Handling mods with updates in mod managers

[1Mac]

Take a mod like Improved Chorrol, a texture replacer that requires two updates to be installed in addition to the original to be up-to-date. Or take the updated Alive Waters, which involves new esp files for the original mod. In these cases would it be possible to unpack the mod archives, combine the original and updated files (overwriting with the updates, naturally), and make a new single archive to import into the mod manager of my choice? I ask because it seems like this would be easier for mod managers like Wrye Bash or TESMM to keep track of a single mod install as opposed to multiple installs. Or maybe this is something Wrye Bash handles automatically?

[Surilindur]

Assuming you mean something like the following: mod A contains three files

Data\RandomMod.esp
Data\Meshes\Random\Mesh.nif
Data\Textures\Random\Stuff.dds

and an update of sorts, that requires the original mod, contains two files

Data\RandomMod.esp
Data\Textures\Random\Stuff.dds

then you can treat as two different mods in Wrye Bash, as long as you remember to "install" the patch after the original mod (in the Installers tab, check the priorities) so that the patch "mod" overwrites the files that came from the other "mod" (the original mod, for which the patch is). Maybe, if it makes it easier for you to just handle one mod, you can, of course, combine the two mods. I do not think it matters much, it should not matter with Wrye Bash. As for TESMM, no idea, I have never used it. When I used Wrye Bash myself for mod installs, I used to have something in the order of three to four hundred mods in the Installers tab with various mods overriding other mods' files and Wrye Bash handled it just fine. But it has been a while, and my mod setup is currently all messed up and dysfunctional and I have not had the time to actually do anything about it so I have no idea how/if things have changed.

 

Hopefully that helps a bit, if it answers your question. If not, then, well, if it does not answer your question, it obviously cannot be of any help. :tongue: Good luck with your modding endeavours, regardless! :thumbsup:

 

Edit: Fixed the post formatting.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Contrathetix

[1Mac]

Thanks for the reply! The setup you have as an example is basically what I mean, only what I'm proposing is overwriting the files from the original mod with the files from the update, then installing the set as a single mod. Maybe it doesn't matter so much in Wrye Bash, but TESMM (and OBMM) keeps track of everything you've installed in the right pane. It's a feature I like, but it gets a little cumbersome when it lists, say, three installs for what is basically a single mod.

 

The other application would be a mod that mods another mod, e.g. "New Eyes" for OCO 2.

[Striker879]

I'm sure that Wrye Bash wouldn't care if you created a new archive with the combined mods all in one new archive (and I doubt that OBMM would either if you are using the 'create omod' from an archive method) ... don't know anything about the new TESMM.

 

What you are proposing is basically what my own manual install style allows me to do with mods that will always remain on my future install's load lists.

[1Mac]

I'm sure that Wrye Bash wouldn't care if you created a new archive with the combined mods all in one new archive (and I doubt that OBMM would either if you are using the 'create omod' from an archive method) ... don't know anything about the new TESMM.

 

What you are proposing is basically what my own manual install style allows me to do with mods that will always remain on my future install's load lists.

 

That's what I figured, but I appreciate the confirmation, thank you!

 

It seems that there are tools that automate what I'm proposing. I may give Merge Plugins a go; there's also the older TES4Gecko.

[Striker879]

Yes if the merge involves ESPs you'll need to use tools like those (I believe the Construction Set can also be used, though I've no experience with that so I'm not sure of what it's limitations may be vs the others).

 

My own experience has been along the lines of simple replacement of meshes or textures while still using the original ESP (like in your New Eyes example).