Cleaning mods (TES3cmd, TESPCD, or Enchanted Editor?)

[Murielkai]

Which program should I use to clean GMST's in Morrowind mods? I have read different things and someone said to NOT use the "fix all" command in TES3cmd. Looking for some advice, thanks.

 

Here is a link to one of the tutorials I found with TESPCD and Enchanted Editor: https://moddinginmorrowind.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/modding-tutorials-cleaning-mods/

[Dragon32]

I think the advice on not using "fix all" in tes3cmd is a mistake. Pedantically, there isn't a "fix all" command in tes3cmd but there is the "fixit" switch.

 

I think whoever is giving that advice is confusing tes3cmd with TESTool. TESTool has a "Just Fix It" button.

 

Do not use "Just Fix It"

 

TESTool's "Just Fix It" generates a "Merged_Dialogues.esp" plugin. Similar in idea to its more successful "Merged_Objects.esp" plugin. Unfortunately, "Merged_Dialogues.esp" breaks things (like quests). So its use is not recommended.

 

That's why people say not to use Just Fix It.

 

I would say:

If you're comfortable with the command line: use tes3cmd

If you prefer a GUI: Use TESTool

 

If using TESTool I would recommend enabling the options to "Restrict Dialogue Cleaning" and "Restrict Cell Cleaning"

 

You can use a third party editor (like Enchanted Editor, TESAME, MWEdit) to clean out mods of GMSTs. But what if that mod intentionally changes a GMST? Are you confident enough in identifying the evil GMSTs and leaving the intentional changes, and what if a mod changes one of the evil GMSTs intentionally? GMSTs are game setting and mods do change them on purpose.

 

I haven't cleaned a mod with TESPCD in years.

 

 

More on GMSTs:

GMST Contamination on UESP

What the hell is a GMST? on Argent's Morrowind Tech.

[Murielkai]

I am trying out Enchanted Editor atm, I created a "test" mod because there seem to be the same 72 dirty GMST's in most of the uncleaned mods I download. Using the test mod as a basis for what to delete I started going through my mods. So far only a few older mods have issues with GMST's. Encumbrance Increaser, Maxed Out Atrributes, and a few others were bad, I just opened up my test mod to see the 72 dirty GMST's that all of these mods shared and went down the list deleting those GMST's from the other mods except there necessary changes. After testing it in game that seems to work... so far. The mods with more or less than 72 GMST's seem to be the ones to check carefully.

 

What other errors, other than GMST's, are there to look for? I know wrye mash can fix bad references with the "fix refs" command. And there are dialogue errors but are they really something to look out for or can they be ignored?

[Thor2]

Every time I want to use Enchanted Editor, it keeps saying that FM20.dll has not been activated then CTDs! What can I do to get it running properly?

[Dragon32]

Every time I want to use Enchanted Editor, it keeps saying that FM20.dll has not been activated then CTDs! What can I do to get it running properly?

Try this - https://sourceforge.net/projects/vb6extendedruntime/

[abot]

1. testool clean with the "Restrict Dialogue Cleaning" and "Restrict Cell Cleaning" on as described if you don't know exactly what you are doing.

(some cleaning is the same/overlaps as with tes3cmd clean, but 10 times faster so better run this first to ease work for tes3cmd with big mods)

2. tes3cmd clean (it is integrated also in a couple Mash.exe versions menus if you don't like command tools)

 

safe, repeatable automatic cleaning, each tool can sometines clean some things that the other one cannot.

 

In any case, handcleaning GMSTs is nonsense IMO as you can do it automatically

 

Oh, and Mash fix references does not always solve the reference problems, it just deletes references no more pointing to something (e.g. a mod was moving/replacing a window, reference to that window is no more valid, reference is deleted, still window does not move in game)

you usually need both the old and new version of the mod and the updaters procedure to upgrade mods correctly when references change (e.g. refrence to moved window is remapped correctly to the new mod version, window move as planned in game)

Edited October 23, 2017 by abot

[criminalboy]

Hi abot -

This is an old post, so I'm not sure if you're still following this thread, but quick question about this post above...

 

Where you said "Oh, and Mash fix references does not always solve the reference problems, it just deletes references no more pointing to something (e.g. a mod was moving/replacing a window, reference to that window is no more valid, reference is deleted, still window does not move in game)

you usually need both the old and new version of the mod and the updaters procedure to upgrade mods correctly when references change (e.g. refrence to moved window is remapped correctly to the new mod version, window move as planned in game)"... my question is what is the "updaters procedure" to use to upgrade mods? Are you just referring to directions that the mod creator gives if you need to update their mod to a new version that they've posted, or is this something else that you can do with an editor?

 

Thanks and have a good one :smile:

[Dragon32]

Hi abot -

This is an old post, so I'm not sure if you're still following this thread, but quick question about this post above...

 

Where you said "Oh, and Mash fix references does not always solve the reference problems, it just deletes references no more pointing to something (e.g. a mod was moving/replacing a window, reference to that window is no more valid, reference is deleted, still window does not move in game)

you usually need both the old and new version of the mod and the updaters procedure to upgrade mods correctly when references change (e.g. refrence to moved window is remapped correctly to the new mod version, window move as planned in game)"... my question is what is the "updaters procedure" to use to upgrade mods? Are you just referring to directions that the mod creator gives if you need to update their mod to a new version that they've posted, or is this something else that you can do with an editor?

 

Thanks and have a good one :smile:

Hey Criminalboy, abot's referring to Wrye's steps on Using an Updated Version of a Mod

[criminalboy]

Great, thanks Dragon32, I appreciate the help.

 

I'll definitely check that out. :)