Overwritting files

[Guest]

I don't quite understand the overwrite process. When asked by the program if I wish to overwrite the files what do I have to press? (That is if the modder has not given any installation instructions)

[Just Don't]

It depends. That's why you don't see specific instructions.

 

If two mods are providing the same files, you'll see one will try to overwrite the other. Depending on the mod manager you use, this could mean you'll need to install mods in a certain order, deny/allow some overwrite prompts, or place mods in a certain order. Which files you keep/overwrite will depend on the mods that are providing these files. If we're talking about textures or meshes, the decision you make will impact which set of textures/meshes will be displayed in game. But of course there are way more file types than textures and meshes, some files will be part of the game interface, others scripts from the base game, etc. You'll need to consider each case individually. You can take an informed decision by checking the file type, which mods are providing these files, the purpose of the file in each mod and what's the difference between them.

 

That's it, there are no easy, universal, one-size-fits-all rules here. In some cases mods will work totally fine if you chose one overwrite or other, or you'll lose part of a mod functionality/purpose, and there are some scenarios where picking the wrong file to keep will mean breaking a mod feature entirely.

[Grey Cloud]

This largely depends on which mod manager you use. With MO or Vortex you can choose which file does the overwriting and if you get it wrong you can swap it around quite easily. With NMM you get to choose but if your change you mind then you usually have to uninstall the mod doing the overwriting, reinstall it and choose the other option.

 

Basically, the file doing the overwriting is the one that will be used in game. Choosing the wrong option wont do any permanent damage.

[Guest]

hmm I see... So in NMM you have you uninstall and reinstall the mod(s) where as in MO you don't have to 

[Grey Cloud]

10 hours ago, ARealChivalry said:

So in NMM you have you uninstall and reinstall the mod(s) where as in MO you don't have to 

More or less but the thing is to understand what you are doing in the first place. There is a learning curve with modding Skyrim and it doesn't really ever go away, it just gets easier.

[travelmedic]

You'll also notice, depending on the type of mod you're using, that the files being overwritten may possibly be duplicates.

 

A good example of this is custom house mods.  Many of them use resources from the same creators (i.e. Tamira or Stroti).  So if you're installing two different houses, you're just installing one version of Tamira's soap (as a random example) with an identical version of Tamira's soap that's also included in the second house.

 

Of course this is not universal - if you first install, for example, a UNP body, and then later install and overwrite with a CBBE body, your game is only going to have the CBBE body.