Which version of Skyrim?

[Ero.praz]

I'm thinking about playing Skyrim again and was wondering which version I should install and play for mods. The special edition or vanilla? Is the modding community about the same for both?

[donttouchmethere]

44 pages of SE/LE philosophy:

 

[MadMansGun]

both have there own set of problems and patches to fix them, Eg:

SE is 64bit so it has access to unlimited ram....but LE has patches to make it use less ram.

SE sucks at running scripts when paused, that's why it's MCM runs like shit when compared to LE. (but i think there was a patch for this somewhere)

SE has esl support, LE does not.

 

Edit: LE has UNP bodys

 

On 9/23/2021 at 7:26 PM, Ero.praz said:

Is the modding community about the same for both?

mostly yes, but most of the modders i hang out with prefer working in LE then porting to SE afterwords. (LE is much more forgiving with mesh errors than SE)

 

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by MadMansGun

[Vyxenne]

1 hour ago, donttouchmethere said:

44 pages of SE/LE philosophy:

 

So much has changed in the 3½ years since this was written that I wonder if much of it even applies any more. Especially the parts about Oldrim mods that haven't been converted to SSE. Almost everything I look for (and many that I just happen upon) has been converted, and thanks to the new CK with CKHelper, SSEEDit and ousnius's NifOptimizer tool, I can convert virtually any Oldrim mod I want myself.

 

• SKSE64 has been released and refined
• Racemenu has been (finally! Yay Expired!) released, enhanced and is now functionally equivalent to its Oldrim counterpart according to its authors
• SkyUI same as RM (above)
• HDT-SMP finally went open-source and aers ("srea" here lol) and Karonar1 have made it much less costly in terms of fps as well as fixing/optimizing it
• CBP and CBPC have made it possible to offload body physics from SMP, adding the infamous "belly bulge" and improving framerates while still providing realistic physics and collisions
• 3BBB Bodies have been released, offering new heights in depicting realistic motions of flabby thighs ginormous boobs & butts
• The Address Library for SKSE64 Plugins has allowed many mods to be SKSE64-version independent
• Mods that used to be script-heavy and/or cumbersome to install & configure have been replaced by SKSE64 plugins (360 Movement, Dual Wielding, many more)
• The Money-Grab "Creation Club" game-breaking updates have finally stopped
• Somebody invented "Light Masters" (ESL, ESPFE) making the number of mod plugins practically irrelevant for most users
• Numerous "issue-fix" mods like SSE Engine Fixes, Skyrim Optimization Project, CK Helper, etc. have virtually finished the work that Bethesda should have done
• Boris has published a many-versions-long parade of ENB Binaries, and numerous amazing ENB/Reshade presets have been released including SSL effects
• A stunning array of Environmental fixes/optimizations has been published (Realistic Water Two, grass/tree/rock overhauls and all-in-one SMIM)
• And of course, dear to our hearts here on LoversLab, SexLab and maaaaaany of its dependent mods have been converted and are being supported in SSE

The list goes on and on- I'm sure come Oldrimn players have "pet mods" that don't exist in SSE, making them say they don't think they'll ever switch, and the great thing about modding is that the Oldrim scene is still alive and well, making it easy to continue to play it into its second decade of life.

 

But for me, the added stability and capability of SSE grabbed me by my left nipple almost as soon as it launched (early enough that I got it free on Steam) and I've never looked back.

 

...mostly because I get such a rush when my nipples are tweaked...

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Vyxenne
Because talking about my nipples makes me wet

[worik]

17 minutes ago, Vyxenne said:

The Money-Grab "Creation Club" game-breaking updates have finally stopped

They did? Finally!

[Ero.praz]

10 hours ago, Vyxenne said:

So much has changed in the 3½ years since this was written that I wonder if much of it even applies any more. Especially the parts about Oldrim mods that haven't been converted to SSE. Almost everything I look for (and many that I just happen upon) has been converted, and thanks to the new CK with CKHelper, SSEEDit and ousnius's NifOptimizer tool, I can convert virtually any Oldrim mod I want myself.

 

• SKSE64 has been released and refined
• Racemenu has been (finally! Yay Expired!) released, enhanced and is now functionally equivalent to its Oldrim counterpart according to its authors
• SkyUI same as RM (above)
• HDT-SMP finally went open-source and aers ("srea" here lol) and Karonar1 have made it much less costly in terms of fps as well as fixing/optimizing it
• CBP and CBPC have made it possible to offload body physics from SMP, adding the infamous "belly bulge" and improving framerates while still providing realistic physics and collisions
• 3BBB Bodies have been released, offering new heights in depicting realistic motions of flabby thighs ginormous boobs & butts
• The Address Library for SKSE64 Plugins has allowed many mods to be SKSE64-version independent
• Mods that used to be script-heavy and/or cumbersome to install & configure have been replaced by SKSE64 plugins (360 Movement, Dual Wielding, many more)
• The Money-Grab "Creation Club" game-breaking updates have finally stopped
• Somebody invented "Light Masters" (ESL, ESPFE) making the number of mod plugins practically irrelevant for most users
• Numerous "issue-fix" mods like SSE Engine Fixes, Skyrim Optimization Project, CK Helper, etc. have virtually finished the work that Bethesda should have done
• Boris has published a many-versions-long parade of ENB Binaries, and numerous amazing ENB/Reshade presets have been released including SSL effects
• A stunning array of Environmental fixes/optimizations has been published (Realistic Water Two, grass/tree/rock overhauls and all-in-one SMIM)
• And of course, dear to our hearts here on LoversLab, SexLab and maaaaaany of its dependent mods have been converted and are being supported in SSE

The list goes on and on- I'm sure come Oldrimn players have "pet mods" that don't exist in SSE, making them say they don't think they'll ever switch, and the great thing about modding is that the Oldrim scene is still alive and well, making it easy to continue to play it into its second decade of life.

 

But for me, the added stability and capability of SSE grabbed me by my left nipple almost as soon as it launched (early enough that I got it free on Steam) and I've never looked back.

 

...mostly because I get such a rush when my nipples are tweaked...

 

I've been away too long. Half of that went above my head, other than the impression that SE is great now. Is there someplace I should look for essential SE mod or organizers? What is light masters? The biggest issue I've had in the past was getting all the mods to play nice with each other. You go modding, end up for 50 mods and then well it doesn't work. You then spend the next 3 days trying to fix it and end up never playing as you've taken all that energy into fixing your mod list lol.

Any idea where I should start on fun adult mods for SSE or even normal ones?

Thank you for such a detailed response!

[donttouchmethere]

15 hours ago, Vyxenne said:

But for me, the added stability and capability of SSE grabbed me by my left nipple almost as soon as it launched (early enough that I got it free on Steam) and I've never looked back.

 

...mostly because I get such a rush when my nipples are tweaked...

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Vyxenne
Because talking about my nipples makes me wet

Your wet bullet points make me all fuzzy

[Vyxenne]

3 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

Your wet bullet points make me all fuzzy

?

Edited September 24, 2021 by Vyxenne

[Vyxenne]

7 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

the impression that SE is great now.

Yes, you drew the right conclusion from what I posted: SE is great now IMHO, especially with Vortex handling everything about your mods including sorting your load order, finding and resolving conflicts automatically, running FNIS automatically whenever required, installing SKSE64 automatically with a drag-n-drop and a single click, installing ENBs and other mods that don't go into the Data folder, etc.

 

7 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

Is there someplace I should look for essential SE mod or organizers?

Well, there are several to choose from, but they aren't all gathered neatly together in one place, and there is much debate over which is "the best." Personally, I think Vortex (available on the Nexus) is the all-around winner, especially for newcomers, because it does almost everything the harder-to-learn-and-use MO2 does (and more) without the complexity and learning curve.

 

For "essential mods" I would suggest

• SKSE64
• SkyUI
• Racemenu
• SexLab Framework
• Schlongs of Skyrim
• Matchmaker
• Amorous Adventures

Install the green ones first and start a new game. It doesn't matter how you make your character look because as soon as you get out of Helgen you can install the yellow ones and then do a makeover in Racemenu. Once you have the above 7 mods running well in your game, you will need nude body replacers (M & F). From there on, just browse the LL and Nexus Downloads and read about the various things you can do. Pay close attention to the requirements (prerequisites) for each mod and make sure you install them as directed.

 

7 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

What is light masters?

"Light Master" is a plugin that loads into a different space than normal ESMs and ESPs. There are two types- ESLs and ESL-flagged ESPs, aka ESPFEs. ESLs require compacted FormIDs; ESPFEs require nothing more than setting a flag in the header. However, there are number-of-records and FormID magnitude limitations on Light Masters. I don't know much more than that about the technicalities of Light Masters, but thankfully, I don't need to- Vortex does, and converts ESPs to ESPFEs for me.

 

The primary benefit of Light Masters is that they do not count against the 254-plugin hard limit, making 2,000-plugin load orders theoretically possible. I have read several posts by users running 900-mod load orders, and I personally have run 420 mods (not all of which had plugins- so I had maybe 390 or so plugins). Also, many mod authors are publishing their mod plugins already converted to Light Masters, so the only ones you would need to convert/flag would be the older ones.

• If you use Vortex, it flags all plugins that "could be light" automatically. If you are a glutton for punishment (i.e. you don't use Vortex) you can get the info by loading your entire load order into SSEEdit and running the appropriate "Find plugins that could be converted to ESLs" script
• To convert a plugin to a real ESL, you must run the SSEEdit script (above) to find the ones that need compacting and compact/convert each one
• To flag a plugin as an ESPFE, you can either (a) comb through the gag-a-maggot SSEEdit list (above) to find the ones that do not require compacting. and then flag them in SSEEdit; OR (b) Let Vortex do it for you with one mouse click on the plugin in the Plugins pane- no need to run SSEEdit (or any scripts) or manually hunt for "could be light" plugins

 

7 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

Any idea where I should start on fun adult mods for SSE or even normal ones?

There are several "Mod Lists" here on LL and elsewhere, but the problem with Mod Lists is that

• You are limited to the mods on the list- adding just one mod can break the entire house of cards
• You pretty much have to install all of the mods on the list even ones you do not want - e.g. the ZaZ Animation Pack ? - in order to be assured that everything will work because you don't know which mods are there because they are prerequisites of other mods on the list
• In some cases, you can't even update a mod without jeopardizing the entire setup so you might be stuck playing obsolete mods

TL; DR: Modlists are a bad idea from start to finish. The best idea is to pick the mods that do what you want to have in your game, carefully read the mod description and requirements, use a mod manager like Vortex (yay) or MO2 (not so yay for non-experts) to manage your mods.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Vyxenne
♪ Typo, typo, bo-bypo; bo-nanna-fanna, fo-fypo ♫

[MadMansGun]

Vortex & loot are not LoversLab compatible.

[Vyxenne]

5 minutes ago, MadMansGun said:

Vortex & loot are not LoversLab compatible.

Well that's news to me- I have used both exclusively for 2 years or more in several playthroughs and Vortex has managed up to 420 mods (including SexLab) flawlessly. Possibly Vortex/LOOT has some issues with some of the SL-related mods that I don't use, but they manage SexLab and related mods that I use, including but not limited to the ones I listed in my response.

 

Also, I would hope you agree that posting statements like yours aren't very helpful without specifics? Because just on the face of it, it's demonstrably false.

[Ero.praz]

20 hours ago, Vyxenne said:

Well that's news to me- I have used both exclusively for 2 years or more in several playthroughs and Vortex has managed up to 420 mods (including SexLab) flawlessly. Possibly Vortex/LOOT has some issues with some of the SL-related mods that I don't use, but they manage SexLab and related mods that I use, including but not limited to the ones I listed in my response.

 

Also, I would hope you agree that posting statements like yours aren't very helpful without specifics? Because just on the face of it, it's demonstrably false.

Nexus seems to be working well for me. Is there a female body replacer that you recommend? Seems like sexlab needs a skeleton type too? Shlongs looks like it installs a nude male one.

Edited September 25, 2021 by Ero.praz

[Gukahn]

36 minutes ago, Ero.praz said:

Nexus seems to be working well for me. Is there a female body replacer that you recommend? Seems like sexlab needs a skeleton type too? Shlongs looks like it installs a nude male one. I am having issues with getting mods to enable. The ingame mod browser now logs you in and has you dl mods? It's super different from when I played.

It's easy enough.  Just read a bit from those two here

 

 

 

 

If you go SSE you have the choice between Cbbe, cbbe 3bbb (which i use and i am happy enough with it.) and BHunp. Whatever strikes your fancy.

Don't forget to install tempered skin for sos. can't remember if it came with sos or not and make it a habit to always click on reqierments for mods. not only is it smart, it can give you some inspiration for other mods you might wanna have too.

 

19 hours ago, MadMansGun said:

Vortex & loot are not LoversLab compatible.

Bullshit

 

[MadMansGun]

44 minutes ago, Gukahn said:

Bullshit

try installing mnc + yiffy age + Argonians Redux in vortex and then run loot

the load order will be completely fucked.

 

 

 

[Gukahn]

7 minutes ago, MadMansGun said:

try installing mnc + yiffy age + Argonians Redux in vortex and then run loot

the load order will be completely fucked.

 

 

 

 

Dunno about that combination and i know that mnc is the one mod vortex didn't placed right for me before changing the rules manually, but one or three mods doesn't make it Loverslab incompatible. Everything else i installed since mnc got handled correctly with using a few brain cells.

This is not an indication for your claim. It's  just a tiny problem, easily fixed.  Nobody claimed vortex is perfect, it does however a good tool to manage mods.

I will not partake in the stupid "Mo is better/vortex is better" Debate since this is pointless and not worth my time.

[Vyxenne]

5 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

Nexus seems to be working well for me. Is there a female body replacer that you recommend? Seems like sexlab needs a skeleton type too? Shlongs looks like it installs a nude male one.

I use the new BHUNP-3BBB body by Baka, along with Leyenda Skins textures. Yes, SexLab (and many other mods) needs the XP32 skeleton, aka XPMSSE. You must be careful not to let SoS overwrite XPMSSE. Finally, I use Tempered Skins-Male SoS Full version - which offers a variety of male skin textures.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Vyxenne
Because I have second, third and even fourth thoughts

[Vyxenne]

3 hours ago, MadMansGun said:

try installing mnc + yiffy age + Argonians Redux in vortex and then run loot

the load order will be completely fucked.

I respect your opinions and believe you when you say LOOT does not place the above 3 mod plugins correctly. However, with all due respect, that does not support your original statement to the effect that "Vortex is incompatible with SexLab." As I suspected (and posted in response above) your issue is with one or more SL-dependent mods and not with SexLab Framework.

 

Also, if LOOT is misplacing one or more of those 3 mods when run automatically by Vortex, LOOT will also do the same thing when run in MO2 and when run externally/directly because it uses the same Metadata irrespective of how/where it is launched AFAIK.

 

Vortex allows you to correct any plugin-sorting errors easily, offering both a Rules Editor and a manual plugin drag-n-drop solution. Even more helpful, you could always submit a LOOT Metadata correction specifying the correct relationship between SexLab Framework and the 3 mods in question instead of falsely badmouthing Vortex.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Vyxenne
Because the typos don't appear until I Submit, Master

[MadMansGun]

4 hours ago, Gukahn said:

I will not partake in the stupid "Mo is better/vortex is better" Debate since this is pointless and not worth my time.

frankly they both suck (but vortex more so), i prefer manual installs, no bullshit middle programs to screw everything up.

 

1 hour ago, Vyxenne said:

"Vortex is incompatible with SexLab."

i said loverslab, not sexlab, i'm sure it can handle one LL mod by itself perfectly fine. it's the multi master mods with selective load orders that are the problem.

 

1 hour ago, Vyxenne said:

Also, if LOOT is misplacing one or more of those 3 mods when run automatically by Vortex, LOOT will also do the same thing when run in MO2 and when run externally/directly because it uses the same Metadata irrespective of how/where it is launched AFAIK.

that's why i tell people NOT to use auto fuckup 9000

 

1 hour ago, Vyxenne said:

submit a LOOT Metadata correction

already been done, nothing has changed.

 

1 hour ago, Vyxenne said:

instead of falsely badmouthing Vortex.

i will "badmouth" any piece of shit that does not do what it fucking claims to and clogs up my inbox with requests for help. (also fuck nemesis)

Edited September 26, 2021 by MadMansGun

[Ero.praz]

On 9/25/2021 at 8:21 PM, Vyxenne said:

I respect your opinions and believe you when you say LOOT does not place the above 3 mod plugins correctly. However, with all due respect, that does not support your original statement to the effect that "Vortex is incompatible with SexLab." As I suspected (and posted in response above) your issue is with one or more SL-dependent mods and not with SexLab Framework.

 

Also, if LOOT is misplacing one or more of those 3 mods when run automatically by Vortex, LOOT will also do the same thing when run in MO2 and when run externally/directly because it uses the same Metadata irrespective of how/where it is launched AFAIK.

 

Vortex allows you to correct any plugin-sorting errors easily, offering both a Rules Editor and a manual plugin drag-n-drop solution. Even more helpful, you could always submit a LOOT Metadata correction specifying the correct relationship between SexLab Framework and the 3 mods in question instead of falsely badmouthing Vortex.

Is there anyways to make Vortex handle sexlab zip files?

 

Im also not getting vortex to suggest sorting on BHUNP into bodyslide
 

SOS SE into XP32 and SOS Se into tempered skins for males

This mod pages dont has a suggested load order that I've found.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Ero.praz

[Vyxenne]

On 9/25/2021 at 9:17 PM, MadMansGun said:

On 9/25/2021 at 7:21 PM, Vyxenne said:

"Vortex is incompatible with SexLab."

i said loverslab, not sexlab

Yes, you did. My apologies for misquoting you.

[Vyxenne]

 

22 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

Is there anyways to make Vortex handle sexlab zip files?

Vortex correctly handles SexLab Framework and all other LL "zip files" that I have tried (including 7z and rar) just fine. The list captured above is filtered on "SexLab" (all one word) and so does not include many other LL files that Vortex has handled perfectly for me, e.g. Amorous Adventures, Nusbie Voices, SLAL, several animation packs, any mod whose name has a space between "sex" and "lab," etc. Vortex also handles many mods from various Patreons and other mod sites e.g. AFK Mods, Schaken Mods, SunJeong's site, etc. If Vortex is not handling whatever you mean when you say "sexlab zip files" in your game then there is probably something wrong with your Vortex installation.

 

 

22 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

Im also not getting vortex to suggest sorting on BHUNP into bodyslide

If you are installing BHUNP BodySlides for the first time, and have no previous BHUNP Body files installed in your BodySlide folders, there are no conflicts between BHUNP and "into BodySlide." The only conflicts in my game are with CBPC, Legacy UUNP (duh!) and between BHUNP and the BHUNP Update patch, all of which Vortex offered suggestions for.

 

 

22 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

SOS SE into XP32 and SOS Se into tempered skins for males

Vortex correctly identifies and offers resolution suggestions for SoS conflicts with XPMSSE, Tempered Skins and (in my game) 3D Pubic hair for Males. ?

 

 

22 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

This mod pages dont has a suggested load order that I've found.

I believe that this is the only one of the four statements you made that is correct. However, no suggested load order is required for most LL mods since Vortex+LOOT correctly sorts SexLab Framework and every other LL mod I have tried. MadMansGun says that Vortex will not correctly sort More Nasty Critters, "Yiffy Age" and "Argonians Redux" when those mods are used together, so if you use these mods and have load order issues, you can easily drag and drop the plugins into whatever order you believe to be correct.

 

If you are having a specific problem with Vortex or any mod, members here will gladly help you- but you need to provide details on exactly what is going wrong.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Vyxenne
Because afterthoughts

[Ero.praz]

26 minutes ago, Vyxenne said:

 

Vortex correctly handles SexLab Framework and all other LL "zip files" that I have tried (including 7z and rar) just fine. The list captured above is filtered on "SexLab" (all one word) and so does not include many other LL files that Vortex has handled perfectly for me, e.g. Amorous Adventures, Nusbie Voices, SLAL, several animation packs, any mod whose name has a space between "sex" and "lab," etc. Vortex also handles many mods from various Patreons and other mod sites e.g. AFK Mods, Schaken Mods, SunJeong's site, etc. If Vortex is not handling whatever you mean when you say "sexlab zip files" in your game then there is probably something wrong with your Vortex installation.

 

 

If you are installing BHUNP BodySlides for the first time, and have no previous BHUNP Body files installed in your BodySlide folders, there are no conflicts between BHUNP and "into BodySlide." The only conflicts in my game are with CBPC, Legacy UUNP (duh!) and between BHUNP and the BHUNP Update patch, all of which Vortex offered suggestions for.

 

 

Vortex correctly identifies and offers resolution suggestions for SoS conflicts with XPMSSE, Tempered Skins and (in my game) 3D Pubic hair for Males. ?

 

 

I believe that this is the only one of the four statements you made that is correct. However, no suggested load order is required for most LL mods since Vortex+LOOT correctly sorts SexLab Framework and every other LL mod I have tried. MadMansGun says that Vortex will not correctly sort More Nasty Critters, "Yiffy Age" and "Argonians Redux" when those mods are used together, so if you use these mods and have load order issues, you can easily drag and drop the plugins into whatever order you believe to be correct.

 

If you are having a specific problem with Vortex or any mod, members here will gladly help you- but you need to provide details on exactly what is going wrong.

Maybe the issue is I haven't installed LOOT? I saw a tutorial suggested it was a setting but I haven't found it yet. Should skeletons be loaded after Shlongs then? Mine did not have suggestions so I guessed it should be before.

[Vyxenne]

2 hours ago, Ero.praz said:

Maybe the issue is I haven't installed LOOT? I saw a tutorial suggested it was a setting but I haven't found it yet. Should skeletons be loaded after Shlongs then? Mine did not have suggestions so I guessed it should be before.

LOOT is included with Vortex and is enabled by default to run on every Deployment event. There is no notification when LOOT is running, so you can easily be unaware that it is running or has run. Suggested load orders come from LOOT. The fact that you do not have any LO sorting suggestions in Vortex suggests that (as I posted above) your Vortex installation has gone awry. On the Settings pane, check and make sure the Mods tab shows the correct folder for SSE.

 

Because I frequently deal with several mods at once (yes, I know, I'm a very naughty girl), I have disabled auto-deployment in Vortex, so Vortex simply puts up a Notification that Deployment is needed whenever I enable or disable a mod so I don't forget. On Vortex's Plugins tab, there is a "Sort Now" button on the topbar. Try pressing it to see what happens.

 

You should never let anything override the XP32 skeleton. SoS will do so even if you un-tick that option when you install SoS. You should revise your conflict resolution on SoS to "Load Before" XPMSSE and redeploy your mods. There are a few animation mods that can and should override XPMSSE's animations (e.g. Pretty Combat Animations SE) but never let anything override the skeleton itself. When in doubt, you can always click "Show Files" on Vortex's conflict resolution pane and make sure that (whatever mod) is only overriding the XPMSSE animations and not the skeleton.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Vyxenne