WITCHER 3 - MODS LOAD ORDER

[Phaz42]

The name as it is shown in the Load Order screen could (should imo) just be the regular mod name. That's just more user friendly. But how it's written to the mods.settings file, it should use the directory name of the mod.

[el0quenz]

All mods related to the DLC folder are not in the load order anymore, even though they were written into the mod.settings file. It worked without problem before, but something was updated (Witcher Extension 1.6.5). 

It's very hard to manage mods now in regards to load order, hopefully that can be fixed.

 

EDIT: If I use the mod.settings file I had setup before, which had some DLC mods in the beginning, middle, and end of the load order, and load up Vortex, it rewrites the mod.settings file and puts all related DLC mods at the end of the LO with the same priority number. They still don't appear in the LO in Vortex. It's just very weird.

 

 

[SP3CNAZ]

DLC folders do not matter in the load order for The Witcher 3, they simply should not be there.

Vortex should only mark folders starting with: 'modABCD' to the loading order (mods.settings)

Edited July 30 by SP3CNAZ

[insomnious]

Morning @SP3CNAZ (and others),

We have completed a few more tweaks to the extension following your feedback and are ready to get them to you. I did want to query some of the assumptions as, like most modding, it's not an exact science and development patterns come about quite organically - some of which are technically correct but not necessarily what the user is expecting. The reverse of this can be true as well and we are always aiming for things to be as a user expects as that avoids confusion.

I did want to ask about what you said regarding "DLC folders do not matter in the load order for The Witcher 3, they simply should not be there." . There are numerous mods on Nexus that only come with a dlc folder (like this one, this one and this one) and, as far as we are aware, do need to be or can be part of the load order. The old load order (before we refreshed the extension) also did this.

While refreshing the extension, we did (maybe incorrectly) allow the ordering of separate mod and dlc folders if they are contained within the same mod. The update we are thinking of pushing removes this ability, and so will work like:

• If dlcSomeModName mod doesn't also have a regular modSomeModName, it will still be written to the LO file as dlcSomeModName.
• If dlcSomeModName does have a modSomeModName counterpart, then only the modSomeModName will appear in the load order.

Any thoughts and\or examples would be appreciated so that we can get to the bottom of exactly what you need. If you'd prefer a more real-time conversation, you can message me on Discord, username is .insomnious

Thanks

insomnious

[SP3CNAZ]

THAT'S HOW:

• If dlcSomeModName mod doesn't also have a regular modSomeModName, then Vortex doesn't add it to the loading order and mods.settings file.

and

• If dlcSomeModName does have a modSomeModName counterpart, then only the modSomeModName will appear in the load order and mods.settings file.

 

 

Edited July 30 by SP3CNAZ

[el0quenz]

I don't have a horse in this race, I guess, but why would you want to remove DLC-folder mods entirely from the LO? The mods mentioned by insomnious are a good example. So for my understanding, this way still sounds like the best one: 

• Quote

  If dlcSomeModName mod doesn't also have a regular modSomeModName, it will still be written to the LO file as dlcSomeModName.

   

 In turn, you have full transparency in the Vortex Load Order. That simply sounds like the best solution, why hide mods that are dlcSomeModName (only have a dlc folder, but are still mods), like Lore friendly black and white dress for Yennefer packed as DLC (packed as DLC by munchyfly version).

[SP3CNAZ]

@el0quenz

That's because they don't matter so why should they mix with other mods that actually need to be set in the proper loading order.

As for me it's enough that you make sure the dlc is installed and not that it shows up in the LO tab.

[Phaz42]

I'm not 100% sure if the game uses priorities set for DLC folders. I believe they are ignored. This is partly based on:

• I have several backups of my mods.settings file from the past, all generated by Vortex. One is from June 2023, where I have multiple mods installed containing both a DLC and a mod folder. However, the mods.settings file only lists the mod folders with priorities. This has never caused problems and also suggests Vortex ignored DLC folders previously.
• There's a mods.settings file uploaded to Nexus with nearly 700 mods, many with DLC parts. Again, only the mod folders are listed in the settings file.

Considering this, I propose the following functionality:

• Mods in the Load Order screen are displayed using the mod's "friendly" name followed by the mod folder name in parentheses. For example: "Brothers In Arms (modBrothersInArms)". This improves clarity as mod folder names can be unclear or abbreviated. Including the mod folder name allows individual ordering of multiple mod folders within a single mod archive (like Random Encounters Reworked).
• DLC folders are entirely ignored and not shown in the Load Order screen or added to the mods.settings file.
• Crucially, each item in the mods.settings file should have a unique priority.

Alternatively:

• DLC folders could be displayed as individual items in the Load Order screen, like "Brothers In Arms (dlcBrothersInArms)". They could then be prioritized individually, while maintaining unique priorities for all items in the mods.settings file.

[Phaz42]

7 minutes ago, SP3CNAZ said:

@el0quenz

That's because they don't matter so why should they mix with other mods that actually need to be set in the proper loading order.

As for me it's enough that you make sure the dlc is installed and not that it shows up in the LO tab.

Are you 100% sure that prio's for dlc folders are ignored by the game?

[el0quenz]

8 minutes ago, Phaz42 said:

Are you 100% sure that prio's for dlc folders are ignored by the game?

No, I am not. I have always believed they were not ignored. I had no idea that they were meaningless and essentially ignored the load order. I had mod.settings files from Nexus that included dlcModName's and they had their own priority which in turn made me think it's important which position they have in the LO.

So I don't know. I guess if they are ignored anyway, it wouldn't be that bad if they were not shown in the LO anymore. 

You guys seem to know a lot more about this issue.

 

EDIT: Woops, I think you pinged @SP3CNAZ. I got a ping and just answered. Apologies