Northforge Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 So, the days of hearing my friends on vent/TS/Ventrilo drooling over the graphics of various games are coming to an end. No more will I have to suffer windowed mode World of Warcraft 800x600 and unable to load more than 2 addons. No more will I have to wait to see the shadow on the ground populate enemy characters long after they've killed me. No more ... just, no more. Soon, I'd say 13 days from today (this day of Tuesday, March 6th, 2012) I will have a monsterious machine, an ASUS G74SX-DH72. Capable of killing a double score of WoW gnomes with a single flex of it's calf muscle, I yearn to see it run Skyrim. Enough about me. Did I tell you I bought a new barbecue? #1 My concern is, I've heard about some 3GB HD texture pack released, but also heard never to use it, and to instal some piddly puny mod instead for sickly better graphics. What's the deal with that? #2 If many are like me, that expect to improve visual quality of the game, what exactly do you all recommend? I'd like to open a discussion for that very topic. I'm curious about what exactly YOU would do, or DO do (hehe, I said doodoo) to enhance visual quality. So far, I have a smart mentor, a one who calls himself Skyrim1m, who has lent me bit of advice in PMs. But to you, YOU, what do you do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrivener07 Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I would stop think and not lose my mind installing every single mod that claims to improve something. Get familiar with your new setup and see how far the vanilla game can go on its own. Will save you lots of headachs and reinstalls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northforge Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 I would stop think and not lose my mind installing every single mod that claims to improve something. Get familiar with your new setup and see how far the vanilla game can go on its own. Will save you lots of headachs and reinstalls *writes that down* "Knowing vanilla game will save headaches and reinstalls"Got it. Moar plox! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staind716 Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 (edited) The hd texture pack is far from great but is a good template to start from. I use it and overwrite it with the HD2k texture mod. There are certain textures that one improves and the other one doesn't so using them in combination is a good idea so you cover more bases as far as improving textures. I also refuse to even entertain the idea of playing without an ENB mod. Currently my favorite one which will be very difficult to beat is Superl3 ENB. Not only does this have a great ssao but also includes a realistic lighting mod which just looks amazing together. I use mostly texture mods and the game changing mods I use I am very careful with as these are the ones that are generally the cause of conflicts. I wait until they have been out for a while and read other people's experiences with them before I try them out. I like to give them time to be established and as bug free as possible. A really good guide that I use (not as gospel, but as a great general guide to mods) is STEP (Skyrim Total Enhancement Project). This guy does a really good job of researching mods and tests them together for the best combination of looks and stability. I would suggest checking this out as it also gives some good advice on tweaks and graphic card setup that are helpful. If you want to check it out here is a link to it and also the Superl3 ENB. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11318 http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11 I am currently using around 150 mods so there is no way I could begin to list them all. Suffice it to say my game looks and plays phenomenal. Also, to save yourself a lot of headaches with mod issues I recommend to use the Nexus for every mod that you possible can and only use Steam Workshop for the ones exclusive to them that you really want. If there is anything I can help you with feel free to pm me. Have fun! Edited March 7, 2012 by Staind716 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northforge Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 The hd texture pack is far from great but is a good template to start from. I use it and overwrite it with the HD2k texture mod. There are certain textures that one improves and the other one doesn't so using them in combination is a good idea so you cover more bases as far as improving textures. I also refuse to even entertain the idea of playing without an ENB mod. Currently my favorite one which will be very difficult to beat is Superl3 ENB. Not only does this have a great ssao but also includes a realistic lighting mod which just looks amazing together. I use mostly texture mods and the game changing mods I use I am very careful with as these are the ones that are generally the cause of conflicts. I wait until they have been out for a while and read other people's experiences with them before I try them out. I like to give them time to be established and as bug free as possible. A really good guide that I use (not as gospel, but as a great general guide to mods) is STEP (Skyrim Total Enhancement Project). This guy does a really good job of researching mods and tests them together for the best combination of looks and stability. I would suggest checking this out as it also gives some good advice on tweaks and graphic card setup that are helpful. If you want to check it out here is a link to it and also the Superl3 ENB. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11318 http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11 I am currently using around 150 mods so there is no way I could begin to list them all. Suffice it to say my game looks and plays phenomenal. Also, to save yourself a lot of headaches with mod issues I recommend to use the Nexus for every mod that you possible can and only use Steam Workshop for the ones exclusive to them that you really want. If there is anything I can help you with feel free to pm me. Have fun! A-W-E-S-O-M-E !!! This is what I was hoping for.12 days remaining until I get my laptop. I'm trying so hard to refrain from spoiling too much via youtube videos, but I'm looking at a lot of mods on there. Sorting by dates, and checking reviews of info, I'm getting a broad picture of the big world of Skyrim mods. You guys are great. Keep'em comin! Please continue to post your "Can't live without THIS mod and THAT mod" everyone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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