Manual Installing.

[Apis4]

OK so I am pretty familiar with some elements of this from back in my Sims2 modding days, so I gave it a shot.

 

SkyUI and couple of mods worked.....

 

....so I tried a bunch more.

 

But they dont seem to.

 

So take a mod like KS Hair. I downloaded, and extracted it, then moved all the files to my SSE Data folder. I thought this was the right place? Put about 2k .nif files in my folder, and...... nothing. When I went to make my character, I had like ten hair choices, all vanilla.

 

The same with UNP, no UNP bodies.

 

I also downloaded the awesome Believable Weapons, and went through the drama of manually installing every single file for ever single weapon material, for all the weapons types it covers, took me like an hour or more, and again, nothing.

 

Have just dumped a bunch of files in the wrong folders?

 

Do ESP and BSA files go somewhere else? Do nif files? What about the actual PNG or JPEG textures? I figured those were for CK work, not the mod directly, in those formats, do I need to install them too?

 

 

Can anyone let me know? I want to get playing, but I wont play until all my mods are installed correctly and working.

Edited July 31, 2020 by Apis4

[Gorsha]

If you install manually, how did you activated the plugin?

That is quiet necessary.

[anjenthedog]

Is this an academic exercise or is this how you think mods are supposed to be installed?

 

If the latter, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, (imo) you'd find your self spending far less time installing and more time playing if you use a mod manager.

 

if the former, in a given mod files tab, click on the "Preview File Contents" link underneath the download button. It will usually show the necessary paths for manually populating the file contents.

 

As Gorsha said, it doesn't address activating plugins, which are often needed for a mod to work. (ie aside from simple stuff like a racemenu plugin).

[Apis4]

If you install manually, how did you activated the plugin?

That is quiet necessary.

 

I have no idea what Plug ins are.

 

All I know is SkyUI worked, and maybe it was Immersive AI.

 

But then came the examples that did not.

 

Nowhere in the files was there anything tagged a PlugIn, I appreciate the question, but I am hoping more for answers.

[Apis4]

Is this an academic exercise or is this how you think mods are supposed to be installed?

 

If the latter, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, (imo) you'd find your self spending far less time installing and more time playing if you use a mod manager.

 

if the former, in a given mod files tab, click on the "Preview File Contents" link underneath the download button. It will usually show the necessary paths for manually populating the file contents.

 

As Gorsha said, it doesn't address activating plugins, which are often needed for a mod to work. (ie aside from simple stuff like a racemenu plugin).

 

OK, it's not an educational exercise, I KNOW how to download, and extract using 7zip/WinRar, and then drop in to the game files. I do NOT know how to use a Mod Manager, and unless there's a ZERO effort mod manager that just works automatically..... ergo I chose download with it on the mod page, and voila, it's in my game, then I am not up for the learning curves.

 

I just need a comprehensive list of what file types go where within the game pathway files.

 

Again, I appreciate the plug ins thing, but unless you explain what they are, and what their file suffix is, and where they are installed, it's just more questions not answers.

 

 

I asked two simple questions, I am looking for relevant replies. They dont have to be simple, but they have to progress me on my way to sorting out the problem and having the game run my mods.

 

I mean no offense, but sometimes this Forum seems to throw up a lot of orbiter discussion before ever getting to the ratio of the subject.

[Gorsha]

Best answer, download a mod manager.

 

Install the mods with the mod manager.

 

Activate the plugin's in the manager.

 

Play.

[Apis4]

Best answer, download a mod manager.

 

Install the mods with the mod manager.

 

Activate the plugin's in the manager.

 

Play.

I have a Mod Manager

 

I have NMM

 

But I have already manually installed these mods.

 

Now I need to know what I did wrong and what goes where.

 

Yes yes, in future, if a mod manager is that easy, I will use one. Though I did ask if mods that have X Mod Manager option can be downloaded with ANY mod Manager..... ergo the ones with a "Download with Vortex' button can be downloaded with MO2 or NMM, or if it MUST be Vortex.

 

But right NOW, I am dealing with having three or four misinstalled or only partially installed Mods, despite my following what I assumed was the normal way to install them (reinforced by it seeming to work for SkyUI and Immersive AI), so the answers to my initial question regarding file types and pathways and which folders to put them in, is much more important than if I should be using a Mod Manager.

 

And if you're going to ask me about Plug-Ins, and I indicate ignorance complete in regards to them, whilst that gives you your answer, it still leaves me completely in the dark, so further use of the term without definition is a bit pointless.

[Algabar]

Okay, to clear up some misunderstandings:

 

1. "Plugins" are files that are needed for most mods to work. You can view them as an addition to the base games' files. They contain the information that is necessary to implement new (modded) features into the game. Plugins have the file extension.esp, .esm, or .esl. They MUST be installed to the ".../Skyrim SE/data" folder. There are some kinds of mods (e.g. texture replacers) that don't need a plugin file, but most mods do.

 

2. "Plugins" must be "activated" in order to take effect. You must tell the game "load this plugin please". Usually plugins are activated through a mod manager. By default, this happens more or lesse automatically, whenever a new mod is installed.

 

3. Since you have installed mods manually, it's possible that you can't activate them with NMM. In this case, you can still activate the plugin (in your case KS hair) in game. Start Skyrim. On the loading screen, click "mods". The game will tell you something about a Bethesda.net acoount. Ignore this, hit "space" instead (default setting). Now you should see a list of all plugin files installed. Next to them there's a checkbox. If this checkbox is checked, the plugin is active and the mod should be working. Look for "KS Hairdo's" and see, if it has the checkmark next to it. If it hasn't already, check the box. That shoudl do the trick.

 

4. If you can't find "KS HAirdo's" in the "mods" overview, chances are you installed the mod to the wrong folder. All mods you download and install manually should be copied to ...Skyrim SE/data.

 

5. Regarding "download with Vortex": AFAIK, the Nexus doesn't force users to use a specific mod manager. This might be their way of advertising Vortex, but you should be able to download and install files with any mod manager of your choice. Unfortunately I don't have NMM installed any more, so I can't guide you trough the process step by step. I'd recommend clicking on the "download with Vortex" button anyway and see, what happens. Most likely you'll be asked if you wanted to manage downloads with NMM, to which you say "yes".

 

EDIT: I just checked some mod pages. On the very first page it says "Vortex" indeed. Still I think other mod managers should also work. But you shouldn't use that download option on the main page of mods anyway. A lot of mods offer different options and maybe additional files. To see all that stuff, you always should go to the "files" tab before downloading anything. This way you can see all the options you have regarding this mod. And on the "files" tab, it says "mod manager download"...

[Apis4]

Okay, to clear up some misunderstandings:

 

1. "Plugins" are files that are needed for most mods to work. You can view them as an addition to the base games' files. They contain the information that is necessary to implement new (modded) features into the game. Plugins have the file extension.esp, .esm, or .esl. They MUST be installed to the ".../Skyrim SE/data" folder. There are some kinds of mods (e.g. texture replacers) that don't need a plugin file, but most mods do.

 

2. "Plugins" must be "activated" in order to take effect. You must tell the game "load this plugin please". Usually plugins are activated through a mod manager. By default, this happens more or lesse automatically, whenever a new mod is installed.

 

3. Since you have installed mods manually, it's possible that you can't activate them with NMM. In this case, you can still activate the plugin (in your case KS hair) in game. Start Skyrim. On the loading screen, click "mods". The game will tell you something about a Bethesda.net acoount. Ignore this, hit "space" instead (default setting). Now you should see a list of all plugin files installed. Next to them there's a checkbox. If this checkbox is checked, the plugin is active and the mod should be working. Look for "KS Hairdo's" and see, if it has the checkmark next to it. If it hasn't already, check the box. That shoudl do the trick.

 

4. If you can't find "KS HAirdo's" in the "mods" overview, chances are you installed the mod to the wrong folder. All mods you download and install manually should be copied to ...Skyrim SE/data.

 

5. Regarding "download with Vortex": AFAIK, the Nexus doesn't force users to use a specific mod manager. This might be their way of advertising Vortex, but you should be able to download and install files with any mod manager of your choice. Unfortunately I don't have NMM installed any more, so I can't guide you trough the process step by step. I'd recommend clicking on the "download with Vortex" button anyway and see, what happens. Most likely you'll be asked if you wanted to manage downloads with NMM, to which you say "yes".

 

EDIT: I just checked some mod pages. On the very first page it says "Vortex" indeed. Still I think other mod managers should also work. But you shouldn't use that download option on the main page of mods anyway. A lot of mods offer different options and maybe additional files. To see all that stuff, you always should go to the "files" tab before downloading anything. This way you can see all the options you have regarding this mod. And on the "files" tab, it says "mod manager download"...

 

 

Ahhhhh OK so everything I've Downloaded has been placed in DATA after extraction, nifs, esm, and bsa files all. So phew, that seems like a great deal of work avoided, I suspect I just need the P.i activations.

 

On that, I will TRY NOW.... THANK YOU. Ill let you know if it works.

 

As for the NMM v Vrtx v MO2, I'll give it a shot as you direct. :)

 

Algabar, you're awesome dude, I am so glad someone got what I was asking and was willing to reply properly. THANK YOU.

 

I'll do as you say for both the managers and the plug ins, and let you know, again, thank you so much.

[Apis4]

OK So because I have already Logged in to Bethesda's mod lists by my Bethesda account, it automatically logs me in when I click on mods, and I cannot get anything to happen when I tap or hold space bar.

 

Any way I can log out of Bethesda so I can do it?