How to test mods?

[Sosw]

So, I downloaded the creation kit and started messing around to learn modding. I think I can figure out most of it on my own, with the power of google. But, I can't seem to find any guides on effectively testing what I'm making? I really don't want to sit through the beginning every time I make a change. Where to find information on this?

[annika]

After you have created your mod through the Creation Kit and saved it, you can just start up the game (and make sure your esp is marked to be loaded in the Data Files) and load an existing save game. The changes you made *should* be visible in the game. Although some changes might need you to change to a new game world cell in order to work. At least I seemed to have trouble making a new script show up in the game, and only changing cell made the script work.

 

Oh and you can leave Creation Kit open, so you won't need to load it all up after you've tested your changes in the game. But you do need to start up Skyrim every time you want to test your changes.

[Sosw]

I know all that stuff, what I need to know is how I can get to testing the changes after launching skyrim, without spending fifteen minutes wandering around every time.

For example, I was testing a spell I added to the starting spells earlier, but after I made a change to it it disappeared from my spell list when opening my save, meaning I'd need to restart and go through the boring, long intro again.

[Siouliusn]

DId you try using the console to add the spell directly to your character?

(same goes for the items)

[Sosw]

I'll try that, but what I really need is some kind of guide that teaches things like that, anything that's useful for fast testing. I learn the fastest on my own, so it'd help me more in the long run than coming to ask every time I need a shortcut.

I've been trying to look for such guide, but didn't have much success.

[Kraxon]

If you want to skip helgen at least, here somebody has uploaded a mod for a developer quickstart:

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=8207

 

It brings you to the end of the dungeon at helgen, let's you chose whom you followed, Rolfgar or Haegar, and gives you some basic items.

I tried it out, it works fine.

 

 

EDIT: Oh, there's a console command to show all quick travel marker. Open the console with ^ and the type "tmm 1". Should save you some wandering around. But be sure to save before that, because you can't reverse it. You can make the markers vanish again with "tmm 0" but, that will erase all of them.

[Sosw]

This is good, but one more thing: I can't find any error log?

[galgat]

remember the name of the cells you edited, and coc [to that name]

 

I have been leaving it open when I go to test with no problems.