Welcome to...

 The
Unique
 Landscapes
      Project

Unique Landscapes (short: UL) is based on the vision of a diversified and beautiful Cyrodiil. Imagine a world where exploring not only means to find new enemies and treasures but to enjoy gorgeous landscapes, a world where every step could lead to a new and unique visual experience. That is the Cyrodiil UL is working on.

To achieve a goal that huge, the UL project consists of multiple single mods. Each mod modifies a
part of Cyrodiil, following a single theme. Usually UL mods get developed completely independently from each other. This way each modder has a maximum of freedom to work on his or her vision, so every UL mod gets its own style and contributes to the diversification of Cyrodiil.

:: UL Mod Counter ::
** Released: 29 ** Work-in-progress: 2 **

:: Progress Status ::
50% Gold Coast Farmlands
40% Niben Barnyards

:: UL Map ::
These maps show the location of all released and WIP mods: UL Map - Released Mods | UL Map - Released and WIP Mods. Thanks go to worm82075 for the original map PSD resource file, available here: Oblivion Modders' Maps.

:: Historic List of Saints ::
The following people have either created an entire Unique Landscape mod on their own, or were involved in the creation of a large portion of a Unique Landscape mod. Some have even created or been involved with more than one, hence the Roman numerals after their names.
* St. A0CdT I
* St. Aberneth II
* St. Addiktive I
* St. Aelius II
* St. Apallo I
* St. Arthmoor I
* St. bananasplit II
* St. Carel de Winter III
* St. DarkSloth74 I
* St. Gondor Wache I
* St. GrandDukeAdense II
* St. Malachit III
* St. Meg I
* St. Phitt II
* St. Prettyfly II
* St. Rancen I
* St. roobsi I
* St. trollf I
* St. Verganon I
* St. WalkerInShadows I

Content
1 User Information
1.1 FAQ
1.2 Compatibility Issues
1.3 Other Known Issues
2 The Project
2.1 The UL Modstitution
2.2 Becoming a UL modder
2.3 The Team
3 Work-in-Progress Mods
4 Released Mods


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Section 1

:: User Information ::

1.1: FAQ

- Is UL compatible with [insert a mod's name here]? A large number of compatibility patches can be found here​, along with links to other patches as well.

- Is there a complete UL package that contains all of the mods? Yes,the file can be downloaded from here,and can be installed using Wrye Bash, Nexus Mod Manager or TES Mod Manager. The compilation also offers the option of a merged ESP with all the UL mods together, which helps people who have reached the limit of their load order.

- Do I have to use a specific load order for the UL mods? If you do not need any compatibility patches, you can load them in any order you want to. However some patches require a specific load order, so use BOSS​ to ensure your load order is correct. We recommend loading the UL mods nearer the end of your load order.

- Why does the land look unchanged when seen from far away? To make the landscape look the same in the distance as it does up close, you need to download two tools. Use the Landscape LOD Generator TES4LLto create distant ground, and use TES4LODGento create distant objects. These tools create entirely different things so there is no conflict between them, and both should be run after you have sorted your load order using BOSS.

- What exactly is a Saint? A Saint is a title we give to modders who have completed a UL mod in recognition of their accomplishment. The Roman Numeral after their name represents how many UL mods they have finished.


1.2: Compatibility Issues

First: We strongly recommend the use of Wrye Bash to create BAIN packages to easily install and uninstall the UL mods if needed and to adjust the load order.

To make the landscape look the same in the distance as it does up close, you need to download two tools. Use the Landscape LOD Generator TES4LL to create distant ground, and use TES4LODGen to create distant objects. These tools create entirely different things so there is no conflict between them, and both should be run after you have sorted your load order using BOSS. The results will be unique to your personal game, not a generic combination of only the most popular mods.

As a rule of thumb you can say that UL mods should be loaded last; there are lots of mods that have issues with UL otherwise, so if you find a problem, please see if loading the according UL mod last resolves the issue. In general, UL is compatible with any mod which doesn't edit the outdoor landscape. Texture packs, Grass mods and so on do NOT edit the outdoor landscape, they replace textures and meshes, so these should all be compatible. Finally, at the end of this section, you will find a list of mods that are incompatible with single UL mods in a way that no patch is possible without destroying one of the mods' spirit, so you will have to choose between them, sorry!

Compatibility Patches
Many popular mods which conflict with one or more UL have had patches created to fix the conflicts. Most of these patches can be downloaded from Nexus.
If no special instruction is given, the non-UL mod has to be loaded first, then the UL mod and last the patch. Check the patch readmes to confirm load order as there are some exceptions to this.

Incompatible Mods
The following mods have conflicts with a UL mod that are not yet resolved.
Brewhouses of Cyrodiil: No patch planned, conflict too minor to bother.
Dragonfire Trade and Transport: No patch planned, conflict too minor to bother.
Haunted House Quest and Ancient Yews: No patch planned.
Order of Nibenay: No patch planned, conflict too minor to bother.
Ravenview Village (before it was merged with other mods to Shezrie's Towns) and Cloudtop Mountains: No patch planned, upgrade to Shezrie's Towns and use the patch for that instead.
Sage's Skyrim Armory: No patch planned, conflict too minor to bother.
Wicker Man and Beaches of Cyrodiil: Lost Coast: No patch planned, conflict too minor to bother.

Instructions for Special cases:
Almost Everything VWD: Install AEVWD prior to UL mods or ensure that UL's data files overwrite the AEVWD ones by using TES Mod Manager (OBMM) or Wrye Bash, then everything is fine.
A Better Abandoned House: Use the "Interior Only" ESP with Cheydinhal Falls to prevent land tears.
Bartholm: This mod has to be loaded after Panther River.
Better Cities The ESPs from this mod have to be loaded after all UL mods.
Gates Map Marker Remover: This mod has to be loaded after all UL mods.
House mods: This depends on which location the house is placed. If it is outside of current UL locations, it is compatible, otherwise you have to try out.
Natural Vegetation (part of Natural Environment): If you feel that the vegetation gets too dense when combining this with UL, set your load order to load Natural Vegetation prior to the UL mods which you want to use with default vegetation size.
Open Cities Classic / Reborn The ESPs from this mod have to be loaded after all UL mods.
StarX Vanilla Vampires Revised: This mod has to be loaded after Stendarr Valley.
Wrye Bash's "Bashed Patch": Obviously this one has to be loaded after UL because it is thought to resolve conflicts by overwriting them.

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Section 2

:: About the Project ::

2.1: The UL Modstitution

Part One: Council Rules

1.) UL is led by a council that has the purpose to control the development of the UL project. The council members declare one of their own as the council spokesman whose job it is to organize votings and announce decisions that have been made.

2.) A vote by the council may be done in two ways:
- If a possible decision has been discussed upon and a majority of the council member unambiguously agree on it in the thread, the council spokesman announces that decision, by which it gets official.
- Otherwise the council spokesman organizes a voting by formulating "voting ballots" which get sent to the council members. He also counts the votes and announces the result.

3.) New council members have to be voted upon by the council. This includes both new modders and other people that help with aspects of UL. Council members can be removed from the council for cogent reasons by voting so.

4.) Before a mod gets the status of a "UL WIP mod" it must be voted upon by the council. The council also may deprive a mod of that status. If a UL WIP mod gets finished without becoming deprived during beta stage, it automatically gets an UL mod.

5.) Finished mods that were developed independently from UL may be voted upon by the council to make them UL mods. This includes formerly deprived UL WIP mods.

6.) Everybody may suggest mod ideas in the threads, but the council decides if a mod idea gets added to the OP and it also has the right to remove ideas.


Part Two: Modding Rules

1.) UL mods must be conflict free with all other UL mods.

2.) UL mods must not break any Vanilla Oblivion quests.

3.) UL mods must be lore friendly. They do not need to be cited in the lore and they do not have to explicitly follow the lore, but they must fit into the Elder Scrolls world.

4.) UL mods may not use outside resources without the owner's permission.

5.) UL mods shall focus on landscaping. Buildings, Quests, NPCs and/or creatures are allowed to be part of an UL mod only if they are essential for the credibility or the atmosphere of the mod.

6.) UL mods are allowed to edit cells outside of Cyrodiil only if this is needed to create a consistent landscape that also edits cells inside of Cyrodiil.

7.) When the mod is finished, a short description of the mod must be written to be posted in the release section. If any help is needed, contact any of the council members for assistance.

8.) UL Mods may use resources from the official Shivering Isles expansion where appropriate. However resources should not be used from any other official DLC.


2.2: Becoming a UL modder

Why should I participate in UL?
To be a UL modder has some advantages, compared to being a member of other big projects:

• The relaxed ambience: There is no haste. UL mods usually get developed independently from each other, so nobody's work depends on your mod getting finished. If you have responsibilities that leave you little
  time to work on UL, be it the ominous thing called real life or other modding projects, this is no problem. Quality is more important than speed, so take your time!
  
• The fun: In UL you can be creative. Of course your mod has to match the quality standards of UL and there are a few rules regarding the mod's content, but besides that you are free to design your mod the way you like, including fancy ideas and gimmicks.
  

• You need to have some experience with the CS. Of course you can always askfor help in the threads, but we simply don't have the manpower to teach you modding.
• The UL team is much more loosely organized than most modding projects because of its special scope, but you still need to follow some rules. The UL modstitution rules are enlisted in Section 3.1 of this post; please take a look at them and see if your plans fit into UL prior to volunteering to do a UL mod.
  

• To get an impression of what can be done within the scope of UL, take a look at the descriptions and screenshots of our releases and WIPs. And don't worry if you would like to implement an idea in a different way or want to realize a completely different concept compared to existing ULs. Just check in the UL modding rules if your vision fits into UL.
  

• Decide which mod idea you would like to realize. If you want to implement your own concept, formulate a description with a few words, including the location. If you want to implement one of the existing mod ideas, think about how you would like to realize it, what you want to change and describe that with a few words.
• Send your plans to one of the UL council members. They will forward it to the other council members.
• If your plans get accepted by the UL council, a few things have to be discussed (an initial cell list for the location, the name of the mod, ...), then your mod will get enlisted here as a WIP mod.