"Modding" Skyrim on the XBox 360

[gvman3670]

Recently I've added some modded game saves to a friend's XBox console. Some are pretty cool actually. It's rather simple using an app called "Horizon". I've also modded some other games for him, like Borderlands 2, etc....

 

Which got me thinking....why couldn't I transfer my own PC game saves to his or my XBox. So I tried it. AND IT WORKED!

 

All I had to do was take my .ess files and copy them into some safe place (I put them on my desktop) then changed the file name to "Savegame.dat" then used the Horizon app in insert/replace an existing game save. And VOILA! My saves were transferred to a flash drive then reloaded onto the console.

 

Mind you the character was butt ugly and nude, since no mods made the transfer for obvious reasons. BUT, and this may be the most useful part, my character then permanently maintained the attribute bonuses of the modded enchanted items that she/he was wearing at the time of the transfer. These effects are still running in the active effects list and you can equip new enchanted items to stack on top of those.

 

Just something to ponder. Not sure how useful it really is since you can just make super potions on the console anyway.

[Guest carywinton]

This is some interesting information, actually. It shows that the Xbox is not quite as "locked" down as I had previously suspected. Which leads me to believe there may be a way to inject mods into the system. I know there is a device that allows a Keyboard and Mouse to be used with an Xbox it is called Eagle Eye and it's made by Penguin United, so if these inputs can be used, than it seems reasonable there would be others.

[gvman3670]

The only issue I can see preventing there from being many cool mods added to Xbox Skyrim is that there's no way to add a script extender as far as I can tell. You can definitely add new things to the maps/surroundings (I've seen new things added myself on a couple different Savegame files, including developers spells and such), but those things seem to have to be vanilla stuff whose resources are already in the vanilla game.

[JaFinmongrab]

If I had to guess, there isn't really all that much difference in the architecture between PC Skyrim, Xbox360 Skyrim and PS3 Skyrim, save for their respective file extensions but it sounds like more of a hassle than it's worth. I'd sooner just get the PC version and save myself the headache.

 

As for Xbox360 exclusives, I don't think you can mod them without hacking your console and running the risk of being locked out of XboxLive or even your own console.

[gvman3670]

XBL doesn't even watch for Skyrim mods, let alone ban anyone for them. They only worry about modded multiplayer games, and the banhammer WILL come down on you for that.

[gvman3670]

A little update here.....

 

I just transferred a XBox game save to my PC game and it worked and was playable. I ran it through the vanilla Skyrim launcher. All I had to do was extract the "Savegame.dat" file from the flash (via Horizon) and rename it in a format that was PC friendly (ex; "Save 150 - [character name]  01.01.01.ess"). That was it.

 

A little later I am going to take a friend's saved game, add goodies via console commands and then attempt to move it back to his XBox console to see if the changes survive the transfer.

 

I would suggest not using the SKSE launcher (seems obvious, but who knows?) and disabling all mod .esm and .esp files is probably a good idea, too, just to avoid any possible conflicts when the file is transferred back.

 

I'll update later when I have more answers and details. This is kinda' fun. I've always been the tinkering type anyway.

[Guest]

Guys,the only way to mod Skyrim upto PC level using an XBOX 360 is by strictly following this awsome tutorial i have compiled:

Step 1

 

 

Sell your Xbox360 to gather funds for a new PC and a legit skyrim copy!!

 

 

Next steps should be easy to find out!!

Lol!!/jk

[BoozeJunky]

By the way, this same method works for FO3/NV and (probably) Oblivion.

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/1815-show-us-your-character/?p=619787

 

So far as I can tell, you can only transfer information that is recorded in your save file. Anything that requires an ESP or ESM to activate won't work, because the save only records that you have the modded weapon, but contains no information on the weapon (aside from a custom vanilla enchantment - because the values are recorded). Even creating a vanilla barrel of vanilla weapons in the middle of Whiterun won't transfer over. (But if you take the weapons out of the barrel and save, the weapons will transfer even if the barrel won't) An easy way to test what will and won't transfer between PC to Xbox is to simply deactivate the ESP. What you loose from the game with the ESP missing, you'll lose on the Xbox... and vice versa.

 

At any rate, it's not really modding to my mind. Just an elaborate cheat scheme. It's greatest potential is in giving Xbox access to the console as a bug fixer, and I've used this method of transfer several times already to fix game bugs (missing NPCs, broken questlines, etc) in my brother-in-law's saves.

[gvman3670]

By the way, this same method works for FO3/NV and (probably) Oblivion.

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/1815-show-us-your-character/?p=619787

 

So far as I can tell, you can only transfer information that is recorded in your save file. Anything that requires an ESP or ESM to activate won't work, because the save only records that you have the modded weapon, but contains no information on the weapon (aside from a custom vanilla enchantment - because the values are recorded). Even creating a vanilla barrel of vanilla weapons in the middle of Whiterun won't transfer over. (But if you take the weapons out of the barrel and save, the weapons will transfer even if the barrel won't) An easy way to test what will and won't transfer between PC to Xbox is to simply deactivate the ESP. What you loose from the game with the ESP missing, you'll lose on the Xbox... and vice versa.

 

At any rate, it's not really modding to my mind. Just an elaborate cheat scheme. It's greatest potential is in giving Xbox access to the console as a bug fixer, and I've used this method of transfer several times already to fix game bugs (missing NPCs, broken questlines, etc) in my brother-in-law's saves.

 

Yeah, you're exactly right. Bug fixing is the biggest advantage (and I did that to my buddy's game when the Aetherium Wars quest broke on him).

 

But mentioning it still got me banned from Nexus!

[Guest]

 

By the way, this same method works for FO3/NV and (probably) Oblivion.

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/1815-show-us-your-character/?p=619787

 

So far as I can tell, you can only transfer information that is recorded in your save file. Anything that requires an ESP or ESM to activate won't work, because the save only records that you have the modded weapon, but contains no information on the weapon (aside from a custom vanilla enchantment - because the values are recorded). Even creating a vanilla barrel of vanilla weapons in the middle of Whiterun won't transfer over. (But if you take the weapons out of the barrel and save, the weapons will transfer even if the barrel won't) An easy way to test what will and won't transfer between PC to Xbox is to simply deactivate the ESP. What you loose from the game with the ESP missing, you'll lose on the Xbox... and vice versa.

 

At any rate, it's not really modding to my mind. Just an elaborate cheat scheme. It's greatest potential is in giving Xbox access to the console as a bug fixer, and I've used this method of transfer several times already to fix game bugs (missing NPCs, broken questlines, etc) in my brother-in-law's saves.

 

Yeah, you're exactly right. Bug fixing is the biggest advantage (and I did that to my buddy's game when the Aetherium Wars quest broke on him).

 

But mentioning it still got me banned from Nexus!

 

 

I'd never mention something that is actually not allowed there. It has a 100% chance of getting you banned^^

 

[gvman3670]

 

 

By the way, this same method works for FO3/NV and (probably) Oblivion.

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/1815-show-us-your-character/?p=619787

 

So far as I can tell, you can only transfer information that is recorded in your save file. Anything that requires an ESP or ESM to activate won't work, because the save only records that you have the modded weapon, but contains no information on the weapon (aside from a custom vanilla enchantment - because the values are recorded). Even creating a vanilla barrel of vanilla weapons in the middle of Whiterun won't transfer over. (But if you take the weapons out of the barrel and save, the weapons will transfer even if the barrel won't) An easy way to test what will and won't transfer between PC to Xbox is to simply deactivate the ESP. What you loose from the game with the ESP missing, you'll lose on the Xbox... and vice versa.

 

At any rate, it's not really modding to my mind. Just an elaborate cheat scheme. It's greatest potential is in giving Xbox access to the console as a bug fixer, and I've used this method of transfer several times already to fix game bugs (missing NPCs, broken questlines, etc) in my brother-in-law's saves.

 

Yeah, you're exactly right. Bug fixing is the biggest advantage (and I did that to my buddy's game when the Aetherium Wars quest broke on him).

 

But mentioning it still got me banned from Nexus!

 

 

I'd never mention something that is actually not allowed there. It has a 100% chance of getting you banned^^

 

 

 

I suppose reading the rules FIRST would've helped me in that regard! LMAO!!!!