A Question I Tried Not to Ask

[Gamer_Auto]

I looked in the places I thought of looking (everywhere except the deepest reaches of the oldest threads), but could not find my answer. So here's the question: What are the more commonly used file extraction and mod management tools that people use here? I'd rather have what everyone else uses in the event I need to ask for technical help.

 

And while I'm here, if anyone has a link to how to judge load ordering, that'd be swell (honestly kinda bummed that there's not a "Non-Steam Modding 101" forum/thread).

[worik]

?That depends almost 99% on the game that you try to mod. Or, a bit more precisely: on the game engine.

 

If you want to create mods for e.g. Skyrim or Fallout (both games share a more or less common engine), Bethesda's Creationkit is the place to go for you.

And when you are there, all else develops from there and what you want to do.

[Gamer_Auto]

1 minute ago, worik said:

?That depends almost 99% on the game that you try to mod. Or, a bit more precisely: on the game engine.

 

If you want to create mods for e.g. Skyrim or Fallout (both games share a more or less common engine), Bethesda's Creationkit is the place to go for you.

And when you are there, all else develops from there and what you want to do.

I meant more on the "downloading and using" side than the "create and publish" side, but thanks for helping! ?

[Guest]

For file extraction use 7Zip.

For mod managers depends on the game.

 

Vortex starts to be a good choice for many games. For sure it is the most compatible one.

MO2 and similar are still very good for Skyrim/Fallout.

[travelmedic]

As has already been stated, it depends on the game you're trying to mod.

 

If you're here, there's a good chance you're playing a Bethesda game, i.e. Skyrim or Oblivion, or one of the Fallout series.  As has also been previously stated, Vortex or Mod Organizer 2 are both good choices as mod managers.  That's often the subject of much debate here which is better, but the reality is, either one will serve you well if you learn to use it.  Both Gopher and Gamer Poets are creators on Youtube who have several tutorials on setting up those two mod managers, and I highly recommend both of them for that.

 

The other main sections here on LL are for Sims 3 and Sims 4.  I'm not sure if there are good mod managers for those games or not, hopefully someone with more experience with those games will chime in.

 

Of course there are mods for other games hosted here, but they have smaller communities, and maybe (?) less chance of having well developed tools???

 

As far as "non-Steam modding," are you familiar with Nexus mods?  There are some people here who have some valid reasons for disliking the site, but really Nexus and LL complement each other because they have different kinds of mods and cater to different tastes.  Of course there are other smaller sites, but some (not all) of those seem to be disappearing or host the same stuff that's elsewhere.

[Gamer_Auto]

46 minutes ago, travelmedic said:

As has already been stated, it depends on the game you're trying to mod.

 

If you're here, there's a good chance you're playing a Bethesda game, i.e. Skyrim or Oblivion, or one of the Fallout series.  As has also been previously stated, Vortex or Mod Organizer 2 are both good choices as mod managers.  That's often the subject of much debate here which is better, but the reality is, either one will serve you well if you learn to use it.  Both Gopher and Gamer Poets are creators on Youtube who have several tutorials on setting up those two mod managers, and I highly recommend both of them for that.

 

The other main sections here on LL are for Sims 3 and Sims 4.  I'm not sure if there are good mod managers for those games or not, hopefully someone with more experience with those games will chime in.

 

Yes, I'd likely go for Fallout 3, NV, 4 (which I own), or Elder Scrolls 5 (which I might get if it's a decent winter sale). Vortex or Mod Organizer 2? I'll have to look into those.

 

48 minutes ago, travelmedic said:

As far as "non-Steam modding," are you familiar with Nexus mods?  There are some people here who have some valid reasons for disliking the site, but really Nexus and LL complement each other because they have different kinds of mods and cater to different tastes.  Of course there are other smaller sites, but some (not all) of those seem to be disappearing or host the same stuff that's elsewhere.

 

I am familiar with the website, and I have an account, but I've yet to pull the trigger on actually using it. Mostly just trying to find good patches for the KotOR Duo (if that's still needed), and then had the idea to prep for the inevitable downloading off LL. I'm mostly just intimidated by file manipulation because I'm always anxious that I'll end up breaking something. Steam's "click and go" system has alleviated that a lot.

[travelmedic]

1 hour ago, Gamer_Auto said:

I am familiar with the website, and I have an account, but I've yet to pull the trigger on actually using it. Mostly just trying to find good patches for the KotOR Duo (if that's still needed), and then had the idea to prep for the inevitable downloading off LL. I'm mostly just intimidated by file manipulation because I'm always anxious that I'll end up breaking something. Steam's "click and go" system has alleviated that a lot.

 

Chances are you're going to break something no matter what - we've all been there, we've all done it as we learned to mod our games.  Just because Steam has a click and go system doesn't mean that one mod won't break another.  Learn from your mistakes, and get better, and someday you'll be advising the new members.

 

Again, Gopher and Gamer Poets on Youtube have great tutorials about the basic steps of setting up your mod manager, and some of the extras that you'll need, like FNIS or xEdit (aka TES5Edit, aka FO4Edit...).  Some of their tutorials might be based on Mod Organizer 1, but the general principles of MO1 and MO2 are pretty similar, so you can still learn stuff.

 

Second, Google for The STEP Guide.  It's mainly centered around Skyrim, but will give good practical advice that applies to other Bethesda games.

 

Third, browse the pinned comments on the forums here on LL.  For example, there's an excellent pinned thread about setting up AAF and adult mods to work with Fallout 4, which you state you already own.  99% of the problems that people post about here (at least related to adult animations) they could have solved themself by reading that thread first.  Many other pinned threads exist for Fallout 4, as well as other games - a real treasure trove of information.

 

Fourth, read the instructions on the mod pages carefully - so many people ask questions that are already clearly answered for them if they had done their homework.

 

Fifth, install only a few mods at a time, and then test your game.  Don't install 200 mods all at once and then find out you have a non-functional mess.  Install maybe 5 at a time, and if something isn't working, it's much easier to pinpoint the culprit.

 

Take your time, go slow, and pick the kinds of mods that YOU like.  Don't download something because a lot of other people like it.

[travelmedic]

FWIW, I like Mod Organizer 2.  I've never used Vortex, so I can't compare them directly.  There are plenty of people here who will recommend Vortex though.  Check their download pages to make sure they support ALL of the games you want to play, so you only have to learn one system.