HSovieticus Posted October 10, 2011 Posted October 10, 2011 Say I have more than one set of loose files which I would like to switch between. It would be too much trouble to copy one set over the other each time I want to test a different configuration. But, if I could have these sets of loose files as esp files, I could activate and deactivate whichever of them that I want. Is this possible? If so, then how?
Skevitj Posted October 10, 2011 Posted October 10, 2011 An esp file if just another "loose" file in the sense you're describing, it's not a package of files or linking between them. Have a look at the mod managers (FOMM), the FOMod package type sounds exactly like what you're after, and making/editing them is very easy when using the managers. Turn the sets of loose files into a FOMod package and you can just install/remove the entire package with the press of a button.
HSovieticus Posted October 10, 2011 Author Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) I've actually tried that, but it didn't work very well. FOMods cannot be turned on or off without installing, uninstalling, reinstalling. And installing a big FOMod takes a lot of time. Besides that, I have had very little success installing my own FOMods; they usually crash halfway through the install. EDIT: I may have improperly used the term "loose files." What I am trying to refer to is the tons of nif, kf, & dds files, among other types. I guess I just assumed that these were what the term "loose files" refers to. Edited October 10, 2011 by HSovieticus
Skevitj Posted October 10, 2011 Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) They can be turned on or off simply by pressing the "Activate/Deactivate" button in the package manager. It takes a while for larger packages because it uses heavy compression to store the FOMod files. Set it up so it doesn't use compression, or used the lowest level when storing FOMods and it'll install/remove almost as quickly as just drag/drop copying the files. As for creating your own, just set up the directory structure in a separate location, ie a Data folder on the desktop containing the loose files in their appropriate locations and zip it up. Press the "Add Package" button and FOMM will take care of FOMod creation automatically. The nif/dds/kf files within the data folder are exactly what the term "loose files" refers to. An alternative you may be thinking of instead is BSA files, which is just components of the Data folder stored in compressed packages (It's how the majority of files are stored in the game distribution). FOMM has a BSA creator which can be used in that regard. (Tools -> BSA Creator) Edited October 10, 2011 by Skevitj
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