whats a .BSL file?

[miked79]

just curious!

[Miral]

I'm wondering the same thing. I never heard of it until the USKP was released today.

[iyumichan]

Same.

And why has it absolute filepaths in it? Doesn't make sense.

d:\games\steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\data\meshes\armor\steel\f\gauntlets_0.nif
d:\games\steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\data\scripts\source\qf_t01_00023b6c.psc
d:\games\steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\data\scripts\source\uskponload01script.psc

 

Assuming that whatever it does will not work if my skyrim isn't installed there.

[steve40]

I think it's a list file that is created by the Creation Kit when archiving files to a bsa file. It's used when uploading mods to the Steam Workshop. The bsl file is not necessary for playing the mod in Skyrim, afaik

[Cxyrtyx]

It's a file used by archive.exe to display the original names of the files in the .bsa. It is not necessary for using the mod. Here's a comparison of opening the Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.bsa with and without its .bsl file. http://imgur.com/a/EAeD4

 

With .bsl

http://i.imgur.com/0Dmtg4W.png

 

Without .bsl

http://i.imgur.com/rIBR4nb.png

[TelvanniFrostmane]

So the l means list? Well I guess that makes sense. Btw, if u use wrye bash to install mods it doesnt get unpacked.

[Luccess]

I noticed it the BSL file might be used and necessary for certain mods to run properly. I got an armor mod with BSL file while if I ignore the BSL file the texture will missing in-game showing the armors all purple. So I suspect the BSL has certain use in properly attaching the textures.

[Darklocq]

Can anyone confirm anything like this?:

 

the BSL file might be used and necessary for certain mods to run properly. I got an armor mod with BSL file while if I ignore the BSL file the texture will missing in-game showing the armors all purple.

 

 

Every single thread on this topic that I've read so far, on any site, concludes that this isn't actually possible. Everyone else says (including at highly technical sites like LoversLab) that the BSL files serve no purpose other than for the Creation Kit's Archive.exe and for uploading to Steam. They are not necessary to keep in a downloaded mod (indeed, you can't use them unless the file paths recorded in the BSL file coincidentally match your own exactly), but you do need to keep them for BSAs you've build yourself, or Archive.exe won't be able to work with them again and you'll have to re-create them from scratch to update them.

However, most of these threads are also old. I want to be more certain before I start deleting stuff (though I would like to delete this junk because it's just a waste of disk space and is more files for Skyrim to scan at load time).

[MrTehNoms]

Edit: *sigh* I'm such a dumb dumb

 

I hate when I have problems and go to old forums, and no one's come back with info. Since, I was luckily capable doing this one thing, I'll pay it forward. If you packing your own .bsa's, for example if you unpack and repack a .bsa because you're converting a mod to Newrim from Oldrim, and you get a .bsl, keep it. Your game will need it.

It cannot be confirmed that using the .bsl will work. In this one case that I have experienced, repacking at all and using the .bsl or not did not help. This falls in line with the sentiment that .bsl's aren't necessary. I left my past edits on here so y'all can see that I at least tested this.

 

Can anyone confirm anything like this?:

 

the BSL file might be used and necessary for certain mods to run properly. I got an armor mod with BSL file while if I ignor the BSL file the texture will missing in-game showing the armors all purple.

 

 

Every single thread on this topic that I've read so far, on any site, concludes that this isn't actually possible. Everyone else says (including at highly technical sites like LoversLab) that the BSL files serve no purpose other than for the Creation Kit's Archive.exe and for uploading to Steam. They are not necessary to keep in a downloaded mod (indeed, you can't use them unless the file paths recorded in the BSL file coincidentally match your own exactly), but you do need to keep them for BSAs you've build yourself, or Archive.exe won't be able to work with them again and you'll have to re-create them from scratch to update them.

However, most of these threads are also old. I want to be more certain before I start deleting stuff (though I would like to delete this junk because it's just a waste of disk space and is more files for Skyrim to scan at load time).

 

I am using an Oldrim mod called Extended UI. I did not run my game with the Oldrim version, so I don't know

if it would work. Personally, I don't feel like it'd be worth trying. Running old mods likely cause issues.

 

I went through the process of converting the .esp to Newrim and unpacked and repacked the .bsa. I got a .bsl

along with it. I went to the skills menu, and everything was nice and orderly as the Extended UI mod intends.

I then did these things in this order, and the mod never worked once:

1. Deleted the new .bsl, then ran SSE.
2. Unpacked and repacked newly made .bsa to get a new new .bsl, removed it, then ran Newrim and created a new character.
3. Placed new new .bsl back into proper directory where it should function, then ran Newrim and created a new character.

• I did not mention that I left the loose files from the .bsa inside the mod directory. That is what's necessary for this particular mod to work. Don't use the .bsa at all. Just unpack and leave it as loose files. It didn't work in any of these cases because I saw the loose files and removed them.

I'm going to reinstall the mod, then convert it again properly and leave the .bsa unpacked because I know that the mod will work this way. I'm

using Mod Organizer 2, so it still says that the mod is for a different game, but I think that's ok. Based on the

steps that I described, it's still possible that the mod could have functioned if I created the new .bsl and never

removed it, but I'm just gonna do everything properly.

Edited June 12, 2019 by MrTehNoms

[RinnyWes]

Glad I looked this up. I'm doing Lexy's guide and she instructs you to delete this files in WICO. I've never seen this before though.