File types

[jackssn]

Could someone out here tell me what the following file types are.

 

xxx.bsa I think it is Bethesda Software arcive but I'm not sure what I'm to do with it.

xxx.esm This one I don't have a clue

xxx.esp I think I onderstand this but would still like some input

 

:thanks: Thanks in advance

[LoginToDownload]

BSAs you don't really need to mess with unless you need access to the stock files. If you do, you can extract them (ideally somewhere else) using BSA Commander.

.esm stands for, I'm pretty sure, Elder Scrolls Master. They're different from .esp (Elder Scrolls Plugin, I would imagine) files in that I don't think they can be edited, and .esp files can rely on their content.

[LHammonds]

Bethesda Software Archive (bsa) - Contains models (a.k.a. mesh / NIF), images (a.k.a. Texture / DDS) and sound files (.mp3 / .wav) - BSA Unpacker Tutorial

 

Elder Scrolls Master (esm) file - These files are used to contain all of the data for the game. You likely will not need to create one of these unless you are trying to allow other modders to create dependent plugins that utilize the assets (scripts / variables / settings / common objects) in your mod.

 

Elder Scrolls Plugin file (esp) - These are plugin modifications that change how the game plays and is the result from the use of the Construction Set.

 

NIF files - These are the 3D models / meshes that the game uses and contains extra info about the model such as collision data, animation and the path to the texture images it uses. These can be found inside the BSA files or extracted to Oblivion's Data\Meshes folder in various sub-directories.

 

DDS files - These are 2D texture images that "cover" a 3D model or are used to 2D artwork such as menu icons and user interface items. These can be found inside the BSA files or extracted to Oblivion's Data\Texture folder in various sub-directories.

 

LHammonds

[jackssn]

Thanks for the detailed answer that helps