A word on F03Edit, mods & merged patches <- do it!

[egamar]

ALWAYS use FO3edit to create a Merged Patch after installing any mod!

 

I just wanted to share my recent experience after returning to FO3 after a year or so. I decided to start from scratch, delete everything I had before reinstall and add selected mods, this time carefully reading the big 'readmes' that come with the big mods such as FWE. This time I picked up the need to use FO3Edit to create a 'merged patch' to (try to) ensure Mods don't conflict with each other.

 

The result? A rock solid installation for the first time ever with each mod actually doing what it is supposed to do with (apparently) no conflicts!

 

Most (if not all) of the (smaller) mods don't make reference to using FO3Edit to create a merged patch, so - if you follow just their installation instructions - I suspect you will experience conflicts and/or CTDs. The 'trick' is to create a merged patch with F03Edit after EVERY mod you install, whether the readme tells you to or not. This appears to be particularly important with any mods that alter textures AND with 'competing' mods that alter the same files (e.g. UI files that alter barter_menu.xml, weapons and suchlike).

 

I would also note in passing - and I guess many folks know this or have experienced this - that FOMM will not install Mods downloaded with NMM (because NMM adds some content to the info.xml file which FOMM doesn't recognise), downloading manually and using FOMM to install works well for me, but is much more cumbersome than using NMM. However, I found that NMM didn't always successfully install mods and didn't seem - for me anyway - to create a good load order. I started the reinstall using NMM, but could not get a stable start-up (even installing batches of mods incrementally) so I had to start over using FOMM. That might not be the case for everyone, of course. FOMM, however, won't install some Mods successfully no matter what ("DALCO inventory sorter" and "Better high detail maps and icons" in my case) so I do use NMM for those few mods, checking that they are enabled in/via NMM, of course. I also found that FOMM didn't seem initially to create the optimum load order for the 'major' mods such as FWE, MMM, Unofficial Patch and some of the lighting mods, so I used BOSS for that - creating the load order in BOSS first, then using autosort in FOMM, which then seemed to respect the major changes made by BOSS just tweaking the smaller mods successfully.

 

The instructions I found in 'old' readmes for using FO3Edit to make a merged patch made it seem a really difficult task - mainly because it was incorporated with instructions for using Fo3edit for the heavy-duty tasks it was designed for (and I think outdated in one small respect), but it's really quite quick and simple, and this is what I did - in an iterative manner, adding batches of 'compatible' mods and ensuring I had a stable system after each batch before continuing:

 

1. Download all mods manually

2. Install the 'big ones' using FOMM

3. Install those that FOMM won't install using NMM

 

3. Create sort order in BOSS

4. Switch to FOMM

5. Autosort load order in FOMM

6. Select/enable desired Mods in FOMM (Note, you can/should double-check these in the pop-up shown by FO3Edit when it runs)

6. Exit FOMM, load FO3Edit

7a. Let Fo3edit do its stuff, keeping an eye out for error messages in the right-hand panel - if there are any, fix them (read the FO3edit help - most errors are caused by forgetting to enable a mod in NMM or by a failed installation using NMM/FOMM - use the other one and make sure it installs successfully)

7b. Create 'merged patch' (Note: merged patch option is accessed by right-clicking on the Left-hand panel of F03Edit and selecting 'other' from the popped-up menu, otherwise the isntructions in e.g. FWE are correct)

8. Load NMM to check that the 'merged patch' is selected/enabled

9. Run F03 to check for stable system.

10. Install next batch of Mods & autosort in NMM

11. Enable these Mods in NMM and

12. DISABLE the merged patch made in step 7 (If you forget, you can uncheck/disable it in the pop-up window offered by F03Edit, and it's worth the double-check)

13. Load FO3Edit (double-check everything is enabled/disabled as it should be) and create another merged patch (call it what you like, it doesn't matter as long as you enable it before running F03)

14. Make sure the new merged patch is ENabled and the previous one DISabled, and run F03 to check stability.

15. Rinse and repeat

16. Always create a merged patch even if you've just installed a teeny-tiny mod.

 

 

Anyway- that's what worked for me!

 

Don't despair if you have loaded hundreds of mods and have never created a merged patch though, just do it now! No need to uninstall all your mods although you might want to disable them and go through this routine or something similar in batches to let you use FO3Edit to highlight any errors in small chunks.

 

 

 

In conclusion, my recommendation

 

ALWAYS use FO3edit to create a Merged Patch after installing any mod!

 

[Melchior3]

Merged patch does solve many, many problems, best thing I ever did! Had a stable install for so long now I have nearly forgotten the horrid CTDs.

 

I also use the FO3MasterUpdate utility of FO3Edit, which may also help stability and compatibility of mods.

[egamar]

FO3MasterUpdate? I'm trying to read-up on what that does ... but ... what does it do? :smile:

 

This is HOW you do it (copied from the manual) but I've no idea WHY! I'll jut follow the insdtructions, though!

1. Launch FOMM and Uncheck any previous merged patches, then close FOMM
2. Launch FO3Edit, making sure the correct mods are checked, select, “OK”
3. Right-click in Left-Side Panel and select, “Create Merged Patch”
4. Close FO3Edit and Save the new Merged Patch.
5. Launch FOMM and Check/Select the new Merged Patch, then close FOMM
6. Launch FO3MasterUpdate, ensure no errors occur, then close the program
7. Launch FOMM and select, “Launch FOSE” to play!!

 

BTW: FO3MasterUpdate is just FO3Edit renamed to FO3MasterUpdate , which, when run, recognises that it is to do some different things. Apparently.

Edited June 2, 2013 by egamar

[acelogan]

FO3MasterUpdate? I'm trying to read-up on what that does ... but ... what does it do? :smile:

 

This is HOW you do it (copied from the manual) but I've no idea WHY! I'll jut follow the insdtructions, though!

1. Launch FOMM and Uncheck any previous merged patches, then close FOMM
2. Launch FO3Edit, making sure the correct mods are checked, select, “OK”
3. Right-click in Left-Side Panel and select, “Create Merged Patch”
4. Close FO3Edit and Save the new Merged Patch.
5. Launch FOMM and Check/Select the new Merged Patch, then close FOMM
6. Launch FO3MasterUpdate, ensure no errors occur, then close the program
7. Launch FOMM and select, “Launch FOSE” to play!!

 

BTW: FO3MasterUpdate is just FO3Edit renamed to FO3MasterUpdate , which, when run, recognises that it is to do some different things. Apparently.

You have to be careful with FO3MasterUpdate as some mods specify that the should NOT be MasterUpdated - the reason being that the mod author may have specifically created the mod as an .esp for particular things to work correctly. MasterUpdate will also often destroy the carefully arranged LoadOrder you spent time meticulously sorting. So for this reason I have learned to just avoid MasterUpdate; although that could also be because I just don't want to waste the time and add extra frustration. You may want to experiment with it at some place in your sorting/patching sequence.

Edited October 1, 2013 by acelogan