See how to change mods order and not break savegames.

[ghussak]

hi!

 

EDIT: Does FormIDs grant such changes wont break the game, so may be this is not so useful?

 

I have very successfully been using this method to not break savegames after I add new mods or remove some mods from the game.

 

Example, I have this:

01 SomeModA.esp

02 SomeModB.esp

03 SomeModC.esp

04 SomeModD.esp

05 SomeModE.esp

 

I want to remove mod B so my order becomes:

01 SomeModA.esp

02 SomeModC.esp

03 SomeModD.esp

04 SomeModE.esp

what will break savegames that depend on items (and npcs too?) that were on mods index 03 to 05 (that are all now changed...).

So I fixed it with a file that I created long ago with a mod editor:

01 SomeModA.esp

02 _PlaceHolderDummy002.esp

03 SomeModC.esp

04 SomeModD.esp

05 SomeModE.esp

that is an empty mod file with absolutely no modifications on it (IT IS NOT A ZERO BYTE FILE); EDIT: any simple mod that does very little changes in game can be used instead like http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/5203/?

You can simply make a copy of _PlaceHolderDummy001.esp to _PlaceHolderDummy002.esp and so on... to fix other gaps..

 

EDIT: one thing that helps a lot is to create, at Data folder, from 000 to 255 _PlaceHolderDummy???.esp files, and at text file editor you setup to show line numbers. So, every time you remove a mod you know that exactly that line number is what you will type for the place holder index name! here is a linux script to create the files copy easily (you can run it on windows with cygwin)

for((i=1;i<=255;i++));do cp -v _PlaceHolderDummy.000.esp "_PlaceHolderDummy.`printf "%03d" $i`.esp";echo;done

Some questions:

 

1) I wonder if this functionality could be implemented at WryeBash or Nexus Mod Manager?

 

2) I wonder if mod makers could provide their mods divided in way that all items go into a mod file named like ModName_IDs.esp and all other stuff coded like scripts etc go on a file like ModName_Code.esp;

2.a) so, the _IDs.esp would require to be always in the same order to not break games;

2.b) and _Code.esp could be on any order after the IDs. place.

 

3) considering what I said at "2)", all _Code.esp files could be placed automatically at ending positions by Wrye or NMM what would look like:

01 SomeModA_IDs.esp

02 _PlaceHolderDummy002.esp

03 SomeModC_IDs.esp

...

FD ModNameC_Code.esp

FE ModNameE_Code.esp

FF ModNameA_Code.esp

EDIT: And also they would fill all the gaps with place holders!

 

Any considerations?

 

EDIT: this post could be more helpful if in another session in the forum?

EDIT: tags: fix load order and prevent ctd crash

EDIT: I see no way to edit the title, it should be: see how to disable and enable mods without changing mods order, and so, not breaking savegames.

Edited July 16, 2013 by ghussak