General Mod Help and Troubleshooting

[Kiara]

Hello,

 

General blabla (skip if you just want the good stuff)

 

I started this thread, because I noticed that a lot of people seem to have major problems with modding in Skyrim, because they are either new, or nobody showed how to do it right in the first place. If You want to learn how to do it right, you might be in the wrong place, since I'm not an 'expert' modder. There are people out here, which know so much more about modding, than I could ever hope to know, but at this point, all of the people with problems seem to go into thread of single mods to ask for help there, or start a new topic here in the technical section, so nobody is able to find anything.

 

This Thread shall be used to guide those lost souls on their path to a glorious modded game, by providing a general tipps and tricks section in the first few posts. If a problem isn't answered by then, I hope to give the whole community one single point to ask qouestions and get answers. And thus, if someone asks questions in YOUR mod thread, which point to bigger problems with their game/mod setup, you can refere them here, to get that worked out first. This will hopefully make moderating easier overall, help reduce unnecessary troubleshooting in a single mods Thread, which could be used to further develop this mod, and make navigation easier for new people.

 

@moderators of LL: If you like this idea, I would humbly request to be stickied, because if not, nobody will find this again after a few days.

 

Terminology

In this section some words, which might be complex to know if you are new, are explained

• Vanilla - A unmodded game
• NMM - Nexus Mod Manager. A tool which helps you to download, install and organize your mods. The IOS of Mod organizers
• MO or MO2 - Mod Organizer. Mainly the same as NMM. Has a few better and more fleshed out features, but is more complex to use. The Windows of Mod Organizers
• Oldrim, Legacy, LE - Skyrim, the "normal" game from 2011, with its DLCS
• SE, newrim - Special Edition. The new Special Edition Skyrim with new and shiny 64bit engine
• USSEP - Skyrim Special Edition Patch. A mod which aims to fix most bugs and glitches in the vanilla game.
• SKSE - Skyrim Script extender. This tool enables more complex functions to mods
• FNIS - Fores new idles for Skyrim. A tool which enables the injection of new animations into the game
• BodySlide and Outfit Studio - A tool which enables you to build all outfits to match your custom body. (Female only)
• LOOT - Load Order Optimization Tool

 

Which Game version?

There are two versions of Skyrim: The "normal" version from 2011 and the new Special Edition. The main difference between the two, for us PC users and modders, is that the Special Edition (SE) version runs on a new 64bit engine. In my oppinion there is no reason to use the old version any more. The 64bit engine is superior to the 32bit version in many aspects and has now drawbacks. Most of the mods are ported, and a lot of modders simply don't support oldrim mods anymore. If you want the new and shiny stuff, go with the Special edition.

Note: Most of the links provided here are for SE Versions of the mods

 

There are a few concerns with the Special edition however. The main problem most people have, is that bethesda updates it every now and then with huge data packages for it's CreationClub mods, which in turn often breaks SKSE64, because to issue an update over steam, the version number of the main executable has to be changed, which then let's the version check in SKSE64's exe fail. This issue is mostly fixed in one or two days. To circumvent that:

• Go to the update options for SE in Steam, and turn it to "only update when started"
• This will ensure, that SE will only get updated, when you launch it via steam, or execute the SkyrimSELauncher.exe. Don't do it.
• If you start your game via SKSE64.exe, either normal or through your mod manager, steam will not recognize this as a game launch and thus won't update the game

 

Where to start modding

What do you need to get your game modded?

• The Game (pretty obvious, but I have seen people who tried without)
• A mod manager. Most people here recommend MO 2, but NMM does also work. MO can sometimes be a bit tricky to handle, but gives you more control than NMM. Your choice.
• A sense of what your computer can handle. If you run SSE with 16k textures, mesh improvements, ENBs... on your potato, don't ask us why you just get 2 FPS and CTDs all the time. Get a new Computer or fewer mods.

Thats mainly it for the start. You can now start your game from the mod manager of your choice. It's something at least.

 

The first mods

What are the first mods you should install?

USSEP - Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch. This Fixes many bugs, glitches and Problems with the game in general.

SKSE64 - Skyrim Script Extender 64 bit. This enables modders to call more functions in their scripts enabling them to make more complex mods.

FNIS - This tool enables you to use new animations in Skyrim

XPMSSE - A skeleton. You don't want to know more at his point. If you do, google is your friend.

A Body mod - There are several, most popular are CBBE and UNP

LOOT - You need this

SkyUI - This changes the UI to make it PC friendly and is a framework for other UI stuff

 

General Tipps about modding

Now you should have installed your first mods. You will see, that your Mod manager has changed a little bit. You can now launch skyrim via SKSE. You only want to do this in the future. No more vanilla starting. Also there are a lot of tools, e.g FNIS, LOOT usw.

Here are some tipps on what to do with this, and how to make sure your game and modsetup works:

1. If you change your mods (installing, uninstalling, update) you run LOOT. This will automaticly sort your loadorder and detect errors. This is important, because mods, which are lower in the order can overwrite things from mods higher in the order. So if you have a mod, which extends, fixes or changes another mod, you want them to be in the right order. Loot does that.
2. If you installed, uninstalled or updated a mod which contains animations, you have to run "RunFNISForUsers.exe".
3. Read the mod description. You installed a bunch of mods, because the pictures acompaning it shows nice tiddies. But what do they actually add to your game? it's all there. Read it.
4. Never, ever ever override XPMSSE with something else. Your game will break, the computer divide by 0, the universe will collapse and everybody will die a horrible death.
5. Just kidding, but you will break your game.
6. make a new test game. just to try out the basic mods above. If they don't work as expected, don't expect that it will get better down the line. First fix those problems.
7. Loot gives you an error? fix it
8. FNIS gives an error? fix it

 

More mods

From here on it is mainly based on what you want for mods, which dictates what to do next. Just a few more tipps:

• Install Framework mods first, and test them
• don't install a few hundred mods and then expect the game to work smooth. Install a few (5-10), test them, and then proceed
• Get some texture mods. Skyrim is old enough to get ugly
• Keep the limitations of your machine in mind
• Note which mods you added since the last test in a list. This makes troubleshooting a lot easier.
• Sort the mods on the main sites after number of downloads. You might find something usefull on the first few pages

 

HDT and SE don't work. There is HDT SMP in work, but it's complex to install, for advanced users only.

Make sure, you choose non-HDT if you install XPMSSE and the right version of CBBE if you use bodyslide. If you mess up here, you might get torpedo tits or very wrong meshes.

 

BodySlide and Outfit Studio

Some people have problems with bodyslide, so here a short tutorial. Please inrom me, when something is missing.

 

First you need, obviously, Bodyslide and outfit studio. Bodyslide comes with an CBBE body (you have to select this during instalation), or you can install CBBE after thet (recommended).

If you use NMM or MO2, only start bodyslide through the modManager, because those install the mods into virtual folders, which causes problems if you start the Bodyslide program manually through the game directory. At first launch, the tool will ask you for paths to the games data folders. If you set those paths wrong, nothing will show up in the drop downs. If you had bodyslide already installed for another game, you might need to set the path for the new installation manually. Oben Bodyslide->settings (lower right corner).

 

How to work with bodyslide:

1. Select the right body. If you are on SE, HDT is wrong. Only choose physics body, if you have physics installed. Choose normal if you don't know.
2. Adjust the body to your liking with the sliders. The Preview window is very helpfull for this.
3. Save the body with the "save Preset" button.
4. (Optional) make some adjustments for clothes (less breast perkiness, more push up effect usw.), save as second preset
5. select the preset you want for clothing in the preset drop down menu
6. Click "Batch build" (lower left). This will take all the clothing, armor usw, which have a bodyslide file, and ajdust them to your custom preset. Note: for vanilla armors the body slide files should be contained in the mod install, but you might have to click a checkbox. Note 2: If there are conflicts, bodyslide will ask you, which armor to build.
7. (Optional) if you made different presets for clothed and naked bodys, you now have to load the naked preset again, and build just the body (select your chosen body from the upper drop down list, and click ""build", not batch build.

 

 

Something doesn't work

This is bound to happen. You mess with Software, which in it self is not that bug free. But don't worry. Here are some general tipps to help you:

1. READ that damned mod description, at least do it, if you have problems with it. The mod Author doesn't write a description, because it is fun, but to help the user. YOU are the user, so help the author, by accepting his/her/it help.

2. If you are new to modding, here some things to do:

   • Install only the basic mods first. (SKSE, USSEP, FNIS, XP32's skeleton,SkyUi, bodyslide, bodymod,..) and test them. If something has gone wrong here, you will only make it worse down the line. Bash together a NEW quick game, just to test this stuff.
   • EVERYTHING, really EVERYTHING which modifies animations, skeletons, bones or such stuff, needs you to run FNIS again. If you changed your mods, just run FNIS to be safe, if you don't have any clue what I mean here.
   • When you run FNIS, Bodyslide or LOOT, and they give errors, read them, and if you don't knwo what to do, google them. Somebody had the same error some time ago. If not, ask either in the mods thread, or in the Tools thread, what it means, and how you resolve it. They will help you. If you don't fix the error, nobody will, and your game will either CTD, Save Bloat, save corrupt, just don't work or run just fine. But most of the time you find that out, it will be to late.
   • After you add/removed a mod, you run LOOT. This is not a recommendation, this is law. If you don't, everybody will tell you to do it. If it gives errors or warnings, resolve them. They don't give them just because it is funny to give warnings to users, but to WARN you about something, which is potentially bad.

   • Update your mods. There is a reason for a mod update. Be it either new content (which you probably want) or bugfixes (which you also want). But read the update instructions. If you are not sure, or there are no instructions given. Proceed als followed:

         -> Go into an interoir cell, preferably without or with few NPC's (player homes or such)

         -> Make a hard Save (Esc->save Game -> new Save)

         -> Uninstall the Old mod, and delete it

         -> Load the hard Save from before

         -> wait 3-4 days from the wait menu

         -> make a new Hard save

         -> Install the new version

         -> Load from the second hard save and continue playing

     This is known as "Clean saving", and is often recommended.

      

     (Advanced Users only): If you want real clean save, then open the second hard save in resaver and delete all unatached script instances and other garbage.

     WARNING: This can permanently damage your savegame and destroy it.

   • Make sure you have all patches you need. To use several bigger mods together, you often need compability patches. These should be listed either on one of the mods as optionals, or are standalone. Some mods also give you patches during install.

   •  

3. If you are not new to modding, and have problems, please remember everything written under 2.

4. Don't use SE mods on Oldrim and vice versa. If you do, expect problems. If you can't wait for a conversion, do it yourself, there are a lot of tutorails around on every Skyrim modding site in the net.

5. Ask for help, but also use your own brain. Those who need others to think for them are not worthy the thoughts. Almost everywhere you will find help (If I help you, it might sound a little cringy/salty sometimes, just ignore that). The community is great and big.

 

Problems and Solutions

Here are some problems listed which other users had, together with a solution

 

Q: FNIS doesn't work with MO / MO2

A: This is a known problem. MO/MO2 doesn't really install the mods in your game directory, which is great to keep your game clean from mod garbage upon uninstall. But FNIS needs to be in the game directory. newer FNIS versions have an option (in the bottom of FNIS) you have to check.

Another solution would be, to install FNIS manually into your game directory.

 

Q: CTD with SKEE/NiOverride and XPMSSE

A: The actual version of XPMSSE (4.3) and SKEE (alpha 0.6) cause CTD's and savegame corruption. Get SSE Engine fix. You might have to start a new game or clean your save with Resaver

 

Q: I can't get <Pregnancy/Inflation mod> working

A: Do you use CBBE? The SE version of CBBE doesn't contain a belly node anymore, and thus those mods which handle inflation/pregnancy over a belly node won't work with CBBE. Use UNP instead or try to get NiOverride to work with the mod. Some users also reported, that they managed to get the Oldrim CBBE belly node working in SE. This will, on the other hand reduce the animation ability of CBBE.

 

Q: I get T-Poses

A: FNIS.

 

Q: CTD on SE 

A: Probably a bad conversion. If you converted a mod yourself, keep in mind, that you need to convert all meshes, textures and animations and repack the esm and probably unpack the bsa.

 

Q: Sudden CTD after a long time without problems

A: This is probably caused by script remnants in your savegame, especially if it's a longer save (40-60 hrs) with no problems. Some mods leave stuff behind, or some things don't get cleaned up after updating. See safe cleaning under "Something doesn't work" 2.5.

 

Q: FNIS Error: "Could not find path ..."

A: Run FNIS as Admin. You probably run it on C partition and windows doesn't like tools writing files into other programs folders (as you do here, since it's steams folder, and FNIS edits data in there)

 

Q: I get wrong breasts/mesh errors/non or humongous breasts ....

A: This is a skeleton/bone error. Make sure you installed XPMSE for the right animations. If you are on SE, there is no HDT, so don't install it. There is only CBP. You also need to get the correct body for that, either build the correct CBBE body or use UNP for CBP.

 

If not, ask here with a mod list and an more extensive problem description (which NPC's, Player, which animations,...)

 

I need help

If you can pin down your problems to a particular mod, ask in that mods support topic. If you can't, ask here.

If you have general problems with your modlist, load order or something like that, ask here.

If you search a specific mod, ask here

If you want to know, if your special oldrim mod is converted, have a look here

[Kiara]

reserved

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Good job !