Looking for intermediate on using mods in the best way

[Keating0]

So, I've installed the Nexus Mod Manager, I've realized it's a fantastic program and amazingly easy, I'm very impressed. I've been running several fix/improvement mods and they've been working great. But as I'm spending more and more time searching for mods and making them work together, I realized I should maybe check out a forum sticky for the rules of thumb for the order in which to install the mods, or maybe another that lists people's thoughts on the best unambiguous bug/graphics improvements to the vanilla gameplay game, neither of which I've found.

 

I've looked at the wiki, the LOAD ORDER sticky (which actually help with what order to load the mods), and a few other places, to no avail. Ideally, if you could direct me to a big page that I'm missing with all this info that'd be amazing, but here are the specifics:

 

1) With the NMM, I can choose whether to activate or deactivate mods, but gives me no load order option, so if I want to install a new upper-tier I have to reactivate everything over the new mod, any way to do this.

2) I'm assuming this is what load order means, did it use to be an on-startup modification as opposed to modifying all these files before the game starts, as NMM does.

3) By-the-way I understand the basics of activate-order of the general changes first in the event of a file conflict, but any more advice would be welcome, what else should I know? Anything about saving, and not saving, and not being in an area when I mod?

3) What the hell is a plugin? The NMM has mods and some of the mods have plugins, and I leave them all checked, but I can't find any info on what a plugin is and how it's different than a mod (does it mean that it's added code/script as opposed to simply replacing code?).

 

4) Where can I find a comprehensive and up-to-date page listing all the unambiguous fixes/and obvious graphics improvements that everyone should have? I've seen a lot of good ones but most of the time it's not obvious what's redundant, or what's already been patched out since the mods upload. [Among others (that I've found going through the first ~3 pages of highest endorsed in each category) I see the official Skyrim patch, weapons and armor fixes, XCE (Xenius's), realistic lighting (customization allows it to be unambiguous), and a few sound packs.]

 

Thanks in advance

 

P.S. 5) Although I've just posted the request in mod-detective thread, if anyone knows of a mod that stops me from accidentally stealing/pickpocketing so easily, let me know.

 

P.P.S. I fail at title-writing, if a mod could edit the title to be "...intermediate *help*..." I'd feel a lot better about myself :wallbash:

Edited May 19, 2012 by Keating0

[DarkVentus]

I can help with some of your questions, A plugin is like a follower of the Master file it comes with, The graphics improvements I use are, Real Ice, Real Ice and Snow (RIS), Skyrim 2k HD Texture pack (which is actually HD), W.A.T.E.R, and SkyUI (which requires SKSE). I have never seen any mods that can keep you from pickpocketing easily.