Solstheim Genesis
A comprehensive overhaul that brings Solstheim back to life. Billboards and 3D LOD available for use with DynDOLOD and TES5LODGen. Updated 11/12/18 added patches for many landscape and tree mods and 11/13/18 with fixes for 3D LOD
General info:
This mod is a comprehensive overhaul for the island of Solstheim. My hope was to return Solstheim to it’s 3rd era glory with the addition of flora from Vvardenfell to the southern half of the island. The northern half of the island has more flora and hundreds of trees have been added.
Here are some of the changes this mod makes:
– ash textures from some of the trees and objects have been removed. Rocks and boulders are generally untouched but don’t clash with the new environment
– ash landscape textures have been removed from the landscape and replaced with other types of terrain
– grass has been added to the island. See below for recommended settings
– the southern half of the island now has over 1000 new types of flora added including mushrooms, trees, and flora native to both Morrowind and Skyrim
– the northern half of the island has more trees both bare and snow covered
– ash storms and weather have all but been removed from the island (still a 2-5% chance of an ash storm) and replaced with sunny weather
– ash covered trees and ash dunes have been removed or replaced
– 3-D LOD generation now available as an optional download, see the optional files section (you MUST run DynDOLOD). **3D LODs were updated on 3/25 so DynDOLOD users grab the latest version (fixes missing snowy leafless LOD texture)
Compatibility:
This mod ONLY alters the Solstheim world space and does not touch Skyrim
Currently there are several options:
1) vanilla tree LOD for skyrim without landscape and tree overhauls (loose files or bsa available)
2) Use the patches in the optional files section to make Solstheim genesis compatible with other mods that change vanilla trees
3) core files plus billboards for mixing this overhaul with other tree mods (TES5LODGen and DynDOLOD required) AND/OR for generating 3D Tree LOD (DynDOLOD required) 3-D LOD files are available in the optional files section for use with the DynDOLOD 3D tree option.
– install the Core Files plus Billboards first, then install the optional 3D tree files in the optional files section
– follow instructions in DynDOLOD readme for 3D tree generation….In short TreeLOD=0 must be set in the DynDOLOD_TES5.ini file (DynDOLOD–>Edit Scripts–>DynDOLOD–>DynDOLOD_TES5.ini)
This mod is compatible with other mods for Solstheim, but not with Solstheim mods that change weather or make landscape changes.
Solstheim Genesis has been tested with the following mods:
– Spring Forest Overhaul version 2 (patch available for Solstheim Genesis on that page)
– Solstheim the lost levels (minor landscape conflicts exist)
– Nyhus and the border of Cyrodiil (minor landscape conflicts exist)
– Old Cabin\
– House Dres Part 1 Underhanded Slavery
– Raven Rock Expanded
– Solstheim extended Tel Mithryn and Skaal Village
– Teladryn Serious
– verdant grass (load this mod after verdant to add the snow grasses from this mod)
– Veydosebrom (load Genesis after Veydosebrom)
– Solstheim Castle
– Fantasy Forests Overhaul (latest version does not touch Solstheim)
– Dark Forests of Skyrim (latest version does not touch Solstheim)
– grass mods in general should be compatible (only Verdant has been tested thus far)
– the latest version of Enhanced Landscape is compatible with Genesis based on looking at the archives of both mods (but I have not personally tested it)
The following mods are NOT compatible out-of-box:
Solstheim Climate Overhaul (adds weathers that conflict the ash-less meteorology of Genesis)
Solstheim Landscape Overhaul (no longer available on Nexus)
Summer Solstheim
Dark Forests of Skyrim Solstheim Apocalypse
ALL landscape overhauls for Solstheim!
mods that modify or add ash textures
mods that modify or change the ash weather
Wet and Cold Ashes (I still have this in my load order but I used TES5Edit to delete the changes to the ash weather)
Skyrim Bigger Trees (can be made compatible with TES5LODGen or DynDOLOD)
Grass: make sure to have the following settings in your Skyrim ini (if you don’t see grass then you need to add these lines)
– Other grass mods are compatible so change your load order and make sure Genesis is loaded after all other grass mods
Skyrim.ini:
[Grass]
iGrassCellRadius=2
bAllowCreateGrass=1
bAllowLoadGrass=0
bGrassPointLighting=1
b30GrassVS=0
iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=10 (important if you want to see all the grasses used in this mod, this can be set higher than 10 without issues)
iMinGrassSize=50 (set this higher for better performance but with less dense grass)
Skyrimprefs.ini
[Grass]
b30GrassVS=0
fGrassStartFadeDistance=9000.0000
fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=9000.0000
fGrassMinStartFadeDistance=400.0000
Installation:
– Install manually or with mod manager.
– only install ONE main file:
-loose files edition
– bsa archive edition
– Core plus billboards if you plan to generate LOD or 3D trees
– TES5LODGen and DynDOLOD users should install the core files plus billboards main file. You must generate tree lod with either of these programs if you wish to combine tree and landscape overhauls
– for 3D tree install Core Files plus Billboards, then the optional files for 3D trees in the optional files section, then the patch in the update section. Run DynDOLOD following instructions for 3D tree generation
– performance version with lower resolution textures is available in the optional section. Install one of the main files first then overwrite with the performance bsa.
– patches for Fantasy Forest Overhaul version 4.0 and Skyrim Flora Overhaul version 2.6 are now available in the optional files section. Install FFO or SFO first, then Solstheim Genesis, then the patch
– more patches forthcoming for other tree and landscape mods, until then you will have to grab the Core files + BBs and generate your own LOD.
Changelog:
– v 1: initial release
– v 1.1: fixed a few floating plants
– v 2: major overhaul to all grasses, removed unused objects, added new grasses and custom landscape textures, added 3D LODs
– v 2.1: fixed some floating trees/shrubs, and fixed a few 3D LOD meshes with missing textures
– v 2.2:
– fixed bad meshes
– re-sized billboards and re-scaled them to proper dimensions
– fixed floating plants and shrubs
– fixed bad landscape seams all over the island
– added clutter around rock and ash rock piles to fix ugly seams from the vanilla game
– added dozens of additional trees and small flora
– added patches for SFO v2.6 and FFO v4.0
