SKSE, NNM and ESP/ESM

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SKSE, NNM and ESP/ESMs

Okay, this is for new modders, if you’ve been around the Nexus of Beth modding for a while, you don’t need to read this.
You can, but be warned, it will be an immense waste of your time.

This is just a short write up, to try and clear the air of some of the common misconceptions I see that new modders bring to the scene, believe me, I was once a young, new fresh face and it was only though reading hundred if not thousands of guides and articles did I come to learn a bit about modding, especially Skyrim modding.

SKSE

Here’s the thing. SKSE is not strictly a mod. People get confused with this as it is installed etc and im pretty certain one can install it with Nexus Mod Manager, or NNM. This would lead to many people believing that perhaps it was a mod or the such. Strictly speaking, this is not true. What SKSE does is facilitate mods in the certain vanilla papyrus script function were impossible to execute on the vanilla script resource system, (as a non-scripter, I’m not sure how this works in theory, but I know how it works in practice) due to the Devs simplying overlooking certain script function or that they simply weren’t required for the vailla game. What SKSE does is EXTEND script function, hence the same, Skyrim Script Extender. This allows modders to integrate new scripting functions, again, I am not certain how this works, but all that new modders ought to know is that SKSE is NOT a mod, but a tool that allows you to use SKSE dependant mods, such as SkyUI, Deadly Headshots etc….

NNM
This one should be a lot easier. NNM is mod organisation tool that stands for NEXUS MOD MANAGER. NNM allows the user to easily access their mods and install mods both from the Nexus and also from the computer. This again, I must stress for those of you that don’t know IS NOT A MOD. NNM makes changed to the following aspects of Skyrim. DATA(folder), LOAD ORDER(notepad file), PLUGINS(notepad file) and SKYRIM(folder), assuming that mods affect these areas. An important thing to note is that NOT ALL MODS ARE NNM COMPATIBLE. Although a large, (most) amount are, not all are, and can be. I would recommend not installing tools like SKSE or TESVedit through NNM, I know that guides might say to or that it’s easy or you’re new but problems can occur and it’s a hell of a lot easier to keep only ESP and ESM files in NNM and hand install utilities and tools.
ESP and ESM

Okay, this is where I’ve seen a lot of people get lost. The thing with this is that NNM allows you to install mods without actually knowing how;

A) It works, the ESP or ESM

B) Where they go

And also really gives you little experience in installing mods. An ESP is a file that makes edits to the SKYRIM.ESM or UPDATE.ESM and in the case of having Dawnguard or Dragonborn, those respective ESMs. This is done in the CK and is installed to the DATA folder in your Skyrim folder. I suggest after a while familiarising yourself with these folders and files as down the track, on a fresh install of NNM and SKYRIM, it actually becomes more convenient and often more reliable to hand install certain mods. (Although, some mods such as CBBE and WIS have NNM install helper’s exclusive to NNM). ESMs are master files, im not sure about the succinct difference between the two but ESMs are MASTER files. They are usually filed with important resources and some older mods may come packaged with and ESM AND ESP. The main Skyrim file, SKYRIM.ESM is a master as is the UPDATE.ESM.

 

I hope that cleared the air a bit, feel free to PM me any questions regarding, Load order, SkyProc, CK, NNM, SKSE, Wyre Bash, TESVedit, if asked by enough people, I’ll post a thread about specific other advanced modding tools/resources/aspects. Happy Hunting!!