Merging Plugins

[Loxly]

Yesterday, I merged several plugins I downloaded from here, and other than a few Level Lists needing to be adjusted, it worked fine. Today however, I merged a few more into a new plugin and it is requiring the merged files as Masters where yesterday's merge doesn't.

 

The only thing I can think of, and I just thought of this as I'm typing, is that today's merged file doesn't have any Level Lists in it.

 

Is this a possibility? I'm not home to check.

 

Thanks.

[Cameron71]

I can't answer the question but what program did you use to merge mods? I used using Xedit and FO4edit didn't have that capability yet. or has that changed?

[Loxly]

FO4Edit with a Merge Script. I think the script was from Skyrim. And, isn't FO4Edit just TES5Edit renamed?

 

But, like a said, it worked for plugins with Level Lists but not with ones without them.

[RustyXXL]

a) xEdit is called xEdit, because the x can be replaced by either FO3, FNV, Tes4, Tes5 or FO4, depending on what you need it for. It's the same executeable in all cases (if the download is the same version, that is).

 

b) 99.9% of the time I don't use any scripts for merging but do it manually, because none of the scripts really worked to well, for the amount of merging I had to do., so I really can't tell you anything about your script. But there are a few changes in the fo4 record structure, so first make sure that the script even works properly. Check back what the author says etc and make sure the script is even capable of making proper merges for FO4, especially because you mentioned that it is written for Skyrim.

 

c) I ran into xEdit not being able to remove masters some time ago. this probably was a couple of versions back, and might be fixed already, but make sure your fo4edit is up to date, and that issue doesn't exist in your version, otherwise no manual or scripted version using the conventional merging process will work right, as they all work by first adding masters and removing them at the end.

[EmissaryOfWind]

Open your plugin in xEdit and check the records you added for anything that points to the masters you're trying to remove, and change it to the copy that's in your new plugin. Then right-click the name of your plugin > Clean masters, and click header to check the list of masters. If they're still there, you missed something, keep looking.

Edited April 27, 2016 by EmissaryOfWind

[Loxly]

Open your plugin in xEdit and check the records you added for anything that points to the masters you're trying to remove, and change it to the copy that's in your new plugin. Then right-click the name of your plugin > Clean masters, and click header to check the list of masters. If they're still there, you missed something, keep looking.

1] No records need the other .esps. In testing, I merged to two very small esps that changed a total of three records, all of which were overrides of records in Fallout4.esm

 

2] Looking at the Header for this new esp only has Fallout4.esm is listed. This is before using Clear Masters. And Clearing Masters doesn't do anything.

[EmissaryOfWind]

Well if that's the case, then you only have Fallout4.esm as a master, so what's the problem?

[Loxly]

Well if that's the case, then you only have Fallout4.esm as a master, so what's the problem?

 

The script FO4Edit uses to merge the esps says it has added the original esps as Masters though they are not listed in the Header.

 

The game CTDs as if a mod has an Master File reference for a file not there.

 

If I leave the original esps in the Load Order with the new "Merged" mod, the game loads fine.

[RustyXXL]

The script merges by adding the masters, copying the original records, potentially renumbering them, and then removing the masters. If the Script worked fine there shouldn't be any ctds. If there are CTDs then something didn't work right with this process, and you should contact the author. If you are lucky he does care about fo4, if you are unlucky he doesn't care about it, and you'll have to look for another solution, but making the second step before the first is counterproductive, because the author knows his script best, and knows best what could be going wrong.

Also it could still be the issue with removing/sorting masters that xEdit had, in that case you can see the xedit github issues/comments if there is a fix in the works, if it's already fixed or if its unknown etc.

In any case that method of merging always had it's fair share of problems attached even in skyrim. now using that same script cross games sounds like a potential for a whole world of pain...

[Aeradom]

a) xEdit is called xEdit, because the x can be replaced by either FO3, FNV, Tes4, Tes5 or FO4, depending on what you need it for. It's the same executeable in all cases (if the download is the same version, that is).

 

b) 99.9% of the time I don't use any scripts for merging but do it manually, because none of the scripts really worked to well, for the amount of merging I had to do., so I really can't tell you anything about your script. But there are a few changes in the fo4 record structure, so first make sure that the script even works properly. Check back what the author says etc and make sure the script is even capable of making proper merges for FO4, especially because you mentioned that it is written for Skyrim.

 

c) I ran into xEdit not being able to remove masters some time ago. this probably was a couple of versions back, and might be fixed already, but make sure your fo4edit is up to date, and that issue doesn't exist in your version, otherwise no manual or scripted version using the conventional merging process will work right, as they all work by first adding masters and removing them at the end.

 

How do you merge them manually? Like is it simply a process of going through FO4E and looking at conflicts and deciding who wins out in that contest?