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Upload permissionYou are not allowed to upload this file to other sites under any circumstances
Modification permissionYou are allowed to modify my files and release bug fixes or improve on the features so long as you credit me as the original creator
Conversion permissionYou are not allowed to convert this file to work on other games under any circumstances
Asset use permissionYou must get permission from me before you are allowed to use any of the assets in this file
Asset use permission in mods/files that are being soldYou are not allowed to use assets from this file in any mods/files that are being sold, for money, on Steam Workshop or other platforms
Asset use permission in mods/files that earn donation pointsYou are not allowed to earn Donation Points for your mods if they use my assets
Author notes
Ask me for permission and specify what you wish to use. Not all assets are mine. Look in the credits list or ask me if you have any questions.
Do not upload anything without my express permission.
File credits
First and foremost: A special thanks to Breti, the creator of the Rochester mod, for providing me not only with 99% of the resources used, but also for his help with the Solitude resource collisions. Without him, there'd be no project. Thank You.
Alfredasl deserves recognition for writing the books for Holds with me.
I would also like to give a special thanks to Drakulux who created the mod http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/11534/? which he has allowed me to implement into Holds. I have implemented it from the ground up, with some minor changes. But I still think Drakulux deserves recognition for his hard work!
Kalzim7878 also deserves recognition for allowing me to mimic parts of the Solitude harbor to his mod http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/22821/? . I have of course implemented it from the ground up, with rather large changes, Kalzim7878 nice harbor outlay was definitely inspirational, thank you!
I also believe Rilax deserves a mention. He has at the time of this writing not released the work I was inspired from. He did however upload a couple of screenshots from the Riften Waterfront that inspired me to make similar changes. He deserves recognition for his hard work!
Lastly a man called Reindeer51 deserves a big thank you for his understanding and permission. Reindeer51 is the author of the "SNOW CITY - Windhelm Unleashed" mod: was kind enough to grant me permission to make a similiar design in my expansion of the city to the west. Thank you!
If you've granted me permission, and don't find your credits here, please do contact me, however there have been many permissions granted, and I have yet to make use of all of it. However do know that your content is well appreciated all the same, and will likely be used in the mod eventually. When it is used, the credits due will of course be granted.
This mod is not opted-in to receive Donation Points
Changelogs
Version 0.0.9-M4
- Added the village modules: Darkwater Crossing, Ivarstead, Karthwasten, Kynesgrove, Riverwood, Rorikstead, Shor's Stone, Stonehills
- Added the small location module: Holds - Small Locations.esp
- Removed some dirty records from Lainalten module.
Version 0.0.9-M3
- Added the city modules: Riften, Solitude, Whiterun, and Windhelm modules have been added.
- Added the new settlements modules: Amber Guard, Black Moor, Border Lodge Inn, Dunbarrow Village, Lainalten, Lainterdale, North Keep, and Wintergate modules have been added.
- Added the small location module: Hall of the Vigilant module has been added.
- HoldsResources.esm has been modified as well.
Version 0.0.9-M2
November 24th 2019
- Modular version will have its own version numbering format from now on; the version number of Holds Complete is added as prefix.
- Dragon Bridge module has been added.
- Excess objects found in Stonehills and Solitude Docks have been removed from Morthal module.
- Reworked LODs for all of the modules.
- Incorporated Skyrim Optimization Compatibility Patch into each module, making them compatible with each other.
- Incorporated more fixes from Holds Unofficial Patch and Skyrim Unofficial Patch into each module.
- HoldsResources.esm has been modified as well.
Version 0.0.9
Overhaul of Morthal, Dragonbridge, Kynesgrove and Darkwater Crossing.
Overhaul of minor locations like Anise's Cabin, alchemist shack, meeko's shack, froki's shack, Angi's Camp, Hall of the Vigilants, Chillfurrow Farm, Battleborn Farm, Ironback Hideout, Brandy mug farm, Hlaalu farm, Hollyfrost farm, Robber's Gorge, Traitors post and Witchmist Grove.
Updated models for Dunbarrow, Winterhold, Dawnstar, Amber Guard, Lainalten, and Wintergate.
Overhaul of older Designs for Dawnstar, Winterhold, Dunbarrow, Amber Guard, Lainalten, Wintergate, Rorikstead, Riverwood, Ivarstead, Windhelm, and Lainterdale.
Removal of glass windows from Riverwood building design in favor of an open variant that fits better with the Conan-esque aestetic of the game world which effects Riverwood, Kolskeggr mine, Soljund Sinkhole, Old Hroldan, Lund's Hut, Half Moon Mill, Pinewatch, Karthwasten, Shor's Stone, Nightgate Inn, Mixwater mill, and Border Lodge Inn. These effects will not touch mods that also adds the Riverwood buildings.
Updated clutter models.
More clutter.
Optional Road Plugin, this does not effect mods that add new area's with roads.
Updated Compatibility patches for Legacy of the Dragonborn, Interesting NPC's, Unofficial Skyrim Patches and No Snow Under Roof.
Version 0.0.8
Fixed the collision in the Solitude Public Bath so that the Dragonborn can take a bath in the changing room and not walk on the surface of the water.
Horses stabled in Dawnstar are now marked as owned and stealing them is now considered a crime!
A table in the Falkreath Bank has been slightly moved to remove a mesh flicker.
Fixed the purple texture on the windows of the Falkreath gate.
Changed the Tundra Rest Design a bit (Interior) to make some sense of the firepit in the middle of the room. There is now an opening in the ceiling and the second floor allowing heat to pass upwards.
Less buildings in Dawnstar and Falkreath have a LOD mesh model to help with performance making it less troublesome to travel to the town, or walk on the walls.
Version 0.0.7
Re-implemented Falkreath and Dawnstar cities, and the Solitude exterior from scratch, and thusly cleaning off many of the bugs and CTD issues. Falkreath exterior CTD issue is fixed, the Dawnstar Salty Alley at night CTD issue is fixed, Solitudes CTD issue, and Dragon combat within Falkreath or Dawnstar CTD issue is fixed.
I have re-done the building meshes for Dawnstar and Falkreath making the buildings have far more detail and feel less flat. Normal map has been properly included as well as far more shapely mesh. Fix to many NIF-errors that meshes had.
Falkreath now has new walls and towers that fit more with Skyrim's viking/nord/barbarian genre while still keeping its Colovian themes.
Dawnstar's longhouse: The Whitehall now has its own building mesh which includes dragonhead figurines, a proper roof and other minor tweaks.
Solitude no longer has a tunnel at its entrance. You will instead enter into a district that stretches from the main gate all the way to the gate that leads to the Winking Skeever. This new district includes new buildings, a statue and much more. A blacksmith, a butchery, a magic curiosity store, and a public bath. Some other new buildings are not accessible at this time, which also includes some new area's of the sewer. These will become available in later updates. The new district connects to the old district that you entered after exiting the tunnel. The last district however as you pass the instrument shop has been completely reworked. Where as it previously as a stair-filled open area it is now far more detailed and includes narrow passages and new buildings.
There was a bug in Falkreaths cemetery that would prevent NPC's from walking to Corpselight farm and would instead walk around and into a mountain. ... this odd habit has been fixed and NPC's will instead head past the lumber-mill as intended.
Custom Clutter used in Holds have had their quality updated along with the buildings.
Compatibility patches have been updated to work with 0.0.7: Very important to update them if your using 0.0.7
0.0.7 also includes DynDOLOD compatibility and should work. (This is a fix I will have to include everytime I update the esp sadly).
There are some other minor fixes, such as seeing through invisible texture on some of the buildings and more.
Version 0.0.6
Made numerous tweaks to the AI packages and excess un-used NPC's in the Solitude Dock District and walkway to make the area more compatible with mods that uses heavy scripts on NPC's within the same location as the player.
Updated 2 more buildings in Falkreath.
Switched the Seven Goblets Sign which originally was a Silverblood Inn sign with a proper custom Seven Goblets Tavern sign.
Version 0.0.5
Fixed Dragon Combat issue in Dawnstar. Problem was apparently linked to the ridiculous number of dragon landing spots.
Solitude's instant CTD should be significantly lessened with this patch, however the problem can still occur given that there are too many NPC's in the players location at once. It should be noted that this is only a problem for script heavy games which uses locations to mark out what NPC's/objects it should effect. The Skyrim script engine cannot handle the amount of Actors / Objects it needs to effect at a given time and thereby locks and crashes. Alternatively, one can always try to disable mods such as Wet and Cold for instance, while traversing Solitude at those times during the day to see if that foils the issue, however here's an alternative: To avoid this I suggest not venturing towards the Solitude Walkway / Docks at the period of 8-9AM as NPC's tend to leave their homes all at the same time. (Better fix will be included in the future as well as an alternative patch which will move one portion of the docks residency area inside of the dock tunnel, should it be necessary).
Added more detailed doorways to Falkreath.
Version 0.0.4
Added more detail to 'Some' of the Falkreath buildings. There is still work to be done on the rest of the buildings but I'd like some feedback on this change and if people like it. The stone foundation should feel more detailed and the wooden support beams should feel less sharp on the edges.
Made sure the items and objects shape nicely around the edited buildings.
Added new compatibility patches: Clockwork, Legacy of the Dragonborn, and Real Shelter.
Fixed issues with Compatibility patches: Interesting NPCs had a small bug in the Falkreath graveyard during the quest for Zorah when she visits a witch in the graveyard. Triggerbox has now been moved to work correctly.
Fixed problem with the Arissa Compatibility patch where it wasn't working correctly at the initial starter quest. It should now work as intended.
Version 0.0.3
0.0.3 includes fixes to a few of the compatibility patches, and fixes to the Holds.esp.
Holds.esp was supposed to have been compatible with Dyndolod in 0.0.2 but somehow that fix got lost in the upload, now it should be there.
There is also an update to the assets with fixes by Exoclyps who've done a great job at making fixes to many of the meshes. While not all meshes are fixed we expect to continue this work and find ways to improve the assets of this project.
The modular file (HoldsResources.esm) has been updated to 0.0.1a to make it compatible with the new assets.
Fixes include: Lod will now stop being lazy and go to work, a conflict with Interesting NPCs. USLEEP fixes a few assets, including Windhelm dirt ground which has caused a flicker in the new residential district.
Version 0.0.2
Fixed the loot-able chests and gold-piles in the Falkreath Bank, taking them now is considered stealing.
Added preferred path to the Solitude tunnels to see if that fixes an issue some users are having with traveling NPC's never entering Solitude. (Alternatively they could use the optional skip the Solitude tunnel patch, if this still doesn't fix it :) )
Taking junk from the chests outside of Falkreath, the ones belonging to the Redguard merchants will now be considered stealing.
Dyndolod should now work :) But create the LOD without the compatibility patches activated.
We are still looking into the Dragon Combat problems in Dawnstar and Falkreath. I have done some excessive testing today and spawned up to 4 dragons in Falkreath. No problem. But even 1 in Dawnstar can after a short while turn into a crash, sometimes it doesn't though.... Which leads me to believe that the problem has to do with the memory, or engine, and not with the actual cell. If someone else knows what the issue might be please feel free to lend a hand, otherwise I would think that this would be fixed when the Skyrim Remaster comes out and we'll get an upgraded engine :)
Holds is a city overhaul project which focuses on what I think are the weaknesses of Skyrim compared to the older Elder Scrolls titles. The mod expands upon the cities of Skyrim and adds more settlements, architecture, outfits, books and named characters with their own backgrounds, homes and daily routines while ensuring they feel natural and realistic.
Falkreath, Winterhold, Morthal and Dawnstar have been rebuilt from scratch with their own unique designs. The mod also adds a bundle of new settlements like Amber Guard and Black Moor. Most of these new settlements have been placed far out of the way and hidden from view to not ruin the expansive wilderness theme of the game. The aim of all of this is to create a more memorable and diverse experience, making the cities actually feel like cities hopefully without ruining the natural and realistic design of the vanilla game.
This is not a botanical garden mod, nor is it a beautification mod. Holds aims to stay as lore-friendly as possible and at the same time expand on the backgrounds and stories for its locations.
I started working on this project late November 2012 and have devoted averagely two hours a day to the creation kit. One of the reasons I felt this project was necessary was the announcement of various modding projects adding new content to the game. The problem, for me was how expansive their cities looked compared to the cities in Skyrim. Coming into Skyrim from Oblivion I was expecting there to be a 'Better Cities' mod available early on, but there wasn't and I missed the features the Oblivion City Overhaul brought to the game.
The mod adds a variety of new books written by myself and Alfredasl which attempts to flesh out the land and history of Skyrim. They are spread to three locations: the Book Store in Falkreath, the Haafingar Library in Solitude and The Palace of Kings Library in Windhelm.
Any criticism, questions, and help will be greatly appreciated, even the criticism. However I will have to ask that you make constructive criticism; your opinion does matter and could very well inspire me to make changes, however I have designed this project with myself in mind.
Installation and Requirements
Make sure that you have a stable and performance friendly game.
It is higly recommended to install ENBoost. Holds uses a lot of memory and might crash unless ENBoost is installed. Check out the STEP guide on how to install ENBoost. http://wiki.step-project.com/ENBoost
Add: [Memory] DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768 ScrapHeapSizeMB=256 in SKSE.ini to make sure you don't get infinite loading screen.
I advice installing the mod manually. I have no experience with the mod installer tools and therefor I cannot be much help, and there have been reported many problems from mod users when installing with these tools. What is important is that Holds is loaded last, the only thing that should be loaded after Holds.esp should be its compatibility patches and alternative performance patches. So an example:
add to your description for people to create a shortcut, and right click it to properties to add -forcesteamloader to the path
so it looks like this: "C/users/blah/desktop/skse_loader.exe" -forcesteamloader
"I just did this and I'm roaming around solitude crash free upon npc load! and my cells load quicker than before!"
Install the meshes and textures from 'Winter Is Coming - Cloaks' by Nivea. You do not need the esp, but you do need the meshes and textures. Give her an endorsement while you are at it. http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/13486/?
Now install Holds into your data folder. Make sure you have compatibility for the mods you suspect would conflict with Holds, see the map on the description page if your unsure, the red marked area's are altered by the mod. Make sure that Holds is at the very bottom of your load order, and that your compatibility patches are beneath the Holds.esp. Now activate Holds and whatever compatibility patches you choose to use in your load order and launch the game. Any problems you encounter can be discussed here on the mod discussion panel, or reported in the bug report panel.
It is advisable to start a new game after installing Holds to avoid annoyances such as the game remembering a bed at a certain location which leaves it stuck in a wall or- something because Holds changes the location.
Hope you enjoy! :)
How to use with Dyndolod
You will need to use the complete or modular version without the compatibility patches activated when creating the LOD. Once that's done you can safely activate the compatibility patches, and play. :)
Current locations affected by Holds
What to expect
Memorable cities and new settlements, named individual characters with daily routines and background stories. New shops and inn's, new designs, new books, new outfits, and new locations and secrets to explore and more content in the future, as well as focusing on the other weaknesses that Skyrim has compared to the other games.
Future Plans
Adding more compatibility patches.
Implementing Dialogues for the characters.
Adding Quests which will be added step-by-step as I complete them.
Implementing new Guilds, as well as working on continuations/conclusions to the vanilla guilds which I felt was left hanging on a poor note.
Adding more Outfits.
Implementing new systems such as Banking, alternative transportation with radiant events, and more.
Help
I would welcome any help with open arms. I will also support anyone who wishes to create patches/fixes/new content for Holds, provided they use my mod as a dependency.
Helping me get noticed, and perhaps volunteering yourself as a developer, writer or voice actor would be very appreciated!
FAQ
Q: I see purple textures on some of the outfits! A: Your likely missing the meshes and textures of the 'Winter Is Coming - Cloaks' mod by Nivea. http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/13486/?
Q: I have found a bug/problem! What do I do? A: Report the bug in the bug panel. And I will see what I can do.
Q: This mod makes my frame-rate drop at 'X' location(s). A: This can be fixed by:
1: Unchecking ObjectPostProcessing in your ENB, and lowering your ENB quality. Seriously don't have your game looking like you've lost your contact lenses, its not good for your eyes and not good for your performance.
2: Evaluating your choice of texture and meshes. This is purely subjective as I use as much 4k resolution textures as I can and have an average 57-60fps even in the heaviest area's (Falkreath, Solitude harbor). This depends completely on the quality of your computer and is something your going to have to figure out how to deal with on your own. Alternatively I could be persuaded to create a performance version of Holds.
Q: I crash instantly at 'X' location. What do I do? A: Report it in the bug panel and make sure you include a list of your Skyrim Load-list, and I will see what I can do.
Q: Is 'X' compatible with Holds? A: Check the compatibility list: http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/4029295-installation-guide-and-more/?p=36835215
Q: Can you make 'X' compatible with Holds? A: Sure, provided the mod author is okay with it. Ask away.
Q: Can I make a compatibility for Holds? A: Yes you may. Do ask if you have any questions.
Q: I want to create a patch/fix/extra content for Holds, do I have your permission to do so? A: Not only will I support you, but you do not need to ask me for permission. Provided you make your mod dependent on Holds and do not include any of the meshes, textures and scripts, or claim ownership of Holds.
Q: May I use your meshes and/or textures in my own mod? A: Ask permission. I do not own everything in the mod, but even so I am comfortable making sure I know who makes use of my own content.
Q: May I re-upload your mod at another mod sharing website? A: No. This mod is -Mine- and on the Nexus only. If I find out you've stolen this mod or uploaded it as part of some mod-pack then I will be very angry with you.
Q: I was wondering if I might share some idea's and perhaps things I want changed about Holds, where can I do so? A: Either at a discussion forum, or in the comment section. I welcome new idea's :)
Q: Would Holds be interested in benefiting from my talents? As a voice actor/level designer/writer/quest and dialogue designer? A: Yes, but I will need to see examples of your previous work first.
Q: I've uninstalled your mod but I still have your LOD, how can I fix this? A: Use LOD generator to overwrite the Holds LOD. It is very easy to use, follow the instructions. http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/62698/?
Q: I don't like this mod. It is not for me. A: I am sorry to hear that. Holds is a Project that I have created with myself in mind. I hope you find a City Overhaul that suits your preferences.