Difficult to Understand

[ray0071]

If I could make a suggestion it would be to make the guide easier to understand.  

Example:  2.B Clean the Update ESM - I got stuck on it because what the instruction were stating was not what I was encountering with Mod Organizer.  

 

When someone knowledgeable creates a guide, they can tend to skip over details which they assume others know.  For those who rely heavily on the guide, this is a huge problem.  

 

To be clear - I appreciate the work everyone has put into this project.  Huge respect to all of you.  My comments are just my own personal views/feedback.

 

RayT

 

[ray0071]

Well I managed to get through the last step.  I can say without a doubt it was by far the hardest one.

So far the game seems to be working - no crashes yet.  Not so sure I did everything right, guess time will tell.

Thanks to everyone for the help.  If it was not for the support offered here - I would have never gotten through it.

 

On a side note - are there nude compatible mods for STEP?

I read in the forums here that some believe it is immersion breaking, I can respect that - but I prefer nudity over brown undergarments.

Edited September 11, 2015 by ray0071

[n0mad23]

Yes.  For example, if you look at Better Males STEP recommends Geonox Faces and Underwear.  On that file page above "Underwear" are two choices for nude males.  Compatible but outside the lore-friendly mandate.  Because I'm using Expanded Cities and Towns, and there are bathers added to the hot-springs beside Darkwater Crossing, I elected to go with nudes instead of the underwear versions.  All my favorite hot-springs have been those where everyone goes 'au naturale.'  I have elected to go with the non-viagra version.

 

Women are a bit trickier, but also seem to have more choices, too.  The XP32 Maximum Skeleton is compatible with CHSBHC/UNPB-BBP so a bit of searching and researching is in order to go this route.  Personally, I'd recommend "Mature Skin Texture and Body for UNP(B) 7BASE CBBE Vanilla" by Maevan2 but this is my aesthetic.  I'm digging that everyone doesn't have teen skin, and it seems to cooperate nicely with Consistent Older People.

[TechAngel85]

Take another look at the DynDOLOD mod page. I'm not finished but hopefully what I've done solves all the confusion.

[ray0071]

So I did some digging around, but haven't been able to determine what adult mods are compatible with STEP. This may sound strange to some, but I like eye candy in my game.  That means,T&A, skimpy armor for women etc.  The current texture for women (STEP) is not good at all - looks like she has a roll of fat around her stomach.  In real life whatever, who can maintain perfect abs? - but in a game?  Please break the immersion rule or at least give us the option to do so! lol

 

For example Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition -CBBE-

Is it possible to add that without conflicts? 

IF not, then can someone offer some suggestions - nudity mods proven to be compatible with STEP?

Edited September 11, 2015 by ray0071

[TechAngel85]

You can add any of those replacers to STEP. Just uninstall the XCE and Improved Footwraps for Females and mod away. They're not in STEP do to deviations from vanilla. We'll have a female replacer for STEP similar to Better Males soon enough. Some mesh work is being done for it right now, actually. There won't be any nudity with it though so you might want to go with CBBE or UNP. Keep in mind a lot of these female body replacers also require specific armors made for the new body meshes.

[ray0071]

The game is working good.  I hope this is as simple as uninstalling those mods, and installing CBBE.

Hate to lose all my hard work just to see eyecandy in the game! :)

[TechAngel85]

Those mods in XCE are simple uninstalls since they are just meshes and textures. As for installing CBBE, I don't know what is involved in that.

Did you have time to look as the DynDOLOD page? I would like your opinion on whether that is easier to follow or not.

[ray0071]

Those mods in XCE are simple uninstalls since they are just meshes and textures. As for installing CBBE, I don't know what is involved in that.

Did you have time to look as the DynDOLOD page? I would like your opinion on whether that is easier to follow or not.

 

My feedback:

 

1. Copy the contents of the TES5Edit folder in the archive to the TES5Edit folder; found where TES5Edit was installed. - Reword this.
2. Drag the Docs directory into the Data directory, so the DynDOLOD documentation can be seen from within MO. - I didn't understand it and actually didn't do it.  Not sure if that will break my game?  
3. 9. Open up the output folder (C:\TES5LODGenOutput from the TES5Edit setup) and create an archive from the textures folder within using 7zip.  - I failed at this step every time.  I watched the video, did as instructed, read the guide, but couldn't get it right. 

 

I honestly don't know how I completed the last step.  My output folder is empty - the information clearly went somewhere else.  The images you provided are helpful, but I am unsure whether it explains why I was encountering problems.  I did as instructed, but I must have been doing something wrong because I was not getting the desired results.  The last time, don't know why it worked.  It did, and I wasn't about to complain.  Started the game - so far so good. 

 

Suggestion - I have requested video tutorial a number of times.  There is already one for DynDOLOD, but it is not specific to STEP (in its current version).  There are some differences between what it instructs and what you guys do here in STEP. If maybe someone could do a new one or an update video - that would be very helpful.  I can say this much - the last step was the most difficult - no doubt about it (at least for me).

Edited September 11, 2015 by ray0071

[TechAngel85]

1. The problem with rewording this is, since TES5Edit is a portable program, I can't say "it's found in this location" because the user could literally have put it anywhere on their computer. The user is simply going to have to know where they extracted it and currently have it located. They should know this information because they have to know it to add it to MO's executable list. Any suggestions?

 

2. You don't know how to click and drag? Click the Docs folder and drag and drop it on top of the Data folder. It will not do anything to your game by not doing it. It's just so you have the DynDOLOD documentation to reference.

 

3. Are you a native English speaker? The wording might could be simplified here a bit for non-Native English speakers, but for English speakers I don't see where there would be a misunderstanding.

 

I'm still finishing up the images for the last step so maybe whatever you did or didn't do will become clear.

[Shadriss]

With ref to his #3, it may not be his ability to understand the instruction, but perhaps not understanding of actual actions to take. IE, How to actually create the archive and install it. As an example, I don't do it that way. I, instead do this: (Same net effect, different order of operations)

 

A) Create new subfolder in the .../Mod Organizer/Mods/ directory for the output files (In my case, DynDoLOD Output).

B) Drag all files from the output folder .../TES5LODGenOutput into the folder created in A.

C) In MO, click 'Refresh'.

 

Done and done, files ready for use.

 

Of course, I could be WAY off base about his problem with the step, but it's a possibility.

[oqhansoloqo]

Check out Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited STEP Pack (https://wiki.step-project.com/User:Neovalen/Skyrim_Revisited_-_Legendary_Edition#The_People_of_Skyrim).  He discusses how to integrate the "UNP Blessed" female body into the game.

 

If on the other hand you go with CBBE (instead of UNP Blessed as previously mentioned), and if you decide you actually prefer normal-looking outfits on curvy figures rather than ridiculous outfits, then check out this clothing/armor conversion that I found for CBBE hidden away on CBBE's Nexus mod page: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/59960/.  I have never used it, but it sounds great (includes all female outfits/armors from the base game and all DLCs) and the screenshots look good I think.  If I ever did decide to make my women in the game sexier, I would go that route.  I personally HATE HATE HATE skimpy outfit replacers though, which is why this one seems so appealing to me.  It's not skimpy but works with the enhanced curves.

[TechAngel85]

With ref to his #3, it may not be his ability to understand the instruction, but perhaps not understanding of actual actions to take. IE, How to actually create the archive and install it. As an example, I don't do it that way. I, instead do this: (Same net effect, different order of operations)

 

A) Create new subfolder in the .../Mod Organizer/Mods/ directory for the output files (In my case, DynDoLOD Output).

B) Drag all files from the output folder .../TES5LODGenOutput into the folder created in A.

C) In MO, click 'Refresh'.

 

Done and done, files ready for use.

 

Of course, I could be WAY off base about his problem with the step, but it's a possibility.

That is true and I'm changing that in the instructions. We were having them archive the TexGen output to install those files but then move the files from the DynDOLOD as you described here. So I'm changing it to both steps creating archives for consistency. Also, with archives you have a chance to rename the mod on installation, whereas you don't with your method. This is handy for multiple instances of DynDOLOD installed (I have 3).

[z929669]

My feedback:

 

1. Copy the contents of the TES5Edit folder in the archive to the TES5Edit folder; found where TES5Edit was installed. - Reword this.
2. Drag the Docs directory into the Data directory, so the DynDOLOD documentation can be seen from within MO. - I didn't understand it and actually didn't do it.  Not sure if that will break my game?  
3. 9. Open up the output folder (C:\TES5LODGenOutput from the TES5Edit setup) and create an archive from the textures folder within using 7zip.  - I failed at this step every time.  I watched the video, did as instructed, read the guide, but couldn't get it right. 

 

I honestly don't know how I completed the last step.  My output folder is empty - the information clearly went somewhere else.  The images you provided are helpful, but I am unsure whether it explains why I was encountering problems.  I did as instructed, but I must have been doing something wrong because I was not getting the desired results.  The last time, don't know why it worked.  It did, and I wasn't about to complain.  Started the game - so far so good. 

 

Suggestion - I have requested video tutorial a number of times.  There is already one for DynDOLOD, but it is not specific to STEP (in its current version).  There are some differences between what it instructs and what you guys do here in STEP. If maybe someone could do a new one or an update video - that would be very helpful.  I can say this much - the last step was the most difficult - no doubt about it (at least for me).

These are the kinds of specifics needed.

 

I took a look and made several corrections to the instructions on that page. Please take a look and see if the tweaked instructions make things a bit more clear.

 

@Tech & staff

The TES5Edit instructions were a good example of inconsistent use of text formatting and phraseology that exists across the wiki (note the use of templates and where applied ... take a look at the diff between my edit and the last previous edit). Inconsistency hampers understanding, because there is no solid frame of reference for the reader. It was reasonably understandable before, but it is more clear now I think.

 

Examples:

• Anything that the user should "click/tick" via the UI should always use the Ui template
• Reference to UI elements that do not need user interaction should be highlighted appropriately using either the appropriate text color from Fc template or using quotes.
• Pick a term and stick with it (everywhere): folder = directory ... "directory" is probably most often used, so let's use that unless we are talking about where we are keeping our paperwork in RL.
• Favor brevity over explanation unless something is really tough to describe (and then break it down into simple, clarifying statements, even if it seems like a lot of explanation ... yes, this is somewhat contradictory, so use your good judgement).

[Shadriss]

That is true and I'm changing that in the instructions. We were having them archive the TexGen output to install those files but then move the files from the DynDOLOD as you described here. So I'm changing it to both steps creating archives for consistency. Also, with archives you have a chance to rename the mod on installation, whereas you don't with your method. This is handy for multiple instances of DynDOLOD installed (I have 3).

True, but the chance to rename is still there - when you create the folder. Since the Mod name on MO is taken from the Folder name, viola. Mod Named. It's more a matter of keeping track of which installation goes in which folder than anything else.

[ray0071]

#3 - I understood the directions (or so I thought), but was clearly doing something wrong in the implementation.

 

Suggestion for rewording #1:

In the archive you will find a TES5Edit folder.  Copy its contents.  Then locate where you installed TES5Edit on your computer.  Once you do paste the contents in the main folder (named TES5Edit).

 

Not sure if that makes more sense to others, but it does to me! :)

Edited September 11, 2015 by ray0071