Merge Plugins

[nunyabidnez]

Has anyone tried merging any of the Sexlab plugins using the Merge Plugins application from Mator on Nexus, and if so how did it work out?  Also, what types of plugins did you merge?  Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Lostdreamer]

From my experience, it works pretty well straight out of the box.

 

Depending how much you have altered your game, there may reach a point when you have to start merging mods in order to load them all!

 

I've used it for merging a lot of the graphics overhaul mods to help eliminate conflicts as well - my logic being that they are resolved during the merge, rather than by the game engine during loading. The two big merges in my load order are for this. One is for landscapeish stuff - trees, rocks, roads, all the landscape overhauls. The second is bundling all the NPC replacers together.

 

I've used other merges for things like when a mod has a load of separate .esps as patches - I'll tend to merge all those patches into one.

 

Can't promise it's all good practice, but it seems to work.

[valcon767]

a couple of things to keep in mind when merging mods

 

do NOT merge master files (ESP/ESM files thar are required by name by other mods)

 

merge like things together (ie landscape stuff with landscape stuff, armor with armor, etc)

 

merging scripted mods tends to break things when they are merged (most times it is not instantly visible but found later if you know the mods), but depending 

on the individual mods (and some luck) your mileage may vary.  (i find mods with HTD heels scripts work fine though, if that is the only script they use)

 

generally i find landscape overhauls, armor mods, weapon mods, generic follower mods to be good candidates for merging

for follower mods to be a good candidate to merge they need to do/be the following:

   use the vanilla follower system

   not have in game body changers (this breaks in the merge process)

   not have custom voices

   not have quests

   packages that move them around to certain spots on certain days will sometimes not work right after merging.

 

you can merge NPC overhauls - provided they follow the same rules as followers

one IMPORTANT note on merging NPC overhauls the LAST mod going into the merge will overwrite ALL previous mods in the merge for NPCs

 

this means if you like the looks of NPC overhaul A for Ysolda but do not like the looks of Hroki in that one, but like the looks of NPC overhaul B for Hroki,

and Janessa, but not Ysolda, if you merge them one of the 2 will not be the one you want. (you can in fact have the looks of both in game but that

requires a merge patch made with TES5Edit and does still need both esp/esm files active)

the automated merge process merges EVERYTHING in the mods being merged.

 

only merge stuff that will NOT be updated frequently

 

generally limit merge to about 40-60 mods into the merge.  this will vary by individual merge (generally if the CK can still open it you are ok, depending 

on the individual merge it can still work fine if the CK cannot open it due to size limitations).

 

just remember you may have to rebuild the entire merge if you have to edit it (size issue with CK or TES5Edit) or something in it gets updated.

 

hope this is helpful

 

p.s. 

i have a merge the CK cannot open (went over the size the Ck will open) that works fine but has about 70 mods in it (it is a follower merge using the

limitations i follow posted above).

 

[Varithina]

You may also find that there are sometimes mods that no matter what just will not merge with anything else, there appears to be no reason they just will not merge, though this may be more a fallout 4 thing rather than a skyrim thing.