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What is the difference between a mod and a plugin?

Best Answer HadToRegister , 08 April 2021 - 05:25 PM
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Comparing Bethesda Plugins vs Mod
Mod = the Textures, Meshes, BSA, BA2, Sounds, DLL, Ini, Scripts etc
Plugin = ESP or ESM or ESPfe, or ESL that basically tells the game which Textures, Meshes, BSAs, BA2s, Sounds, DLLs, Ini, Scripts from that particular Mod to use in the game
#1
Posted 08 April 2021 - 04:52 PM

#2
Posted 08 April 2021 - 05:00 PM

Every plugin is a mod but not every mod is or has a plugin.
Edited by Novem99, 08 April 2021 - 05:01 PM.
#3
Posted 08 April 2021 - 05:25 PM

subject
Comparing Bethesda Plugins vs Mod
Mod = the Textures, Meshes, BSA, BA2, Sounds, DLL, Ini, Scripts etc
Plugin = ESP or ESM or ESPfe, or ESL that basically tells the game which Textures, Meshes, BSAs, BA2s, Sounds, DLLs, Ini, Scripts from that particular Mod to use in the game
#4
Posted 08 April 2021 - 05:53 PM

A mod may or not include a plugin in its resources. A plugin is, in common terms, a "driver" or "workhorse", a chuck of code whose purpose is the calculate responses, manage resources, etc, whereas the mod is a package of related resources, which may or not include textures, meshes, jslots, scripts, etc, and of course plugins.
#5
Posted 08 April 2021 - 10:11 PM

A mod can contain 0, 1 or multiple plugins.
A mod can replace assets that the game would be using anyway (textures, meshes, sounds and so on) without a plugin.
As soon as a mod wants to edit the game world (e.g. change the terrain or buildings, add npcs&monsters, add new craftable items, change stats of monsters or items, ...) that is done through plugins.
