Another GECK question

[grandpauj1]

I'm building a vault and put in armory, I wanted to use some of the weapons mods to dress it up a bit, Hang on the walls, Place on benches Ect. This is not going to be placed as a mod as it is my first REAL project, And I'm sure it will be buggy as hell. "IF" I do decide to put it on as a mod I will then ask for proper permission from the original creator, And give do credit of coarse. Now that that is said and done.....

1) When I try to open the plugin file for say Slam M16 pack, Then my vault, It deactivates the slam M16. I did get them both to open at once, (not real sure how that happened) Placed the weapons on benches, walls Ect. saved and closed out the GECK, Started up the game, went to the vault, and none of it was there. So I went back to the GECK and it had created a "duplicate cell" with the weapons in it. Now I know there has to be a way to do this and I have tried just about every thing I can think of, I have tried to do a search with no luck, tried to just place them in game and when I leave then come back they are all messed up , on the floor and stuff. So can some PLEASE help me out here. I tried to do this with other plugins and it does the same thing.

Thanks in advance

[pkleiss]

First, find and open your GECKCustom.ini and change bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=0 to bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1.

 

Next, click on your mod in the Geck under File, Data - like you were about to load it up, but don't load it up. Instead look to the right under the box labeled Parent Masters. You should see a list of all the parent files your mod relies on and this list should include the weapons mods you are trying to use. If it does not, try selecting them again by double clicking on them such that an X appears in the box to the left of their name and then set your file as the active file, then load up the GECK. Now you should be able to add assets from all of the parent files you selected into your mod and save it. The next time you load your mod, you should only have to load your mod as the parent files will load automatically.

[grandpauj1]

Ok I did this and.... It didn't work. I don't know if I need to make it a "Master" to make it work or what. The file is a esp. not an esm. and every thing in the "Parent Masters" window is a esm. file. It is not just with that mod, I also tried it with "Blank Vault Doors", "Bau Pet Supplies" And a few more. They are in the Object window (In the GECK) i can place them, But when I go in game they are not there, Then go back to the Geck, same area and they are gone. They are also not in the Parent masters window. Is there a way to do like "bAllowMultiplePluginLoads". I did look for that in the GECKCustom.ini and didn't find it. This whole GECK thing is very entertaining, But can be frustrating as hell to some with little experience. Any help? As Always Thanks in advance

[pkleiss]

First, no. You don't have to make your mod a master. You can't modify an esm, only an esp.

 

Second, there is no allow multiple plugins ini setting. That would make no sense as you can only have one plugin active at any time. You don't modify the masters, only the active mod (which must be an esp anyway). And yes, an esp can be a parent, but you still aren't modifying it if it's loaded as a parent. You can only modify a parent esp if it is loaded as the active file without its children.

 

It sure sounds to me like your mod is not being saved properly - as if the GECK doesn't have the rights to modify files in your \data folder. Have you tried right clicking on the GECK icon and selecting 'Run as Administrator'? Although, you wouldn't be able to save a mod with one parent as well, if that were the issue.

 

So, if I get what you are saying is that you are able to load up all the mods you want with your file as the active, correct? Then you place objects from different parents into your mod with the GECK. Then you save your mod before exiting the GECK. Then you play the game and your mod has nothing that you just added AND when you load up your mod a second time, there are no parent files listed, none at all, not even fallout3.esm?

 

Another issue might be that your mod is an esm or a false esm (a false esm is a file with an esp extension that is, in reality, a master). Did you make this mod yourself, or did you start with someone else's mod? Just an FYI, the extension (ESM/ESP) has absolutely nothing to do with the mod being a master or plugin. The extension is irrelevant. What actually makes a file a master or plugin is the master flag within the header of the file itself. That is something you can see/change with a utility like FO3 Edit or FO3 Plugin. I would recommend getting FO3Edit and becoming familiar with it's use as it becomes a modders best friend when ever things go south.

 

If none of that works, you can upload your file (and any parent files you have) to Mediafire or the like and pass me the link and I'll take a look at it and see what's up.

Edited October 12, 2013 by pkleiss

[blove]

GECK will not save ESP masters in a plugin unless those ESP masters are ESM flagged.

[pkleiss]

^^ That is probably the issue then.

[grandpauj1]

Ok lets say I want to use the tooth paste from BauPetSupplies.ESP Plugin data file. I think part of what is confusing me is I thought a "Master" was an ESM, So I don't understand how I could save a ESP Master if ESP is a plugin (Scratching my head). So in a nut shell, How do I make a ESP a master and how would I "Flag" it as ESM. Do I have to change and flag say the tooth paste, Then change and flag the toilet paper Ect. or do I just need to change the ESP itself. Sorry about all the Questions, But I guess that is how we learn. Again Thanks in advance

[pkleiss]

How to change an esp to an esm...

 

Open the esp with FO3Edit.

Locate the Header entry in the data tree that appears once FO3Edit loads, then click on that entry.

Find the ESM flag record and set it.

Save and exit.

Rename your file with an esm extension if you like, it's not necessary and a master with an esp extension is called a false master. But renaming with an esm extension is preferable for simplicity's sake.

[grandpauj1]

Sweet deal. Worked like a champ. I played, saved, exited the game three or four times and all seems good. Now for the follow up questions. Do I need to keep it as a master or do I need to change it back? Does it matter how many masters I have? Because if I need to do this to all the ESP's I would like to use I'm going to have more masters then plugins (slight exaggeration) , But if it doesn't effect the GECK or game play that don't bother me at all. And if it does, Then I guess I will have to pick and chose a little better. Is there a book or complete Tutorial some where so I don't have to keep bugging you guy's with all my questions? Both of you Many thanks

[pkleiss]

These forums are the manual, so to speak. Just keep asking. I must have asked a thousand questions when I first started modding. Most people who reply do so becasue they like doing it. I know I do. Don't worry, just keep asking.

 

As far as having multiple masters... it's not a big deal for your own use. If you want to release your mod to the community, it can be an issue as it will require that the the end user have all the same mods required by your mod AND it is commonly accepted that the use of others work in your own mod can only be publicly allowed if you have permission from the original mod authors.

 

In the end, if you want to add several objects to your own mod from various other mods, it might be better to copy those specific records from the original mod(s) into your own (thus eliminating the master dependency). I've never done this myself, but I believe it's possible with FO3Edit. You'd have to read that utility's extensive documentation to learn how, or just ask the forums. Once you've copied those records over, your mod would no longer need those masters.

 

Do I need to keep it as a master or do I need to change it back?

 

 

If you change it back, your mod won't be able to load it up anymore and all the objects you've used from it will be gone again. Again, this problem would be solved by adding specific records from your master files to your own mod using FO3Edit or the like.