DBF Skyrim mods updates

[DeepBlueFrog]

Between overall burnout with Skyrim mods and the siren songs from other games to play (and mod), I have been largely missing from LL over the past few months. I will try to keep a foot over here with a few general purpose discussion threads to post updates that are not necessarily relevant to any particular mod.

 

I have several discussions about Skyrim mods, usually linked from my signature:

 

• Kyne's Blessing (SexLab Parasites) ( LE - SE/AE )
• The Sisterhood of Dibella ( LE - SE/AE ) 
• Alicia Painslut (LE - SE/AE)
• Sanguine Debauchery (SD+) (LE - SE/AE)
• SexLab Dialogues (LE - SE/AE)
• Hormones (LE - SE/AE)
• SexLab Stories (LE - SE/AE)
• Mind Control (LE - SE/AE)
• Family Ties (LE - SE/AE)
• Skyrim Immersion Patch (LE - SE/AE)
• Obscure Patches (LE only for now)

 

I also have a few more technical discussion threads for beta testing and SE conversion issues. 

 

• Beta testing thread (LE - SE) 
• SSE conversion thread

 

In addition to these threads, I also have content on other sites:

 

• Github - A repository for issues and early release code for my Skyrim mods.
• Tumblr - A blog about games I play, including Skyrim.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2025 by DeepBlueFrog

[DeepBlueFrog]

(Copying this across a few posts)

 

Hello - Just a quick note to say I am still around and I finally have a working copy of Skyrim again (except for some issues with the console/mfg).

It will take me time to catch up with past messages across this and other mod threads but I will try to make a good dent in my backlog in the coming weeks.

Until then, if you need to catch my attention on anything in particular, don't hesitate to send me a private message.

[DeepBlueFrog]

Please take the short Poll at the top of the page about the future of my mods for Skyrim. 

I have been thinking about what has been holding me back to make progress on my mods and what I can do differently in 2025. 

 

I believe I could be more efficient in adding fixes and updates if I didn't have to always think about developing and testing for two different platforms (LE vs SE and above).

 

I would love to hear your feedback (use the thread itself for the Poll if you want to share comments).

Edited December 27, 2024 by DeepBlueFrog

[naaitsab]

If you look at the numbers and leave any feelings aside. Steamcharts lists the 30 day average of SE/AE on 22668 and LE on 1734, that's about 1:13. There are other platforms and not everyone is playing via Steam but this trend is also visible in the amount of new/updated LE mods on here and Nexus drying up quickly, especially this year. So it's not really "nobody" is using LE anymore but it's playerbase got very small and getting smaller by the day. Which is not really surprising as it needs a lot of tweaking to work or properly make use of the power of modern hardware. If someone reinstalled their PC or got a new one, I doubt many want to go the LE route and choose AE. So it does not surprise me that much, especially as AE out of the box runs quite good on a modern PC without any tweaks or mods.

 

SE/AE also has a lot more (untapped) potential, I think the DD NG project is a prime example of this I'd say stick with something that has more possibilities/expansion room for the future. And not to forget, the SE version of the CK. Especially if enhanced with Perchik71's tweaks is a lot (like orders of magnitude) quicker to load and a lot more stable than I ever got the LE one. Even with all tweaks that where out there. This really saved my own modding fun as it was getting quite slim with the CK crashefst on my LE setup. Took some time to get it over to SE but never looked back ever since.

 

So I'd say patch your CK, focus on 1 game (AE) and your modding fun will return. Like it did with me.

[ebbluminous]

Poll answered. Maybe a second poll to see which mods people want work prioritising on?

 

Hormones would be no 1 for me

[belegost]

It's time to look boldly into the future. Adapt, evolve and thrive, let the dinosaurs die out.

[DeepBlueFrog]

7 hours ago, naaitsab said:

If you look at the numbers and leave any feelings aside. Steamcharts lists the 30 day average of SE/AE on 22668 and LE on 1734, that's about 1:13. There are other platforms and not everyone is playing via Steam but this trend is also visible in the amount of new/updated LE mods on here and Nexus drying up quickly, especially this year. So it's not really "nobody" is using LE anymore but it's playerbase got very small and getting smaller by the day. Which is not really surprising as it needs a lot of tweaking to work or properly make use of the power of modern hardware. If someone reinstalled their PC or got a new one, I doubt many want to go the LE route and choose AE. So it does not surprise me that much, especially as AE out of the box runs quite good on a modern PC without any tweaks or mods.

 

SE/AE also has a lot more (untapped) potential, I think the DD NG project is a prime example of this I'd say stick with something that has more possibilities/expansion room for the future. And not to forget, the SE version of the CK. Especially if enhanced with Perchik71's tweaks is a lot (like orders of magnitude) quicker to load and a lot more stable than I ever got the LE one. Even with all tweaks that where out there. This really saved my own modding fun as it was getting quite slim with the CK crashefst on my LE setup. Took some time to get it over to SE but never looked back ever since.

 

So I'd say patch your CK, focus on 1 game (AE) and your modding fun will return. Like it did with me.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Patched CK for SE is one of the factors that has been weighing heavily on wanting to move on actually.

I was shocked about how smooth it is.

 

[DeepBlueFrog]

6 hours ago, ebbluminous said:

Poll answered. Maybe a second poll to see which mods people want work prioritising on?

 

Hormones would be no 1 for me

 

That poll is sort of already at the top of this thread.

[Krashark]

19 minutes ago, DeepBlueFrog said:

Patched CK for SE is one of the factors that has been weighing heavily on wanting to move on actually.

I was shocked about how smooth it is.

 

The game itself is much more stable with recent AE builds, despite the fact that every update breaks dll-based mods. Also, there are SE/AE exclusive tools like SPID and KID, that allow you to distribute items, spells, potions, etc, without need to edit leveled lists and turn mods into compatibility nightmares.

 

I use your Hormones and SD+ (only for the dreamworld main quest, I feel that the slavery part is very clunky). NGL, I have a lot of fun playing a character that starts as a male, then gets lured by Sanguine to become something more and ends up as a female. The end of questline has three paths to choose, but once you select one, it basically ends. I hope someday we all can see what each path has to offer.

 

I'm not sure of what to expect from Skyrim modding scenery in 2025, but every year great things have been released for this game. This year, the most important certainly was Pandora. It works well (and VERY fast) with SL animations (including creatures), superseding both Nemesis and FNIS.

[DeepBlueFrog]

13 minutes ago, Vaccinated Alligator said:

 

The game itself is much more stable with recent AE builds, despite the fact that every update breaks dll-based mods. Also, there are SE/AE exclusive tools like SPID and KID, that allow you to distribute items, spells, potions, etc, without need to edit leveled lists and turn mods into compatibility nightmares.

 

I use your Hormones and SD+ (only for the dreamworld main quest, I feel that the slavery part is very clunky). NGL, I have a lot of fun playing a character that starts as a male, then gets lured by Sanguine to become something more and ends up as a female. The end of questline has three paths to choose, but once you select one, it basically ends. I hope someday we all can see what each path has to offer.

 

I'm not sure of what to expect from Skyrim modding scenery in 2025, but every year great things have been released for this game. This year, the most important certainly was Pandora. It works well (and VERY fast) with SL animations (including creatures), superseding both Nemesis and FNIS.

 

This Pandora?

 

I didn't know about it,

[ebbluminous]

53 minutes ago, DeepBlueFrog said:

 

This Pandora?

 

I didn't know about it,

Pandora is new new kid on the block for animations, only came out properly a couple of months ago. Would be worth looking at for future things

[naaitsab]

2 hours ago, Vaccinated Alligator said:

 

The game itself is much more stable with recent AE builds, despite the fact that every update breaks dll-based mods. Also, there are SE/AE exclusive tools like SPID and KID, that allow you to distribute items, spells, potions, etc, without need to edit leveled lists and turn mods into compatibility nightmares.

 

I use your Hormones and SD+ (only for the dreamworld main quest, I feel that the slavery part is very clunky). NGL, I have a lot of fun playing a character that starts as a male, then gets lured by Sanguine to become something more and ends up as a female. The end of questline has three paths to choose, but once you select one, it basically ends. I hope someday we all can see what each path has to offer.

 

I'm not sure of what to expect from Skyrim modding scenery in 2025, but every year great things have been released for this game. This year, the most important certainly was Pandora. It works well (and VERY fast) with SL animations (including creatures), superseding both Nemesis and FNIS.

You can permanently disable updates by changing the app manifest file for Skyrim and/or Creation kit to read only. 'do not update' in Steam itself is not always respected by Steam. I use this to block update on all Bethesda games until the core mods are updated. (Or sometimes never like the case of FO4 "next gen" disaster) With the help of the 'NG' system updating DLL's happens a lot sooner than before. And not to forget we are getting close to the 1 year anniversary of the current 1170 build. With the backlash and poor reception of the mod marketplace thing I'm waging that this will be the last update.

 

Paired with OAR the new animation tools are a very nice way to spice up an old game. It's quite astonishing how much life some new idles give to a game. Especially if paired with the 'dynamic' mods you list and not to forget 'Dynamic Armor Variants'. Graphics mods are nice but these things make the game interesting and really set it apart from LE imho. As most (story) mods I play use DD the added benefit of OAR is that animation/pose switching and device (un)equipping is now instantaneous. The ability to use devices to make regular SL scenes compatible by using a pose is also something never possible on LE. So for any mods that rely on DD it's a very easy win in my book.

[belegost]

31 minutes ago, naaitsab said:

You can permanently disable updates by changing the app manifest file for Skyrim and/or Creation kit to read only

That does not work. Steam will delete this file, create new one, and push update anyway. Regardless of the flag you set it to. The only reliable (so far) method is to have the game set to "Update only on launch" and start from SKSE executable every time.

[naaitsab]

6 minutes ago, belegost said:

That does not work. Steam will delete this file, create new one, and push update anyway. Regardless of the flag you set it to. The only reliable (so far) method is to have the game set to "Update only on launch" and start from SKSE executable every time.

It does, unless you run Steam as admin (which is really not recommended) the file can't be changed by Steam. I've never had this method fail with FO4, Starfield and Skyrim SE for a couple of years now. The 'do not update' method does fail as Steam, especially after a reboot randomly decides now it's time to start the update. Even if you set it on only update on launch and start it via MO2. The manifest method has been posted on many pages and I've never read anyone that had it fail. So either you picked the wrong file or something weird is going on on your end.

 

If you really want to make sure, let the inbuilt admin account (default this is disabled) take ownership of the file and set it's NTFS permissions (not the checkbox on the General tab) to read only for your normal user account. That way it's really impossible to modify or delete the file unless you run Steam as admin. As the program by default runs under your userspace which does not have write permissions on the file.

[belegost]

9 minutes ago, naaitsab said:

The 'do not update' method does fail as Steam, especially after a reboot randomly decides now it's time to start the update.

Never had that happen. It works for me, the other method does not. Simple.

 

Edited December 27, 2024 by belegost

[Lenore]

On 1/15/2024 at 8:54 PM, DeepBlueFrog said:

Between overall burnout with Skyrim mods and the siren songs from other games to play (and mod), I have been largely missing from LL over the past few months.

If you really are not feeling it, perhaps you could pass it off to someone. I really miss SD+ used to be one of my favorites back in the day. Otherwise, I'd be overjoyed to see it brought up to speed!

[DeepBlueFrog]

1 hour ago, Lenore said:

If you really are not feeling it, perhaps you could pass it off to someone. I really miss SD+ used to be one of my favorites back in the day. Otherwise, I'd be overjoyed to see it brought up to speed!

 

I am far from reaching that point.  I still have a lot of things planned, and TES VI is far enough in the future to give me some room to see it through.

[BAB PEEG]

3 hours ago, Lenore said:

If you really are not feeling it, perhaps you could pass it off to someone. I really miss SD+ used to be one of my favorites back in the day. Otherwise, I'd be overjoyed to see it brought up to speed!

 

Same, I finally found body slide files for TBD so I can actually play the mod right!

[Lenore]

2 hours ago, DeepBlueFrog said:

I am far from reaching that point.  I still have a lot of things planned, and TES VI is far enough in the future to give me some room to see it through.

 

Very happy to hear that

[belegost]

4 hours ago, DeepBlueFrog said:

TES VI

I wouldn't put my hopes for TESVI, if Starfield is anything to judge by.

[DeepBlueFrog]

1 hour ago, belegost said:

I wouldn't put my hopes for TESVI, if Starfield is anything to judge by.

 

There's that too.

It is possible we will have TES V as peak Elder Scrolls for quite some time

[naaitsab]

3 hours ago, DeepBlueFrog said:

 

There's that too.

It is possible we will have TES V as peak Elder Scrolls for quite some time

Well maybe even Bethesda at it's peak? While Oblivion was questwise better, Skyrim does have a lot of extra features and looks good. Everything after Skyrim, well it's a bit of a ship without captain so to say. It also does not help that modding for Starfield is a mess and FO4 as well if you want to do dialogue based quests. As basics of dialogue tree's are not available and everything is done using janky scenes. I do hope they fix this for FO5 and TES 6, plus they need do more than the current 'fetch quest deluxe' quests otherwise I'm not sure we will keep seeing them around. 

 

Do you also have plans for an update to Kyne's Blessing? 

[belegost]

8 hours ago, DeepBlueFrog said:

It is possible we will have TES V as peak Elder Scrolls

Peak TES was Daggerfall.

[DeepBlueFrog]

7 hours ago, naaitsab said:

 (...)

 

Do you also have plans for an update to Kyne's Blessing? 

 

Not sure if that qualifies as 'plans' but here are things I want to tackle for Kyne's Blessing:

 

- fix the timing system for parasite events to keep spider eggs from being ejected immediately

- fix the Chaurus and Spider pheromones

- better customize existing DD events and messages for parasites

- clone the Blackreach dragon used for the queen to prevent mod interferences (instead of the current replacement)

- create parasite customization packs for new styles of parasitic armor that came out in recent years

- flesh out some of the quest stages and dialogues about parasite management with Danica

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by DeepBlueFrog

[DrunkenCow]

On 12/28/2024 at 6:27 AM, belegost said:

Peak TES was Daggerfall.

 

Morrowind.  Daggerfall just had the best dungeons and books.  

 

FTR - The only reason to upgrade from Legendary is to go back to the old fortify enchantment exploit.   This pole sucks.

 

Spoiler