Cannot figure out how to install/use FIRST TIME MODDING

[freddyphish]

I have followed the install instructions pretty well, but my limited knowledge on modding is keeping me from doing so. Could someone please help me either walk through or provide more instruction on how to get sexlab up and running from scratch?

[freddyphish]

I have tried with both mod manager and nexus mod manager but am struggling to make any progress.

[MadMansGun]

1. use Mod Organizer 2, not vortex. (if using a mod manager)

2. watch youtube videos for setting up FNIS and SKSE

3. https://www.loverslab.com/files/file/3524-sexlab-more-nasty-critters-install-guide/

(skip the creature stuff if you don't want it....and if using a manager install the mods with that, not manually)

 

edit: also don't install skyrim to "c:/program files"

[anjenthedog]

With all due respect to the person who posted above me...

 

Whichever mod manager you use is up to you. I'm a Vortex user (first and only mod  manager I've used, been playing ~2-1/2 years now). LOOT and FNIS are for the most part handled quietly in the background,  and have had few if any problems with any mod installation, including SL related installations, (or for that matter, a surprising number of the problems I see repeatedly posted to this and the Nexus help forums from MO2 users over what I generally consider trivial housekeeping matters.. ex: pathing errors are common issues for MO2 users).  But people are people. And we all have our predilections. Some things MO2 offers are "better" from some perspective, The UI is compact. Ok... so whatever. If you can step over the hurdles, good for you.

 

Moreover, I used the default installation locations. Everything's on my root drive (C:)  You only need to use alternate drives when you've compromised your root by partitioning it to too small a size, simply have far too small a root drive, or perhaps  if you're on a "managed" system for which you have no administrative rights on the root.

 

I'm currently running around 365 mods, and ~300-ish plugins, (~95 are "light")

 

My advise is brickish, (and as in "Thick as a a brick") but imo sound.

 

Make sure to install all the foundations. Start slow. 

 

Make sure you have the appropriate body stuff handled up front. (CBBE-3BBB, BHUNP, whatever installed, body built and bouncy as advertised, some armor/clothing fitted... ) 

 

Install the SL beta 8 framework, making sure to install any and all dependencies (required mods) it specifies PRIOR to installing SL beta 8 (that advise goes for any mod requiring dependency mods.. dependencies first).

 

Make sure game works after. Make sure the MCM opens. Don't worry heavily about starting sex scenes at will with NPCs, just make sure the game still works, and using SL's debug spell you can stat  *something.

 

Install SL Aroused Redux (a recommendation, not a directive. it's a foundation for many SL related mods)

Make sure game works after. Make sure the MCM opens, 

 

Install something like Flower Girls.

Make sure game works after. Make sure the MCM opens. make sure you can tart working on a "relationship" with some follower using FG, or if you're more patient, take the process through to Lover status (at which point you can initiate the dirty with them). But at least to the point where you can kiss them, (that way you know it's working as intended) . it takes a little time to step through the process, Be patient. 

 

In general (for any mod installation) pay close attention to any directives offered by the mod page for the installed mod, regarding load order, un fixable contentions ("will not work with <insert modname>"), and either install or at least note any patches that are offered (you might have something for which the patch is necessary - install patch - or you may want to load something downstream that will need a patch for a given mod - note the patch for later) 

Once installed, and once you're in the MCM, Set hotkeys, basic settings, etc...

 

Now you can start adding new bits and pieces. Don't force it to accept 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 SL mods (or for that matter any mods) in quick succession. And continue checking to make sure things work right after you install a new mod. Play for a while, "shake it out" before you conclude that it's time to drop the next element into place

 

Matchmaker is one I'd recommend to start. As well, SL Eager NPCs. Both will help initiate consensual "relations"

 

Rushing, or bulk-installing mods is (imo) a guaranteed recipe for headaches. That's no matter which mod manager you opt for, and no matter where you locate support files . It's a basic principle. I spent decades debugging and fixing other people's rushed engineering and technical work. (from design to implementation) and figuratively speaking, "99 times out of a 100", it boiled down to people being impatient and screwing up as a result of their impatience. 

 

Go slow. be patient. check game operation in between each new installation. Yes, it's tedious, yes, it's plodding, But also, yes, it will almost surely result in far fewer problems than the jackrabbit approach. 

 

IF and/or when you install SL Animation loader, make sure it's installed and shows up properly in skyrim before you add any animation packs. Like Bodyslide content, or racemenu presets, if you install them (bodyslides, amors, racemenu presets, animation packs...) before the mod/application on which they operate, they probably will get placed somewhere the applicable mod can't find them, since the directory structure into which they presumed they'd be put isn't created yet.

 

edited for one of my many stupid spelling errors

[Sandatharius]

10 hours ago, anjenthedog said:

With all due respect to the person who posted above me...

 

Whichever mod manager you use is up to you. I'm a Vortex user (first and only mod  manager I've used, been playing ~2-1/2 years now). LOOT and FNIS are for the most part handled quietly in the background,  and have had few if any problems with any mod installation, including SL related installations, (or for that matter, a surprising number of the problems I see repeatedly posted to this and the Nexus help forums from MO2 users over what I generally consider trivial housekeeping matters.. ex: pathing errors are common issues for MO2 users).  But people are people. And we all have our predilections. Some things MO2 offers are "better" from some perspective, The UI is compact. Ok... so whatever. If you can step over the hurdles, good for you.

 

Well said, anjenthedog! I am so sick and tired of people telling new users to "use MO2, not Vortex". I see this in other sites' forums as well. Been using Vortex for 2 years now, and it has taken everything I have thrown at it and came out smelling of roses. I've even followed Gopher's method of using it to install ENBs. It works, is easy to use and does what the average person needs to mod their game.

[freddyphish]

11 hours ago, anjenthedog said:

With all due respect to the person who posted above me...

 

Whichever mod manager you use is up to you. I'm a Vortex user (first and only mod  manager I've used, been playing ~2-1/2 years now). LOOT and FNIS are for the most part handled quietly in the background,  and have had few if any problems with any mod installation, including SL related installations, (or for that matter, a surprising number of the problems I see repeatedly posted to this and the Nexus help forums from MO2 users over what I generally consider trivial housekeeping matters.. ex: pathing errors are common issues for MO2 users).  But people are people. And we all have our predilections. Some things MO2 offers are "better" from some perspective, The UI is compact. Ok... so whatever. If you can step over the hurdles, good for you.

 

Moreover, I used the default installation locations. Everything's on my root drive (C:)  You only need to use alternate drives when you've compromised your root by partitioning it to too small a size, simply have far too small a root drive, or perhaps  if you're on a "managed" system for which you have no administrative rights on the root.

 

I'm currently running around 365 mods, and ~300-ish plugins, (~95 are "light")

 

My advise is brickish, (and in "Thick as a a brick") but imo sound.

 

Make sure to install all the foundations. Start slow. 

 

Make sure you have the appropriate body stuff handled up front. (CBBE-3BBB, BHUNP, whatever installed, body built and bouncy as advertised, some armor/clothing fitted... ) 

 

Install the SL beta 8 framework, making sure to install any and all dependencies (required mods) it specifies.

 

Make sure game works after. Make sure the MCM opens. Don't worry heavily about starting sex scenes at will with NPCs, just make sure the game still works, and using SL's debug spell you can stat  *something.

 

Install SL Aroused Redux (a recommendation, not a directive. it's a foundation for many SL related mods)

Make sure game works after. Make sure the MCM opens

 

Install something like Flower Girls.

Make sure game works after. Make sure the MCM opens

 

Now you can start adding new bits and pieces. Don't force it to accept 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 SL mods (or for that matter any mods) in quick succession. And continue checking to make sure things work right after you install a new mod. Play for a while, "shake it out" before you conclude that it's time to drop the next element into place

 

Rushing, or bulk-installing mods is (imo) a guaranteed recipe for headaches. That's no matter which mod manager you opt for, and no matter where you locate support files . It's a basic principle. I spent decades debugging and fixing other people's rushed engineering and technical work. (from design to implementation) and figuratively speaking, "99 times out of a 100", it boiled down to people being impatient and screwing up as a result of their impatience. 

 

Go slow. be patient. check game operation in between each new installation. Yes, it's tedious, yes, it's plodding, But also, yes, it will almost surely result in far fewer problems than the jackrabbit approach. 

So I've gotten to the point where I have put in mods from nexus and can see the mod configuration menu in the game, but im not entirely confident in adding any from here. also i tried various outfits like the witch hunter one but cannot seem to figure out how to find it/put it on

[Sandatharius]

31 minutes ago, freddyphish said:

So I've gotten to the point where I have put in mods from nexus and can see the mod configuration menu in the game, but im not entirely confident in adding any from here. also i tried various outfits like the witch hunter one but cannot seem to figure out how to find it/put it on

 

You're using Vortex? It's just slightly different here. When you download mods from here, they just get saved to your Downloads folder. When you want to install LL mods, just go to Mods list in Vortex, and go up to the top left of the options and you'll see "install from file". Click that and it will open up a windows folder. Just browse to where you downloaded the file and select it, then click "ok". Or, you can drag and drop the file to the window below the Mods list. Either method works.

 

What body mod are you using? Do you have BodySlide? You'll need to know how to use BodySlide so that you can build the armours and clothing to whatever body you've installed. Most likely it'll be a CBBE body. Usually, the mod author tells you where to find the armours. Sometimes they're randomly found in the game. But most are able to be created at the forge. Be sure to read the mod authors description so you know what to look for.

[anjenthedog]

1 hour ago, freddyphish said:

So I've gotten to the point where I have put in mods from nexus and can see the mod configuration menu in the game, but im not entirely confident in adding any from here. also i tried various outfits like the witch hunter one but cannot seem to figure out how to find it/put it on

Mods from here need to be downloaded to your harddrive, then installed locally. That's easy. (once you know what to do...)

(well.... this presumes you're using Vortex anyway. Not sure in MO2 or NMM)

 

1. Open Vortex
2. Open the mods tab
3. Click the "install from file" button (first button in the orange-background top bar menu when the mods tab is open)
4. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the mod to.
5. Select the mod archive file (usually but not always a .7z file can also be .zip, maybe another but those are the ones I expect to see)
6. Click OK

It'll now install just as if you used the hotlink from Nexus. 

- note: it will NOT offer update info like mods installed direct from nexus. that's just life. Same would apply if you downloaded a mod from a patreon or similar site. 

 

As with Nexus based mods, you need to make sure to read the mod page description completely and carefully, and make sure that any dependencies it requires are installed first...installed first...installed first. Also make damn sure to follow any specific load order directives it provides. As well, it's always a good idea to at least scan the support forum for the mod (here, or the "posts tab" for nexus-based mods) because sometimes little critical details are embedded into that discourse.

 

PS> I keep an archive of the modfiles I've downloaded so they're on hand should I need to purge the mod (debugging or whatever) and will still be reinstalling it after, or just to crack it open and examine the contents, which can be instructional for a variety of reasons. I usually create a folder for the mod under my main skyrim SE mods archive folder, then copy paste the description into a txt file, perhaps download a few of the show-n-tell images for visual reference, and even create a txt file of helpful hints if its use is convoluted by patches or workarounds for glitches. FYI, FWIW, YMMV

 

PS> on the other, what Sandatharius said. I will add this: consider installing Add Item Menu (search for it on nexus). Great mod, makes life really easy for snagging items out of the game's mod database.

[freddyphish]

2 hours ago, anjenthedog said:

Mods from here need to be downloaded to your harddrive, then installed locally. That's easy. (once you know what to do...)

(well.... this presumes you're using Vortex anyway. Not sure in MO2 or NMM)

 

1. Open Vortex
2. Open the mods tab
3. Click the "install from file" button (first button in the orange-background top bar menu when the mods tab is open)
4. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the mod to.
5. Select the mod archive file (usually but not always a .7z file can also be .zip, maybe another but those are the ones I expect to see)
6. Click OK

It'll now install just as if you used the hotlink from Nexus. 

- note: it will NOT offer update info like mods installed direct from nexus. that's just life. Same would apply if you downloaded a mod from a patreon or similar site. 

 

As with Nexus based mods, you need to make sure to read the mod page description completely and carefully, and make sure that any dependencies it requires are installed first...installed first...installed first. Also make damn sure to follow any specific load order directives it provides. As well, it's always a good idea to at least scan the support forum for the mod (here, or the "posts tab" for nexus-based mods) because sometimes little critical details are embedded into that discourse.

 

PS> I keep an archive of the modfiles I've downloaded so they're on hand should I need to purge the mod (debugging or whatever) and will still be reinstalling it after, or just to crack it open and examine the contents, which can be instructional for a variety of reasons. I usually create a folder for the mod under my main skyrim SE mods archive folder, then copy paste the description into a txt file, perhaps download a few of the show-n-tell images for visual reference, and even create a txt file of helpful hints if its use is convoluted by patches or workarounds for glitches. FYI, FWIW, YMMV

 

PS> on the other, what Sandatharius said. I will add this: consider installing Add Item Menu (search for it on nexus). Great mod, makes life really easy for snagging items out of the game's mod database.

The add item menu is amazing! my end game is shooting for the devious devices or maybe laura's bondage shop but can't seem to crack it 

[anjenthedog]

Can't help with DD or the other, as I use neither.