How to uncap your FPS in Skyrim SE

[Patriot03]

The Short Answer

* The short answer is to diligently install SSE Display Tweaks + requirements and modify the included mod config accordingly.
-Don't forget to launch your game with the SKSE application every time you play.

Knowledge is Power

Before you do that you should understand why the 60 FPS Cap existed in the first place, how previous uncapping methods broke people's games, and how SSE Display Tweaks is different from previous methods.

Why the cap?

- Simply put when you're programming you need to add/subtract variables all the time for basically any kind of script you can imagine that changes over time, these math operations or scripts complete once every frame, therefore if you're playing at 60 FPS then your script was completed 60 times in one second.

Assuming a 60 FPS cap If we had a starting variable with a value of 0 and a simple algorithm that simply took our variable and added 1 to it then after 1 second has passed 60 frames would be completed and our variable would now equal 60.

The keen among you can already see the problem, if we instead ran this same script at 120 FPS then after a second has passed our variable would instead equal 120 but the programmer who made the script ASSUMED you would only run the game at 60.

The basics behind keeping time and performing some kind of mathematical operation on a variable each frame is a constant throughout every bit of code ever written or that will be written anytime you have dynamic variables that need modified in real time. That's to say the above explanation applies to a massive range of coding examples.

A few of those being
- Movement of any kind in a game, be it physics or player input. (object velocity needs modified each frame)
- The keeping of time in a game, say a day/night cycle. (Time needs added each frame)
- Animations. -(With each frame the animation cycle has to progress to the next step)
- NPC scripts that check the global time to make decisions among numerous other checks an AI might make including assumptions it will calculate about where the player is and where the player will be in x amount of time etc.

Bethesda decided to cap and then assume that everyone playing their game would be doing so at 60 FPS on PC.... Either because of malfeasance or developer laziness, either way they didn't give an once of care for the minority of players who own high refreshrate monitors or those with crippling slow PCs that suffer the same problem but in the reverse.

^There's a simple fix which I'll be explaining below, Bethesda even implemented it for FO4 VR (60 fps doesn't cut it for VR) and later in Fallout 76 after they decided players in a multiplayer game getting speed hacks simply by turning off V-sync was a rather bad idea....

That's the truth, on to the next bulletin.

How can this break my game?

- You likely already figure that uncapping your game can result in super speed like playing the game in fast forward but it's slightly more complicated than that because some built in functions inside the game engine already calculate time in a framerate agnostic way (I'll explain how that's done later). For example most game engines have an animation system that includes a timer that keeps track of actual time unaffected by variable framerates, not all of them do however so it's different on a game by game basis but the point is Skyrim has various bits of code that keep actual time regardless of FPS and some that are intrinsically tied to your FPS.

This can cause massive issues if for example an NPC calculates time from a timer unaffected by FPS for some kind of action(sleep for x amount of time) but when it checks the world time to move on to a new script (like it being time to go to work or go to sleep) it runs into a cascading problem where it goes on to the next job on it's list which again takes x amount of time and eventually the time difference gets wonky enough that the NPC will stop showing up for work as expected so on and so forth. - This could easily introduce a bug which might bork the NPC altogether.
^ The above example is imperfect but you get the point, to me it would be really strange to program an NPC with it's own timer rather than simply checking the world time to see when it's time to move on but then again Bethesda is Bethesda and they do things weirdly.

Early attempts at uncapping Skyrim were ill conceived because people didn't know that various bits of Skyrim's code also relied on assuming a set FPS, they just saw the Physics playing in fast forward and that was a pretty simple config file edit to "fix" but of course other parts of the game went unfixed and this broke people's game after those time differences stacked up.

How is SSE Display Tweaks different?

SSE Display Tweaks makes a LOT of changes to various SkyrimSE files that assume a 60 FPS cap, it basically works by replacing every instances where the code for example adds 1 every frame (in script that looks like [our variable] = [our variable] + 1) with a dynamic variable that changes with your FPS.

To make code that's FPS agnostic you add a value that's a multiple of your previous frame's delta time (how long it took to complete the previous frame) rather than adding by 1 each frame.

In script that would look like this [our variable] = [our variable] + ([a value] * Deltatime)
^ The lower your FPS the higher the delta time multiplier and thus it will add more each frame, conversely the higher your FPS the lower your delta time multiplier and the amount added each frame will be proportionately lower. This makes the final result over time the same regardless of how many frames were completed in that time.

You can see all the new/edited files added by SSE Display Tweaks on their official github, the link for which can be found on their mod page.

Drama?

- There's also PapyrusVM which allegedly stops scripts if they're not completed in an allotment of time. There's a claim going around that if you uncap your FPS then the game will have less time to complete scripts thus breaking your game if you dare uncap it, I've seen zero actual evidence for this precise claim but it should be noted that SSE Display Tweaks modifies 2 PapyrusVM files.

Inside one of these edits to Papyrus VM are the following variables by name
-SetExpressionOverridePatch
-DynamicUpdateBudget (That's a clue)
-UpdateBudgetBase
-BudgetMaxFPS (Another clue)
-OSDStatsEnabled
-OSDWarnVMOverstressed (SSE Display tweaks will warn you if Skyrim's Script engine is over stressed and unable to complete scripts)

I'll post a quote taken from the SSE Display Tweaks mod page regarding the drama surrounding PapyrusVM below

SSE Display Tweaks mod author -"Regarding the so-called "high fps script timing issue" which people are eager to parrot on various forums - there is none. Just the opposite, very low and/or very unstable framerates are far more likely to cause issues with the VM. If the VM has problems at higher framerates it's a symptom of an underlying issue. Ideally it should do far better at 90-144 FPS as it would locked at 60. The built in on-screen display can detect and warn you if the scripting engine is overstressed."


You're going to see people getting in a flurry about this alleged PapyrusVM issue in the comments below and I welcome any concerned person to discuss this here. Beyond saying what I've already said I'll just add that SSE Display Tweaks has 1.1 million total downloads with great accolades in the comments section that coincides with my own personal experience using this mod and others like it on other Bethesda games covering a combined play time of hundreds of hours, most of which in script heavy modded playthroughs of FO4 and FONV.

Conclusion

At the end of the day you'll be using this mod at your own risk but you do that every time you download mods anyway, if you have a high refreshrate monitor and would like to play Skyrim like never before then give it a shot on a new glorious playthrough.

[Patriot03]

smr1957 の投稿を引用：

Heck, I have 2304 total mods with 1664 plugins merged down to 250 (with an additional 50 .esl files) with perfectly (what some call "buttery") smooth play - though due to the large number of mods, I cap at 30. And totally stable and no CTDs. And have done so for years. But, it does take time and experience to achieve that - definitely NOT recommended for the average player - LOL!

Playing at 30 FPS is a horrible idea for the reasons mentioned in the Original post - You run a great risk of breaking your quests/scripts as you will suffer the SAME technical problems that come with running the game uncapped with no fix. It works the same in reverse. + parts of your game play in literal slow motion, nice.
^
Seriously your game's long term viability is at equal risk playing at 30 FPS no fix as it is 120 no fix. (one value is half, the other is double the expected value)- Which some have completed playthroughs that way but it's never recommended for obvious reasons.

Also in no sense of the word is 30 FPS buttery smooth. But there you have it..

The game's code assumes 60 FPS, the problem comes from failing to match that causing various compounding dsync issues(besides running script at twice or half the speed), the game doesn't care if that comes from you running above the designated value or far below it.

If you think to yourself "well I'm fine" then just know there are users out there who have uncapped the game since release without any fix whatsoever who have made the SAME claim over huge playthroughs. Being ignorant to the risk doesn't mean it isn't there..


PS: On a different note I did chuckle at the idea that it's some kind of accomplishment to overly mod your game so badly that you have to lock it to an unsupported framerate of 30(on PC).... That's nothing to be proud of.. Anyone can just click and install copious amounts of mods, the trick is to do so and still maintain respectable performance.

[Patriot03]

If a script expects to run 60 times in 1 second(or in other words it expects to come to a specific value over a set period of time, which is common in programming) then you're going to get severe issues only completing it 30 times in said second.

- smr1957 if you check your PapyrusVM right now for errors I bet you see numerous amounts of them...
Some of which will be inconsequential and might not break you game anytime soon but you're pushing your luck by restricting Papyrus like that.



PS: Per Example, the mod "Movement Behaviour Overhaul" does not work at 30 FPS, animations will result in a T-pose. I do believe there is a fix out there for it but it's merely 1 example.

[Vlad 254]

Patriot03 の投稿を引用：

Vlad 254 の投稿を引用：

I have a 144hz monitor.
My game runs Buttery Smooth at 60 FPS, heck it runs Buttery Smooth if I cap it at 30 FPS.
Camera is fine, my eyes are fine, nothing is choppy, and I can play that way for countless hours at a time and hundreds of hours per playthrough.

I mean hey, I don't want to insult your fine eyes so good for you. Truly, although I would say if that's the case then you should just stick to equal priced 60 hertz displays that have better colors.

Why in the world would I do that? After all there are other games out there that we all play.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Patriot03 の投稿を引用：

Just so everyone knows this is completely debunked in the OP, people breaking their games for various different reasons not least of which referencing OLD methods of "fixing" Skyrim's FPS issue has no bearing on the new fix.

Literally none at all. There is still absolutely ZERO evidence that SSE Display Tweaks results in a broken game after any amount of time. The people who claim it does make NO distinction between the mod, older mods, and just manually uncapping it yourself with no fixes applied.

That guy's still salty that we both caused his thread to get locked. For someone who tells off people for derailing and trolling, he seems to love doing that.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Patriot03 の投稿を引用：

Also in no sense of the word is 30 FPS buttery smooth.

Well if there's heavy motion blur and with VRR techniques like GSync or FreeSync, then maybe lol. I believe I read somewhere that the way PC monitors render frames makes it more choppy at lower values than televisions do. But I can't remember where I got that info from so it's probably BS.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Vlad 254 の投稿を引用：

Why in the world would I do that? After all there are other games out there that we all play.

I agree, as much as I'd want to just play games on 8K QLED HDR television, I'd rather stick to a lower res and less color accurate PC monitor with better specs in every other department. Even if I was only into content creation, I'd still want a display with decent refresh rate and response time, so like 120HZ and 5ms or better. When even Mac is offering such specs now, you know that 60HZ 100ms LCD displays suck.

[Corinze]

I just want to clarify and update my problem of me thinking my game got all broke. I downloaded it at work and realized as clearly stated on the mod page it is a SKSE plugin.
Once home I loaded up Vortex - yeap I accidentally re-activated SSE Display Tweaks last night. I disabled it and manually removed it and re-installed SKSE. Game work just fine now lol

[Vlad 254]

Corinze の投稿を引用：

I just want to clarify and update my problem of me thinking my game got all broke. I downloaded it at work and realized as clearly stated on the mod page it is a SKSE plugin.
Once home I loaded up Vortex - yeap I accidentally re-activated SSE Display Tweaks last night. I disabled it and manually removed it and re-installed SKSE. Game work just fine now lol

Excellent News.

One more thing I'll say as an aside. And I've said this all along.

I think a large number of people that are using the mod are using to achieve 60fps (not to exceed). And I am all for that. I say this after reading through the comments on the mod page's comment section

[StreamWhenGuy]

The only game I experienced playing at 30 FPS and that felt buttery smooth was the original Dark Souls. I'm not sure what it is, perhaps frametimes, but it's somehow different from any other game I've tried to play locked at 30. Well, maybe also Demon's Souls on RPCS3...

[4K_240hz_MLED]

StreamWhenGuy の投稿を引用：

I'm not sure what it is, perhaps frametimes, but it's somehow different from any other game I've tried to play locked at 30.

The frametime for 30fps is only 33.333ms at best. Idk how you'd find that smooth unless the game had a lot of motion blur. To get the frametime for any fps, just divide 1000 by it. So 1000 divided by 30 would yield an answer of 33.3333333.

[StreamWhenGuy]

lockup_pelosi の投稿を引用：

The frametime for 30fps is only 33.333ms at best. Idk how you'd find that smooth unless the game had a lot of motion blur. To get the frametime for any fps, just divide 1000 by it. So 1000 divided by 30 would yield an answer of 33.3333333.

Maybe DSFix had something to do with it, idk.

[peppermint hollows]

StreamWhenGuy の投稿を引用：

lockup_pelosi の投稿を引用：

The frametime for 30fps is only 33.333ms at best. Idk how you'd find that smooth unless the game had a lot of motion blur. To get the frametime for any fps, just divide 1000 by it. So 1000 divided by 30 would yield an answer of 33.3333333.

Maybe DSFix had something to do with it, idk.

I'm pretty sure DSFix allowed the game to run at 60.

[StreamWhenGuy]

peppermint hollows の投稿を引用：

I'm pretty sure DSFix allowed the game to run at 60.

It does, but introduces a couple of issues. I played locked at 30.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

StreamWhenGuy の投稿を引用：

peppermint hollows の投稿を引用：

I'm pretty sure DSFix allowed the game to run at 60.

It does, but introduces a couple of issues. I played locked at 30.

Apparently the original PC port of DS1 was hard capped to 30fps. But the remaster lets you play at 60fps just fine with no issues.

[StreamWhenGuy]

lockup_pelosi の投稿を引用：

Apparently the original PC port of DS1 was hard capped to 30fps. But the remaster lets you play at 60fps just fine with no issues.

Yeah, they only forgot to include normal maps therefore textures look like plastic in comparison with the original version, they also managed to somehow change lighting and overall dark aesthetics of the game. There's a comparison on YouTube by crowbcat if I'm not mistaken. Thanks I'll stick to the OG version.
I was just stating that playing at 30 FPS in Dark Souls feels smooth and I'm not sure why. I'm quite picky about everything framerate related.