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About this mod
This mod makes several changes to improve the look of some of the puddles in Skyrim. New ice puddle textures have been created for Windhelm. Also includes other fixes related to problems found with puddles, drips, and splashes in game.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
SKYRIM [size=7]IMPROVED[/size] PUDDLES
Updated version for Skryim Special Edition here.
ABOUT THIS MOD
My first mod was Ugly Low Res Puddles Be Gone. That simply removed the ugly puddles in the game by hiding them. They were very low res decals and the poor quality really stood out when using high res texture packs. The feedback I received was that it would be better to try and improve the textures instead of hiding them. I totally agree, so this mod was created as an alternative. I will still keep the other mod around for anyone who doesn't like what this one does and prefers not to see those vanilla textures at all. That was also my very first mod, so it's kind of hard to let it go so soon! :)
SKRYIM IMPROVED PUDDLES attempts to add realism by not only improving upon the quality of the textures, but it also fixes a few problems I noticed with the puddles at the same time. New texture sets were created specifically for the Windhelm, to make them look more like ice (it's colder there!!).
The Windhelm textures are new decals and I have made large, medium, and two small versions. You will mostly see them in the Market area, but they are also used near the Windhelm entrance.
Some of the "fixes" included with this mod are things like puddles that had water splashes, but nothing was dripping from overhead. And there were some areas where there were drips from the ceiling, but no puddles beneath them or the puddles were a bit offset making it look like drips were splashing on dry ground. Some puddles were moved and also added extra puddles and extra drips/splashes in various places. See the version/changelog for specific locations.
Brumbek (author of SMIM) found a way to make the puddles look more like real water, so that the ugly low res decals do not have to be used or improved upon at all. He provided his plugin and was kind enough to allow me to incorporate it into my SIP mod. His was used as a baseline for version 1.0 of SIP. THANK YOU BRUMBEK!! :)
I will continue to expand this mod, by adding puddles throughout Skryim in places where it makes sense. And I will also fix any areas with puddles, where drips or splashes may not be correct. If you find any areas like this, please post a comment and I will fix when I can.
NOTE: While the new 1.0 version ice textures are a huge improvement, they're still not perfect in my opinion and I may try to improve them more later on. I've never created textures like this before, so it was a learning experience and I found out the hard way that it's not a very easy thing to do (I almost gave up a couple times). The normal maps probably could be better, but that was the part I struggled with most and spent hours trying to get them looking decent. They're much better than vanilla textures though, so hopefully you like them!
MANUAL INSTALLATION
1. Choose a package with your preferred Texture resolution first.
2. From the "00 Core Files" copy the \textures folder into your \Skyrim\Data path and overwrite if asked (if using an older version of this mod).
3. Then copy ONLY ONE ESP from one of the other folders to your \Skyrim\Data path based on the DLCs you have installed.
4. Activate the chosen plugin.
5. Done!
IMPORTANT: If you chose one of the ESP files with DLC compatibility and you had an older version of this mod (prior to 1.1) installed, then manually remove the "SkyrimImprovedPuddles.esp" from your \Skyrim\Data path.
If you still have version 0.1 of this mod installed, you will also need to manually delete the following files from your \Skyrim\Data\Textures path, as they are no longer used:
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_m.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_n.dds
WRYE BASH OR MOD ORGANIZER INSTALLATION (BAIN Package Selection)
1. Choose a package with your preferred Texture resolution first.
2. Select the box next to "00 Core Files" (if using Mod Organizer and you're sing an older version of this mod then use the Replace option).
3. Select the box next to ONLY ONE of the "CHOOSE ONE ESP" folders based on the DLCs you have installed.
4. Activate the chosen plugin.
5. Done!
IMPORTANT: If you chose one of the ESP files with DLC compatibility and you had an older version of this mod (prior to 1.1) then manually remove the "SkyrimImprovedPuddles.esp" from your \Skyrim\Data path.
If you still have version 0.1 of this mod installed, you will also need to manually delete the following files from your \Skyrim\Data\Textures path, as they are no longer used:
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_m.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_n.dds
NMM OR MOD ORGANIZER INSTALLATION (FOMOD Installer)
1. Launch the Installer package.
2. Select the option for your preferred Texture resolution in the "Windhelm Ice Puddle Textures" group (2048 is the default).
2. Select the appropriate plugin in the "Choose an ESP" group based on the DLCs you have installed (Skyrim with NO DLC is the default).
4. Click Next.
5. Done!
IMPORTANT: If you chose one of the ESP files with DLC compatibility and you had an older version of this mod (prior to 1.1) then manually remove the "SkyrimImprovedPuddles.esp" from your \Skyrim\Data path.
If you still have version 0.1 of this mod installed, you will also need to manually delete the following files from your \Skyrim\Data\Textures path, as they are no longer used:
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_m.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_n.dds
COMPATIBILITY
The textures included with this mod are brand new and will not overwrite any vanilla or other mod texturess. This mod makes several changes to positioning of existing water puddles, water drips, and water splashes, as well as it adds new puddles, drips, and splashes in several locations. These edits should not conflict with any other mod, unless another mod happens to edit the same puddles, drips, or splashes objects.
ALL ESP files were cleaned with the latest TES5Edit 3.0.29 (no ITMs or UDRs)!
The ESP is absolutely required for this mod to work. The appropriate DLC master must be active or you will get CTD if you installed one of the DLC compatible ESP files!!
LOAD ORDER
Since the plugins carry forward appropriate changes from the various DLCs and Unofficial patches, the load order shouldn't matter too much. If you use BOSS User List Manager (BUM) - RECOMMENDED!! - then you can configure whichever ESP you chose to load at the "BOTTOM" of "Base S".
VERSION INFO / CHANGELOG
Version 1.1b
- Same as version 1.1a, but packaged as an All-In-One installer with support for NMM (FOMOD)
----- No other changes to the mod at this time
Version 1.1a
- Same as version 1.1, but added a few more ESP files for more compatibility with DLCs
----- Added ESP for users with Dawnguard and HearthFires (no Dragonborn)
----- Added ESP for users with Dawnguard and Dragonborn (no HearthFires)
----- Added ESP for users with HearthFires and Dragonborn (no Dawnguard)
Version 1.1
- ESP updated with Skyrim Patch / Creation Kit 1.9.32.0 May still work with 1.8.151.0 but not recommended
- Separate ESP files created for each DLC CHOOSE ONLY ONE ESP!!
- Carried forward changes from official DLCs and Unofficial patches for each respective ESP
----- From USKP 1.3.1a (where necessary)
----- From UDGP 1.2.1a (where necessary)
----- From UHFP 1.1.0 (where necessary)
----- From UDBP 1.0.3b (where necessary)
- ESP files Cleaned with TES5Edit 3.0.29
- Improved one of the small texture sets I wasn't satisfied with how it looked in game
- Packaged in BAIN compatible format for Wrye Bash and Mod Organizer users
Version 1.0
- Ice puddle textures for Windhelm completely redone to look more like real ice!! Textures processed through DDSopt ver 0.8.0 update 4
- Other locations updated to use real water puddles instead of ugly puddle decals thanks to Brumbek!!
- More drips and splashes added and/or corrected
- The primary locations are still those identified under Version 0.1 Will expand the mod when I can
Version 0.1
- New ice puddle textures created for Windhelm Market only! BETA / WIP!!
----- Textures are currently 2048x2048 Will make other sizes later
- All other locations still use the low res vanilla textures Will be improved eventually
Abandoned Prison
- Moved a couple puddles
----- Placed below water drips
Anese's Cabin
- Fixed puddle overlapping Enchanter table (looked odd in game)
- Moved the other puddle below water drips
- Added missing water splashes for drips
Ilinata's Deep
- Large puddle in the middle of floor looked out of place (no overhead drips)
----- Moved below water drips in side hall
- Added additional puddles below other areas with water dripping from ceiling
Skybound Watch Pass
- Added drips from overhead stairs and splashes where puddle appeared
- Added extra puddle, more drips, and splashes
----- Gives the impression the water is running down the steps
Windhelm Barracks
- Fixed missing water drips for splashes in one puddle
- Added drips and splashes to another puddle
Windhelm Market
- Added new ice puddle decals and new FormIDs to reference them
----- Hid original decals below the surface and disabled them (did not delete them!)
- Added small puddle below icicles
- Added small puddle beneath Blacksmith's water trough
- Added small puddle beneath a barrel in the corner behind merchant stands
CREDITS
Thanks to the wonderful people over at the S.T.E.P. Community Forums for identifying these bad textures.
Special thanks to:
Brumbek (SMIM author) for the excellent idea of using real water puddle objects instead of decals and for providing his
plugin, which was used as a baseline for version 1.0 of this mod.
Kelmych over at the S.T.E.P. Forums for the tip about how to use TES5Edit and the Creation Kit to locate specific game cell locations and meshes.
torminater also at the S.T.E.P. Forums for the important tip about disabling objects in the CK, NEVER deleting!
Neovalen also at the S.T.E.P. Forums for helping me become more comfortable with the various modding tools. Check out his excellent Skyrim Revisited mod guide - Highly Recommended!
And Bethesda of course for making an awesome game!
Updated version for Skryim Special Edition here.
ABOUT THIS MOD
My first mod was Ugly Low Res Puddles Be Gone. That simply removed the ugly puddles in the game by hiding them. They were very low res decals and the poor quality really stood out when using high res texture packs. The feedback I received was that it would be better to try and improve the textures instead of hiding them. I totally agree, so this mod was created as an alternative. I will still keep the other mod around for anyone who doesn't like what this one does and prefers not to see those vanilla textures at all. That was also my very first mod, so it's kind of hard to let it go so soon! :)
SKRYIM IMPROVED PUDDLES attempts to add realism by not only improving upon the quality of the textures, but it also fixes a few problems I noticed with the puddles at the same time. New texture sets were created specifically for the Windhelm, to make them look more like ice (it's colder there!!).
The Windhelm textures are new decals and I have made large, medium, and two small versions. You will mostly see them in the Market area, but they are also used near the Windhelm entrance.
Some of the "fixes" included with this mod are things like puddles that had water splashes, but nothing was dripping from overhead. And there were some areas where there were drips from the ceiling, but no puddles beneath them or the puddles were a bit offset making it look like drips were splashing on dry ground. Some puddles were moved and also added extra puddles and extra drips/splashes in various places. See the version/changelog for specific locations.
Brumbek (author of SMIM) found a way to make the puddles look more like real water, so that the ugly low res decals do not have to be used or improved upon at all. He provided his plugin and was kind enough to allow me to incorporate it into my SIP mod. His was used as a baseline for version 1.0 of SIP. THANK YOU BRUMBEK!! :)
I will continue to expand this mod, by adding puddles throughout Skryim in places where it makes sense. And I will also fix any areas with puddles, where drips or splashes may not be correct. If you find any areas like this, please post a comment and I will fix when I can.
NOTE: While the new 1.0 version ice textures are a huge improvement, they're still not perfect in my opinion and I may try to improve them more later on. I've never created textures like this before, so it was a learning experience and I found out the hard way that it's not a very easy thing to do (I almost gave up a couple times). The normal maps probably could be better, but that was the part I struggled with most and spent hours trying to get them looking decent. They're much better than vanilla textures though, so hopefully you like them!
MANUAL INSTALLATION
1. Choose a package with your preferred Texture resolution first.
2. From the "00 Core Files" copy the \textures folder into your \Skyrim\Data path and overwrite if asked (if using an older version of this mod).
3. Then copy ONLY ONE ESP from one of the other folders to your \Skyrim\Data path based on the DLCs you have installed.
4. Activate the chosen plugin.
5. Done!
IMPORTANT: If you chose one of the ESP files with DLC compatibility and you had an older version of this mod (prior to 1.1) installed, then manually remove the "SkyrimImprovedPuddles.esp" from your \Skyrim\Data path.
If you still have version 0.1 of this mod installed, you will also need to manually delete the following files from your \Skyrim\Data\Textures path, as they are no longer used:
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_m.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_n.dds
WRYE BASH OR MOD ORGANIZER INSTALLATION (BAIN Package Selection)
1. Choose a package with your preferred Texture resolution first.
2. Select the box next to "00 Core Files" (if using Mod Organizer and you're sing an older version of this mod then use the Replace option).
3. Select the box next to ONLY ONE of the "CHOOSE ONE ESP" folders based on the DLCs you have installed.
4. Activate the chosen plugin.
5. Done!
IMPORTANT: If you chose one of the ESP files with DLC compatibility and you had an older version of this mod (prior to 1.1) then manually remove the "SkyrimImprovedPuddles.esp" from your \Skyrim\Data path.
If you still have version 0.1 of this mod installed, you will also need to manually delete the following files from your \Skyrim\Data\Textures path, as they are no longer used:
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_m.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_n.dds
NMM OR MOD ORGANIZER INSTALLATION (FOMOD Installer)
1. Launch the Installer package.
2. Select the option for your preferred Texture resolution in the "Windhelm Ice Puddle Textures" group (2048 is the default).
2. Select the appropriate plugin in the "Choose an ESP" group based on the DLCs you have installed (Skyrim with NO DLC is the default).
4. Click Next.
5. Done!
IMPORTANT: If you chose one of the ESP files with DLC compatibility and you had an older version of this mod (prior to 1.1) then manually remove the "SkyrimImprovedPuddles.esp" from your \Skyrim\Data path.
If you still have version 0.1 of this mod installed, you will also need to manually delete the following files from your \Skyrim\Data\Textures path, as they are no longer used:
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_m.dds
\Skyrim\Data\textures\puddle\decalicepuddles_n.dds
COMPATIBILITY
The textures included with this mod are brand new and will not overwrite any vanilla or other mod texturess. This mod makes several changes to positioning of existing water puddles, water drips, and water splashes, as well as it adds new puddles, drips, and splashes in several locations. These edits should not conflict with any other mod, unless another mod happens to edit the same puddles, drips, or splashes objects.
ALL ESP files were cleaned with the latest TES5Edit 3.0.29 (no ITMs or UDRs)!
The ESP is absolutely required for this mod to work. The appropriate DLC master must be active or you will get CTD if you installed one of the DLC compatible ESP files!!
LOAD ORDER
Since the plugins carry forward appropriate changes from the various DLCs and Unofficial patches, the load order shouldn't matter too much. If you use BOSS User List Manager (BUM) - RECOMMENDED!! - then you can configure whichever ESP you chose to load at the "BOTTOM" of "Base S".
VERSION INFO / CHANGELOG
Version 1.1b
- Same as version 1.1a, but packaged as an All-In-One installer with support for NMM (FOMOD)
----- No other changes to the mod at this time
Version 1.1a
- Same as version 1.1, but added a few more ESP files for more compatibility with DLCs
----- Added ESP for users with Dawnguard and HearthFires (no Dragonborn)
----- Added ESP for users with Dawnguard and Dragonborn (no HearthFires)
----- Added ESP for users with HearthFires and Dragonborn (no Dawnguard)
Version 1.1
- ESP updated with Skyrim Patch / Creation Kit 1.9.32.0 May still work with 1.8.151.0 but not recommended
- Separate ESP files created for each DLC CHOOSE ONLY ONE ESP!!
- Carried forward changes from official DLCs and Unofficial patches for each respective ESP
----- From USKP 1.3.1a (where necessary)
----- From UDGP 1.2.1a (where necessary)
----- From UHFP 1.1.0 (where necessary)
----- From UDBP 1.0.3b (where necessary)
- ESP files Cleaned with TES5Edit 3.0.29
- Improved one of the small texture sets I wasn't satisfied with how it looked in game
- Packaged in BAIN compatible format for Wrye Bash and Mod Organizer users
Version 1.0
- Ice puddle textures for Windhelm completely redone to look more like real ice!! Textures processed through DDSopt ver 0.8.0 update 4
- Other locations updated to use real water puddles instead of ugly puddle decals thanks to Brumbek!!
- More drips and splashes added and/or corrected
- The primary locations are still those identified under Version 0.1 Will expand the mod when I can
Version 0.1
- New ice puddle textures created for Windhelm Market only! BETA / WIP!!
----- Textures are currently 2048x2048 Will make other sizes later
- All other locations still use the low res vanilla textures Will be improved eventually
Abandoned Prison
- Moved a couple puddles
----- Placed below water drips
Anese's Cabin
- Fixed puddle overlapping Enchanter table (looked odd in game)
- Moved the other puddle below water drips
- Added missing water splashes for drips
Ilinata's Deep
- Large puddle in the middle of floor looked out of place (no overhead drips)
----- Moved below water drips in side hall
- Added additional puddles below other areas with water dripping from ceiling
Skybound Watch Pass
- Added drips from overhead stairs and splashes where puddle appeared
- Added extra puddle, more drips, and splashes
----- Gives the impression the water is running down the steps
Windhelm Barracks
- Fixed missing water drips for splashes in one puddle
- Added drips and splashes to another puddle
Windhelm Market
- Added new ice puddle decals and new FormIDs to reference them
----- Hid original decals below the surface and disabled them (did not delete them!)
- Added small puddle below icicles
- Added small puddle beneath Blacksmith's water trough
- Added small puddle beneath a barrel in the corner behind merchant stands
CREDITS
Thanks to the wonderful people over at the S.T.E.P. Community Forums for identifying these bad textures.
Special thanks to:
Brumbek (SMIM author) for the excellent idea of using real water puddle objects instead of decals and for providing his
plugin, which was used as a baseline for version 1.0 of this mod.
Kelmych over at the S.T.E.P. Forums for the tip about how to use TES5Edit and the Creation Kit to locate specific game cell locations and meshes.
torminater also at the S.T.E.P. Forums for the important tip about disabling objects in the CK, NEVER deleting!
Neovalen also at the S.T.E.P. Forums for helping me become more comfortable with the various modding tools. Check out his excellent Skyrim Revisited mod guide - Highly Recommended!
And Bethesda of course for making an awesome game!