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Safe to leave files in Data folder?


tomomi1922

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I think I may be just paranoid, but would someone confirm it is safe to leave stuff in Data folder? As long as they are not accessible by an esp or Skyrim itself?

For instance, I just extracted a BSA, and to not having to do it again, I put these files into a folder called Extracted (within the same mod folder, I use MO2). Since the path is wrong, the esp will not read both bsa and loose files.

I am hoping nobody will tell me Skyrim will attempt to scan and load everything in Data folder.

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No, even though I'm guilty of doing it myself. If a mod is not used anymore, the esp file should be removed. The game loads every esm/esp/bsa file that is in the data folder even if some of them are not active. A big data folder is known to have some impact on performance.

Edited by Rasikko
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No, even though I'm guilty of doing it myself. If a mod is not used anymore, the esp file should be removed. The game loads every esm/esp/bsa file that is in the data folder even if some of them are not active. A big data folder is known to have some impact on performance.

I mean non .esp files. Things extracted from BSA (with path changed), and .mohidden files (literately .esp but MO2 changed the extension).

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To the OP: The way you described it, it should be save. Those files don't replace anything from the base game, and the aren't called fro by a mod.

 

Nevertheless, I wouldn't recommend storing files that way. Create a backup folder somewhere outside the game folder, store something like extracted BSAs and such there. There might be situations, when you want (or need) a clean reinstall. According to murphy's law, you'll remember those assets stored within the game folder exactly 1 second after you permanently deleted the whole game folder to reinstall the game... I know what I'm talking about: Lost about 40 ENB-setups stored for my ENB manager in a moment of "rage-reinstall"... ^^

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Hi

 

I keep lots of files in Data.

 

The game is not going to read anything that is not on a recognized path so extra file folders will not impact the game. There my be a performance impact from file scanning software if a non performance HD is used.

 

Every time & change a mesh or texture I put the old ones in a new folder(old1,old2,old3). The down side is that my data folder is at 65.5gbs & I am only about half way modding this game.

 

Keeping the files in the data folder is convenient to me because it cuts down the complexity of moving my modded games.

 

Last Monday I updated my 4k pc with a new CPU & motherboard. The new CPU required Windows 10 so Windows 7(RIP) had to go. After the new setup & Steam downloads were complete, all I had to do was copy the game folder, Documents\My Games files, AppData\Local files & the Games\Nexus Mod Manager files from my portable HD. In a few hours I was back to playing the game.

If it was any more complicated I would probably forget something.

 

Later

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Hi

 

I keep lots of files in Data.

 

The game is not going to read anything that is not on a recognized path so extra file folders will not impact the game. There my be a performance impact from file scanning software if a non performance HD is used.

 

Every time & change a mesh or texture I put the old ones in a new folder(old1,old2,old3). The down side is that my data folder is at 65.5gbs & I am only about half way modding this game.

 

Keeping the files in the data folder is convenient to me because it cuts down the complexity of moving my modded games.

 

Last Monday I updated my 4k pc with a new CPU & motherboard. The new CPU required Windows 10 so Windows 7(RIP) had to go. After the new setup & Steam downloads were complete, all I had to do was copy the game folder, Documents\My Games files, AppData\Local files & the Games\Nexus Mod Manager files from my portable HD. In a few hours I was back to playing the game.

If it was any more complicated I would probably forget something.

 

Later

Why 4k? I specifically avoid 4k monitor for gaming. I bought a 32" 2560x1080 monitor (it was on sale). It is supposed to be sharper if Skyrim runs at native resolution than a 1080p upscaling to 4k monitor. 4k is 4x the resolution. It just needlessly tax your computer. I have a 4k for work though. You will like Windows 10 a lot more.

 

So it seems like a consensus agreement that it is safe to leave files around. It would be unwise to store large files within Data folders, but for the sake of convenience, I always store relevant files nearby. It saves a lot of mouse click. I have a habit of creating .txt file to store note on the run. Especially manual install mods, I need to know its URL, some screenshots maybe, and some personal note on how I installed, what to avoid, etc... months later, I may not remember all those info per mod. Notes would save the day.

 

It is still bad to store .esp in Data folder without changing extension. Skyrim will attempt to load the mod for some reason even it is unchecked at the plugins list.

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Hi

 

I keep lots of files in Data.

 

The game is not going to read anything that is not on a recognized path so extra file folders will not impact the game. There my be a performance impact from file scanning software if a non performance HD is used.

 

Every time & change a mesh or texture I put the old ones in a new folder(old1,old2,old3). The down side is that my data folder is at 65.5gbs & I am only about half way modding this game.

 

Keeping the files in the data folder is convenient to me because it cuts down the complexity of moving my modded games.

 

Last Monday I updated my 4k pc with a new CPU & motherboard. The new CPU required Windows 10 so Windows 7(RIP) had to go. After the new setup & Steam downloads were complete, all I had to do was copy the game folder, Documents\My Games files, AppData\Local files & the Games\Nexus Mod Manager files from my portable HD. In a few hours I was back to playing the game.

If it was any more complicated I would probably forget something.

 

Later

Why 4k? I specifically avoid 4k monitor for gaming. I bought a 32" 2560x1080 monitor (it was on sale). It is supposed to be sharper if Skyrim runs at native resolution than a 1080p upscaling to 4k monitor. 4k is 4x the resolution. It just needlessly tax your computer. I have a 4k for work though. You will like Windows 10 a lot more.

 

So it seems like a consensus agreement that it is safe to leave files around. It would be unwise to store large files within Data folders, but for the sake of convenience, I always store relevant files nearby. It saves a lot of mouse click. I have a habit of creating .txt file to store note on the run. Especially manual install mods, I need to know its URL, some screenshots maybe, and some personal note on how I installed, what to avoid, etc... months later, I may not remember all those info per mod. Notes would save the day.

 

It is still bad to store .esp in Data folder without changing extension. Skyrim will attempt to load the mod for some reason even it is unchecked at the plugins list.

 

 

 

Hi

 

Pixel density. It does take a GTX 1080 ti to run it at 60fps.

 

My other computer uses a 3440 X 1440 monitor. So I am a wide screen fan as well.

 

3D scales to the resolution it is rendered at. The quality of the rendered image depends on the resolution of the textures, the density of the mesh & the distance of the textures/meshes in the scene. Also the lighting plays apart.

 

Later

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I do believe it's okay to leave stuff in the Data folder, that you unpack. But don't repack, and leave the .bsa in there. The game may get confused. Anyway, it seems like everyone is in agreement on this point.

 

My personal experience is that things can get seriously messed up when not using a mod manager. I wish someone would include SW: KOTOR or TSL, or even V:tMB in either nexus or Vortex. I still have a ton of mods for the KOTOR and TSL, but I can't play, because some of those mods break the game, or mess up. I guess what I need to do is find new mods for them, and hope Vortex works on them. They really are great games. I do know that TSL, which is Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) II: The Sith Lords, has a patch that brings back a lot of the unused parts of TSL, and I would love to play them. But the mods I have may not work right. I had one mod I loved and hated. Loved when it worked. Hated when it didn't. Of course I may have gotten close, or even gone over the limit for the game for mods, at the time.

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