Desperately need GOOD Merge Mod (FO4EDIT) guide

[Klipperken]

 

@Bill8872 I do not use NMM, but FO4MM (or FOMM).

I launch through that or through F4SE.

But no matter which method I used, it kept disabling the mods.

 

Seems FO4 deleted the content of PUGINS.TXT after exiting...

So bloody weird.

 

Additionally, these asterisks are required I think...

They separate the file names in the TXT file.

 

I have never used that for my mods. My guess it is related to FO4MM. It might be worth checking on the page for FO4MM. I am cure your not the only one that has this issue.

I am also not sure which controls the plugins.txt file.

I also use F4SE. Have you tried launching through Steam? Just to see if that works.

 

You might need to start new post on this. I am sure there are other's that use FO4MM, and can help with this.

 

 

But that is just it, it ALSO did this when starting FO4 clean, or through say F4SE.

It is not just bound to FO4MM.... :)

 

Might be more like an issue on my system, incompatibility with a background program.

 

A clean Windows installation would surely help me, but I am SSOOOOOO LLLAAAAAZZZYYYYYY.... ROFL

[bill8872]

 

 

 

 

I have never used that for my mods. My guess it is related to FO4MM. It might be worth checking on the page for FO4MM. I am cure your not the only one that has this issue.

I am also not sure which controls the plugins.txt file.

I also use F4SE. Have you tried launching through Steam? Just to see if that works.

 

You might need to start new post on this. I am sure there are other's that use FO4MM, and can help with this.

 

But that is just it, it ALSO did this when starting FO4 clean, or through say F4SE.

It is not just bound to FO4MM.... :smile:

 

Might be more like an issue on my system, incompatibility with a background program.

 

A clean Windows installation would surely help me, but I am SSOOOOOO LLLAAAAAZZZYYYYYY.... ROFL

 

 

I do a clean reinstall as a last resort, but sometimes you have no choice.

[Indeity]

*sorry for the hand writing here but if you're really serious about this then you'll find this useful*
*if this is to crazy and you want to discord or something I'm down, just message me info.*

Long story short, you HAVE no other option but to use the C.K. and it's a lot of hard work.
If you don't believe me, god speed, but I promise you, you'll fail every time you think you succeed.

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I'm currently working on a project that is doing this,

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/30826
it's only the beginning,

--Just a side note, I have permission to publish from all authors.. currently.
*it'll cease to be publick once that come to an end*
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So first off, it's not magic..there is and never will be a magical "merge these mods together button".
When someone make a mod in the C.K. - the other programs cannot handle the kinds of changes it makes. Thus, every time you get to a mod made with it, you would have to use the CK.
For a few, smaller mods "yes" but you still run a huge risk. and then, once you have 2 or 3 smaller mods merged, it's no longer a smaller mod.

At the beginning I searched for way to merge mod together "the easy way".. trust me, you try to go the easy route, you are going to run into every error, every glitch and every issue known to mankind.
There's no easy way to do it, you HAVE, 100% HAVE to know everything about the mod you are merging. Plus mods are made different ways so the only way to do a merge is manually.

here's how you do it.
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First off if it's a manual install then you have two options.
Make your own custom root dir with everything in it named correctly so all you have to do is copy and paste, select yes / merge and replace.
As you create this make sure that nothing is over lapping.

Then 2nd option is to load those files into the CK and set where they go exactly
This will unlock more options and ad more variety. It will also give you far better control over what when and how that content is used.
Example: There's a retexture you want to merge, but you also like the original OR there are two out and you want both.
You just duplicate the objects and assign each a different mesh.
You will then have control over how you want them to appear in the world.
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If the mod is ESM you have to make it ESP.
I'd do the same with ESL.

Do one mod at a time, any mod that has world space edits, you have to touch every object.. I'll go over this later.

Load a mod into the CK, set it as active,
Read what the mod does, search for content based on what that mod is for.
Everything the mod add will have a * beside it, you'll need to figure out if you want this mod to be you base or not.
If it has world space edits, or edit you cannot find, you likely want it to be your base.
Make sure you search the name of the mod, and mod authors name. Search the world space and check for *s

Do this for several mods, find and right down all the key search words and world space edits.

You can only have one active mod at a time in the CK, so..
To merge two mods together, you have to set one as active and the other/s ((do one at a time)) just load it, it won't be active.
You will then have to trace the non-active mod and make a edit to everything connected to it in order for it to have a * again. Else if, you don't do this it won't save.

The easiest way is to edit the in game name of the object, or give is a description, something that doesn't matter. Try to avoid re-naming the base object name for the CK because sometimes it will be attached to something and renaming it will detach it. The CK makes pretty good attempt at re-attaching things but if it's attached to a script or something, then you just broke the script.
As for world placed objects, in order to have then save you have to do the same for each in world placed ref. I'm not yet sure if just moving the item will work. *good luck with a quest mod*

So basically, to make a merge like that happen.. you have to become a modder. You have to learn how each and every person made their mod.. then you basically have to rebuild it... from scratch..good luck.

[Klipperken]

@Indeity: Sir, I'll give you my Discord....
And not for asking for help, believe me...

 

Let me PM you, good Sir...

[Klipperken]

@Indeity As reply: Indeed.
I had loaded every mod into my Editor, about 200, 230...

Fixed every sodding issue, took me DAYS to do this...
Clean Masters, remove masters, yappety yap, and finally... MERGE...
I ended up with a not even 20KB file????

The hell happened here?

 

THANKFULLY all fixes were saved in the correspondent fixed files, or I had gone mad....
It did not the first two tries though.

One could imagine the frustration.

 

Oddly, small completely independent mods like weapons and small armor/clothing mods did got merged, when loaded separately, one at a time and merge.

This brought my load back with about 40 mods.

And this works, so far no issues noticed.

But once I tried to add one that conflicted somewhere, it was horror... impossible.

 

Now, as for going the long way: I have basic understanding of CK, I can add meshes/textures/sounds, alter data, things like this, but then I get to Cell conflicts...
Like something is already used (room for instance), and the add-on new mod ALSO uses that room...
Here I go bananas....
Note, I am autistic with ADHD, I lose my focus fast.

If things take too long, I simply loose track.

And then mistakes start to happen.

And of course, this is where everything goes south.

 

Another annoying thing about me, I am a VERY visual person, in text I often do not quite get the explanations.

Video is good, personal in house or similar is superb, where a coach can interrupt my mistakes and lead me to the solution, so I learn.
Although, i learned quite a bit by mistakes.

But these mistakes are frustrating, as often I have no clue where I made the mistake.

 

At any rate, thank you, good Sir.

Most kind, and appreciated!!!

[Indeity]

 

 

Now, as for going the long way: I have basic understanding of CK, I can add meshes/textures/sounds, alter data, things like this, but then I get to Cell conflicts...

Like something is already used (room for instance), and the add-on new mod ALSO uses that room...

Here I go bananas....

you have to understand what each does. it's going to duplicate anything that used the same form id. or room etc.

Like I said, you have to make a edit in order for it to save down. so you would have to re-set everything done by one of the authors in the event that two mods are using the same space.

The items from both wil load, but one wont have those items placed, choose the mod with the less amount of work to do, and set the other as the one that is active.

You'd also have to create new items and set them to be the same thing. Or just delete the ref you don't want and put it somewhere else in the world. But keep in mind that a world object ref isn't always the same as the base.

So you have to look at how it's unique etc.