OMOD scripts help, how to save as 'mystuff.omod'

[Lord Valarian]

Hello all. I was making scripts for mods without. Some have mod and omod 7zips as separate files. You have to combine them. I want to upload them, but not annoy any modders in the process.

 

For example, natural evironment mod only and natural evironment omod conversion together(or just write my own script as one file). Add a bug fix, so you don't get blue sky in oblivion worlds. I have to turn off weather to avoid this bug.

 

First question, every omod is written(my scripts) as a 7zip's setup for 'create' in OBMM'(original). How do you save as 'mystuff.omod'? I'v seen them on TS, but can't find anywhere how to do that. Thanks.

[DrakeTheDragon]

Well, an OMOD isn't much different than a ZIP archive, or .7z rather, but with additional information included, such as the files it contains, the meta data (mod name, version, author, images, etc.) and the install scripts.

 

If you don't publish an OMOD as an actual OMOD, so people can still opt to install it all manually, you include an "omod conversion data" folder into the archive (OBMM can create this automatically or does so when you "convert" an OMOD to an archive).

 

Published this way one can simply start OBMM, click on "Create New" (or what's it called), then "Import Archive", point to the archive, say "yes" when asked if the omod conversion data found should be used, and then create the OMOD file from it. All info will be filled out from the included data and, if present, installation scripts will be added.

 

If a mod is published as an OMOD, people will need OBMM to be able to use it. There's no way to open an ".omod" file and acces its contents without OBMM. That's why I prefer going the route with included omod conversion data rather than publishing as a readily-compiled OMOD. This format is called "OMOD-ready", as one only needs to let the OMOD get created "automatically" by a press of a view buttons without much thinking this way.

 

If you created an OMOD from a normal mod, you already have this ".omod" file in the omod folder (or you never clicked "create omod" and nothing ever happened).

The OMODs listed in OBMM are the ones found in this folder, and only those. What's displayed in OBMM does already exist as an ".omod" file, or it won't show up in the list of OMODs to begin with.

To get it into OMOD-ready format you'll have to "convert" it first, or "export omod conversion data" to a folder and create the archive file yourself.

 

Well, I hope this sheds some light on how these things work and helps answering your question.

 

edit: Oh, and take note, if you publish the OMOD conversion data you created for those mods, it's totally fine, but if you publish the actual OMOD, as in the contents from those mods, that's like reuploading without permission and breaks the rules of this site. Unless of course you obtained permission beforehand or it was stated in the readme that you're allowed to do so.

Edited February 29, 2012 by DrakeTheDragon

[Lord Valarian]

i know most of that already(7+ omod conversions and scripts ready), but I see your point. So, it's better for uploads to be omod ready than ".omod". Also, I'v seen it's ok to include both omod ready and ".omod" in mods.

 

Where do I find that folder('stuff.omod')? The specific path. Some of these mods take a long time to compress to an omod(for myself).

[DrakeTheDragon]

Oh, sorry, I was assuming. Some lines in your OP made it appear to me as if some concepts might've been mixed up, and especially this "How do you save as 'mystuff.omod'?" made me wonder, as this was already done once you created the OMOD.

 

As for the actual path of your OMODs... I must admit I'm a little shocked I just couldn't get my OBMM to tell me mine. I know which one I gave it when it first asked, I know where I "moved" it to via the settings button, but there's no way anybody else could simply "read up" where it actually "is" on my drives! And there's also no way to additionally store a copy of an OMOD away somewhere or some such. At least it seems so.

 

Well, by default it was likely inside "Oblivion/obmm/mods", "obmm" being a folder on the same level as "data" in your Oblivion folder. I can't find another cause for this empty folder to exist in my installation otherwise.

I also found a weird confusing file named "settings2" inside this "obmm" folder, and it does contain the path to my current OMOD collection, mixed into a bunch of hex code letters as far as I can make it out, but I don't even know if this file will exist on your drive as well to begin with.

 

When it's neither in the first, nor the second can help you find it, how about simply "searching" for files ending on ".omod" in the explorer? Depending on where on your drives there are OMODs this can of course take a while to filter out the false-positives, but at least the real path you're searching for will be in there... somewhere... :sweat:

 

...What a major oversight in the usage comfort department... no ability to read up this setting!

 

edit: And me prefering the OMOD-ready file format for distribution over actual ready-compiled OMODs is just that, my personal preference. It is by no means a general rule of thumb or a guideline or anything. I always just thought those modders uploading both, a manual install .7z and an .omod, are just creating more work for themselves than there's need for, as there's the OMOD-ready format already, which is both, a manual install .7z but also an "almost"- readily-compiled OMOD, as in the real thing is only a few simple button clicks away... but to each their own. They have their own preferences as well after all, just like I have mine.

Edited March 3, 2012 by DrakeTheDragon

[Lord Valarian]

I got it now. Thanks, this will make it easier.

 

FYI, I'll keep the omods to myself(reading another forum topic). It's better this way. (The one I PM's hasn't responded yet, CTN. Don't have time to do more than one at time. I'll wait and see.)