Using Vortex just as a mod download/update tool

[leeus]

Hey all,

 

Sorry if I'm asking something obvious or not appropriate for this forum here, or something that's already answered in some other places, I did a bit of research but didn't find anything related to this question, at least in an obvious way.

 

I never used Vortex yet, I only ever used Wrye Bash for all games that are supported and I want to keep doing that, at least for TES/Fallout games... so I want to install Vortex only so it will help me check for updated mods and download them when needed, and I'd like for it to just download the mods to a folder I setup for that so WB can pick them from there. At the moment, I'm doing exactly this with the community version of NMM and it simply works... still, the functionality could be better and that's why I wanted to give Vortex a test. NMM doesn't have a nice UI for looking at mods and seeing quickly which ones are updated and such.

 

Now, I haven't installed Vortex yet... and I'm kinda afraid to so do and that's why I'm asking here. Because I already have huge modded setups for all games that I care about, that are really stable and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that, i.e. if for example (as it happened once to me with the old NMM) when installed Vortex would take control of the plugins.txt/loadorder.txt and mess all my setups.

 

So, my question is (yeah, finally!): is there someone that have done something like this before? Is it doable? Is it safe to do while my games already setup and in use without losing/screwing my setups?

 

If there's any kind of documentation that discuses these kind of issues, or other posts where someone asks for something similar, be sure to slap me in the hand and redirect me there, gently please :)

 

Oh, and btw: I'm not opposed to eventually try and use Vortex in the future, at least for games where I don't have modded installations yet (like Witcher 3 or others I haven't played yet,) it's just that at this particular juncture I already have everything I want using WB, and don't want to re-mod all the games again.

 

The thing that prompted me to write this question is that there are a lot of mods that I have installed atm (SkyrimSE and FO4) that have been recently updated and I've been neglecting to check them, and so I wanted to see if there was a better way of handling mod download with Vortex, than it is with NMM atm. for me.

 

Thank you very much for any reply!

 

Best wishes,

Leandro.

[DoctorKaizeld]

I don't know about using it as a downloader but its not really the purpose. I do suggest giving it a shot though it works rather well.

 

Also don't worry about it highjacking anything as it needs to be told to manage a game before it will touch anything.

[leeus]

<snip>

Also don't worry about it highjacking anything as it needs to be told to manage a game before it will touch anything.

 

Nice, Gotcha! That's what I wanted to know! After all the months I spent in modding SkyrimSE and Fallout 4, my biggest fear was to have to do all that over again lol

[Guest deleted34304850]

it is written in several places that if you have a heavily modded game then don't use vortex to manage it. this advice came from the people behind the tool.

its a mod manager, not a download tool. use the correct tool for the job, don't try and turn it into something it isn't. you're basically asking for problems, which you'll get then blame on vortex.

seen it hundreds of times in the support forum which is full of the kind of posts you've not found yet.

[rmm200]

In your situation - it is not safe to use Vortex. You can't manage a game with more than one mod manager.

Vortex works using hard links - which means your mods don't actually live in the game directory.

Get Wrye Bash in there dinking around with what it thinks are real mods - but aren't - and it will not go well.

Where Vortex shines is Profiles. You want to have a slightly different set of mods for this run - no problem. Use a Profile. I have a good dozen for Skyrim alone.

[leeus]

it is written in several places that if you have a heavily modded game then don't use vortex to manage it. this advice came from the people behind the tool.

its a mod manager, not a download tool. use the correct tool for the job, don't try and turn it into something it isn't. you're basically asking for problems, which you'll get then blame on vortex.

seen it hundreds of times in the support forum which is full of the kind of posts you've not found yet.

 

I didn't knew that, what they recommend then for bigger modded lists instead then... MO2?

 

To be fair handling mod metadata and updating was part of the toolkit since the original NMM, and besides, the Nexus site provides an API for such task... I'd expect Vortex to be better at it than the original NMM just for the reason that it is the flagship product of the site. Since I never used it yet, I don't really know... that's why I was asking.

[leeus]

In your situation - it is not safe to use Vortex. You can't manage a game with more than one mod manager.

<snip>

 

Just to clarify a bit better what I mean in my OP, I don't want to install mods using Vortex... I just want Vortex to handle the downloads folder: i.e. look at it, read the archives stored there, recognize which mods match to nexus IDs where available, and then tell me the versions I have and what new updates are available for those mods. That's what I use NMM for atm, but I'd want something better.

 

I'd still be handling my mod installing via Wrye Bash, as I always did... at least for the games where I use WB.

[DoctorKaizeld]

We get that, we just don't suggest using Vortex for that. Honestly Vortex is great for large load orders and stuff and if you ever plan on doing a full reinstall I suggest trying it. I would instead just use the sites built in update tracking (tracking mods or looking at your download history which both will have notices on recent updates on mods)

[HadToRegister]

 

In your situation - it is not safe to use Vortex. You can't manage a game with more than one mod manager.

<snip>

 

Just to clarify a bit better what I mean in my OP, I don't want to install mods using Vortex... I just want Vortex to handle the downloads folder: i.e. look at it, read the archives stored there, recognize which mods match to nexus IDs where available, and then tell me the versions I have and what new updates are available for those mods. That's what I use NMM for atm, but I'd want something better.

 

I'd still be handling my mod installing via Wrye Bash, as I always did... at least for the games where I use WB.

 

 

Using Vortex as a mod downloader for Wryebash is like driving a Lamborghini 30 mph for it's entire life.

 

I use Vortex and Wryebash the opposite way, I download and install mods with Vortex, then open up wryebash for the sole purpose of making a Bash Patch, then close it.

For me, Vortex is the Mod Manager, and Wryebash is just a utility/tool

[Guest deleted34304850]

 

In your situation - it is not safe to use Vortex. You can't manage a game with more than one mod manager.

<snip>

 

Just to clarify a bit better what I mean in my OP, I don't want to install mods using Vortex... I just want Vortex to handle the downloads folder: i.e. look at it, read the archives stored there, recognize which mods match to nexus IDs where available, and then tell me the versions I have and what new updates are available for those mods. That's what I use NMM for atm, but I'd want something better.

 

I'd still be handling my mod installing via Wrye Bash, as I always did... at least for the games where I use WB.

 

yeah, don't do that.