Heads up when using Mod Organizer and STEP...

[Cryovolcano]

So, it seems that Mod Organizer acts a little strange when you download multiplie mods from the same Nexus-page. For example, when there is severeal mods for textures (weapons, armors etc.) which make you download several packages, Mod Organizer assume that the name is the same as the first mod you download, even when installing the second mod pack and so on. This sometimes lead to problems, when you aren't focused you suddenly see that Mod Organizer ask if you want to "Merge" or "Replace" the mod with the other, because you already have it. (but you don't, but since Mod Organizer named the second mod the same as the first, it assumes it's the same...)

 

I've now installed over 100 mods, and I think i've made this mistake a few times now... I really hope I haven't screwed anything up :(

 

Anyone now what happens if you merge folders? For example, amidianborn book of Silence Armors with Weapons folder?

[Xander9009]

Mods that you install using Mod Organizer are placed in folders. Each mod has its own folder. When you merge them, they're installed to the same folder. So just like if you were to install the mods directly to your Data folder, any files already there when you install a mod that replaces those files will do just that: replace them. There's actually a benefit to merging mods if you know you'll always use them together: they appear as one mod in your mod list which will activate/deactivate everything in that folder together.

 

For aMidianBorn, specifically, I intentionally merged everything from it because I always play with them enabled unless I'm testing something that requires it be disabled. So, there's no point in having it take up 4 or more rows when I'll always enable/disable them together. I merged them, so now Mod Organizer thinks they're the same mod.

 

Your only problems would arise if you installed, say, two different setups of Headbomb's Better Sorting. Say you have one setup with pseudo-vanilla soul gems and one with completely changed soul gems. Those esps will conflict. But Mod Organizer will enable them together when you enable the mod at all. So, you'd have to manually disable one.

 

Anyway, installing a mod just extracts the contents to a folder with the name you specify as the mod's name. They're in your "Mods" folder in your MO installation folder. So, naming multiple mods as the same name and merging them will put them all in the same folder (newer ones overwrite older ones). If they're made to work together (like book of silence), there's no problem. If they conflict with one another (like different versions of mod where you're supposed to choose just one), you'll have to manually fix it (probably by going into the folder and deleting the file, or opening the information tab in MO, going to the Data tab and deleting the extra files there, and then reinstalling the second mod with a new name).

[Cryovolcano]

Thanks a lot for the answer. When you don't really know what you're doing, stuff like that can really freak you out. But everything turned out well, for now I guess. I've started a new game with a lot of mods (using STEP) installed. Thanks again, you really cleared some things up for me about Mod Organizer!

[Dp1983]

My advice is to learn the data structure of Skyrim so you can undertsand exactly what the program is doing. Once you have done that if you have any questions or doubts you can you can right click a mod folder or folders within Mod Organizer and go to "Open in Explorer". Then you open your mod archive in a seperate window and double check to make sure it installed correctly. You should know how to do this anyway in case a mod doesn't come with an installer and you need to add or remove any files.

 

Also, MO doesn't care if your mod is in one folder or a hundred folders. Every file gets added into the emulated data structure. So those files are essentially being merged anyway. A merge physically merges the files and the other copies are destroyed. This just means you can't modify the file priority within that single mod without reinstalling the mod. It also means install order is important. However unless you understood how MO's file structure system worked than install order was probably important for you anyway.

 

Bottom line I recommend learning what you are doing. Learn the Skyrim file structure and learn the MO file structure.

 

 

Some tips:

 

1. Look at the Priority in MO to see which folder in MO has priorty. Look at the flags to see what files are being overwritten.

2. To gain more control over file priority go to Archives and check all the .bsa. This lets all the files in that bsa follow the priorty order designated in MO. That's normally a good thing. Note that this makes priorty even more important to manage in case a mod auther assumed he could rely on his loose files having priorty. You have to look and make sure the files you want are overwritting other files. I usually set my file priorty to the same as my load order and then adjust things based on what I see. I usually let mods I care about more take priorty or if I know some particular information about compatibility between mods I take that information into account. It's like messing with your load order but more detailed.

 

I love MO by the way. Such a great program.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Dp1983