Wolf Mods, Skyrim (and more!) for Oblivion Options

[Lena Wolf]

An update with pictures.

A misty morning

Still not cleared

Ah, that's better! Shops set into the mountain side and the ditch boarded over.

Remus Sartoriun

Inside Odds and Sods

Grand Staircase to the Mistveil Keep

The Great Hall

An audience with the Jarl

Jarl Sigfrid Shield-Breaker, her steward and her housecarl

[macole]

After seeing the pics I've changed my mind, I would like a visit. I'll just have to keep my hands in my pockets to avoid getting arrested.

[Lena Wolf]

Actually, you'll be quite safe even if you do get arrested. For some reason they take you to Bruma for processing... It seems Bruma is the default.

[Lena Wolf]

The citizens of Riften choose to live dangerous lives - they swim in the lake a lot, jump fro great heights ignoring the stairs and get into fights with werewolves. This leads to unnecessary deaths. The Jarl ordered two things to remedy the situation: install rope barriers along the dock walks to prevent people from falling into the water, and to teach everyone basic restoration spells to heal themselves.

Searching the Imperial Archives reveals that when a citizen needs to find a path to a point rather far away, the task proves too complex for common sense and they try to just go in a straight line... obstacles or no obstacles. This is a limitation of their AI. They do try to correct themselves as they go though, so hopefully rope barriers will help. Hmph.

[Acadian]

I can imagine that teaching pathing to AI citizens who generally have no apparent fear of death (NAFOD) is indeed a challenge.

[Lena Wolf]

That's just the thing. No common sense. Riften covers quite a large area - a dozen cells - and from what I read, the AI only uses path nodes to calculate short stretches. For longer distances, it just goes in a straight line... but it adjusts it when the NPC finds him/herself standing on a node. All in all, it actually works very well, I think. But in Riften it results in them choosing to go for a swim too often, and there are mudcrabs and slaughterfish in the lake... The funny thing is that when NPCs meet each other in the water, they stop for a chat. In the water. And say things like: "I saw a couple of mudcrabs yesterday, I steered clear of them!" - all while being attacked by a mudcrab... The liers...

I am going to declare that crazy pathfinding is just something that happens in Riften all the time. Too much mead. Or possibly too many Cliff Racer cocktails being consumed. But with the safety measures put in place, there should be very few unnecessary deaths.

[Lena Wolf]

Rope barriers definitely help to keep NPCs from falling into the water. Also the system fetches them out of the water rather quickly. The Jarl seems to have employed invisible life guards.

They say don't load an old save because it will mess up your newly changed plugin. Which is exactly why I always load several existing saves to see just how far they get messed up. So far no crashes, but some amusing things do happen. (Click these pictures twice to get full resolution.)

He's not very good at cards, it seems. And I don't even have any Khajiit sailors. May be that's why he had no luck.

Roach resisting arrest. Notice the second guard on the left.

The guard should have known better. Seeing this outcome, the other guard put away his bow, turned around and returned to his post. Smart guy.

[Lena Wolf]

It is done! TWMP Skyrim Alive is out! Phew... Now I can get back to playing!!

I have installed everything I could find that works with TWMP: Black Marsh, Summerset Isle, Valenwood and Elsweyr, and of course I already had Hammerfell and High Rock. I see Lena going to explore the South next and see if there are any land tears.

[Acadian]

Congrats!

[macole]

Well done Lena! One of the best looking tree replacer mods for Oblivion I've seen in quiet awhile.

For the TWMP Hammerfell did you load all 7 of the files?

This post has been edited by macole: Nov 14 2021, 08:05 AM

[Lena Wolf]

Thanks Acadian, Macole - those trees look great, don't they?

With all the TWMP mods (including Hammerfell) I installed all the main files (latest version only), all the resource files and all the LOD files, that is everything except the patches because I don't need them. The LOD files are really tricky because they are not in a BSA but just files on disk, and you have to install them in the right order because they overwrite what you've got already. But then - people say - you generate new LOD with TES4Edit and everything is fixed! Yeah, right... this has not been my experience. The files in distantLOD folder are overwritten when you generate LOD, and they contain data for trees, objects and some of the water (some? yeah, clear). Then there's texture LOD - some files in Textures/landscapeLOD, and I have not been able to regenerate those successfully with anything. I just get a lot of purple everywhere when I try. But all of those TWMP mods come with land LOD textures, and my mod doesn't change landscapes, so fortunately I don't need to update them. It does make it very important to load the mods in the correct order to get those things overwritten correctly.

Phew... if you are not confused yet, why not?

So, for the record I decided to write up exactly which mods from the TWMP suite I installed and in which order, that's the long list that follows. It is my intention to get Valenwood and Elsweyr working as well, they are not all TWMP, but they were made to work with TWMP, or so I hear. Bear in mind that I haven't explored those areas yet, so I might have to adjust the list later. This is based on this thread on Reddit.

My installation does not start from an empty Oblivion - I already have various mods, some with the dreaded LOD that gets overwritten. Besides, I started with TWMP for Skyrim and installed Elsweyr and Valenwood afterwards - which is the opposite of what they advise on Reddit. I also had my LOD messed up several times while developing my mod, fixed it, messed it up again... So then I decided to reinstall all those TWMP mods again, overwriting everything, but now I've done it in the right order according to Reddit. I have only checked Skyrim and Hammerfell so far, and they are fixed, and Cyrodiil seems to be in order also. So I think this might be a way to go.

EDIT 18 December 2021: I have updated these instructions now that my mod got a new release. Here is the up-to-date page.

Download and Installation

IMPORTANT: download the mods and save them in a safe place because you'll be reusing them a few times! I suggest Data/Downloads. Put each mod in its own folder so you know what's what. It gets confusing very quickly. I download everything first, then go about installing it - this helps to keep track of where you are at.

Installation needs to happen in the order listed below because files get overwritten in the process. Some of the mods also give installation instructions, I tried to take them all into account, but be sure to check them for notes regarding other popular mods that you might have in your game.

Note: I don't use Unique Landscapes, so I didn't download any of those resources. If you do use UL, you will need those files too! Top up your common sense reserves, they will be tested!

Oblivion Script Extender - OBSE - xOBSE
Go to their website and download and install the latest version. TWMP claims to need v21 on its latest mods, but v19 is probably already sufficient.

Under the sign of the dragon - Tamriel Heightmaps
- Tamriel LOD resources
- Tamriel Heightmap v 3.3
- Tr Stirk LOD resources

Under the sign of the dragon - Tamriel Landscape Pack
- BSA
- ESM

Under the sign of the dragon - Tamriel Resource Pack
- ESM ESP
- Full resource pack
The other files here are just the individual parts already contained in the full resource pack, in case you have to re-download (so save it first!).

Elsweyr the Deserts of Anequina
- Main file

Valenwood Improved
- 1020 Full German
- 1020 English translation (replacement ESP with English text)
With TWMP we don't need the ESPs from this mod, only the resources. So why did I download the ESPs as well? No reason. Just for my collection.

TWMP Valenwood Improved
- Main file (the ESP)
- Patch for Elsweyr
We will use this ESP with the resources from the other Valenwood mod. I also downloaded the patch for Elsweyr because I use Elsweyr. Download other patches as needed.

Valenwood Islands
- Valenwood Islands main file
- Valenwood Islands patch
- LOD fix
These are the three main files for this mod, I did not use any of the optional patches.

Under the sign of the dragon - Tamriel Landscapes
- Black Marsh ESP
- Summerset Isles ESP
- Summerset Isles meshes BSA
- Summerset Isles textures BSA
Note that I did not use any of the LOD resource archives from this mod, and also not the Valenwood-Elsweyr module. These are outdated (according to Reddit).

TWMP Summerset Isles Extension
- TWMP SI version 0.1.1

TWMP Castle Dunkerlore
- Main file

TWMP Hammerfell
- Main file
- Distant LOD
- Resource pack
- _far meshes
- LOD terrain meshes and textures
I don't have Sutch village, so I didn't use the patch. Apply your common sense here. Stirk is integrated in this mod, so remove any stand-alone versions.

TWMP (only High Rock is needed, not Skyrim)
- High Rock ESP
- TWMP LOD resources
Note that you don't need Skyrim ESP but you do need Skyrim LOD resources included in the LOD pack.

TWMP Skyrim Improved
- Main ESP
- Resources
- LOD textures and meshes
Jerall Pass is integrated into this mod, so remove the stand-alone version.

TWMP Locations
- ESP and BSA
Skyrim Nord Tombs is integrated into this mod, so again remove the stand-alone version.

TWMP Skyrim Guard Armors and Shields
- Main file

TWMP Skyrim Alive
- Core
- Optional: Silent dialogue. I don't use Ely's Silent Voice, so I generated this for the whole of Skyrim.
Skyrim Alive is integrated into this mod, so remove the stand-alone version.

Load order is the same as the installation order. If you have any mods that edit the same areas, put them before this lot, or you'll have land tears and/or roads will be lost. Download what patches you need (e.g., for Unique Landscapes) and read descriptions of the corresponding mods for ideas where they go in the load order. I don't use them, so can't test it.

The map

I tried different options and found Dynamic Map to work best, it requires MenuQue.

MenuQue - OBSE Plugin
- Main file version 16b
Note that Dynamic Map states that MenuQue v17 is required, but the highest version we have here is 16b. I use it, it works fine.

Dynamic Map
The main archive contains several options for installation. Choose TWMP Heightmaps - the only option that shows all of Tamriel. Map pack that is available separately, is not needed.

High Detail Dynamic Map TWMP
- Main file
- Patch
Install the main file first, choose the version with Valenwood and Elsweyr. Then the patch because it overwrites the INI file. This is a replacement for the TWMP Heightmaps module of the Dynamic Map.

TWMP Skyrim Alive
- Map archive
This is my overlay for Skyrim - for the High Detail Dynamic Map from above. Again, it overwrites the INI file, so installation order is important.

Once you've got your Dynamic Map installed, have a look at its two configuration files in Data/Ini folder. The core file regulates things like keys used to zoom in and out, while the other file determins what is being displayed. I changed the zoom keys in the core file, for example.

This is the map I shall be maintaining as I explore more of Tamriel. So if I find problems in Elsweyr and Valenwood related to the map, I'll be fixing them for the High Detail version. Unfortunately it is not compatible with "standard" versions because the map is not simply scaled, it is also cropped, so you can't simply resize your old modules - they don't fit properly, you have to redo them in GIMP or something.

Recommended additions

These are the mods I use in my game and they work well with TWMP, at least the Skyrim part which I have so far explored. I understand that some don't work very well with OOO or perhaps something else - check what you are using. For Unique Landscapes there are patches and patches, I've seen them everywhere, so you should be able to fix it.

Load these mods before the TWMP lot, or anyhow before TWMP Skyrim Alive, or you will lose the roads in the Jeralls.

Skyrim Observatory - North-East from the Dive Rock.

HESU Mod Collection - Skyrim Temple - West from the shrine of Azura.

Jerall Home Remastered - puts a house just North of the Dragonclaw Rock.

The Ancient Dwemer Ruins - right on the road West of the Temple of Ancestor Moths.

Ancient Dwemer Ruin Vornhuzduc - in Cyrodiil West of Bruma.

Pinevale - in the Jeralls West of Bruma. There is a pass from below.

Nordinkarst- Nordic Meadhall - in the Jeralls West of Pinevale. Easy access from Falkreath! Use this patch with TWMP. Load the main mod before TWMP mods, and load the patch after the TWMP mods.

The Crystal Chasm - North-West from the shrine of Mora, on the vanilla road to Hammerfell (vanilla road to Hammerfell? Oh yes!!). This puts a road from the shrine connecting to the vanilla road. I hear this conflicts with bandits from the OOO, so you might have to choose.

Red Mead Hall - just West of the shrine of Hermaeus Mora. Quite something. Conflicts with the road from the Crystal Chasm which goes under the building, unfortunately - you have to choose or use my patch for it. This does not depend on TWMP, so can be used without it. Load Chasm first, then Red Mead Hall, then the patch. This block of three can be loaded before all the TWMP mods.

Falkreath - Ghastley's mod, no longer on Nexus. Fits beautifully!

Start playing!

This is the important bit... get out there! Start exploring!!

Oh, and people say you can also safely install Morroblivion on top of all of this. I plan to do it too, at some point.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Dec 18 2021, 10:09 PM

[Lena Wolf]

I have just uploaded two patches for the mead hall mods that I rather liked.

Patch for Red Mead Hall and Crystal Chasm - this makes these two mods work together. It does not depend on TWMP, this is just for vanilla (but also works with TWMP).

TWMP patch for Nordinkarst Mead Hall - this repairs a small land tear near this mead hall. Small but preventing followers to reach the mead hall! Must be fixed. This mead hall is easily reachable from Falkreath! I think you don't need the patch if you are not using TWMP.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 14 2021, 10:31 PM

[Lena Wolf]

The works in Skyrim continue! So much for playing... Oh, wait - I am playing!

My goal now is to get various areas of Skyrim connected to each other with roads and mountain passes - over land rather than via tunnels. The landscape in the South of Skyrim is divided into pockets with high mountains separating them - impossible to climb for an average NPC. So I have commissioned some heavy diggers to build mountain passes suitable for travelling on foot. I am trying to recreate connections that we see in TES5, and although the lay of the land is significantly different, I figured if we have roads connecting some of the same towns, we should be Ok.

Here is my updated map - there is a new road on the Northern side of the Jeralls going from Falkreath via Helgen (Helgen!!) and eventually on to Riften, similar to TES5 (similar enough, I think.)

Click to enlarge

Compare it to a map true to TES5 geography:

Click to enlarge

And yes, I've located Helgen. Of course it should be right where the Pale Pass comes into Skyrim. The Northern Inn is going to be a part of it. With the road going West, we have a connection to Falkreath just like in TES5.

There is a new pass connecting Riverwood with the road to Riften, this is still similar to TES5 although of course you could argue that Riverwood is too far East in my version. But relative locations of various towns here are different than in TES5 because the landscape is different, so be it. There was a major land shift. A Warp in the North! Think of something.

Ivarstead is going to be further North. High Hrothgar exists in TWMP, and there's an inn on the way to the top, I think that might be the inn in Ivarstead or anyway somewhere nearby. I didn't get there yet. Before I can go there, I'll need to make some rivers... But that's for a release after the next one.

[Lena Wolf]

This was a day of digging mountain passes... Digging, throwing away, messing things up, fixing them, starting again. Three times. Three bloody times!! Learned how to generate new landscape meshes (harder than it looks), learned NOT TO TOUCH landscape textures because I cannot generate them... yeah, harder than it looks! But now I know where I'm going. Dug two passes to connect Falkreath with Helgen, laid some roads, play tested over and over. Werewolves are still falling out of the skies and the whole thing needs beautifying, but the structure is in place! Landscape changed! And I've got pictures!

Falkreath East pass: Nordinkarst Mead Hall to Southern Mine

This gives a better idea of the scale of the enterprise

East exit towards the Southern Mine

Helgen pass to the Southern Mine (going West)

[macole]

Wow, that is impressive. Knowing nothing as I do, I would have thought a foot trail up and over the mountains would be the way to go. Probably harder to do than it sounds. But this is real cut a road through the mountains kind of stuff. so, how many fireballs did it take for the Deprtment of Roads and Bridges mages to cut through the mountains?

This post has been edited by macole: Nov 18 2021, 04:12 AM

[Lena Wolf]

That was a job and a half - far more difficult than I expected. My first five or six attempts didn't work in-game - Lena couldn't climb them, and that is not counting the three starting over incidents when I messed things up on a technical level. A lot of Calm spells were used...

A foot trail only works if the slope is quite shallow - the NPCs in Oblivion don't climb very well, not even horses. The player can often climb a lot higher than the NPCs, but I wanted the trail to be easily accessible by followers riding horses.

If the slope is too steep, you have to use stairs. I tried various available staircases, they have different slope angles, Bravil stairs have the steepest angle. But even that was not steep enough for the mountains, and there was no room for zig-zagging. Also I didn't want that really because Bravil stairs are too steep for horses - they can just about climb them but they do fall off. When I tried to take Roach up the New Pale Pass (which is built with Bravil stairs), Roach was falling off for no reason and breaking her legs, I think those stairs are too narrow for horses.

Back to foot trails then. Drawing a road on a landscape does not yet make the landscape suitable for climbing - you still have the problem with slope. So you have to make serpentine roads and zig-zag a lot, and there is no room for that (and I was too impatient on my third attempt to make a pass). Those mountains are very high and very steep. In fact the height variation in Skyrim is greater than what Oblivion engine is supposed to be able to handle, as I read somewhere. It works just fine though. The mountain ridge West of Falkreath is actually even higher and steeper than the Jerall mountains that serve as a border. So cutting through it was the only feasible solution at that point. It may appear flat in the pictures, but actually it still has a lot of slope to it - as much as the NPCs can climb, it is still not a walk in the park... and I don't even mean the werewolves! I'll try making serpentine roads elsewhere - plenty of mountains to practice on in Skyrim.

Yeah, those mages from the Department of Transport had their work cut out for them. Until one of them came up with a better idea: he summoned a daedroth before breakfast, scaled it up and put a goat on the other side of the mountain. There was a pass there before we knew it.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 18 2021, 10:58 AM

[macole]

Ah yes, those Daedroth do love their roast goat.

[Lena Wolf]

Update announcement: I've uploaded a patch for TWMP Skyrim Alive - I forgot to pack the new textures into the original archive! I have also updated the main archive, this is now called version 1.0.1 - the same as version 1.0 but the missing files are now included...

Please download the patch (the missing files) if you've got version 1.0 main archive.

[macole]

Thank you Lena!

[Lena Wolf]

Construction continues! I've been fixing up the mountain passes - smoothing the terrain, placing some rocks and trees and redoing path grids. If you don't, creatures materialise in mid-air, and as most of them cannot fly, they fall to their deaths (see mammoth pic below). Also your summons materialise on the grid and fall to their death... So now all path grids actually connect with the ground.

I have also extended Helgen. Well, established Helgen and built it around the Northern Inn where the Old and the New Pale Passes come into Skyim. Of course this is the right spot! Helgen is an Imperial Outpost, so it will have Legionnaires on patrol. It has an old ruined tower (typical) currently overrun by bandits and whatnot, and a new watch tower with barracks. There's also a smithy and of course the inn that was there already before. No interiors or NPCs yet - but they will appear!

Helgen - The Northern Inn and the new watch tower

The smithy, etc.

The old tower

The Helgen mountain pass, now with rocks and trees

Wolf, Ice Worm and the Throat of the World

Mammoths cannot fly

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Nov 21 2021, 10:42 PM