Plugin Mega-Merging

[blitzen]

In case anyone is interested, I just merged 116 follower plugins with one or more followers per plugin using the standalone merge tool for Oldrim. The compressed 7z archive was 4.9 GB and was something like 18 GB when uncompressed. So it's possible to create large merges. There were a few things missing, such as voice files for the Witcher followers Ciri and Yennefer, some FaceGenData for several other followers, and I saw a follower with no hands, but overall it went well. I'm patching in the missing resources and have already fixed several of the followers. I had to examine every plugin before the merge. Some of the plugins were redefining core game elements, such as SkinHand, NordRace, changing HairColor, all sorts of things. Some had multiple errors. After seeing all this, I have come to the conclusion that it is a bad idea to install any mod without looking at it very carefully in xEdit, and one really should look at the files in the archive too. You would not believe some of the crap that goes on in these mods. A number of the mods seem to assume that they are the only mod installed in the game and can hijack whatever resources they want instead of providing new resources, which takes more effort. I can see how they could cause mysterious problems to surface in the game at some point. I even found mods that had Skyrim.esm as a master and reversed changes made by Update.esm.

Edited August 12, 2018 by blitzen

[Deleted3897072User]

Yup.

[QuagaarWarrior]

116 followers?

Question: why?

[blitzen]

It's 116 plugins, but 140 followers. Skyrim needs more NPCs. It's too empty. Perhaps you've noticed.

[QuagaarWarrior]

There could be more NPCs in Skyrim but I would be concerned for long term stability with the number of scripts 140 followers would entail. I once created a mass effect style team of 10 followers and put them all in the same house. I would take one out at a time on a quest. I had regular crashes when inside the house with all the followers.

I also find balancing the difficulty of my game very hard when I have more than one follower at a time.

[blitzen]

Considering that some of the CW battles I see involve 50 and more NPCs with active AI, having 140 NPCs scattered around in different places isn't significant. I have yet to see any crashes. Most of the followers are sitting around in taverns. There are at least 10 in Dragonsreach alone. I already had 2 other smaller follower merges, so I probably have another 30 in addition to the 140 in the mega merge. There are also all sorts of animals added to the world. There are toads, frogs, squirrels, beavers, extra insects, giraffes, extra farm animals, Beasts of Tamriel. etc. I have the full Populated series to include Populated CW, Warzones, Travellers of Skyrim, Interesting NPCs, immersive Patrols, Immersive Wenches, Extended Encounters, Immersive War and Violence, and Lively Inns and Taverns. There is constant fighting around the province. Bandits raid towns. There are at least 30 NPCs in each of the large taverns at night. They are so packed full of people that my characters can barely move. And the list of mods above are what I can remember without checking the game. There is a bit more. Skyrim SE isn't crashing.

Edited August 14, 2018 by blitzen

[Mercury71]

It's 116 plugins, but 140 followers. Skyrim needs more NPCs. It's too empty. Perhaps you've noticed.

 

A bit ot... but i love Skyrim being empty... i hate people. :)

[shamiro1]

Considering that some of the CW battles I see involve 50 and more NPCs with active AI, having 140 NPCs scattered around in different places isn't significant. I have yet to see any crashes. Most of the followers are sitting around in taverns. There are at least 10 in Dragonsreach alone. I already had 2 other smaller follower merges, so I probably have another 30 in addition to the 140 in the mega merge. There are also all sorts of animals added to the world. There are toads, frogs, squirrels, beavers, extra insects, giraffes, extra farm animals, Beasts of Tamriel. etc. I have the full Populated series to include Populated CW, Warzones, Travellers of Skyrim, Interesting NPCs, immersive Patrols, Immersive Wenches, Extended Encounters, Immersive War and Violence, and Lively Inns and Taverns. There is constant fighting around the province. Bandits raid towns. There are at least 30 NPCs in each of the large taverns at night. They are so packed full of people that my characters can barely move. And the list of mods above are what I can remember without checking the game. There is a bit more. Skyrim SE isn't crashing.

Why? Your pc must be a beefy one. I have a few mods you have mentioned as well and sometimes I think there are too many npc's in my game now. Yeah 30 npc's in a bigger inn during the night is considered packed AF

[strawbqwerty]

I have merged a whole lot of followers as well. For ease of trouble shooting and updating I kept the merges to twenty or thirty followers at a time. At the moment i have seven companion follower merges of which with this play through I am using four of them. I like the inns and taverns filled up more and with follower companion mods you get variety in the npc`s.

[ArizonaSteve]

You guys are amateurs (although blitzen seems to be competitive)... I am the worst follower-o-holic and have over 500 followers merged into two plugins :smile:

 

This includes multiple Oldrim followers that I have converted to SSE.

 

I will echo the need to go through each follower in xedit - I make a point of this as soon as I download each follower file. I also test each follower in-game before adding to one of the merges.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Arizona_Steve