Actors
Most creatures have doubled textures.
Regarding characters, the ONLY change is the _msn normal maps have been saved as UNCOMPRESSED .dds files (24bit). The .msn files are the exact same size as before, just uncompressed. So for mod authors, we still need high-res replacers for everything BUT the .msn body files. Oh, and the Argonians and Khajiit were left out of the HighRes pack (no doubt due to racism
heh).
Architecture
Nearly 75% (666 of the original 898 files) of these textures were doubled. Files left out were the smaller detail textures like windows, flora, ect.
Armor
80% of the files are doubled with mainly the amulets and rings not being improved except for the two generic files: genericamulets and genericrings.
Blood
Half are doubled, half not. They still use DXT3 which causes the checkerboard compression artifacts
I question if DXT3 is proper.
Clothes
87% is doubled. Nearly everything.
Clutter
Heres the important one IMO. Clutter had ugly textures originally. Sadly only about 40% are doubled. Rest are untouched.
Many, many common textures are missing. So sad
only the big ones like crates, furniture, rugs are doubled. So mods like Skyrim HD are still VERY needed for a lot of the minor stuff.
Theres too much too list regarding what is skipped. Just look for yourself if you wish. Or use software to compile a list.
Dungeons
About half doubled. Dwemer Ruins and Mines are entirely missing. In general, which is typical of Architecture textures in this pack, the Dungeons textures that were 1024x1024 originally arent increased, only their normal maps were.
Effects
Only a small portion are doubled. The vast majority arent touched by the HighRes pack.
Furniture
Only the poor bedpillow01 and noble\noblefurnbed01 textures (4 files) arent doubled.
Interface
Skills backgrounds are doubled, as expected, but minor stuff like Constellation Lines arent.
Interface\books (all the .png files) arent included.
The logo emblem and lockpicking textures are doubled (which is all the objects folder contents).
Landscape
Only exactly 20% are included (38 of 190). You know all those 512x512 landscape textures? Yes, they still are 512x512, grrr!! There is only 1 texture out of 15 improved for the landscape\grass folder. So sad.
The two mountainslab textures ARE NOT IMPROVED. These are the gray slabs people talk about.
And no Roads diffuse maps are increased, only three normal maps are increased.
For the trees, about 2/3 are improved. But some branches and other textures arent improved. (Vurts Mod still essential!)
LOD (level of detail files)
Not included at all. The game will still use the original 128x128 or 256x256 textures for the distant lower-detail meshes. Probably not included since it would have required redoing all these manually (maybe).
Plants
Only 30% or so, mostly shrubs, and flora stuff. The textures for food and alchemical items were mostly untouched.
Sky
Only the clouds and nebula/galaxy textures were improved. The Moons, Aurora, Sun wasnt.
Terrain
The distant trees textures were doubled. The normal maps for the Tamriel distant objects like rocks and buildings was doubled, but not the diffuse texture. Would have been nice to have truly doubled distant object textures
Water
Untouched. Non of the three water effect textures were touched.
Weapons
91% of files improved. Interestingly, here Bethesda occasionally quadruples the size, not just doubles. Some weapons go from 512x512 to 2048x2048, while some (most) go from 512x512 to 1024x1024. This makes me ask
give us the 2048x2048 for EVERYTHING??? PLEASE!?
Conclusion
Thanks to Bethesda for releasing any HighRes pack at all! Im very grateful! That being said, overall, many textures are still a bit lacking definition, especially the architecture. Moreover, a lot of the simple objects like all the clutter and common stuff isnt touched. So now we have higher res walls and floors with objects on them that are still low-res. Oh well, wouldnt want to put us modders out of work