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About this mod
A brand new grass patch using Cathedral 3D Pine Grass, Origins of Forest and Folkvangr
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
A brand new grass patch using Cathedral 3D Pine Grass, Origins of Forest and Folkvangr.
This is not a sequel or continuation of my first patch, it is standalone and made from scratch. Although both patches share some of the same masters, each patch has its own distinct look and feel.
You may find that you prefer my original patch to this one or vice versa - give them both a try!
INSTALLATION
Required masters (load both the mods and plugins in this order):
3D Cathedral Pine Grass - Full 3D Coverage v0.462
Origins of Forest v1.4.8
Folkvangr v1.3
QW's Grass Patch 2
You can use any version of Origins of Forest. Personally I am using Tweaked Highlights.
Note that some of my recolors will overwrite some of the textures anyway.
You do NOT need to ESLify any of the masters.
If you want to ESLify these mods please refer to FAQ section
Feel free to remove the Folkvangr worldspace edits in xEdit and its landscape textures if you want to. It won’t affect my patch either way.
Do not remove the Worldspace edits in my patch or it will break the Solstheim grasses.
The patch includes some retextures and its own ini file
NEW!!!!! - COMPLEX GRASS PATCH PROVIDED BY SKURKBRO!
You will need to visit Skurkbro's patch page here, download and install the patches for 3D Cathedral Pine Grass, Origins of Forest and Folkvangr (in this order). Making sure they load after their master.
Then install the patch for my mod which is available under my Optional files and install that last and after my patch so it overwrites my textures.
Also make sure you follow the instructions on Skurkbro's page to get it working
Currently only available for my main file and not the fern recolors
Please note this is untested right now so please provide feedback!!
GRASS LOD & RECALC BOUNDS
For Grass LOD to generate you will need to Recalc Bounds for Origins, Folkvangr and Cathedral using the CK. This does not need to be done for my patch as I've already done it for you in the latest update. It is recommended that you do this before compacting a plugin (compacting is still optional though)
Follow these guidelines:
1) Start Creation Kit through your mod manager
2) Click the folder icon in the upper left to Load Master/Plugin Files
3) Find the plugin that you want to modify (Folkvangr, Cathedral 3D Pines or Origins of Forest). Click on it, then click the "Set as Active File" button. Click ok. CK will then load the plugin
4) In the Object Window, go to the left pane and click on Grass. All of the grass files will be visible in the right pane.
5) Highlight all of the grass files (shift/click is fastest), then right click and select Recalc Bounds.
6) After that is completed, click the Save button in the upper left of Creation Kit.
7) This should be done for all 3 master plugins: Folkvangr, Cathedral Pines and Origins of Forest
Researched, tested and Instructions provided by Ted R. Thanks Ted!
LOAD ORDER
As per the Installation section but also load my patch below Majestic Mountains and above any mod that tries to control grass (Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods, No Grassias).
WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN-GAME:
Pine Forests
Classic combo of pine groundcovers from Folkvangr and larger plants from Origins of Forest. I have also included a short grass from Folkvangr.
You will also see dandelions from Cathedral to give a bit of color and variety.
You will find some areas where just groundcovers litter the forest floor and other areas where the Origins plants flourish to hopefully mimic a real forest.
Reach
Base grass from Folkvangr interspersed with lewisii flowers and 3D Clovers from Cathedral and the occasional recolored Cathedral Lupin.
These grasses and flowers won’t grow on the steeper hills of the Reach allowing Ivy from Cathedral to dominate the sides of cliffs.
Marsh
Swamp? Frozen swamp? Marsh? Frozen Marsh? For this patch I have decided to roll with a Frozen Marsh.
You will find grass from Grass Field (not required) recolored to white by Frolique as frozen grass, plus some base brown and white swamp grass from Folkvangr.
I’ve also thrown in the Green Tree and Weed from Cathedral (both recolored to brown) for a little bit of variety in plants and size.
Rift
Leaf groundcovers and a short green grass provided by Folkvangr
Two colors of Cathedral Lupins (pink and purple) dot the landscape
I have repurposed the Skyland Fern for extensive use in the Rift, recoloring them to light green and yellow to fit the Rift better.
A bit like the pine forest I have tried to mimic a real forest by having areas where just the leaf groundcover is used and others where grass is more extensive.
NOTE: There are optional colors for ferns available to download.
Whiterun Tundra
Remember those beautiful Rift grasses in Folkvangr? These have been uprooted and moved to the Whiterun Tundra.
I have adjusted the densities of the grasses to give a more even split between brown and green.
IMO having a good mix of browns and greens has several benefits: it makes finding good landscape lod textures easier and it means that the tundra looks good whether you prefer it devoid of trees or a forested wonderland.
I have added Daisies and Red Paintbrush flowers from Cathedral for variety and color.
Snow Grass
I have removed snow grass from the game! There are now scatterings of snowy rocks but no grass.
I will consider another version of my plugin which adds snow grasses from Folkvangr back in if there is enough demand
Volcanic Grass
Folkvangr forms the base of the grasses here with volcanic ferns and short grasses and a green/red/pale green palette.
I've added Cathedral Berry shrub and Tangled Grass (both recolored) for variety.
I've also added the white saxifrage flower from Folkvangr for color.
Rivers & Ocean
I have combined grasses from Folkvangr and vanilla to make underwater spaces more interesting.
This was tricky as the green water plants that looked good in pine forest rivers looked weird in a frozen marsh. I have mitigated this by having the plants below the waters surface.
Coast Grasses & River Bed Edge
Standard Folkvangr grasses were used in these areas.
Solstheim
I have merged the mod Unique Solstheim Grasses (not required) into my plugin. This removes the vanilla pine grass from Solstheim and allows me to replace it with something else.
I always felt that having the Pine Grass from mainland Skyrim in Solstheim looked strange. Adding this plugin to my patch allowed me to put unique grasses in Soltsheim
For Pine Grass on Solstheim I have used groundcovers from Folkvangr with some short grass to make it look like some of the soil is recovering. There are also a large number of ferns now growing on Solstheim.
For volcanic ash grass i have used assets from Field Grass (not required), recolored by Frolique along with the Saxifrage flower from Folkvangr for a little variety and color.
OPTIONAL FILES
There are optional files providing different colors for the Skyland Fern. If you want to try them out load after my patch so the textures overwrite.
See screenshots for a preview.
PERFORMANCE
I find discussions of performance a little pointless.
A grass mod is generally one of the heavier mod types you can install.
However saying whether an individual mod is performance heavy or not is difficult because there are so many other factors at play such as the other mods you use, ENB, resolution you play at and your system specs to name just a few.
I encourage you to try the mod and see how it performs in your individual set up.
FAQ
Will this work with Grass LOD?
I'm on AE so don't use it.One of my testers tried to get it working but couldn't.
This is likely to be down to the masters the patch uses rather than the patch itself but if anyone knows of any adjustments I could make in my plugin to make it more compatible please post a comment.
Now that the patch is released it will be easier to get advice/support on this.
Ted R has done some awesome investigatory work and managed to Grass LOD working after doing Recalc Bounds in the CK. See instructions added above. It is recommended you do this before compacting and flagging the master plugins as ESL (although compacting is still optional).
So I don't need to ESL the masters?
No it is not necessary for the patch to function
What if I want to ESL them?
You can. When launching xEdit ensure that you select the master you want to ESLify as well as my patch.
When you Compact formIDs this will update the formIDs in my patch.
To compact FormIDs and flag as ESL do the following:
(Instructions adapted from the SkyREM guide courtesy of DrPharmDawg)
If you are getting infinite load screen on start up you probably compacted formIDs without my patch being loaded up in xEdit.
How About Complex Grass?
Patches are available here for the masters to work with ENB Complex Grass. Using these patches however means you will lose out on my recolors
I've not actually tested running my patch with the Complex Grass patches so feedback is welcome on this.
If there's enough interest I may ask the patch author if they would be interested in providing complex grass patches for the textures included in my two grass patch mods.
Patch now available! See above
Can I Use Origins of Forest Reduced Version?
I've not tested it but yes it should work fine. Load after my patch.
Oh no I just started a new game!
I know mwahaha
Which Mods Are You Using in the Screenshots?
Lots. But the mods mostly contributing are:
THANKS & CREDITS
Thanks to the mod authors who have contributed directly or indirectly to the making of this patch.
code1k for their mod Unique Solstheim Grasses
tamu75 and mindflux for the mod Grass Field
babmer for Folkvangr
forbeatn for Origins of Forest
DrJacopo for Cathedral 3D Pine Grass
Skyking for the SkylandFern asset
Finally, massive thanks to my testers who provided valuable and constructive feedback ahead of release. Most of their suggestions were directly implemented into the patch:
Frolique
Ted R
Pulliin34
thronplunder
This is not a sequel or continuation of my first patch, it is standalone and made from scratch. Although both patches share some of the same masters, each patch has its own distinct look and feel.
You may find that you prefer my original patch to this one or vice versa - give them both a try!
INSTALLATION
Required masters (load both the mods and plugins in this order):
3D Cathedral Pine Grass - Full 3D Coverage v0.462
Origins of Forest v1.4.8
Folkvangr v1.3
QW's Grass Patch 2
You can use any version of Origins of Forest. Personally I am using Tweaked Highlights.
Note that some of my recolors will overwrite some of the textures anyway.
You do NOT need to ESLify any of the masters.
If you want to ESLify these mods please refer to FAQ section
Feel free to remove the Folkvangr worldspace edits in xEdit and its landscape textures if you want to. It won’t affect my patch either way.
Do not remove the Worldspace edits in my patch or it will break the Solstheim grasses.
The patch includes some retextures and its own ini file
NEW!!!!! - COMPLEX GRASS PATCH PROVIDED BY SKURKBRO!
You will need to visit Skurkbro's patch page here, download and install the patches for 3D Cathedral Pine Grass, Origins of Forest and Folkvangr (in this order). Making sure they load after their master.
Then install the patch for my mod which is available under my Optional files and install that last and after my patch so it overwrites my textures.
Also make sure you follow the instructions on Skurkbro's page to get it working
Currently only available for my main file and not the fern recolors
Please note this is untested right now so please provide feedback!!
GRASS LOD & RECALC BOUNDS
For Grass LOD to generate you will need to Recalc Bounds for Origins, Folkvangr and Cathedral using the CK. This does not need to be done for my patch as I've already done it for you in the latest update. It is recommended that you do this before compacting a plugin (compacting is still optional though)
Follow these guidelines:
1) Start Creation Kit through your mod manager
2) Click the folder icon in the upper left to Load Master/Plugin Files
3) Find the plugin that you want to modify (Folkvangr, Cathedral 3D Pines or Origins of Forest). Click on it, then click the "Set as Active File" button. Click ok. CK will then load the plugin
4) In the Object Window, go to the left pane and click on Grass. All of the grass files will be visible in the right pane.
5) Highlight all of the grass files (shift/click is fastest), then right click and select Recalc Bounds.
6) After that is completed, click the Save button in the upper left of Creation Kit.
7) This should be done for all 3 master plugins: Folkvangr, Cathedral Pines and Origins of Forest
Researched, tested and Instructions provided by Ted R. Thanks Ted!
LOAD ORDER
As per the Installation section but also load my patch below Majestic Mountains and above any mod that tries to control grass (Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods, No Grassias).
WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN-GAME:
Pine Forests
Classic combo of pine groundcovers from Folkvangr and larger plants from Origins of Forest. I have also included a short grass from Folkvangr.
You will also see dandelions from Cathedral to give a bit of color and variety.
You will find some areas where just groundcovers litter the forest floor and other areas where the Origins plants flourish to hopefully mimic a real forest.
Reach
Base grass from Folkvangr interspersed with lewisii flowers and 3D Clovers from Cathedral and the occasional recolored Cathedral Lupin.
These grasses and flowers won’t grow on the steeper hills of the Reach allowing Ivy from Cathedral to dominate the sides of cliffs.
Marsh
Swamp? Frozen swamp? Marsh? Frozen Marsh? For this patch I have decided to roll with a Frozen Marsh.
You will find grass from Grass Field (not required) recolored to white by Frolique as frozen grass, plus some base brown and white swamp grass from Folkvangr.
I’ve also thrown in the Green Tree and Weed from Cathedral (both recolored to brown) for a little bit of variety in plants and size.
Rift
Leaf groundcovers and a short green grass provided by Folkvangr
Two colors of Cathedral Lupins (pink and purple) dot the landscape
I have repurposed the Skyland Fern for extensive use in the Rift, recoloring them to light green and yellow to fit the Rift better.
A bit like the pine forest I have tried to mimic a real forest by having areas where just the leaf groundcover is used and others where grass is more extensive.
NOTE: There are optional colors for ferns available to download.
Whiterun Tundra
Remember those beautiful Rift grasses in Folkvangr? These have been uprooted and moved to the Whiterun Tundra.
I have adjusted the densities of the grasses to give a more even split between brown and green.
IMO having a good mix of browns and greens has several benefits: it makes finding good landscape lod textures easier and it means that the tundra looks good whether you prefer it devoid of trees or a forested wonderland.
I have added Daisies and Red Paintbrush flowers from Cathedral for variety and color.
Snow Grass
I have removed snow grass from the game! There are now scatterings of snowy rocks but no grass.
I will consider another version of my plugin which adds snow grasses from Folkvangr back in if there is enough demand
Volcanic Grass
Folkvangr forms the base of the grasses here with volcanic ferns and short grasses and a green/red/pale green palette.
I've added Cathedral Berry shrub and Tangled Grass (both recolored) for variety.
I've also added the white saxifrage flower from Folkvangr for color.
Rivers & Ocean
I have combined grasses from Folkvangr and vanilla to make underwater spaces more interesting.
This was tricky as the green water plants that looked good in pine forest rivers looked weird in a frozen marsh. I have mitigated this by having the plants below the waters surface.
Coast Grasses & River Bed Edge
Standard Folkvangr grasses were used in these areas.
Solstheim
I have merged the mod Unique Solstheim Grasses (not required) into my plugin. This removes the vanilla pine grass from Solstheim and allows me to replace it with something else.
I always felt that having the Pine Grass from mainland Skyrim in Solstheim looked strange. Adding this plugin to my patch allowed me to put unique grasses in Soltsheim
For Pine Grass on Solstheim I have used groundcovers from Folkvangr with some short grass to make it look like some of the soil is recovering. There are also a large number of ferns now growing on Solstheim.
For volcanic ash grass i have used assets from Field Grass (not required), recolored by Frolique along with the Saxifrage flower from Folkvangr for a little variety and color.
OPTIONAL FILES
There are optional files providing different colors for the Skyland Fern. If you want to try them out load after my patch so the textures overwrite.
See screenshots for a preview.
PERFORMANCE
I find discussions of performance a little pointless.
A grass mod is generally one of the heavier mod types you can install.
However saying whether an individual mod is performance heavy or not is difficult because there are so many other factors at play such as the other mods you use, ENB, resolution you play at and your system specs to name just a few.
I encourage you to try the mod and see how it performs in your individual set up.
FAQ
Will this work with Grass LOD?
I'm on AE so don't use it.
This is likely to be down to the masters the patch uses rather than the patch itself but if anyone knows of any adjustments I could make in my plugin to make it more compatible please post a comment.
Now that the patch is released it will be easier to get advice/support on this.
Ted R has done some awesome investigatory work and managed to Grass LOD working after doing Recalc Bounds in the CK. See instructions added above. It is recommended you do this before compacting and flagging the master plugins as ESL (although compacting is still optional).
So I don't need to ESL the masters?
No it is not necessary for the patch to function
What if I want to ESL them?
You can. When launching xEdit ensure that you select the master you want to ESLify as well as my patch.
When you Compact formIDs this will update the formIDs in my patch.
To compact FormIDs and flag as ESL do the following:
- Launch xEdit and ensure that the mods you want to change as well as my patch are ticked before clicking ok.
- Right click the plugin in the left pane and select [Compact FormIDs for ESL].
- Select [Yes] if prompted with a warning.
- When this completes left click the plugin in the left pane
- In the right pane, right click the field next to [Record Flags] (do not click on Record Flags, but the field to the right of it).
- Select [Edit], check the [ESL] box in the pop-up, then click [OK]. Exit SSEEdit.
(Instructions adapted from the SkyREM guide courtesy of DrPharmDawg)
If you are getting infinite load screen on start up you probably compacted formIDs without my patch being loaded up in xEdit.
How About Complex Grass?
I've not actually tested running my patch with the Complex Grass patches so feedback is welcome on this.
If there's enough interest I may ask the patch author if they would be interested in providing complex grass patches for the textures included in my two grass patch mods.
Patch now available! See above
Can I Use Origins of Forest Reduced Version?
I've not tested it but yes it should work fine. Load after my patch.
Oh no I just started a new game!
I know mwahaha
Which Mods Are You Using in the Screenshots?
Lots. But the mods mostly contributing are:
- Zangdars Rudy for Cathedral
- Happy Little Trees (Pine Forests, Solstheim)
- Aspens Ablaze (Rift)
- Treerific (Reach)
- Tamrielic Textures
- Majestic Mountains with Northfires Retexture
- Mostly Treeless Tundra
THANKS & CREDITS
Thanks to the mod authors who have contributed directly or indirectly to the making of this patch.
code1k for their mod Unique Solstheim Grasses
tamu75 and mindflux for the mod Grass Field
babmer for Folkvangr
forbeatn for Origins of Forest
DrJacopo for Cathedral 3D Pine Grass
Skyking for the SkylandFern asset
Finally, massive thanks to my testers who provided valuable and constructive feedback ahead of release. Most of their suggestions were directly implemented into the patch:
Frolique
Ted R
Pulliin34
thronplunder