Just started this game. Where do I download the Mods? Is it through Steam? Also, How much of visual effect do the Mods have? I game at 1200 res. Which Mods are the best?
You will be restricted which mods you can use. Be sure to disable Aero to free up some video ram, you only have 1GB of mappable space. 2GB system ram is very low, especially with Vista, it will cause horrible stutters. If you can overclock, it will help, but the main problem is lack of system ram to get the game running ok with no mods. With many mods, 1GB video ram is a big limit.
Add some more RAM my friend - 2GB is not going to work well on most modern games. As for mods - The Nexus was already linked for you and it's the #1 place for Skyrim Mods (and for many other games as well).
Thanks for the link. My current system is being overhauled. No worries with being able to run it. Even now I've got everything at Ultra 8xAA and average 48fps but I will be changing my system.
I think the best one I've seen is Skyrim2k (Correct me if the name is wrong) Does quite a massive overhaul on Skyrim and replaces a TON of textures with 2K resolutions textures.
Thats good that you will be upgrading.. currently Im running a *modest* amount of mods and using k enb.. able to play at 45-60 fps with dof and ambient occlusion off.. and thats with my 670 overclocked and 2600@ 4.6,, thats at 1920x1080 also. Best mods to look for are the immersive weapons, Immersive diaglogue, static mesh mod, sky ui, better blood, and if your system will be able to handle it, lush grass and lush trees.
Most comprehensive one click mod is the 2K mod,. Imo though I prefer grabbing several different ones so that its easier to pick and choose and see what runs best with your system where if you go all in with something like 2k, it overhauls everything.
I have: ALL 2k texture mods, Extreme ENB series graphics overhaul (SSAO enabled, and DOF enabled), Distant smoke/fog enhancement mod, Hi-res water texture, Under water green fix, Hi-res day and night sky, enable 8xAA, 16xAF, 1080p Ultra settings. and a few more too and I can still pull in around 60fps with the occasional drop to around 57-55fps but very rare. I add in Lush trees, and lush grass mod and my minimum frame rate PLUMMETS to around 35fps!! These TWO mods I would seriously stick away from unless you have crossfire or SLi even disabling AA, and AF it still didnt help much.
What are your ugrids set to?? I am wondering if by starting a new game with them set to 7 was a mistake as it may be bringing my fps down.
Any suggestions as to good shadow mods....mine look flickery and washed out.......maybe i tweaked the .ini early on and forgot what i changed. Want shadows to be solid and deep....not all light and blurry
There is not much you can do about that. Increasing the shadow map resolution in the .ini improves it somewhat. Yet don't expect too much.
Don't forget the order of mods is very important, especially if you use a ton of them. It can get a little tedious! I have seen over the months in various threads (when searching) people having screenshots or listings etc of what they installed, and listed in the order of which they are installed. In many cases, entire mods were overwritten by other (potentially lesser quality for those components) mods! I don't know how you could say to list it, maybe putting the crappier mods first? . There are guides for this too, but they only cover circumstances of the mods they list. I'm just 'thinking aloud' as I need to 'overhaul' my lists and mods :S
I suggest you wait for the new version of STEP to be released. The Overhaul mod for Skyrim. The new release is anyday now. RECENT NEWS - 12 February Version 2.2.1 is coming soon with some significant changes. We will be moving the guide to the STEP Community wiki and hosting an asset with link to the guide here on the Nexus. We ask that STEP users download the PDF containing the link to the STEP Guide as a courtesy in order to keep STEP relevant and visible on the Nexus. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11