jUST A DUMB OLD LADY TRYING TO PLAY FALLOUT 4 WITH MODS AND I NEED HELP DESPERATELY

[ladyslair]

i will list my mods here and if someone can bless an old lady who is not tech savvy and has no idea of any of this.................. can  you put these mods in load order?  please..  i would be so incredibly grateful for your assistance...

unofficial fallout 4 patch  [UFO4P] VERSION 40

[XB1] The Master Plan  version 17 with update additional SLR support

The Cheat Bunker: All-in-One   version 10

this includes The Cheat Bunker v.1.10.0 [AIO], Automatron package v 1.5.0, , wasteland workshop package v. 1.2.0, far harbor package v 1.5.0, Contraptions package v. 1.4.0,  vault-tec package v 1.4.0, Nuka-world package v 1.5.0

So with this cheat bunker, i do have all the dlc's already in game, i think that might be a problem,

other mods like k-9 back pack and creation club stuff i have no way of working with the load order

i also have cabin in the woods and adobe house and the skyrim power armor and the jet pack ring, and some that add things like furniture and the kitchen stuff like new

can any one help me understand what an esm and esl and all the file types are and maybe some examples of what would exactly would fit in those groups.  thanks a ton   i will keep checking back to see if i have any help....

ms. dana'e

[AndalayBay]

Just use LOOT to sort your load order.

[363rdChemicalCompany]

Ypou did not mention which mod Organizer you use? Vortex or MMO or?

If you dont use one yet its infinitely harder to do it all manually.

[Frogzilla82]

.esm has a limit of 255 mods.  esl allows you go go over that amount. As one person said use a mod manager, Vortex or MMO.

some mods like this one, usually goes at the end of the list. Its usually in the instructions on how to load it.

Previsibines Repair Pack Stable Branch - PRP

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/46403?tab=files

If a mod is having issues, either move it down on the list to fix it.  Some mods used by others, go up in the list. If everything is working, go by the old saying, "if it's not broke, don't fix it". 

[363rdChemicalCompany]

1 hour ago, Frogzilla82 said:

.esm has a limit of 255 mods.  esl allows you go go over that amount. As one person said use a mod manager, Vortex or MMO.

some mods like this one, usually goes at the end of the list. Its usually in the instructions on how to load it.

Previsibines Repair Pack Stable Branch - PRP

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/46403?tab=files

If a mod is having issues, either move it down on the list to fix it.  Some mods used by others, go up in the list. If everything is working, go by the old saying, "if it's not broke, don't fix it". 

IMHO PRP is something for power users since it requries so much care and so many pacthes depending on other Mods.

I do not recommend it for noobs and I wouldnt  have said anything, if the OP wasnt a self identified noob.

I dont even bother with it and I have 5000 hrs in the game

[AndalayBay]

8 hours ago, 363rdChemicalCompany said:

IMHO PRP is something for power users since it requries so much care and so many pacthes depending on other Mods.

I do not recommend it for noobs and I wouldnt  have said anything, if the OP wasnt a self identified noob.

I dont even bother with it and I have 5000 hrs in the game

Thank you for that! I heard about PRP and read the mod description and couldn't figure out if I needed it or not. I saw something about improving performance or fixing missing meshes. Well my fps has been great and I've had no flickers or missing meshes, so I figured I didn't need it.

[fraquar]

#1:  .ESM is a Master Plug In.    It's what the game was created with.    It loads before everything else.   In the original game aspect - these mods are MEANT to be overwritten - hence why they load first.    What overwrites them - well that is your choice.   

#2:  .ESL.   A file that has an .ESL extension is a Master File that load in separate memory space (but is still considered an .ESM - and must load first before everything else except .ESM's).  TBH, you shouldn't see these as they aren't sortable - they have to load high.   People making .ESL's to try to circumvent the 254 .ESP/.ESM limit are essentially doing a disservice.    If it's that important to be a Master file (which by default is meant to be overwritten) - it should be an .ESM.   The ONLY mod I know of which comes as an .ESL that makes any sense is a mod that no user would interact with/change.   Canary Save File Monitor.    That allows other mods to know if their mod did something that was the cause of a save file error.   To the casual gamer - it serves no purpose unless you have a mod that can leverage what it offers.

#3:  .ESP.  A lot of plugins come in this format.   You are limited to 254 plugins (and .ESM's - including the base game files) count towards this limit.   If you intend on having a metric $4iT ton of mods - there simply isn't enough room to load them with that limit.   Hence, you resort to #4 below.

#4:  .ESP (with .ESL tag).   Normally, you have no idea if that mod has an .ESL tag (it should have an .ESP extension) unless you use a Mod Manager that shows you (usually through italics or a memory prefix) or the mod author tells you it is.   Typically the term is ESLified.    This loads the mod in a separate memory space as .ESM/.ESP mods and allows you to circumvent the 254 mod limit.

----

If you've reached a full understanding of that - then know the game also has a .BA2 limit, it also uses the .BA2 format to improve loading performance of "loose files" and that simply extracting .BA2's to loose files to circumvent the limit is still degrading your performance.   

[MZO]

On 11/5/2024 at 1:28 AM, AndalayBay said:

Just use LOOT to sort your load order.

LOOT runs off a masterlist. Said masterlist is outdated for Fallout 4, making LOOT redundant. Besides even if it was working, there is no tool that gives you a magic "fix my mods" button.

[AndalayBay]

It also uses heuristics, so it's not completely reliant on a master list. It's a start for someone struggling to get going. It's still being maintained, with an update at the beginning of the month. Don't know about the master list.

[TenaciousDSquare]

The LOOT game-masterlists are updated frequently with the latest Fallout 4 update being yesterday according to LOOT's Discord.