Is it possible to create an optional dependancy on another mod?

[NanakoMagojiro]

Hi everyone. I've made a mod concerning imperial armour: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=11928

 

Now what i'd like to do, that i need help with, is add items to imperial soldiers from another mod. Specifically, cloaks, from Cloaks of Skyrim (i'll contact the author to ask permission when/if this turns out to be feasible). In the interests of avoiding conflicts, and duplicate files, what i'd like to try to do is to add the cloaks in a way that they only appear if the user also has the dependant mod installed, and simply aren't there if they don't. Essentially, an optional feature of my mod that requires external assets, and is transparently disabled if the user doesn't have them.

 

I was thinking something like loading both my mod and that one into the CK at the same time, adding references to the appropriate assets in the appropriate places, and saving the changes back to my .esp

 

Another factor in wanting to do this, is that the creator has specifically included an esp that adds the cloaks, but excludes all imperial npcs from it. I'd like to make use of that (by asking my users to use the non-imperial version) so that capes are there, but i have full control of what imperials use them, and how.

 

would this work? is the user going to recieve errors about missing references or somesuch if i try it?

[David Brasher]

I would say that this will not work. If Skyrim is like Oblivion, then using your mod when you have missing .esp masters will prevent the game from starting and it will be unplayable until either your mod is deactivated or all the required masters are obtained, installed and activated.

 

Maybe you could ask the owner of the assets if he or she would allow you to include them in your mod and then you would not need any masters.

Edited March 13, 2012 by David Brasher

[NanakoMagojiro]

I would say that this will not work. If Skyrim is like Oblivion, then using your mod when you have missing .esp masters will prevent the game from starting and it will be unplayable until either your mod is deactivated or all the required masters are obtained, installed and activated.

 

Maybe you could ask the owner of the assets if he or she would allow you to include them in your mod and then you would not need any masters.

 

if that is the only option then i might do that. But the point of this idea was to latch onto a mod that is popular and many people already have (and promoting it in the process) rather than duplicating, and essentially competing, with the functionality.

 

Here's a related idea then.Assuming i got permission to include the art assets, and i used an identical folder structure to Cloaks of Skyrim (such that installing either of our mods would overwrite the art of the other, with the identical files) would it still be possible to use identical editorIDs to CoS's inventory items, and have the game recognise that they reference the same thing (rather than seeing it as a conflict)

 

perhaps i'm not quite making sense, trying my best >.<

[6Domino6]

What some modders do is create the base .esp file with everything the way they want it for default users and then add a second esp with changes. I've tinkered with this before and here's the best example: Let's say you build a house with doors that 'go nowhere' because you want to link them to optional content. If you alter those doors with another esp active it will DUPLICATE the door, leaving one door that goes nowhere and another door that goes where you want. I found that if you make the house with no doors and add them later it's possible to use one door, enter the house, switch esps, and then leave through a new door with no glitches. You may want to see if altering what they wear in one esp will duplicate them (give them a temporary unique name perhaps?) but I don't see why it should, since there are plenty of mods that alter npcs without duplicating them. If you go that route you would need skyrim.esm, your mod, their mod, and one active mod that you would save the changes to.

 

But if you can get their permission to use their armor meshes that would be the easiest route.