Hello. I'm new here and I have a question about save files: The main game and any mods I install

[Gabe-A]

Hello. First off I want to apologize if this is the wrong place to ask. I tried searching for any topics with this info but couldn't find it. I must have overlooked something.

 

I'm completely new to modding and started Skyrim for the first time not too far ago. I'm at a pretty nice place in the game right now and started wondering how downloading mods would affect the main game; more importantly if there's a way to keep a separate "main game" and a "modded game" with their own saves etc.

 

So is there a way to have the game with no mods on one save while having it with mods in another? Or would I have to stick to just one character in just one save game file and sort of "forget" about the main game if I wanted to do some tomfoolery?

 

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. Please excuse my ignorance.

 

Thank you for your time.

[Lodakai]

Skyrim mod organizer will let you create specific profiles with separate local save files as well as separate mod lists

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/1334/?

 

NOTE:  it would be best to remove all your mods and reinstall them using the mod organizer for the cleanest  environment.

There is a guide on STEP that will explain some of mod organizer as well.  located here

 

http://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Mod_Organizer

[RitualClarity]

 

I'm at a pretty nice place in the game right now

I would advise you to keep on playing what you have being new to modding. There are alot of issues that you can get into with modding at your level. Finish up the gaming you are doing now. When you are ready to start and have some time to spend read the forums and pages and mods to develop a list of mods you must have (you can do this while playing the original unmodded game) then install a few of the more simple ones like re placers which only change the texture or colors you see on the screen. Play a while and if board mod some more.

 

I only state this because in your current level of experience you will spend some time working on the mods to get them just right. Then work on them some more. There is a possibility you will work on them more than actually playing the game itself.

 

Anyway as you are playing you will learn about the game and you can read about the mods and make better decisions on what your "next" play through will be like.

[Gabe-A]

Skyrim mod organizer will let you create specific profiles with separate local save files as well as separate mod lists

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/1334/?

 

NOTE:  it would be best to remove all your mods and reinstall them using the mod organizer for the cleanest  environment.

There is a guide on STEP that will explain some of mod organizer as well.  located here

 

http://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Mod_Organizer

 

Thank you so much. I will definitely get that.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

I would advise you to keep on playing what you have being new to modding. There are alot of issues that you can get into with modding at your level. Finish up the gaming you are doing now. When you are ready to start and have some time to spend read the forums and pages and mods to develop a list of mods you must have (you can do this while playing the original unmodded game) then install a few of the more simple ones like re placers which only change the texture or colors you see on the screen. Play a while and if board mod some more.

 

I only state this because in your current level of experience you will spend some time working on the mods to get them just right. Then work on them some more. There is a possibility you will work on them more than actually playing the game itself.

 

Anyway as you are playing you will learn about the game and you can read about the mods and make better decisions on what your "next" play through will be like.

 

Thank you for the reply. You make an excellent point. I will see what I do in the future, but right now I'll do as you advized.

 

I appreciate this.

[Bootaka]

Copy these 2 directories somewhere, same folder works if you rename them, I use a different drive.

 

Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim   <-- the game's dir

Documents\My Games\Skyrim           <-- the game's ini and save files

 

Now mod your game till you break it.

 

When you break it, and you will, If you renamed them in the same dir, switch the names of both dirs, now you're back to what you saved. Using a different drive takes a little longer depending on your data transfer speed, but you'll be less likely to screw it up.

 

I screw up a lot, so I backup a lot, 360gigs of backups since july, have to delete stuffs every couple months, it helps, but doesn't stop me from breaking it again.

 

[Gabe-A]

Copy these 2 directories somewhere, same folder works if you rename them, I use a different drive.

 

Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim   <-- the game's dir

Documents\My Games\Skyrim           <-- the game's ini and save files

 

Now mod your game till you break it.

 

When you break it, and you will, If you renamed them in the same dir, switch the names of both dirs, now you're back to what you saved. Using a different drive takes a little longer depending on your data transfer speed, but you'll be less likely to screw it up.

 

I screw up a lot, so I backup a lot, 360gigs of backups since july, have to delete stuffs every couple months, it helps, but doesn't stop me from breaking it again.

 

Thank you for the advice. That's a good tip.

[Lodakai]

Copy these 2 directories somewhere, same folder works if you rename them, I use a different drive.

 

Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim   <-- the game's dir

Documents\My Games\Skyrim           <-- the game's ini and save files

 

Now mod your game till you break it.

 

When you break it, and you will, If you renamed them in the same dir, switch the names of both dirs, now you're back to what you saved. Using a different drive takes a little longer depending on your data transfer speed, but you'll be less likely to screw it up.

 

I screw up a lot, so I backup a lot, 360gigs of backups since july, have to delete stuffs every couple months, it helps, but doesn't stop me from breaking it again.

 

Why would you go through all that and take up all that extra hard drive space, when mod organizer does the same thing.. without taking up all that space?  I personally would not recommend this unless you just want to overload your hard drive for some reason =o

[Gabe-A]

 

Copy these 2 directories somewhere, same folder works if you rename them, I use a different drive.

 

Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim   <-- the game's dir

Documents\My Games\Skyrim           <-- the game's ini and save files

 

Now mod your game till you break it.

 

When you break it, and you will, If you renamed them in the same dir, switch the names of both dirs, now you're back to what you saved. Using a different drive takes a little longer depending on your data transfer speed, but you'll be less likely to screw it up.

 

I screw up a lot, so I backup a lot, 360gigs of backups since july, have to delete stuffs every couple months, it helps, but doesn't stop me from breaking it again.

 

Why would you go through all that and take up all that extra hard drive space, when mod organizer does the same thing.. without taking up all that space?  I personally would not recommend this unless you just want to overload your hard drive for some reason =o

 

 

This is good to know. Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Bootaka]

 

Copy these 2 directories somewhere, same folder works if you rename them, I use a different drive.

 

Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim   <-- the game's dir

Documents\My Games\Skyrim           <-- the game's ini and save files

 

Now mod your game till you break it.

 

When you break it, and you will, If you renamed them in the same dir, switch the names of both dirs, now you're back to what you saved. Using a different drive takes a little longer depending on your data transfer speed, but you'll be less likely to screw it up.

 

I screw up a lot, so I backup a lot, 360gigs of backups since july, have to delete stuffs every couple months, it helps, but doesn't stop me from breaking it again.

 

Why would you go through all that and take up all that extra hard drive space, when mod organizer does the same thing.. without taking up all that space?  I personally would not recommend this unless you just want to overload your hard drive for some reason =o

 

Because I have the HDD space and I can back all the way up to Skyrim 1.6.

[RitualClarity]

Different strokes for different folks.. LOL.

 

Both above are valid. You should have at least one clean backup before modding. Maybe include most of the most common tools SKSE, plugins etc. Then you can choose backups or Organizer when you are ready to mod. That shouldn't take much space up. Perhaps one of my future tutorials will cover some of the basics of backups where you can combine various zip files into a game. (Assemble your mod without any mod organizer or Wyre or NMM or whatever) I am playing with that a little now with FNV (a game I know well)

[Emily]

WELCOME

 

 

[Lodakai]

Hah!  I guess if you have it.. use it =)     I wish I had 360 gig space to burn.   I did a double take and my jaw dropped a little

It does make sense to make 1 backup. 

[Bootaka]

Heh, Yeah there's no real reason I have that much in extra backups, other than I can.

 

I would say ideally you would want to make 2 backups and 1 playable. 

 

1 Default install                                                                              <-- Control Subject

1 Working and modded install                                                        <-- Test Subject

1 screwed install that you break everytime you mess with things   <-- Redheaded stepchild

 

[Gabe-A]

Different strokes for different folks.. LOL.

 

Both above are valid. You should have at least one clean backup before modding. Maybe include most of the most common tools SKSE, plugins etc. Then you can choose backups or Organizer when you are ready to mod. That shouldn't take much space up. Perhaps one of my future tutorials will cover some of the basics of backups where you can combine various zip files into a game. (Assemble your mod without any mod organizer or Wyre or NMM or whatever) I am playing with that a little now with FNV (a game I know well)

 

That's great advice. I'm looking forward to your tutorial

 

 

WELCOME

 

Thank you! Is that a baguette?