Opinions please - Per-file overwrites

[Behelit79]

Having a Skyrim LE Virtual Install folder of 91 GB i'm waiting just this feat to jump to Vortex.

I would like to ask if it will be able to list per-file overwrites in a NMM imported setup too or should i do a fresh install?

[Tannin42]

With NMM files were deleted during install so mods imported from NMM shouldn't have any file conflicts at all - if you want to change how files get overriden you need to reinstall the mod in vortex.

Afaik NMM doesn't keep any information about which files were replaced during install so Vortex can't provide any help in that regard.

[Behelit79]

As of now i think NMM handles all the overriding matter in a simple way, from what i understand it stores everything in the VirtualModConfig.xml in the Virtual Install folder. Mine is a 20 MB xml file with almost 320.000 lines in which there are flags as <linkPriority> and <isActive>.

E.G.:

 

This is one of Realistic Ragdolls and Force file that i know for sure i decided to override when i've installed XPMSE, and NMM reflects and stores my decision in its giant .xml

<modInfo modId="601" downloadId="1000007570" updatedDownloadId="" modName="Realistic Ragdolls and Force" 
modFileName="Realistic Force-601-1-9.rar" modNewFileName="" modFilePath="H:\Backup CD\Mods\Skyrim Mods" FileVersion="1.9">

<fileLink realPath="1000007570\meshes\actors\character\character assets\skeleton.nif" virtualPath="meshes\actors\character\character assets\skeleton.nif">
   <linkPriority>1</linkPriority>
   <isActive>False</isActive>
</fileLink>


<modInfo modId="68000" downloadId="1000270960" updatedDownloadId="" modName="XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended - XPMSE - XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended" 
modFileName="XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended-68000-4-31.7z" modNewFileName="" modFilePath="H:\Backup CD\Mods\Skyrim Mods" FileVersion="4.31">
 
<fileLink realPath="1000270960\meshes\actors\character\character assets\skeleton.nif" virtualPath="meshes\actors\character\character assets\skeleton.nif">
   <linkPriority>0</linkPriority>
   <isActive>True</isActive>
</fileLink>

It knows which files are active and a specific order so it is easy to enable and disable mods, the problem is that's not so user friendly when you have to remember, search and see among 320.000 lines.

Well, about Vortex, if it will not be able to import this order, doesn't matter. I'll do a fresh and clean install again :smile:

Edited May 30, 2018 by Behelit79

[Khumak]

One additional thing I would like to see when resolving conflicts would be an option when you're making a rule to override a conflict, for that new rule to override any other conflicting rules you might have created in your other mods. Currently you get a graphical representation of your cyclic conflicts but so far I've found it to be pretty unintelligible. I always end up just using it to delete every conflict and start over.

 

It would be much nicer if you could just create the rules you want in which ever mod you're currently looking at and all of those rules would override any conflicting rules you have in your other mods (including instances where you have no rule). The most problematic mods for me tend to be texture packs with some of them conflicting with over a dozen other mods, most of which each have conflicts with other mods (usually different ones). Sometimes I end up having to try making my rules over and over again for 10 or more iterations before I find a combination without cycles. If the rules had an option to just override conflicts instead I would never need to do it more than once and cyclic conflicts would no longer even be possible.

 

Edit: I should probably respond to the original request as well about the per file conflicts. I like the way you can already see specifically which files are in conflict when you open up the conflicts window. I'd like to keep the option to resolve conflicts purely by load order but also have some way to hide individual files similar to what MO does so if you change your mind you could just unhide it and redeploy.

Edited June 2, 2018 by Khumak

[kamikatze13]

i like the idea and especially like the added visual indicator :thumbsup:

 

any thoughts about backporting `this mod overrides the following files` and `files without conflicts` functionality from MO?

[Jordick]

I liked the feature in the NMM that if you had multiple mods that did the same thing, you were able to select individually that which of those files you want to overwrite and which you don't.

 

For example, if I have 2 mods, mod A and mod B, that both changes the same environmental textues. I like the grass textures in mod A, but dislike its rock textures. With NMM I were able to individually select that which files I was going overwrite and use, but from the look of it I can't do that with the Vortex.

 

I hope that we'll see this as an option sometime in the future, because without it the NMM still feels superior as a mod manager even if its no longer being supported.

[sopmac45]

I agree with this solution.

 

BUT you should also have an overview of the resulting file tree - where you can see each file and which mod provides that file. Using color codes like in MO to make it clear if a file is provided by more than one mod.

 

And, to make things easier, you should also be able to right click on a file and select which mod should be providing this file in the way you proposed.

 

It would also be very user frienldy, if the same context menu would allow to add rules: I click on a weapon texture and see that my mod x is overwritten by mod y. Instead of having to move to the mod page to make a rule there, it would be perfect if there'd be a way to add a rule right here and there which forces x to be loaded after y.

 

 

Hi Grestorn,

 

I do like your idea of color coded but I do have a question about your last paragraph.

 

Mod X was overwritten by mod Y but there are some weapon texture files in mod X that you would like to "apply" to the game as well, is this what you are proposing ? Or is it just to be able to revert the rule and have mod X now winning the conflict by loading after mod Y ? Can you please clarify !

 

Thanks, :cool:

[sopmac45]

@ Tannin,

 

"""Proposed Solution:

What I think would be the best solution is this: In the menu of each mod we add an action "show me all the files in this mod that have been overwritten by something else".

It shows a new dialog with a file tree, similar to MO but only with the files that exist in this mod but aren't used because another mod overwrites it. This makes it a much

more compact list than the one in MO.

Then you can select all the files (checkbox) you want from this mod and save. """'

>> I do agree with your idea Tannin but I do have a question about what I highlighted in yellow :

- Does that means that when you 'save' those files, they will 'apply' to the game regardless if the mod they belong to ( as a whole ) was overwritten by other mod ?

Can you please clarify !! If your answer is YES, then this is all I need to know and by all means, I vote for it.

If your answer is NO, then please explain to me what 'save' means in your paragraph.

P.S. I cannot picture in my mind anything related to MO because I've never used it and probably that is why is difficult to me to understand what you are saying.

Thanks.