Skyrim fans, here is something cool for you today. ProfJack and the CS Team have released a new mod for Skyrim which simulates ambient occlusion (AO) and indirect lighting (IL) using screen space information. This mod aims to greatly improve the game’s visuals. So, let’s see in more detail what it does.
This mod requires the Community Shaders for Skyrim, and adds support for both SSAO and SSGI. SSAO stands for Screen Space Ambient Occlusion, whereas SSGI stands for Screen Space Global Illumination.
AO produces the darkening effect around objects that occlude ambient light. In exteriors, it applies only to ambient light sources and not to direct light sources like sunlight. In interiors, it applies to everything to compensate for the lack of shadowed interior lights.
SSGI simulates lights bouncing on diffuse surfaces, and emitted from emissive objects. It includes a very rough specular IL that approximates the indirect lighting on specular material from True PBR or Dynamic Cubemaps.
Since we’re talking about an SS solution, the mod utilises what is available on your screen. This means that AO/IL may pop in and out depending on your view, or be occluded by objects closer to the camera.
For those wondering, this appears to be a similar solution to what we’ve already seen with ENBSeries and Reshade. However, if for some reason you did not like them, you can try this one.
You can download the mod from this link. Below, you can also find some comparison GIFs. These will give you an idea of what you can expect from the mod. So, be sure to check them out.
Speaking of Skyrim, here are some big fan expansions for it. The First one is Wyrmstooth. Wyrmstooth will add new quests and dungeons to the game. Then there is this mod that brings elements from The Witcher games into Skyrim. Dragon Hall Tavern is a huge 2GB mod that adds quests, new places, an arena, and more. Then there’s Land of Vominhem, Apotheosis and Legacy of the Dragonborn. Don’t forget to also check out this Castlevania-inspired mod. Modders have also recreated the classic PSX game, MediEvil in Skyrim. Shumer and the Priest Kings is another DLC fan expansion mod with over 200 locations, 180+ quests and 8,500 lines of voiced dialogue. Oh, and here is another one that adds the cool Nemesis system from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to it. Lastly, we have this mod that adds six new islands to explore.
And that’s not all. Skyrim has other mods that add lots of cool stuff.
For instance, this Call of Duty Mod adds 12 new fully functional weapons. Then we have this mod that brings epic battles with hundreds of infantry, tanks, and aircrafts. This is one of the best modern-day mods for Skyrim, so be sure to check it out. There’s also a cool mod that allows you to destroy a lot of objects. You can also download this mod that makes the NPCs smarter. With this mod, NPCs will now have a dynamic AI system, and they’ll seek for cover.
Let’s also not forget this mod that adds unlimited dynamic light sources. Or how about this one that adds a dynamic sanity system? Not only that but this mod adds a real-time dismemberment system. And then we have this cool World of Tanks Mod. Finally, these mods add Subsurface Scattering, Dynamic Cubemaps, Water Caustics and Parallax Mapping to the game.
So, lots of mods for Skyrim, right? And we have shared even more. Thus, be sure to check out our Best Skyrim Mods article.
Enjoy and stay tuned for more!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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can someone find the source code for fallout 3 already and leak it?
"why not new vegas?"
This is what i mean, obsidian never had access to fallout 3 source code, so we need it to make open mw for new vegas.
I hate screen space effects. Lighting, reflections, etc… Only look good in screenshots. In movement the constant pop in of effects if you look around are annoying as f*k. I don't understand why every game has screen space reflections. Give me some good cubemaps and I'm golden. It's good enough to look convincing while playing. Nobody stops and stares at a reflection. Except DF
you will look the ray tracing reflections on the hobo piss in the new york back alley in games like alan wake 2 and you will be amazed by it.
If it would only be raytraced reflections I could live with that. I'm fine with the low detail lumen reflection from RoboCop for example but even there are screen space reflections on top. So I see a high detail reflection, move the camera and I see the high res disappear. That's
bullshit
The only thing modders didn't managed to make better after all these years is the combat
They look different but not sure which looks better, nor which is which.
the term" screen space global illumination" is contradictory on its own, the utility of Screen space effects must be reserved for ambient occlusion and small reflective surfaces, broadening it will make everything popped literally speaking, just like Ray tracing that when forced using Z buffer will look absurd in motion for global illumination. you want progressive photon mapping results on cheap? you're not getting it.