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Entrails: My modding toolbox for Skyrim


worik

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TLDR: Which tools do I use, how do I mod or fix my Skyrim and how do I manage my mods?

 

Just for completeness, I add my collection of modding tools to this blog. This includes the tools that I use as an enthusiastic  player with far beyond 350 mods in my main games and on the other hand the tools that I use as an aspiring (but still bloody noice) mod creator

 

Tools as a player

  • Mod Organizer 1 = my main tool to get my profiles and vast amount of mods under control
  • TES5Edit = the swiss army knife to either understand what mods are doing, cleaning the dirty ones or just to fix little things quick and dirty
  • Mator's Merge Plugins = the best thing to cut my number of mods down to a managable few
  • Mator Smash = to solve mod conflicts .. though I am not using it to it's full power.... yet :classic_blush:
  • Markdf's Fallrim Tools = to clean my save files ... or at least check them in regular intervals
  • IronBrother8800's NIO Cleaner = to clean the skse cosave of bloat and speed up my save/load sooo much
  • Notepad++ = for all editing purposes

 

.. and as a modder: getting ready for the CK

 

 

Video Guides & Tutorials

 

 

References

26 Comments


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"Mator Smash = to solve mod conflicts .. though I am not using it to it's full power.... yet "

 

does it replace the need of a bash patch for lvl lists?

I read somewhere it's even possible to bash and smash ^^

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4 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

I read somewhere it's even possible to bash and smash ^^

It's possible but I am not sure if it makes sense.

My understanding was that SMASH replaces the bashing ?

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urghs, I thought I just throw everything together and than merge-a-lot

looks like it's a bit more complex than open a can of ravioli ^^

 

here are some more links for the merge madness that might be of interest for your link list:

GamerPoets cooking with Merge Plugins: youtube

 

and the new merge tool zEdit

 

am I even on the right page of your blog to post such dirty links?

 

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3 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

am I even on the right page of your blog to post such dirty links?

:classic_laugh:Yes, you're right in the dirty workshop where I pile up my tools

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I think I'm on the right page now. ?

 

Question:

I it possible to add and remove mods from a merge on a running game?

I mean it wouldn't change the place of mods in the LO, because all changes are inside the merge.

My Skyrim sense says "NO! Are you crazy?"

Still, if it's juts an armor mod or two or a follower?

Maybe you tried that already?

 

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9 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

I it possible to add and remove mods from a merge on a running game?

I do that on a regular base. Mostly when a merged mod gets updated.

But I already removed and inserted mods to/from my game by this.

Though you should try as hard as you can to know what goes and what comes. Savefile cleaning is mandatory for those dirty deeds. :classic_wink:

Basic rule is (as always) to have a backup and to be able to reverse the last steps taken.

  • I make backups of my save fies
  • I keep the old merge files
  • I save my load order and priority order

 

My main game from the various screenshots was started January 2018 and is still running and stable that way ☝️ :classic_happy:

 

 

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19 hours ago, worik said:

Basic rule is (as always) to have a backup and to be able to reverse the last steps taken.

All good hints!

Still how often did it fail and you had to revert back?

 

I'm experimenting around a lot with merges atm, with surprising results, some are even shocking ??

 

But if I can add nearly everything later via a merge...

...than I don't need the perfect LO right away ?

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18 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

Still how often did it fail and you had to revert back?

~ 1/5 .. mostly because I didn't read the documentation carefully or didn't understand what it told me

 

18 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

But if I can add nearly everything later via a merge...

No you can't . I have a bunch of mods that are unmergable. (For whatever reason)

That's why I decided to go for my "block" mode where I sort my mods&merges by what they do.

 

E.g. I have Simply Knock merged into a "general gameplay" merge. But I want to play SLSurvival and it relies to find SK by it's name.

So I will have to break it out of the merge and play it standalone. Later, it will be either immediately before or after the merge but still in the general position for "general gameplay".

 

 

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35 minutes ago, worik said:

No you can't . I have a bunch of mods that are unmergable. (For whatever reason)

That's why I decided to go for my "block" mode where I sort my mods&merges by what they do.

 

E.g. I have Simply Knock merged into a "general gameplay" merge. But I want to play SLSurvival and it relies to find SK by it's name.

So I will have to break it out of the merge and play it standalone. Later, it will be either immediately before or after the merge but still in the general position for "general gameplay".

That's how I do it now too.

Those blocks are easy to make for obvious mods like outfits, weapons, spells, equipment

Some others are a real challenge.

"Blocks" are how I managed the LO before the merges, that made it easier to merge mods.

Immersive mods are my sorrow atm, like bathing in skyrim that seems to be interconnected to everything in my LO o.o

So basically every mod with an esp that has to be found by another mod should not be merged.

 

You have an important point there, if I add a mod that needs a merged mod later, I still would need a placeholder esp to be able to get the merged mod esp back online without changing LO consistence.

 

Still adding "standalone" mods to merges should be possible (I guess, not tried yet).

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8 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

So basically every mod with an esp that has to be found by another mod should not be merged.

Yes!

 

? That makes we wonder if (once we write the candidates down) I should add that list here.... Decided: I do.

 

  • Bathing in Skyrim (#metoo :classic_blush:)
  • Simply Knock

 

8 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

You have an important point there, if I add a mod that needs a merged mod later, I still would need a placeholder esp to be able to get the merged mod esp back online without changing LO consistence.

Though I must confess that I am quite reckless to insert and withdraw mods. So, in my loadorder a mod may shift a number up or down :blush:

 

8 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:

Still adding "standalone" mods to merges should be possible (I guess, not tried yet).

Done. :classic_happy: Multiple times

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1 hour ago, worik said:

Yes!

 

? That makes we wonder if (once we write the candidates down) I should add that list here.... Decided: I do.

 

  • Bathing in Skyrim (#metoo :classic_blush:)
  • Simply Knock

I hoped you would say that ?

Will add my nono-to-merge-o-mods here too then.

At least the ones I tried and failed:

  • MME patches
    • at least some of them, after merging MME wasn't able to find SOG III anymore
  • Milk addict
    • SLS won't be able find it anymore
  • Summermyst
    • Merge Plugin couldn't resolve conflicts on my Setup
  • Wintersun + SL Wintersun
    • if used in combo with Holds City Overhaul
    • can be merged if no dependencies
  • Every Mod SLS connects to
    • That's quite a lot. Even if obvious I have to list it here.
  • SD+ and Patches
    • quite a lot of devious mods connect to it
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Here how I know why MME can't find SOG III if it's patches are merged:

Spoiler

610633157_enb2019_10_2620_35_50_45.jpg.84b4be0af50f81074b63dfceea90eab5.jpg

 

And here in detail what mods shouldn't be merged if used with SLS:

(was too lazy to type them ?)

Spoiler

212547165_enb2019_10_2621_21_12_23.jpg.6e0053f158a6f7e1d2f7894d1631712b.jpg

 

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Also:

Outfits with Bodyslide (in my case UUNP) can loose their connection to bodyslide if merged.

I leave the Outfit esp installed in addition to the Merge and only deactivate the esp.

Like that UUNP bodyslide still works and I still save plugin slots.

Unless I got something totally wrong? ?

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Mods that Bashed Patch needs to be outside of a merge (unless I'm to tired to understand why wrye bash want's them active):

  • Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim
  • Knight-Errant, Addon to VIGILANT
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6 hours ago, donttouchmethere said:
  • Soljund's Sinkhole
  • Whistling Mine

No? ? Could you edit your post and add the links to those? I faintly remember to have merged them ... once upon the time. But it may have been other mods for the same locations.

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On 5/3/2019 at 6:03 AM, worik said:

It's possible but I am not sure if it makes sense.

My understanding was that SMASH replaces the bashing ?

Years later: Yes, yes it does. Smash can replace the bash.

Bash has some more interesting functions other than conflict resolution, but smash patch became the real deal for me.

Needs to be controlled via Tes5edit tho.

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