How to properly use multiple NPC Overhauls

[sattyre]

You can use as many NPC overhauls as you like provided you follow the rules. I have over 60 NPC overhauls in my load order, including a mix of high poly overhauls and normal overhauls. Many NPCs are overwritten multiple times and that is ok. Overhauls that do not overlap at all are never a problem. So most overhauls by the same author are usually fine together. The problems start appearing if you use multiple overhauls by different authors that overhaul many of the same NPCs

 

 

1st rule is. load order matters. Not just for the esp but also for the assets. If I have 5 npc overhauls overlapping many of the same npcs, then the assets and the esp must be loaded in exactly the same order. 5 mods lets call them A B C D and E. If the esps load in this order (ABCDE) then the assets must also load in that order (ABCDE). Otherwise you have an esp reading a face from A, but assets from one of the other mods. If a face reads the esp for A, the assets from A must be the ones that are being used.

To rephrase. If your esp order is ABCDE, but your asset order is DBEAC you have a problem. The only esp in this example reading the correct information is B. A is reading D, C is reading E, D is reading A and E is reading C

A must read A's assets, not B's or C's assets B must only read B assets. Same with C and D and E. Otherwise you get black/gray face.

As in esps, assets get loaded into the game in a certain order. Assets lower in the list overwrite identical assets above them, essentially erasing them from the game. In this case identical is only referencing the form id of the NPCs. Aela the Huntress has a form id of 0001A696. That is how the game identifies her. Her mesh and textures in the game also use this formid in the facetints. So mod A's Aela may look completely different then mod B's Aela, but they share the same formids. So if you use mod A's esp but match it with mod b's assets your giving the game two completely different data sets and the game is trying to fit a square peg through a round hole.

NPC Overhauls must obey load order of esp, and assets.

 

A much more comprehensive tutorial is here: Merging NPC Overhauls You don't have to merge overhauls, but all the rules apply.