How do I install Fallout 4 Creation Kit without overwriting Fallout 4?

[NiftyPower]

I've tried installing the Fallout 4 Creation Kit before, since it seems to be the only way to compile and integrate PEX files for Fallout 4 mods, but the Creation Kit seems to be broken and overwrites files like my preference settings, and I don't know what else.  Is there a good way to install the Creation Kit, mod the Creation Kit until it works well enough, without overwriting and/or disrupting my current Fallout 4 setup?

[SKKmods]

I have installed CreationKit any number of times on clean Fallout4 installs and it has never touched any game settings, configurations or game ini files that I have noticed.

You do need to update some of game ini files yourself to develop and run scripts tho (e.g. [Archive]  bInvalidateOlderFiles=1  and [Papyrus] bEnableLogging=1).

Which files in particular have you seen it touch ?

 

[NiftyPower]

It seems to revert my .ini files to some other state, and I'm not sure what else.

[NiftyPower]

Is there a way to install it for the GOG version, especially for a pre-Next-Gen version (GOG has version control)?

[pepperman35]

Have you tried setting the Fallout 4 ini files to read only?

[NiftyPower]

From what I could tell, Windows says my files were modified, but I couldn't find specific differences, and I used WinMerge to compare backups of the original files to what they were after installation.

[dizietemblesssma]

  On 10/10/2024 at 8:17 PM, NiftyPower said:

Is there a way to install it for the GOG version, especially for a pre-Next-Gen version (GOG has version control)?

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yes because I have the GOG version and use the creation kit.  I seem to remember that I had to obtain a version of the creation kit cotemporal with the GOG version of F4.  In my case that seems to be ver 1.10.162.0, I cannot swear that that is necessary.  I may have got it by using steam to download the creation kit before it updated or perhaps the SteamDepotDownloaderGUI.  I also use Creation Kit Platform Extended for Fallout 4 in my case I'm still use ver 0.3 though the latest version may also be compatible.

Because I use profiles a lot (particularly since FOLON came out) I have on occasion come unstuck with the version of steam_api64.dll that is in the game root folder, the one that is currently there and working with my CK is ver 2.89.45.4.  The one that is put there by the GOG install that is used when I play FOLON has no version and is a different size.  So keep backups.:)

 

diziet

edit:  I should say that I install the creation kit as a mod using Vortex, that way the steam_api64.dll is the appropriate one, BUT I can still launch GOG F4 in my modding profile with the creation kit version of steam_api64.dll, so maybe that is the only version you currently need?

[Zorkaz]

I just installed Creation Kit extended on GOG without the main CK and it works flawlessly.