Skyrim

About this mod

Using grass resources from Elinen, I have added new grass/flower types throughout the game world. This not only makes the game feel more alive and less empty but also gives a fare amount of diversity.

Fully compatible with Vurt's Skyrim Flora Overhaul.

Requirements
Permissions and credits
Changelogs
Donations


"This is MASTERFUL work. I meant it, really, all caps : MASTERFUL." -- Kyokushinoyama, author of K ENB


This simple mod was designed to remedy some of the sparseness in Skyrim's landscape. There are many areas were textures are used that don't have any grass meshes attached to spawn. Bethesda might of had their reasons for this (mostly clipping issues), but this game is designed to be modded...

Using grass resources from Elinen, I have added new grass/flower types throughout the game world. These resources contain entirely new grass textures. This not only makes the game feel more alive and less empty but also gives a fare amount of diversity.

This mod is not like other grass mods. Other mods edit the already existing grass to make them more dense. Since my mod only adds new grass, this makes it compatible with almost all other grass mods.


VERSION CHANGELOG

2.0.0
* Completely re-distributed all grass types to be more natural to my eye.
* Edited all grass textures and their color to match the Skyrim environments better.
* SparrowPrince edited the dandelion mesh and made it look better.
* Made most flower types spawn in clusters/small fields.
* Removed the weeds from farming plots. They were causing clipping through the rock path ways in Whiterun. I will add hand placed weeds in my Unique Plants mod.
* Removed some of the density options from the fomod. To much for me to handle. Also removed the saturated textures option.
* Included an .ini file that contains all the correct .ini tweaks for this mod (except for iMinGrassSize=#. You need to determine the appropriate value for your machine.).
* Added two new grasses to the Reach.
* Added rock grass to extra textures. Smaller pebbles on the dirt textures and farm plots.
* Added my own version of the ForestGrass01.dds (this is WIP).
* Edited the clover.nif object found in towns to point to a separate texture made by me (this is WIP).
* Added Water Plants to lake shores and riverbeds: Cat Tails, underwater grass, weeds. Also added some rock grass (smaller pebbles) to the riverbeds.
* Added full 3D aspen leaves ground cover. They add a lot of depth to the Rift area.
* Added broken off pine branches to some ground textures.
* Added some fall groundcover to the rift. Vines, branches, and small plants.
* Added two types of clover patches to some forest grass textures. It's dense, but looks really nice.
* Added ground ivy to some textures. It's like the ivy found on rock walls in towns. Ivy grows on the ground too Bethesda...(goes excellent with my HD Ivy mod. They use the same ivy.)
* Added pine needles to some ground textures.
* Added two other forest groundcovers. One is more leafy and the other has some bigger plants.

DETAILS

Performance
This mod will probably have a performance hit depending on your machine. It adds a bunch of new grass to textures that never had grass before. The base textures start at 1K. A 512x512 texture pack is offered for performance lovers and 2K pack for those who have a craving for quality.

Requirements
- This mod requires that you add the line 'iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=8' to your Skyrim.ini file under the category 'Grass'. Texure is spelled correctly, Bethesda made the spelling mistake.
- This has only been tested at the default 'iMinGrassSize=20' in the Skyrim.ini. I have specifically tailored the density of the new grass to look good at the value of '20'. However, this doesn't mean it won't work well with other values. Test it out yourself and let me know - although 'iMinGrassSize=20' is the recommended value.
If you are confused, just copy this over your [Grass] section in your Skyrim.ini
[Grass]
bAllowCreateGrass=1
bAllowLoadGrass=0
bDrawShaderGrass=1
bGrassPointLighting=1
b30GrassVS=1
iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=8
iMinGrassSize=20

Compatibility
- It works great with Vurt's Flora Overhaul. It is not recommended to use my mod with Vurt's 'Overgrown' edition, they are incompatible. Vurt's Summer Edition should be fine. Let me know.
- Compatible with ULTIMATE LUSH OVERHAUL by SkyrimENB
- Compatible with Lush Trees and Grass by SparrowPrince.
- Compatible with Glorious Grasses by jack254
- Compatible with SkyRealism - Grass by IndigoNeko
- Compatible with Grass and Grass by MannyGT
- NOT COMPATIBLE with Dat Grass (which has been hidden by it's author)
- NOT COMPATIBLE with Beautiful Landscapes - Skyrim Grassification Project by Skyrimaguas
- NOT COMPATIBLE* with Grass on Steroids by Skyrimaguas

*A version for 'Grass on Steroids' will not be made unless Skyrimaguas updates his mod.
Issues

Since this adds grass to textures that had no grass, there may be some clipping with certain objects. I.E. Anises Cabin now has grass growing through her floorboards. This is unavoidable because of engine limitations. The only way to avoid it is to not make mods like this...
I plan on making a version with certain edits to paint out the clipping grass (with textures that don't have grass textures attached). These edits will likely cause some compatibility issues due to the cell edits I will have to make.

New Grass Types

Regular Grass (weedy, blades of grass, wheat grass, etc)
Angular Solomon's Seal
Wood Anemone
Winter Aconite
Dandelions
Fritillary

Here is an image list of all the different grasses added by the mod.
If you have any suggestions/critics, please let me know.

INSTALLATION

The mod comes with many options; Texture sizes and saturation, density, and no roads. These are all wrapped up into a nice little all-in-one installer. I recommend downloading with NMM and installing with the installer.
Manual Installation
First extract the contents of one of the '01' folders into the Data folder. Texture size and saturation choice. Next, extract one of the '02' folders. The Skyrim Data folder is typically locate here: Program Files (x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/skyrim/data.

RECOMMENDED MODS FOR NATURE AND FLORA
Phinix Natural ENB
Climates of Tamriel
Climates Of Tamriel - Weather Patch - Fog Rain Overcast
Skyrim Flora Overhaul
High Definition Ivy
Lush Trees and Grass (I only use SparrowPrinces new tree meshes)
Mindflux's Grass Textures (included in the download section)
High Poly Fern Meshes by Mindflux (PERFORMANCE HEAVY)

PERMISSIONS

I am using resources from Elinen's mod Hoddminir Grass and Spring Flowers. In essence, the permission for the resources apply for my mod also.

*As of version 2.0, I have now started making my own textures. Same rules apply. You can use them as long as you give credit to me in your mod description.*

"I ask that you give me credit if you distribute any part of this mod. If you wish to use the lush model (B), please give credit to SparrowPrince.
If you want to use my textures for something else or change them that is OK."

Please do not steal and claim Elinen's or my work for your own.

CREDITS
Elinen for the grass resources - Hoddminir Grass, Spring Flowers I, and Spring Flowers II.
SparrowPrince for the lush grass models, for lots of advice, help with the installer and generally being awesome.
Kyokushinoyama for mod images.
anaphiel for mod images.
Vurt for allowing me to use some of his textures as assets for my own.