Spicolix Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I looked through the forums for an answer or suggestions to this but couldn't find anything. I have concerns about mod compatibility. I like to install graphics mods to make the game look better and I usually go to the top 100 files list when applying the mods. I use Nexus Mod Manager to download and install the mods. For example, if I install the Skyrim HD 2k textures and RWT Realistic Water Textures mods which are both in the top 5, I get the option to overwrite the files from one or the other depending on which I've installed first. I know that the RWT water textures are probably better than the ones in the 2k mod but I can't say for sure though. Is there another site or area within Skyrim Nexus that I'm missing that could suggest which mods are compatible and looks best together? Since I get updates through NMM it seems that I'm constantly overwriting other mods etc and wanted to avoid that as much as possible. The point is that there are so many good and competing mods in the list that I can't tell which ones are actually the best. Everybody will say that their mod is best but does anybody know of an independent website or a place within Skryim Nexus forums that has this information without having to download and test all these different configurations to find the best one.. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunytic Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 In a few words... Doubt it. The problem is any ranking will be subjective, just like a mod's place in the top 100. My suggestion would be when you run into 2 competing mods (like 2k and RWT) that you download both, only activate one with NMM, see what it looks like, then deactivate it and activate the other to see what it looks like. Ultimately, that's what is going to matter, which one you like more. Mods overwriting each other isn't something you can get away from if you download mods that modify the same files. Finding the right set of mods is more an art than a science :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spicolix Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Ok thanks, but there's more complexity to it than that as well. I you install the 2k mod and install the RWT mod then the water files will only be changed and the remainder of the 2k mod stuff should remain. Same goes for if you update the 2k mod it will overwrite the RWT files but not actually disable the mod in NMM. I assume that the RWT mod no longer works because all the files have been overwritten by the new 2k mod. How does anybody know if the 2 mod water textures look better than the RWT textures at this point? Feels like my head is gonna explode when I think of al the different combinations. You could essentially overwrite the entire 2k mod by adding several other smaller mods.. but which is better. Some one shoiuld start a business and start an independent site with people who test to find out which mods produce the best performance and graphics for skyrim. I would probably pay for a service like that since it would take so much work to figure out what works best. .. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunytic Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Something I learned not too long ago is the vanilla textures are packed in the .bsa files. So, if you install 2k and look at the water, you're seeing the 2k. Then if you use NMM to deactivate 2k, it should remove all the updated textures and return you to the vanilla textures. Then activate RWT and look at it. You won't be overwriting anything that way (or shouldn't be given my understanding of how it works). It will take a little more time, but the end result is you will get the ones you like best. As for a site - the top 100 or sorting by endorsement pretty much already does this. It shows you which mods people like well enough to come back and endorse. If one is #1 and one is #5, then there probably isn't much difference, it's simply a matter of preference. As for the performance, my understanding is that is very system-variable. What might return the best results for one person will return lesser results for another based on a number of things. Ultimately, I don't think you're going to go wrong when choosing between a #1 ranked and #5 ranked texture pack :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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