SkyrimLE:2.2.9

SkyrimLE v2.2.9

Changelog   |   Release Date: July 8th, 2014

WARNING

This guide is out of date and is NOT supported! It may contain information that is incorrect or not in line with the current state of the game.
Go to the latest supported SkyrimLE Guide.

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- Visit the forums and provide feedback related to STEP.

- Also visit the STEP Facebook page maintained by TheCompiler (Daniel).

- To support hosting and maintenance of the STEP Community Project, contributions are welcome.

Interim Release #3

STEP 2.2.9 marks the third release in bridging our move to a new paradigm that will officially be unveiled as STEP 2.3.0. Thus, this marks our third interim release with a more strict STEP:Core. It has also undergone a thorough reanalysis of the Extended mod list in preparation for its separation into the official STEP Pack. This has led to several mods being dropped from Extended in accordance with the STEP:Extended Mandate.

Finally, STEP:Packs to be installed after a STEP:Core install (all mods flagged by the green indicator) will be linked at the end of this guide for users wishing to add user-contributed functionality to the STEP:Core build. So far there are a few Packs created for STEP, but we expect this number to grow in the near future. Full Pack integration will be rolled out with STEP v2.3.0.

About STEP

A Foreword

Created by TheCompiler, STEP is a collaborative project with input from the modding community, technical volunteers, and project administrators. The goal is to provide tested and validated methods for establishing and maintaining an enhanced modded Skyrim. Thus, the Guide provides detailed, well-tested build instructions for a solid modding template. New modders can follow STEP explicitly, or more experienced modders may use it as general guide.

The STEP team collects information from the modding community through extensive mod testing, detailed reviews, feedback, and suggestions exchanged on the STEP Community Forums. Posting rules apply, so be sure to read and follow them and enjoy a warm welcome and plenty of high-quality support from a large community of experienced STEPers. Check out the comparison screenshots on the Nexus.

Minimum System for STEP:Core

It is tentatively planned that STEP:Core (and Extended, by proxy) will continue to provide a performance-friendly version in tandem with a standard version. Given what we know about the memory limits for 32-bit applications (aka the "3.1 GB limit for Skyrim"). This will most likely entail installation options associated with many of the Core mods and possibly even two performance patches (TBD).

For this release, we recommend the following as a minimum hardware configuration for running STEP:Core (installing "Baseline" versions of "Core" mods only). For those wishing to use higher-quality options and/or to install the non-Core mods (tentatively, STEP:Extended Beta), be advised that a more powerful system is likely necessary. The Baseline install that we recommend will provide the best quality-performance trade-off.

Hardware	Minimum	Recommended
Windows OS	Windows XP	Windows 7 or 8
CPU	Intel Core i3 (dual core)	Intel Core i5/i7 (quad core)
System RAM	4 GB	>=8 GB
GPU	1GB VRAM	>=2GB VRAM
Monitor Resolution	1366x768	1920x1080

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Mod Tables Legend

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Mod Name	Baseline		DG	Notes

	Core Mod	Core mods are indicated by the presence of a green-ish vertical bar in the row at the immediate left-hand column of the table.
	Mod Name	Shortened version (where applicable) of Nexus mod name presented as a link to Nexus for download.
		Link to the mod's Wiki page.
	Baseline	This notes the STEP Baseline version or option of the corresponding mod, and usually refers to options affecting performance/quality. General suggestions are located in the "Notes" column.
	Quality Options	Indicates if there are performance-friendly or performance-unfriendly versions of the mod relative to the Baseline recommendation:
		Relative to Baseline, a lower quality, less demanding version of the mod is also available.
		Relative to Baseline, a higher quality, more demanding version of the mod is also available.
		Relative to Baseline, both lower and higher quality versions of the mod are available.
	DLC Required	Any DLCs listed here are required for the mod to function. If all DLCs listed are not present do not use this mod.
	Notes	Brief notes that apply to the mod or installation. In some cases, mods with many alternative options will include a suggested option. These suggestions will take the form of: "STEP recommends 'Option A'." In other cases, there may only be one appropriate alternative option that fits the STEP Mandate. These instructions will take the form of: "Use 'Option A'."

NOTE: It is particularly important that novice modders begin with clean installations of Steam & Skyrim in order to be successful with the 'quick' setup first time around, so PLEASE READ EACH SECTION CAREFULLY, as no information included in this guide is irrelevant!

STEP 1

Pre-Installation Setup

1.A. Install Steam & Skyrim

Detailed Information --> Skyrim Installation Guide

This guide assumes that the user is beginning with a clean Skyrim installation. If necessary, please take some time to properly set up and configure Steam and install Skyrim as recommended by the Skyrim Installation Guide before continuing.

1.B. Skyrim Launcher Options

Detailed Information --> Skyrim Launcher Guide

As a quick-start to installing STEP, simply launch Skyrim from Steam to initialize the auto-detection process, accept the preset, and continue to 1.C. Make certain that the preset Antialiasing is no greater than 4x (4 samples); otherwise, keep the preset. This is a conservative preset that will facilitate a smooth game once STEP is configured initially according to this guide (i.e., what does not tax performance now may be burdensome later). More extensive INI tweaking can be done after STEP is set up and verified as running smoothly.

1.C. Install Utilities

While mods can be installed manually, it is not recommended. A mod-management utility is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in order to keep track of a complex setup like STEP. These utilities also make it exponentially simpler to deconstruct a STEP install in order to update to a new STEP version, and to update versions of the mods. This is impossible to do simply or efficiently (or even correctly) otherwise.

There are several utilities that may be used to manage the STEP setup; however, STEP now officially supports only Mod Organizer for reasons stated in the guide introduction. Although Wrye Bash is a mod manager, STEP recommends that it only be used as a helper application to Mod Organizer exclusively for the functionality of the Bashed Patch. The reason for the limited support of Wrye Bash is due to simplicity of this guide. Users who wish to use Wrye Bash can easily use that mod manager to install and maintain STEP. Wrye Bash users can use the Wrye Bash Guide for detailed instructions on setting up that exceedingly excellent modding utility package.

No mods defined.

1.D. INI Tweaks

Detailed Information --> Skyrim INI Guide

The following instructions expect the unedited default INIs! If the INI files have already been edited, please delete them from %userprofile%\My Documents\my games\skyrim and .\Mod Organizer\profiles\

The Skyrim INI files are located in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Skyrim\. As in the previous section above, it is highly recommended that no other INI settings be configured at this point, because the conservative presets are a good starting point for accommodating a performance-friendly initial STEP setup. The detailed INI guide can be referenced once a stable setup is verified after completing this guide.

The following INI tweaks are recommended for all users and affect gameplay without impacting performance (except minorly where indicated). Create the following at the end of each of the indicated INI sections. Sections are marked by names within square brackets '[ ]', and some of these sections may already exist, but for those that do not, create the section. Carefully check that ...

1. ... no duplicate entries are created,
2. that all entries are placed into the correct section, and
3. that all sections are properly defined

1.D.1. Skyrim INI

Each of the following entries can be pasted directly into the INI (if editing manually). The entry descriptions are commented, so they will not be interpreted by the game at startup. Alternatively, these descriptions can be omitted.

[General]
sIntroSequence=    ;Disables the intro sequence for a faster startup
fFlickeringLightDistance=8192    ;Helps prevent lighting pop-in

[Display]
;Improves shadow changes as the sun moves through the sky
fSunShadowUpdateTime=0.25    ;Transition time of sun-shadow movement
fSunUpdateThreshold=1.5    ;Time between sun-shadow movement
iPresentInterval = 0/1    ;this setting should not be in this location! If it is, DELETE it! - vsync should be handled in enblocal.ini (see ENBoost mod instructions)

[Grass]
iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=3    ;increase grass diversity with a small cost to performance (yes, 'texure' and not 'texture'). Consider setting to 7 if using Skyrim Flora Overhaul.

[Combat]
;Shift the point of aim to the center of the aiming reticule for arrows and crossbows.
f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7 
f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7 
f1PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7 
f3PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7

[Actor]
fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000    ;allows arrows to hit objects as far as the appear to fly.

1.D.2. SkyrimPrefs INI

[Display]
iMaxAnisotropy = 0    ;Anisotropic Filtering - set this to zero, as it should be controlled via the graphics driver.
iMultiSample = 4    ;Antialiasing - keep the value set by the Skyrim Launcher for now
iPresentInterval = 0/1    ;this setting has no apparent impact and should be DELETED - vsync should be handled in enblocal.ini (see ENBoost mod instructions)
bTreesReceiveShadows=1    ;Enables shadows rendering on trees (insignificant performance impact)
bDrawLandShadows=1    ;Enables shadows rendering on land (insignificant performance impact)
bFloatPointRenderTarget=1    ;ENB users ONLY!

[Controls]
bMouseAcceleration=0    ;Disable mouse acceleration

1.E. Display & Video Card Settings

Often under-appreciated, display and driver settings have a huge potential impact on graphic quality of Skyrim and anything else that is displayed on the monitor in 2D or 3D. So it is important to get this done correctly. Below are the essentials, and no further tweaking is necessary; although, people will do what they must. Again, it is highly recommended that the bare minimal tweaking be done until after STEP is installed and configured according to the Baseline dictated by this guide.

Update Video Drivers

If there is any reason to believe that the latest drivers installed on your system are not the latest available or that they are not installed correctly and are causing issues then do the following. Else, just install the latest drivers as normal ...

1. Download the latest stable AMD drivers / Nvidia drivers.
2. If installing/re-installing new drivers, download DDU and install it (DDU forum Page).
3. Boot into safe mode by repeatedly pressing F8 once the boot check initializes and before the OS begins loading (no need to uninstall the current drivers, but it will not hurt at all).
4. Launch DDU, and select the appropriate driver from the drop-down combobox.
5. Note the recommendations in DDU and initialize the cleanup.
6. Reboot normally and install the latest drivers.

1.E.1. Configure Driver Settings

STEP has more detailed information in both the AMD-CCC guide as well as the Nvidia Inspector guide, and other AMD-CCC and Nvidia Inspector / Control Center guides exist for the inquisitive user. The following information is minimalistic, sound advice, and users are encouraged to add their own 2 cents for consideration via the AMD-CCC Talk and Nvidia Inspector Talk pages.

In Short - The graphics software should only be forcing max Anisotropic Filtering (AF) (and Supersampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA) for higher-end cards). All other settings should be left to the Skyrim configuration and ENBoost configurations (see above).

1.E.1.1. AMD Users

Detailed Information --> Catalyst Control Center Guide

The AMD driver configuration utility, Catalyst Control Center (CCC), is installed along with the graphics drivers by default.

1. Within CCC , select |Gaming| > |3D Application Settings|.
2. Click |+ Add|, then browse to and select TESV.exe, and click on this new profile (these settings will only apply to Skyrim now).
3. Set Anti-Aliasing Mode to "Use application settings" (driver-side AA has no impact on Skyrim, as it is a function only of iMultiSample in SkyrimPrefs.ini). If set to "Override application settings", AA will be turned off in Skyrim, regardless of the Skyrim INI setting!
4. Set Anti-Aliasing Method to "Multisampling" (for better performance), or set to Supersampling if your video card can handle it (for better quality). For some reason, driver-side AA method does work, just not sample rate.
5. Force Anisotropic Filtering Mode by setting Anisotropic filtering to "Override application settings".
6. Set Anisotropic Filtering Setting to 16x.
7. Set Wait for Vertical Refresh to "Off, unless application specifies" (Recall that vsync should be running via ENBoost's enblocal.ini!)
8. Save and close, accepting any overwrite when prompted.

1.E.1.2. Nvidia Users

Detailed Information --> Nvidia Inspector Guide: Editing Skyrim Settings

Make the following changes via Nvidia Inspector, otherwise leave the defaults (they can be tweaked later if absolutely necessary).

1. Download Nvidia Inspector. This is a portable program and requires no installation. Simply place in a convenient location and create a shortcut to the executable.
2. Within Inspector, select the "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" profile and keep all of the default settings except for the following changes:

1. Set Antialiasing - Mode to "Application-controlled". Apparently, SkyrimPrefs.ini dictates the level of AA, but the video card drivers can dictate the method of AA. If set to "Override", AA will be turned off in Skyrim, regardless of the Skyrim INI setting!
2. Set Antialiasing - Setting to "Application-controlled / Off" (for better performance), or set to use 2x2 (or 4x4) Supersampling if the video card can handle it (for better quality).
3. Force Anisotropic filtering mode by setting Anisotropic filtering to "User-defined / Off".
4. Set Anisotropic filtering setting to 16x. High values may cause texture shimmering in mid to long range texture LODs. If this happens, adjusting the LOD bias can help to remedy the issue. (See the Detailed Information link above for more information)
5. Set Vertical Sync Tear Control to Standard if not already.
6. Set Vertical Sync to Use 3D application setting. (Recall that vsync should be running via ENBoost's enblocal.ini!)
7. Click Apply changes twice and then close, accepting any overwrite when prompted.

1.E.2. Display Calibration

Color calibration is critical to photographers and graphic artists that work across media types, but it is also more or less important for everyone that uses a computer. For gamers like those interested inb STEP, it is a bit more important, because there is a lot of screenshot sharing and qualitative discussion about in-game visuals. It is ideal id all users are somewhat 'standardized' for comparative purposes alone.

The gist: Calibrate the monitor's display settings based on the video driver configuration utility with all other configuration baselines set to something akin to "mid level".

There are three places to configure color saturation, temp, brightness, contrast, gamma, etc:

1. The monitor's built-in config
2. Windows color management
3. The driver configuration utility (see h"Configure Driver Settings above)

The settings of one affect the settings of the other, and depending on the quality of the monitor, #1 could be very good or just 'OK'. The #2 and #3 settings should be standard though, since they are made to work across various monitors.

• Ensure that #1 is set to "the middle ground" with respect to all settings. Having extreme settings in the monitor configuration could potentially constrain the other configurations. For some, wetting all #1 to mid levels will be best, but for others the 'auto-config' will be best (this may not set all #1 to mid settings). Depending on the monitor, there may be other auto-config options based on various presets. Whatever seems most "middle of the road" is probably best for #1.
• Optionally, also run #2 (Control Panel > Display > Calibrate Color) and set to 'vanilla' mid-levels with respect to all attributes. If this was never run previously, then it should already be at mid-level.
• Calibrate using #3 (see below) using a this reference image and in a room with no direct lighting that could affect what the monitor shows (not-too-bright, diffuse-lighted room). The main calibration should be left to #3 once a mid baseline 'canvas' has been established for #1 and #2.
  • AMD-CCC: |Desktop Management| > |Desktop Color| (click "Reactivate AMD color controls").
  • Nvidia Control Panel: Access from the Windows Control Panel. |Display| > |Adjust desktop color settings|

1.F. Performance Benchmarking

Detailed Information --> Benchmarking STEP

YOU CAN HELP!

Baseline performance benchmarks help us to assess performance variation across a range of computer configurations, which is useful for all users. User contributions in this regard are highly valued and much appreciated! Database-comparison benchmarks will be available as sufficient numbers of user-submitted data accumulate (and once we construct the system that will contain this information).

Points during setup that benchmarking is suggested will be indicated by:

Benchmark

Final Pre-Installation Notes

A Final Consideration

• Remember that STEP:Core should be used as a base for ANY modded setup. It is a universal build and will not spoil any downstream setup (e.g., Skyrim Revisited - Legendary Edition), although there may well be a few minor redundancies whereby a STEP:Core mod is later installed again with some added or subtracted options.

• Install mods in the order that they are presented in the following tables in order to achieve the desired result.

• Read the ReadMe and other mod-related documentation that comes packaged with most mods. This includes the mod description on the Nexus. If the mod author has seen fit and taken time to create these reference materials, then they are relevant and important in the eyes of the mod author. This means that they are relevant and important to you!

STEP 2

Mod Installation

2.A. LOOT Sorting

At any time during the mod installation process LOOT should be used to sort plugin load order before stopping to benchmark and test Skyrim. This is necessary to ensure proper plugin priority order (load order), which can have a dramatic impact on the game (or at worst cause a CTD).

1. Launch LOOT via Mod Organizer by clicking on the "Sort" button or directly from the executables drop-down menu.
2. Examine the LOOT output carefully and look for any alerts or warnings and address each. The Plugins tab in MO (on the right side of the MO window) is where plugins can be activated/deactivated and sorted (either drag and drop or use Ctrl + Up/Down arrow keys to sort).

2.B. Clean the Update ESM

To remove errors in the Bethesda master files, STEP recommends that they be cleaned with TES5Edit. This ensures maximum stability and compatibility within the Skyrim modding experience. At this time, Update.esm shall be cleaned in the following manner:

1. Make a backup of Update.esm from <skyrim>/data directory by copying it to the desktop (or somewhere else handy).
2. Clean Update.esm.
   • Run TES5Edit through Mod Organizer.
   • Right-click the list of plugins and choose Select None.
   • Double-click Update.esm.
   • Wait for the Background Loader: finished message in the right panel, and then right-click Update.esm and select Apply Filter For Cleaning.
   • Wait for the [Filtering done] message in the right panel, and then right-click Update.esm and select Remove "Identical to Master" records. If the Warning! prompt pops up, click Yes, I'm absolutely sure.
   • Wait for the [Removing "Identical to Master" records done] message, and then right-click Update.esm and select Undelete and Disable References.
   • Wait for the [Undeleting and Disabling References done] message, and then click the [X] to exit the program
   • At the prompt, make sure Update.esm is checked and click OK.
3. After cleaning, there shall be files in Overwrite (essentially a fake mod located at the bottom of the left pane if sorted by priority ascending) created by TES5Edit.
   • Right-click Overwrite and select Create Mod
   • Name it TES5Edit Backups and click OK. This will create a new mod listing in the left pane for the TES5Edit Backups useful if the changes failed to be successful.
   • Each subsequent time TES5Edit is used to edit a file, open Overwrite and drag the TES5Edit Backups back to this mod. This will keep them in an organized and safe location. The files have no impact on the game.
   • Right-click the TES5Edit Backups mod and select Ignore Missing Data to remove the red X flag.
4. Place the cleaned Update.esm in a new mod inside Mod Organizer
   • Go to <ModOrganizer>/mods and create a new folder called Cleaned Update ESM.
   • Copy the cleaned Update.esm from <skyrim>/data to the Cleaned Update ESM directory.
   • Enable the Cleaned Update ESM mod in Mod Organizer's left pane by ticking the checkbox.
5. Restore the backup created in step 1 to the <skyrim>/data directory.

The Cleaned Update ESM mod should be placed at the top of Mod Organizer's left pane.

2.C.

No mods defined.

2.D.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.E.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.F.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.G.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.H.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.I.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.J.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.K.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.L.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.M.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.N.

No mods defined.

Benchmark

2.O. Launching STEP:Skyrim

Once all mods have been installed, run LOOT one final time to ensure the correct plugin order. When ready to play for the first time after a STEP install, be certain to either:

• Start a brand new character, or
• load the save game generated just after character creation if it exists, or
• load an existing character after clean saving the relevant save game.

STEP 3

Tips & Troubleshooting Common Issues

3.A. Troubleshooting Common Problems

A heavily modded Skyrim can bring even a very powerful system to its knees. Maximum visual quality is highly dependent upon total on-card graphics-dedicated video memory (VRAM), the number of GPUs, and monitor resolution. The goal should be to maintain 30 or more FPS on average without any noticeable stuttering.

3.A.1. Failure to Launch

Skyrim still sometimes fails to launch, and the following are some of the most common causes and solutions:

• Improper load order - Run LOOT and examine the output. Plugins out of order or plugins with missing masters will cause this. LOOT will sort everything properly, but certain patches installed with certain mods included with STEP:Extended will not apply under a STEP:Core install, so these plugins need to be un-ticked in MO or WB plugin lists.
• Improper Bashed Patch - This can result from ticking options that are not explicitly mentioned in this guide, or it can result if the Bashed Patch was not rebuilt after a mod-list/order change.
• Bad INI settings - If Skyrim.ini or SkyrimPrefs.ini were edited in a way that was not described in STEP 1.D. (or if a fresh, default INI was not used as a baseline), certain settings can cause this issue. The quickest solution is to revisit that section and regenerate a fresh INI with the recommended settings.

3.A.2. Crashes to Desktop (CTD)

There are unfortunately many reasons for CTDs just after launch or shortly thereafter, but if this guide was followed precisely, STEP mods should not be the cause. Following are some common causes and solutions.

• Improper Load Order - Run LOOT and examine the output as in the previous section.
• Missing Masters - If an active plugin is missing its dependent master, a CTD will occur immediately. To fix, either locate the missing master and add it in or deactivate the plugin missing its master.
  • MO will show a red exclamation icon next to the plugin, while Wrye Bash will show a red checkbox next to the plugin.
• Improper Bashed Patch - See the previous section.
• Bad INI settings - Yep, see the previous section.
• Bad video settings or incompatible driver version - Revisit STEP 1.E. and verify settings, back them down to 'performance' options, or update to the proper video driver.
• Windows environment issue - This is highly possible and unfortunately too difficult to prescribe any remotely ubiquitous solution other than restarting the computer and checking for conflicting processes (e.g., anti-virus/maleware). Google is a friend to all in need.

3.A.3. Semi-Invisible People, Objects or Misbehaving Walls

Following are some solutions:

• Transparency Antialiasing - Turn of any transparency (adaptive) sampling if enabled under antialiasing settings of the graphics-driver software (see references under STEP 1.E.). Also, remember to download the latest graphic drivers.
• Bad INI settings - If using ENB, set bFloatPointRenderTarget=1 in the SkyrimPrefs.ini.

3.A.4. Stuttering

• Microstutter - This is an annoying 'glitchiness' when moving or panning for those using higher-end graphics cards (usually) or multiple GPUs in SLI or CrossfireX configs (purportedly). Follow the recommendations for ENBoost, noting in particular EnableVSync=true . If this does not resolve the issue:
  • Ensure that microstutter is not being confused with 'macro'-stutter, which is more severe and memory related. Remember: microstutter is very annoying, but not hindering in any way.
  • Try forcing vsync via Nvidia Inspector (Nvidia users) or RadeonPro (AMD users) ... sorry Intel users. Also (and this is very important), enable D3D-compatible triple buffering via RadeonPro. Nvidia Inspector users: D3D-compatible triple buffering is not available. Use D3Doverrider instead. This may also have a vsync function.
• Macrostutter - This is most likely the result of using textures and meshes that exceed the limits of GPU VRAM. ENBoost should prevent this in most cases, but certain user configurations and/or hardware may not behave as expected:
  • Verify ENBoost settings and graphics settings described under STEP 1.E.!
  • Re-install the most performance-friendly versions of mods as indicated by the "Quality Options" column of the mod tables above.
  • Consult the DDSopt Guide to learn how to optimize textures accordingly.
  • Finally, Un-install Skyrim Flora Overhaul and Skyrim Realistic Overhaul, which are easily the most VRAM-intensive mods in STEP (although there are others under STEP 2.F. and STEP 2.G. in particular).
  • Enable windowed mode via ENBoost (instructions at bottom of mod page).

3.A.5. Texture Flickering, Etc.

Refer to the Z-Fighting Guide.

3.B. In-Game Tips

• The console can be activated by pressing the tilde ([~]) key, often located just below [Escape], while in-game.
• ENBoost has a couple built in hotkeys that are helpful (can be adjusted in enblocal.ini section [INPUT]):
  1. Show FPS: [*] (on the numpad not shift+8)
  2. Free VRAM: [f4]
  3. Screenshot: print screen (Skyrim's screenshots do not work with ENB/ENBoost)
• Steam screenshots are [f12], but if using a keyboard with multimedia keys it could be [shift+f12].
  1. Be aware [shift+f12] is also the ENB Series Graphics hotkey to toggle the effects on/off. ENBoost ONLY users are not affected.

3.B.1. Optimize Field of View (FOV)

Prior to 2008, the most common monitor resolutions were 16:10 aspect ratio (source). Since then, 16:9 has become the standard. The Skyrim FOV defaults to 75 (%) and is optimized for monitor aspect ratio of 16:10. Therefore, users with 16:9 monitors (e.g. 1920x1080) will want to increase their FOV to 81. Setting this in the INI does not persist, so it must be done via the console. Within Skyrim, open the console (tap the tilde [~] key) and type: fov 81 . Those rare and unfortunate users stuck with 4:3 aspect ratio will need to 'reduce' their FOV down to 62.

A helpful conversion calculator can assist in calculation of other monitor types (just type in a 16:10 on the right side and the new resolution on the left to get the new hFOV).

3.B.2. BIG Frame Drops During Cell Loading

This is a likely indicator that VRAM is too often operating at or beyond capacity (see 3.A.4).

STEP Packs

Community Add-ons

STEP Packs are generally intended to go over the STEP:Core build. Be certain to read the Pack instructions to determine what build the Pack is dependent upon.

Consider reviewing some of the Packs that our users have been developing to augment STEP.

STEP Packs

User Contributions

How YOU Can Help

STEP can only get bigger and better with help from the user community. Even simply maintaining the current STEP is too much work for the core STEP team to ensure that the highest quality is maintained. We need people to help us identify mods that improve Skyrim while adhering to the STEP Mandate. We also need ongoing reviews and updates on mods that may be causing problems or that stray from the STEP philosophy. Finally, we need help from the community in terms of testing, benchmarking and analysis. More detail is presented in the Mod Testing Guide.

In order to suggest a mod, visit the Mod Suggestions section of the STEP Forums.

Call for Wiki Content Editors

The STEP Community Wiki is open to editing by all registered community members; however, we need assistance maintaining and creating new supporting content. We are particularly interested in obtaining a few people with a passion for writing and editing. Familiarity with wiki markup is preferable but not necessary. Interested parties please contact z929669 via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page).

Call for STEP Mod Testers

STEP users interested in becoming testers, please contact z929669 via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page). Once registered, record your system specs by clicking on the button and filling out the form. These specs will be associated with performance data by tester. Before deciding, read through the Mod Testing Guide to get a sense what mod testing involves.

Call for STEP Benchmarks

Users interested in helping out with the STEP Benchmarking Project, see our benchmarking guidelines and submit results on the forums (see link at upper left of site header bar).

Call for Forum Moderators

Regular STEP forum users interested in becoming moderators, please contact z929669 via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page).

Thank you for reading and enjoy the game!

Special Credits

The STEP administrators would sincerely like to thank (from the bottoms of our fuzzy little hearts):

• The authors of mods recommended in STEP
• The core STEP Community for feedback, suggestions and input
• The STEP beta testers ... for their good humor and rigorous analyses
• The Nexus community
• Bethesda Softworks for Skyrim (and TES in general)
• Tannin for continued development and support of Mod Organizer
• A very special thanks to STEP aficionados, EssArrBee, DoubleYou and TechAngel85 for their assistance with this release. EssArrBee is also our STEP Patch maintainer, so a big thanks to him for that. DoubleYou is also the lead maintainer of the MO Guide. TechAngel is a Release Coordinator and FOMOD extraordinaire.

The core STEP team is:

• stoppingby4now - Main site developer, Semantic Mediawiki developer & extraordinaire, site founder
• TheCompiler - STEP creator, mod-list extraordinaire
• z929669 - Wiki & forums content editor, main site administrator, hosting maintenance, site founder
• Active STEP volunteer staff: Aiyen, EssArrBee, deathneko11, DoubleYou, GSDfan, Kelmych, kryptopyr, phazer11, phryxolydian, rootsrat, TechAngel85, torminater, WilliamImm
• Farlo - Mediawiki developer & extraordinaire, Mod-list co-compiler, forums admin, site founder (out of commission since November, 2013)
• MontyMM - Solutions developer (Semi-Automatic STEP), site founder (out of commission since December, 2013)

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