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Without finding any other applicable post...and I seemingly can't create a new post...I just wanted to ask as a [want to be] user of the STEP project for years [haven't ever completed a fully functioning install/playthrough] I am wondering, with almost a year gone by without any stable, released packs [v.3.0] WHEN WHEN WHEN are they going to start releasing this stuff!?!? Are we going to have another Bethesda Elder scrolls release before we get to enjoy Skyrim? I've been holding out for almost years now to play a nice stable modded game...but pull out every time as so much changes or gets corrected with each release i get frustrated.Plus, it really is a major ordeal learning how to do it perfectly, with all the apps and compressing textures and and fixes....sigh, anyway. Rant over...I'm just very eager to know when a stable v3.0 will be coming around. I don't see any news regarding it in the announcements..

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Um. There are several packs. They're constantly being updated as that is the nature of modding; it doesn't mean that they aren't necessarily stable. There's the Real Explorer's Guide to Skyrim pack. The New Gameplay Overhaul pack. The Requiem pack. The Weather and Lighting pack. There's also Skyrim Revisited Legendary edition which isn't technically a pack but a completely separate guide (not an addition to STEP).

 

https://forum.step-project.com/topic/4152-a-real-explorers-guide-to-skyrim/

https://forum.step-project.com/topic/4762-new-gameplay-overhaul-pack/

https://forum.step-project.com/topic/2973-weather-and-lighting-by-smile44/

https://forum.step-project.com/topic/4558-requiem-pack-wip/

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Yes...Mr. Dragon Lord, I am aware there are packs. I didn't say there weren't any packs available. I'm sure there was a lot of work put into those packs, but are they all inclusive? How do you even begin to decide which one to choose? Can you only choose one, do they play nice with say, the weather and lighting pack? That's why I've been waiting. The mod list that's been included in step is what I was hoping was put together in this fashion. While I imagine this is an enormous undertaking, I was hoping this was the direction they were alluding to....I was wondering...when the 'official'...big...Version 3.0.....hard worked STEP version of a pack...including applicable newly revamped instruction page etc. would be released. If it's not going to be for another year, I might as well dive into those other ones and see if I can make something work.

Thanks for the links....i'll check them out...

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Yes...Mr. Dragon Lord, I am aware there are packs. I didn't say there weren't any packs available. I'm sure there was a lot of work put into those packs, but are they all inclusive? How do you even begin to decide which one to choose? Can you only choose one, do they play nice with say, the weather and lighting pack? That's why I've been waiting. The mod list that's been included in step is what I was hoping was put together in this fashion. While I imagine this is an enormous undertaking, I was hoping this was the direction they were alluding to....I was wondering...when the 'official'...big...Version 3.0.....hard worked STEP version of a pack...including applicable newly revamped instruction page etc. would be released. If it's not going to be for another year, I might as well dive into those other ones and see if I can make something work.

Thanks for the links....i'll check them out...

STEP 3.0 is nowhere in sight and no one even has a clue what that would entail. The next release will be STEP 2.3.0 which will move Extended out to an official Pack. There is currently no time frame for this either. We're in the process of working on a lot of things. For now, you're best bet is to install STEP and then install the Packs that interest you. There is absolutely no reason that you wouldn't get a stable game as long as you follow the instructions.

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Unfortunately, I have to disagree with TechAngel. There are many conflicts between the packs. The Companions pack conflicts with REGS as the city layout changes, which breaks some of the new quests because the actors cannot arrive at the necessary places to fire off their scripts. War Ensemble conflicts with REGS for similar reasons. Weather and Lighting Pack tells you to install Climates of Tamriel but completely neglects to tell you that you should be installing Audio Overhaul (a mod included in STEP Core install) patch for it. STEP tells you to install Birds and Flocks which is known to cause savegame corruption issues. REGS tells you it's lore friendly, but it suggests a mod which has you fighting holograms.

What I'm telling is that STEP is not a fire&forget project. It's an amazing guide for newcomers to Skyrim, provides you with an excellent walkthrough for a heavily modded yet stable game, but it still requires quite a lot of effort from the player. Therefore mobias, you will have problems even if you follow everything step by step. You might as well start your STEP setup now and arrive at a stable game through a process of trial and error.

Edited by Judassem
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I have updated the Weather pack a little. It is a tad out of date. The updates include Vividian ENB (long overdue) and some advisory notes which include an allusion to common sense as it is impossible to account far any and all set ups.

 

I originally started the Weather & Lighting pack to get the ball rolling on the whole pack idea and it has been quite popular and as can be seen the original intention has worked brilliantly as there are a good number of well thought out packs now made by far more knowledgeable people than me. It is just a shame that I have to eat, sleep work and like live a whole other life otherwise I could create packs that did not require any users to switch their brains on at all just press a button and watch it all happen for them. The STEP team, mod, pack and guide authors have all been very lax in that department - using excuses like integrity and respect and RL to get away with such poorly constructed work, hell even needing users to read is asking too much.

 

A little Sunday morning sarcasm never hurt anyone = seriously no offense intended to anyone. Going back into marking hell now, that is punishment enough in itself.

 

::):

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I turned up here at STEP having never modded anything before. 

 

If you're expecting STEP to 100% lead you from A to B to C to D and all you have to do is press the occasional download link, you're in the wrong place.

 

You do need to think a bit. I'm now at the point where, if I add anything that makes a fairly substantial change, I'll look on the Nexus and see if there's patches for it. If not, I'll have a shot at making one myself.

 

STEP gives you the tools and starts you on the path, however, it's not a travelator, you actually do have to make a few steps of your own.

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Thanks for the update Smile. I think this pack deserves its own forum thread (I have a few satisfaction issues with the results — mainly because of CoT I think — which I'd like to discuss), but the "forum thread" link (https://forum.step-project.com/topic/3423-) seems to be broken and I have not been able to find the thread, is it hidden somewhere or still pending creation?

https://forum.step-project.com/topic/2973-weather-and-lighting-by-smile44/

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the added comments people. I'd just like to say that I do not expect a simple one button, push and everything unfolds mod. That would be a dream of course, but I know i would be overly optimistic to expect this, yet I still kinda hoped this was the direction STEP was headed in. I do not mind working and playing around with mods...its fun in limited quantities of time/effort.  I sound whiney because I've literally tried like 3 times in different months of the years to reinstall all the new requested mods, organize them, pour through quick and dirty application setups configs and readme's, tool use and mod readme's...and even for someone fairly savvy on a pc...its is a LOT of time and work...I've complained in the past that the STEP instructions are too enormously complex, and there are gaps where one has to be super intuitive to locate help on how EXACTLY to do the next steps. [Texture compressing/BSA's/ Wrye Bash etc]. I suppose it would be easy for a young guy with no family obligations and RL getting in the way, but I do have these, so when I pour several nights into this...and still feel like i'm only 20% finished with the entire process.....it seems overwhelming...then I quit for a while....then forget where I was at in the whole process [even with my own notepad log] then the mods get old and dropped and new ones added....back to square one again.  Where's the shiney RED button! ha

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The guide is always under review, if there are sections that appear unclear then highlight those sections as a request and I know the STEP team and indeed pack authors would try to accommodate you after all we all want the same thing - a clear guide to a fully functioning and impressive Skyrim.

 

As a pack author I have stated that the pack assumes that you have built a fully functioning STEP or SR profile before trying the pack. When that is the case you will already be familiar with all the tools and the kinds of problems and fixes that arise and should then have no problem installing the pack.

 

It does take a great deal of time to become proficient at modding, there are simpler guides out there that involve less mods and therefore far less time to implement. Part of the beauty of STEP is that it is a teaching resource as well as a guide and a discussion forum. It only really takes a couple of hours to install a full STEP profile (especially if all the mods are already downloaded). Extra testing, which can be very time consuming, will depend on whether or not your system runs Skyrim well - I tend not to bother. I just want to know that it is working and that my frame rate is good enough, but for those that really want to get under the hood there are the resources and instructions that you need here on the site. But of course where those instructions are unclear or do not carry the intended meaning then corrections are needed which is where the STEP community comes in by calling attention to errors or making suggestions for clarity.

 

Which brings us back to the original point, please highlight any areas that are unclear and could be better explained so that guide/pack authors can make improvements to their work.

 

::):

Edited by Smile44
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  • 2 years later...

I'm fairly conservative when It comes to adding mods to STEP, but here is the addon packs that I've created for myself that I use that I think are essential.

 

NPC's
-Immersive Patrols
-Interesting NPC's
-Inconsequential NPC's


Companions
-UFO
-Vilja
-Sofia
-Inigo

Yes, I said it. UFO! People don't use it because it isn't supported anymore and it breaks 90% of custom modded companions you add to the game...BUT, if you use it just to manage vanilla Skyrim companions UFO works without any issues. It has a very immersive dialogue based management system that is closer to the vanilla Skyrim system then the other follower management mods. The two biggest issues why we need it are so vanilla companions will sandbox when you tell them to wait and we need full control of their inventories. Vilja, Sofia, and Inigo are advanced enough companions that use their own management system and won't conflict with UFO.


Survival
-Campfire
-Frostfall
-Tentapaloza
-iNeed
-Wearable lanterns
-Cloaks of Skyrim - Assets Managed by CCOR
-Winter is Coming - Assets Managed by CCOR


Weather
-Vivid Weathers
-Darker Nights
-True Storms
-No Snow Under the roof

 

Let's face it. Vanilla Skyrim really doesn't have real storms. Nothing that really justifies the type of lightning you see in Minty's Lightning.


Models and Textures (Should already be in STEP in my opinion)
-HD Model Ship
-RS Children (There's not really that many compatibility patches)
-Covered Carriage - SMIM option
-Prisoner Cart Fix - SMIM option (Yes, new model that CURES the cart ride bug)
-Realistic Horse Breeds


Immersion
-Holiday's
-Multiple Floor Sandboxing
-People are Strangers -Race option
-Waterplants

Weapon's and Armor
-Immersive Armors
-Immersive Weapons
-InsanitySorrows Weapon Pack
-JaySuS Swords -Assets managed by CCOR
-JewlCraft - Assets Managed by CCOR
-Bandoliers - Bags and pouches - Assets Managed by CCOR

 

...And what's even better, all these mods have been ported over to SSE by their authors or can be ported over by the user without any issues. I have them all running right now. A few of the mods you'll just need to use their own .esp's until CCOR gets ported over.




 

Edited by evmiller
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I didn't mention it in the State of STEP article because it hasn't been fully vetted out yet, but Packs will be moved to the Mod Picker platform, as well, with the redesign. Anyone wanting to create a Pack in the future will have to use Mod Picker. Details are not fully known on this process yet regarding Packs.

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