First time using mods

[ahycb]

For years I was pretty much a console gamer that consisted of sports games and FPS. I went to the local game shop 3 years ago and asked for something different. The clerk suggested Oblivion for my PS3 and I was hooked, as I started learning more about the game and TES lore I became envied with the PC players and there endless customization of the game. Once Skyrim was announced I bit the bullet and had a machine built that could run this game in all its glory. I have around 100 hours in the game and played through the MQ once. I'm ready to start using mods. I was wondering if their was any advice you all could give a newbie and point me to a good FAQ for virgins.

 

One main question I have is do the mods update themselves or do I have to re-load the newest version as it comes out?

 

BTW my PS3 is now nothing more than a Blu-Ray player. I am a PC gamer for life now.

[CampanaAliquanta]

Welcome to the true path, pilgrim.

 

Here's an FAQ with a bit of guidance:

http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/471428-modding-faq-how-to

 

If you use something like Nexus Mod Manager it will flag any mods on the Nexus site that have a new version uploaded - you then manually download these. For mods obtained elsewhere I think you just have to check for latest versions every so often. Just note, though, that NMM is still in beta. See the FAQ link above for more info. There is also Wyre Smash which can be used by itself or alongside NMM.

 

Load one mod at a time and make sure it works before adding another. Probably a good idea to back up your game files and your saves each time you load a new mod, just in case. Always check the ReadMe files or a description of the what the mod does to check for compatability with other mods.

[Aluminumfoil]

Mods almost never update themselves; you'll have to download new versions when they come out.

 

Mod one thing at a time. Install a mod, play with it, make sure it works. Add another mod, play with it, make sure it works... etc. Loading a huge pile of mods all at once is a good way of getting a game that crashes on startup. Read the readme every time. Keep the files you download in a folder somewhere, sorted by category, so that if you ever want to fully remove one, you can look it up and find all the files that it modifies so that you can remove them.

 

Oh! And if you use a mod, and it does what it says it's supposed to do, endorse it!

[CampanaAliquanta]

Oh another thing - it's hard to make mods at the moment because the Creation Kit isn't out yet. So there is a limited amount of stuff that can be done. Wait till after that's released and we should see a lot more interesting things (although it's impressive what people can manage to do without the CK).

[ahycb]

Thanks for the help. I used the NMM and like it. I look forward to its complete version. I have only used two mods and so far they have been great. The first one is the 4GB mod that addressees the LAA issue and so far so good. I played about 6 hrs yesterday with no CTD after installing. I was averaging about 1 CTD for very hour of GP. The other mod I installed was upgrade female texture that I am very happy with. I look forward to the next few months after the CK comes out.