Merging Mods - not just levelled lists

[Greenslade]

Hey all.

So I was looking for ways to expand on the frankly a bit sparse options for the laser/plasma/institute guns, and I found a load of really neat mods out there by some really talented modders.

However, lots of things either don't work together, conflict, don't balance well etc.

For example, I like Ransero's Laser Gun Expanded as the different versions look awesome. I like the idea of Concentrated Beam Splitters and Lasers Have No Recoil and Super Laser Rifle Mods but a lot of them do the same things but a bit differently, so there's some duplication and conflict there.

Additional mods like the Heavy Laser and Tri-Beam Muzzle and Laser Stealth Remodulators are also good for adding options but unbalanced against the other mods.

 

I'm using MD Wolfe's Fusion and Fuel Rebalance because I think it fits better with the animations - i.e. having a fusion cell be something with multiple charges that gets used up rather than somehow one fusion cell equalling 24 fusion cells or 7 fusion cells depending on what gun you put it in.

 

I've had a look at these in FO4Edit and I could probably work out a patch for some of the inconsistencies with damage etc in there, but there are some things that I think might require the Creation Kit.

 

So, questions.

 

1) Does anyone have any experience or advice in trying to merge a bunch of disparate mods into one big one?

 

2) At what point would this become more than a mere patch and therefore something I'd have to get permission to release into the wild on Nexus (assuming it worked)?

 

3) I don't want to be the guy who says "HAY MOD WRITERS PLS REWRITE UR MODS FOR ME KTHX" but is it actually maybe a better option for me to request a more experienced modder to do this than trying to do it myself? i.e. am I likely to get myself all wrapped up in knots doing it whereas someone who's been doing this for years could bash it out in a couple of hours?

 

ETA:

 

4) It strikes me that some of these things might be better moved into separate mod slots, i.e. rather than having lots and lots of mods in the capacitor section for all the different combinations and variants, to split some of them up. The Stealth Remodulator, for example, could go into a separate slot because it matches with the silencer/muzzle brake options of ballistic guns. I know adding new mod slots is doable because people do it for recaliber weapon mods etc - are there any tutorials or guides for doing that online? I haven't been able to find any through googling so far.

 

Many thanks for any help or advice you can give. :smile:

Edited August 18, 2016 by Greenslade

[SirTwist]

I do recommend watching the videos Dirty Weasel Media has made. He does cover merging mods. I know they are for Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas. However, the merge plugins he mentions does work with the latest version for the FO4edit, which is basically TES5editor remade for FO4. I do recommend also watching Gopher's videos on that, as well. Matortheeternal is the author of the merge plugin for Xedit. (I use X in place of Fallout or TES.) He also has a standalone merge program, you might try it. I do warn people to be very careful on trying to merge mods. I do recommend watching the videos more than once, and being very careful with attempting to merge. Along with this, if after you merge mods, you have more than your merge in bold, you need to clear everything, and try again. I will link Dirty Weasel Media's youtube channel, as well as Gophers. I do also recommend Mod Organizer over NMM, as I know it better. MO will be linked, as well. I also caution you that MO2 is still in alpha stage, and can crash. It is, though, a good mod manager. I have used it since I was modding New Vegas, and continue on using it for Skyrim. the latest MO, which is MO 1.3.11, I believe, is stable for those games, as well as Fallout 3. Both Gopher and DWM cover using it for Fallout 3. You should be able to find all the other stuff on Nexus. Just be careful, and spend some time watching the videos. I can't stress it enough. I know Fallout 4 is new, and so is MO2, but the merging mods is still relevant to things.

Dirty Weasel Media: https://www.youtube.com/user/ar15nurse

Gopher: https://www.youtube.com/user/GophersVids/featured

Mod Organizer: https://github.com/TanninOne/modorganizer/releases

[Greenslade]

Thank you :D