Is DynDOLOD actually required for most of these mods?

[StevenSmith1678]

I’ve been looking at getting my game set up so I can use the mods here, and one of the first things that’s suggested is to instal DynDOLOD. However, from what I can tell, that is about making the game look better from a distance, which isn’t something that I’m worried about (I play Skyrim on PC, but most of my gaming up to this point has been on XBox, so I’m not as bothered if things don’t look as great from far distances). If I were to skip the DynDOLOD installation, with the understanding that things won’t look as good from a distance, will that cause any issues with the mods here? All I’m really looking for is to incorporate adult things into the game, not overhaul it’s graphics, so if I can skip that and still get the adult stuff to work, that’s fine. I just want to be sure that doing so won’t cause any issues down the line.

[Inquizit0r]

It is indeed to make distant land look better (due to the how this engine handles rendering via its uGridsToLoad and making distant objects and landmarks look like a game from 2000s)...

Well if you just want to do "incorporate adult things" in Skyrim, then you certainly don't need DynDOLOD, and afaik that mod is universally optional. Honestly, its also more or less complex when installing and using it, and there might occur huge performance issues (i once tried it, game looked great, but was unplayable, maybe i just picked wrong settings).

However, if you still want a good alternate to DynDOLOD, then this one is simpler, does the job, and has overall better performance. But of course it offers less quality compared to DynDOLOD.
Here is a Skyrim Distance Overhaul mod (link is for Oldrim/LE, and no clue if there even is one for SSE), but you might look up for alternatives.

[StevenSmith1678]

Like I said, I come from Console gaming, so I’m used to lower graphics, and my big thing right now is getting these mods working, not overhauling every aspect of the game. I’ll keep it in mind as an option, but my main concern is getting these mods working, and I’m just looking at the basics needed to do that right now. I get that the starter guide is interested in making the game look better in general, but it would be nice to get one that deals with the barebones of getting these mods running, and not throwing in optional extra stuff like DynDOLOD.

[Just Don't]

5 minutes ago, StevenSmith1678 said:

it would be nice to get one that deals with the barebones of getting these mods running

Check link in my signature, step 5 has a modlist with all the required + a few optional mods. It's really basic, so you'll have to read and add other mods on your own to expand things. Additional info and sources are at the end of the first post in the same thread.

 

Of course you'll need to pick a mod manager (my guide covers MO2) and learn how to use it. That's not optional, if you skip through all the mod descriptions, install instructions and so on, you'll get to a sad place in your game with bugs and crashes.

[StevenSmith1678]

I use Vortex myself, and was planning on using it for my mods. I’ll have to do a bit of muddling to get things figured out, but hopefully it won’t be too much trouble to figure out.

[mosquitobait]

2 hours ago, StevenSmith1678 said:

I use Vortex myself, and was planning on using it for my mods. I’ll have to do a bit of muddling to get things figured out, but hopefully it won’t be too much trouble to figure out.

FWIW, every one of the so-called "drawbacks" about MO2's VFS on the Vortex wiki page is FUD, if that's why you're not using it.

Re: DynDOLOD, I attempted to use it (between 6+HT cores and 16 GB VRAM, it ought to be pretty), but could never make it do anything but cause infinite loading screens at worst and crashes at best. You won't miss it, especially if you just want to get your game modded and going. Worry about making it look that little bit extra awesome later.

[Stiffon]

I've never used dyndolod and have no problem. Change ugridstoload to 7 - not sure if there was a companion setting to change also (sure you can find that on here), but that was enough for me. I use Vortex and I find it's great. Didn't see the point to MO2 (despite being an avid MO user/advocate) once Tanin42 moved to Nexus and developed Vortex.  Life is what you make it - both have merits, but Vortex fits the bill for me.

[Seeker999]

I use Vortex and haven't had any issues in the last few iterations, so I think it's pretty stable. I don't use any graphics overhaul mods but I do use BethINI. It's not a mod but a tool to create an .ini file that incorporates more detailed settings than your Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini. It has various default settings you can tweak as well as setting options for Papyrus, quest marker, etc.

 

Use it after you install your mods to create a new .ini. If you decide to use it, that is. I like it because I do less fiddling with the game's .ini's and I can fine tune the graphics level to suit my pc and mod load. Good luck!

[Fotogen]

On 7/1/2020 at 10:47 PM, StevenSmith1678 said:

I’ve been looking at getting my game set up so I can use the mods here, and one of the first things that’s suggested is to instal DynDOLOD. However, from what I can tell, that is about making the game look better from a distance, which isn’t something that I’m worried about (I play Skyrim on PC, but most of my gaming up to this point has been on XBox, so I’m not as bothered if things don’t look as great from far distances). If I were to skip the DynDOLOD installation, with the understanding that things won’t look as good from a distance, will that cause any issues with the mods here? All I’m really looking for is to incorporate adult things into the game, not overhaul it’s graphics, so if I can skip that and still get the adult stuff to work, that’s fine. I just want to be sure that doing so won’t cause any issues down the line.

I don't use it, because:

- a lot of time Im inside buildings or caves/dungeons. That "better at distance" has no meaning.

- if Im outside, I fight bandits and monster. At midle, short range. So again "better at distance" is under: whatever

- and the most important things: sex is touch range. Not so sure about "better at distance"

 

 

 

[Sneaksmile]

I used it once, a real crap ... (at least for me it is) ... because ... it is complicated to use, it is tedious to use, and it affects the frame-rate and causes CTDs everywhere. It is ain't no fucking ''miracle'' as some fools want to make it ''sound''.

If you don't care how the terrain looks like in the distance but you don't want the terrain in the distance to look like a super ugly pulled cardboard box (Vanilla game) ... then use this combination of Mods at full resolution and the terrain in the distance will look pretty good! No need for tedious and boring procedures. It will look pretty good and in less than 5 minutes:

The Skyrim Distance Overhaul LOD Improvement at Skyrim Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)

SkyFalls and SkyMills - Animated Distant Waterfalls and WindMills at Skyrim Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)

HD Detailed Terrain at Skyrim Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)

Realistic Water Two at Skyrim Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)

Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM at Skyrim Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/607

Unless your PC is a 40 year rusty old box, the performance only will be little affected and the best thing is that ... no random CTDs! 

And as someone told you above ... DynDOLOD is an optional Mod. But what confuses new users is that Modders are really very dramatic about it: '' Don't you use DynDOLOD?!! Oh my goodness!! What a tragedy!! '', '' Idiot!! my Mod is made to be used with DynDOLOD!! '', '' if you don't use DynDOLOD you better go and kill yourself!! '' ... lol ... idiots ... What they (dramatic Modders) never say is that if you install a Mod of trees, or a castle Mod, and you want to see that far away then you must use DynDOLOD ... BUT still its Mod works without DynDOLOD ... only those trees and that castle will not be seen at all in the distance away, that's what DynDOLOD does. In fact, that is its biggest and most '' special '' function, adding objects at the distance that belong to the Mods that Vanilla game does not render. So ... for example ... if you do not mind that a custom statue (from a Mod) is not seen in the distance away, and that kind of things ... then really DynDOLOD is of little use ... BUT ... it causes annoying problems. It is more than anything a Mod for those who believe that Skyrim is a ''photography simulator'' and like to take photos of their game and they only do that, not for the average user who just wants to play as someone normal, for that, there are simpler options that offer almost the same result. So, use the Mods that I posted above, with that you will have a good '' LOD '' and zero problems. 

Oh, and I know it's a post from a year ago, and I wrote a ''Bible'' here ... lol ... but I also know that a lot of users keep falling into the '' trap '' of Modders who want all the people to use that crap called DynDOLOD. 

EDITED: Upsss ... I forgot I was in the SE version ... lol ... If anyone is interested, you just have to look for the version of those Mods for SE, they all have a version for SE. 

[bastardopfromhell]

As most users already pointed out, DynDOLOD is not a "requirement" for anything - it's just a general recommendation for any skyrim mod setup.

 

However, the notion that DynDOLOD is just there to "make far away stuff look good" is incomplete. It's technically correct - yes - but misleading. You see, what is "distant" and what is "near" is configurable. Without DynDOLOD, to make objects and trees not visibly "pop in", you need to make the engine render objects further away, so you don't notice the pop-in. This costs performance. With DynDOLOD instead, you can tell the game to not render so far - thus saving performance - because DynDOLOD will make sure you don't notice pop-in.

 

For example, with DynDOLOD + Vanilla Tree billboards + Cathedral Landscape grass, i can have a green skyrim with trees and grass up to the horizon and no visible transitions at all. Yet i get more FPS than someone trying to do it the "classic" way. So in short: If done right and combined with the right landscape mods, DynDOLOD doesn't just make things look prettier, but also improves performance.

 

The downside is that setting up and using DynDOLOD is black magic. Not because it's actually complicated (the full routine is just a few mouseclicks), but because the distribution, packaging, documentation and interface is all designed for developers, not players. It's the typical symptom of "software from hackers, for hackers - fuck usability and all".