Updated to v1.01. Now compatible with All Natural - Weather and with fixed water fog transitions.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33627

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The Elder Scrolls IV
OBLIVION
Combat FPS Optimizer Updated

v 1.01 by dieterweb, Updated version altered by Zenball

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Firstly, many thanks to dieterweb for the original mod. Please see the original readme below for instructions on how to change settings.



Updated to v1.01
============

Changelog for v1.01:
==============

Water fog transitions are now seamless. This was achieved by adding a weather type called WaterFog with appropriate fog settings, then fetching these dynamically via a script when underwater.

Default clip distances are now changed so that visible clipping of distant land will occur much less often and the transition between exploring mode and combat mode is often not noticable at all.

The Alt-U issue still exists. I don't consider this function to be important for anything other than for testing purposes. The best option is to change fQuestDelayTime to 1 whilst configuring the mod to your desired settings, if you wish to do so, then once you have set up everything to your satisfaction, change it back to 0.05 or another preferred setting.

Now compatible with All Natural - Weather and any other weather mods via a combination of script changes and a mergeable patch (All Natural - Weather only) to be used with wrye bash. The patch can be deactivated once merged. However, this came at the price of not being able to set your own fog distances. If requested, I can update v1.00 with the new water fog transition code so you can set your own fog settings again and enjoy non-laggy water fog transitions. Note though that this will make it incompatible with All Natural - Weather and probably any other weather mods. All the Fog Far distances in the patch have been set to 61000, which is appropriate for uGridDistantTreeRange=10 and uGridDistantCount=10 in Oblivion.ini and is the default setting for the mod. If you wish to change this to your preferred settings the easiest way to do this is by opening the patch in Tes4edit, hide non conflicting records by right clicking in the main window and selecting the relevant option, then changing the values accordingly. You can click and drag records from one cell to another, which saves a lot of time.

Hope you enjoy it,

ZB


Changelog for v1.00:
====================

More Rapid Transitions
======================

set fQuestDelayTime to 0.05

The switch between combat settings and exploring settings now happens faster. The change is offset by the less jarring transition between states. Can be adjusted if CPU usage is too high. Was 1 in original mod.



Streamline Style Fog Settings For All Modes
===========================================

if player.IsUnderwater ==1
con_SetFog 1000 3000 ; underwater fog start and end distances
else
con_SetFog 15000 61000 ; fog start and end distances

This adds Streamline style fog settings to mask distant clipping and reduced uGrid count (commonly used if you use Really AEVWD). Also works underwater. Please adjust the following settings in your Oblivion.ini to adjust for the default settings:

uGridDistantTreeRange=10
uGridDistantCount=10

If you use Streamline you can edit the combatFPS script to set the streamsight settings to your preferred level. Remember to turn off streamsight in sl.ini.



Known Issues
============

Pressing Alt-U to change modes causes extremely rapid transition due to the lessened transition time.

Transition between underwater fog and normal fog states can sometimes be delayed for a moment. This was also an issue with Streamline fog.



Other Suggestions
=================

If you're not already doing so, you should really be using Oblivion Stutter Remover:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23208

If you are using this with Streamline, turning off Streamsmooth in sl.ini improves performance of Oblivion Stutter Remover. In fact, you should do this anyway if you are using Streamline with Combat FPS Optimizer.

A tip for Really AEVWD users with powerful rigs:

1. Download RAEVWD Extra Rocks
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33635

2. Install using something sensible like a BAIN package or OMOD. This will not overwrite any meshes from RAEVWD.

3. Rebuild your Distant LOD using TES4LodGen.

4. Enjoy!!



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The Elder Scrolls IV
OBLIVION
Combat FPS Optimizer

v 1.0 by dieterweb

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Index:

1. Description
2. Installation
3. Details
4. Version/Contact


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1. DESCRIPTION

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I walk in the outside with around 20-30 FPS with nearly all detail sliders to the maximum.
Thats good enough for exploring, but too low for good fighting. Additionally the FPS will
be reduced even further when a fight starts.

The Combat FPS Optimizer changes the graphic settings dynamically when you start or end combat
and depending on you position (outside / inside / town)
It reduces the amount of grass and the details for shadows, trees, objects, and items (as well
as the maximal view distance - this was removed in version 0.9. it caused problems with the fog underwater, fixed and readded in version 1.0).
To use this mod you need the Oblivion Script Extender V0008 or higher.

The changes of the settings will not be set immediatly when a fight starts. It can take up to 10 seconds.
This was done to not warn players too early that an enemy is approaching.

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2. INSTALLATION

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Simple copy the CombatFPSOptimizer.eps into your data folder and activate it.
Oblivion Script Extender v0008 or higher is required!
You can download the latest version here: http://obse.silverlock.org/

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3. DETAILS

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This is a second beta of this mod. Not everything works as I want it, but I decided to let others try it.
Maybe someone knows how to improve it.

CFPSO will change the following oblivion.ini and game settings:


Setting Fight Exploring

iMinGrassSize:Grass 200 120 ; density of grass. lower values -> more dense grass
iGrassEndDistance:Grass 2000 6000 ; distance to which grass is rendered.
iGrassStartFadeDistance:Grass 1500 5000 ; distance at which grass starts to fade out
fLODFadeOutMultItems:LOD 4.0000 12.0000 ; changes distance at which items are faded out. higher values -> farer
fLODFadeOutMultObjects:LOD 4.0000 12.0000 ; changes distance at which objects are faded out. higher values -> farer
iActorShadowCountInt:LOD 2 5 ; number of shadows in interiors.
iActorShadowCountExt:LOD 0 2 ; number of shadows in exteriors.
ClipDist 9000 -1 ; distance at which clipping starts -> You have to set to -1 when not in combat. otherwise ist will cause problems with underwater fog.

These values are hardcoded into one script (combatFPSOptimizer) of the CFPSO.eps.
To change them you have to change them there.

You can change the settings manually by pressing alt+u. This will switch between exploring/combat/auto settings.
This script runs only once every second, so you have to hold bowth buttons a moment.

CHANGING SETTINGS:

To change settings to your liking do the following. It will take not more than a few minutes:

1. Start TES Construction Kit with OBSE support. Start "obse_loader.exe -editor"
2. Select CFPSO.eps as active mod
3. Menu->Gameplay->EditScripts
4. Open script "combatFPSOptimizer
5. Change values for FIGHTING and EXPLORING
6. Save changes.

Since Version 0.3 you can use different settings for explorint/fighting inside, outside, and in towns.

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4. VERSION / CONTACT

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v1.0 (08.10.06)
- re-added the clipdist option. THX to ziher, who mentioned this in the comments for this mod in tessource.

v0.9 (08.09.06)
- Added ability to change settings manually. Press alt+u.
- Removed clipdist setting. Caused problems with fog underwater.
- Now it will need always 10 seconds until the combat settings are a applied (auto-mode)
- Tweaked script.

v0.8 (06.09.06)
- Removed changing of the fog setting, due to problems with weather mods.
- Removed changing of tree detail. Never used it myself. to disturbing to have to go into the video options menu.
- Tweaked the script a little bit.
- The options will be reset every 30 seconds. This prevents wrong gfx options ater leoding or quitting when you are in a fight.
This is also needed to set to the right setting when changing location (inside/town/outside). This should cause no slowdowns.
- Fixed shadow settings. They should work now.

v0.3 (04.09.06)
- Added ability to set options to different values depending on your location (interior, town, outside)
- Fog will not be set if you are in a oblivion plane
- Changing settings will take up to 10 seconds (by this you will not be warned too early that an enemy is approaching)
- renamed esp to combatFPSOptimizer.eps

v0.2 (03.09.06)
- Added more settings that can be changed.
- Added more descriptions to the script making it easier to change things.
- Improved readme

v0.1 (02.09.06)
- First release


------------------

Please send comments and bug reports to : dieterweb@iwef.de

I use the original for it's lightweight script, nice to see someone taking a hand yet again.
Why I don't use clipdist is because even with the 10 sec before it happens can give combat away. Better if it would activate with the first hit on PC. And I think I had some issues when the distance turned on again - heavy modded game you know.

Would be nice with an in-game menu too, then again it is not a too big a hassle adjusting the script in the C.S.

Cheers!

This looks promising - will try it out once I get home...

Keep up the good work! :foodndrink:

Why?

No offense, but that would be an incredibly bad idea for anyone attempting to optimize FPS. The meshes used in MTAEVWD are nothing more than copies of the full size meshes with all of the problems one might expect from that, including massively high polygon counts. MTAEVWD makes _fars for everything right down to the dinky little 045 size rocks, and there's thousands of those in the game.

Everything you're suggesting elsewhere with this mod would be instantly wiped out even on the most powerful computers. Not to mention the visual anomalies that will result from using broken VWD meshes.

There's a reason I only did the 2080 rocks in RAEVWD

The lite package of MTEVWD has far fewer rocks than the full package. No small size rocks are included. I should also have mentioned that I pyffied them before use. They seem to be reduced poly versions although this is not mentioned, and examining them in nifskope shows that they have also had some uneeded branches removed. I removed some other branches that I thought were not useful and this did not significantly reduce the file size so I left them in just in case. Try it anyway, I wouldn't argue with someone with the depth of Oblivion knowledge you have, but combined with other tweaks I mention adding the rocks does not significantly reduce fps at all, and there are no visual anomolies I have detected. And it looks awesome .

edit: added a screenshot on the mod page to show an example of the mod settings in action.

Well ok, so those rock meshes are better off than they once were, but the ones in the package have still not been properly stripped of everything needed and so they will run into visual anomalies. It's still a lot of them too since the lite package is providing things down to the 645 size.

Cool. I imagined so. Should have consulted with you first before offering that tip to all and sundry, sorry about that. What else needs ripping out? Comparing your rocks with MTEVWD ones I'm assuming:

BSX Flags
NiStringExtraData
NiBinaryExtraData

Anything else I should know? I'll probably upload a complementary package once done.

Parallax flags too. PyFFI has a stripper spell you can use which should be covered in its docs somewhere. Gets rid if everything that should be gone.

Cheers - tried the docs but almost cried after trying to understand how to use python. Then I found the Pyffi thread on here - much friendlier. Hopefully won't take me too long to figure it out.

edit: Done http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33635

@zenball

Optimizing mesh nif to _far.nif:

python.exe scripts\niftoaster.py --jobs=10 --noninteractive --only=_far modify_makefarnif --exclude=NiSourceTexture v:\test4 > v:\test4\log_far.txt

Reducing mesh (experimental)

python.exe scripts\niftoaster.py --jobs=10 --noninteractive opt_reducegeometry --arg=-0.1 v:\test4 > v:\test4\log_redgeo.txt

--arg=[2..to..-0.1] 2=less reduction -0.1=much reduction

--jobs number of cpu cores (HT 2x)

Ahh. Very cool, cheers for that. It might be worth getting the original meshes and reducing those instead using the reduced ones from MTAEVWD. Arthmoor, in the readme of RAEVWD you mentioned you machine regenerated the meshes, is this how you did it? You meshes certainly look better than the reduced poly versions of MTAEVWD, although it's not noticeable this from a distance. They also seem smaller in filesize yet more detailed, although that may be because of the larger physical size of the RAEVWD rocks.

Updated to v1.01 - see first post for details.

No, I used a program called Milkshape 3D to reduce them. It has a DirectX mesh tool in it that will allow you to reduce the number of triangles in a mesh. All of the meshes in RAEVWD had that done right up to the point where further reduction would have started tearing pieces of them out.

Crikey. Is that tool available in the shareware version or only in the paid version? I'm seriously considering redoing those rocks from scratch as they look poor compared to the RAEVWD ones.

Well the shareware version IS the pay version. You get a 30-day trial on it for free, so if you only need to do a few things and never touch it again, that would do the trick.

You will have to use Nifskope to remove the collision from the mesh, and export it as a .OBJ file. That's the only format the two programs have in common. Importing into Milkshape 3D is done as a "Wavefront .OBJ" file. It's kind of a hassle but the results are vastly superior to any other method I know of.

Excellent - I shall update within the next 30 days then... cheers for the info Arthmoor.

I downloaded the v101 of Combat FPS and instaled the CombatFPSOptimizer.esp file. I notice you included All Natural Combat FPS Optimzer Updated Patch.esp in this download but I don't see any instructions in this thread or the read me file about whether or not I need to install this, too. Can you let me know?

Thanks.

PS- In Wryebash, there is red highlighting on the Combat FPS optimizer.esp, which makes me wonder if I also need All Natural...esp as well.

Combat FPS Optimizer does not need All Natural to work but I highly recommend it. The patch is for users of All Natural - Weather only, it needs to be merged into your bashed patch. It should show with green text which means it's mergeable. The red highlight means you have two mods with the same date stamp. BOSS your load order, that should sort it out.

OK, merged All Natural in my bashed patch, rebuilt the patch, and ran BOSS. BOSS reports this:


-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unrecognised mod files:
Reorder these by hand using your favourite mod ordering utility.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Unknown mod file: All Natural Combat FPS Optimizer Updated Patch.esp


Also, even after running BOSS, the CombatFPSOptimizer.esp has red highlighting across the black text and the All Natural Combat FPS Optimizer has pink highilghting across the green text (there's a + sign in the pink box next to it, presumably because it is patched.)

Also, now my DLCShiveringIsles.esp nd Armamentatirum.esm has pink highlighting across its text too, when it didn't before. This is post-BOSS. BOSS has this to say re: Armamentautirum.esm:


Armamentarium.esm
. Bashed Patch tag suggestion: {{BASH:Relev}}


Any idea what's going on here and how I can fix it, assuming I need to?

Hmm, cannot start Oblivion now- game crashes before intro screen. I think that I haven't properly intergrate All Natural Combat FPS Optimizer Updated Patch.esp into my mod list.

Here are my active mods, and I still have that BOSS message re the Unrecognized mod files for All Natural. Is there something I'm missing here?
I am not running All Natural Weather mod, so maybe I should remove All Natural Combat FPS esp?

Edit- removed All Natural Combat FPS.esp and now game runs fine. Could it cause it to crash b/c I wasn't running the All NAtural weather mod?

Yep. The All Natural Patch is ONLY for users of All Natural - Weather. If you load a mod which is missing its master, in this case All Natural - Weather.esm, the game will crash upon load.

edit: You need to update your BOSS masterlist.txt to the very latest version, which you can do here: http://code.google.com/p/better-oblivion-sorting-software/source/browse/#svn/data/boss-oblivion

Ahh, okay. That explains it.

Thanks for the link to BOSS. Reading over it, I don't see what I'm supposed to do to update my BOSS masterlist.txt. Looking for a file to download or some such. What's the procedure for updating? Sorry for the confusion.

TBH I just load the page with the masterlist contents on, then click and drag to select the whole master list (takes a minute or so to select it all), then copy paste it into a new notepad file. It needs to be saved as ANSI not unicode otherwise boss won't work. There are more efficient ways to update it but unless you use every mod as it's released you only need to do this once every so often. I personally only do it when a new mod is released that I use straight away that isn't in the masterlist, then I update.

If you have Word 2003 or later, you can use http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1074014-boss-master-list-manager/ to update your BOSS masterlist. There is no better way than that!