Nice Ice a.k.a. The Hills Have Ice

⭐ ⭐ (581 endorsements) 📥 93,262 downloads 📌 v03 📅 7/23/2014
⚪ Last updated 2014

By maczopikczo and xrayy · Models And Textures

⬇ Download Mod Source: Nexus Mods ↗ 📅 Updated: 7/29/2014 📅 Created: 7/23/2014
⚠️ Install Order · 3 steps
1🛠️ OBSE — Oblivion Script Extender Download ↗
2🔧 UOP — Unofficial Oblivion Patch Download ↗
3📦 UL Jerall Glacier Find it →

Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.

🔍 Analysis

  • 👍 0.6% endorsement rate
  • 🏆 #168 of 485 Models And Textures mods in this game by downloads

📋 About This Mod

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE PLEASE, DO NOT RUN ANY AUTOMATIC TEXTURE OPTIMISING TOOLS ON THIS MOD. IT WILL RADICALLY DECREASE THIS MOD'S QUALITY. MY MOD IS OPTIMIZED FROM RELEASE. THE TEXTURES ARE SAVED WITH DXT5 COMPRESSION ON PURPOSE. YOU WANT SHINY, GLOSSY, TRANSLUCENT ICE? THEN LEAVE IT AS IT IS.

This is a simple yet dramatic visual overhaul of the glacier landscape in GrandDukeAdense's Jerall Glacier mod (one of Unique Landscapes series).

It not only re-touches textures, but also introduces many changes to meshes - in their properties and sometimes UV-maps. Thanks to careful manipulation now your ice blocks will be translucent, but not transparent; colourless like water, but with strong blue reflections which change intensity and hue, depending on weather. They're not more slippery (at least for now), but definitely look so. Frozen bodies of water now really look frozen, and make use of a slightly pimped-up xrayy's texture (you can find the original one here). I hope that this little contribution enhances your amazement in this beautiful part of Cyrodiil.

For the glacier I used a wonderful texture courtesy of Yuril and his Real Ice mod for Skyrim, which me and xrayy slightly modified to make it look excellent also on Gamebryo engine. There's also another glacier texture based on Yuril's. Recently I've added a couple of land textures - one with snow predominant in this area, and the other one with frozen snow specific to the glacier vicinity. All of these come in 1024x1024 pixels resolution with a normal map the same size.

A texture for frozen lakes and ponds is twice as large (both diffuse and normal map) - I didn't want to tamper too much with it to preserve its original charm. I only threw in some frozen floating debris, tweaked the hue and opacity, and re-made the normal map based on the original.

Other than that the big part of visual impact comes from tweaking the meshes, so make sure you don't skip them in your installation.

To see this mod in all its glory you need to have UL-Jerall Glacier installed and active (either the standalone version, or as part of the available compilation).

It's a simple replacement, so there's no esp for Nice Ice.

I'm sure you know how to install a replacement, but in case you don't, ask and you'll be given. ;)

I strongly recommend thet you use Weather - All Natural for a staggering variety of weather conditions in which to watch your ice melt :)

Credits: I've added xrayy as a co-author, because he has contributed many awesome solutions and great ideas to this mod. A big thank you, mate. It's a real pleasure to work with you. :)

  • xrayy for HD jerall ice texture for lakes, and for many other contributions.
  • Yuril for Real Ice and
🤖 AI-enhanced — based on mod data

A visual overhaul of glacier ice textures for Oblivion, designed for UL Jerall Glacier. With 581 endorsements and 93,262 downloads, it's a popular cosmetic mod that enhances the look of icy environments. Last updated in 2014, it remains a solid choice for players seeking improved ice visuals.

✨ Key Features

Visual overhaul of glacier ice textures
Intended for UL Jerall Glacier
Future versions planned to modify all icy rocks around Tamriel

📊 Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

  • Community favorite with 581 endorsements and over 93k downloads
  • Simple texture replacement that boosts visual fidelity without gameplay changes
  • Designed to integrate with UL Jerall Glacier for a cohesive look

⚠️ Cons

  • Last updated in 2014 — may not be compatible with newer mod setups or game patches
  • Only affects glacier ice, not all icy rocks yet (future versions promised but not delivered)
  • Requires UL Jerall Glacier to work as intended, adding an extra dependency
🎯 Is This For You?
For Oblivion players who want to enhance the look of icy landscapes, especially those using UL Jerall Glacier. If you're a modder looking for a base to expand upon, this could be a starting point. Skip if you want broader ice overhauls or play without UL Jerall Glacier.
📦 Install:Easy· Under 1 minute

💡 Beginner Tips

  • Make sure UL Jerall Glacier is installed before adding this mod to avoid texture conflicts.
  • Use a mod manager like Oblivion Mod Manager to easily toggle this mod on and off for testing.
  • Check the mod's readme or forum posts for load order recommendations if you encounter visual glitches.

📊 Mod Details

Game
Oblivion Mods
Author
maczopikczo and xrayy
Version
03
Downloads
93,262
Endorsements
581
Category
Models And Textures
Created
7/23/2014
Updated
7/29/2014

🔧 How to Install Oblivion Mods

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