How Bad of an Idea Is This?

[TimeLadyKatie]

So, I'm working on my first mod right now which has a lot of promise. I have some voice actors lined up and have a plan that could be a multi-chapter series involving a new faction I'm doing lore research to establish. Here's the problem.

 

I am no artist. I wanted to use some of the meshes, designs and such available in the modder resources here on Nexus to give my story a suitable feel, but that runs the age-old ESP/ESM problem. I noticed some of the questline mods I have downloaded package themselves as ESMs, but I also realize that there must be some major problem with that, or more modders would resolve the issues how I was considering.

 

What I planned to do was use TESsnip to combine the materials I want to draw from into a ESM and once my first segment of the story is complete I would fold that into the ESM as well. I know ESMifing using programs that do that is probably cleaner, but it seems like a remarkably complicated process to do when I'm already new to CK. I have the edited ini that lets me run CK with multiple ESMs, so I shouldn't run into a problem with that, but I guess what I'm looking for is that I have an instinct that my plan is a bad one, I just don't know why and if there's a simpler work-around than ESMifing.

Edited July 24, 2013 by TimeLadyKatie

[Kraeten]

Why not pack all of these resources you're keen on using into a single .bsa? If they're merely statics it should be easy enough.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Kraeten

[TimeLadyKatie]

I hadn't even considered that. I'm not too familiar with CK yet, still working through the wiki on it, but would that work? Taking things like architecture and equipment mod resources from ESPs and sticking them together into a BSA? Even if it is just the texture packs, that would reduce some of the load on me elsewhere... but does that work?

 

Total newb.

Edited July 24, 2013 by TimeLadyKatie

[Kraeten]

Textures, models, scripts, just about everything can be packed into a neat little .bsa. Saves space, and it's easier for the potential downloader. Here's a youtube tutorial if you want to see how to make one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAbmFmfR3LY

 

As you'll soon learn Darkfox127 has quite a few helpful tutorials. Good luck!

Edited July 24, 2013 by Kraeten

[TimeLadyKatie]

So, just to clarify; if I wanted to use, for instance, Grace Darkling's Attire Pack or something similar alongside Adabala Building System, I could pack both their meshes, textures and ESPs together into a BSA with the name of my ESP and when I loaded my ESP in the CK the BSA would load as well? (A rudimentary understanding I've gathered from that tutorial and some reading I did on BSAs.)

[Kraeten]

Everything except for the ESP's can be put into a bsa.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Kraeten

[pleasenoname]

I'm not understanding you 100%.

 

All the art files; textures, meshes, ect.. are packed inside of

the BSA. The ESM or ESP is edited in the Construction Kit. The ESM or ESP links to things/art that is contained within the BSA. You cannot put an ESM or ESP inside of the BSA, that's not how the system works.

 

Make sure you ask the creators of the art files for permission to put their creations into any BSA you pack.

 

You must create new items in the Construction Kit, link those items you made in the construction kit to the folders inside the BSA that contain the mesh you are using.

Edited July 26, 2013 by pleasenoname

[IsharaMeradin]

Not to throw some confusion in the midst but to clarify some things....

 

You can put all those files into a BSA but unless you actually assign the meshes, textures, etc... to specific forms within the ESP file those assets will not be used.

 

Also note that when making a mod ALL your assets that you will be assigning to forms MUST be loose in the data folder structure. While the Creation Kit can read into BSA files (provided the BSA is added to the archives list in the ini file), you cannot assign BSA packed files to forms. The file selector when choosing meshes, textures, etc... is a normal Windows open file dialog window and as such is unable to access the inside of BSA files.

 

Always wait till the mod is done (ready to be released) before creating the BSA file.

 

To answer your specific question about using modder resource assets without requiring multiple master files to be downloaded by players...

-- Modify your editor ini file to allow multiple instances. -- bAllowMultipleEditors set to 1

-- Open one instance of the CK with the modder's resource active (and fully installed)

-- Open a second instance of the CK with your mod active.

-- Flipping between the two recreate the forms of the modder's resource inside your mod.

At this point your mod will now have the modder's resources set up and ready for you to place or otherwise access in your mod.

 

FYI -- If you create a SkyrimEditorCustom.ini file you can put your SkyrimEditor.ini changes in there and no longer have to worry about redoing those changes with each verification or patch update of the Creation Kit.

 

And of course make sure you either have permission from the author or the mod states that permission is pre-granted.

[TimeLadyKatie]

In re permissions: yeah, once I decide for sure whose resources I want I'll contact the modders who developed them.

 

The multiple instances seems to be the best approach, thank you, I'll test it shortly to see if I'm not completely inept and go from there.