Skyrim 64bit Special Edition Announced

[q290]

 

How well will I be able to run the special edition with this computer?

 

 

I'd expect some serious bottlenecking on the GPU. My 2GB GTX 730 can't go above minimum settings without chugging.

 

 

I was afraid of that. I really don't care about the special edition on its own, but I was thinking I should look into it, in case modding for the original version ceases completely. I just started downloading it, so I guess I'll see what happens in about an hour or so. How are the other parts? Upgrading the GPU will be a pain in the ass, but putting in a bunch of other stuff would be really bad (I'm not good with computers, I just like games).

 

Also, if there are any recommendations for what settings to change/turn off, I'd appreciate them.

 

I picked a hell of a time to develop an interest in making a quest mod. "I can't really afford to upgrade enough to play the new games, but maybe I can have some fun making stuff for Skyrim. It's an old game, it's safe." Sigh.

[Guest]

 

I picked a hell of a time to develop an interest in making a quest mod. "I can't really afford to upgrade enough to play the new games, but maybe I can have some fun making stuff for Skyrim. It's an old game, it's safe." Sigh.

 

I don't think people are going to start switching over truly until most of their favorite mods switch, I say maybe 2 months and that is being optimistic so you have plenty of time to develop your mod.

[Hollow_Tears]

Is the only way to port mods right now through the new ck or someother program cuz i tried just coping a merged town mod over that i have and the lod sorta worked and a few wall textures that reminded me of n64 textures but nothing else worked.

[Content Consumer]

I'd like to get my hands on the CK. I'm wondering if any changes have been made to navmeshing.

 

Also wondering if you can change follower's outfits like you can in Fallout 4, so that if you dismiss them (or set them to be your hearthfire steward) they won't revert to default.

[zzz72w3r]

Having played with SSE for an hour I have to disagree with the claim that old Skyrim with ENB is "better". 

 

The new rendering and lighting techs are definitely superior.  Personal preference of certain specialized color palette ENB preset does not make SSE "shit".  Also a lot of the atmosphere improvements from ENB is probably a function of lighting and weather mods, which SSE has a better foundation for mod creators to do even better.

[q290]

 

 

I picked a hell of a time to develop an interest in making a quest mod. "I can't really afford to upgrade enough to play the new games, but maybe I can have some fun making stuff for Skyrim. It's an old game, it's safe." Sigh.

 

I don't think people are going to start switching over truly until most of their favorite mods switch, I say maybe 2 months and that is being optimistic so you have plenty of time to develop your mod.

 

 

Well, I'm just getting started with the CK, so I'll probably need more than a few months. I'll try to stay optimistic, I suppose.

 

[MorePrinniesDood]

 

 

I picked a hell of a time to develop an interest in making a quest mod. "I can't really afford to upgrade enough to play the new games, but maybe I can have some fun making stuff for Skyrim. It's an old game, it's safe." Sigh.

 

I don't think people are going to start switching over truly until most of their favorite mods switch, I say maybe 2 months and that is being optimistic so you have plenty of time to develop your mod.

 

 

I wouldn't expect a complete switch in 2 months with the way SSE currently runs (or fails to) on older or weaker hardware. I'd expect either a fragmented modding community, or more likely people will develop for Skyrim classic, then port to SSE to make sure everyone can use a given mod. I know this is how I plan to make mods for quite a while.

[Guest]

 

 

 

I wouldn't expect a complete switch in 2 months with the way SSE currently runs (or fails to) on older or weaker hardware. I'd expect either a fragmented modding community, or more likely people will develop for Skyrim classic, then port to SSE to make sure everyone can use a given mod. I know this is how I plan to make mods for quite a while.

 

 

my mods are 99% based on SKSE and SexLab.

So I will not port them quickly.

 

Also because porting SexLab can be problematic. Probably it will be easier to finalize SexTec and port it to SSE.

[ghostwalkr]

 

 

 

I picked a hell of a time to develop an interest in making a quest mod. "I can't really afford to upgrade enough to play the new games, but maybe I can have some fun making stuff for Skyrim. It's an old game, it's safe." Sigh.

 

I don't think people are going to start switching over truly until most of their favorite mods switch, I say maybe 2 months and that is being optimistic so you have plenty of time to develop your mod.

 

 

I wouldn't expect a complete switch in 2 months with the way SSE currently runs (or fails to) on older or weaker hardware. I'd expect either a fragmented modding community, or more likely people will develop for Skyrim classic, then port to SSE to make sure everyone can use a given mod. I know this is how I plan to make mods for quite a while.

 

 

While I'm enjoying SSE, I really don't have any plans to go full bore and switch to SSE 100%. 

I still plan on playing my modded original Skyrim along side SSE. 

 

I do have a noob question. When looking at the advance graphics settings, I see something called 64-bit render targets.

Does any one know what this setting does exactly?

Thxs.

[Content Consumer]

I'm waiting until the Game of the Year edition, which will hopefully be renamed Super-King, with included Skyrim Script Extender support. It'll be called the Skyrim Special Edition Super-King Edition with Skyrim Script Extender Support, or SKSESKESSES. Everyone will just say "sex" for short.

Also because porting SexLab can be problematic. Probably it will be easier to finalize SexTec and port it to SSE.

 

SexLab/SexTec for the Skyrim Special Edition Super-King Edition with Skyrim Script Extender Support, or SLSTSSESKESSES for the win!

Okay, I'm done now.

[q290]

or more likely people will develop for Skyrim classic, then port to SSE to make sure everyone can use a given mod. I know this is how I plan to make mods for quite a while.

 

 

I hope that's how things go, and it's cool that you intend to work that way. I've been kind of surprised that almost no one is talking about this issue.

 

One idea I've seen floating around is that people could make a graphical downgrade mod for SSE to lower its requirements, like the Ultra Low Graphics mod does for the original. Is that something that could work?

[Guest]

 

or more likely people will develop for Skyrim classic, then port to SSE to make sure everyone can use a given mod. I know this is how I plan to make mods for quite a while.

 

 

I hope that's how things go, and it's cool that you intend to work that way. I've been kind of surprised that almost no one is talking about this issue.

 

One idea I've seen floating around is that people could make a graphical downgrade mod for SSE to lower its requirements, like the Ultra Low Graphics mod does for the original. Is that something that could work?

 

 

Somebody has to try.

[3WINTERS]

Made it to Riverwood; now I'm back in modded Legendary Skyrim

[27X]

Having played with SSE for an hour I have to disagree with the claim that old Skyrim with ENB is "better". 

 

The new rendering and lighting techs are definitely superior.  Personal preference of certain specialized color palette ENB preset does not make SSE "shit".  Also a lot of the atmosphere improvements from ENB is probably a function of lighting and weather mods, which SSE has a better foundation for mod creators to do even better.

 

 

Not even kinda.

 

Your enb choice must have been spectacularly bad because boris' implementation of AO, indirect lighting, SSS and occlusion kick the absolute crap out of SSE, and that's objectively speaking, his screen sampling is more accurate and costs less frames, his indirect lighting wasn't even attempted in fo4, much less here, and surface luminance/reception, based on both mesh coloring and specularity are granular to a degree bethesda simply hasn't even attempted even in Fallout.

 

There is nothing like this level of detail in SSE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even in the overcast picture I can tell by the shadowing in the folds of the cloth where the sun is. Not ever happening even on vanilla SSE's best day, and that's with volumetric weather. I can tell pretty much what time of day it is based on the amount of light coming off Eva's skin and armor, since she happens to be standing in a skylight, and I have a mod that allow lighting to be universal based on the cell's weather. None of that permutation even exists in SSE.

 

Tapioks has actually made a youtube series covering the objective usage of each, and it pretty much defenestrates anything but wishful thinking on performance versus quality.

 

I have no idea what level of hardware you're using but SSE doesn't cut five years of artistry and experience out of the picture at all.

 

Perhaps in a year or so things will be different, but right now there is literally no comparison on lighting accuracy and feature depth. None.

 

Right now all I hear is hardware remorse.

 

If you like SSE's changes, that perfectly fine; but it doesn't change the values exhibited by raw code, apples to apples.

 

I see something called 64-bit render targets.

 

 

 

This is only of use if you have a 10bit monitor. If you have one, definitely enable it.

[axlotldestroyer]

Downloading SSE now and will most likely keep it unmodded well into it's second year. I am just one of those people.

[Chekist]

Played it for an while and not only does it look like shit compared to my modded original but it chugs along at a snails pace even on a pretty beefy rig.

 

GG Bethesda.

Yeah, it looks bad compared to modded x32(except shadows), but performance wise it's a lot better, at least on my rig. No weird fps drops, no crashes. Give it time, old Skyrim will look like crap compared with SSE in a year or so.

[ChipyChops]

 

While I'm enjoying SSE, I really don't have any plans to go full bore and switch to SSE 100%. 

I still plan on playing my modded original Skyrim along side SSE. 

 

I do have a noob question. When looking at the advance graphics settings, I see something called 64-bit render targets.

Does any one know what this setting does exactly?

Thxs.

 

 

A render target is an updatable texture. The complete image that you see on screen is from one of these for instance, so if you want a better quality look 64-bit is the way to go if you have a descent screen.

[Molokkx]

Well I did what I originally planned to do with SSE.

 

1) Played the first quest.

2) Walked to and entered Whiterun.

3) Entered Whiterun's castle (well, Dragonsreach) to see some interiors and how the lightning / shadows looked like overall.

4) Then I stopped playing SSE (didn't even save that game).

 

I was just curious, mostly. The one thing that I kept telling myself as I was checking it out was how wonderful SSE is IF someone plays THAT Skyrim for the first time (I.E. for someone who simply never played Skyrim ever... yeah there's people like that you know). It's especially a Godsend for people who absolutely hate the chore of modding and tweaking and simply want to click Play and have a fantasy adventure going immediately. So, for that audience specifically then yes I would definitely recommend they go with SSE right now and leave the "old" one behind (since they wouldn't mod the original one anyway; might as well go with the x64 version).

 

However, here's some things to consider (in my opinion if anything!):

 

1) Objectively-speaking, SSE now runs on a 'superior' engine (ok, if some of you don't like this term, let's say 'younger' instead). It's more capable, and maybe more stable too. But it will take time for the modding community to fully exploit that potential. However, once it's done (give it a couple of months guys, or a full year maybe) then I'm pretty sure that we'll see at least some things (mods, complexity of mod features, etc) that simply were not technically feasible at all on the standard 32-bit version (or would have made it way too unstable to bother trying). In short, right now SSE is WAY too young of a release to be compared directly to our five years-old+ original. But, give 2 or 3 years to SSE and I'm sure it will go very far. I can even see people literally uninstalling the original to keep their newly-modded x64 SSE instead once their favorite mods have been fully patched for compatibility.

 

2) The one mod that I wanted (well, hoped) to see made compatible for SSE as fast as possible was the Unofficial Skyrim (Legendary) Patch. Because, in my opinion, that patch is absolutely and crucially important for a stable base game to mod on top of, and to simply experience as is (once fixed by the patch) without mods involved. Just looking at the changelog of the Unofficial Patch gives me shivers thinking that I would have had to play Skyrim again under such... a broken state. And lo and behold, to my great surprise not only was the Unofficial Patch made compatible right away for SSE but it's also on the top mods list of the SSE section of Skyrim Nexus (which should bring it to everyone's attention, but mostly to the attention to those whom might not only be new to Skyrim itself, but to modding as well; meaning that they shouldn't be unaware of the Unofficial Patch's importance). It's a great start with SSE modding already.

 

In due time folks, in due time, SSE will know its days too.

 

But for now, and still for at least a year I'd say I'll keep my fully modded original with Mod Organizer (which I think it absolutely essential).

[DjaySaint]

I've seen a few people comment that they are getting poor performance with the Special Edition.  I figured I would add my feedback in regards to this.

 

I am playing at Ultra settings with every bit of eye candy enabled and everything set to max, and I am getting a smooth 60+ fps always.  I'm using an i7 3770k with a GTX 980 Ti.  Take that as you will.

 

I can't wait until the Creation Kit comes out for this next week so I can start porting a bunch of my armor mods and lighting mods.  I'm hoping for a stable and smooth modded playing experience with the Special Edition being x64 instead of x32.  Original Skyrim looked good with a ton of mods, but it was still pretty unreliable even with a monster rig.  I'm hoping this release will suffice.

[slutofshades]

Well I did what I originally planned to do with SSE.

 

1) Played the first quest.

2) Walked to and entered Whiterun.

3) Entered Whiterun's castle (well, Dragonsreach) to see some interiors and how the lightning / shadows looked like overall.

4) Then I stopped playing SSE (didn't even save that game).

 

I was just curious, mostly. The one thing that I kept telling myself as I was checking it out was how wonderful SSE is IF someone plays THAT Skyrim for the first time (I.E. for someone who simply never played Skyrim ever... yeah there's people like that you know). It's especially a Godsend for people who absolutely hate the chore of modding and tweaking and simply want to click Play and have a fantasy adventure going immediately. So, for that audience specifically then yes I would definitely recommend they go with SSE right now and leave the "old" one behind (since they wouldn't mod the original one anyway; might as well go with the x64 version).

 

However, here's some things to consider (in my opinion if anything!):

 

1) Objectively-speaking, SSE now runs on a 'superior' engine (ok, if some of you don't like this term, let's say 'younger' instead). It's more capable, and maybe more stable too. But it will take time for the modding community to fully exploit that potential. However, once it's done (give it a couple of months guys, or a full year maybe) then I'm pretty sure that we'll see at least some things (mods, complexity of mod features, etc) that simply were not technically feasible at all on the standard 32-bit version (or would have made it way too unstable to bother trying). In short, right now SSE is WAY too young of a release to be compared directly to our five years-old+ original. But, give 2 or 3 years to SSE and I'm sure it will go very far. I can even see people literally uninstalling the original to keep their newly-modded x64 SSE instead once their favorite mods have been fully patched for compatibility.

 

2) The one mod that I wanted (well, hoped) to see made compatible for SSE as fast as possible was the Unofficial Skyrim (Legendary) Patch. Because, in my opinion, that patch is absolutely and crucially important for a stable base game to mod on top of, and to simply experience as is (once fixed by the patch) without mods involved. Just looking at the changelog of the Unofficial Patch gives me shivers thinking that I would have had to play Skyrim again under such... a broken state. And lo and behold, to my great surprise not only was the Unofficial Patch made compatible right away for SSE but it's also on the top mods list of the SSE section of Skyrim Nexus (which should bring it to everyone's attention, but mostly to the attention to those whom might not only be new to Skyrim itself, but to modding as well; meaning that they shouldn't be unaware of the Unofficial Patch's importance). It's a great start with SSE modding already.

 

In due time folks, in due time, SSE will know its days too.

 

But for now, and still for at least a year I'd say I'll keep my fully modded original with Mod Organizer (which I think it absolutely essential).

 

Im going to be running a standard playthrough of it with just the core "improvement" mods.... so pretty much USKP and what not.... simply because I got into Skyrim a year or two after it was released, the modding scene was huge... and I think I got to maybe the Thalmor Dinner Infiltration before turning it off, and beginning to mod. 630 hours later, and a hell of a lot of re-installs... I've still never actually finished the vanilla questline.

 

So I'm going to make that something I do on SSE.... I too will be keeping my Skyrim ORIG install... however, I believe for me, the minute the core of Sexlabs is ported over (be that a month, a year, or two years) that will be the cut off point where I uninstall Skyrim 32bit for the last time. She's served me well... but I whole heartedly embrace this "Progress".

[axlotldestroyer]

Indeed there will come a point where we all say goodbye to Skyrim 32bit. Until, that time comes Skyrim 32bit shall stay  on my pc with all the mods that I have therein. Only when we get sexlab se or sexlab remastered or whatever they're gonna call it comes will I uninstall Skyrim 32bit. This will only happen when they recreate the animation packs, redo CBBE and UNP and a whole host of other mods.

[sora3]

It seems that the majority of performance problems comes when people try to play on settings beyond what their computer is capable of. I've tried on an older PC than my FX beast and it runs decently but not as perfect as my true desktop. Tried on the laptop and it tanks hard on medium, low is bearable. Overall, the problems tends to magnify the lack of graphical power than it is CPU wise...

[Contessa]

It seems that the majority of performance problems comes when people try to play on settings beyond what their computer is capable of. I've tried on an older PC than my FX beast and it runs decently but not as perfect as my true desktop. Tried on the laptop and it tanks hard on medium, low is bearable. Overall, the problems tends to magnify the lack of graphical power than it is CPU wise...

 

A lot of people I know who talk about performance do not turn off Godrays. Godrays are pretty harsh on performance especially if you are on AMD cards. Turning them off can help a lot.

 

Overall I like it. I like the potential but as others have said I'll be sticking with 32-bit for awhile until certain mods catch up. I looooooooooove the sparkly snow a lot.

 

I suspect the textures used are basically the old HD texture pack. I seem to recall reading that they are rather bloated and not optimized in the least so that could be another source of poor performance for people.

[27X]

Given that the textures are in a different format and the rendering pipeline is different the bullshit with HRP should be alleviated... should.

[sora3]

 

It seems that the majority of performance problems comes when people try to play on settings beyond what their computer is capable of. I've tried on an older PC than my FX beast and it runs decently but not as perfect as my true desktop. Tried on the laptop and it tanks hard on medium, low is bearable. Overall, the problems tends to magnify the lack of graphical power than it is CPU wise...

 

A lot of people I know who talk about performance do not turn off Godrays. Godrays are pretty harsh on performance especially if you are on AMD cards. Turning them off can help a lot.

 

Overall I like it. I like the potential but as others have said I'll be sticking with 32-bit for awhile until certain mods catch up. I looooooooooove the sparkly snow a lot.

 

I suspect the textures used are basically the old HD texture pack. I seem to recall reading that they are rather bloated and not optimized in the least so that could be another source of poor performance for people.

 

 

Exactly. Don't trust the default start-up settings. Tinker and play around. Most of that gets lost too easily these days.

 

That said, this is for @CPU. How did you get CBBE running? Did you just copy and paste over?