SE/AE conflation/confusion - a suggestion

[7531Leonidas]

No flame wars, please! SE vs AE - Bethesda didn't do us any real favors in the way they released the Anniversary Edition, except for the newer compiler, and the 4 free CC mods, and started the confusion between the two.

 

Building on the sentiment that you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube, or the genie back in the bottle, how about calling SE v 1.6+ "base AE", and the 1.6+ with all the paid CC content "full AE"? I know there are many who would bristle at this, but I am tired of trying to decipher which actual version a mod author could be referring to, and this seems like a simple and economical change for clarification.

[showler]

The only time it would matter is with mods that interact with the CC content in the paid DLC pack. I haven't had too many encounters with mods that don't specify "needs XX CC content" fairly clearly.

 

Other than that, it's just v1.5.97 or v1.6.353. The biggest issue is people writing things in a way that makes SE and AE seem like different games rather than just version numbers.

[bazinga313]

The only time it would matter is with mods that interact with the CC content in the paid DLC pack. I haven't had too many encounters with mods that don't specify "needs XX CC content" fairly clearly.

 

Other than that, it's just v1.5.97 or v1.6.353. The biggest issue is people writing things in a way that makes SE and AE seem like different games rather than just version numbers.

 

 

Ok so I've actually been quite confused on this as well, and mainly because I came back to play skyrim just to find that it has been updated. Thus mods need to be updated. But to my confusion, when I began updating mods, many of the mods would have two versions now, one for Se and one for AE. Well, I never bought the Anniversary edition, so I just assumed that I needed the SE version of all the mods. Now after spending some hours updating and reconfiguring some mods, many of them were broken and many just don't load at all. Like, even now I can not get Immersive first person mod to work, in any way shape or form. I know I have the right version of SKSE for game version 1.6.353, even though it called it the Anniversary version of SKSE. I'm still struggling to get some mods to work properly, but the one I'm most concerned with is Immersive first person, some of the others I can live without for the time being.

 

But I can see some peoples confusion here because many mod authors are calling updates to their mods the AE version and the SE version, so many people will just assume, "well I don't have Skyrim anniversary edition, I have Special Edition, I'll just get the SE mod" Just to find out it won't work.

 

PS If anyone can help me get IFPV mod to work, I would be indebted to them greatly.

[showler]

That's why they should use game version numbers instead of vague marketing labels.

 

The mods with problems are almost entirely SKSE base mods, and that means they only care about having the right mod version matched with the right SKSE version matched with the right game version. And that has always been the case since the game was released.

 

Pay attention to version numbers. Ignore the whole AE/SE thing unless it specifically involves Creation Club content.

[showler]

Also, Immersive First Person View was never updated for version 1.6 of the game. You can't use it unless you intentionally use an older version of the game, which requires using the Unofficial Downgrade Patcher.

[KainThePheonix]

I use the SSE and as soon as I "updated" and downloaded the CC mods I replaced the relevant files and downgraded back to SE. When I install mods via Mod Organizer I install large and singular texture packs via the Skyrim/Data/Textures folder and Skyrim/Data/Meshes.

I install most other mods including scripted mods directly to Mod Organizer 2 and I LOVE keeping an extremely clean User Interface so I mark whether it is an AE or SE mod, in the mod title plus I add ESP/ESL/ESP-FE plus a relevant version schema too. This way everything I install is clean, green and properly versioned which might also require changing the particular mods version number to fall in line with how MO2 displays the version, always by manipulating the Meta.ini information. I also include what category the mod is, whether it is a quest/adventer mod, a texture or mesh replacer, a bug fix et cetera.

You do NOT need to use the downgrade patcher if you simply copy and backup the proper files BEFORE updating via STEAM. I recommend backing up the ENTIRE Skyrim STEAM folder to a different location, upgrading and then replacing the SkyrimSE.exe file and the binkw64.dll file too. I tested it thoroughly and it works, even my SKSE was unaffected.

To each their own. I respect the work that went into the downgrade patcher, but honestly, you don't really need to use it especially when all that is needed is a simply copy and paste.

[anjenthedog]

"1.6x" or "AE" is enough to remind me that it's for a different version/"unique variant" of the game than the one I run.

 

It's when I fail to go to the download tab and choose the right one for 1.5.9x that I get into trouble, since being younger, "AE" supersedes "SE" mods in the downloads tab and will be auto-picked if you use the vortex install button from the nexus "advert" header, unless the author has mandated "manual" installation by disabling the vortex auto install feature.

(this can really bite you in the arse when updating mods via the vortex application's 'update mod" icon if you're not on the same track as dev).

 

It *would be nice to have an annunciator in the mod title if it's for "AE" only