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NOTE: This patch requires Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn, USLEEP, and all other files mentioned in the requirements section.
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Have a good machine? Feel free to submit screenshots or make a video! My laptop doesn't at all show the mod's potential, but some of the user images attest to the weather side of things; it's really in sore need of a video review, so hopefully that happens soon.

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INTRODUCTION:
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Where to begin? This is my first Skyrim mod. It began as a 'megapatch', resolving conflicts between a collection of the most-used weather and ambient sound mods on the Nexus. With time, though, it's become quite a bit more than just a patch. This is my Weather and Ambience Overhaul.
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PURPOSE:
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Weather and Ambience Overhaul is an all-in-one compatibility patch that aims to integrate a huge number of additional weathers and sounds to Skyrim, greatly enhancing weather variety and the general atmosphere of the game world. Vivid Weathers' are fully integrated with Minty's lightning to produce a powerful, and sometimes even intimidating weather system, while sounds from Audio Overhaul for Skyrim 2 and the Sounds of Skyrim mods come together beautifully to enhance the soundscape (without 'flooding' it)!

All the shiny stuff aside though, the original purpose of this mod was to enhance compatibility and reduce plugin load. Weather and Ambience Overhaul resolves all of its masters with a single plugin, with separate lighting editions and a number of optional patches for compatibility with other mods, nearly all of which have merged options. The original plugin spared me thirteen .ESPs that had major conflicts, regardless of load order. Just in case that doesn't impress; at the time of writing this, the 'redundancy list' has more than tripled!

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FEATURES:
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Now that you have an idea of what we're working with, you may want more details. Not to fear, I'm (usually) excellent at detail.
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SO NOW WHAT??:
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So now that you know what WAO does, it's time for a quick breakdown of the rest of this page. In the sections below, the details for the requirements, a thorough guide for installing the entire WAO setup, load order, and recommended MCM settings are provided. Next, you'll find the 'Redundancy List', which is a list of plugins you no longer need with WAO. This is followed by my recommended mods, and an equally thorough guide for installing WAO along with those mods. Last, but certainly not least, you'll find the credits, and a short list of other mods I would recommend that don't quite fit the 'atmosphere' theme emphasized here.

Well.. Without further ado..
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REQUIREMENTS:
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BASIC INSTALLATION:
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• Pay attention to the version listed, as these are masters for WAO (or are compatibility-relevant).
• WHEN UPDATING OR INSTALLING INTO AN EXISTING SAVE: WAO is totally safe to install, but weather changes require 24 hours to take effect. If things look strange, wait.

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LOAD ORDER:
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I recommend using LOOT as a starting point. You may need to arrange some metadata or even do a bit of manual sorting to get things just right. Below, I have a reference load order for the required files. I highly recommend loading WAO very near the bottom of your load order; in fact, I suggest loading it after any mod that contains cell edits, as WAO carries a lot of cell data to ensure that audio and lighting changes take effect. This includes lighting mods and anything else that makes changes in the world.

For reference, here is the related load order that I would use, personally (if my laptop wasn't a laptop). This is the order the masters are sorted in, but isn't explicitly required. That said, if you're experiencing CTDs, you're missing one of these files, most likely.
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BASIC INSTALL LOAD ORDER:
Simply put; load your weather stuff in that order for best results. Load WAO near the end of your load order, followed by WAO patches.
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REDUNDANCY LIST:
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The following patches are resolved (and made unnecessary) either by WAO itself, or its lighting editions (so don't load them!):
Make sure they aren't active in your load order.

Please note, again, that the original mods are the property of their respective authors and this is only a patch. You must use the listed requirements and my patch does not contain all the contents of any of the originals.
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MCM STUFF:
Suggested MCM settings for related mods.

• Minty's Lightning during Thunderstorms:
  • Enable hostile fork lightning.
  • Set Frequency of both lightning types to 50.

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COMPATIBILITY:
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WAO is not compatible with other weather mods; this includes RLO, ELE or Vividian weather modules; it is meant to replace them. For other mods..
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CREDITS AND THANKS:
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All of the original works are required and listed as masters. I did not make any of them, I only made WAO, so all credit for the original content goes to the authors thereof. I'd like to thank the following people for creating these (absolutely amazing) things for me to incorporate. Without them, none of this would be possible.

I'd like to thank, as well, all of the modders who created the awesome mods recommend for WAO's "Extended install", and the people who've helped me test the mod at various points throughout its development, most notably Teabag86, who was the sole beta tester for WAO 2.0. Finally, I'd like to recognize all of those who contributed to version 3.0; and Hishutup for making us one awesome installer!
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IN CLOSING:
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Thanks for checking out my little Megapatch (as oxymoronic as that sounds). If you like WAO and decide to endorse it, you should consider endorsing the original mods too (it might seem a little silly not to). Also, if you enjoy a survival playthrough (and happen to use Requiem), feel free to check out my second project, known as the [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/56275/?]Requiem Survival Experience. While you're here, these are some other mods I would definitely recommend with WAO, that are a little less aesthetic in nature.

Frostfall by Chesko
Living Takes Time by Akezhar
Requiem: The Roleplaying Overhaul by Xarrian and Ogerboss
Epic Gameplay Overhaul by Apollodown
Equipping Overhaul (v3.13) by DragonDude