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About this mod
Uses real astronomical calculations to edit the game settings for dawn/sunrise/sunset/dusk and the height of the sun in the sky, all based on the in-game day of the year and character location. Can also set the game to eternal night or day.
- Permissions and credits
- Donations
Dedicated to GamerPoets for the best tutorials and immersive roleplay videos around.
What this mod does
This mod takes your in-game date and location and uses real-world astronomical calculations to find:
It then edits the accompanying ESP file, and - OPTIONALLY - your ENBseries.ini file to apply these settings to your game before you start a session.
By running this mod at the start of each playing session you can keep these settings as up-to-date as you wish. Running it once every in-game-week will provide a nice sense of transition, but you should also run it if you have travelled significantly northward or southward since you last ran it, especially in Winter or Summer.
What this mod does not - and cannot - do
This mod does NOT alter these settings as you are playing the game. Unfortunately there does not appear to be any way to modify these settings dynamically as you play. If it were possible I would have written it to change the settings after every hour of game time, or after every load screen or cell transition, but, alas, I'm told it can't be done.
It also does not modify these settings for Sovngarde, Apocrypha, or Soul Cairn, as they are on alternate planes of existence.
How to use this mod
After installation and setup (see the instructions below) the process is very simple;
At the end of each gaming session you should make a note of the in-game date and your location so that you can enter these at the start of your next session.
Installation
Your ENBseries.ini will automatically be backed up BEFORE this program changes it for the first time, but you should also make your own backup. The lines in [TimeofDay] will be overwritten by this mod if you choose to let it UpdateENB.
If using NMM or Mod Organiser, install the mod just like any other and keep the locations, esp and ini file in the mod's folder. Naturally, your enbseries.ini stays in the Skyrim folder.
Load Order
Known Issues
Unlike the version of this mod for Skyrim32bit, there is no need to worry about the changing sun position ruining sun-rays or night time darkness. Because these are now part of the Skyrim engine (not ENB), they work without any problems (as far as I know) even with ENB enabled.
F.A.Q.
Q. Can you make this a real mod so that it runs when I'm playing the game?
A. Nope. Not unless you can tell me how to update the settings in game. As far as I know it can't be done.
Q. My location is not on the list! How can I add it?
A. If you know where you are on the map you can find a location with the same latitude (north-south position) and use that. For example, if you are somewhere in the wilderness, far from landmarks, but you think you are roughly as north as Whiterun, then select "Whiterun" from the dropdown. You can also edit the locations.txt file and add custom locations and latitudes. Make sure you add them to the top or the middle but NOT the bottom.
Q. I have found mistakes in your locations.txt file, or I have some more locations to add.
A. Awesome! Post the data in the forum if you want to and I'll add it to the mod. Or, publish it as your own 'patch' and get some credit! :)
Q. Can you fix the problem with ENB lighting?
A. Yes. It is fixed in Skyrim SE.
Q. How does it handle timezones?
A. Yeah, bugger that. Earth didn't have standardised time zones until 1884 (1911 if you include the Paris anomaly), due to the proliferation of railroads, so Skyrim is nowhere near advanced enough to worry about timezones. Wherever you are, local noon is at 1200HRS and local midnight is at 0000HRS.
Q. Where did you get the values for latitude for each location? Are they lore friendly?
A. I combined this spherical projection of Nirn with GameBanshee's awesome map to produce the map of latitudes in the Images section. I later added locations from Klarix's excellent map of Solstheim (permission granted - much kudos).
Some say Tamriel is smaller than Australia, bigger than Alaska, smaller than Malta, or that Nirn is about half the size of Earth and Tamriel half the size of Eurasia. I don't care; I just wanted daylight hours to vary with location and season for a more immersive game. If you want to rewrite all the latitudes to suit your own vision of Nirn, that's awesome. The match between areas of similar climate, vegetation, and latitude between Earth and Tamriel is pretty good, but Tamriel seems much harsher for latitudes above 60 degrees (Helsinki).
If there's any interest, I might release alternate "Locations.txt" files that reduce or increase the seasonal lighting changes with increasing latitude, to simulate a softer or harsher climate.
Credits
Although I have not used any assets from any other mods, I would like to thank some people whose resources and help made things easier for me.
GamerPoets for inspiring me to create a mod focused purely on immersive gameplay, and for his amazing tutorials on installing and running Skyrim and its mods. A year ago, I didn't know mods existed.
Zilav for dropping the hint that day/night times could be changed from the CK. If you just want eternal night/day, use his mods instead as they are much simpler to use.
GameBanshee for his map.
Klarix for his map.
Prometheus for his globe of Nirn.
Boris for replying to my question about ENB.
Phinix for answering a very early question I had when wondering if this was even possible.
Bethesda for Skyrim and the CK.
Permissions
This mod took a lot of research to create. If you're willing to wade through it in order to make an improvement then good for you; go for it. But don't try to use it to make money, please. And contact me before writing a patch because I can probably just include it in a new release.
What this mod does
This mod takes your in-game date and location and uses real-world astronomical calculations to find:
- sunrise/sunset times,
- dawn/dusk durations,
- the maximum height of the sun above the horizon at local noon.
It then edits the accompanying ESP file, and - OPTIONALLY - your ENBseries.ini file to apply these settings to your game before you start a session.
By running this mod at the start of each playing session you can keep these settings as up-to-date as you wish. Running it once every in-game-week will provide a nice sense of transition, but you should also run it if you have travelled significantly northward or southward since you last ran it, especially in Winter or Summer.
What this mod does not - and cannot - do
This mod does NOT alter these settings as you are playing the game. Unfortunately there does not appear to be any way to modify these settings dynamically as you play. If it were possible I would have written it to change the settings after every hour of game time, or after every load screen or cell transition, but, alas, I'm told it can't be done.
It also does not modify these settings for Sovngarde, Apocrypha, or Soul Cairn, as they are on alternate planes of existence.
How to use this mod
After installation and setup (see the instructions below) the process is very simple;
- Run the executable program that comes with the mod,
- Adjust the Settings to your own game location
- Enter your in-game month, day and location in the dropdown menus,
- Choose which of the settings you want updated automatically,
- Click the "GO" button and any other buttons for settings you want to change,
- Run Skyrim as you normally would.
At the end of each gaming session you should make a note of the in-game date and your location so that you can enter these at the start of your next session.
Installation
Your ENBseries.ini will automatically be backed up BEFORE this program changes it for the first time, but you should also make your own backup. The lines in [TimeofDay] will be overwritten by this mod if you choose to let it UpdateENB.
If using NMM or Mod Organiser, install the mod just like any other and keep the locations, esp and ini file in the mod's folder. Naturally, your enbseries.ini stays in the Skyrim folder.
- Place the esp, locations.txt and executable in your data folder
- Run "daylighthours.exe"
- Click on "Settings" and follow the dialogues to locate your "locations.txt" (should be in the mod folder), "DaylightHours.esp" (should be in the mod folder) and "ENBseries.ini" (should be in your Skyrim folder).
- The program is now set up! Enter the month, date and location that your character was in at your last saved game (See the FAQ if you can't find your location in the list).
- If you trust the program to do everything automatically, tick the appropriate checkboxes and click "GO".
- If you are cautious, disable the checkboxes, review and update each setting using the buttons on the right.
- Next time you run the program, it should know where all the files are and not ask for them again. If it does ask again, let me know.
- You can keep the executable as a shortcut on your desktop or link to it on the Windows taskbar.
Load Order
- Put it wherever you like and if it doesn't work move it lower.
- I know that some other mods - especially Winterisation mods - change the sunrise/sunset times, so you will need to place it after those.
- The mod only changes game settings, so it should not conflict with much else because it doesn't actually do anything while the game is running.
Known Issues
Unlike the version of this mod for Skyrim32bit, there is no need to worry about the changing sun position ruining sun-rays or night time darkness. Because these are now part of the Skyrim engine (not ENB), they work without any problems (as far as I know) even with ENB enabled.
F.A.Q.
Q. Can you make this a real mod so that it runs when I'm playing the game?
A. Nope. Not unless you can tell me how to update the settings in game. As far as I know it can't be done.
Q. My location is not on the list! How can I add it?
A. If you know where you are on the map you can find a location with the same latitude (north-south position) and use that. For example, if you are somewhere in the wilderness, far from landmarks, but you think you are roughly as north as Whiterun, then select "Whiterun" from the dropdown. You can also edit the locations.txt file and add custom locations and latitudes. Make sure you add them to the top or the middle but NOT the bottom.
Q. I have found mistakes in your locations.txt file, or I have some more locations to add.
A. Awesome! Post the data in the forum if you want to and I'll add it to the mod. Or, publish it as your own 'patch' and get some credit! :)
Q. Can you fix the problem with ENB lighting?
A. Yes. It is fixed in Skyrim SE.
Q. How does it handle timezones?
A. Yeah, bugger that. Earth didn't have standardised time zones until 1884 (1911 if you include the Paris anomaly), due to the proliferation of railroads, so Skyrim is nowhere near advanced enough to worry about timezones. Wherever you are, local noon is at 1200HRS and local midnight is at 0000HRS.
Q. Where did you get the values for latitude for each location? Are they lore friendly?
A. I combined this spherical projection of Nirn with GameBanshee's awesome map to produce the map of latitudes in the Images section. I later added locations from Klarix's excellent map of Solstheim (permission granted - much kudos).
Some say Tamriel is smaller than Australia, bigger than Alaska, smaller than Malta, or that Nirn is about half the size of Earth and Tamriel half the size of Eurasia. I don't care; I just wanted daylight hours to vary with location and season for a more immersive game. If you want to rewrite all the latitudes to suit your own vision of Nirn, that's awesome. The match between areas of similar climate, vegetation, and latitude between Earth and Tamriel is pretty good, but Tamriel seems much harsher for latitudes above 60 degrees (Helsinki).
If there's any interest, I might release alternate "Locations.txt" files that reduce or increase the seasonal lighting changes with increasing latitude, to simulate a softer or harsher climate.
Credits
Although I have not used any assets from any other mods, I would like to thank some people whose resources and help made things easier for me.
GamerPoets for inspiring me to create a mod focused purely on immersive gameplay, and for his amazing tutorials on installing and running Skyrim and its mods. A year ago, I didn't know mods existed.
Zilav for dropping the hint that day/night times could be changed from the CK. If you just want eternal night/day, use his mods instead as they are much simpler to use.
GameBanshee for his map.
Klarix for his map.
Prometheus for his globe of Nirn.
Boris for replying to my question about ENB.
Phinix for answering a very early question I had when wondering if this was even possible.
Bethesda for Skyrim and the CK.
Permissions
This mod took a lot of research to create. If you're willing to wade through it in order to make an improvement then good for you; go for it. But don't try to use it to make money, please. And contact me before writing a patch because I can probably just include it in a new release.