214 comments

  1. Zira1251
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    I don't ask for donations and I don't opt into DP, but if you would like to express appreciation, note that reading pertinent parts of the description before asking questions, speaking politely when making comments, and pressing the "Endorse" button are all appreciated!

    FREQUENTLY ASKED OR ANTICIPATED QUESTIONS
    Please take a look before commenting!

    Q: Is this mod compatible with [insert any dragon mod here]?
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    Firstly, read the "Compatibility" section of the description. It's there for a reason.

    Secondly, please note that D4D is not a "patch hub" for Dragons SE. The support that D4D offers for other mods of a similar nature only involves spreading the assets it already uses for generic vanilla dragons onto the likewise generic dragons added by those other mods; it does not extend to creating entirely new meshes and textures for unique dragons added by quest mods, dragon follower mods, and so on. Those mods require their own unique patches like the one made for Wyrmstooth. The authors of mods adding a new unique dragon to the game are surely aware that doing so means creating incompatibility with any mods that introduce new meshes and textures for dragons, but it isn't their job (or anyone else's) to offer patches. In these cases, all you can do is cross your fingers and hope someone else will make and share a patch, or do it yourself.


    Q: Is it safe to update mid game?
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    Yes. For this mod, that should always be the case.


    Q: What about Alduin, Paarthurnax, Odahviing, and Durnehviir?
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    This mod requires Dragons SE. Dragons SE replaces the 4 named vanilla dragons that already have unique skins. D4D (this mod) gives skin variety to generic dragons, while also giving unique skins to the other 12 named dragons that use generic skins in vanilla.


    Q: Where can I find the "other 12" vanilla named dragons?
    And what about Miraak's dragon?


    Q: What about the Serpentine Dragon?
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    Yes. Read the description and look at the mod's images. They exists to answer your questions, believe it or not.


    Q: Performance?
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    The assets between Dragons SE and D4D should not cause performance issues during normal gameplay with an average or even below average PC. While testing this mod, I had as many as 6 of these dragons (in 8k) flying around me at once, breathing fire, fighting against packs of a dozen NPCs, and kicking up dust particles—all with my ENB and ReShade on, HQ flora and weather overhauls, and various other mods running at the same time on a 10-year-old, custom-built PC. I experienced no noticeable performance loss. Keep in mind that dragons, like mountains, are very large objects that you frequently look at very closely during normal gameplay. That is why the textures are a minimum of 4k even in the vanilla game. It matters. 8k is only 2x the original size. Plenty of mods suggest you install textures many more times their vanilla size for something as small as a piece of food; installing dozens of those is more likely to affect your performance in the long run than this mod and its requirements.
  2. Heisenberg747
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    nevermind 4th unknown didnt hide his mod, im just dumb  
  3. ElectroDash24
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    Hi, your mod is awesome, but I have two questions:

    1) Is this mod compatible with Kojaks Inquisitive Dragons or a patch would be needed?
    2) Is it feasible to make this mod compatible with Behind and Beyond - Quest Mod ?

    I would like to use those mods alongside yours.

    Keep up with your great work!  :)
    1. Zira1251
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      Thanks! Just keep in mind that reading usually helps to answer questions without having to ask and wait for a reply:
      Kojak's mod description:

      • Works with all dragon model/mesh replacers
      • Compatible with all dragon texture replacers
      • Ok with dragon animation replacers
      Nimwraith's mod (Behind and Beyond) description:

      • Unique models. The dragon, Mindokhinpaal, has a unique appearance taken from the DDC3 mod which reinforces his status as a unique and peaceful entity. The quest reward you'll eventually receive, also has a unique model made by billyro along with a special enchantment.
      Concerning Nimwraith's dragon,
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      its appearance is unique and independent, based on the vanilla model. This means it won't match any dragon model replacer you have installed (Dragons SE, GoT/HotD, Modernized, etc.) without someone making a brand new mesh and texture specifically for this dragon matching the alternate dragon remodel.

      Please note that D4D is not a "patch hub" for Dragons SE; it's a dragon skin variety expansion for vanilla dragons using Dragon's SE's assets. The support that D4D offers for other mods of a similar nature only involves spreading the assets it already uses for generic vanilla dragons onto the likewise generic dragons added by other mods; it does not extend to creating entirely new meshes and textures for unique dragons added by quest mods, dragon followers, etc.

      If you would prefer to forgo Nimwrath's dragon having a unique skin, in favor of having consistency with Dragons SE, you can always copy-paste and rename any Dragons SE-based mesh into the same folder path Behind and Beyond uses (meshes\KYE\actors\dragon_yngol.nif) in order to make a patch for your own modlist.
  4. seus72
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    Is it possible to make a patch between this and  Durnehviir Resurrected, also by opusGlass? If not, why? 
    1. Zira1251
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      D4D doesn't have any affect on Durnehviir whatsoever, but I understand what you're asking about is probably consistency between Durnehviir Resurrected and Dragons SE, so consider this image from the mod page:

      Making Durnehviir Resurrected consistent with Dragons SE would probably require...
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      ...making unique new textures for the 2nd-6th summons based on 4th's assets, and to be complete, it would need at least the 3rd-6th summons in all 3 color options, for a total of 13 unique combinations. All in all, a bit more work than can reasonably be requested of anyone who isn't being paid out of your own pocket.

      D4D doesn't include any unique new assets specifically for any of the dragon mods it supports. All it does is take the skins that are already being used to add variety to vanilla dragons, and assigns fitting ones to the dragons in these other mods. In other words, I just took my mod's assets and spread them around as placeholders until someone makes real patches for them like PLSET did for Chaos Dragons.

      Anyone who desires a Durnehviir Resurrected patch for Dragons SE will have to wait for someone to decide to make it and share it, or find someone they can commission to make it, or explore the skills and tools necessary to do it themselves--which is how the vast majority of mod authors start out.
    2. seus72
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      I see, thank you for your reply.

      Another question, though;
      Is there anything that would prevent the possibility of a patch / How compatible would this mod be with the Bard's College Expansion VC, which adds its own named Dragon? 
    3. Zira1251
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      It depends on whether that named dragon uses a vanilla skin (in which case Dragons SE and D4D will cover it), or if it comes with its own unique skin (in which case it will keep its original design).

      However, making a mod-added named dragon have its own special skin (as I did for the 12 named vanilla ones) is likewise beyond the scope of D4D's simple support, and requires a separate custom mod/patch based on Dragons SE made by someone who cares. Mods like Silah and Wyrmstooth are similar examples (there is a Dragons SE patch for the latter, though).
  5. Yts419000
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    Why does my main file crash when I enable it, but not when I use the texture
    1. Zira1251
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      Backported Extended ESL Support, maybe? I don't use the latest version of the game or the CK, but I created this plugin in xEdit, which does automatically generate the newest plugin format regardless.
    2. Yts419000
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      I can't go directly into the game, and the start screen flashes back. How can I solve this? I like this module very much
    3. Zira1251
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      You can try installing the mod I linked you above. There's no other reason that this mod could possibly cause you to crash that I know of. Even if you installed it without one or both of the requirements, the worst that can happen is having purple or vanilla dragons showing up in your game instead of mine; it won't cause a crash.

      If not having BEES installed isn't your problem, then this mod is likely not the cause of your crash, so you should work on troubleshooting your load order rather than commenting here, since I can't help you with that. I'm not psychic, unfortunately.
  6. DarkWandererAmon
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    Lets see if I can patch this for Dragons Use Thu'um tho by the looks of it it already looks compatible

    UPDATE: Fully compatible
    1. Zira1251
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      Wanting to use your mod and have dragon variants and not need patches for it was one of the main reasons I started making this for myself.
    2. DarkWandererAmon
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      <3
    3. NilClass8
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      I just ran into a purple dragon using DUT and this mod... an instance of 000F8118, which DUT does modify. We're sure this works right now? I'm starting to wonder if my Skypatcher is actually working properly if y'all are saying it's working, but I think it is, since there were some leftover purple horns on the skeleton after I absorbed it which I assume were patched in. I'm on Skyrim VR, if it matters.
    4. Zira1251
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      Yes, pretty positive. There are no new dragon NPCs in D4D, and D4D doesn't patch in any data to dragons directly other than the named ones, and even then, there's no data overlap. An NPC FormID doesn't actually help troubleshoot much for D4D, because it doesn't generally touch/patch/interact with dragon NPC records in order to work (F8118 is a generic dragon NPC record).

      If you ever see purple meshes in your game, it indicates a missing texture. Make sure you have a D4D texture file installed and activated, and Dragons SE installed and activated with no other conflicts. The only other causes I can think of are: your texture installation got corrupted (reinstalling could fix that), or another mod applied an alternate texture somehow (Splendor and anything like is incompatible; there's a list in the description). As long as SkyPatcher VR is feature complete, there shouldn't be a problem in that regard.
    5. NilClass8
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      Hm. Not sure, then. Been modding for a little over a year. Checked all the usual things: basically no conflicts in MO2 aside from a PG output of dragon_vulthuryol.nif, checked Xedit, and so on. But Skypatcher is new to me. My current working theory is something weird with it in VR, but that isn't much to go on, and it says it supports VR, so... I guess I'll headcanon some of the dragons into Barney the dinosaur. :)
    6. Zira1251
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      I think the source of your problem is, as you just indicated, you ran Parallax Gen on the dragons. Generating parallax-enabled dragon meshes that will be looking for a texture that doesn't exist will definitely turn them purple. You should only be using that tool for architecture and things that you would feasibly have parallax for. I wouldn't just let it run wild on everything in your LO.
    7. NilClass8
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      Thanks, will double check. But it didn’t touch anything but the single mesh I mentioned, and the esps it generated didn’t reference the dragons. It’s been made pretty smart over its many revisions, and hasn’t had issues elsewhere in my LO. 

      Thanks again for the response!
    8. Zira1251
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      It wouldn't reference the dragon NPCs. It could possibly overwrite their ARMO/ARMA skin records, though. That's what I'd check. Either way, you should definitely delete that mesh overwrite. Save yourself a second problem even if it's not the cause of your first. There's no reason for PG to regenerate any mesh from this mod.
    9. hakasapl
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      Hi! I'm the author of PG. A few things to clear this up:
      * PG is 100% designed to be run on your entire load order in fact it is the correct way to do it. PG doesn't blindly patch meshes for stuff, it only patches for parallax for example when a corresponding _p exists (and a few other criteria in each shape in the mesh)
      * It is not a great idea to manually modify the PG output because you might break a relationship in the plugins (sometimes PG makes duplicate meshes that only exist in the output and plugins reference that). Using the blocklist is the correct way to do it.
      * PG has more patchers other than the basic parallax/CM/PBR patcher (up to the user to enable) that might be modifying the mesh so there might be a valid reason why PG patched it. If it's in the output then PG decided to do something to it.

      In any case, if PG isn't messing with relevant records nor the particular mesh this is happening on, it's likely something else. Of course PG is software so there can always be bugs that haven't been found yet, but I have yet to see a case where PG causes a missing texture like this.

      I really like this mod by the way going to use it on my next run if that ever happens lol
    10. Zira1251
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      Thanks for sharing that info, hakasapl  I know it's a WIP tool, and it's very handy. I have seen at least one other example of it causing missing textures, though, whether or not it's the case here. But that was a couple months ago (I believe it concerned Animated Ships), so it could always be that the issue was resolved, or that it's a rare occurrence that requires special circumstances. I haven't had a chance to use PG much myself.

      Either way, hopefully NilClass8 can figure out the real cause, and not have to suck it up with one or two Barney dragons. I've checked, and found no missing textures in D4D's files, and they clearly worked during screenshots and testing. I haven't changed the meshes or textures since then. Updates to the main file NilClass8 is using only involved edits to configs, which shouldn't affect texture mapping. If there's another mod that needs support, I'm happy to cover it. Just need to know what it is. If NilClass8 is using a mod that's already covered, I can check that too, but that's all I can think of based on info given.
    11. hakasapl
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      Yeah maybe I fixed it months ago I don't remember to be honest lol. I do remember fixing something with animated ships in recent versions. Easiest way to check is to just disable PG output and see if it's fixed or not, you can rule out PG pretty quickly this way.
    12. SmartMaya
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      I've done some testing and reran parallaxgen with this mod, can say it doesn't touch dragons SE, diverse 4thunknown dragons main file or the high res file for me in MO2. Conflict free and I also spawned in 000F8118 using the player.placeatme console command with no purple textures, also made sure to wait and check out the skeleton and yeah no problems there either with purple textures at all.

      Also spawned in a random level 10 dragon no problems there either I didn't have any purple textures since my PG didn't make this dragon_vulthuryol.nif that NilClass8 has. I think Nil should reinstall both the main file and whatever texture res file they are using chances are the download might have corrupted or not have installed properly. I'm 100% sure right now I don't have any problems but I'll come back with screenshots of any issues if I do have them.

      This mod has been great, I've since swapped out all of my GOT dragon replacers as well as my Majestic Dragons - Larger and immersive proportions mod and everything has been great. Definitely mod of the month for me and I've endorsed it already. Just a question here, I'm not sure which to use Frankly HD Dragon Bones - Skyrim Special Edition or RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE - Special Edition. I know I can run both with the frankly hd loading after the rustic dragon corpse has it's dragon and dragon skeleton being overwritten. I think I'll do the opposite and let rustic dragon overwrite and keep the frankly hd for the dragon bones it retextures. 
    13. NilClass8
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      Reporting back: I am an absolute fool. I installed the update from the 20th, and clicked "replace". It dropped the textures from my LO. I've now installed the textures as a separate mod to prevent this in the future. Sorry for the false alarm. 
  7. oXidFoX
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    Looks fantastic ! Great work !
    I've one little question: as you bring your own textures, does the textures of Dragons SE matter? Or can we take 1DragonsSE-with-low-res-textures ? 

    One more: how do you make Immersive Dragons compatible ? As you hard-require Dragons SE which overrides all the files of Immersive Dragons and clearly states the incompatibility between these two mods.
    1. Zira1251
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      Yes, you still need Dragons SE and I recommend its high res textures. It replaces the 4 named dragons that are unique in vanilla (Alduin, Odahviing, etc.) and its replacers for the generic dragons are included in the diversity of D4D. If you're concerned about the file sizes,
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      keep in mind that dragons, like mountains, are very large objects that you frequently look at very closely during normal gameplay. That is why the textures are a minimum of 4k even in the vanilla game.

      There is no real incompatibility between Dragons SE and dragon skeleton replacers (Immersive or Majestic Dragons). Simply load them lower. 4thUnknown doesn't recommend using other skeletons for the very valid reason that they create some clipping between the dragon's wings and the ground, or other objects it may land on, and the one 4th includes is custom tailored for Dragons SE's models, of course. Imo, the clipping is minimal enough when using Immersive Dragons to be worth the benefit of a somewhat more logical wingspan. The skeletons from Majestic Dragons, though impressive, make the problem much more obvious (too much for me personally), but they will work just as well.
    2. oXidFoX
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      thank you for the detailed answer (I've read the complete descriptions). I was just slightly concerned by potentially downloading huge unused textures, but you said it's not the case.

      I get the point with Immersive Dragons, thank you again !

      More generic question: how can i find which dragon use meshes\actors\dragon\character assets\dragon.nif ? in order to test if I keep Immersive Dragons or not.
    3. Zira1251
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      Instead of doing that, just install version 1.3 of Immersive Dragons (latest old file). Or delete that dragon.nif from your current installation. It's not necessary for the mod's purpose, so I'm not sure why it was suddenly included in an update.
    4. oXidFoX
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      Great ! Looks like this the way to make them compatible! Thank you so much!

      The correct order:
      - Dragons SE
      - Immersive Dragons, disabling/removing meshes\actors\dragon\character assets\dragon.nif
      - Diverse 4thUnknown Dragons
    5. OneLaBagguette
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      Hey, just checking up a few days later, does everything still work smoothly after using that load order and deleting that specific .nif file?
    6. oXidFoX
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      Blood textures fit correctly the body, size is correct, that's totally fine on my game! 
  8. juzu1234
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    Holy God of MODS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Insanely good work with the ini files for skypatcher.

    ENDORDSED 100000%

    Juzu1234
  9. SmartMaya
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    Hi Zira1251 could I ask you for some troubleshooting help for my modlist if this doesn't take too much of your time. I use all the GOT dragon skins but I'm wanting to use your mod + 4th unknown's mod and I might use Chaos Dragon 4thUnknown Dragon Edit this mod as well. Asking for help on what mods I should remove to use your mod :)
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    1. Zira1251
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      Sure, since you've been helpful and kind with your comments; here's my recommendation and an explanation of the result:
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      It's intended that you follow these steps in the order I've listed them.

      Uninstall These:

      • Got HotD Skeletal Dragon
      • Got HotD - Skeletal Dragon and Underskin
      • GoT HotD Dragons - VANILLA Replacer
      • HotD Dragons-Textures*
      • GoT Dragons-Textures*
      • GoT Dragons - Skeleton*
      *Note: the grey lightning bolt in MO2 means a mod is completely overwritten/redundant (i.e., it is doing nothing but wasting space)

      Install These:

      • SkyPatcher (if you don't already have it)
      • Dragons SE, loading it directly above GoT Dragons - Undead Viserion as Durnehviir
      • D4D, loading it directly after Dragons SE
      • Got HotD - Diverse Dragons Optional FileGoT HotD - Dragon blood mesh hidden, loading it after all of the GoT mods

      Open your installed D4D main file and remove this config:

      • SKSE\Plugins\SkyPatcher\armor\Diverse4thDragons\D4D_Plugins\DiverseDragonsCollectionSE.esp.ini

      Your load order should then look like this
      :

      • Diverse Dragons Collection SE
      • Diverse Dragons Collection SE (DDCse) - Settings Loader
      • RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE - Special Edition
      • GoT HotD Dragons - DDCSE replacer 8k
      • Dragons SE
      • Diverse 4thUnknown Dragons (D4D)
      • Got Dragons - Undead Viserion as Durnehviir
      • Drogon Alduin - Xila's Monstrous GoT Dragons
      • Rhaegal Paarthurnax - Monstrous GoT Dragons
      • HotD Dragons 8k - Cleaned and Upscaled Textures (Game of Thrones)
      • GoT Dragons -8k - Cleaned and Upscaled Textures (Game of Thrones)
      • GoT Dragons Textures 8k - Fixed Soul Absorb And Optimized
      • GoT Dragons Enemy - Fixed Soul Absorb And Optimized
      • GoT Dragons Diverse Dragons - Fixed Soul Absorb and Optimized
      • GoT Dragon Ally - Fixed Soul Absorb And Optimized
      • GoT HotD - Dragon blood mesh hidden
      • Majestic Dragons - Larger and Immersive proportions
      I assumed since you haven't uninstalled them already, that you wanted to keep the GoT/HotD dragons in your game. The above instructions should result in all of DDCSE's dragons being Got/HotD style, as well as Alduin, Paarthurnax, and Durnehviir. Dragons SE will take care of Odahviing (or you could install this mod and load it after Dragons SE and D4D in order to have him also be GoT/HotD style), while D4D will cover the other 12 named vanilla dragons and any generic vanilla dragons that will occasionally still appear. Chaos Dragons and PLSET's tweaks and edits for it are not compatible with this setup; you will only be able to use it if you decide to uninstall all of the GoT/HotD dragons and commit to having all 4th-style dragons.

      If you do want to commit to 4th's style, I would recommend this:

      • Chaos Dragons SE
      • Chaos Dragon Tweaks
      • RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE - Special Edition
      • Dragons SE
      • Chaos Dragon 4thUnknown Dragon Edit
      • Diverse 4thUnknown Dragons (D4D)
      • Majestic Dragons - Larger and Immersive proportions
      Any mods not listed can be uninstalled completely in this case.

      If you need any further tips or instructions on this, send me a direct message through my Nexus Mods profile instead.
    2. Zira1251
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      Edit: Made an important small addition to my original reply.
    3. SmartMaya
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      Thank you for your help Zira, really excited to play with your mod :D
      I think I'll commit to the 4th style, you've done an amazing job and I can't wait to play once I'm finished sorting out my load order it's good to be able to cut down on the amount of space the other dragon texture mods were using up
  10. seba4360
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    hi some of of the dragons I have are completely pink like there missing texture so was wondering if one else has run to that
    1. Zira1251
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      Make sure you have a D4D texture file installed and activated alongside your chosen main file, as well as the required mod Dragons SE installed and activated with no other conflicts.

      Your download history suggests you didn't read the instructions and haven't installed any textures for this mod, which will indeed cause pink/purple dragons.
  11. SnowElf2456
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    Could you make an optional version with a modified Odahviing look that is closer to the original game than the one featured in the mod and too similar to Nafalaar from TESO
    1. Zira1251
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      D4D is not at all responsible for how Odahviing looks and doesn't do anything to him (that's Dragons SE's business). I've never played or had any interest in ESO, so I've no idea what you're referring to in the latter half of your comment either.