Minor annoyances with v1.2.4 of the USKP

[Guest]

Hello Arthmoor and helpers (there are some, right?)

let me thank you for your outstanding contributions to skyrims community. formemost the USKP. It really pushes TES5 to where it deserves to be, making it a troublefree enjoyment.

however, the latest version brought some changes that i think could be improved. i like the changes, but just the execution brings some new issues.

first, the lights in the cities, that now won't dim any more appear way too bright for my taste (and this is without any mods that change anything related to that). i tried disabling the uskp and the issue was gone (also the dimming returned. i actually never noticed it before, but it is indeed well visible). well anyway. with the reduced light the environment doesn't become so overly bright.

could this fix maybe tweaked in a later version to find some happy middle ground in light intensity?

the second fix i don't like it the wheat adjustment (yes i posted thos over at the nexus allready). they sink too deep into the ground now, leaving a quite visible and edgy mesh outline (both harvested and unharvested).

something between the old vanilla end the uskp version would be perfect. just low enough to ground the models, but high enough to let the straw ends still be visible.

i hope you don't see this not as a critique to the uskp (because it is great), but just as some minor suggestions for slight improvements.

Best wishes to you all

[Arthmoor]

There shouldn't have been any real change in intensity for the lights around Whiterun. All the fix there did was to alter the values that led to them dimming out when you got close.

The wheat adjustment: Make sure you haven't installed the ill-advised mesh patch that someone else did for that because that would indeed cause exactly what you're describing. Properly placed wheat appearing as though it is now sunk too far into the ground. That's exactly why I rejected that as a solution to the problem.

[Guest]

Hey thank you for the answer. Arthmoor

I know that mesh fix, and no, i don't use it any more since 1.2.4.

i switched back to this mod:

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/14427

it's basically what uskp does, but this mod doesn't lower the wheats (i just checked around Whiterun; both the linked mod and the uskp) as much as uskp.

you can have a look at the uskp screenshots that were posted on the "wheat mesh" nexus page if you need a quick comparison.

personally i would prefer if the wheats were raised even a bit further from that ones i linked. you can see in the screens that they are all well grounded, and the straw ends even do appear. but even there they still cut off too roughly once the ends clip through the ground.

optimal height imho would be as low as possible to not get the straw ends clip into the ground too much/to noticeble (you know when it leaves a straight edge)

the city lights are ... well i'm not sure how to describe what i mean.

the lights naturally become more intense (i.e. changing the colour more/brightening more) the closer you get to them. without the dimming i find them too intense, lighting and brighting the surrounding too much; when i stand next to the lights.

from more afar it's not so much visible. it may also be more visible because i use mods to darken the nights (this one: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/13444), though the general effect is the same.

the dimming at closer distances obviously helped with that, but of course it was very noticable.

in my humble oppinion, the overall brighteness of these lights, now that they don't dim when you get close, should be dimmed a bit to begin with.

also, after using uskp for some time now, i have to say most lights look fine/ok, but the lights in front of the bannered mare are, what really stand out. the house front is now brightely lit and shining in a yellowy white. (especially with another fix installed that removes the one light source over the door and adds two new ones for each of the fire pots there)

i did all the testing without the lighting and light positioning mods, too and the impression is still the same. just to be clear. it's only less noticable, because the difference in constrast obviously is much less then. I'll try to take some screenshots if you want?!?

[Arthmoor]

The irony here? That wheat height fix is exactly what was used to complete what the USKP had already started It's entirely obsolete now.

The lighting fix fixed the actual issue with the dimming, it hasn't raised the intensity of the light. Doing THAT would cease to be a bugfix and would enter into preference modding which isn't something the USKP is intended for. In a game with no lighting mods, one cannot even tell there's been a change made if the dimming had never been noticed. Until it was brought to my attention I didn't even really notice.

[Guest]

oh wow, uhm. you're right. they are the same. my bad. i still feel that the height could be optimized.

as for the lights: i never noticed the dimming, too. but i notice the increased brighteness close up now. i have to disagree here. out of the two brightness levels, i would have set the lights to the dimmed state, while deactivating the dimming. it's debatable whether this is a tweak, i concure. anyway. i read somewhere that the adjustment for this is just a few values for two light-presets. could you maybe tell me where i would find these in the CK, i might be able to make my own little tweak mod then and be good with it (seeing as i have a torch and a magelight tweak mod from the nexus allready anyway :-D)

thank you in advance and thanks for your forbearance with my misinformed petitions.

[Guest]

ok, i went ahead and checked with TES5edit myself.

the culprit was with the WRLightFireStreet01 Entry.

changing the flicker-values leads to a brighter illumination of the surroundings when close to the light source (closer than the old "snap"/jump distance).

i did some tweaking here and there, and personally i prefer to adjust the FNAM - Fade Value from 3 to 2 (that results in a stronger dimming) to get results close to the feeling in vanilla.

if you want to try for yourself please have a look at it. it is best seen with the light in front of the bannered mare, imho

anyway, i have my personal tweak at hand now and am happy user again :-)

Edited December 7, 2012 by Gruftlord

[Guest]

well, once again i tried myself in TES5edit and adjusted the wheats' z-position. to make things easy i took the "farm wheat height fix" and adjusted the z-value roughly to the average between vanilla and the fixe's value.

the result in my oppinion is much better now, though i have the feeling the wheat stacks could potentially be placed even higher. i didn't want to do that since of course i don't directely see what i do when editing in ted5edit.

FYI: when camparing the new height with the values you have in USKP that weren't directely copied over from "farm wheat height fix" it becomes apparent, that our values aren't that fare from each other.

are you interessted in this file? then i could upload it to the bugtracker.

Greetings and best Regards

Gruftlord

p.S. Sorry for the Tripplepost, if you want i can edit them all into one once i know you have seen this one.

edit: i put some 3 hours into it today, to further adjust most of the wheatstacks manually.

edit 2: i put it on the tracker: http://bugzilla.dark...bug.cgi?id=9022

Edited December 30, 2012 by Gruftlord