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About this mod
This mod is a set of replacer meshes and textures that makes the following in game objects glow, in whole or in part:
Levers, Buttons, Pull Bars and Pull Chains
Portcullis and Trapdoor
Coin purses and Honeypots
Puzzles and Secrets
Traps
Now, there is a version with a dimmer glow.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
This mod changes some in-game objects so that they glow, in order to make them easier to notice and see. It does this by replacing some meshes and textures.
Description:
Some things in Skyrim are meant to be hard to notice. It's part of the challenge of the game, and I get that. "LRazor's Glowing Objects" is arguably a collection of spoilers, so if you enjoy solving puzzles and finding hidden or concealed objects, LRGO is not for you. But if your vision is less than perfect like mine, those kinds of activities can become something that greatly impacts one's enjoyment of the game, and not for the better. This mod attempts to reduce or eliminate this particular challenge for those of us who find it a detriment.
The Short Story: this mod is a set of replacer meshes and textures that makes the following in game objects glow, in whole or in part:
Levers, Buttons, Pull Bars and Pull Chains
Portcullis and Trapdoor
Coin purses and Honeypots
Puzzles and Secrets
Traps
You may download and install the separate modules individually in any order or combination and they will work. Or you can save yourself some trouble, and use the All in One (AIO) file. If you choose the AIO file, choose only the original or the dim version; you only need one or the other, not both.
The Long story:
Up front, I'd like to say that although I took inspiration (and learned much) from the other mods mentioned, I did not use any of their assets in this mod. This mod is entirely composed of vanilla meshes and textures that I modified myself.
There is a brilliant (literally!) mod for Skyrim LE called No More Chain Torture by ProtologolusX / Luvonir which makes pull-chains glow so that they are easier to see. I considered this an essential mod when I was playing Skyrim LE. While the mod author has generously released the mod for use by other mod authors, I could find no Skyrim SE conversion of it.
So I was sad.
I did find another literally brilliant mod, Loot Vision by Corsafire and I thought: "This is what I need!" But while it made many things glow, it did not make the pull chains glow.
So I was sad again.
But then I noticed that Corsafire had posted a method to make objects glow, and was also awesomely generous with the permissions for the mod. And it looked like something I could do easily enough, so I decided to try my hand at re-creating "No More Chain Torture."
And I was successful. Too successful, arguably, because it led me to ask that dangerous little question: "What if..."
I realized I didn't have to stop at the pull chains. I could make every lever, button, and pull bar glow. So I did that as well. But while doing that...
I further realized I could make traps glow. So I went and did that too. And while doing that, I stumbled upon puzzle meshes, and thought: "Could I make puzzles glow too, and in such a way as to make them easier to solve?"
Well, yes and no. It turns out that in order to make some of the puzzle solutions obvious, I couldn't just make the mesh glow. I'd need to change the texture too. So, I went looking for a way to make textures glow in whole or in part, and I found this easy to understand tutorial: How I Make Glow Maps
And look who it's by: ProtologolusX / Luvonir! So once again to this mod author I owe a debt of thanks.
If you use and enjoy this mod, while endorsements are always appreciated, please also download and endorse these mods by other authors, because without them this one would not exist:
Loot Vision
How I Make Glow Maps
No More Chain Torture
Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoy "LRazor's Glowing Objects."
Installation, Uninstallation and Upgrade:
I STRONGLY recommend you use a mod manager (e.g. Vortex). This mod contains many loose files. Therefore, while manual installation or upgrade is easy, uninstallation is definitely not. If you insist on managing this mod manually, you will need to be familiar with managing files and folders, and familiar with using an archive extraction program (e.g. 7-zip):
Manual Installation:
1. Download the file from your preferred edition.
2. Extract the file to a temporary location.
3. Copy the extracted "meshes" (and if you chose the AIO or puzzles file, "textures") folders into your Skyrim Special Edition Data folder. Overwrite when prompted.
Manual Uninstallation:
1. Use your archive extraction program (e.g. 7-zip) to view the file and folder structure of the original archive.
2. Delete from your Skyrim Special Edition Data folder the individual files (NOT THE FOLDERS) as appropriate. If, after deleting the files specific to this mod, a folder turns out to be empty, only then can you delete it.
Update:
1. Follow the Installation instructions above.
Requirements:
Nothing other than the base game Skyrim SSE, and its included DLCs.
Load Order:
There is no plugin, so load order is not important. Installation order is important (see "Compatibility" below).
Compatibility:
This mod will have conflicts with any mod that alters the meshes and textures of the world objects described under "The Short Story" above. You may be able to resolve these conflicts by choosing which of the two are installed in which order, but you must keep in mind:
1. The mod you install last will win, unless the other mod uses BSAs for the meshes it modifies, then my mod will win regardless of install order.
2. My mod uses modified vanilla meshes, so those objects will not have the improved look that was doubtless your motivation for installing the other mesh/texture replacement mod. The only exception to that rule would be texture replacement mods that do not replace the meshes. The only textures I added are glow maps that didn't originally exist, so it's unlikely that some other texture replacement mod will overwrite them. No guarantee that the glow maps won't look strange though.
A perfect example is the slight overlap between LRGO and Loot Vision. Such as, if you prefer Loot Vision's coin bags, install it after LRGO, overwrite when prompted, and Loot Vision will "win" so to speak.
Known Issues or Bugs:
See "Compatibility" above, for known issues. As for bugs, I'm not sure the term even applies to this kind of mod (no scripts, no plugins). But if something is wrong, like the glow suggests an incorrect answer to a puzzle or a trap is marked safe when it's not, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Anticipated Questions:
Q: Are there scripts? Is "LRazor's Glowing Objects" safe to install and uninstall?
A: There are no scripts. LRGO is strictly a mesh and texture replacer. I installed, upgraded in place, and uninstalled it many times during testing without breaking any of my save games.
Q: There's something that I think ought to be glowing, but isn't. Will you consider suggestions for improvement?
A: I'll consider suggestions; can't promise I can do it though. To start with, you'd have to tell me exactly what mesh it is (get "More Informative Console" https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/19250 and click on the object in console and tell me the name of the ".nif" file). Also, I can probably make the mesh glow, but in order to make it glow in such a fashion as to reveal the solution to a puzzle, for instance, the mesh would have to be designed in such a manner as to allow for that. And finally, if it would require a plugin or script, I won't do it because I want to keep this mod strictly a mesh and texture replacer.
Q: Why loose files? Have you got something against Bethesda Archives?
A: No, I have nothing against Bethesda archives, and in fact, I considered using them initially. But firstly, in order to use a Bethesda Archive, I'd have to use a plugin to load it, and I wanted to keep the mod plugin-free. Secondly, if I'd put the files into a Bethesda Archive it would get overridden by loose files. Finally, as loose files, mod managers can help you more easily pick and choose which files are used in game. Files in a Bethesda Archive cannot be managed in this way by a mod manager.
Q: Will you make a SMIM version or patch?
A: Sorry, but no. I don't have the resources to support multiple versions. Feel free to take a crack at it yourself.
Q: I'm using the modular edition, and there's stuff glowing that I don't think should be glowing based on the name of the module. Will you fix it?
A: With regard to how I grouped them, some objects are in a grey area, and I had to make some judgment calls. Go ahead and suggest your change, but I will likely stand by my original decision.
Q: A FOMOD installer would make this a lot easier. Will you make one?
A: If you direct me to a good tutorial as to how to do that, I just might do it. As far as what constitutes a "good tutorial" it would need to be in English and the dialogue would have to be by a person whose mastery of the language is at least close to that of a native speaker, it would need to be recent (say, within the last 3 years), and it would need to demonstrate in enough detail how to create a FOMOD installer for someone who does not have scripting skills.
Q: Would you convert "LRazor's Glowing Objects" to Skyrim LE?
A: Much as I'd like to, I'm sorry, but no. Long story short, I just don't have the resources to support an LE version of "LRazor's Glowing Objects." If you want to, and you're willing to support it, please feel free to back-port "LRazor's Glowing Objects" to Skyrim LE (within the restrictions outlined above, of course). If you tell me you've done it, I just might even put a link to your mod page for it.
Q: Are you aware that there's already a mod that does this, and does it better than yours?
A: That's awesome! Wish I could have found it before I went to all this trouble. Please point me to it; I'd be grateful. Edit: After the initial release of LRGO, another mod: Pa-Look by Hendecagon was brought to my attention. It appears roughly analogous to the module of LRGO for Levers, Buttons, Pull Bars and Pull Chains although it does some things differently of course. It's a very nice mod and if you prefer it, I understand. If you like, to get the best of both worlds you can even install Pa-Look after LRGO and overwrite when prompted. Update: You should also check out this mod: Watcher's Visible Pull Chains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/68471 by Watcher0187 https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/users/2390013 for an alternative look to the chains and levers.
Q: This mod is nothing but a huge spoiler! You ruined my game! What are you going to do about it?!
A: Yes this mod is a spoiler by nature. No, you ruined your game by not understanding the nature of this mod. You've only yourself to blame, and I am not going to take any responsibility for that.
Q: What mods are shown in the screenshots?
A: While none of these mods are needed for my mod nor are any assets from them used in my mod, I highly recommend them because they are awesome. Visit the mod pages for details including their permissions, because mention on this mod page does not impact their permissions:
Skyland AIO by johnrose81
Insects Begone - Modularly Removing Spiders and Chaurus by yroc1234
More Saddles SSE - Horse by Laup26 and ported to SSE by azzendix
Slof’s Asymmetrical Horse Project SSE With Slof’s Asymmetrical Horses Pack 1 SSE by AlienSlof
Tools used:
More Informative Console by Linthar
Nifskope
GIMP
7-zip
Vortex
LHammonds readme generator, although I used it more as a checklist rather than as a generator
Changelog:
1.0 Initial Release - 8:14:PM on Monday, April 20, 2020
Credits:
Thanks to Bethesda for Elder Scrolls games, and the tools with which to mod them.
Thanks to Linthar for More Informative Console
Thanks to The GIMP Team for GIMP
Thanks to NifTools Team for Nifskope.
Thanks to the Nexus for a one-stop-shop resource for authors and players, and for Vortex.
Thanks to LHammonds for the readme generator.
Thanks to Igor Pavlov for 7-zip.
Description:
Some things in Skyrim are meant to be hard to notice. It's part of the challenge of the game, and I get that. "LRazor's Glowing Objects" is arguably a collection of spoilers, so if you enjoy solving puzzles and finding hidden or concealed objects, LRGO is not for you. But if your vision is less than perfect like mine, those kinds of activities can become something that greatly impacts one's enjoyment of the game, and not for the better. This mod attempts to reduce or eliminate this particular challenge for those of us who find it a detriment.
The Short Story: this mod is a set of replacer meshes and textures that makes the following in game objects glow, in whole or in part:
Levers, Buttons, Pull Bars and Pull Chains
Portcullis and Trapdoor
Coin purses and Honeypots
Puzzles and Secrets
Traps
You may download and install the separate modules individually in any order or combination and they will work. Or you can save yourself some trouble, and use the All in One (AIO) file. If you choose the AIO file, choose only the original or the dim version; you only need one or the other, not both.
The Long story:
Up front, I'd like to say that although I took inspiration (and learned much) from the other mods mentioned, I did not use any of their assets in this mod. This mod is entirely composed of vanilla meshes and textures that I modified myself.
There is a brilliant (literally!) mod for Skyrim LE called No More Chain Torture by ProtologolusX / Luvonir which makes pull-chains glow so that they are easier to see. I considered this an essential mod when I was playing Skyrim LE. While the mod author has generously released the mod for use by other mod authors, I could find no Skyrim SE conversion of it.
So I was sad.
I did find another literally brilliant mod, Loot Vision by Corsafire and I thought: "This is what I need!" But while it made many things glow, it did not make the pull chains glow.
So I was sad again.
But then I noticed that Corsafire had posted a method to make objects glow, and was also awesomely generous with the permissions for the mod. And it looked like something I could do easily enough, so I decided to try my hand at re-creating "No More Chain Torture."
And I was successful. Too successful, arguably, because it led me to ask that dangerous little question: "What if..."
I realized I didn't have to stop at the pull chains. I could make every lever, button, and pull bar glow. So I did that as well. But while doing that...
I further realized I could make traps glow. So I went and did that too. And while doing that, I stumbled upon puzzle meshes, and thought: "Could I make puzzles glow too, and in such a way as to make them easier to solve?"
Well, yes and no. It turns out that in order to make some of the puzzle solutions obvious, I couldn't just make the mesh glow. I'd need to change the texture too. So, I went looking for a way to make textures glow in whole or in part, and I found this easy to understand tutorial: How I Make Glow Maps
And look who it's by: ProtologolusX / Luvonir! So once again to this mod author I owe a debt of thanks.
If you use and enjoy this mod, while endorsements are always appreciated, please also download and endorse these mods by other authors, because without them this one would not exist:
Loot Vision
How I Make Glow Maps
No More Chain Torture
Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoy "LRazor's Glowing Objects."
Installation, Uninstallation and Upgrade:
I STRONGLY recommend you use a mod manager (e.g. Vortex). This mod contains many loose files. Therefore, while manual installation or upgrade is easy, uninstallation is definitely not. If you insist on managing this mod manually, you will need to be familiar with managing files and folders, and familiar with using an archive extraction program (e.g. 7-zip):
Manual Installation:
1. Download the file from your preferred edition.
2. Extract the file to a temporary location.
3. Copy the extracted "meshes" (and if you chose the AIO or puzzles file, "textures") folders into your Skyrim Special Edition Data folder. Overwrite when prompted.
Manual Uninstallation:
1. Use your archive extraction program (e.g. 7-zip) to view the file and folder structure of the original archive.
2. Delete from your Skyrim Special Edition Data folder the individual files (NOT THE FOLDERS) as appropriate. If, after deleting the files specific to this mod, a folder turns out to be empty, only then can you delete it.
Update:
1. Follow the Installation instructions above.
Requirements:
Nothing other than the base game Skyrim SSE, and its included DLCs.
Load Order:
There is no plugin, so load order is not important. Installation order is important (see "Compatibility" below).
Compatibility:
This mod will have conflicts with any mod that alters the meshes and textures of the world objects described under "The Short Story" above. You may be able to resolve these conflicts by choosing which of the two are installed in which order, but you must keep in mind:
1. The mod you install last will win, unless the other mod uses BSAs for the meshes it modifies, then my mod will win regardless of install order.
2. My mod uses modified vanilla meshes, so those objects will not have the improved look that was doubtless your motivation for installing the other mesh/texture replacement mod. The only exception to that rule would be texture replacement mods that do not replace the meshes. The only textures I added are glow maps that didn't originally exist, so it's unlikely that some other texture replacement mod will overwrite them. No guarantee that the glow maps won't look strange though.
A perfect example is the slight overlap between LRGO and Loot Vision. Such as, if you prefer Loot Vision's coin bags, install it after LRGO, overwrite when prompted, and Loot Vision will "win" so to speak.
Known Issues or Bugs:
See "Compatibility" above, for known issues. As for bugs, I'm not sure the term even applies to this kind of mod (no scripts, no plugins). But if something is wrong, like the glow suggests an incorrect answer to a puzzle or a trap is marked safe when it's not, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Anticipated Questions:
Q: Are there scripts? Is "LRazor's Glowing Objects" safe to install and uninstall?
A: There are no scripts. LRGO is strictly a mesh and texture replacer. I installed, upgraded in place, and uninstalled it many times during testing without breaking any of my save games.
Q: There's something that I think ought to be glowing, but isn't. Will you consider suggestions for improvement?
A: I'll consider suggestions; can't promise I can do it though. To start with, you'd have to tell me exactly what mesh it is (get "More Informative Console" https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/19250 and click on the object in console and tell me the name of the ".nif" file). Also, I can probably make the mesh glow, but in order to make it glow in such a fashion as to reveal the solution to a puzzle, for instance, the mesh would have to be designed in such a manner as to allow for that. And finally, if it would require a plugin or script, I won't do it because I want to keep this mod strictly a mesh and texture replacer.
Q: Why loose files? Have you got something against Bethesda Archives?
A: No, I have nothing against Bethesda archives, and in fact, I considered using them initially. But firstly, in order to use a Bethesda Archive, I'd have to use a plugin to load it, and I wanted to keep the mod plugin-free. Secondly, if I'd put the files into a Bethesda Archive it would get overridden by loose files. Finally, as loose files, mod managers can help you more easily pick and choose which files are used in game. Files in a Bethesda Archive cannot be managed in this way by a mod manager.
Q: Will you make a SMIM version or patch?
A: Sorry, but no. I don't have the resources to support multiple versions. Feel free to take a crack at it yourself.
Q: I'm using the modular edition, and there's stuff glowing that I don't think should be glowing based on the name of the module. Will you fix it?
A: With regard to how I grouped them, some objects are in a grey area, and I had to make some judgment calls. Go ahead and suggest your change, but I will likely stand by my original decision.
Q: A FOMOD installer would make this a lot easier. Will you make one?
A: If you direct me to a good tutorial as to how to do that, I just might do it. As far as what constitutes a "good tutorial" it would need to be in English and the dialogue would have to be by a person whose mastery of the language is at least close to that of a native speaker, it would need to be recent (say, within the last 3 years), and it would need to demonstrate in enough detail how to create a FOMOD installer for someone who does not have scripting skills.
Q: Would you convert "LRazor's Glowing Objects" to Skyrim LE?
A: Much as I'd like to, I'm sorry, but no. Long story short, I just don't have the resources to support an LE version of "LRazor's Glowing Objects." If you want to, and you're willing to support it, please feel free to back-port "LRazor's Glowing Objects" to Skyrim LE (within the restrictions outlined above, of course). If you tell me you've done it, I just might even put a link to your mod page for it.
Q: Are you aware that there's already a mod that does this, and does it better than yours?
A: That's awesome! Wish I could have found it before I went to all this trouble. Please point me to it; I'd be grateful. Edit: After the initial release of LRGO, another mod: Pa-Look by Hendecagon was brought to my attention. It appears roughly analogous to the module of LRGO for Levers, Buttons, Pull Bars and Pull Chains although it does some things differently of course. It's a very nice mod and if you prefer it, I understand. If you like, to get the best of both worlds you can even install Pa-Look after LRGO and overwrite when prompted. Update: You should also check out this mod: Watcher's Visible Pull Chains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/68471 by Watcher0187 https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/users/2390013 for an alternative look to the chains and levers.
Q: This mod is nothing but a huge spoiler! You ruined my game! What are you going to do about it?!
A: Yes this mod is a spoiler by nature. No, you ruined your game by not understanding the nature of this mod. You've only yourself to blame, and I am not going to take any responsibility for that.
Q: What mods are shown in the screenshots?
A: While none of these mods are needed for my mod nor are any assets from them used in my mod, I highly recommend them because they are awesome. Visit the mod pages for details including their permissions, because mention on this mod page does not impact their permissions:
Skyland AIO by johnrose81
Insects Begone - Modularly Removing Spiders and Chaurus by yroc1234
More Saddles SSE - Horse by Laup26 and ported to SSE by azzendix
Slof’s Asymmetrical Horse Project SSE With Slof’s Asymmetrical Horses Pack 1 SSE by AlienSlof
Tools used:
More Informative Console by Linthar
Nifskope
GIMP
7-zip
Vortex
LHammonds readme generator, although I used it more as a checklist rather than as a generator
Changelog:
1.0 Initial Release - 8:14:PM on Monday, April 20, 2020
Credits:
Thanks to Bethesda for Elder Scrolls games, and the tools with which to mod them.
Thanks to Linthar for More Informative Console
Thanks to The GIMP Team for GIMP
Thanks to NifTools Team for Nifskope.
Thanks to the Nexus for a one-stop-shop resource for authors and players, and for Vortex.
Thanks to LHammonds for the readme generator.
Thanks to Igor Pavlov for 7-zip.