X-Edit: Applications and Patches for Beth Games

[KoolHndLuke]

Fucking Bugthesda, lol. Was looking to fix some problems with a mod and found a bunch of unresolved errors. So checked the game .esm and found that the masters for the mod were fucking missing (unresolved errors again). Have no idea how to fix this shit to make the mod(s) work as intended. Sharlikran suggests loading the .esp in the CK to fix (update) things in a thread, but that was assuming the correct records would be in the game's master files- which they aren't. So I don't know if this just more sloppy code from them or what, but that's what it looks like.

[donttouchmethere]

OH! Panzer General III!

 

[zoompah]

On 8/2/2019 at 4:26 AM, KoolHndLuke said:

First thing I will try to cover is patches.

 

How many times have you downloaded a mod or two for a Bethesda game and then played the game to find that some things the mod is supposed to include ain't there? A new weapon for Piper in FO4 doesn't appear? A different outfit for Jordis in Skyrim isn't showing? A new hairdo for Veronica in FNV is missing?

 

These are conflicts, people!!

Almost all the time. One exception is that items and usage in the game are being controlled through scripts. The mod author should tell you this in the mod description. Usually they include ways to adjust the settings for the mod. But for the most part, problems like missing items in game mean a conflict. NOT ALL CONFLICTS ARE BAD, though. In fact, longer mod lists will have mods that need to overwrite others in order to function correctly. Having all 'green' across the board is not necessarily a good thing to have. While MM's (mod managers) tools today can detect conflicts and notify you of them, it is really up to you sometimes to determine whether a patch is needed or just maybe an adjustment in load order or nothing at all if LO seems optimal. Best thing to do if you're unsure is to read up on the mods and ask questions.

 

So first: What Causes Conflicts? All Bethesda games use the "Rule of One" in their record loading. What this means is that the last change to a record is what will appear or be used in game. Let's say you have two mods that make changes to the same record. For instance, lets say you have mod "A" that changes the hair of Jordis in Skyrim and Mod "B" that changes her weapon. If mod B is loaded after mod A, then only the new weapon will appear in game. This is where a patch is needed. As stated above though, some records need to overwrite others in order for some mods to work and trying to patch them is probably a bad idea. Must be determined on a case by case basis by the user since all our load orders/mod lists are different.

 

You could pester the mod authors of the mods to make a patch for you, but it would be simpler for you to make your own. I will explain how;

 

1) You need to download the appropriate X-Edit for the Bethesda game you are playing. FO4Edit for FO4, TESVEdit for Skyrim, FNVEdit for FNV, TES4Edit for Oblivion, etc. These are always placed in the same file as your game's exe.

 

2) Run X-Edit as Admin. just to bypass any security issues. Load ALL your mods- check the boxes for every esp that you want to use in your game. Sometimes you will see the game esm. unchecked- don't worry about it. It will load because it has to. In this example, I am loading my files for Oblivion-

 

 

2) The reason for loading all my plug-ins is so I can see ALL conflicts. The way you check for conflicts is to click anywhere in the left hand column and right click. This will open a drop-down list of options;

 

 

3) Choose "Apply Filter to show Conflicts". This will show a list of all your plug-ins that are being overwritten. Here, you can see that the Immersive Weapons mod is conflicting with my new plug-in titled "HairPatch". The plug-ins in Red indicate that record(s) in those plug-ins are being overwritten. The ones that are Orange are "Winning" because they load after the other plug-ins. Pink indicates esm's or "Master Files" that cannot be changed directly. In other words you cannot edit the records in esm files.

 

 

4) See what the specific conflicts are. Here I open the subcategories of the "Immersive Weapons.esp" so I can find the records being overwritten;

 

 

5) Two weapons that should be added to this npc are being overwritten by the next plug-in. Now, you could sometimes correct this by adjusting your load order. Often, though, it will just cause conflicts somewhere else......and the fix is easy. You simply drag those two changes into your patch, answering "yes" if asked to add the mod as a master.

 

6) There! You have just made a patch for your mods. To save the changes, just close out the program and X-Edit will ask if you want to save. Make sure the mods you made changes to are check-marked.

 

 

Oh, and don't forget to give ElminsterAU some love for creating and maintaining this! If you have questions or a problem with making a patch for one of these games, then just ask and I'll try to help since I have patched most of them. ?

ok ta

[GuilhermeLobr12]

AS I understand it .. eventually you are a mod author.. you have to do so m any changes and redirects and script corrects you end up having a completely8 different mod (at least the scripts and such) if you merge everything to gether.

 

However, you really can't.. as I understand it .. because there are only so many records that can be accessed and other maximums that can be used. Just like there are things you have to have an eSM for to get to work properly.. there are so many things running and such at one time in one esp for it to work properly.

 

 

[pulledpork]

Thank you for shedding some light on mod conflicts. It can be a bit daunting at first, but you've explained it well. I totally get that not all conflicts are bad, and sometimes they're necessary for mods to work together. It's good to know that mod authors usually provide information on how to handle conflicts in their descriptions. And your advice on reading up on mods and asking questions when unsure is spot on. Understanding load orders and making patches when needed seems like a valuable skill for modders. Thanks for the step-by-step guide on using X-Edit to create patches; that's really helpful information for those of us diving into the world of modding!