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Mod Organizer and "mod sets"?


OneWhoSpeaks

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So I've heard/read that MO can create custom "sets" of mods so that when loading the game, only certain mods are activated (based on individual preference). This can apparently be saved and used later, meaning that one can create many different collections of mods for use with different saves. Is this true?

 

And if it is, can I have it load specific mods based on what save I load, or will I just have to remember which set I'm using to avoid CTD?

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Yes, it's true. They're called "profiles" in Mod Organizer. Depending on which profile you have chosen, a different set of mods (in a different mod order) can be set, so you can have  completely different playthroughs on different saves. I for example have one playthrough that's more focused around combat mods (with some mild SexLab mods for distraction from time to time), while I have another playthrough that focuses more on the devious possibilities of Skyrim (which will probably never see the end of the game). Some mods get used in all profiles, others only get used in one.

 

All I have to do is make sure I have the right profile selected when I launch my game, and use the correct save game.

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No problem!

 

I too was using NMM at first, but switched to MO mainly for this feature. It takes a couple of hours to set everything up again, but it's well worth it for the future. With MO creating a virtual \Data\ folder with the mods you have active, instead of just dropping files in the actual \Data\ folder like NMM does, you have way more control over your mods. You'll also never have to do a clean install again, because your \Data\ folder never gets touched.

 

One tip though: do install FNIS directly in your Skyrim\Data\ folder. You still have to run the FNIS executable through MO (so it takes into account all the extra animations from other mods you have installed), but trying to install FNIS as a mod and then run the executable has given me nothing but trouble.

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Ok, that sounds really helpful. Been using NMM since that's what I first found when I began my modding, but I think I might switch over if MO has something like that. Thanks for the help!

If you want a good place to start to learn? Check out my Skyrim (Or any) of my guides. I use MO, and utilize almost EVERY function it has to offer through the processes of using my guides. (My Morroblivion guide probably uses more of it's features than anything, though)

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Another nice possibility given together with profiles are "Local Savegames". If you activate the checkbox, you won't save global anymore but your save files are tied to that specific profile.
 
The next tip is the duplication of profiles. It's a very useful feature, that can make starting a new profile a lot easier. Simply create a bootstrap profile with some mods you will use in any new profile for sure (eg. the SKSE data folder, Unofficial Patches, ...). Now, whenever you want to start a new profile, just copy and rename your Booststrap profile and you'll have your framework ready to build up from.

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And remember that you'll want to start with a clean, fresh Skyrim. No anything added to it at all. Let MO do its thing. But you can take the mod archives from NMM and move them somewhere else before you nuke it so you still have a folder with all your current mods in it (no need to re-download them all again).

 

I've been able to make FNIS work through MO just fine. There are guides and tutorials that show you how.

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Most stuff works fine with MO. FNIS and SkyProc do their stuff. You can load WyreBash to do BashPatches.

 

MO work like the ESP mod list. It saves the order and activation of installed mods (the whole mod folder). Of course it saves the order and activation of ESM/ESP files too.

Every profile can be treated as a different mod setup. Apart from SKSE and ENB which need to be in Skyrim Folder (SKSE scripts can be loaded by MO but it is kinda essential)

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Wow, a ton more people responded to this than I had anticipated, thanks a lot for all the tips and help guys! I'll probably be back to this thread a lot with questions as I go through the process of switching over. 

 

Speaking of which, my first question is: Do I have to clean my Skyrim folder of all the mod stuff (since MO creates a "fake" data folder and brings everything together instead of just installing it) or can I just leave it as is? And what about special things like Bodyslide, that are used outiside the game (would I have to actually install that versus just using it in MO)?

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Dumb Question Time! 

Is it possible to keep my old saves while creating a clean install (I know that goes against the whole clean thing)? I really, REALLY don't want to just throw away all the countless hours I've spent *cough*wasted*cough* playing this game. And while the mods are nice, I'm using them to enjoy the game itself more, not just to appreciate a bunch of mods (which I still do) before moving on. 

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I wouldn't do the mod import thing. It's been pretty buggy.

 

Start with a clean Skyrim install.

 

Before wiping and reinstalling (I call it re-Steaming :lol:), go to documents/my games/Skyrim and take all your saves and move them to your desktop or somewhere else for safe keeping. You can install them into Mod Organizer/profiles/saves later on (so you CAN keep them).

 

You should be able to go into games/NMM and find your mod archive folder. If you pull that folder out intact and set it aside, like you did your saves, you can use those archives to install into Mod Organizer. Won't take too long that way (quicker than downloading them all again) and less chance to get bugged out like the import feature may do.

 

I would STRONGLY suggest going to YouTube and watching Gopher's vids on using Mod Organizer. It will pay off in the end. He'll show you how to use executables (like BodySlide) and everything.

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You can always set up MO first with NMM open to make sure you replicate the installs of mods as best as possible.

Then wipe Skyrim folder (delete all folders and mod files from data, not need to redownload skyrim files) and hope your saves work.

Good luck :)

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I wouldn't do the mod import thing. It's been pretty buggy.

 

Start with a clean Skyrim install.

 

Before wiping and reinstalling (I call it re-Steaming :lol:), go to documents/my games/Skyrim and take all your saves and move them to your desktop or somewhere else for safe keeping. You can install them into Mod Organizer/profiles/saves later on (so you CAN keep them).

 

You should be able to go into games/NMM and find your mod archive folder. If you pull that folder out intact and set it aside, like you did your saves, you can use those archives to install into Mod Organizer. Won't take too long that way (quicker than downloading them all again) and less chance to get bugged out like the import feature may do.

 

I would STRONGLY suggest going to YouTube and watching Gopher's vids on using Mod Organizer. It will pay off in the end. He'll show you how to use executables (like BodySlide) and everything.

 

 

Alright, awesome. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I can do the clean install thing easy, just wanted to make sure I could keep the saves. As for the mod archive folder, I'd found that already. 

 

Guess now I just gotta start the process of transferring over. Bleh, this is gonna take a while.

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The time it's gonna' take to switch over is well spent. You'll never have to reinstall again, and if you've been using NMM for any amount of time I am sure you've reinstalled a few times by now. Just think...it will never be needed again. Ever.

 

 

Believe it or not I've never had any problems with NMM, besides it occasionally having problems installing mods from archives that I added to the organizer manually (which is an easy fix). I'm just swapping over for the profile feature, since it sounds incredibly useful. 

 

Still, really glad for all the help that you guys have given me! Thank you :D

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Haven't really been devoting much time to the conversion so progress is slow, however I noticed something that has me a bit worried: In the profile I'm creating, the saves tab is empty. I copied my saves from the /documents folder in MO's /profiles/____/saves but they do not appear. What do I do?

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Where your profile name is (right above the left pane) you can choose "manage" in the drop down list of profiles. In the window that opens after clicking manage check both archive invalidation and local game saves. If you don't do the local saves they'll still go where they used to.

 

And with the saves, NMM (at least used to) saves both .ess and .SKSE extensions. MO only uses the .ess files.

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It means it's not packaged properly. BUT NO WORRIES! MO can handle it.

 

When the little window opens warning of no data at top level, just right click the top level (a mod name or data folder usually) and choose "set data directory". After than it should give a green "looks good" and it can install it. Maybe there are two folders in there that need this setting done to, but no problem.

 

See, Mod Organizer is literally a /data/ folder outside of the Skyrim folder. So when it sees /data/ (or a folder with the mod name) at the top it balks. It says, "Fuck you, I'm the goddamned data folder!" :lol: So you just use the set data directory workaround and all is good.

This video will show you how to do just about anything you'll need to know how to do.

 

 

MO also has a built in tutorial mode to show you many of those things.

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It means it's not packaged properly. BUT NO WORRIES! MO can handle it.

 

When the little window opens warning of no data at top level, just right click the top level (a mod name or data folder usually) and choose "set data directory". After than it should give a green "looks good" and it can install it. Maybe there are two folders in there that need this setting done to, but no problem.

 

See, Mod Organizer is literally a /data/ folder outside of the Skyrim folder. So when it sees /data/ (or a folder with the mod name) at the top it balks. It says, "Fuck you, I'm the goddamned data folder!" :lol: So you just use the set data directory workaround and all is good.

This video will show you how to do just about anything you'll need to know how to do.

 

 

MO also has a built in tutorial mode to show you many of those things.

 

 

So I've finished watching the video (finally, I really need to just get this done) and it was extremely helpful in figuring out what I was doing. As much as I hate to say it though, I'm still struggling a bit. 

 

Question 1: I had an ENB installed before, and obviously I want to use it again. Can MO manage this or is there something else I need to do for that? 

 

Question 2: This one is a bit strange. The save says I'm missing a certain .esp, but when I go into my folder where I store all my mod archives I cannot find the one with the .esp in it, like it was removed from them or something. However, I CAN see it in my old skyrim folder (saved to the desktop, it's a long story, probably not important). Can I simply copy that .esp file and use it?

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1) Since MO is literally a data folder then only data folder stuff goes in it. ENBs, SweetFX, game controller emulators, and that sort of stuff all still goes in the game's root directory.

 

2) Not sure on that one because I never tried. If you can take all that, zip it up then install it with MO it might work, though. You might be better off just redownloading the mod in its entirety to avoid problems.

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1) Since MO is literally a data folder then only data folder stuff goes in it. ENBs, SweetFX, game controller emulators, and that sort of stuff all still goes in the game's root directory.

 

2) Not sure on that one because I never tried. If you can take all that, zip it up then install it with MO it might work, though. You might be better off just redownloading the mod in its entirety to avoid problems.

 

 

1) Sweet, thanks. Good thing I figured out how to do all that before :P

 

2) I'll try the whole zip-it-back-up-into-a-single-file thing, let's hope that works. Trying to find that mod again will be kinda hard, since what I had was only an incomplete portion of it (it's an armor mod) that someone begun converting. 

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