Reinstalling Skyrim - Latest and Greatest!

[LordZulten]

Hey LL,

 

I'm re-installing Skyrim, as I haven't played in a while!

 

I plan to use the CBBE body, and non-ENB settings. 

 

I'd like to hear some input from you all about the best mods to use! I have a pretty powerful PC and AMD Radeon HD 7770 graphics card.

 

The categories of mods/content I am looking for:

 

- Mod Organizers/Installers (What's the best?)

- Tools (tes5edit, etc. Anything new?)

- Visual Mods (Texture/Model improvement mods)

- System Mods (Frostfall, etc.)

- Content Addition Mods (Weapons, Quests, Items, NPC)

- Bugfix/Update Mods (Cutting Room Floor, etc.)

- Adult Mods (Devious Devices, etc.)

- Mods to Avoid (Broken/Buggy, etc.)

 

 

RULES: (are meant to be broken)

- Please no more than 3 mods from each category (So choose wisely)

- Don't suggest child-related mods. 

- No other rules! (at this time)

[Guest]

I was just making a list for someone else here http://www.loverslab.com/topic/44143-what-are-some-must-have-mods-for-skyrim/

[Raya]

Requiem, Logical Health Limits, Skyui, Sexlab with TDF prostitution, AFT and Vilja and Sofia. Add your favourite ENB and  *BAM* Skyrim gets real.

[LordZulten]

I was just making a list for someone else here http://www.loverslab.com/topic/44143-what-are-some-must-have-mods-for-skyrim/

I looked at your list and have used quite a bit of these. Requiem is one I have been a bit hesitant with because I worry about it's compatibility with other mods. I am really going for a mostly stable Skyrim this time around. 

 

Requiem, Logical Health Limits, Skyui, Sexlab with TDF prostitution, AFT and Vilja and Sofia. Add your favourite ENB and  *BAM* Skyrim gets real.

 

I used quite a bit of these, actually. I use AFT, never have tried Sofia, and I wasn't fond of Vilja. I dont think I will use ENB, because it pushes my video card to the edge with all my other mods. 

 

 

Thank you both for the input! Are there any good mods that I have to sacrifice if I opt to use Requiem?

[Raya]

 

I was just making a list for someone else here http://www.loverslab.com/topic/44143-what-are-some-must-have-mods-for-skyrim/

I looked at your list and have used quite a bit of these. Requiem is one I have been a bit hesitant with because I worry about it's compatibility with other mods. I am really going for a mostly stable Skyrim this time around. 

 

Requiem, Logical Health Limits, Skyui, Sexlab with TDF prostitution, AFT and Vilja and Sofia. Add your favourite ENB and  *BAM* Skyrim gets real.

 

I used quite a bit of these, actually. I use AFT, never have tried Sofia, and I wasn't fond of Vilja. I dont think I will use ENB, because it pushes my video card to the edge with all my other mods. 

 

 

Thank you both for the input! Are there any good mods that I have to sacrifice if I opt to use Requiem?

 

 

Not really. It's incompatible with many things, but there are plenty of patches.

[LordZulten]

I'm definitely interested in it. Since I am using Mod Organizer, I should be able to try it out without any penalty.

[restrictive]

Sitting at the same task right now.

Mod Organizer - makes setting up mods easier than I have seen it ever before. Built in LOOT too.

 

My modlist will consist of small tweaks mostly - things like better dialogue controls, Follower commentary overhaul, left handed rings modified, smaller ice spikes, the paarthurnax dilemma, no more sexy children... (Ach, the rules!)

 

For the heavyweights I will be skipping most visual enhancements in favor of the scriptbeasts: Epic gameplay overhaul, Perkus Maximus, Sexlab and if I get it to work: Sands of Time.

 

Vilja (sadly) is a nogo for me, I just can't stand the voice, Sofia is oriented at a male DB, but otherwise a lot of fun, so it will be her and Lydia (to me she is just the ultimate follower, rocksolid and dependable, kind of Robin, Tonto, Sancho Pansa and Dr. Watson all rolled into one).

 

I wanted to give UFO a run, but that will definitely not work with SoT, so it is AFT again.

 

that's about it.

[LordZulten]

What is the reasoning behind the "Smaller Ice Spikes" mod?

I dumped Vilja ages ago because her voice acting was awful. I'm sure someone could redo it, but I think the author would be mad

I had so many followers in my last installation, and it was just unreal. I did have one I really liked, found here: 
Nothing special, just attractive. http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/14547/?

I realized I hardly used any of them, so I decided to just pick 5 or so. Maybe try some new ones.

 

I use AFT, I believe. UFO caused some glitches with other mods I use. 

 

I've never tried the Perkus Maximus. I imagine it just adds better benefits to perks?
 

 

Other than the mods I mentioned, I use all the same mods that you do. Probably with the addition of the top 30 from nexus. (Immersive armors/weapons, Bandolier, frostfall, etc.)

[funnymotion]

Mod Organizer is a must now but I also highly reccommend using fixes and patches ike Sheson's Memory Patch that comes within SKSE so be sure to make an SKSE.ini and edit it for the patch. ENBoost is a must as well as Safety Load, Skyrim Project Optimization, Cell Stabilizer (even if you are using the default 5 UGridsToLoad). I wouldn't reccommend anyone any overhauls of any kind since a lot of them require tracking down patches for other mods and I don't like having the idea of using and not using certain mods because of one big one.

 

I say get Alternate Start Live Another Life, Immersive Wenches, Immersive Patrols, Immersive HUD and Less Intrusive HUD, Amazing Follower Tweaks and My Home is Your Home, Lore Weapon Expansion, Better Dialogue Controls, Better MessageBox Controls, Elemental Arrows, Camping Kit of the Northern Ranger, Immersive College of Winterhold, AMidianBorn's Textures for Items and Creatures, NPO Module - Crossbows, Craftable Clothes and Robes, D13's Faster Get Up Stand Up, Daedric Mage Armor, Deadly Dragons (with DCO if you are brave and patient enough), Enemy AI Overhaul Revenge of the Enemies with OBIS or Populated Dungeons-Caves-Ruins and Forts-Towers-Places (only if you plan on traveling with at least 2 followers at all times//Or just get one or the other), Expanded Towns and Cities, Helgen Reborn, Prvtl's Heavy Armory, LOTR Weapons by Isilmeriel, Moonlight Tales, Omegared99 Compilation, Skyforge Shields and Weapons, Skyrim Immersive Creatures, The Paarthurnax Dilemma and Warmonger Armory.

 

I also reccommend just making your own follower thru these methods. It's not hard. Make sure to save whatever data and turn it into a mod when or if you use the creation kit thru MO to make a follower this way. It's the easiest method for those with no CK skills:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Hot-to-Turn-Your-Skyrim-Character-into-a-Follower

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=29954858

 

[LordZulten]

Thanks for the input! There's a lot of mods there that I have never heard of, so I am going to check them out. I don't use ENB, so is ENboost still necessary?
I don't think I have Sheson's memory patch either, I will have to look into that one.

[funnymotion]

Thanks for the input! There's a lot of mods there that I have never heard of, so I am going to check them out. I don't use ENB, so is ENboost still necessary?

I don't think I have Sheson's memory patch either, I will have to look into that one.

 

Yeah, ENBoost doesn't use any ENB stuff. There is an option when you are editing the enblocal.ini file to disable any fancy effects that it will use but by default and by itself ENBoost does not use any graphical effects. It only fixes and allocates memory and all that good stuff.

 

Sheson's Memory Patch comes integrated with SKSE now. When you install SKSE thru the installer version it puts an the SKSE Folder and ini File in the Data folder of your Skyrim's location. However, I reccommend doing the manual install. Anything that goes into the Skyrim Data Folder of your Skyrim Directory should be installed thru MO. Anything. SKSE has a scripts folder needed to make it function so naturally the Installer version of SKSE will put these scripts in the Data folder automatically. With the Manual version you should just extract the Scripts from the SKSE Archive and install them thru MO after creating a separate Archive for the SKSE Scripts and call it 'SKSE Version# Scripts'. The rest of the SKSE files you should put in the Skyrim folder where they belong. After that you have to create a SKSE folder in the Data directory and in that folder you should create an ini File from notepad called "SKSE.ini".

 

In this ini file you should put these functions:

[General]

ClearInvalidRegistrations=1

 

[Memory]

DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768

ScrapHeapSizeMB=256

 

After pasting, save and close. The memory bit is Sheson's Memory Patch. The General thing helps remove Invalid script stuff that are not attached to certain functions or registrations. That's as best as I can describe it.

 

Apart from that, if you need a guide I say go watch Gopher's video series on Mod Organizer Skyrim. This has also been a huge resource for me as it details everything about a Skyrim set up. Some things are unneccessary IMO but I alyways use it if I need reference for ENBoost or SKSE:

http://wiki.step-project.com/Skyrim_Script_Extender

http://wiki.step-project.com/ENBoost

 

One more thing about using Mods that add extra stuff like Expanded Towns and Cities and Populated Places with an ENB is that it further drives down your FPS. So I highly reccommend using those types of Mods or either an ENB. I have two set ups of Skyrim. One adds all the Mods I have described above WITHOUT an ENB and I maintain 60 FPS easily all the time which also does not use any Sex Mods or FNIS (I have an SLI setup). While my other Skyrim is what I call my Sexed Out and Pretty Skyrim which uses none of the mods that add extra towns and enemies but still uses tons of scripts because of the Sex Mods I use.

[restrictive]

Smaller ice spikes - well, I just think it looks 'smoother' with them, the original ice spikes are a little over the top in my opinion.

There also is a 'smaller Frost Atronachs' mod. Same thing there. To me it just looks more like what it actually does - the original model looked like it could go toe to toe with a giant and slow him down at least.

Perkus Maximus is the successor to Skyrim Redone - not as in more powerful perks (like SPERG, which I tried, but dumped because I found it to be too overpowered (and also too few perks for an extended run)), but a completely different setup.

It is just hell on trial runs because it integrates all your mods via proc patcher (similar to, but a lot more ambitious than ASIS).

After wrestling with my wishlist the whole weekend I am ready to dump it, because every run of the patcher takes close to 10 minutess.

I also dumped Discworld, Complete crafting overhaul , wet and cold and Sands of Time - too heavy load on the engine with everything else I am running - and I still get random crashes.

The computer (3.4Ghz Quad, 32G RAM, ATI R9/200) is not even breaking a sweat.

 

So, maybe I am ready to finally build a Skyrim around Requiem - we'll see.

 

After this short headsup you might see why I will NEVER EVER again separate Skyrim and Mod Organizer.

 

Happy modding

 

Edit:

I forgot to mention realistic lighting overhaul with default ENB. I like it.

 

another edit:

No, I just took a read into Requiem's Manual and I did not find it to my liking. Anyways, they too switched to the SkyProc patcher method, so I will stay with Perkus.

 

[LordZulten]

Thanks for all the input guys. I think I will add ENBoost, but I want to get this random CTD sorted out. I am pretty experienced with setting up mods and cleaning/sorting them. This one I can not figure out for the life of me. 

Again, I appreciate the input. I will be messing with it this weekend to try to get it working.

[DomDate]

I find it's helpful when starting a fresh install to use MO and two primary profiles that I can then expand on with future profiles.

 

Profile one (and all divergent profiles): will feature mods that enhance Bethesda's primary intention for story. (i.e. RN&D)

 

Profile two (and all divergent profiles): will focus on favouring role-play over the main quest/sub-quests. (i.e. Radiant Prostitution)

 

A third profile that I find useful (I've said this elsewhere in the forums), is one in which I've played vanilla (** no mods  **) to the point of becoming Thane of Whiterun. Many of the game's and various mod's features become unlocked at this point. Save that profile, and make copies of it from that point on for testing out or embarking on new mod configurations. Saves a lot of fuss later - especially if like me, you need to check out every new LL mod and update that comes along).

 

Not directly on topic, but advice that I hope can expedite your perfect game play-through. 

 

Cheers.

 

EDIT: spelling... sorry.

[LordZulten]

Thanks for the input, and I definitely agree. I have multiple profiles for my Skyrim, and I wouldn't recommend anyone go without Mod Organizer.

 

My first profile is like a "modded to hell" profile, where I have all my LL mods, and gameplay enhancement mods.

 

Second is an enhanced profile without LL mods,

 

Third is (going to be) my Requiem  profile.

 

I have a hard time with the game, though, because I always find tons of mods that I feel are a necessity, but I gotta learn to do without. lol.

 

My recent crash, I believe, was because I had too many script-intensive mods running at once. Now that I cut back on a few, my game runs seamlessly.