Enhanced Landscapes is a project which aims to improve Skyrim's landscape with more objects. This includes floral objects, rocks, ruin clutter and a lot of other landscape assets. This also aims to improve the distant appearance of mountains, cliffs and other rock formations. Requires DynDOLOD to generate proper Distant- and TreeLODs.

Requirement: Dynamic Distant Objects LOD - DynDOLOD by Sheson

While I've decided to release this on Nexus, it is still a work in progress and will get a lot of updates in the future. If you decide to use this mod, keep in mind that the installation process is more complex as of many other easy install and play mods. Take time and read everything carefully.



FEATURES
This is just a small overview of all the changes I've made with Enhanced Landscapes.

Mountains: 
Enhanced Landscapes improves mountains by adding hundreds of objects to make them look fuller and more realistic. They will now look better from distance, but also from near. Also it improves smaller rock formations and cliffs all over Skyrim.

Roads: 
A lot of improvements on roads all over Skyrim by adding hundreds of objects alongside them. Makes travelling on roads a lot more interesting.

Forests: 
Added dozens of trees and increased a lot of them, especially in the forests around Falkreath to make them look more ancient and dense - added a lot of fallen trees and stumps too. Also changed the aspen trees from yellow into multi-colored trees (yellow, orange and red).

Marsh: 
The marsh was overhauled with dead trees, morrowind-inspired mushrooms and a lot other objects. There are also some optional files for this area.

City outskirts: 
Improved the city outskirts of Markarth, Windhelm, Riften, Solitude and Whiterun. Added more objects and fixed missing parts of the road.

Locations: 
Small enhancements on farms, dungeon exteriors and other locations to fill them with more clutter and make them look more unique.

Landscape: 
A lot of landscape improvements and changes. This applies to nearly all parts of Skyrim's landscape. Added trees, rocks and other objects to fill up some empty-looking parts of the landscape.

The mod also includes tree LodGen billboard files for vanilla & SFO 2.3. You don't need any other billboard files. Just select them in the installer and generate LODs with DynDOLOD. SFO billboards are based on the latest SFO release (v2.3) and vanilla billboards are based on AOF HD Tree LODs.

DLC Patch
Version 1.2.0+ includes a new file called "Enhanced Landscapes - DLC Patch.esp". This file fixes incompatibility with Hearthfire DLC and forwards missing/deleted records from the DLCs and Unofficial Patches (especially XCLN records).This file requires all three DLCs and should be used. Load it as last in your load order!
Optional Files

Solstheim Addon
click "Show" below


Grass Plug-in
click "Show" below


Green Fields
click "Show" below


Marsh Optionals
click "Show" below


Dark Fantasy Edition
click "Show" below


Haafingar Oak Trees
click "Show" below


Optional SFO Pines
click "Show" below


Winter Edition
click "Show" below


Installation

The files were packed into a fomod installation, which lets you choose all optional files and patches.

Install

• Download the file and install with a mod manager. Mod Organizer is highly recommended.
• Choose the options you want and click at install. All important files will get installed, this also includes LodGen billboards, which are needed for the LODGen process.
• Make sure Enhanced Landscapes has a higher priority in MO as any other landscape mods & LodGen billboards! If using NMM let Enhanced Landscapes overwrite all necessary files.
• Enable the Enhanced Landscapes.esp and all options if you've installed them.

DynDOLOD

• Install DynDOLOD, if you haven't already and read all included instructions how to use it. If you're already familiar with DynDOLOD this will be an easy step.
• Make sure Enhanced Landscapes is loaded AFTER DynDOLOD (priority in Mod Organizer - left pane), so it can overwrite some textures which are also included into DynDOLOD. DynDOLOD.esp must be loaded as last (after Enhanced Landscapes.esp and all other .esp files)!
• Generate DistantLOD and TreeLOD with DynDOLOD with all Enhanced Landscapes files enabled. The output files of DynDOLOD should be loaded after Enhanced Landscapes.

Load Order

ESP FILES

• Enhanced Landscapes.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Grass.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Solstheim.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Green Fields.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Dark Fantasy.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Marsh Pines.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Marsh No Trees.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - Oaks.esp
• Enhanced Landscapes - DLC Patch.esp

These are all included files you can choose. Doesn't matter if you're using just two of these plug-ins or five, this should be considered as load order for them.

MOD FOLDERS (Mod Organizer priority - left pane in MO)

• DynDOLOD
• billboard files (if you use them)
• Enhanced Landscapes
• DynDOLOD output

Compatibility


With Update 1.1.5+ the mod now implements a new feature regarding to compatibility patches. Sheson, creator of DynDOLOD, created a new method to make mods compatible without the need of ESP patches. Enhanced Landscapes now contains a "DynDOLOD" folder with a ini file. 

The ini file contains references according to esp file names which conflict. When generating LOD with DynDOLOD it will find the references, depended on the mods you use, and disables them. This doesn't mean all mods will work, below is a list with mods which were patched. Others will follow.

Make sure to load this plug-ins in TES5Edit when generating LOD with DynDOLOD, otherwise the patching function will not work.

List of patched mods

• Enhanced Towns and Cities (works with ETaC Complete & ETaC Modular + ETaC - Dragon Bridge South Addon) load ETaC_Complete.esp (or any of the modular files) after Enhanced Landscapes.esp & all other EL files 
• JK's Skyrim & all of JK's Town Overhauls
• Cutting Room Floor - load Cutting Room Floor.esp after Enhanced Landscapes & all other EL files
• Provincial Courier Service
• Other mods: Gray Cowl of Nocturnal / Pinegrove Lodge / INIGO / Routa
• Aurora Village (the mod includes a patch for EL, don't use it, use the patching function from DynDOLOD instead to patch this mod)
• Better City Entrances (only works with All-in-One version)
• Better Fast Travel - Carriages and Ships (works with Hearthfire and Vanilla version)

MORE INFO ABOUT COMPATIBILITY


Merging all files into one

If you want to merge all Enhanced Landscapes files into one file, using the Merge Plugins xEdit Script, make sure to name the output file "Enhanced Landscapes - Merged.esp" (without the .esp extension - TESVEdit adds by itself). I've included optional billboard files & a ini file for patching in the newest update which are depended on that file name. So you can use the merged file to generate LODs with DynDOLOD and patch incompatible mods.

You can merge all files to save esp space.

Make sure to merge the files with the correct load order, as described above!
Performance

There may also be some questions about Performance. You can expect a performance hit due to more objects, bigger trees and some high-res textures, but it should overall not destroy your system - also depends on how many mods and high-res textures you're using alongside this. Especially when using the grass plug-in it will also have a higher performance impact (similar to Verdant). DynDOLOD also comes with a small performance hit, but it should not be too much also with this mod enabled.

Credits

• elinen and ztree for their grass resource - water plants resource - flowers resource - trees and plants
• Morrowind mushrooms - modder resource by scot
• Phitt's Sheogorad Resource
• 3AMt for tree meshes and vurt for textures -> http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/61932/?
• vurt "skyrim flora overhaul"
• AOF HD Tree LODs by AnOldFriend
• sheson for creating DynDOLOD and also for a lot of advice regarding DynDOLOD. Also a big thanks for implementing a new patching function into DynDOLOD.
• Shurah for a lot of advice and help regarding AI issues caused by new added objects.
• A big thanks to everyone, which helps with advice, suggestions or bug reports.