Updating mods - Am I doing it wrong?

[Vitz]

So I'm trying to update Sim Settlements from 3.1.1 to the new 3.1.2 update that came out yesterday. Vortex downloads it just fine and in the little version dropdown I can see both 3.1.1 and 3.1.2. Am I correct in assuming I just need to click 3.1.2 and it will update the mod automatically? Because it's doing a bunch of work when I do, but in the end it just seems to give up and disables the mod entirely. The same goes for the two expansion packs that have also received updates. I just ended up overwriting the files manually but that's a very dirty way of doing it and exactly the reason we have mod managers. Am I being an idiot and just doing it wrong or is this not working the way it should?

 

Edit: Just to clarify: Vortex just disables the mod and doesn't do anything else. It doesn't switch to 3.1.2 even after it's seemingly trying to do its thing. The version is stuck on 3.1.1. I've also manually checked the files to see if they were the updated ones in case this might just be a UI bug, but sure enough, the old files were the only ones present.

[HalfLazy]

Yes, It dosen't work (yet), I suppose that Tannin is focused on major problems, considering that the limited alpha is almost over (probably).

[b3snik]

For the update, I tried first using the check for updates function on the top-left side of the mods tab. When it was done it showed only one update available even though there were more mods that needed updating. Anyway I went through and updated the one it picked up, and during the installation progress it asked me if I wanted to replace the old version. I accepted and it updated everything automatically. For the mods Vortex didn't pick up, i downloaded manually, installed, deleted old version and then enabled the new version. I did this because when downloading the new versions manually it didn't ask me if I wanted to replace the old mod.

[HardwareSc8]

I have noticed that what b3snik describes about not getting asked about replacing old versions with new ones happens to me with every mod I imported from MO2 for Fallout 4. It seems like Vortex doesn't really recognize the mod/version on import.

[HalfLazy]

Hmm.. I'll add a little piece of the puzzle only to allow a better understanding of the matter (sorry, I sound a little arrogant) based on the test done.

 

The problem about "check updates" non shown isn't related to Vortex (but Vortex could be improved to "solve"), but is mostly an error of the Mods Author, because Vortex keep track of the SINGLE ARCHIVE

 

So if a modder Create the file "ModA.Rar" Ver. 1.00 [Download ID 0004] to download, and then upload ANOTHER archive "ModA.rar" Ver 1.01[Download ID 0005] (and moves the previous in the "old files Section") Vortex still keep tracking of the 1.00 [Download ID 0004]

Same if the author create an Update file "ModA update 1.01 for 1.00".

 

There's a specific way to "properly" update new version that get often ignored for various reasons (some reasonable).

 

Anyway this problem is already been addressed (like the other about the version switch) and should be on the To Do list.

[Tannin42]

Just a few things to clarify how "check for updates" works:

 

a) It checks only the mods that have "Nexus Mods" as a source. If you've manually installed a mod and not set the mod source and mod id then Vortex doesn't know what file it is and can't track it. Unless...

b) ... Vortex queries a database during mod install based on md5 hash of the file. If this query is successful then Vortex should know what file it is exactly and have source and mod id set correctly. But this DB is still in testing and not super reliable.

c) Now when a mod is checked, the first thing Vortex looks for is if the mod author has used the "This file is an update of file xyz" option during upload. If he did Vortex should find the update fine.

d) If the mod author hasn't set an "update chain" then Vortex will see if the mod has only a single file that isn't marked old. Meaning: If there is only one update candidate, vortex will assume that is the right update file

e) If that fails too, Vortex can't tell you which exact file needs to be downloaded. However, if the file you have installed is now marked as old or doesn't appear on the mod page at all then Vortex will still tell you "there is an update but you have to pick it yourself"

 

Now the distinction in e is only really relevant to premium members atm. If Vortex has figured out the right file to download in c or d then Vortex will show a cloud icon. If a premium user clicks that he gets a direct download of the file.

If Vortex didn't figure out the right file you get a different icon that takes you to the nexus site and you have to search for the file to download yourself.

 

If you're not premium, even the cloud icon will take you to the site. This is because non-premium downloads are financed through ads and we can't afford to allow direct downloads in that case. Sorry guys :(

 

 

Once the update is downloaded you install it like regular. Vortex will tell you that an existing version of the mod is installed and you can either replace it or install separately. If you install separately you get a dropdown box for the version that lets you toggle between the installed versions.

This is particularly interesting if you play multiple profiles and you don't want to install the mod in all profiles (e.g. because of incompatibilities with other mods or because it would break savegames) but want to use the new version for a new char.

 

This is how it's supposed to work and how it worked for me during testing. If it didn't work like that for you, please report that through feedback. I can't remember having seen a report yet that says switching versions with the dropdown doesn't work. I did get a lot of reports though, so I may have just not come across it yet....

[HardwareSc8]

I wonder if maybe I screwed up somewhere in my import process and derped the md5 hash on my files...

 

Hmm...have to investigate this. Well, as long as it's just me that's borked, I can work around it.

[DarkRogue1971]

Just a few things to clarify how "check for updates" works:

 

a) It checks only the mods that have "Nexus Mods" as a source. If you've manually installed a mod and not set the mod source and mod id then Vortex doesn't know what file it is and can't track it. Unless...

b) ... Vortex queries a database during mod install based on md5 hash of the file. If this query is successful then Vortex should know what file it is exactly and have source and mod id set correctly. But this DB is still in testing and not super reliable.

c) Now when a mod is checked, the first thing Vortex looks for is if the mod author has used the "This file is an update of file xyz" option during upload. If he did Vortex should find the update fine.

d) If the mod author hasn't set an "update chain" then Vortex will see if the mod has only a single file that isn't marked old. Meaning: If there is only one update candidate, vortex will assume that is the right update file

e) If that fails too, Vortex can't tell you which exact file needs to be downloaded. However, if the file you have installed is now marked as old or doesn't appear on the mod page at all then Vortex will still tell you "there is an update but you have to pick it yourself"

 

Now the distinction in e is only really relevant to premium members atm. If Vortex has figured out the right file to download in c or d then Vortex will show a cloud icon. If a premium user clicks that he gets a direct download of the file.

If Vortex didn't figure out the right file you get a different icon that takes you to the nexus site and you have to search for the file to download yourself.

 

If you're not premium, even the cloud icon will take you to the site. This is because non-premium downloads are financed through ads and we can't afford to allow direct downloads in that case. Sorry guys :sad:

 

 

Once the update is downloaded you install it like regular. Vortex will tell you that an existing version of the mod is installed and you can either replace it or install separately. If you install separately you get a dropdown box for the version that lets you toggle between the installed versions.

This is particularly interesting if you play multiple profiles and you don't want to install the mod in all profiles (e.g. because of incompatibilities with other mods or because it would break savegames) but want to use the new version for a new char.

 

This is how it's supposed to work and how it worked for me during testing. If it didn't work like that for you, please report that through feedback. I can't remember having seen a report yet that says switching versions with the dropdown doesn't work. I did get a lot of reports though, so I may have just not come across it yet....

 

What I don't understand is why can't Vortex update the specific files related to a particular mod? For instance, if I have a mod version 3.1 installed and a week later version 3.1b comes out for a quick fix for one particular file, is it really necessary to go through all of that for the change of one particular script?