First time modder

[GrizzlyAdams122]

I am new to the Skyrim modding community and I am trying to make my game look really really pretty (i.e. Hi-res textures). I have tried installing the Skyrim HD 2k texture mod thru the NMM but nothing happens in game... I'm not sure if I am doing it right or if I need something else first before that. Any help would be much appreciated.

[LeddBate]

First of all, I consider Bethesda's HD packs to be garbage. There are all-in-one texture mods here at the Nexus that do a much better job for less memory usage.

 

But getting back to your question...

There are basically two ways to add/use mods with NMM. Either download them manually and place them in any convenient directory on your HD (or SSD) like, say "Skyrim Mods" -then use NMM to add them to your game and activate them.

OR, simply use the "Download with Manager" button on the mod's files page. Then activate the mod with NMM.

Both methods have their pros and cons, but I prefer manual downloads as it gives you more control of your mods AND has the advantage of you having a permanent copy of the mod so that if the mod author suddenly removes the mod from the Nexus because oh, say, he or she is pissed off about who won the presidential election (not naming any names here) -you don't have to worry about having "lost" the mod if you have to re-install NMM. The mod is still sitting on your drive waiting to be re-installed.

 

Here's a quick look at how to install mods manually.

First, make sure NMM is actually "managing" your Skyrim. You do this at the first menu that looks like this:

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/NMM03.png

Simply click "Skyrim" and NMM will complete the loading process with Skyrim and any mods you've already installed.

 

 

If your Skyrim game is NOT on this menu, then click "Rescan Installed Games". You should then see something that looks like this:

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/NMM01.png

Click the green check-mark under Skyrim and then click "Stop Searching". You should now see Skyrim available on the intro menu.

 

Once you've got Skyrim up on NMM, it's time to add some of those downloaded mods. Click on the green plus sign (upper left) and select "Add Mod From File" from the drop down menu:

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/NMMExample.png

 

Navigate to where the mods are on your drive and select the mod's zip or rar file. IMPORTANT: Do NOT un-zip/decompress the file yourself. NMM will do this automatically as part of the installation process. Now click "open" and NMM will extract the mod's files and add it to your NMM installation.

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/NMMexample2.png

 

Click the mod in NMM to highlight it. Now click the green check-mark (upper left) to "activate" the mod. That is, to add the mod's relevant files to your Skyrim data files.

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/NMMexample3.png

 

A green check-mark will appear next to the mod when the activation process is complete.

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/NMMexample4.png

 

Congratulations! You've now installed your mod and it should function when you next start your Skyrim.

 

Of course, simply installing mods is only the beginning of the modding process. Here are some things you should consider when you add more than a handful of mods:

 

1) Mod Conflicts. If your Skyrim crashes to the destop (CTD) the moment the loading screen appears, it is very likely you have a mod conflict. Add only one or two mods at a time (and test them) to avoid having to plow through dozens of mods trying to find the one that's causing your game to crash. Also, RTFM. Mod authors WILL tell you what other mods (and/or types of mods) that their mod conflicts with. But that doesn't do you any good if you don't read that info before installing. Sometimes a patch is available to prevent a ctd from happening (or to prevent the mod from conflicting in some other way, like overwriting some scenery and causing weird in-game effects like floating trees and Mammoths raining from the sky. (Yes, that happens.)

 

2) Overwrites. When NMM installs mods, it will often stop and ask you a question like: "Do you want this mod to install (whatever) over (whatever) that already exists due to (whatever)? with about eight different options. Again, many mod authors will tell you what options to choose when installing their mod. When those instructions are not present, I've found it is usually best to answer "Yes to all" or the equivalent answer offered.

 

3) Load Order. Load order is literally the order that the mods are loaded into your game. This is just as important as overwrites. A "poor" load order will cause lots of issues ranging from weird in-game effects to CTDs. You can manually alter your load order in the "Plug-In" tab of NMM, but there's a better way. Download LOOT and install it. Point it at your directory where your mods are and let LOOT sort them. Not only will LOOT give you a better load order, but it will warn you about mods that need "cleaning" of dirty edits in them. And you can do that with TES5Edit. It's quite simple to use. However, be warned that some mods have INTENTIONAL dirty edits. Cleaning those mods will likely break them. How to know? Simple, the mod author will warn you if his/her mod has deliberate dirty edits.

 

4) SKSE. SKSE is short for "SKyrim Script Extender." Many popular mods use really cool and helpful interfaces like MCM (Mod Control Menus.) These mods require SKSE to function. Download SKSE and watch Gopher's video (linked in the description at the SKSE site) for what SKSE does exactly and how to install it. Don't worry, Gopher explains it clearly and concisely.

 

Finally (and this is very, very important.) Never, EVER let a rabbit near your computer...

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae239/CON-Troll/Cuteness2.jpg

Edited May 20, 2017 by LeddBate

[GrizzlyAdams122]

The mod I got was from here on the nexus, because I know this community will do a lot better job at making the game look waaaaay better. But I really appreciate this write out, I will have another go at this the way you did and hopefully it works out.