[WIP] Floating Island of Legends

[Selene310187]

Here are my recent findings regarding the LOD generation:

• If you want to regenerate LOD, delete the generated DynDOLOD esp and esm and the occlusion esp, otherwise the trees will not be generated.
• I find it easier to create all LOD files for the whole worldspace and look for the files you want to include than generating each area separately (the latter can be done via "specific chunks" in the expert mode* of DynDOLOD). Further reading
• The mod LOD Meshes and exact localization on the map is very helpful to select only the LOD files for the edited areas.
• It's possible to open the .bto files in Nifskope so you can isolate the files further

* search on this site for the term "expert"; it's a setting in one of the DynDOLOD .ini files



When you have finished the LOD generation, search for following files in the output folder of DynDOLOD:

under meshes\Terrain\Tamriel\Objects:
Tamriel.4.-8.-4.bto
Tamriel.4.-8.-8.bto
Tamriel.4.-12.-4.bto

under meshes\Terrain\Tamriel\Trees:
Tamriel.4.-8.-4.btt
Tamriel.4.-8.-8.btt
Tamriel.4.-12.-4.btt

under textures\DynDOLOD\lod:
DynDOLOD_Tamriel.dds
DynDOLOD_Tamriel_n.dds

under Textures\Terrain\Tamriel\Trees:
TamrielTreeLOD.dds

In your release folder, build a folder structure according to the file paths I mentioned before and put the selected files into their corresponding folders.

These are the LOD files of the floating island I found so far. I copied them over to my notebook (without a DynDOLOD installation) from the desktop (complete DynDOLOD installation) and it looks like on the desktop at a first glance (I cannot completely rule out that I have overlooked something because I know me too well).



Every load order of the mod users is different. If you include pre-generated LOD files, it's very likely that you change a custom LOD setup in a way that the user might not want. That's why I suggest to offer the pre-generated LOD files as optional download.


A picture of the generated LOD



While testing the generated LOD one thing occurred to me: Did you remove the Golden Dragon? I can't find him anywhere.

[Altbert]

The Golden Dragon is initially disabled and will be enabled after the first two quests.

Thanks for the nice guide on specific LOD for the island. First going to generate LOD, the complete procedure, but after I have been to the market.

[Altbert]

LOD generation went very well this time, although it took little over 3 hours, including creating mod installers, installing those, using Wrye Bash and LOOT for load order, and making notes for the guide. It was a nice walk from Goldenhills Plantation to the Floating Island without CTDs! Thanks to Mephitic's guide and Selene's notes on deleted navmeshes!

[smr1957]

I'm really glad that you got the issues sorted out with Selene's insight as to the Navmeshes! That's a big relief knowing you don't have to completely redo the mod!

[Altbert]

Today I have added a mead barrel for the player's personal use in the outdoor kitchen, filled with Black-Briar Private Reserve! You will need an empty BBP Reserve bottle to fill it. After drinking the mead, you will receive an empty bottle in your inventory.

Yeah, Steve, sometimes dreams can be made true. Pity in this case it's only in Skyrim.

[smr1957]

Today I have added a mead barrel for the player's personal use in the outdoor kitchen, filled with Black-Briar Private Reserve! You will need an empty BBP Reserve bottle to fill it. After drinking the mead, you will receive an empty bottle in your inventory.

Yeah, Steve, sometimes dreams can be made true. Pity in this case it's only in Skyrim.

If only that could be in real life...

[Altbert]

Wouldn't that be something?

[Altbert]

I think the PK is trying to prevent me from publishing the mod! I thought I was running my last test playthru, but it seems I was wrong. I finished the first quest, found the remains of Attrebus Mede, the sword Umbra and the Golden Dragon. Returning to the island, the dragon was already there, slaughtering an Imperial patrol. I had to go to Goldenhills Plantation to receive Ysolda's letter from a courier. After receiving the first letter/pamflet at Goldenhills, he just keeps sticking around. After reading Ysolda's letter and finding the Synod researcher, I went to search for the first Argonian warrior, but at the road crossing where the carriage ride from the quest Unbound starts, the game CTDs. Tried to get to the warrior from Helgen, going south, again a CTD. Using the road from Pale Pass to Fort Neugrad and Helgen gave no problem, but the other road from Pale Pass to Helgen did CTD my game.

Another problem [SOLVED]: when equipping Umbra (my version, based on Morrowind and Oblivion) the first time, the sword was invisible, but the second time it was visible again. Possibly a small glitch!

I will have to start again with DynDOLOD (with the additional info from Mephitic as response to a guide in the make) and a fresh and clean new start of the game. Damn, I just had some new ideas for some followups for this mod: Shalidor's Insights & Hall of Legends.

[Selene310187]

You mentioned the Pale Pass. It's from Beyond Skyrim: Bruma, right? I activated your mod and the Beyond Skyrim: Bruma mod and walked the way from Pale Pass to Helgen. I got no CTD. I tested the other roads to Helgen and got no CTD as well. I don't know what other mods you have installed which could affect the problematic area.

Today, I found another way to check this. First install More Informative Console (requires SKSE) or Where in Special Edition am I (SKSE gives you more detailed info). When you are in or near the point where the CTD happens, open the console and click around to find out what mods change the objects in the area; note the mods in question down. You can use the tab key to switch between different modes of the edited console. One mode shows you the cell coordinates.

But regarding the location data, you get better results with "Where in Special Edition am I". Use its lesser power, which is added to you automatically, in the problematic cell (you may need to use the power twice until the menu shows up). Note down the cell coordinates and the formid of the cell.

Exit the game, start up SSEEdit and load all your active plugins. When SSEEdit is done with loading your plugins, type in the formid of the cell, which you noted down before, in the field next to FormID and confirm with Return or Enter key. In the right half of the window you see a table that compares the changes to this cell which are made by all loaded plugins. Expand the cell block on the left side until you see edited default things.

I don't know if landscape edits are safe if multiple plugins change the affected entry. But if a Navigation Mesh is changed by multiple plugins, well, this could probably a reason for a CTD (I'm not sure, all I know that a deleted Navigation Mesh caused a CTD, so I'm just speculating). Before you delete the edited Navigation Mesh entry, make a backup of your mod just in case. Then test if the CTD went away after you've deleted the entry. If you didn't find any edited default objects in this cell, expand the cell blocks below and above it. Do the same with edited default rocks, trees and similar objects. If they are not the cause, quit SSEEdit, restore the backup of your plugin (and make another backup), reload all plugins again and investigate further.


Kudos go to norbert1954 who gave some helpful hints to a user who had a similar problem: https://www.elderscrollsportal.de/theme ... st-1113842
You can use Google's translation tool (just type "google translate" into Google's search window and confirm with Return or Enter key) to translate the post or use DeepL instead.


Playing around with the load order of your mods can also help.

You could also try some crash logger mods to find the mods which cause CTDs:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/51230
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecial ... mods/59818


Last but not least, a small hint regarding deleted default objects. If multiple mods reference the edited object, this could also be a reason for a CTD. It's better to set them "initially disabled" or their Z position data to -30000: http://www.gamesas.com/concerns-regardi ... 20928.html

[Selene310187]

I forgot one important thing. The changes you make with SSEEdit only take effect when you save the plugin AND close the program.

I added a hint regarding deleted default objects to the end of my previous post.