Question about Steam Updates

[FluidFire]

OK Quick question about how Steam applies updates.

 

I run multiple "data" directories, as follows:

 

Data < the one I mod in / use mods in / play in, unpacked

Data_Orig < the "clean" vanilla install, still packed

Data_Mod < test install, unpacked - I test my mod installations here to see if I missed anything

 

When Steam updates, does it change files in the Data directory? I.e. if I get a Steam update, then rename data to data_current, and rename data_mod to data, will I have inadvertantly reverted myself to an old version of the game???

[dieangel68]

I don't think you should worry about steam updates on this game, all the official data is sitting in it's own esm and bsa files. And i have yet to see a steam update remove third party files.

[blove]

...When Steam updates, does it change files in the Data directory? I.e. if I get a Steam update, then rename data to data_current, and rename data_mod to data, will I have inadvertantly reverted myself to an old version of the game???

 

Yes, I believe you will have. Now whether or not Steam tries to update those files automatically when you are in online mode, I have no idea. The best practice would be FOMODs and keep it clean but that is hard sometimes when you are tweaking the small stuff like I know you do.

[FluidFire]

What I'm concerned with, is I typically use my normal data directory for everything - playing, modding, etc. I kept an original unaltered version in case I ever screw something up so bad, to avoid having to reinstall (good thing, I had to do this very thing last week).

 

The third copy is used only when I go to test the installers of my mods. I swap out the "working" data directory I normally use for a clean one so I can see if I get all the textures, meshes, sounds, etc included in my release candidate build. But, if Steam updates the data files in my working data directory, I'd be swapping old ones in for my testing. Which may someday lead to a condition where I'm tearing my hair out over why in the heck something ain't working, or the game crashes, when it's just a version problem...

 

So it doesn't really matter whether I'm using FOMOD or distributing an archive... the potential problem is in testing prior to the release. And whether I'm going to baffle steam or the FalloutNV exe by throwing an old (original) version of the data files in there for testing.

 

Make any sense? Maybe there's a better way to do it, or maybe it is a non-issue and I won't ever run in to problems. Dunno.

[blove]

I keep as many as eight directories for playtesting with FO3 and FOOK2 1.1 Beta 2 (vanilla, vanilla with tools, FOOK2 general release, FOOK2 internal builds, compatibility testing, etc., and over course a full-blown currently playing). Keep a clean vanilla data directory and only steam update that directory. Copy that directory then paste it and overwrite to your other data directories. Unless you are editing vanilla files or overriding loose vanilla files you should not have any problems. This should keep you from having to update each of your working directories individually.