Give Feedback
0 of 0
About this mod
A blended compatibility patch that combines both the ELFX Weather module and True Storms into a singular, cohesive experience. Comes in two separate versions for your visual preference.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
-
Translations
- Russian
- Changelogs
ELFX Weathers - TrueStorms Compatibility Patch
I've always thought of the weather module provided by ELFX to be more of a "forgotten" option when compared to the hefty selection of others available for SSE on the nexus. As such I kind of always assumed that it was fairly unpopular, and never personally gave it a try or, to be honest, ever thought I would. Well, you could say I was more than a bit surprised to find that, after releasing patches over the past few months, the most highly requested patch by far (second only to Obsidian Weathers) was one for ELFX Weathers. Niches are great, aren't they? :) So I finally gave it a download and spent some time with it in xEdit, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Sure, it's not a total weather overhaul with its own systems or textures, but I do think it does an excellent job of touching up the overall atmosphere and aesthetic of all of Skyrim's weathers, especially, to my surprise, the stormy ones. And to make things even better, when I started working on blending it with True Storms, I realized that these two mods were practically made to be used together. Whereas I think ELFX does a wonderful job of revamping the coloring and lighting of stormy weathers, it doesn't add much in the way of new audio or effects, which luckily, True Storms does very well! Long story short, if you haven't given ELFX Weathers a try yet I would highly suggest doing so, especially if you are looking for a lighter weight option that will have next to zero impact on performance. And for those who are already in love with ELFX Weathers, True Storms will do an excellent job of adding extra intensity to your storms where you might have previously found it lacking. Either way, I hope you enjoy the combination! :)
Features
-Completely overhauls all audio from ELFX Weathers (which previously used only vanilla audio files) with True Storms added audio, including 25+ thunder sounds as well as all ambient and interior rain sounds. This will completely remove that annoying looping thunder audio that is ever-present with the vanilla thunder audio as well :)
-Completely revamps the particle and shader effects of ELFX Weathers with those provided by True Storms to make storms feel more intense.
-Distributes all of True Storm's unique weathers into ELFX's region data, creating a more varied blend of weathers as True Storms fills in for places where ELFX previously lacked, mainly with a bigger selection of stormy and foggy weathers.
-Revamps the Solstheim regional data to include all variations of unique ashy weathers provided by True Storms, a few of which can be seen in the screenshots above. There is also an optional Wet&Cold patch that integrates all of the unique ash weathers that it adds as well, for all of your ash-related needs :)
-Comes in two versions for visual preference. Both versions contain all of the above features, they simply change the "aesthetic" of your stormy weathers purely by tweaking things like ambient lighting, coloring, fog levels, etc.
Here is a general overview of the visual changes made in both versions:
-Somber-
This version keeps the visual changes made by ELFX Weathers while incorporating all of the added thunder, rain, and interior audio added by True Storms, as well as the heavier, denser rain particles. I've worked with many weather overhauls on the nexus over the past few months, and I can honestly say that ELFX actually comes far closer to the dark, gritty aesthetic that I'd been trying to achieve in some of my other blended patches. If, like me, you prefer your storms to be as terrifyingly dark and intense as I do, then this might be the perfect option for you :)
-Lucid-
This version selectively incorporates some of the lighting and coloring of True Storms into ELFX's stormy weathers to lighten them up and make them a bit less gloomy. If you weren't the biggest fan of how dark the storms could get in ELFX, or just like more visibility and color in your weathers, then this version is probably more up your alley :)
The video below compares both versions in action to help you decide on a preference. I was using ELFX for overall lighting (duh!) and an ENB (SkyrimSE Re-Engaged) for both the video and the screenshots, so please keep in mind that your version might look different depending on your own ENB and mod setup, especially the darkness levels of some of the weathers. I also included a few extra shots of the really cool Solstheim weathers added specifically by True Storms that are carried over by this patch, which I find to be one of its main bonuses. They are at the end if you'd like to skip ahead to see them :)
Installation and Load Order
The patch requires both the ELFX Weathers module and True Storms to be loaded like this in your load order:
ELFX - Weathers.esp
TrueStormsSE.esp
ELFXWeathers_TS_Patch_Somber.esp
OR
ELFXWeathers_TS_Patch_Lucid.esp
If you are updating to a newer version, simply uninstall the old one and install the newer version. This is completely safe to do mid-game.
Make sure you only choose one of the four versions provided. The optional Water's Edge Fix versions are identical to the original main files, they simply incorporate LoD7995's fix in with the merge for those users that can't stand seeing those blocky water edges. If you are using one of those versions, you no longer need to load the main Water's Edge Fix plugin.
Compatibility
This patch basically combines ELFX Weathers and True Storms into a single weather mod, so it will not be compatible with any mods that alter region or weather records. A few good examples are:
-All other weather mods.
-Darker Nights - I will not be making a patch myself, but Unforbidable is usually very open to making his own official patches for other weather patches if they are requested. It never hurts to ask :)
-Water's Edge Fix - Two extra versions are included as optional files that are identical to the two main versions, only they also directly incorporate LoD7995's Water's Edge Fix. The only reason I've included two more separate versions instead of including the fix directly into the original versions is because, as stated in LoD's description, the water's edge fix works by drastically decreasing the amount of fog in all weathers. So, for those that don't mind losing the foggy aesthetic in a lot of their stormy/foggy weathers, then this is a great option. However, I know that a lot of people are willing to deal with that blocky water edge in order to keep their foggy weathers (myself included), so I made sure to keep the original files untouched with all their fogginess intact :)
-Wet & Cold - Almost fully compatible, it only changes weather records for ash storms in Solstheim. I've created a compatibility patch to ensure that Wet & Cold's effects will be registered in all of ELFX and True Storm's unique Solstheim weathers, which can be found here.
-Minty's Lightning - 100% compatible with everything, as it only adds its own new effects into the game. However, there are a few unique stormy weathers in True Storms that would not receive the new lightning effects without a patch, so I've created one here to carry those over. ELFX does not add any of its own unique stormy weathers, so you are safe to use the standalone version of the Minty patch with this setup.
Highly Recommended Mods
Lightning During Storms Sse (Minty lightning)
Wonders of Weather
ETHEREAL CLOUDS - Special Edition
ETHEREAL COSMOS - Special Edition
Obsidian Mountain Fogs
My Other Mods
Aequinoctium - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
Dolomite - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
NAT - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
MythicalAges - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
RusticWeathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
VividWeathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
ObsidianWeathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
Of course, huge thanks to anamorfus and fadingsignal for the fantastic weather mods!
And another HUGE thanks to LoD7995 for figuring out the water's edge fix and allowing me to incorporate it directly into my patches! You're awesome!
I've always thought of the weather module provided by ELFX to be more of a "forgotten" option when compared to the hefty selection of others available for SSE on the nexus. As such I kind of always assumed that it was fairly unpopular, and never personally gave it a try or, to be honest, ever thought I would. Well, you could say I was more than a bit surprised to find that, after releasing patches over the past few months, the most highly requested patch by far (second only to Obsidian Weathers) was one for ELFX Weathers. Niches are great, aren't they? :) So I finally gave it a download and spent some time with it in xEdit, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Sure, it's not a total weather overhaul with its own systems or textures, but I do think it does an excellent job of touching up the overall atmosphere and aesthetic of all of Skyrim's weathers, especially, to my surprise, the stormy ones. And to make things even better, when I started working on blending it with True Storms, I realized that these two mods were practically made to be used together. Whereas I think ELFX does a wonderful job of revamping the coloring and lighting of stormy weathers, it doesn't add much in the way of new audio or effects, which luckily, True Storms does very well! Long story short, if you haven't given ELFX Weathers a try yet I would highly suggest doing so, especially if you are looking for a lighter weight option that will have next to zero impact on performance. And for those who are already in love with ELFX Weathers, True Storms will do an excellent job of adding extra intensity to your storms where you might have previously found it lacking. Either way, I hope you enjoy the combination! :)
Features
-Completely overhauls all audio from ELFX Weathers (which previously used only vanilla audio files) with True Storms added audio, including 25+ thunder sounds as well as all ambient and interior rain sounds. This will completely remove that annoying looping thunder audio that is ever-present with the vanilla thunder audio as well :)
-Completely revamps the particle and shader effects of ELFX Weathers with those provided by True Storms to make storms feel more intense.
-Distributes all of True Storm's unique weathers into ELFX's region data, creating a more varied blend of weathers as True Storms fills in for places where ELFX previously lacked, mainly with a bigger selection of stormy and foggy weathers.
-Revamps the Solstheim regional data to include all variations of unique ashy weathers provided by True Storms, a few of which can be seen in the screenshots above. There is also an optional Wet&Cold patch that integrates all of the unique ash weathers that it adds as well, for all of your ash-related needs :)
-Comes in two versions for visual preference. Both versions contain all of the above features, they simply change the "aesthetic" of your stormy weathers purely by tweaking things like ambient lighting, coloring, fog levels, etc.
Here is a general overview of the visual changes made in both versions:
-Somber-
This version keeps the visual changes made by ELFX Weathers while incorporating all of the added thunder, rain, and interior audio added by True Storms, as well as the heavier, denser rain particles. I've worked with many weather overhauls on the nexus over the past few months, and I can honestly say that ELFX actually comes far closer to the dark, gritty aesthetic that I'd been trying to achieve in some of my other blended patches. If, like me, you prefer your storms to be as terrifyingly dark and intense as I do, then this might be the perfect option for you :)
-Lucid-
This version selectively incorporates some of the lighting and coloring of True Storms into ELFX's stormy weathers to lighten them up and make them a bit less gloomy. If you weren't the biggest fan of how dark the storms could get in ELFX, or just like more visibility and color in your weathers, then this version is probably more up your alley :)
The video below compares both versions in action to help you decide on a preference. I was using ELFX for overall lighting (duh!) and an ENB (SkyrimSE Re-Engaged) for both the video and the screenshots, so please keep in mind that your version might look different depending on your own ENB and mod setup, especially the darkness levels of some of the weathers. I also included a few extra shots of the really cool Solstheim weathers added specifically by True Storms that are carried over by this patch, which I find to be one of its main bonuses. They are at the end if you'd like to skip ahead to see them :)
Installation and Load Order
The patch requires both the ELFX Weathers module and True Storms to be loaded like this in your load order:
ELFX - Weathers.esp
TrueStormsSE.esp
ELFXWeathers_TS_Patch_Somber.esp
OR
ELFXWeathers_TS_Patch_Lucid.esp
If you are updating to a newer version, simply uninstall the old one and install the newer version. This is completely safe to do mid-game.
Make sure you only choose one of the four versions provided. The optional Water's Edge Fix versions are identical to the original main files, they simply incorporate LoD7995's fix in with the merge for those users that can't stand seeing those blocky water edges. If you are using one of those versions, you no longer need to load the main Water's Edge Fix plugin.
Compatibility
This patch basically combines ELFX Weathers and True Storms into a single weather mod, so it will not be compatible with any mods that alter region or weather records. A few good examples are:
-All other weather mods.
-Darker Nights - I will not be making a patch myself, but Unforbidable is usually very open to making his own official patches for other weather patches if they are requested. It never hurts to ask :)
-Water's Edge Fix - Two extra versions are included as optional files that are identical to the two main versions, only they also directly incorporate LoD7995's Water's Edge Fix. The only reason I've included two more separate versions instead of including the fix directly into the original versions is because, as stated in LoD's description, the water's edge fix works by drastically decreasing the amount of fog in all weathers. So, for those that don't mind losing the foggy aesthetic in a lot of their stormy/foggy weathers, then this is a great option. However, I know that a lot of people are willing to deal with that blocky water edge in order to keep their foggy weathers (myself included), so I made sure to keep the original files untouched with all their fogginess intact :)
-Wet & Cold - Almost fully compatible, it only changes weather records for ash storms in Solstheim. I've created a compatibility patch to ensure that Wet & Cold's effects will be registered in all of ELFX and True Storm's unique Solstheim weathers, which can be found here.
-Minty's Lightning - 100% compatible with everything, as it only adds its own new effects into the game. However, there are a few unique stormy weathers in True Storms that would not receive the new lightning effects without a patch, so I've created one here to carry those over. ELFX does not add any of its own unique stormy weathers, so you are safe to use the standalone version of the Minty patch with this setup.
Highly Recommended Mods
Lightning During Storms Sse (Minty lightning)
Wonders of Weather
ETHEREAL CLOUDS - Special Edition
ETHEREAL COSMOS - Special Edition
Obsidian Mountain Fogs
My Other Mods
Aequinoctium - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
Dolomite - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
NAT - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
MythicalAges - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
RusticWeathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
VividWeathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
ObsidianWeathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE
Of course, huge thanks to anamorfus and fadingsignal for the fantastic weather mods!
And another HUGE thanks to LoD7995 for figuring out the water's edge fix and allowing me to incorporate it directly into my patches! You're awesome!