How to properly merge plugins with MCM menus?

[Ramagast]

So, me F:NV is going nuts when I go over 130 active plugins. Randomly lose paths to meshes, slow on scripts, etc. I know my way around FNVEdit (mostly from Skyrim / Fallout 4), so I'm using latest "Merge Plugins" script to compress my mods. My basic rules: 1) do not merge big mods with lots of scripts, 2) do not merge mods with navmeshes as they're easily broken.

However, I ran into additional problem. If I'm to merge two or more mods that have their own MCM configuration menus, resulting plugin in game will show all MCM entries... but they all will load only one menu. So, if I'll merge "FOV Sliders" with "Real Aiming", in game I'll have both their entries under "MCM Configuration Menu", but clicking on both of them will load "FOV Sliders" menu, while actual "Real Aiming" menu will be inaccessible.

Is there any way to prevent it from happening? Some edits I can make to plugins before/after merge?

[dubiousintent]

MCM works as a "wrapper" for "quest scripts" written for creating configuration menus of the mods in question by their individual authors. If they both happen to use the same script name, the last loaded "wins" just like the "rule of one" with mods. (The GECK will only prevent saving with the same name of an existing script if both are loaded during the same edit session. Unlikely with mods developed by different authors.) The original "Merge Plugins" script for xEdit did not process scripts. The latest "Standalone Merge Plugin" version does.

 

However, in my experience any mods which have their own configuration menus (with or without MCM) should be excluded from merging with other plugins. The potential problems are not worth the effort. Usually there are plenty of other, "easier to merge" plugins to get you under the cap. Please see the wiki "Merged Plugin Guidelines for Personal Use" article for other suggestions.

Edit: You might consider merging those two plugins into other, separate "merged plugin" files so they are not merged into the same file. That way each still gets loaded separately, and doesn't seem to have problems.

 

-Dubious-

Edited June 5, 2017 by dubiousintent

[Ramagast]

Thanks! I'm running out of simple plugins to merge, but yeah, making sure that each MCM-powered plugin has it's own merge seems like a start.
I looked into standalone merge tool a while ago, but it was an early version and had a number of problems, so I returned to the old script. Maybe I'll give it another try.