[LE] Important info for mod authors regarding official HD texture pack

[Hvergelmer]

it maybe not really related about the topic at all, but for all of you guys and gals that already using the HD texture add on, just want to know about..

 

is it worth it, you know, to get these HD texture add on ? already using many texture replacer tho, really want to know your opinion about it

 

I say it's worth it as long as you still have _some_ vanilla textures in the game, they still look much better than the vanilla textures. If you use some of the "fixes" posted here you can still use all your preferred texture replacers.

 

But if you have the game heavily retextured and leave nothing for vanilla textures then it's pointless.

[sbire]

VOTE FOR STICKY!!! very importent topic @admin pls pin

 

 

.-update2-

 

One way to get around this requires you to first disable the HighResTexturePack01.esp & HighResTexturePack02.esp from loading in the skyrim launcher or Nexus Mod Manager (or just delete them), then edit your Skyrim.ini file found under "Skyrim\Data\"; just find the "sResourceArchiveList=" entry under [Archive] and edit it to look like this:

 

sResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Textures.bsa, HighResTexturePack01.bsa, HighResTexturePack02.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa

 

If you dont have a Skyrim.ini in your data directory, copy and rename the skyrim_default.ini into the data directory.

 

thank you for finding this workaround, i have my old look again. most of the game are modded at me but theres a little rest. so i can use the hd patch now.

Edited February 8, 2012 by sbire

[PythonVier]

Sorry for asking again, but i looked everywhere since last night but i can't find my skyrim.ini file. all i have is one in my /steam/steamapps/common/skyrim folder called Skyrim_default.ini and one in /document/mygames/skyrim: this one is actually called skyrim.ini but has none of the metioned text lines in it.

Contents of skyrim.ini:

[Display]

sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470"

[Grass]

b30GrassVS=0

[Water]

bReflectLODObjects=1

bReflectLODLand=1

bReflectSky=0

bReflectLODTrees=1

[General]

sLanguage=ENGLISH

 

The skyrim_default.ini (located in the steamapps folder) has the mentioned lines. so i guess i have to add the lines into this one. Do i have to rename this file to skyrim.ini, or where do i need to copy it?

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Hvergelmer]

As mentioned several times it's the file in steam/steamapps/common/skyrim folder called skyrim_default.ini and the file in documents/my games/skyrim called skyrim.ini

 

If you do not have the [Archive] section in your Skyrim.ini you've messed up your files and mistaken the file for SkyrimPrefs.ini at some point...

SkyrimPrefs.ini should NOT have an [Archive section]

 

One simple solution that is edit the skyrim_default.ini file and delete the skyrim.ini file in your documents, launch the game and it should copy the file into the documents folder and rename it skyrim.ini...

Edited February 8, 2012 by lthot

[horrorview]

I'm currently using a large assortment of texture mods, including my own series of city mods, with pieces I pick and choose to tailor the game to my liking. I've got Skyrim HD stuff out "in the wild", a totally different mod for rocks, flora, and fauna, my Sexy mods in the cities, and then a buttload of awesome toon mods, like Beautiful Faces, Caliente's, etc. I installed the bloody HD textures from Bethesda and my game looked like a hobo's butt. The textures didn't look very hi-res to me at all, and, for anyone who's been fine-tuning their game for the past few months using all of the great mods here, I think what little improvements it may offer over the few vanilla textures one might have kicking around are negligible at best. Personally, I've no problem taking the few extra steps to export my mods in a format that's future-proof and CK friendly, but I hate the idea of users not being able to pick bits and bobs from them as I know a lot of the people who use my mods opt to combine textures from others to suit their needs.

 

I'm going to put a link to the above referenced .ini tweak on my mod's pages until something more user friendly turns up! Thanks for all of the great info, follks! :)

[Hvergelmer]

I just read through the Steam Workshop EULA and I gotta admit I'm not a big fan of it.

For that reason I've decided (for the time being), to not release Hvergelmir's Armor Retexture and Hvergelmir's Shield Retexture on the Steam Workshop.

That means I'm not going to go through the trouble of creating .esp files for my retexture mods until the day it actually becomes necessary (texture variation plans) and have instead put the .ini file modification fix on my mod pages and integrated it as part of the installation process. I refuse to submit to this silly thing bethesda decided to handle things.

 

For someone like me it'd be a major hassle to make new TextureSets for EACH model I retexture in the CK. For people like me that (eventually) will have hundreds of textures retextured this is truly a bothersome and annoying process. I don't see the problem modifying the .ini files instead, as it is much more simple and people can mix and match ALL they want like we have always done. And if I'm not even going to put my mods in Steam Workshop anyway, then what's the point?

 

I actually consider the [Archive] .bsa fix a beautiful solution, as it handles the High-Res texture pack the exact same way as the original vanilla low res .bsa archive the way it was intended, I don't see why people couldn't go through this very simple process...

[Caliente]

I would guess we're going to see an 'Archive invalidated' sort of fix from the community that becomes standard issue that just maintains that .bsa ini setting and turns off HD .esp files. Its so much easier to tell your users "to fix the texture issue, download this executable and run it to fix your .ini file" versus the complicated process of extracting textures and copying them to the right place, and in the right order.

 

Generally, I agree that this way of handling texture mods is a step backwards. There's no reason ESP texture mods should override the files in /data/textures. I agree strongly with Horrorview's position that allowing users to (for instance) pick Mod-A's barrel texture over Mod-B's while using Mod-B's door textures should be a matter of copying one file, and not having to create a special Mod-A esp with just the barrels to load after Mod-B... What a nightmare of load order nonsense.

[QuickFox]

I edited the first post with some more info on adapting mods for Steam Workshop; worth a read even if youre not planning on uploading it there; you can still upload to Skyrim Nexus which will benefit users due to maximum compatibility.

[QuickFox]

I actually like the Steam method better now that I have figured out how to do it ;)

 

The pros : no replacing or overwriting mods, trying to keep track of individual installs... just an .esp and a .bsa file, and best yet, steam lets you manage your mods as subscriptions so they automatically stay updated, and can be easily removed via the skyrim launcher or reorganised in the nexus mod manager.

 

As for the EULA, you have to understand that it is perfectly reasonable and normal. after all, you are creating assets for BETHSEDA's game using BETHSEDA's tools... they are just trying to protect themselves so that you cant sue them if they release features in the future that resemble your mods... they are NOT going to blatantly steal your work; if you are good enough you might get a job offer from them!

[Hvergelmer]

I actually like the Steam method better now that I have figured out how to do it ;)

 

The pros : no replacing or overwriting mods, trying to keep track of individual installs... just an .esp and a .bsa file, and best yet, steam lets you manage your mods as subscriptions so they automatically stay updated, and can be easily removed via the skyrim launcher or reorganised in the nexus mod manager.

 

As for the EULA, you have to understand that it is perfectly reasonable and normal. after all, you are creating assets for BETHSEDA's game using BETHSEDA's tools... they are just trying to protect themselves so that you cant sue them if they release features in the future that resemble your mods... they are NOT going to blatantly steal your work; if you are good enough you might get a job offer from them!

 

Not talking about the CK EULA but the Steam EULA, it's terrible...

 

The cons with Steam Workshop modding:

Putting all your textures inside a .bsa makes it a whole lot more complicated to mix and match as you please. As previously mentioned use texture A from pack A and instead of texture A from pack B. And for people who are so afraid of doing something wrong that they won't even edit their .ini files, this will make them extremely handicapped when it comes to customization.

 

I would guess we're going to see an 'Archive invalidated' sort of fix from the community that becomes standard issue that just maintains that .bsa ini setting and turns off HD .esp files. Its so much easier to tell your users "to fix the texture issue, download this executable and run it to fix your .ini file" versus the complicated process of extracting textures and copying them to the right place, and in the right order.

 

Yeah, I agree. I'm pretty sure we'll see something like this in the near future.

Edited February 8, 2012 by lthot