Dependencies

[NikVilKok]

The Dependencies feature is a very good idea to control load order issues.

 

Some feedback from using it.

I've got about 50 mods in Vortex for Fallout 4.

Several of them depends on other mods, they are either patches or add-ons to the main mod.

 

Large and complex

One large group of mods I use it the mod Sim Settlements that revolutionises how you build settlements in the game. The main mod need two or three framework mods to work as intended. Thus it depends on them. Then there's two expansion packs to the main mod that adds functionality. They depend on the main mod. Then there're about 20 add-on packs that adds design variations to the main mod, and the expansion packs. So they might depend on more than one mod. Then there's mods that depend on the add-on packs. This is all very complex, and I didn't expect Vortex to handle this in the early stages, but it's a good test.

 

Small but multi dependent

Some patches solves mod conflicts, or let mods benefit from each other. Thus they might depend on two, or more, mods.

 

After loading up the Vortex with the mods, I set out to organise them.

 

1. Drag n drop

This is nice. At first. When you do one or two dependencies. Then it becomes irritating. It's easy to drop the drag and you have to start over. Especially when you have so many mods that you have to scroll the list. For the 20 or so Sim Settlements add-ons, I definitely would have liked a speed/power user option were the user could select the main mod and mark it as the master, then have check boxes on all other mods that I could check, and finally a 'done' button.

Edit - turns out that there's a way to do the check box method already implemented. At the Plugins tab, if you left click the dependencies icon for a mod, and then selects 'Edit', all mods in the list gets a check box. The mod you started out from (Mod A) is the master and any mod you check (Mods B, C, D, etc) will be loaded after it. At least that is what it says when you're in edit mode. When you're done checking check boxes, you click the first mod (Mod A) again. This closes the edit mode. Now if you left click on the dependencies icon for mod A again, it will say "Loads after: mod B". Hm. Does this mean that it lists mods that loads after Mod A? Well, if you click on Mod B, it says "Loads after: mod A". Completely bonkers.

To make things worse. The dependencies you set in the Plugins tab, doesn't appear to have anything to do with the dependencies you set at the Mods tab.

 

2. Multi dependencies

Can a mod depend on two, or more, mods? I tried to set it up, but don't know if it works or not.

Edit - yes. If it works I don't know, but you can set it up. In both the Mods tab and the Plugins tab.

 

3. Overview of set dependencies

Is simply not very clear what's going on. This relates to point 2 above. Is it possible to have multiple bindings? How are all the links set-up? Are there loops? I have a massive amount of links, but don't know they relate to each other in the bigger picture.

Edit - if you left click the dependencies icon you get a list of dependencies for that mod.

 

4. Updating a mod

After doing all my dependencies. An update of the Sim Settlements main mod was released. Is there a way to update the mod and keep all the dependencies? I failed to do that btw ...

 

All in all, I like the feature, and get that it's early on. So no hard feelings here, just giving some user reflections.

Keep up the good work. I've already dumped NMM for Vortex.

[sopmac45]

The Dependencies feature is a very good idea to control load order issues.

 

Some feedback from using it.

I've got about 50 mods in Vortex for Fallout 4.

Several of them depends on other mods, they are either patches or add-ons to the main mod.

 

Large and complex

One large group of mods I use it the mod Sim Settlements that revolutionises how you build settlements in the game. The main mod need two or three framework mods to work as intended. Thus it depends on them. Then there's two expansion packs to the main mod that adds functionality. They depend on the main mod. Then there're about 20 add-on packs that adds design variations to the main mod, and the expansion packs. So they might depend on more than one mod. Then there's mods that depend on the add-on packs. This is all very complex, and I didn't expect Vortex to handle this in the early stages, but it's a good test.

 

Small but multi dependent

Some patches solves mod conflicts, or let mods benefit from each other. Thus they might depend on two, or more, mods.

 

After loading up the Vortex with the mods, I set out to organise them.

 

1. Drag n drop

This is nice. At first. When you do one or two dependencies. Then it becomes irritating. It's easy to drop the drag and you have to start over. Especially when you have so many mods that you have to scroll the list. For the 20 or so Sim Settlements add-ons, I definitely would have liked a speed/power user option were the user could select the main mod and mark it as the master, then have check boxes on all other mods that I could check, and finally a 'done' button.

Edit - turns out that there's a way to do the check box method already implemented. At the Plugins tab, if you left click the dependencies icon for a mod, and then selects 'Edit', all mods in the list gets a check box. The mod you started out from (Mod A) is the master and any mod you check (Mods B, C, D, etc) will be loaded after it. At least that is what it says when you're in edit mode. When you're done checking check boxes, you click the first mod (Mod A) again. This closes the edit mode. Now if you left click on the dependencies icon for mod A again, it will say "Loads after: mod B". Hm. Does this mean that it lists mods that loads after Mod A? Well, if you click on Mod B, it says "Loads after: mod A". Completely bonkers.

To make things worse. The dependencies you set in the Plugins tab, doesn't appear to have anything to do with the dependencies you set at the Mods tab.

 

2. Multi dependencies

Can a mod depend on two, or more, mods? I tried to set it up, but don't know if it works or not.

Edit - yes. If it works I don't know, but you can set it up. In both the Mods tab and the Plugins tab.

 

3. Overview of set dependencies

Is simply not very clear what's going on. This relates to point 2 above. Is it possible to have multiple bindings? How are all the links set-up? Are there loops? I have a massive amount of links, but don't know they relate to each other in the bigger picture.

Edit - if you left click the dependencies icon you get a list of dependencies for that mod.

 

4. Updating a mod

After doing all my dependencies. An update of the Sim Settlements main mod was released. Is there a way to update the mod and keep all the dependencies? I failed to do that btw ...

 

All in all, I like the feature, and get that it's early on. So no hard feelings here, just giving some user reflections.

Keep up the good work. I've already dumped NMM for Vortex.

 

​Very interesting points and I agree with you that the dependency feature is very nice, I love it and it is very easy to use in between two mods, but when it comes down to 3,4, or 5 mods conflicting with each other, it is very confusing. There are no instructions anywhere how to manage this kind of situation and that is my probably only one concern and complaint about Vortex. Personally I do not know if the mod with more records should be first in the load order or last, simply I do not know and I hope that Gopher explains it in very detail how to deal with a situation like that one.

 

​And the above, bring me to my own conclusion that I will not import Fallout 4 till I know exactly how to manage dependencies and the difference between doing that under the MODS tab and PLUGINS tab. I am pretty sure that once we know all the details, Vortex will be not just simple but powerful. Don't get me wrong, NMM is gone ( in my mind ) for me but I wish I knew more about Vortex so I could start playing Fallout 4 thru it. I do not feel very comfortable to import Fallout 4 which is heavily modded and that the import feature is not working now as it should. It has been already posted several times by other users that is not working properly.

 

​Drag and drop in Vortex is easy and immediately you get a pop up window asking you to enter your rule, I love that but you have to be very careful when you have dozens of mods; if you drag one mod from the top of your list to the very bottom of your list, firs of all, you do not see all the mods listed in one page, so you need to drag it by holding it with your left click over the below mods to make the list run ( scroll ) down till you get to the place you wanted to be; one mistake and your mod will not be in that position but other and this particular scenario is not user friendly at all. It would be nice if when you click on the mod that you want to move, you get the option like : move it to ... and then find the other mod in your list, click on it and have something like : load after this one ... so this way we would not have to use the drag/drop action when mods are too separated in the load order. I hope the developer's team do something about it.

[Olivir2019]

Dependencies in Mods - which version of file shoul be the one installed. E.g.: Mod A and Mod B have both versions of a texture. Mod B loads before Mod A means the texture from Mod A will be the one used. Dependencies in Plugins - order of loading the plugins. E.g.: Mod B loads before Mod A means, that the ESP or ESM from Mod A should be loaded after the plugin from Mod A. E.g.: If mod A is a patch for Mod B, then it should be loaded after mod B. However, how to make the dependencies is up to user, not up to Vortex (except rules from Loot masterlist).

[NikVilKok]

Actually, the updating of a mod is becoming an issue.

I've found myself postponing mod updates due to the fact that I would have to rebuild the dependencies again.