.
• In-game, open the console (~) and enter the command: fcf
  • This step only applies if you loaded/activated ELE_S_Lite.esp in the Data files section of the launcher
  • This only has to be done once per boot of the game.
  • FCF is shorthand for “force close files”, and allows the Creation Kit to save a loaded plugin while having the game running
• Return to the creation kit and save ELE_S_Lite.esp
• Return to the game. And be inside any dungeon found in the game to prepare yourself for the visual change
• Open the console and enter: hlp ELE_S_Lite.esp
  • HLP is shorthand for “Hotload plugin”
• The scene will re-load.  Your changes will now show up in-game!

 

This will allow a better visual understanding and comparison on how changes done to the settings will affect the game in all possible ways, even when running ENB, SweetFX, GemFX, McFX, ReShade and various Skyrim mods.

[Leto]

I downloaded ELE_Lite_v0_95a - NMM_BAIN.

 

I used LOOT to set the load order.  If it doesn't work with LOOT, then that's another strike against it.

 

That screenshot was taken in Volskygge Passages near the exit to the word wall.

 

I thought dungeons were too light with ELE not too dark.  In addition, there was too much interior fog and the color of the light was washed out.

 

I'd prefer to avoid having to edit things in the Creation Kit in order to keep Ambitious Skyrim easy to use.

 

I also need the lighting to look good with and without an ENB so people who can't afford an ENB can still use Ambitious Skyrim.

 

I also noticed that mods with ELFX compatibility patches didn't have a patch for RS or ELE, so their lighting might not be as intended.
 
Lanterns Of Skyrim ELFX patch
Vivid Landscapes - Castle Volkihar - ELFX Compatibility patch
Vivid Landscapes - Orc and Farmhouses - ELFX -Patch
Immersive College of Winterhold - ELnFX Patch

 

I don't mean to be difficult or critical of your work, but I have to go by what I see.

 

Cheers,
Silvermane

Edited April 17, 2015 by Leto