Not understanding FWE's installation guide.

[yunage]

I've been idling around around trying to fix this for the last five hours or so. If you've seen this thread on Bethsoft's forums then please don't shoot me. The messenger just wants to play a game.

 

Anyways. I decided to give Wanderer's Edition a go, since it's all the craze in New Vegas (and I haven't bought NV yet). However, the installation guide has me a bit confused about certain steps, so I need some help.

 

I have never used a Mod Manager before, not for Morrowind or Oblivion. Now it seems that I have to and the installation guide on FWE's site assumes that I know how things work.

 

Please follow the install instructions carefully:

 

1. Download FWE and save it to your harddrive.

.. but never mind the fact there are three different files?

 

- FWE_Master_Release_6-0_-_Part_1-2671

- FWE_Master_Release_6-0_-_Part_2-2671

- FWE_6-03a_HOTFIX_PATCH-2761

 

Sure, ok. Nothing in the documentation tells me if the hotfix is included in the Master Release, or if the hotfix is only needed if you're upgrading from an older build. I threw my lucky dice and decided that it was not included! Moving on.

2. Ensure that FOMM and FOSE (Fallout Script Extender) are up-to-date and properly installed.

Trickier than I thought it would be, but done.

3. Launch FOMM and choose the "package manager" option.

You got it!

4. Select the "Add New" option and browse to and select the Full Package file you downloaded. Once you have selected the file, it may take a few minutes to build the FOMOD package.

Uh.. what button is that? Okay, there's a few possibilities there, but nothing overly obvious. Let's check out 'Add FOMod' instead. New window!

...

But there are three files, like I mentioned in the beginning? And apparently I can click on all of them? The installation guide mentions 'the file' so I'm assuming I'm not doing this right. Fine, let's start with part one.

...

Oh wait, I can do this for all of them. And now.. the second one is suddenly called.. Part 2 Assets? The installation guide doesn't mention anything about any assets. This can't be right. Maybe the archives are supposed to be extracted first before I do anything with FOMOD? But then I just get a bunch of normal mod files and such, nothing specific. Err.. I don't like this, this is too confusing. I need help! =/

 

 

 

(Parts I didn't get to: )

5. Once the FWE package shows up in the list of packages, activate it.

6. Adjust the load order (see load order section below) of loaded mods according to the suggested load order guide (below) in FOMM (or another load-order tool).

7. Be sure to enable both the FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm and FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp file, as well as any of the DLC support files.

8. Turn on any desired optional files as well.

9. You will need to install + launch "Archive Invalidation Invalidated" or use the version included in FOMM or another utility.

10. Launch fallout via FOSE (using FOMM or running the FOSE launcher directly).

 

After that there is a short paragraph on 'patch' merging that I don't fully understand.

If you are using any of the DLC's (or really any other mods alongside FWE) you will need to create a "merged" patch using FO3Edit. A merged patch combines certain criticial records (i.e. FormLists) to ensure proper functionality across your load order. Please refer to the FWE FAQ page for detailed instructions on creating a merged patch.

First of all it seems to involve patches, not mods. Or I am supposed to mod patches? I can't tell, and it adds to the confusion. Well, I have Broken Steel and The Pit and I do want to play two or three additional mods, but nothing that hasn't been approved by FWE creators. But does it actually suggest I should merge 3rd party with officially released content? Sounds a little weird. I never had to do anything like that in Oblivion or Morrowind.

[proconsu1]

Okey dokey, you are getting bit by both the jargon beastie and the assumption bug. Modders always tend to think you already know their jargon, and they tend to assume that you are an experienced user of the same tools they use, hence jargon and assumptions tend to be the biggest hurdles to overcome in trying to read and follow the instructions they write for their mods. Sigh. OK, first the jargon:

 

1. Mod - a set of unofficial, after-market files that adds or changes the look and/or gameplay aspects of the game. FWE is a mod, EVE is a mod, Broken Steel is NOT a mod, since it is official content from Bethesda

 

2. Archive - a compressed file which contains other file(s) within it, e.g. a .zip, .rar or .7z file

 

3. Package - the FOMM term for a set of files along with the basic info that tells FOMM what they are and what to do with them - do not confuse this with the term "mod". A "mod" may consist of several "packages" and your example of FWE is a case in point. More on this in a minute

 

4. FOMOD - a compressed, FOMM-ified package. Basically this is the kind of file FOMM will save and use, and it will construct it from the files in the "package". So "package" and "FOMOD" are almost but not quite interchangeable terms in this context. A "package" is a set of files and information that form some part of a mod - a "FOMOD" is the compressed file FOMM creates to store that package

 

5. Patch - an additional file which is created using either FO3edit or Wyre Flash, and which is intended to help multiple mods cooperate with each other rather than conflict with each other and crash your game. If you only install one mod, then you can generally do just fine without a patch, or "merged patch" as we often say. But if you have more than one mod installed then you should prolly make a merged patch.

 

OK, jargon dealt with, now the specific steps in FOMM:

 

1. Open the "Package Manager" just as you did before.

 

2. On the right hand side the first button should have a little arrow on its right edge. This is because it is a multi-function button. Click the arrow and you should see a list of five different options to choose from. Pick the one that says "Create FOMod".

 

3. Now a window will appear with four areas. The left hand panel is a list of the different types of info the thing wants from you before making the FOMOD; we'll come back to that. The right hand panel is a list of the files that are going to go into the FOMOD - you will be the one who puts things there, so we'll come back to that, too. The empty top bar is where you enter a filename for this FOMOD - coming back to this, as well. The middle panel is a listing of the contents of the archive you downloaded and selected for this FOMOD, for example FWE_Master_Release_6-0_-_Part_1-2671.7z. - that will be our first stop.

 

4. So, you need to select an "archive" for the FOMOD to be built from, in this case the "main" or "primary" or first file that you downloaded for that mod. In your case the file FWE_Master_Release_6-0_-_Part_1-2671.7z. To get that archive selected just click "Add Files..." and browse to wherever you stored that file when you downloaded it, then select it and click "Open". This will put that file into the middle panel, from where you will begin to tell FOMM what to do with it.

 

5. Now is a good time to select a name for the FOMOD in that top name bar. I recommend you include something in the name that will remind you how to handle this FOMOD. In your FWE example you have 3 different downloaded files - that means three different "packages" and hence three different FOMODs. You already put them in the correct order, by the way: Part 1, Part 2 and Hotfix. So when you make the FOMOD from the "Part 1" file, you might want to include a "1" at the end of the filename to remind you that this FOMOD comes first. And put a "2" at the end of the Part 2 FOMOD and a "3" at the end of the Hotfix FOMOD. This way when it comes time to activate these FOMODs you will immediately see the order in which they should be activated - 1, 2, 3 - bam, bam, bam.

 

6. Now that the middle panel and the name bar are out of the way, the right panel is the next stop. What FOMM wants you to do now is to drag and drop folders and/or files from the middle panel, aka the "archive", and drop them in the right panel, aka "the package". Whatever you put in that right panel is what FOMM will actually put into the FOMOD, and anything that doesn't end up in there will be left out. So to get back to your example, you see the archive file in that middle panel with a "+" sign next to it, so click on that "+" and it will expand to show you the folders and files inside that archive. You want to drag those folders and files from the middle panel and drop them in the right panel. There are a few gotcha that can crop up at this point, but they do not apply to this FWE file because the mod author did a fair job of setting up this archive to be ready for FOMM. If you run afoul of those gotchas with a different mod, ask then or PM me and I'll help you out with that.

 

7. So now that the files and folders have been dropped into the "package", aka the right panel, we need to deal with the information part of the package, which is the left hand panel. Some of the info there is stuff that FOMM needs, and some is stuff it merely wants but can do without. Now some of the better mod authors will include a special file within the archive that contains a set of instructions, aka a "script", which tells FOMM most or even all of this info for that left hand panel. Also, FOMM will not actually create the FOMOD until it has the info it needs and has given you a chance to skip on the info it merely wants. So go ahead and click "OK" in the lower right as if you were done. Now wait patiently - it will appear as if your computer has locked up. In fact, though, FOMM is just scanning all the files in that archive looking for the script, and then using the script to fill out as much of that info as it can on its own. When it has gone as far as it can go it will stop and put some yellow and/or red warning signs in that left hand panel to draw your attention to info it lacks that it wants and/or needs, respectively. Click over to each of those sections to see what remains. Fill out yellow marked areas if you feel like it, and take care of red-marked areas for sure. When they are all covered, click that same "OK" button a second time. If you have dealt with all the red marked things then the FOMOD will actually be created this time, and you will be returned to the Package Manager window where you will now see the new FOMOD added to the list of mods and ready to be activated.

 

A few notes about the larger process here. First, don't activate a FOMOD until after you have created FOMODs for ALL of the pieces of that mod. In the case of FWE that means don't activate the Part 1 FOMOD until you have already created the FOMODs for Part 2 and the Hotfix and are ready to install the entire mod. Second, make FOMODs for each and every part of a mod, even if one of those parts is just single file that needs to go into some particular folder. By keeping to the system you make sure that you never accidentally forget to install such a file, nor do you forget to UNinstall it if you should decide to remove that mod at a later time - since you installed it from a FOMOD, FOMM will have kept track for you and you won't forget.

 

Third and perhaps most important, in order to get maximum benefit of FOMMs tracking ability, install every single mod you play using FOMODs. Some mods will overwrite files from other mods, or from other components of themselves; that is normal and inevitable if you use large overhaul mods or use several smaller mods. But if you install everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, from FOMODs, then FOMM will always keep track of which files were overwritten by what, and it will keep backups of those overwritten files so that it can put them back if needed. If you install everything from FOMODS, then there is always a way to back out gracefully if something you install creates a conflict. But if you install even one thing manually, then you can break FOMM's ability to do that, because you will have made changes to the game's file structure that FOMM had no way to track.

 

Anyway, good luck, and if you need more help with this or need help with the merged patch bit, give another shout when you reach that point.

[yunage]

Thanks. :)

 

I've been getting a bit of help from the Bethsoft forums, but it's still pretty hazy. It seems I did something right though and your post is telling me why.

 

Currently (I'm moving at a snail's pace today), I am selecting components/plugin. I do have a little question about that. I have to choose between two VATS plugins. VATS Halftime promises to half the animation playback speed, but how is that different from the default setting? It doesn't appear to say in the manual.

[proconsu1]

Re: VATS plugins - not a clue. I never use VATS so I never had a reason to find out one way or the other, even though I use that mod. I would presume that since the two plugins are for half-time and real time that the default without a plugin is more like one-fourth time...ish.

[yunage]

Re: VATS plugins - not a clue. I never use VATS so I never had a reason to find out one way or the other, even though I use that mod. I would presume that since the two plugins are for half-time and real time that the default without a plugin is more like one-fourth time...ish.

 

Okay. I was thinking it might affect the pause-time in VATS as well, but I see I was wrong. Thanks for clearing that up. :)

[yunage]

Ok, quick followup. On clicking on the next button (I guess it read install plugins?) I got a 'confirm overwrite' message, that I thought a little suspicious.

 

"sound/fx/bla/blabla/bla/wpn_rifleassaultg3_fire2d.wav has already been installed by "we_6-03a_hotfix_patch-2761 .. overwrite this file?"

 

I just did something with the hotfix patch, so I doubt something has to be overwritten already so quickly. Was I supposed to add all mods/patches to the package manager before activating them one by one? Sorry if I missed something.. after nine or so hours I get a bit.. dulled.

Edited March 17, 2011 by yunage

[proconsu1]

No prob. First I will list the general order of steps you should follow. Then I will answer that very specific issue with FWE.

 

1. Create a separate FOMOD for each and every downloaded archive of the mod you are going to install.

 

2. When all FOMODs for that mod are created, activate them in what appears to be the best order, i.e. main file(s) first, optional plugins next, patches last.

 

3. If a patch or plugin asks to overwrite one or more files from a main file, let it and don't worry about it. Hotfix files and other versions "patches" commonly replace files that were installed by the original or "main" files of that mod. If a FOMOD asks to overwrite a file that was installed from a completely different mod, make a note of it but still allow it, at least for now. If you later find a problem that seems related to that, then you will have that note reminding you that mod XYZ overwrote files from mod ABC, so maybe you should reverse the order and activate XYZ first this time and then activate ABC and let it do the overwriting. Here is an example:

 

Mod 1 is FWE - mod 2 is EVE - and mod 3 is the FOIP compatibility patch for FWE-EVE. You install mod 1, and you get warnings about several files being overwritten during the install of the later packages of that mod, e.g. the "Part 2" and/or the "Hotfix" components overwriting files placed by "Part 1". As long as you activated in that order, part 1, part 2, hotfix, then don't worry about any overwrites; just approve them all. Next you install mod 2, EVE, and it gives you warnings about two files it wants to overwrite that were installed by FWE - two laserweapon files specifically. Since this is one mod overwriting a different mod, you make a note of it but still allow it to do the overwrites. Then you install mod 3, the FOIP compatibility patch that is designed to make EVE and FWE coexist peacefully. During this install you again get overwrite warnings, and about the same two laser weapon files, saying it wants to overwrite the versions placed there by EVE. Again allow it, and now you probably see why you allowed it. That third mod, meant to make the first two mods work together, was placing the correct versions of those files into your installation because it knew that an overwrite during the original install of those two mods might have put the wrong versions in there.

 

Now let's say there was no compatibility patch for the two mods in question, and after allowing one of them to overwrite the other you find that one or both mods don't work right. Well, just go back to the package manager in FOMM and deactivate BOTH of those mods in their entirety. Then reactivate them, but in the reverse order this time so that the mod that was being overwritten the first time is the mod doing the overwriting the second time. FOMM will already have kept track of what was overwriting what, and it will have kept backup copies of all files that were overwritten and knows when and where to put them back during an uninstall. So don't worry that an overwrite is going to permanently break anything. Just back up and try a different order if the first run didn't work as expected. But always install the files of any particular mod in the correct order, main files, then plugins then patches - the readme files contained within the archives should tell you the order if you cannot figure it out. I hope that made sense, but just in case, here is another example to illustrate:

 

1. When installing multiple mods, for example FWE, EVE and WMK - you might vary the order in which you install whole mods if you have problems. For example you might try that order first, and then if it didn't work right you might switch to install EVE, FWE and the WMK.

 

2. But regardless of where in that order you installed FWE, you would ALWAYS activate "Part 1" first, "Part 2" second and the "Hotfix" third whenever you installed FWE.

 

Edit: forgot to answer that specific deal about the hotfix - it does indeed overwrite stuff from the "main" files. That is why it is called a hotfix - because it is replacing broken and/or bugged files from the original installation archives with "fixed" versions, but is doing so "on the fly", i.e. without having to uninstall and reinstall the whole flippin' mod.

Edited March 17, 2011 by proconsu1

[yunage]

 

3. If a patch or plugin asks to overwrite one or more files from a main file, let it and don't worry about it. Hotfix files and other versions "patches" commonly replace files that were installed by the original or "main" files of that mod. If a FOMOD asks to overwrite a file that was installed from a completely different mod, make a note of it but still allow it, at least for now. If you later find a problem that seems related to that, then you will have that note reminding you that mod XYZ overwrote files from mod ABC, so maybe you should reverse the order and activate XYZ first this time and then activate ABC and let it do the overwriting. Here is an example:

 

Quick reply that. It seems from the message that it is the other way around, something IN the hotfix is being overwritten by something else. I haven't yet added any mods that FWE added itself.

 

Still reading the rest of your last post. I have the feeling I trailed off somewhere and have to restart.

 

All the 3 letter abbreviations are getting to me a bit. :P

Edited March 17, 2011 by yunage

[proconsu1]

 

All the 3 letter abbreviations are getting to me a bit. :P

 

Heh. I was a navy puke once upon a time. Three-letter and four-letter abbreviations were practically their own language then. Need to call COMSUBPAC for a SITREP on the meeting with CINCLANTFLT and NCA? Well, then first you have to figure out what those 9 abbreviations meant - and yes that was 9 abbreviations, not 4. Here I thought I was taking it easy on you.... :pirate:

[yunage]

 

All the 3 letter abbreviations are getting to me a bit. :P

 

Heh. I was a navy puke once upon a time. Three-letter and four-letter abbreviations were practically their own language then. Need to call COMSUBPAC for a SITREP on the meeting with CINCLANTFLT and NCA? Well, then first you have to figure out what those 9 abbreviations meant - and yes that was 9 abbreviations, not 4. Here I thought I was taking it easy on you.... :pirate:

 

Hahaha.. ;)

 

I've decided to quit this 'attempt' for today and restart again tomorrow or Sunday, following your explanation only. I started out following the clues on the installation guide on FWE's website and added a few tips and hints from people at the Bethsoft forums, so things got tangled up a bit. Better luck tomorrow.