Load Order

[eLucifer]

What is it? What is it for? Is it necessary? What do I do with it? How to do it?

[phoneyLogic]

The load order gives the engine a "priority" of each mod.

 

It's a little complicated to explain.

You have two different mod types in your loader: esm (Masterfiles) and esp (Plugins).

Masterfiles are "original sources". They technically can stand alone and they are able to modify each other,

Plugins on the other hand are only able to modify contents of Masterfiles.

 

-> That's why the generally load order gives a higher priority to masterfiles

---> So masterfiles always need to be loaded first.

 

Another reason is the "logical order of the content" which needs to be loaded.

-> the Fallout.esm is the "most original base file". It always needs to be loaded in the very first place. It is the "oldest" file as well, so it logically would have the oldest time stamp. Every other mod adds or modifies sth around the Fallout.esm

--> the Fallout.esm has the highest prioity

----> its the "oldest Mod" released with October 2008, so it has the oldes "time stamp"

(with time stamp I mean the file attribute which shows date and time of the file when it has been changed, not the date of creation.)

 

 

===> around the needs of the" logical priority" and "overwrites of records" the load order has to be built:

• masterfiles have a higher priority than plugins
  
• the logical order of modified content (imagine "b" changes (overwrites) "a", so "a" needs to be loaded first)
  

 

The load order itself is handeld by engine based on the spoken time stamp of each master or plugin while loading up the game.

 

Normally the Fallout masterfile (Fallout.esm) is the oldest "mod" which has been released (on October 2008)

All further mods should have more recent time stamps and so on. All would work dandy, but since mod creators update their mods and since they use a bunch of other mods they built on, since Modders use FOMM (yes, changing time stamps with FOMM and uploading it can cause isues for people who don't do so) ... and at least because not every system time is set correctly :biggrin: ... it has become necessary to define the load order.

 

And to define a load order, you need to set a certain time stamp. :teehee:

This is exactly how FOMM or other Tools for Mod sorting work. They just give new time stamps, so that the files get another priority in the load order.

 

There are some more specific things you'd need to pay attention, but this is basicly the "trick" with the load order.

 

 

(one may correct me if I'm wrong)

 

 

I recomment to use a mod sorter like BOSS 4 Fallout 3

Edited July 9, 2010 by tortured Tomato

[eLucifer]

Uh, can I just like, show you which mods I got?

[phoneyLogic]

Uh, can I just like, show you which mods I got?

Sooo ... you wasn't really interested in an answer?

Despide of the saying "There are no stupid questions" you actually proofed the opposite :blush:

 

You should use a load order sorter.

It's the simpliest way to achieve a stable load order.

[eLucifer]

Ok, I'll try that. Which load order sorter would you recommend?

[phoneyLogic]

Ok, I'll try that. Which load order sorter would you recommend?

 

I recomment to use a mod sorter like BOSS 4 Fallout 3