A More Mysterious World : IV

» Tue May 03, 2011 6:51 am

A More Mysterious World
A guide-in-progress to modding Oblivion for mysterious ambiance, visual diversity, and the sense of a larger world.

Part One: Fogging Things Up
Wherein the subject is reduced outdoor range of viewing, a major contributing factor to the sense of the size of Cyrodiil.

Option 1: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18305.
If I were to choose a single mod that does more toward achieving the goal of this guide than any other, it would be All Natural - when set up correctly, of course. Though this is primarily a weather mod (and, in my opinion, the best one currently available), it's of interest in this guide because it has an ini file which contains a fog control segment. It allows you to set variable fog ranges by weather type. It can also control how dark your nights are, make moonlight brighten the night based on moon phase, and change the colors and color saturation of your daylight in various weathers. Editing the ini file for this mod is extremely easy with a great deal of built in guidance. Fog values near the very lowest ranges suggested by the comments will nicely limit your viewing range so that anything just beyond the beginning of distant land is fogged out, and you can see only a silhouette.

Turning off distant buildings while using very low fog settings with All Natural will improve performance with this option and is almost unnoticeable. I don't recommend turning off distant trees, but if you need to for performance, using this kind of fog setting limits the annoyance factor as much as anything will. You may also lower some oblivion.ini settings that will increase performance with no visual loss whatsoever if your fog range is low enough. The values you want to lower are "uGridDistantTreeRange=x" and "uGridDistantCount=x" in the [General] section of the .ini. I've set both numbers as low as 10.

Here is a series of screenshots, showing a cloudy day, a cloudy night with a full moon, and one of a foggy morning. All of these were taken with the uGridDistant values above set to 10, and all fog numbers in the All Natural.ini between 0.2 and 0.4. Note: With the overall settings this low, set the "foggy" weather value as high as clear weather (or higher), otherwise when the fog rolls in, you'll see nothing but white. All other settings can be set up in a logical manner based on weather types using the examples the ini comments give.

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot10.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot9.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot11.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot13.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot12.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot14.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot15.jpg - http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/with_this_hand/Oblivion/ScreenShot16.jpg

Option 2: http://obse.silverlock.org/ (scroll down to find the download links on the list.)
Streamline is a customizable performance mod that can control almost every aspect of Oblivion's visual quality, ostensibly for performance/FPS gains. However, it can be used, through tweaking, to set up a static fog distance. This is compatible with All Natural; the ini for that mod has further infomation. Streamline comes with a good amount of documentation on how to tweak it. To set up a static fog range, you must set the min/max fog range number within Streamline's Streamsight feature to the same number (or very close to it). This method is inferior to All Natural in that it doesn't offer weather-based fog variance.

A recommended mod to use for other features even if you don't use it for fog management, as it offers both convenience and performance gains.

Option 3: Other fog mods
As a general rule, other mods that set a static fog range are not compatible with weather mods, and are not adjustable unless you can edit them yourself in the CS, or if they offer multiple option ESPs. Searth PES or TESnexus for "Fog". Of these, I have used and liked http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=33424. These can be easier to install and use than the mods above.

Option 4: Distant land off
This is a fairly self-explanatory option. It's also the only effective way I've seen to have a very, very short, Morrowind-like view distance. Set your view distance under Oblivion's video options to less than 100% view distance. If you're going to do this, I recommend setting it to 75% or below, as this will help minimize some of the "pop-in" caused by the complete lack of distant land. Using 99 or 100% view distance with distant land off makes the pop-in effect extremely noticeable and annoying.

Also of note: This method clearly also offers the largest improvement in outdoor performance for those with computers that struggle with distant land. Most people who use this option will in fact probably do it for performance reasons.

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More to come in the guide. In the meantime, the following links are mods that generally contribute to Oblivion gameplay with the theme of limited vision, visual diversity, and the sense of mystery and a larger world. Most will probably feature in an upcoming segment of this guide.

All of the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19370. Particularly with a limited range of vision, the distinctly different landscapes add immensely to the sense of size and variety of landscapes.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9276 Better grass with more variety.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23783 Go for the largest trees option, 150% of normal.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18385 which can be used alone or in combination with one of the following:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22819 OR
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35099, the latter being recommended.

Recommended reading:
WrinklyNinja's http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=960829.
The All Natural Readme, which has a suggested complementary mods list.

I'm still looking for further feedback on both the content and formatting of the guide, as well as further ideas, particularly about ambient lighting tweaks and mods.

The next addition to the guide will be concerning better tree, grass, and shrubbery groundcover, for obscuring your view in the nearer range.

Thanks to those who have contributed so far, and to Far327, who inspired me with his screenshots and some of the discussion that followed (which I was not a part of but happened upon later), found http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1164017-moded-oblivion-screenshot-thread-275/page__view__findpost__p__17385937).

» Mon May 02, 2011 8:54 pm

Hey all.

So I've recently decided to use one of the various fog management mods to fog out the details in the LOD land. I've dropped RAEVWD or anything similar, and even turned off distant buildings. This was inspired by some screenshots by Far327 and discussion that followed, http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1164017-moded-oblivion-screenshot-thread-275/page__view__findpost__p__17385937. As a bonus, this improves outdoor FPS, particularly over using VWD mods.

I like the sense of mystery and the feeling that the world is larger that foggy distant land - combined with larger, denser vegetation - gives. What I'm looking to do with this thread, is get some feedback, and establish a general guide on what is the best way to go about creating this kind of foggy distand landscape and sense of mysterious ambiance. And a list of mods to that purpose.

This thread is exclusively concerning visual/environmental changes for the above stated goal; other types of changes, such as sound, wildlife, etc., are largely covered elsewhere and beyond the scope with which I would like to concern this thread. In addition to distant land and fog effects, I'm also interested in weather mods, trees/vegetation, and interior/exterior lighting.

I'm currently using most of the things that Far327 was using in his screenshots:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18305,
All of the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19370, http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9276,
and http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23783 (with the largest scaling option) being the central ones, in my opinion.

Additionally, for interior lighting, I use http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18385. I tweak the darkness settings of this mod upward slightly and forego http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8802 because, for some reason, in combination with Drop Lit Torches (I use the version built-in to OOO), this mod sometimes causes me to sometimes crash to desktop when actually dropping a torch in combat (if anyone has any information or fixes for that, by the way, I would appreciate it). Other people may not experience the same issue, so feel free to try the combination of Ambient and Darker Dungeons.

What I'm looking for right now, is mod or tweak suggestions that are not already listed, but work toward establishing the sense of a larger, more mysterious world. In particular, what I don't have yet is the best way to set a good fog range that is compatible with All Natural. According to BOSS most of the pure fog management mods aren't compatible with weather mods. I have Streamline installed, and if anyone uses this to set a particular non-weather fog range, I'd love to see the settings you're using. I'm also interested in lighting tweaks for Bloom or HDR.

Of course, I'm also open to any other suggestions that fit the theme!

I prefer a darker game so here are my settings for All Natural. I have the fog in really tight. Frankly I think it makes the game better. Some folks like to see faaaaar away. Personally I like the sense of mystery created with fog. Here are the settings I use in All Natural:

Spoiler

; =========================================; | All Natural Configuration File (v1.3) |; =========================================; Contains configuration parameters for settings and optional features.; For Enable/Disable toggles, 1 is enabled and 0 is disabled.; Multipliers are values by which the original value for whatever you are changing is multiplied.; As such, values greater than 1 are an increase, while values less than 1 are a decrease. Values must not be negative, however.; Defaults for parameter values are given in parenthesis after the parameter description.; All parameters can be customised to suit indiviual tastes.; Please consult the Readme for more information about these .ini settings.; ====================================================================; | Weather Selection : Specify which mods' weathers you wish to see |; ====================================================================; By default, All Natural uses every weather available to maximize diversity.; You can use any combination you wish. You can even set all values below to 0 to use solely the vanilla weather types.set ANVars.UseEW to                1         ;Enable/Disable Enhanced Weather's weathers in game. Use a value of 1 or 0. (1)set ANVars.UseNW to                1         ;Enable/Disable Natural Weather's weathers in game. Use a value of 1 or 0. (1)set ANVars.UseAWS to               1         ;Enable/Disable Atmospheric Weather System's weathers in game. Use a value of 1 or 0. (1)set ANVars.UseSIExtra to           1         ;Enable/Disable additional (non-vanilla) weathers for SI in game. Use a value of 1 or 0. (1); =====================================================; | Night Luminance : Configurable night light levels |; =====================================================; The Luminance multiplier directly controls how dark nights are. A value of 1 is vanilla brightness.; Every 0.1 subtraction reduces brightness by 10%. So 0.5 is 50% darker. 0.2 is 80% darker.; The NormalizeLuminance setting controls how much blue tint nights have. In vanilla nights are strongly tinted blue.; Values can be between 0 and 1, where 0 is vanilla, and 1 completely removes the vanilla blue tint at night.; Every 0.1 addition to the default vanilla value of 0.0 reduces the Blue tint by 10%.; So 0.5 is 50% less blue tint at night, 0.2 is 80% less, and 0.0 is no blue tint at all.; If you like the vanilla blue tint and bright nights, do not change the settings.; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; | Example Values for Tamriel and SI | Vanilla | 50% Darker Nights | 80% Darker Nights | Vanilla Blue Tint Darker Nights |; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; | Luminance                         |   1.0   |        0.5        |        0.2        |              0.33               |; | NormalizeLuminance                |   0.0   |        1.0        |        1.0        |              0.0                |; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; For Tamriel; ==============Set ANVars.Luminance to            0.5       ; Multiplier of the brightness at night. (1.0)Set ANVars.NormalizeLuminance to   1.0       ; Controls the removal of vanilla Oblivion's blue tint at night. (0.0); For the Shivering Isles; ==========================Set ANVars.SILuminance to          0.5       ; Multiplier of the brightness at night. (1.0)Set ANVars.SINormalizeLuminance to 1.0       ; Controls the removal of vanilla Oblivion's blue tint at night. (0.0); ============================================================================; | Moon Phase Night Luminance for Tamriel : Configurable night light levels |; ============================================================================; Besides adjusting Luminance and NormalizeLuminance above, you can make it so the current phase of; the moon affects night light levels. This feature is off by default. Increasing the MaxMoonPhaseMod; from 0.25 to a higher value will make the moon phases have more impact on the brightness.; 0.25 is a nice subtle impact so changing this value is not recommended unless you really know what you're doing.Set ANVars.UseMoonPhaseModifier to 1         ; Enable/Disable the modification of the night luminance value with moon phase and visibility. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0)Set ANVars.MaxMoonPhaseMod to      0.25      ; Controls how much darker the maximum modification due to moon phase of the luminance multiplier can be. (0.25); =================================================================; | Weather Volatility : Adjusts the average duration of weathers |; =================================================================; This changes the probability of how long weathers last for. The values are in hours, with the values below; being the most likely length, and shorter and longer times having less chance. This lets you change the; chances in favour of longer or shorter weathers. 9 hours is the default length of all weather types.; There is a minimum length of 1 hour and a maximum length of 17 hours, so values of 1-17 are acceptable.; So, for example if you don't like foggy weather, you could set "ANVars.FogLength to 1".; If you really enjoy storms in Shivering Isles, you could set "ANVars.SIStormLength to 17".; For Tamriel; ==============Set ANVars.ClearLength to          9         ; Average duration of a clear weather. (9)Set ANVars.CloudyLength to         9         ; Average duration of a cloudy weather. (9)Set ANVars.OvercastLength to       9         ; Average duration of a overcast weather. (9)Set ANVars.FogLength to            9         ; Average duration of a foggy weather. (9)Set ANVars.RainLength to           9         ; Average duration of a rainy weather. (9)Set ANVars.StormLength to          9         ; Average duration of a stormy weather. (9)Set ANVars.SnowLength to           9         ; Average duration of a snowy weather. (9); For the Shivering Isles; ==========================Set ANVars.SIClearLength to        9         ; Average duration of a clear weather. (9)Set ANVars.SICloudyLength to       9         ; Average duration of a cloudy weather. (9)Set ANVars.SIOvercastLength to     9         ; Average duration of a overcast weather. (9)Set ANVars.SIFogLength to          9         ; Average duration of a foggy weather. (9)Set ANVars.SIRainLength to         9         ; Average duration of a rainy weather. (9)Set ANVars.SIStormLength to        9         ; Average duration of a stormy weather. (9)Set ANVars.SIManiaLength to        9         ; Average duration of a Mania weather. (9); ===============================================================; | Timescaled Clouds : Scales cloud speeds with your timescale |; ===============================================================; Set this to 1 if you use a modified timescale. It will try to match cloud speed to your timescale.; It is mainly useful for players who use lower timescales, and want to slow the clouds down a bit.; The game engine has certain caps for cloud movement speed, so this setting won't make clouds; move fast when at high timescales, unforunately.set ANVars.TCEnabled to            1         ;Enable/Disable Timescaled Clouds. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); ==========================================================================; | Transition Times : Adjust how long weather transitions take in Tamriel |; ==========================================================================; This changes the time taken to completely transition into a weather once a transition begins.; It does not change how long weathers last for.set ANVars.TTEnabled to            1         ; Enable/Disable Transition Times changes. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); A value below of 1.0 is the default transition time. 0.5 is 50% slower transitions. 2.0 would be twice as fast.; So if you think weathers transition too fast, lower the multiplier.set ANVars.ClearDeltaMult to       1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of clear weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.CloudyDeltaMult to      1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of cloudy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.FogDeltaMult to         1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of foggy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.OvercastDeltaMult to    1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of overcast weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.RainDeltaMult to        1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of rainy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SnowDeltaMult to        1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of snowy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.StormDeltaMult to       1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of stormy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SpecialDeltaMult to     1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of Kvatch Thunderstorm and Oblivion Gate weathers. (1.0); ========================================================================================================; | Transition Times - Shivering Isles : Adjust how long weather transitions take in the Shivering Isles |; ========================================================================================================; This changes the time taken to completely transition into a weather once a transition begins.; It does not change how long weathers last for.set ANVars.TTSIEnabled to          1         ; Enable/Disable Transition Times for SI changes. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); A value below of 1.0 is the default transition time. 0.5 is 50% slower transitions. 2.0 would be twice as fast.; So if you think weathers transition too fast, lower the multiplier.set ANVars.SIClearDeltaMult to     1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of clear weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SICloudyDeltaMult to    1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of cloudy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIFogDeltaMult to       1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of foggy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIOvercastDeltaMult to  1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of overcast weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIRainDeltaMult to      1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of rainy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIStormDeltaMult to     1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of stormy weathers. (1.0)Set ANVars.SIManiaDeltaMult to     1.0       ; Multiplier of the transition times of Mania weathers. (1.0); =====================================================================; | Fog Distances : Adjust the distance that fog occurs at in Tamriel |; =====================================================================; Oblivion always has fog in the distance, which appears as a gray, hazy mist.; Most weathers set the fog distance to be far away so you can see quite a long ways.; You can adjust the fog multipliers below to bring the fog closer or farther away.; This feature is fully compatible with Streamline's StreamSight feature. However, this setting is static as; opposed to SteamSight, which adjusts the fog distance on the fly based on performance requirements.; Some users have opted to disable StreamSight and rely soley on modifying fog values below.; If you have a very powerful computer and want to be able to see very far away, set all these multipliers to 2.0 (twice as far) or even 3.0.; If you want to improve performance and lower the draw distance, set these values to 0.5 (50% closer) or even 0.2 to 0.4.; The Redbag Fog Mod values changes the fog distances for each weather to be slightly closer to create a slightly smaller world feel.; The Even Closer settings were created by alt3rn1ty to roughly match a UGridsDistantCount setting of 12 in Oblivion.ini.; The Morrowind Wall of Fog settings bring the fog very close in like Morrowind. Some players feel very close fog makes the world feel bigger.; Using a low value like 0.5 also will improve performance and mostly remove the need for LOD or VWD mods, further increasing performance.; Setting clear, cloudy, and overcast to 0.5 works out to about the same thing as setting uGridsDistantCount to 18 in Oblivion.ini.set ANVars.FDEnabled to            1         ; Enable/Disable Fog Distances changes. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; | Example Values for Fog     | Vanilla | Closer Fog Like Redbag's Fog Mod | Even Closer | Closest Morrowind Wall of Fog |; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; | ANVars.ClearFogDist        |   1.0   |               0.9                |     0.62    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.CloudyFogDist       |   1.0   |               0.75               |     0.6     |              0.5              |; | ANVars.FogFogDist          |   1.0   |               0.5                |     0.5     |              0.5              |; | ANVars.OvercastFogDist     |   1.0   |               0.8                |     0.59    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.RainFogDist         |   1.0   |               0.7                |     0.58    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SnowFogDist         |   1.0   |               0.6                |     0.54    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.StormFogDist        |   1.0   |               0.65               |     0.57    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SpecialFogDist      |   1.0   |               0.7                |     0.6     |              0.5              |; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------set ANVars.ClearFogDist to         0.4       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of clear weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.CloudyFogDist to        0.4       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of cloudy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.FogFogDist to           0.2       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of foggy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.OvercastFogDist to      0.4       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of overcast weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.RainFogDist to          0.4       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of rainy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SnowFogDist to          0.3       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of snowy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.StormFogDist to         0.3       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of stormy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SpecialFogDist to       0.4       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of the Oblivion Gate weather. (1.0); ===================================================================================================; | Fog Distances - Shivering Isles : Adjust the distance that fog occurs at in the Shivering Isles |; ===================================================================================================set ANVars.FDSIEnabled to          1         ; Enable/Disable Fog Distances for SI changes. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; | Example Values for SI Fog  | Vanilla | Closer Fog Like Redbag's Fog Mod | Even Closer | Closest Morrowind Wall of Fog |; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------; | ANVars.SIClearFogDist      |   1.0   |               0.9                |     0.62    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SICloudyFogDist     |   1.0   |               0.75               |     0.6     |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SIFogFogDist        |   1.0   |               0.5                |     0.5     |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SIOvercastFogDist   |   1.0   |               0.8                |     0.59    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SIRainFogDist       |   1.0   |               0.7                |     0.58    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SIStormFogDist      |   1.0   |               0.65               |     0.57    |              0.5              |; | ANVars.SIManiaFogDist      |   1.0   |               0.7                |     0.6     |              0.5              |; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------set ANVars.SIClearFogDist to       1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of clear weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SICloudyFogDist to      1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of cloudy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIFogFogDist to         1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of foggy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIOvercastFogDist to    1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of overcast weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIRainFogDist to        1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of rainy weathers. (1.0)set ANVars.SIStormFogDist to       1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of stormy weathers. (1.0)Set ANVars.SIManiaFogDist to       1.0       ; Multiplier of the fog distances of Mania weathers. (1.0); ===============================================================================; | Color Tints : Adjust the color of sunlight for each weather type in Tamriel |; ===============================================================================; All Natural by default tries to make all weathers have more uniform colors to match vanilla weathers.; Past weather mods like Natural Weather have tinted their weathers to be more yellow, to create a more soothing and warm appearance.; If you wish to alter the colors, you can change the coloration of each weather type by adjusting the values below.; Examples values are given to match Natural Weather, a red tint to rose-color your world, a bit more blue snowy weathers, ; to decrease weather brightness for bad weather to make them more foreboding, and a final setting combining all these except the red option.; Also note you can decrease the brightness of any weathers by uniformly decreasing the RGB settings (maintaining the ratios).; For instance, if you want darker clear weather but no color changes, adjust all three clear values to 0.5 (half as bright).; Please note going over 1.0 generally has no effect because most of the weathers have their sunlight at max saturation already, but you can still try.; Also note, this setting only affects the color of sunlight, not ambient lighting in general. This makes for a more subtle and realistic effect.set ANVars.CTEnabled to            1         ; Enable/Disable Color Tints for Tamriel. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); -------------------------------------      ---------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  ---------------; |  Variable value from 0.0 to 1.0.  |      |       Description - Colors 101:     |  | Default |  | Natural |  |  Rose   |  |  More   |  | Darker  |  | NW Yellow + |; |   0.0 is no brightness at all.    |      |  Red is pure red. Green is 50/50    |  |  Color  |  | Weather |  |   Red   |  |  Blue   |  |   Bad   |  | Snow + Bad  |; |    1.0 is default brightness.     |      | Yellow and Blue. Blue is pure blue. |  | Values  |  | Yellow  |  |  Tint   |  | Snowy W |  | Weather |  |   Weather   |; -------------------------------------      ---------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  ---------------Set ANVars.ClearR to               1.00      ; Clear weather red multiplier.             1.00         1.00         1.00                                     1.00Set ANVars.ClearG to               1.00      ; Clear weather green multiplier.           1.00         1.00         0.75       no change    no change        1.00Set ANVars.ClearB to               1.00      ; Clear weather blue multiplier.            1.00         0.55         0.50                                     0.55Set ANVars.CloudyR to              1.00      ; Cloudy weather red multiplier.            1.00         1.00         1.00                                     1.00Set ANVars.CloudyG to              1.00      ; Cloudy weather green multiplier.          1.00         1.00         0.75       no change    no change        1.00Set ANVars.CloudyB to              1.00      ; Cloudy weather blue multiplier.           1.00         0.55         0.50                                     0.55Set ANVars.FogR to                 0.80      ; Foggy weather red multiplier.             1.00                                                0.80           0.80Set ANVars.FogG to                 0.80      ; Foggy weather green multiplier.           1.00      no change    no change     no change      0.80           0.80Set ANVars.FogB to                 0.80      ; Foggy weather blue multiplier.            1.00                                                0.80           0.80Set ANVars.OvercastR to            0.75      ; Overcast weather red multiplier.          1.00         1.00         1.00                      0.75           0.75Set ANVars.OvercastG to            0.75      ; Overcast weather green multiplier.        1.00         1.00         0.85       no change      0.75           0.75Set ANVars.OvercastB to            0.75      ; Overcast weather blue multiplier.         1.00         0.70         0.70                      0.75           0.60Set ANVars.RainR to                0.65      ; Rainy weather red multiplier.             1.00                                                0.50           0.50Set ANVars.RainG to                0.65      ; Rainy weather green multiplier.           1.00      no change    no change     no change      0.50           0.50Set ANVars.RainB to                0.65      ; Rainy weather blue multiplier.            1.00                                                0.50           0.50Set ANVars.SnowR to                1.00      ; Snowy weather red multiplier.             1.00                                   0.85                        0.85Set ANVars.SnowG to                1.00      ; Snowy weather green multiplier.           1.00      no change     no change      0.85       no change        0.85Set ANVars.SnowB to                1.00      ; Snowy weather blue multiplier.            1.00                                   1.00                        1.00Set ANVars.StormR to               0.55      ; Stormy weather red multiplier.            1.00                                                0.30           0.30Set ANVars.StormG to               0.55      ; Stormy weather green multiplier.          1.00      no change    no change     no change      0.30           0.30Set ANVars.StormB to               0.55      ; Stormy weather blue multiplier.           1.00                                                0.30           0.30; =======================================================================================; | Color Tints : Adjust the color of sunlight for each weather type in Shivering Isles |; =======================================================================================set ANVars.CTSIEnabled to          1         ; Enable/Disable Color Tints for SI. Use a value of 1 or 0. (0); -------------------------------------      ---------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  ---------------; |  Variable value from 0.0 to 1.0.  |      |       Description - Colors 101:     |  | Default |  | Natural |  |  Rose   |  | Darker  |  | NW Yellow + |; |   0.0 is no brightness at all.    |      |  Red is pure red. Green is 50/50    |  |  Color  |  | Weather |  |   Red   |  |   Bad   |  | Darker Bad  |; |    1.0 is default brightness.     |      | Yellow and Blue. Blue is pure blue. |  | Values  |  | Yellow  |  |  Tint   |  | Weather |  |   Weather   |; -------------------------------------      ---------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  ---------------Set ANVars.SIClearR to             1.00      ; Clear weather red multiplier.             1.00         1.00         1.00                        1.00Set ANVars.SIClearG to             1.00      ; Clear weather green multiplier.           1.00         1.00         0.75       no change        1.00Set ANVars.SIClearB to             1.00      ; Clear weather blue multiplier.            1.00         0.55         0.50                        0.55Set ANVars.SICloudyR to            1.00      ; Cloudy weather red multiplier.            1.00         1.00         1.00                        1.00Set ANVars.SICloudyG to            1.00      ; Cloudy weather green multiplier.          1.00         1.00         0.75       no change        1.00Set ANVars.SICloudyB to            1.00      ; Cloudy weather blue multiplier.           1.00         0.55         0.50                        0.55Set ANVars.SIFogR to               1.00      ; Foggy weather red multiplier.             1.00                                   0.80           0.80Set ANVars.SIFogG to               1.00      ; Foggy weather green multiplier.           1.00      no change    no change       0.80           0.80Set ANVars.SIFogB to               1.00      ; Foggy weather blue multiplier.            1.00                                   0.80           0.80Set ANVars.SIOvercastR to          1.00      ; Overcast weather red multiplier.          1.00         1.00         1.00         0.75           0.75Set ANVars.SIOvercastG to          1.00      ; Overcast weather green multiplier.        1.00         1.00         0.85         0.75           0.75Set ANVars.SIOvercastB to          1.00      ; Overcast weather blue multiplier.         1.00         0.70         0.70         0.75           0.60Set ANVars.SIRainR to              1.00      ; Rainy weather red multiplier.             1.00                                   0.50           0.50Set ANVars.SIRainG to              1.00      ; Rainy weather green multiplier.           1.00      no change    no change       0.50           0.50Set ANVars.SIRainB to              1.00      ; Rainy weather blue multiplier.            1.00                                   0.50           0.50Set ANVars.SIStormR to             1.00      ; Stormy weather red multiplier.            1.00                                   0.30           0.30Set ANVars.SIStormG to             1.00      ; Stormy weather green multiplier.          1.00      no change    no change       0.30           0.30Set ANVars.SIStormB to             1.00      ; Stormy weather blue multiplier.           1.00                                   0.30           0.30Set ANVars.SIManiaR to             1.00      ; Mania weather red multiplier.             1.00Set ANVars.SIManiaG to             1.00      ; Mania weather green multiplier.           1.00      no change    no change     no change     no changeSet ANVars.SIManiaB to             1.00      ; Mania weather blue multiplier.            1.00

I still haven't edited the SI settings but you get the idea. Try it out. It gets pretty dark in crappy weather but you can brighten that up too.

So far these settings give the game more of a MW feel that I like.

-Joel

» Tue May 03, 2011 5:33 am

While I've never used Ambient Dungeons, I found that Cava Obscura does a terrific job at darkening dungeons while still keeping the different shades of colored light that I are found in the original game. There's a description and video of the mod in action in my blog, which is the second link in my signature.

I like what distant land adds to the game, but I agree that really nice looking fog would definitely be preferable for the mysterious element. Sadly I'm too in love with All Natural to sacrifice it for a fog mod. However, if a great combination of mods and ini tweaks are composed here at some point, I'll definitely give it a shot. I think everyone should post their own screenshots with their suggestions so we know what it looks like to the player in-game.

» Tue May 03, 2011 5:11 am

While I've never used Ambient Dungeons, I found that Cava Obscura does a terrific job at darkening dungeons while still keeping the different shades of colored light that I are found in the original game. There's a description and video of the mod in action in my blog, which is the second link in my signature.

I like what distant land adds to the game, but I agree that really nice looking fog would definitely be preferable for the mysterious element. Sadly I'm too in love with All Natural to sacrifice it for a fog mod. However, if a great combination of mods and ini tweaks are composed here at some point, I'll definitely give it a shot. I think everyone should post their own screenshots with their suggestions so we know what it looks like to the player in-game.

You can change the fog in game with All Natural too. Thats what I did with my ini. I have never used a fog mod so maybe you are talking about something different. I encourage you to look at the new ini for v1.3 of AN and try out some new fog settings. Besides greatly improving performance you may find you like it better than distant land.

» Tue May 03, 2011 9:52 am

All Natural has fog management functions built in now so there's no need to worry about using an external utility for that if you're using AN as your weather mod.

» Tue May 03, 2011 8:39 am

I prefer a darker game so here are my settings for All Natural. I have the fog in really tight. Frankly I think it makes the game better. Some folks like to see faaaaar away. Personally I like the sense of mystery created with fog.
--clipped--
So far these settings give the game more of a MW feel that I like.

-Joel

Thanks Joel, I used your fog distances as a starting point. It may be because of my modified HDR settings, but anything closer than 0.4 makes my character look like a ghost in a field of white. I had to experiment and move my values up a little bit from yours. When I'm done playing with them, I'll post them here. I'll probably tweak my light settings in the meantime (and I'm still looking for feedback on lighting, whether mod based or ini tweaks).

While I've never used Ambient Dungeons, I found that Cava Obscura does a terrific job at darkening dungeons while still keeping the different shades of colored light that I are found in the original game. There's a description and video of the mod in action in my blog, which is the second link in my signature.

I like what distant land adds to the game, but I agree that really nice looking fog would definitely be preferable for the mysterious element. Sadly I'm too in love with All Natural to sacrifice it for a fog mod. However, if a great combination of mods and ini tweaks are composed here at some point, I'll definitely give it a shot. I think everyone should post their own screenshots with their suggestions so we know what it looks like to the player in-game.

Screenshots are a great idea. I'd love to see some, and will be adding my own as soon as I have a chance. Also I'll add Cava Obscura to the opening post. Arthmoor answers your other question below (and clues me in):

All Natural has fog management functions built in now so there's no need to worry about using an external utility for that if you're using AN as your weather mod.

Doh. Well, I realized this from JoelRader's post as well, but thanks Arthmoor!

The opening post will be edited to be more guide-like at some time today. Still hoping for more suggestions, though! Thanks to everyone who's added to the conversation thus far.

» Mon May 02, 2011 10:56 pm

Thanks Joel, I used your fog distances as a starting point. It may be because of my modified HDR settings, but anything closer than 0.4 makes my character look like a ghost in a field of white. I had to experiment and move my values up a little bit from yours. When I'm done playing with them, I'll post them here. I'll probably tweak my light settings in the meantime (and I'm still looking for feedback on lighting, whether mod based or ini tweaks).

Screenshots are a great idea. I'd love to see some, and will be adding my own as soon as I have a chance. Also I'll add Cava Obscura to the opening post. Arthmoor answers your other question below (and clues me in):

Doh. Well, I realized this from JoelRader's post as well, but thanks Arthmoor!

The opening post will be edited to be more guide-like at some time today. Still hoping for more suggestions, though! Thanks to everyone who's added to the conversation thus far.

Glad it works for you. I just edited the fog during foggy weather as well. When the weather is foggy the fog is waaaaaay too close.

I also use HDR. What do you mean by modified? Is it some OBGE thing?

I would also agree with Cava Obscura. I use it as well. It replaced LTBD for me.

Look forward to your next update.

» Tue May 03, 2011 3:08 am

I also use HDR. What do you mean by modified? Is it some OBGE thing?

I'm just talking about oblivion.ini values. There's a section that controls the lighting: [BlurShader] for bloom and [BlurShaderHDR] for HDR. Some of the meanings of various values are easier to understand than others, but basically you can alter the strength of the effect, the sky brightness, the blur effect from lighting, etc.

EDIT: The opening post has been rewritten as a guide, with screenshots in the section on All Natural with a general idea of the fog settings used.

» Tue May 03, 2011 1:57 am

Further additions / re-writing of the guide now made!

» Tue May 03, 2011 1:07 am

Further additions / re-writing of the guide now made!

Nice work T. Thanks for this.