How do I manually mod fallout 4? (Without mod manager)

[rabcor]

(This has been solved, see edits at bottom of this post)

 

I tried setting

[Launcher]
bEnableFileSelection=1
uLastAspectRatio=1

in fallout4prefs.ini, fallout4.ini and fallout4custom.ini

 

but whatever i do no option shows up in the launcher to load plugin files.

 

I need to be able to mod the game without a mod manager because I'm having problems with the vortex and mod organizer 2, I know how to install mods manually, been doing it since the morrowind days, I just need a way to load the plugin files and control the load order.

 

 

 

Edit: I found it out, you just start the game and go ot mods then in there you can load mods and configure the load order.

Problem now is that the load order I set is not being respected, e.g. I try to change the load order for the mods, for some mods it works, for other mods it always just resets to the position it started at.

 

Edit2:

User/AppData/Local/Fallout4/Plugins.txt

is what I was looking for :smile:

Edited April 27, 2022 by rabcor

[showler]

The in-game "mod manager" sucks. It is very bad at dealing with any mod you don't install through Bethesda.net and only passable at dealing with the ones you do install from Beth.net. It has no conflict management at all.

 

You'd be much better off fixing whatever your mod manager issue is.

[Guest deleted34304850]

if you don't want to use a mod manager, then you're going to have to look at the contents of each mod you want to install - understand that mod x contains the same files as mod y - then decide - do you overwrite files from mod x with mod y, or overwrite mod y with mod x.

 

you're going to need to remember that for the next time you pull down mod z and examine it and see that it overwrites files from mod x and mod y - now you need to decide which mod overwrites the others. do you want mod z to overwrite mod y or mod x?

 

you do this for each mod you manually install and write down your decisions on a piece of paper - and never lose it because when you come to reinstall your mods, you're going to need to refer to that to make sure you do it right.

 

you'll spend days/weeks/months figuring this out and not playing the game. you may find it enjoyable....or you may think - there must be an easier way to do this and use a mod manager.

[StormWolf01]

Heyas Rabcor :smile:

Glad to see that you got it figured out :smile:

As one manual modder to another, I will definitely... highly... recommend that you keep a backup copy or two of that file, plugins.txt

Not that I'm saying that you'd mess it up, but windows being as reliable [/s] as it is, if that file gets corrupted during a save, or... a typo... it can cause some pretty harsh CTD issues with the game.

I also keep a special folder (mine is on the desktop) with shortcuts to all the files and folders (and software) related to my fallout 4 stuff. Including a shortcut to my Fallout4 install folder, and to that plugins.txt file. And the documents folder where some of the .ini files are located.

 

As you do more research you'll realize also that there's more edits required, to get certain differing kinds of mods to work. I'd tell you right off the bat, but mine are really heavily modded, and it's been so long ago that I did it, I don't remember which ones are for what :wacko:

 

I'll also go ahead and make one more recommendation. You can make things TONS easier for yourself, if when modding this game, or others for that matter, by using a file browser called Q-Dir. http://q-dir.com

It's a file browser that lets you open FOUR different folders, all side by side (well two are on top, two are on bottom). AND supports additional tabs. It makes your copy and paste efforts SO much simpler. :wink:

 

Lastly, I wanna mention, that some mods you CANNOT instal manually. Not without completely dissecting the mods. These are called FOMOD. For those you WILL need a mod manager.

 

Anyways, congrats on getting it sorted out, and welcome to the wonderful and sometimes highly aggravating world of modifying this game :smile: Feel free to ask anything, and definitely feel free to lurk, there's tons that you can learn around here.

 

OH! I almost forgot! THIS you WILL need! https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/42497 its so that newer versions of the game can play older mods, and older versions can play newer mods.