Problem with face texture in Nec's Mystic Dark Elf Remake race

[Synthesis]

I hate to impose, but I've spent a whole day exhausting options, and I'm completely stumped, so I'm appealing to people who actually know how to handle this sort of thing.

 

Basically, for years, I'd enjoyed Nec's Mystic Dark Elf Remake (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13346), particularly for a companion, Eluna (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13429). Then suddenly, one day, I find her face is blacked out--literally. It's completely black. The rest of her body textures are fine--look completely normal. Just her face. I did a new character, and found that it was all of Nec's Dark Elf Remake, both genders. The file in question is Nec Dark Elf Face.dds.

 

So, to experiment, I uninstalled and reinstalled the mod with a new download. No change. Then I went into the TES Construction Set, and found that the same problem could be found in the Race data menu (in the preview window). Again, just the face.

 

I swapped the actual file for one from Nec's Mystic High Elf Remake, and that one works fine--except for being the wrong face, of course.

 

I tried to use Photoshop to copy the image data from the Dark Elf remake face to the High Elf remake file--which, when I saved it as the correct DDS file (no mipmaps, etc.)....resulted in the black face bug.

 

I tried to swap out the the Nec Dark Elf Face_n.dds file, thinking it was some sort of normal map error. No change.

 

I tried Archive invalidation, through the various methods offered in OBMM. No change, and it would be hard to think that only that one texture would be effected.

 

I then did a reinstall, feeling as though my Oblivion installation was probably badly messed up from years of poor sorting and uninstalling and installing mods...no change.

 

So, I'm completely stumped. It seems as though Oblivion just does not want to use that face texture, no matter what. In the mean time, I'm using the face texture from Nec's original dark elf race, though it's still got a pretty obvious seem along the neck. Any help with this would be much appreciated.

 

EDIT: Also, it worth noting that while an existing NPC using the texture has a "pure black" face, with no sort of detail, creating a character that uses the texture has a face that is severely blackened, but still has discernible details. I think this is associated with some sort of alpha channel issue or the like? I don't know myself.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Synthesis

[NeonPeanut]

If it has just started happening recently, then it might be a mod conflict. Have you been downloading mods recently? You should check for conflicts. Edited April 1, 2011 by NeonPeanut

[Synthesis]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, that's not it--I suspect it wasn't the case after I did a fresh reinstallation, and tried to run it with the minimum number of mods--Oblivion by itself, and the requirements for the race itself, and still got the glitch. So I can rule that out. Edited April 1, 2011 by Synthesis

[NeonPeanut]

Now, something that happened to me was that I have a companion that is based off of a non-Oblivion (Not one of the original races.) race, and I had a problem where Wrye Bash couldn't find the texture source for her eyes because of a dirty .esp for the companion. If you know how, you should see if the .esp for your companion needs cleaning using TES4Edit. If you don't know how, see if you can contact Hickory because he fixed my problem and was very helpful and friendly. Hope I was able to help. :smile:

 

 

 

P.S. Hickory, if you are reading this, I want you to know that I am just trying to help Synthesis! :happy:

Edited April 2, 2011 by NeonPeanut

[Synthesis]

I appreciate the recommendation, Neon, but I think you may have gone a bit over my head. :confused: I've used the TES Construction Set to examine both race-adding files--the original file (from Nec), and then the modified version that also includes the companion (for Eluna). They both create the Nec Mystic Dark Elf Race, and they both use the same texture files.

 

What is it meant by 'needs cleaning"? I'm not familiar with TES4Edit, but I'll check it out--I imagine it's like the Construction Set program, and that I should check to see that the ESP file is pointing at the right textures? In which case, I'm fairly certain that's the case. Or is it some sort of mod or texture file repairing function?

[Telyn]

Tes4Edit cleans some common bad edits out of mods. If you know what you are doing with it you can clean other bad edits also, but most people just do the standard automatic cleaning. It is is very important that you have a correct load order before you attempt to clean your mods. Also make sure you read this:

http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/TES4Edit_Cleaning_Guide

 

That guide will tell you the basics. :)

[Synthesis]

Ah, thank for your for the explanation Telyn. I read through the instructions, selected all the files I thought were dependencies for DAEluna (the companion mods, the Ren beauty pack, etc.) and did the cleaning process on the main file, as instructed.

 

Sadly, no change. Face still dark blue in the new character screen, and completely black for the NPC herself. Is automatic cleaning what the instructions detail, or is that something else? Sadly, this is all very new for me.

 

That being said, I really do think it's something wrong with the actual DDS file (since swapping it out for another fixes it). More information that might help: when I was trying my "replacement" fix--that is, pasting the artwork from the DDS file onto the High Elf Remake file (which DOES work), originally, when I saved with a mipmap, the file would load up, but the placement was all wrong (basically, the lips were on the chin, etc.), but the coloring was right. When I saved it correctly, WITHOUT a mipmap, in photoshop.....it broke again, just like the original file.

 

I'm no expert clearly, but this really does sound like a DDS problem. If only I vaguely understood them....

Edited April 2, 2011 by Synthesis

[Telyn]

Did you install the Ren's beauty pack that is hair only or the full one with the race in it? I think your problem may come from this comment in the Nec Mystic High Elf file description:

 

" I forget to remove some elves (four extras of Ren's Mystic Elves..oops. :( . I'ts been removed now.

 

Note: If you had created a character using one of *Ren's original mystic elf race* anytime while using the first version of this mod, Please DON'T upgrade to this version. Your character might be one of the elves I removed. "

---------------------------------------------

Have you tried importing the all the racial data into your bashed patch using Wrye Bash?

[Synthesis]

I don't use Wrye Bash (I know, I'm ashamed), so I will check that out. I'm not certain that I'm using a based patch (basically, I'm just using the one that you download for the Eluna character OR the one used for the race itself currently on Nexus, and they both have the same problem). The Eluna patch includes the original Nec Dark Elf remake, and the Eluna character--is that a bashed patch?

 

I am using Ren's Beauty Pack plus Soya Hair Final OMOD version, which I'm fairly certain includes everything. There are no problems with the original Mystic Elf Race, or the High elf-Remake from Nec.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Synthesis

[Striker879]

The way I understand it a bashed patch is basically an esp (just like your mods) that combines and resolves the conflicts between mods. It is placed at the end of your load order so that the changes in the bashed patch take precedence over both mod A's and mod B's resources (where they conflict) with the merged resources of the patch. There are various tools used when building the patch to determine how the conflicts are resolved.

 

So Hickory ... did I get it right??