Want to edit an esp, but everything points to creation kit

[Ramboing]

I got a martial arts mod that I like, but I use it with a bound fists mod and an animation mod, and the combination makes it pointless to do power attacks because most of the damage comes from magic procs. I would like to edit the martial arts mod's power attacks to multiple hit instead of doing more damage.

 

Problem: Every modding tutorial I seem to find sends me to the creation kit, which loads thousands of items and settings and scripts. I only want to open the martial arts mod's esp and tweak a few things that I will never find among all that clutter. What program can I use to do this - open just the mod esp?

[Korodic]

you will need to open the creation kit and load the thousands of objects that are contained inside the main files which the mods you use... use. Since you are trying to edit multiple mods in one way or another, you may need to edit them individually or set them dependent on one another to get the effect you desire. You also will need to figure out how the authors did what they did so you can make the necessary adjustments. Good luck.

[David Brasher]

The Creation Kit is the only full-functioning tool for editing a Skyrim .esp. The other tools just do one or more specific functions. So what you want is the Creation Kit.

[Ramboing]

I only need to change one of the mods at first. How am I supposed to find the sections that it changed in order to tweak them among all the data in the game? There is really no program that will let me look at the contents of just the one esp file in an understandable way? Edited June 12, 2012 by Ramboing

[Ghaunadaur]

You can open and look into the .esp with TESVSnip, but its functions are limited.

It's a good tool for copy & paste actions, remove unwanted edits from the file or merging mods.

[steve40]

I only need to change one of the mods at first. How am I supposed to find the sections that it changed in order to tweak them among all the data in the game? There is really no program that will let me look at the contents of just the one esp file in an understandable way?

 

In the CK, open the "File->Data..." menu. Select Skyrim.esm then click OK and wait several minutes for everything to load (click YES TO ALL to ignore any error messages that pop up). Next, in the same Data window, right-click twice on the mod you want to edit, to make it the actve file ( DO NOT click OK). Now click the DETAILS button. You will see a list of what items this mod changes.

 

Also, if the modder was sufficiently proficient and well organised, he quite likely prefixed the Form ID's that he edited with his initials, or something like "aa" to make his edits easy to find using the search filter in the Object Window.

Edited June 12, 2012 by steve40

[Ramboing]

I'll take a look. Do any of you know what section to find modifications to unarmed power attacks? Finding things like weapons is easy, but mechanics not so much.

[jet4571]

Or he could be a jackass and have named everything where it lands in the very middle of some rather large groups. like starting with Enc for an NPC, or EnchArmor for armor, or Ench for weapons... Yeah Bethesda noobtime mistakes using a prefix instead of a suffix for everything and 3/4 the list starts with E, N, and C.

 

A prefix should be quest related or location related and only that. general items should be a suffix. every ebony armor variation should be grouped together with a suffix stating enchantments.

 

I can see why the OP doesn't want to open the CK to work on the esp file with the severe lack of organization Bethesda gives us. hell creating a new armor is no fun with an armor entry, armor addon, and then the entries for crafting and tempering when all that could've just been in the armor entry itself and duplicated with edits for each variation rather than 4 entries for 1 variation.

 

Anyway, there is the almighty asterisk showing what is in the mod in the lists. you will begin to hate the asterisk if you continue modding though, after the 10th time just looking at something to see how its setup and then there is an asterisk on it even if you didn't change it in any way... So look for them asterisks so you know whats mod and whats vanilla.

 

*edit,

 

My best guess right now is in Actors\Actor Action but I never monkeyed about with the combat system

Edited June 12, 2012 by jet4571

[Ramboing]

So, I looked at the list of changes under details, and it looks like what I need is "group:type stat", type weapon, type perk, type gmst, type spell. But I can't locate them in the creation kit. What section are these in?

[steve40]

So, I looked at the list of changes under details, and it looks like what I need is "group:type stat", type weapon, type perk, type gmst, type spell. But I can't locate them in the creation kit. What section are these in?

 

In the Object Window in the left hand "tree", expand all the branches and become familiar with what's organised in there.