Mod Catalogue Structure

[Moire]

Many people who upload mods put them into a catalogue with the mod's name, for example if I download a mod called DMC Stylish and unpack it I get a folder called DMC Stylish where the actual files are located. But that method just makes it harder for people. So please next time you release a mod, consider putting the files as they would go into the data folder. If you have to reinstall the game it is very cumbersome to install 200+ mods when you can't unpack directly into that folder and have to move all the files manually and then delete the leftover folder. Let's say you have made an armor mod. Then the structure should look like this when you open the rar/zip file:

 

Meshes/

Textures/

MyEpicArmor.esp

 

Not very hard is it? A minimum effort on your part can save a lot of frustration for others. :)

[WastelandAssassin]

well, many of the mods do go to sub-folders

like Data -> Meshes -> mod name

or things like that

but sometimes it really helps if it just goes as a new folder inside the Data folder

this way, if you want to remove the mod, it's just the plugin and the folder, and no need to search for the files to remove (and you have to consider that most people won't like to have to search for many folders, if they want to remove the mod)

 

so it goes both ways, and you can't say that one way is better than the other

so let the modders choose how to do it, and trust that they know what is best for us :)

[Smooth613]

And this is why you never manually install mods and instead use an installer, or repack mods to your liking. I use BAIN and only have to repack mods once, it's really not that hard. In reality I don't have to repack many mods at all. BAIN will install most mods 'out of the box'. I just prefer to repack them to a structure of subfolders to utilize complex BAIN packages. Like the structure you just mentioned would work just fine with BAIN. i.e. MyModName\Core files go here, meshes, etc... will be recognized properly.

[Moire]

I only install mods that doesn't have obmm support manually because it's faster than converting them or reorganizing the file structure but well, I guess people do as they like. Is BAIN better than OBMM and is it easy to use?

[Smooth613]

You say it's faster to manually install them. Well wait until you have overlaps, or conflicts, and don't know which mod they are coming from. Or need to completely remove a mod that had 1000+ resource files such as meshes and textures. Good luck manually removing all of those files without making mistakes or causing other errors because you didn't replace a previously overwritten file. Trust me on this, manual installation is the absolute sloppiest and unorganized method of installation. You'll only create problems and headaches.

 

Bain is much like a manual installation except it keeps track of everything and shows you overrides, file overlaps, underrides, mismatched files, etc... etc... You also have the ability to shuffle your installation order around, much like you can with a Load Order. Saying it's easy would be subjective. Something I think is easy you may consider difficult, and vice verse. However I will say that yes, I do think it's easy after you understand how the file structure works. There is also no need for special file extensions. BAIN recognizes and installs directly from archives, such as .7z RAR and .zip. It gives you near total control of your installation. I can install and remove hundreds of mods containing tens of thousands of files in a matter of minutes. And when I remove these additional files that may have overwrote a previous version, BAIN will "rewind", so to speak, to the previous files so there is no missing resources.

 

I strongly encourage everyone to use Wrye Bash and it's BAIN method of installation. It's leaps and bounds above the competition, if you can even call it competition. And with the latest release, v291, it now handles .dll files which was about the only file extension it wouldn't handle before. So now I have only one need for OBMM, and that's BSA unpacking and repacking, otherwise I don't touch it. I'm not bashing OBMM but it's just far to simplistic and it's lack of functions turn me away from the utility. It doesn't meet my needs for mod management, which Wrye Bash does, and then some.

 

Here are a couple of threads at BethSoft by Psymon that greatly cover how BAIN works. There is also plenty of examples so it's easy to follow. Again, trust me, it's much easy and less time consuming to rearrange your archives once than doing it over and over every time you need to reinstall or update Oblivion or Mods themselves.

 

BAIN - An Understanding - Originally a response, by me, to another users questions about BAIN. The pics are slightly dated, but they get the point across nonetheless.

 

Wrye Bash Pictorial Guide for Newbies - By alt3rn1ty. An excellent introduction to Wrye Bash and its' many features.

 

BAIN Mod Installation Projects - Comprehensive instructions from beginner to advanced - By Pysmon.

 

Custom BAIN Projects - By Psymon

Edited December 8, 2010 by Smooth613

[DarthBudda420]

Did they pull 291??

 

I can't find it I know they were saying they were gonna release it soon???

[Smooth613]

Nope, it's currently released as a "Beta" to be safe and hasn't been fully released to the public yet. If you want to download and try it you need to look in the Official Wrye Bash Thread at the BethSoft Forums. Keep in mind it's currently tagged as Beta.