How Edit .ESP File

[headbomb]

Ok, so I could replace something like

 

FULL - NAME "2 rightarrow"

with

FULL - NAME "The Ultimate Book of Doom and Apocalypse"

?

 

Using string IDs seems a bit weird and convoluted, but it that method works, then it should be good enough for my purposes. I'll test some things and see how it goes. Many thanks.

 

Edit: Well I can't seem to change any value in those files (even if I create a new .esp) with either TESSnip or FNVEdit.

Edited December 4, 2011 by headbomb

[headbomb]

Here's my exact steps:

 

Open Skyrim.esm with FOMM > TESSnip. Create new plugin (Test.esp), copy GRUP (BOOK) from Skyrim.esm to Test.esp. Save.

Open Test.esp with FNVEdit.

Find Book (EditorID Book0BlackArrowV1 / Form ID 0001AFC2).

Right-click on "FULL - Name" field, select "edit", change field to

The Black Arrow, Vol. 1 -- FULL

Right-click on "DESC - Description", select "edit", change field to

The Black Arrow, Vol. 1 -- DESC

Save Test.esp.

Load Test.esp with launcher.

Launch game.

 

with console

player.additem 1afc2 1

 

And then when I check my inventory, nothing has changed. It's the same book as vanilla.

[headbomb]

OK, adding a master file solves this. However I'm running in another problem.

 

All other book names are replaced with the original "FULL - Name" string, meaning you have book names like Z³ and [-, and all book texts are replaced with the "DESC - Description" string.

[Zilvereyes]

OK, adding a master file solves this. However I'm running in another problem.

 

All other book names are replaced with the original "FULL - Name" string, meaning you have book names like Z³ and [-, and all book texts are replaced with the "DESC - Description" string.

Delete all records you aren't modifying, and only keep the record('s) from the item('s) you want to change.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention, dont delete subrecords from the item('s) you are modifying, but delete ALL the other records.

 

Yours truly

Zilvereyes

Edited December 4, 2011 by Zilvereyes

[headbomb]

That doesn't work. If I don't change the description, the book text will be replaced with Z³ or similar. If I omit the description, the book will be blank. Edited December 5, 2011 by headbomb

[Zilvereyes]

That doesn't work. If I don't change the description, the book text will be replaced with Z³ or similar. If I omit the description, the book will be blank.

You missed the point it would seem... I'll try again:

 

Test.esp
    |-TES4
    |-Group(BOOK)
         |-BOOK(x)
         |     |-Sub-record(EDID)
         |     |-Sub-record(FULL)
         |     |-Sub-record(DESC)
         |     |-Sub-record(ect.)
         |     |-Sub-record(ect.)
         |
         |-BOOK(y)
         |     |-Sub-record(EDID)
         |     |-Sub-record(FULL)
         |     |-Sub-record(DESC)
         |     |-Sub-record(ect.)
         |     |-Sub-record(ect.)
         |
         |-BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1)
         |     |-Sub-record(EDID)
         |     |-Sub-record(FULL)
         |     |-Sub-record(DESC)
         |     |-Sub-record(ect.)
         |     |-Sub-record(ect.)
         |
         |-BOOK(z)
               |-Sub-record(EDID)
               |-Sub-record(FULL)
               |-Sub-record(DESC)
               |-Sub-record(ect.)
               |-Sub-record(ect.)

 

Above is a tree-view of an ex Test.esp, what I was trying to tell you was to delete the BOOK(x), BOOK(y) & BOOK(z) ect ect,

keep BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1) intact (DO NOT DELETE any Sub-records within BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1) )

 

Then Edit the FULL & DESC sub-records in BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1) to hold the strings,

inside skyrim.esm they use a stringID but since no one seem to have found out how to create "real" strings inside a custom .esp you'll need to change the stringID to the actual string ... like this:

 

         |-BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1)
         |     |-Sub-record(EDID)
         |     |     |-> "Book0BlackArrowV1"
         |     |
         |     |-Sub-record(FULL)
         |     |     |-> "The Black Arrow, Vol. 1"
         |     |
         |     |-Sub-record(DESC)
         |     |     |-> "The Black Arrow, Vol. 1"
         |     |

 

Also note that if you get the Hex editor popup when trying to change the strings you need to make sure that your string on the hex side ends with "00",this is a null-terminator that will tell Skyrim that the string have ended.

 

Side note: if you want to replace an original "item" your formID should start with "00",

if you want to add a new "item" your formID should start with "01",

Here is how I created my formID's:

"01" "my special ID" "Count" -> "01" "0de" "001" -> 010de001

 

I hope this helps you in your adventure into .esp modding (Pre CK) with TESsnip.

 

Yours truly

Zilvereyes

[headbomb]

Doing something like

         |-BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1)
         |     |-Sub-record(EDID)
         |     |     |-> "Book0BlackArrowV1"
         |     |
         |     |-Sub-record(FULL)
         |     |     |-> "The Black Arrow, Vol. 1 -- Custom Name"

 

Just makes the game crash upon opening the book.

 

I tried modifying the name of an arrow to see if it was a problem only for book, but it's not much better. I changed only FULL: Iron Arrow to FULL: Arrow [iron], and discarding everything except the EDID, and now Iron Arrows don't display [both in inventory and out of inventory], i have no quiver, arrows are invisible and don't do any damage, if I drop them I don't see them etc...

 

Seems like deleting/omitting a field tells the game that the field is non-existent.

Edited December 5, 2011 by headbomb

[Zilvereyes]

Seems like deleting/omitting a field tells the game that the field is non-existent.

Which I'm still trying to tell you ;)

 

Taking it from the start again:

 

Create a blank esp file

 

 

Copy Group(BOOK) to the new blank esp file

 

 

Delete all but the BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1)

 

 

Modify sub-records

 

 

This is the process I personally use, this should make it clear i hope.

 

Anyway just to make sure I didn't lead you in the wrong direction, I checked

and this is what it's giving me ingame:

 

 

And here a picture of reading the book:

 

[headbomb]

If I do it with an arrow, it turns it into a nearly-non-existant entity.

 

ArrowTest.esp

 

You can see for yourself, only two fields are declared (EDID, and FULL), with the master file as Skyrim.esm.

 

This gives me this, in game.

 

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/6347/screenshot4la.png

 

Edit: Your Test3.rar has all the fields. You didn't remove any of them!

Edited December 5, 2011 by headbomb

[Zilvereyes]

If I do it with an arrow, it turns it into a nearly-non-existant entity.

 

ArrowTest.esp

 

You can see for yourself, only two fields are declared (EDID, and FULL), with the master file as Skyrim.esm.

 

This gives me this, in game.

 

Edit: Your Test3.rar has all the fields. You didn't remove any of them!

Exactly. look back at my posts:

Above is a tree-view of an ex Test.esp, what I was trying to tell you was to delete the BOOK(x), BOOK(y) & BOOK(z) ect ect,

keep BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1) intact (DO NOT DELETE any Sub-records within BOOK(Book0BlackArrowV1) )

I'm getting confused, last post it was a book now it's an arrow ... what are you trying to do ?

a simple rename of an arrow ?

create a new arrow type ?

 

Anyway yeah you did exactly what I've been trying to tell you NOT to do, so yeah ArrowTest.esp is doing EXACTLY what you are telling it to do, this is what your file is telling skyrim:

 

overwrite the original arrow empty data
Create a EDID sub-record
Set EDID to "custom string"
Create a FULL sub-record
Set FULL to "custom string"

leaving you with an arrow with no data except an EDID & a FULL sub-record.

 

Lookup an the arrow in Skyrim.esm copy the group to your blank esp file, delete all records in the group except the arrow you want to change

(DONT DELETE ANYTHING INSIDE THE ARROW YOU WANT TO CHANGE), modify the sub-records in the arrow to your liking .... it's simple.

 

This probably will be my last attempt to help on this, if you need more help understanding this you need to either find someone with better skills at teaching others or pay my ticket so I can show you in person.

 

Yours truly

Zilvereyes