CK: Loading multiple master files impossible?

[NoAardvarksAllowed]

The title pretty much says it. In the previous SDKs it was possible to load several .ESMs, but it doesn't seem possible with the CK. I've tried adding the old "bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1" line to the CKs INIs, but that didn't help. Is this because it doesn't fit the SteamWorks format, or what? Seems strange to remove a feature that is useful.

 

Is it all about .BSA archives now? And to get a .BSA to be loaded in the CK, I guess I have to add it to the archive list of the Editorprefs?

 

--Edit: N1X0R2K told me that you actually can get the CK to load multiple masters. Add bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1 under [General] in the SkyrimEditor.ini and it will work. Nice!

Edited March 13, 2012 by No_Aardvarks_Allowed

[Sunnie]

As a developer of a mod, you would have your assets sitting as loose files in the proper folders, it wouldn't matter if a BSA was present or not. As a mod hacker, you could just unpack the BSA for the mod you are tweaking into the data folders.

[expired6978]

Not sure why the CK does this, its awfully annoying. Although it only seems to do it when I have more than two masters, it doesn't seem to complain if you have them linked as plugins. It will load properly, you just have to make sure when you save you use TESVSnip or another low level editor to re-add the master entry as it gets deleted.

 

I have many plugins using both Skyrim.esm and my Extended Colors.esm it doesn't complain then, but once I get beyond that FFFFUUUU JUST LOAD IT ALREADY.

[NoAardvarksAllowed]

Yes, two masters work for me, but not 3 or more. And since I'm not exactly sure what's in that Update.esm and if I need to load it in the CK, I usually do just to be sure.

 

I like using ESMs because they work the same way in the editor as they do in the game. An ESP that depend on the data of an ESM works perfectly in both. Now you can have one ESP be dependent on another ESP in the CK, but it can't depend on any resources from it in the actual game--where you need it! For example, in the GECK I could have an ESM with a bunch of weapons, or outfits or hairstyles and then have many individual ESPs that edited NPCs reference the ESM data and it would work fine in the game. I didn't have to add the stuff from the ESM that every separate ESP actually used to that ESP. Now I guess I have to, or am I missing something?

 

Why make it impossible to have ESPs reference other community made content the exact same way they are designed to reference the Skyrim master file? If someone releases a big hair-pack for instance, wouldn't it be the simplest and most logical thing in the world to make it a master file that can be loaded in the CK for users to mod any actor they want, and then have it loaded in the game, so the changed hair actually shows up in game? Don't the hair mods now either replace existing hairstyles, or only make it possible to change the player's hair, or force you to save all edits to other actors in that very mod plugin?

[expired6978]

Yes, two masters work for me, but not 3 or more. And since I'm not exactly sure what's in that Update.esm and if I need to load it in the CK, I usually do just to be sure.

 

I like using ESMs because they work the same way in the editor as they do in the game. An ESP that depend on the data of an ESM works perfectly in both. Now you can have one ESP be dependent on another ESP in the CK, but it can't depend on any resources from it in the actual game--where you need it! For example, in the GECK I could have an ESM with a bunch of weapons, or outfits or hairstyles and then have many individual ESPs that edited NPCs reference the ESM data and it would work fine in the game. I didn't have to add the stuff from the ESM that every separate ESP actually used to that ESP. Now I guess I have to, or am I missing something?

 

Why make it impossible to have ESPs reference other community made content the exact same way they are designed to reference the Skyrim master file? If someone releases a big hair-pack for instance, wouldn't it be the simplest and most logical thing in the world to make it a master file that can be loaded in the CK for users to mod any actor they want, and then have it loaded in the game, so the changed hair actually shows up in game? Don't the hair mods now either replace existing hairstyles, or only make it possible to change the player's hair, or force you to save all edits to other actors in that very mod plugin?

 

When you load a plugin with other plugins their resources are available to use, but the editor is incapable of saving a plugin with masters as other plugins, their references will remain with the correct order, but you will need to update the master listing. I'm not sure why it doesn't just let you save other plugins as masters, but I know it will save master files correctly and you have nothing to worry about, with the exception that we can now only load 2 masters for some stupid reason.

 

Plugins work like this, if I were to create a plugin and load the following plugins as resources

00 Skyrim.esm

01 Extended Colors.esm

02 Hairpack.esp

 

I would have access to the hairpack resources and they would be saved accordingly... For example, my hairpack contains

 

01000D63 as my first hair

Now if I add that hair to an NPC in my new plugin

it will be saved as

02000D63 as 02 is the index in which I loaded that hair.

 

Except because its a plugin, the editor is too retarded to link it unless it is a master so my plugin masters will end up like this when saving

 

00 Skyrim.esm

01 Extended Colors.esm

 

I need to add a new master manually by editing the TES4 record

00 Skyrim.esm

01 Extended Colors.esm

02 Hairpack.esp

 

This is how you would get around the 2 master limit, because the editor is capable of loading and saving plugins as if they are masters, but for some dumb reason doesn't include them as masters in your plugin so the game doesn't know where to link them.

[NoAardvarksAllowed]

Thanks a lot expired, that works like a charm! :biggrin: