Help needed to download mods needing manual install of archive

[cumbrianlad]

Hi,

 

I don't use many mods and so far the ones I've used simply download with NMM and then run.

 

However, I fancied trying a player home mod for Skyrim Special Edition ( Frostvale Estate SE ) but I haven't a clue what the second installation instruction means! Here it is...

 

2. Manually install contents of archive in Skyrim special edition/data folder

 

What is the archive and where is it? I've found the Skyrim special edition/data folder, so I guess when I find this archive, the contents go straight in there but if I'm looking at the right folder, it contains sub-folders too, such as Docs, Meshes, Scripts etc. I can see Frostvale Estate.esp in the skyrim special edition/data folder that I found.

 

I know this is a common instruction and probably so easy that the authors don't add further explanation but I really don't know where to start.

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

 

Thanks

[panurgy]

The archive is the compressed directory structure. It's a 7zip or rar file that contains all the assets for the mod. It may be a single file, a few files, or hundreds of files.

 

The important thing is to understand how Skyrim is setup:

 

General Manual Install Info:

 

 

All normal mods are installed in the Data directory. There are special mods (ENB, SKSE) that are done differently, but these are rare.

 

ESPs and ESMs always go into Data. They will not be used if they're anywhere else.

Other assets (textures, meshes scripts, etc.) always go into sub-folders. Exactly where they go depends on what they are, and how the mod author set them up.

 

Generally, you unzip the archive and just grab the Data folder from the archive and drag it into your Skyrim folder. The new Data folder will be merged with the existing one. If there's no Data folder, it just means they started one level deeper.

 

So:

If Data exists => drag it into your Skyrim root folder

If not => drag the ESPs/ESMs/directories into your Skryim\Data folder

 

 

 

Simple:

1. Unzip Frostvale
2. Rename "FrostvaleV1.4" to "Data".
3. Drag and drop that into your root Skyrim directory.
4. You'll get a pop-up asking if you want to merge. Say Yes. Do that for every question about merging.

Convert to NMM-friendly:

1. Unzip Frostvale.
2. Enter "FrostvaleV1.4" dir.
3. Create Data directory. Move everything into the Data dir.
4. Move up.
5. Delete or move the original mod archive. Now zip the new "FrostvaleV1.4".
6. Manually add the new archive to NMM. NMM should now know how to install.

I haven't tested the Conversion option, but that should work. The only benefit to this is that it makes it easier to uninstall.

[cumbrianlad]

Panurgy,

 

Thanks for the good advice. I found the 7z file.

 

The player home was working without this being loaded but I decided that it was not for me (Too big, too many manequins). I did not try to unzip it but removed the mod instead.

 

I'll try other player home mods and if I find one that I like that needs your advice, I'll be sure to use it!

 

Thanks again, mate.