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Beyond Skyrim: Bruma & Bain


Sonja

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Hello :)
Since this place appears to be something of an...erm... nexus.. for all things Wrye Bash related, I figured my question had some chance of being answered here. I asked on the Bruma page.. but the devs weren't able to tell me.

 

Anyway, I've been watching the SE release of Beyond Skyrim: Bruma with a lot of interest over the last few days. I've noted that people have had trouble trying to install it with NMM (at least if they try it the automated way), and I've seen others claim that apparently MO works well. Here's the thing.. I've used Wrye Bash as my primary mod manager since Oblivion, and before that I used (and still use, for that matter) Wrye Mash. So, it's a set of tools I'm familiar with... I already added NMM to my stable, for the occasions where I need to install FOMODs and repacking is annoyingly complicated; I *really* do not want to add a third manager, especially one that I've heard can be quite buggy with SSE. I looked at the BSB file structure through the little spyglass preview thingie on Nexus, and it *seems* pretty straightforward. Apparently the mod can be manually installed as well, which typically bodes well for a Bain installation.

So my question is, has anybody here tried to install BSB with Bain? If not, do you think I'm correct in guessing that it should be doable? I'm anticipating that it could stall a bit, given the mod's size, but that happens with INPCs as well, and everything is always fine, it just takes a little time.

I'm actually waiting until the kinks in the mod have been smoothed out, so I'm in no rush; it would be good to know, though. 

Cheers! :)

EDIT
I think I may have just put this in the wrong place... *sigh* My apologies, please move with a redirect if needed.

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Hi, and welcome to AFK Mods. :)

I exclusively use Wrye Bash/Bain for all my installs, and did so with BS:B too, however, on the LE version. I understand the SE version is packed differently, with a mix of .bsa's and loose files, but that shouldn't be any different. Just make sure after you install there's no missing or mismatched files.

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Awesome Hana and cheers for the welcome,

Thanks so much for letting me know! :)

Seeing as they still seem to be undergoing teething pains, I plan to wait for a while until I install BS:B. Plus, I'm hoping there'll be a Frostfall patch at some point, so I'm not in any rush. I figured it made sense to start doing research now, though, because there's precious little information out there when it comes to using Wrye Bash for both LE/SE. I especially don't understand why more people don't use it to install mods into SE.... MO for SE is effectively deprecated, and reportedly quite buggy. Meanwhile, Wrye Bash continues to be updated and works flawlessly. Moreover, MO's author has moved to developing NMM. Oh well, different tastes, I suppose. 
 

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I'm just grabbing the SSE files to have a look, haven't tried it yet but I did promise myself to get around to it .. may aswell be now. 2.6gb in the pipe ...

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33 minutes ago, alt3rn1ty said:

I'm just grabbing the SSE files to have a look, haven't tried it yet but I did promise myself to get around to it .. may aswell be now. 2.6gb in the pipe ...

Good luck! I hope you aren't one of the people plagued by CTDs!
Or maybe.... Wrye Bash will prove to be the ultimate tool for installing SB:S. There actually have been more than a few occasions where I've seen people experiencing issues installing mods that I've had no trouble with, so perhaps...

Of course, there are always so many variables when it comes to this stuff.

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Well, you just confirmed what I guessed from using the preview spyglass on their page... I thought the structure looked as though Wrye Bash would handle it fine. So thanks for that!

But yeah..... the proverbial proof in the pudding will be how smoothly, or not, it actually runs.

*crosses fingers for you* :)

EDIT
I just saw on the comments page that one person who was dealing with repeated CTDs, no matter what, was successful with a manual install. I strongly suspect that means Wrye Bash will do well..... 

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Just had a few hours wandering .. Really looking forward to when this is all polished up and bug free.

The snowy landscape texture seems a bit too reflective of torch light (I wonder if all the landscape textures have alphas like the rest of SSE landscape textures) .. But thats just a cosmetic thing. I cant say much for fear of spoiling, but this brings back a heap of memories, and there are paths which have been recreated which are recognisable just from the layout on the landscape .. Even though the landscape / flora / fauna are much better than they were in Oblivion, and I have bigger trees installed, the locations I am referring to are still recognizable which is amazing.

As I was getting closer to Bruma (aproaching from the North) I believe I was just about to get close to an Ayleid ruin .. But the game CTD'd. So something there was trying to load I reckon which had a bad mesh. Early days.

Anyway here's a teaser, Inigo and I enjoying a view

 

ScreenShot9.png

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Excellent, and thank you for the update! Amazing pic! I'm really looking forward to checking it out once they've  patched it further.

I'm actually playing some Morrowind and Oblivion currently.. and my Skyrim character is the direct descendant of the Neraverine/Champion of Cyrodiil (still living in my head canon) and a certain critical NPC in Oblivion.... So, eventually going to Bruma will be a very poignant experience for her. 

Oh, and Inigo is awesome! Best companion for any game, ever. modded or vanilla. :)

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@Sonja ..

Doooooooo eeeeeeeet! 

The mod is awesome, and you may just cry. Actually cry. The word nostalgic doesnt cut it.

I installed Oblivion from GOG recently to test Wrye Bash developments, but have not played it for many years .. BS.B is my first experience since, and there is so much attention to detail you remember being in a lot of places you have seen before in the original game .. But with far better graphics and game engine.

I walked the path to Frostcrag, remember those parts of the path where there is a rope bridge across the path you are on, and a fallen log bridge, which are both parts of the same path a little further down the road to Frostcrag ? .. Little moments where you go "I know this place". I have simply bigger trees SE installed which obscures more distant views sometimes because of the more dense forests, but I still recognise places despite my preference for keeping those tree meshes installed.

Since finding out that I needed the update file, I have not experienced any crashes. I have made about 5 minor bug reports now, but nothing among those that will ruin the game.

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4 hours ago, alt3rn1ty said:

@Sonja ..

Doooooooo eeeeeeeet! 

The mod is awesome, and you may just cry. Actually cry. The word nostalgic doesnt cut it.

I installed Oblivion from GOG recently to test Wrye Bash developments, but have not played it for many years .. BS.B is my first experience since, and there is so much attention to detail you remember being in a lot of places you have seen before in the original game .. But with far better graphics and game engine.

I walked the path to Frostcrag, remember those parts of the path where there is a rope bridge across the path you are on, and a fallen log bridge, which are both parts of the same path a little further down the road to Frostcrag ? .. Little moments where you go "I know this place". I have simply bigger trees SE installed which obscures more distant views sometimes because of the more dense forests, but I still recognise places despite my preference for keeping those tree meshes installed.

Since finding out that I needed the update file, I have not experienced any crashes. I have made about 5 minor bug reports now, but nothing among those that will ruin the game.

You are really trying to make sure I don't miss this, aren't you? :D

OK.. OK.. I probably will. But, first I want to get my Oblivion character to the point where she's been working with a certain Septim for a bit...

That...alliance... has significant import for my Skyrim character. And maybe by then... the next BSB update will have been released. *innocent whistle* 

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:), one thing I will say though is just dont look too closely at the south, east and west borders of BS.B

There are some very nice places to visit before you get to the borders (seeing Ayleid ruins again in Skyrim engine is superb), but the borders themselves are a bit rough around the edges where the neighbouring future mods need to mesh and development is still to be done. So right near the very edge of where you can walk you will find for instance a cottage which is more of a placeholder shell with nothing in it, or a series of waterfalls which lead under a bridge and the water anims on the lower ones (closer the border) have not been completed .. To be expected really, there is an awful lot of work still to do to bring it all together which is probably going to be measured in years.

Keep a save to revert to just in case, then you can uninstall all the Bruma setup, right click and delete all saves that were dependant on it (Wrye Bash Saves Tab, Right Click, File, Delete - You can also Press shift and multi-select a bunch of saves), use your old save to get your load order as it was (the saves masters list in Wrye Bash - See screenshot below), rebuild your bashed patch .. And you are back to where you are now without worries. And if you use DynDOLOD, you will also need to regen TexGen, install them, and regen DynDOLOD files and plugin.

I am now finding out what it is like to have experienced Ayleid Weapons and Colovian fur armour, and no longer have them, looking forward to the day it is all complete.

Those rough edges bugged my brain enough that it felt like what the original Skyrim would, without using the Unofficial patch. I'm a little bit OCD I think when it comes to game bugs, enough that any knowledge of rough edges puts me off enjoying.

I dont regret having had the brief experience though, it was marvellous and I am very much looking forward to the whole thing coming together one day. Back to the normal setup for me meanwhile.

0000.png

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Well... It is downloading now, so wish me luck :)
I need to head out in a few hours, so I'm not sure how far I'll progress with the install until then, but as much as anything, in addition to being excited about Bruma itself, I was curious to see whether it would all go smoothly, or whether I'd have a bug-ridden crash fest on my hands. 
And yep... I have backed up my save game folder, that is standard operating procedure for me, especially with large, potentially problematic, mods like this. I actually use Wrye Bash to mass delete saves all the time; I find it *much* easier than doing so ingame, and while you can delete the saves by going to the folder.. it is way too easy to accidentally delete something important. Wrye Bash, though, is precise and efficient in this, as with everything else. Considering I make a fresh save every time, and that I save often.. using Wrye's mass delete function is actually sort of critical for the storage capacity of my SSD. :D

As to Bruma's rough edges... 
I am very OCD about that sort of thing when it is something I have screwed up in my install, and I will pick away at it until I either succeed in fixing whatever the issue is, or I'll eventually just start over again. However, if it is something inherent to the mod itself, like this, I can usually ignore it. Assuming everything goes smoothly, I'll see how I end up feeling.  Usually though... I prefer a sense of continuity with my character's travels, and as I alluded, going to Bruma will be a pretty big emotional hit for her.. so I'd rather keep that intact, if I can.

 

I have to say, on a different note... I've grown extremely weary of the negativity to Wrye Bash. Either people attack it because they've found it difficult to use in the past, or... you have the fanboize in the Cult of MO... who seem utterly ignorant of the fact that Wrye Bash was there first and STILL does a better job. As you are aware, this is even more true with SE. Then you have the Bruma devs, who just don't even seem to know about the existence of Wrye Bash. To a large degree I blame STEP, which is sort of the Cult's HQ in many respects. 
I personally think it is shameful the Bruma devs have not mentioned using Wrye Bash. Though, I really do suspect it's because they know little about it, and maybe they don't want to risk being asked for support in an area where they are largely ignorant, I'm not sure.
Also... while Wrye Bash *was* more complex to use in the early days of Oblivion, it has become very user-friendly and straightforward over the years. I really don't understand what it is that people find so difficult. I mean, how hard can it be to drag an archive to the installer tab, R-click, and hit install? Seriously! OK... there's a bit more than that.. but sill.. 

Now, I did once look at MO.. and I thought it seemed a solid manager (if perhaps a little overdone on the bells and whistles). I also think that the ability to easily have multiple, simultaneous installs is pretty cool. So I'm not actually... er.. bashing.. MO. But, I can't stand fanatics, no matter their flavour, no matter the context. 

Anyway... I'll stop ranting now. and I'll let you know how the install went. 



EDIT

So far? Flawless!
I made a detailed post over on the thread I started on the BS:B page. Oh.... along with a pitch for Wrye Bash and a basic guide to using it... *innocent whistle*

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On 7/20/2017 at 11:07 AM, Sonja said:

I have to say, on a different note... I've grown extremely weary of the negativity to Wrye Bash. Either people attack it because they've found it difficult to use in the past, or... you have the fanboize in the Cult of MO... who seem utterly ignorant of the fact that Wrye Bash was there first and STILL does a better job. As you are aware, this is even more true with SE. Then you have the Bruma devs, who just don't even seem to know about the existence of Wrye Bash. To a large degree I blame STEP, which is sort of the Cult's HQ in many respects. 
I personally think it is shameful the Bruma devs have not mentioned using Wrye Bash. Though, I really do suspect it's because they know little about it, and maybe they don't want to risk being asked for support in an area where they are largely ignorant, I'm not sure.
Also... while Wrye Bash *was* more complex to use in the early days of Oblivion, it has become very user-friendly and straightforward over the years. I really don't understand what it is that people find so difficult. I mean, how hard can it be to drag an archive to the installer tab, R-click, and hit install? Seriously! OK... there's a bit more than that.. but sill.. 

Now, I did once look at MO.. and I thought it seemed a solid manager (if perhaps a little overdone on the bells and whistles). I also think that the ability to easily have multiple, simultaneous installs is pretty cool. So I'm not actually... er.. bashing.. MO. But, I can't stand fanatics, no matter their flavour, no matter the context. 

Anyway... I'll stop ranting now. and I'll let you know how the install went. 
 

I saw that thread you posted to, and I think that guy simply just isn't very intelligent. The best way to respond to someone like that is to ask them questions (why did you think WB was old? vs WB isn't old!)  until they finally admit they were too dumb and/or lazy to figure WB out.  It is more effective than arguing with them.

I won't go into all of the reasons I think MO fucking terrible, but yeah a lot of the blame for people only thinking NMM/MO exist can be placed squarely at the feet of STEP and the Nexus, although I'm sure both had pure intentions at the start.  They've also encouraged people to look at modding as a "following a load order guide" where someone else tells you exactly what mods to download and what order to install them in.

To paraphrase Thomas Edison - there is no limit to what some people will do to avoid the thought process. These are the same people that download RAM Doublers and use MO. They will always exist. 

 

Back to Bruma, yes it is awesome.  I haven't had much time to roam around but I got to a cliff outside of Bruma to see if I could see the White-Gold tower. Unfortunately must have been just outside of the culling limit, but the outer walls of the city are there. :)

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