Returnee modder, lost in translation...

[Redflyingmonkey]

Hello, hope you're all well. 

Writing this hoping for a charitable (very charitable) soul to guide a lost lamb back to his roots. I've left modding 4-5 years ago, and after buying a very good PC, i'm now wondering what the heck happened. I'm seeing modlists with Wabbajack, a new Mod Organizer, 3 or 4 sex frameworks, and apparently someone transformed Skyrim into a next gen game since I left, considevring the screenshots from some people here... 

All in all ; I think I still got the "touch" for modding but i'd like to start over on the right track with these questions : 

1- How customizable are visual modlists like NGVO ? Can I mod safely using it as a base so I don't have to go through all the graphic nitpicking again ? (Took me 5 months in my last "run" to get a good looking Skyrim). 

2- What were the biggest changes in the last 2 years, script and character wise ? I'm seeing subsurface scattering that should belong in next-gen game. Is enb that good now or am I missing something ? 

3- I used to help a bit with modding physics on HDT-SMP. Is this still relevant or did some other physics framework take it's place ? If it's still the main physics mod, what were the biggest changes since 2021 ? 

4- Are there some new essential gameplay and adult mods that no one can leave without now ?

5 - Last question, a bit more technical, about animations ; do we still generate files with FNIS ? Did we find a workaround for Nemesis ? 

6 - So the Anniversary edition came out. I'm sure it fucked a lot of things. I'm seeing it as a new requirement for a lot of Skyrim Nexus mods, is it the same here ? 


If you somehow get the time to answer some of these I'd be grateful. Thank you in advance !

Edited December 2, 2025 by Redflyingmonkey

[a_random_user]

I can't help you with all questions, but to the best of my abilities:

 

32 minutes ago, Redflyingmonkey said:

3- I used to help a bit with modding physics on HDT-SMP. Is this still relevant or did some other physics framework take it's place ? If it's still the main physics mod, what were the biggest changes since 2021 ? 

I believe the best current physics framework is FSMP - Faster HDT-SMP.

 

35 minutes ago, Redflyingmonkey said:

5 - Last question, a bit more technical, about animations ; do we still generate files with FNIS ? Did we find a workaround for Nemesis ? 

I've recently switched to Pandora from Nemesis, it works fast and reliably. There might be cases that Pandora doesn't support but if so, I don't know any.

 

38 minutes ago, Redflyingmonkey said:

6 - So the Anniversary edition came out. I'm sure it fucked a lot of things. I'm seeing it as a new requirement for a lot of Skyrim Nexus mods, is it the same here ? 

I'm still on SE v1.5.97. There are a couple of mods where this matters, but just about every one of those supports both versions. 

It will be useful to download Backported Extended ESL Support B.E.E.S. though.

[Dragon on the Web]

ENB is old news, we have community shaders now, which supports add-ons which can do stuff like true PBR, parallax, PBR + parallax, complex materials, unlimited light count, grass shadows, terrain shadows, grass getting moved out of the way of characters... It's so, so much better than ENB ever was. AND it supports Skyrim VR! (though not every add-on works, most do)
Anniversary Edition isn't that bad, it's a pretty cheap "DLC" that just unlocks all of the old Creation Club content. It's worth grabbing IMO.

[Miauzi]

Vor 12 Stunden schrieb Redflyingmonkey:

Hallo, ich hoffe, es geht euch allen gut.

Ich schreibe dies in der Hoffnung, dass ein wohlwollender Mensch (wirklich ein sehr wohlwollender) mir als verlorenem Lamm den Weg zurück zu meinen Wurzeln weist. Ich habe das Modding vor 4-5 Jahren aufgegeben und frage mich nun, nachdem ich mir einen sehr guten PC gekauft habe, was da bloß passiert ist. Ich sehe Modlisten mit Wabbajack, einem neuen Mod Organizer, 3 oder 4 Sex-Frameworks, und anscheinend hat jemand Skyrim seit meiner Auszeit in ein Next-Gen-Spiel verwandelt, wenn man sich die Screenshots einiger Leute hier so ansieht…

Alles in allem denke ich, dass ich das gewisse Etwas fürs Modding immer noch habe, aber ich möchte mit diesen Fragen von vorne anfangen und den richtigen Weg einschlagen:

1. Wie anpassbar sind visuelle Modlisten wie NGVO? Kann ich sie bedenkenlos als Basis für meine Mods verwenden, sodass ich mir die ganze Grafik-Kramerei ersparen kann? (Bei meinem letzten Durchgang habe ich 5 Monate gebraucht, um ein ansehnliches Skyrim zu bekommen.)

2. Was waren die größten Veränderungen der letzten zwei Jahre in Bezug auf Drehbuch und Charaktere? Ich sehe Streueffekte unter der Oberfläche, die eigentlich erst in Next-Gen-Spielen vorkommen sollten. Ist ENB mittlerweile wirklich so gut oder übersehe ich etwas?

3. Ich habe früher etwas bei der Modifizierung der Physik auf HDT-SMP mitgeholfen. Ist das noch relevant oder wurde es durch ein anderes Physik-Framework ersetzt? Falls es noch die wichtigste Physik-Mod ist, was waren die größten Änderungen seit 2021?

4. Gibt es neue, unverzichtbare Gameplay- und Erwachsenen-Mods, auf die niemand mehr verzichten kann?

5 – Letzte Frage, etwas technischer, zu Animationen: Generieren wir noch Dateien mit FNIS? Haben wir eine Lösung für Nemesis gefunden?

6 – Die Jubiläumsedition ist also erschienen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass sie vieles durcheinandergebracht hat. Sie scheint eine neue Voraussetzung für viele Skyrim-Nexus-Mods zu sein. Ist das hier auch so?


Falls Sie aus irgendeinem Grund Zeit finden, einige dieser Fragen zu beantworten, wäre ich Ihnen sehr dankbar. Vielen Dank im Voraus!

 

I myself switched from version 1.5.97 to 1.6.1170 six months ago – I saw no reason to stay on the "old" version anymore... ultimately, I was tired of always having to revert to the "secret archive" (with the base installation 1.5.97) after a messed-up mod list during a necessary reinstall... Steam has been running offline for years to prevent unwanted upgrades – there was no block on backporting.

Virtually all (relevant for me) SE mods now also work on AE.

 

Since it does not fall under any of the above points -> OAR or DAR

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/92109

 

Current systems for combat and movement animation require this.

Here's an example:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/135254?tab=description

 

For example, a mermaid (yes - there's now a good race mod for that!) can finally swim "as befits her race"

 

Regarding point 4), it always depends on personal preference what one considers "essential"... for me, it includes things like:

- "Devious Devices" - which now has a "Next-Gen" version -> "DD NG"

- SexLab -> "SLplus+"

- "Children of Lilith" - finally, a sensible transformation between human and demonic forms... and the demonic form is freely customizable via the "Race Menu"

- "Circle of Lust" - a truly special SM club

- "Serana dead sexy" - you could call it a small mod collection... it turns the vampire waifu "Serana" into a sex-crazed killing machine - in the style of 1970s horror trash films.

The list could be expanded considerably - but you should take a look at the download section yourself.

 

In the "non-adult" category, I would like to mention this mod from my point of view - it brings the Dwemer as a playable race to Skyrim (the co-mod brings the "Snow Elves").

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22499

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/16854

 

And ... Welcome back

 

Edited December 3, 2025 by Miauzi

[shrtjsrtj]

23 hours ago, Redflyingmonkey said:

2- What were the biggest changes in the last 2 years, script and character wise ? I'm seeing subsurface scattering that should belong in next-gen game. Is enb that good now or am I missing something ? 

OBody is pretty solid now, so instead of building things in Bodyslide to fit a preset, you just build them all for the default body and change the presets in game.

The New Gentleman - New SOS replacement that's in active development, I prefer it to SOS but many do not.

UBE - New female body with a lot more polys.

Quote

6 - So the Anniversary edition came out. I'm sure it fucked a lot of things. I'm seeing it as a new requirement for a lot of Skyrim Nexus mods, is it the same here ? 

Depends on what you mean by AE. I've only seen the cc with the Ayleid stuff get anything here, just piercings and plugs IIRC.

If you mean game version then yes, it fucked a lot of things and there is no absolute best version to use. dll mods in active development will almost always be for the latest version, while older mods usually have a workaround or an alternative mod you can use instead.

[Redflyingmonkey]

Thanks guys. Holy shit. Feel like I just came out of a cave. Wtf is all this 😂 This community is still the best though, just as I remember.
Some more questions if you have the time (guess it can help other lost lambs like me get back on track).
Only answer if you got time for it, i'm not rushed at all, thanks again. 

7. Do we still edit meshes on Nifskope ? It was a bit tedious, has it evolved too ? 

8. How about UBE ? Is this real ? Wtf man ? Does it have all functionalities from 3BBB from back then, like collision, physics, outfits etc ? Face morphs, expressions ?? This is insane. 

9. I hope patching and merging is the same as before ? Wrye, Xedit, LOOT ? Mator is gone ? 

10. Imma try to give back as soon as I can for the help given, so I'm going back to modding. I used to animate and work on physics. My last idea was to make a tongue with HDT bones that would jiggle and that you could attach to characters' mouth without fcking collisions. Does it exist ?  

 

Edited December 4, 2025 by Redflyingmonkey

[Miauzi]

Vor 37 Minuten schrieb Redflyingmonkey:

Danke Leute. Krass! Fühle mich, als wäre ich gerade aus einer Höhle gekommen. Was ist denn hier los? 😂 Diese Community ist aber immer noch die beste, genau wie ich sie in Erinnerung hatte.
Noch ein paar Fragen, falls Sie Zeit haben (ich denke, das könnte anderen verlorenen Lämmern wie mir helfen, wieder auf den richtigen Weg zu kommen).
Bitte antworte nur, wenn du Zeit dafür hast. Ich habe es überhaupt nicht eilig. Danke nochmals.

7. Bearbeiten wir Meshes noch in Nifskope? Es war etwas mühsam, hat sich das auch weiterentwickelt?

8. Und UBE? Ist das echt? Krass! Hat es alle Funktionen von 3BBB von damals, wie Kollisionen, Physik, Outfits usw.? Gesichtsmorphs, Mimik? Das ist ja der Wahnsinn!

9. Ich hoffe, das Patchen und Zusammenführen funktioniert wie vorher? Wrye, Xedit, LOOT? Gibt es Mator nicht mehr?

10. Ich werde versuchen, mich so schnell wie möglich für die erhaltene Hilfe zu revanchieren und kehre deshalb zum Modding zurück. Früher habe ich Animationen erstellt und an der Physik gearbeitet. Meine letzte Idee war, eine Zunge mit HDT-Knochen zu programmieren, die wackelt und die man ohne Kollisionsprobleme an den Mund von Charakteren anbringen kann. Gibt es so etwas schon?

 

 

Regarding UBE... it's like "3ba 3.0"... it functions as a separate race—so you have, for example, "Nord" and also "Nord-UBE"... this allows you to create 3ba bodies for the normal Nord race (for NPCs) and simultaneously have UBE for the player in the same game.

But NPCs can also have a UBE body (as followers).

Here's an example:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/107886

https://www.immyneedscake.com/skyrim-se-mods/nooc-kda-evelynn

 

zu 10) Please take a look at this... it's not the tongue, but it might still be interesting for you.

 

[Redflyingmonkey]

On 12/4/2025 at 1:51 AM, Miauzi said:

-Snip

 

Classic loverslab with the blowjob jumpscare lol. Holy shit though, we talked about mouth collision back then but I'd never have thought they would actually do it the madlads. I've found an HDT tongue since then, so my idea is busted, but i'm happy anyway. I can just edit the tongues now and make variations etc. 

As for UBE, I guess, since it's a separate race, I can just use it for my character and 3BA for everyone else ? It's not that much of a hassle as I've heard, TBD was way more annoying back then. Can't wait to start damn. 

 

[Miauzi]

Vor einer Stunde schrieb Redflyingmonkey:

Klassisches LoversLab mit dem Blowjob-Jumpscare, lol. Krass, wir hatten damals über Mundkollisionen gesprochen, aber ich hätte nie gedacht, dass die Verrückten das wirklich umsetzen würden. Ich habe inzwischen eine HDT-Zunge gefunden, also ist meine Idee hinfällig, aber ich bin trotzdem zufrieden. Ich kann die Zungen jetzt einfach bearbeiten und Variationen erstellen usw.

Was UBE angeht, nehme ich an, da es eine separate Rasse ist, kann ich es einfach für meinen Charakter verwenden und 3BA für alle anderen? Es ist gar nicht so kompliziert, wie ich gehört habe; TBD war damals viel nerviger. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, anzufangen!

 

 

Yes - I already wrote that -> UBE is a separate race class (UBE-Nord, UBE-Altmer, etc.)

I did it exactly like that:

- UBE for the player

- UBE for very specific companions (designed for UBE)

- 3BA for everything else - although certain companions now use their own "3BA templates"... meaning their bodies and clothing are built using them in the bodyslide.

[shrtjsrtj]

2 hours ago, Redflyingmonkey said:

Classic loverslab with the blowjob jumpscare lol.

You should check the posts in the thread, people posting their issues getting it running and it's all pictures with dicks through foreheads, up noses and anywhere but the mouth. The absurdity of it all is hilarious.

 

PredatorRJ also has a body mod, 92BBB. That is, 92 bones for jiggle physics and it looks amazing in action. Looks like there's an update to it so you can use it as an outfit for 3BA/BHUNP instead of whole a body replacer, it has its issues but could be worth checking out.

[Redflyingmonkey]

1 hour ago, shrtjsrtj said:

You should check the posts in the thread, people posting their issues getting it running and it's all pictures with dicks through foreheads, up noses and anywhere but the mouth. The absurdity of it all is hilarious.

 

PredatorRJ also has a body mod, 92BBB. That is, 92 bones for jiggle physics and it looks amazing in action. Looks like there's an update to it so you can use it as an outfit for 3BA/BHUNP instead of whole a body replacer, it has its issues but could be worth checking out.

Meh more bones doesn't mean better. I've looked at it and it's just stacking bones by copying already existing ones on other parts. Kinda don't care much for jiggly thighs or arms right now, plus it looks like chewing gum. Would be nice on complex outfits I guess.

[a_random_user]

On 12/4/2025 at 1:04 AM, Redflyingmonkey said:

9. I hope patching and merging is the same as before ? Wrye, Xedit, LOOT ? Mator is gone ? 

xEdit is still an essential tool, LOOT is still needed unless you want to manually adjust your load order, Wrye is still used for bashed patches.

Merging is something that hasn't been needed as much any more, with esl flagging becoming much more common. If you are on version 1.6+ (AE), the capacity for esl files has been increased to over 4000 records, which is plenty for a lot of mods. If you are on version 1.5.97, you can still use these new esls with the B.E.E.S. mod.

 

If you have a mod that hasn't been esl flagged, you can quickly flag it yourself in xEdit.

 

There is also a new patcher named Synthesis, but I haven't tested it myself yet.

 

There are a few mods that can also be used for patches, although I've usually seen them used for changing the game without an esp file

Base Object Swapper can change items and NPC placed in the world

Keyword Item Distributor (KID) adds keywords

Spell Perk Item Distributor (SPID) can add perks, factions, keywords, outfits,  ...

Skypatcher can change a lot, including factions, keyword, item stats, NPC appearance, leveled lists, ...

All of those without an esp, so no conflict. As you can imagine, people have gotten creative in using them.

Edited December 5, 2025 by a_random_user
forgot other patchers