Regular Play with Creation Kit

[pixelbender]

Hey everyone. I am very new so please take it easy :-)

 

I built a windows machine specifically to get into modding Fallout 4 and perhaps Skyrim down the line. I have purchased Fallout 4 from Steam, installed the Creation Kit and Nexus Mod Manager.

 

My question is this...

 

Once Creation Kit is installed and I begin modding, will I still be able to have a normal modding play through experience? Does Creation Kit do anything that will prevent me from just spending a normal night playing Fallout 4? Should I but another copy and install it somewhere else on my machine? To that point, is it possible to make two install locations for a single Steam licence, one for play through and one for Creation Kit?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[ZeroAndOne]

Naw man. The Creation GECK. LOL The SDK is a good one. We get it from the Bethesda.net launcher. That keeps it updated, and installs it to the correct location. First time you run the SDK it asks if we want to unpack the scripts, which is handy. After that point it's benign. If you don't use it, then it does nothing. The game is the same.

 

 

It might help to explain .ESL which is the newer version of .ESM/.ESP If a mod isn't to large it can be converted to a .ESL with the SDK, if there are no errors, then it can load along side the game, similar to a .dll where the .ESM/.ESP is traditional loading & limited to a total number of 254, we can run 255 max, but it's harder to work with.

 

 

Publishing or Converting to .ESL is a easy way to put the mod outside that limitation box for the total amount. Skyrim can be really fun with far less than 254 .ESM/.ESP but FO4 on the other hand requires around 600 mods to be fun. That's just the nature of the beast. So it's helpful to use Merge Plugins to circumvent that 254 limit.

 

 

I'm sure there are Skyrim players that try to get 600 mods going in a stable game, because Merge Plugins actually comes from the Skyrim Community. .ESL is just as good though. All the mods from Creation Club come as .ESL short of any error in converting to that file type. I use both actually, but if all else fails use the old ways.

 

 

The SDK has to have the config.ini edited to allow the loading of multiple masters, which becomes required at some point. There is the Fallout4.esm & following DLC.esm as the official game. Launch it load one or all of the masters. Do your work. Then hit the save button periodically incase the power goes out if it's a long project.

 

 

Each time you load up the mod you are creating, it gets set to the active file. This means it's actively being edited. All the changes are saved inside that file. Where as if you load up your mod with it not set to active, you would have created a plug in for your file. The original mod has yesterdays work, and when you save ,it's going to save today's work in a different file.

 

 

Hence, the setting of your current work to be the active file. Other than that, don't forget the official Wiki, I use the Papyrus Tutorial as the homepage to get to any information in the Wiki. Nexus has a Wiki too, come to think of it. Then if you didn't know, Steam is able to make backup install discs for any of these games, in various patch versions for games.

 

 

What kind of work do you want to try to do?

 

 

CreationKit.ini @ Fallout directory (where the Fallout4.exe is) allow multi master loads in red at the bottom of the general section, it's a text document, doesn't have to be red, I just did that so you could find it in the spoiler.

 

 

 

 

 

[General]
bCullingBatch=0
bUseMyGamesDirectory=0
bUseVersionControl=0
SLocalSavePath=Saves\
SLocalMasterPath=Data\
SLocalBackupPath=Data\CheckInBackup
uiFaceGenMaxEGTDataSize=67108864
uiFaceGenMaxEGMDataSize=67108864
bUseEyeEnvMapping=1
bFixFaceNormals=0
bUseFaceGenHeads=1
bFaceMipMaps=1
bExternalLODDataFiles=1
bOnlyActiveFileForRefFix=1
bForceCheckOutOnRefFix=0
bFixPersistenceOnRefInit=0
bFixBadLocRefsOnInit=0
iCheckCellRegionsOnInit=0
bCheckDoorCollisionOnInit=0
bWarnOnGameSettingLoad=0
bFaceGenTexturing=1
bCheckHairOnInit=0
bKeepHeadOnRaceChange=0
bCreateShaderPackage=0
uGridDistantTreeRangeCity=4
uGridDistantCountCity=4
uGridDistantTreeRange=15
uGridDistantCount=25
uGridsToLoad=5
bAnimationUseBlendFromPose=0
fAnimationDefaultBlend=0.2000
fAnimationMult=1.0000
iCheckOutOnBoundChange=2
bFixAIPackagesOnLoad=0
bKeepPluginWhenMerging=0
bLoadTheUserPlugin=0
bCreate Maps Enable=0
bDisableDuplicateReferenceCheck=1
bCheckForMultiFileForms=1
bCheckForRefCellChanges=0
bTintMipMaps=0
uExterior Cell Buffer=36
uInterior Cell Buffer=3
bPreemptivelyUnloadCells=0
SFaceTestSoundName=Data\Sound\Voice\Test\CharGen QA1.wav
bClearPersistenceOnVCSort=0
bAllowNonGroupedVersionControl=0
iFullSaveCellThreshhold=20
iNPCCheckOutCount=500
iLandCheckOutCount=1024
fPathGridAutoConnectRadius=512.0000
SFile Path=
bLight Radius=0
bMaximize Editor=0
bPreview=0
bAllowUnsafeSave=0
bAllowMultipleEditors=0
bEditorHotLoading=1
bEditorHotLoading360=1
bEditorHotLoadingPS3=0
bDisableComputeShaderOnCombinations=1
sMaterialEditorPage=Tools\MaterialEditor\htdocs\index.html
bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1

[bethesda.net]
bEnablePlatformSelection=1
bEnableXB1=1
bEnablePS4=1

[imagespace]
bMBEnable=0

[Display]
bDeferredCommands=0
bDynamicObjectQueryManager=0
bMultiThreadedAccumulation=0
bMultiThreadedRenderingUNP=0
iTexMipMapMinimum=0
fDecalLifetime=10.0000
bUsePreCulledObjects=0

[Papyrus]
sScriptSourceFolder = ".\Data\Scripts\Source\User"
sAdditionalImports = "$(source);.\Data\Scripts\Source\Base"
sAutoFillNamespaceDefault1 = "MyMod01"
sAutoFillNamespaceDefault2 = "MyMod02"
sAutoFillNamespaceDefault3 = "MyMod03"
sAutoFillNamespaceDefault4 = "MyMod04"
sAutoFillNamespaceDefault5 = "MyMod05"

Edited October 20, 2018 by ZeroAndOne

[ZeroAndOne]

Regular Play:

 

 

Right now I started over with the same character that I've had since launch. FO4 was supplied with default characters via the Hype Train. Advertising really, but the part of that which focused on the voice actors for the male & female protagonist of the story part. Character creation or CC was integrated into that marketing campaign. Which is how NATE & NORA became so popular. Love it or hate it, having default characters, some just decided to roll with it. With me I flipped a coin, because they were both great voice actors & the CC for NATE & NORA was great. They did a real good job fitting that to what we would experience inside FO4. In my case I flipped a coin & it came up tails. I flipped it another 3 times, just because females are so high maintenance compared to the male sex. But either one works, it's just a bit different.

 

 

It took just over one year of playing the game, while refusing to do any quest except for the first couple of quests. A year learning how to play FO4 as a RPG or how to play FO4 in general, how to wander around looking for the parts of the game that I liked, and could exploit via the player controls or render in order to enjoy it. When I was able to get the early Bethesda.net launcher to work with Windows 7 Pro 64, which was about two years later, LOL. Spent the last year playing FO4 with the SDK installed. I only had to update the SDK once, but it would be a good idea to periodically check via launching Bethesda.net Launcher. I think that's what it's called. Anyway, if you are going to make something for these games it helps to be pretty deep into the game connection wise irregardless if you are a progression gamer or not.

 

 

That 3 year period of casually playing FO4 I'm learning to play & mod the game. The story develops from just wandering around, and what connection I formed to the RPG character. Developing that mental simulation of who this person is, what they would do, why/how is it fun to play this way. It's all incredibly valuable. Six years of simulated time have passed in the game, and I've only just begun to play it in the traditional progressive sense that the game has to be won. It's silly really. These are sandbox games. We're encouraged to play them however we like, and that it's been designed to focus on allowing the freedom to play how we like. Maybe that's all just marketing hocus pocus, smoke & mirrors. Though to do this I switch between mindsets. It's incredibly helpful to do that, but it takes practice.

 

 

One mindset for playing games how I would as the original gamester I was, easy. But then the noted separation of game design/development mindsets from that, because if we don't enjoy what we are doing, it's not fun to make it. That's true for anything you create. A passion for it is helpful, but also the enjoyment of that passion. Some say that people either love playing the game or they love working on the game. I take it that is the normal part of the human population. I disagreed with this entirely. For one thing I love playing the game with what I have made specifically to play the game with. It's easy. I had a roleplay character, and the character needed or wanted this. I just go make that happen. While these subject matters change from one area of content to the next, it's all learning. Eventually the types of content will thread together. One thing is related to another content type, and thus the original idea shines brighter having full threading & polish.

 

 

Most people, just want to make a mod. They have no idea how to do it, or how complex all this stuff is. They grit & bear the brunt of grinding thru a vast assortment of activities & tools. Then their mod is made. It's done. This becomes a pissing contest of coolness along with the greater digression into ideas centered around the question of if they own this fresh hot steaming pile of crap. It's on the net/web. Without a team of lawyers, you don't own anything. Yet, a vast ongoing war that's diving into a huge pot of negativity. That's not good. I tend to gravitate toward the attitude of the Oblivion era modding community. Large amount of folks back then just gave it away. It kept with the Nexus Mods rules & credit given to original authors, but it was more about fun. Give everything away, and make it fun. What I have on my terminal is mine, I own that, but once it's published to the net/web it's not mine anymore, who knows where it will end up.

 

 

You think this is bad? Shite Salads! I've been learning game design/development for years & years. It takes tons of reading. There are tons of videos. Even still there are tons of games to play with some of them being moddable. There is really no end to it. The work is also endless. Just about anytime you try to do anything, it requires about 10 times more work than anyone would think. There are endless problems. Hours & Hours trying to get something to work. Which brings me to another mindset to have. Testing. Playing games in order to test them or test something specific, sucks. It's not fun. So it's helpful to switch between this mindset to another or directly force one's self into a particular mindset with a goal in mind. For example, if I don't get inside a game to just play it for the enjoyment of it. I'M GOING TO GO OUT OF ME HEAD! Ha hah ha ha. That being said, there's also a social side to it. Go meet the other authors, have talks, make tea. It's often overlooked. One big problem is that a majority of the mod authors are antisocial, and want to do everything alone. Not good.

 

 

Creativity comes & goes. Sometimes it's flowing like a river, and other times it can't be found. There are people that are highly creative. But you still need talent. I don't have any of that. Instead I just learn. I write down tons of stuff. Play with ideas. Look for the best way to do things. Then I try all kinds of weird unthinkable things. You never know. The average career for someone working in the industry is 7 years. After that they move on. But mostly people stick to design/development. It can be quite a unforgiving place. There have been times that I've purposely avoided the community because of it's overall negativity, that just kills the creativity with me. When that happens I'm in my house making things just for myself. I've been stuck there for years now. Just sticking to private conversations & private distribution. Meanwhile, the SDK has changed, the toolset has changed. Then any talent & skill degrades. I usually find something I can learn, and something I can make though.

 

 

So we'll just bypass the FO3 era, FNV era, SKY era, and plop right down here in the FO4 era. Keep in mind that once the game launches we are already about 3-4 years behind. Specially when there is a change of SDK, but just remember the professionals face these changes in tools with graceful learning. I don't know how, but some people are just really good at that. It might take 10 years to master a game engine, during that time it could all change. Such as with Skyrim, and again with FO4. It is what it is. It's very grindy. Most of the grind that I've done was in Object Modifications & naming things. How to name things so it fits nicely into the lore for whatever game. Also prototypes. I actually roleplay it a bunch, pretend the character is making this stuff. I've been playing with Lighting & Game Space more recently. Usually I go watch a video on something I want to make on YouTube. Then put the knowledge into practice. I also learn Papyrus on the side, because there isn't any content which doesn't shine just a little bit brighter with a script kiddie degree, LOL.

 

 

I typically shoot for the 4th year. That's when whatever I can make starts to become much more interesting. Though it's always working now to learn or make stuff, so that much later in the future I'll be able to do something. Now I don't do this every hour of every day. It's just little bits at a time spread over years. Right now I could make the finest in-game modifications for armor & weapons on the planet. I could also make a lighting mod for any area in game that would be spectacular. The only reason I can do that is because I've already made those things hundreds of times. Make it, delete it, make it again. Is it any better? There is a more professional method though. You made something, then spent time to improve it. Typically I try to get it inside the game as fast as possible, doesn't have to be good at all. GET IT INSIDE THE GAME! Then look at it, ask yourself is it good, what's good about it, how could I change this. Working on paper helps, terrific refresh rate on paper. LOL It's a old joke from Adam. Take a gander at Adam's Tribute Flikr. It's great, or the ole Bethesda Blog Flikr.

 

 

You'll want to set up the PC to be a friendly work environment. That means you have to practice workspace ergonomics too. But you will want to have a shortcut to the game's data folder in the Windows start menu, and various tools or games on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. It should be clean, but the important part is that you can quickly move from one area to the next, or one tool to the next. Folders & Backups for things everywhere, but hidden so it can be a clean set up. Most of the tools require some set up. The Creation GECK. Yeah, definitely. Fook it I'll do a video to show below later, but set it up however it works best for you. Same is true for all the other tools. It's very important to customize it to how you prefer to use it. I don't usually have to do too much custom set up work for programs, but they all require at least a period that is setting it up for me. That can change to, later on, for specific uses. I'm just sitting here today downloading a huge mod. Making a whole new lighting set up for Vault 111. I'm drinking one Blue Moon Ale right in the middle of the project. Typing this stuff. Then setting it up to upload a YouTube video. You wanted to know how we play while having the SDK installed. Off the rails man, off the rails, whatever we can think up.

[pixelbender]

Thank you ZeroAndOne. You took quite a lot of time to explain that all to me and it is truly appreciated. I wasn't even aware of GECK. I am assuming you mean what I see here: http://geck.bethsoft.com/index.php?title=Main_Page?

 

I see a lot about FO3 but not FO4.

 

I am a programmer by trade. I began in high school with Assembler, Fortran and Pascal. I have always read constantly to keep updated in my field, from perl to C# to Objective-C to Javascript...so I realize the amount of time it takes to produce something of quality.

 

I haven't owned a windows machine since the last computer I built about 15 years ago and I put it in the attic around the time Windows 8 was on its way. Back then I spent a lot of time modding a game called Thief using DromEd. I lost interest somewhere a long the line but modding FO4 and Skyrim seems to have piqued my interest again.

 

I will definitely remember your advice. Thanks!

[ZeroAndOne]

Don't Eat The Carrots. Windows 7 Pro 64 isn't that bad, it's modified/patched Windows Vista, so it has it's particular problems. Only have a couple of years left, but Win10 is probably going along pretty well now. Idk but what you were looking for I think, I guess I messed it up was Papyrus Primer, I thought I mentioned it, I guess I forgot. I use that as the homepage for the Creation Kit Wiki. Oh yeah. DON'T EAT THE CARROTS! LOL

[JonathanOstrus]

From your first post it sounds like you already got the Creation Kit for Skyrim and/or Fallout 4? If I'm wrong, the Skyrim Classic/Legendary Edition aka Oldrim is acquired from Steam. The Creation Kit for Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout 4 is acquired from Bethesda.net (download the launcher and it's on the list of installable things). The "GECK" is for older games Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas.

 

If you're familiar with C# and JavaScript then picking up Papyrus scripting language should be a breeze. Some fairly basic things about Papyrus though: Papyrus is not a case sensitive language; It is a typed language (like everything except JavaScript really); Arrays have a limited number of entities (128 max).

 

If you checkout the tutorial Papyrus Primer that ZeroAndOne linked it should cover the rest.

 

There's a lot of video tutorials from DarkFox127 on YouTube that covers quite a bit of almost anything you might want to do.

[pixelbender]

Thanks BigAndFlabby! I think my main concern right now is getting the tools I need and setting them up correctly. I was concerned about being able to actually play FO4 after installing the tools to develop...you know keeping my development separate from a typical play through, which is why I was wondering about a dual install of the game.

 

Yesterday I started working with NMM and then today while surfing information, I learned about Vortex. So now I am in the process of installing Vortex and removeing NMM...or is that a bad decision?

[JonathanOstrus]

Thanks BigAndFlabby! I think my main concern right now is getting the tools I need and setting them up correctly. I was concerned about being able to actually play FO4 after installing the tools to develop...you know keeping my development separate from a typical play through, which is why I was wondering about a dual install of the game.

 

Yesterday I started working with NMM and then today while surfing information, I learned about Vortex. So now I am in the process of installing Vortex and removeing NMM...or is that a bad decision?

 

RE Tools. If you installed the Bethesda.net launcher then that's where you get the CreationKits for Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition. Just make sure when you install them you target the game folder. It should automatically find it and offer the proper folder if you've started the Launcher at least once so it sets the proper registry keys.

 

The only concern to be aware of in playing a normal game while having your modding tools installed, is that if you have any loose files or plugins (enabled) for your mod present then they will be in your game as well. If you don't have your plugin(s) enabled, and you do not overwrite vanilla or other mod added files, then there's no drawback to having the development stuff in your normal playthrough area.

 

RE Vortex vs NMM. Personal preference really. I have and use both. NMM development is pretty much stopped at this point. There is some community patching and stuff going on but the releases of said patches is pretty sparse. Vortex on the other hand gets frequent updates as of late. Though it is still pretty fresh, so it has some bugs to work out.

 

I do like the speed at which Vortex handles creating the hardlinks upon deployment of mods. And if you modify files in the data folder directly that are put in by a mod Vortex manages, it offers to save that change to the staging folder. This is nice in that, you can purge the game folder to quickly get a virgin state and then redeploy when ready and still have your changes. Do note though, that if you create any entirely new files, like a patch plugin, Vortex won't be aware of that.

[ZeroAndOne]

Don't use or learn NMM unless you have to. NMM was recently replaced by Vortex. FOMM was replaced by NMM. Mod Manager came in there too. I think it's called. It's just growth in the tools we have available. But then, ha Hah ha, you can still do all that shite manually. A better answer is heuristic. Not perfect, but it works. So like right now, NMM isn't a good choice for me. It has all kinds of problems relating to my O/S or whatever difference there is between this terminal, and the terminal NMM was designed forrrrrrrr. Which, it was probably designed for everybody's terminal. Heh, maybe my terminal just sux. LOL


NMM plays the function of downloading mods for me. I can que up 100 mods or more, and then set it to only download one at a time. Then it goes along downloading while I'm playing games. Then the mods stick around until I get time to install them. It's important to set aside a point which you actually want to install stuff. This is because it usually breaks the savegame and/or game itself when you install something. Change too much the savegame will be broken. Glitches, it glitches out. Once the game is started it needs to be a final version. You can play and change things, but eventually it will glitch something out.


So you actually start by building a stable version of the game. What I do is start with a vanilla game, no mods at all. This creates the BACKUP savegame. Works really well for Skyrim because the startup of that game is somewhat complex. There are alternate start mods that bypass that, but nothing beats a dedicated BACKUP savegame. FO4 a good spot is right before you step onto the elevator to go up into the wasteland. The timescale there is 0, and the respec hasn't occurred yet. Though some save after they have talked with Codsworth or somewhere after that point hidden inside/underground.


Once you got the backup savegame, it's not a bad idea to test the game. Cheat. ~ it's to the left of the 1 key, console, and you can look up the commands on the net. Here you just need ~TMM 1 it can be ~tmm 1 as well. This turns on the map markers. Then outside of survival mode, because we don't start the game in that mode, the game converts to that mode since 1.7 it's just more easy to leave it off until it's time to play. Anyway, ~TGM or ~tgm This toggles god mode. Now go around starting chaos & fast traveling. ~KILLALL or ~killall kills everything, fast travel, run. Go around nuking stuff.


It's important to do that in Skyrim & Fallout because in some areas of the game the performance requirements for the game changes. A computer system is going to lag in these games because of all the stuff going on. But it's just a baseline test. Without one, there's no reason to start trying to fix anything once you are deep into a huge chunk of modding and/or gameplay while using mods. Just play the game, use the mods, and remember to develop a method for doing this which is easy or best for you. Now, dump 100 mods onto the game. Actually it would be better to start with picking a ENB & run your test again.


At any rate eventually you'll dump 100 mods onto the game. Go back in the same way using your BACKUP savegame. Different though this time. You play the game, but it's a test play. You're playing the game normally & having fun, but depending on how the build went you might want to make changes. Those changes eventually will break that game. You'll know when it's broken. Sometimes you can just keep playing for a while, until you know it's time to roll back to that BACKUP save game. Now if you want to, you can just add mods to the end of the load order, perfectly safe that way.


Maybe you ended up with the type of random occurring glitches or issues which are known to come from huge amounts of IDM (Identical To Master) Cross referencing IDM on a massive scale because almost none of these people even know what that is. It's not as problematic as it was in the past, but it still happens. These glitches we can't trace back to a root cause. It's like the technicians in the field. Sometimes they just reprogram something to fix it. Wasn't anything wrong with the programing whatever it was had, but pragmatically reprogramming it fixes the shite. LOL, it's not exactly like that though.


Way more heuristic. Players end up doing whatever they have to do to get the stupid game to work. Oh man, you wouldn't believe how much work a player will put into a game just to be able to play it. It's fookin beautiful man. Work & Play. Work & Play. Work & Play. If I can install 600 mods & merge it down to fit inside 254 editable mods, then it's fine just as it is. Thing is to get it to do that I'll have to work on it the whole time. Removing IDM only comes when those random issues start. Mostly all the other work up to this point is just reading the mod descriptions. Then trusting my gut for what is less work.


Some things are worth quite a bit of work for me. So I tend to focus on that. Then pretty much I just remove IDM on everything but the mods that are location based. Stuff that changes a place in the game & Scrap Everything doesn't work without IDM included. Other mods should say on the description page. BOSS reports would say if it's able to be cleaned or not, but I don't use BOSS to auto sort my load order. Instead I do it the old school way. It's just mods that are organized into content type so I can remember or because the order is what insures that it's a functional state.


The base install/build Merger I was only the easy stuff to merge, mods that had more than one .esm/.esp for example. Preparation for the stuff I would add later on, which became the Merger II seen in the spoiler below, that has gone into Merger III now which I revered to my BACKUP savegame for. Two reasons. I was about to merge this stuff, and the merging required testing. Then also I was bored with the game I had started, and it was far from the final build mark which would be more of a final play. Though sometimes the game just becomes broken, and it's good idea to start over.

Fallout4.esm
DLCRobot.esm
DLCworkshop01.esm
DLCCoast.esm
DLCworkshop02.esm
DLCworkshop03.esm
DLCNukaWorld.esm
ccbgsfo4004-pipboy(camo02).esl
ccbgsfo4018-gaussrifleprototype.esl
ccbgsfo4042-bfg.esl
ccfsvfo4001-modularmilitarybackpack.esl
ccfsvfo4002-midcenturymodern.esl
cceejfo4001-decorationpack.esl
ccbgsfo4045-advarccab.esl
ccfsvfo4003-slocum.esl
ccgcafo4001-factionws01army.esl
ccgcafo4011-factionws11vt.esl
ccgcafo4012-factionas01acat.esl
ccgcafo4016-factionas05hrshark.esl
ccgcafo4021-factionas10hrflames.esl
ccgcafo4022-factionas11vt.esl
ccgcafo4023-factionas12army.esl
ccswkfo4001-astronautpowerarmor.esm
ccswkfo4002-pipnuka.esl
ccswkfo4003-pipquan.esl
ccbgsfo4060-dgrot.esl
ccrzrfo4003-pipover.esl
ccfrsfo4002-antimaterielrifle.esl
cceejfo4002-nuka.esl



Utility ESMs Below - doesn't really do much other than provide utility functionality for various other plugins.

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp
ArmorKeywords.esm
Homemaker.esm
Arbitration - Resources.esm
Endless Warfare.esm
FCOM.esm
HUDFramework.esm
Worsin's Garage.esm
Damage Threshold.esm
TrueStormsFO4.esm
SimSettlements.esm
VotWMaster.esm


Crafting Basically, Below - Stuff I needed. This merger broke the build mode menu. I wanted to play really bad so I didn't have enough time to fix the merge for it, and decided to wait until later. I did have a theory that the menus that were missing were the mods causing the broken menu, about 4-5 mods, so I might could reduce this down later if I find other mods, to add which push the total amount closer to 254. It was a shame too, it would have been a clean merger. But the other 3 mergers seems to have worked. Still have to keep playing to test it. Also we wrote reports on the files we merged which help other users. This comes from Merge Plugins at the Skyrim community.

extendedLightsWS.esp
Colored Workshop Lights.esp
AutoDoors.esp
Business Settlements.esp
CleanSettlement Beds.esp
EferasBetterBeds.esp
Generator Fusebox - More realistic version.esp
Invisible_Guard_Marker.esp
LooksMirror.esp
Alternate_Power_Sources.esp
MK_ComponentsRedone.esp
MoreWeaves.esp
OCDecorator.esp
OCDispenser.esp
OCDecoratorDLC.esp
OWR_CraftableDecor.esp
OWR2_CraftableDecor.esp
OWR_CraftableDecor_CW.esp
OWR2_CraftableDecor_CW.esp
ManufacturingExtended.esp
DLC items to manufacturing.esp
CHKFlora.esp
Farming Resources.esp
Commonwealth_Livestock.esp
PlantedPlantable.esp
Automatron Protectrons Expanded.esp
AEWS.esp
AdvSettleTurretSet-Real.esp
AES_Renovated Furniture.esp
Wasteland Brewing V1A.esp
ImmersiveVendors.esp
Northland Diggers New.esp
CREAtiveClutter.esp
TheFridge.esp
SanctuaryParts.esp
SettleObjExpandPack.esp
NWM_House.esp
Evan_Modular Kitchen.esp
CWSS Redux.esp
SimSettlements_MegaPack_YearOne.esp


Body/Eyes/Hair & Armor Utilities Below

Armorsmith Extended.esp
CBBE.esp
LooksMenu.esp
LooksMenu Customization Compendium.esp
The Eyes Of Beauty.esp
KSHairdos_oel.esp
Lots More Female Hairstyles.esp
KSHairdos.esp




Faction Overhauls Below

strongerRobotsSynthsTurrets.esp
Synth Overhaul.esp
Synth Overhaul - White Patch.esp
SuperMutantOverhaul.esp
RaiderOverhaul.esp
My_Minutemen.esp


Huge merger of misc mods Below - Merged mods in Green.

MiscMergeTooFixedII.esp


DeadBodyCollision.esp
PilesofCorpses.esp
dD-Enhanced Blood.esp
LongRangeBulletHoles.esp
RainofBrassPetals.esp
killmove-100.esp
3pMeleeTweak.esp
UnarmedHotkey.esp
Sneaky Kills.esp
StabAnim4All.esp
Realistic melee range.esp
Configurable NPC FOV - 140.esp
LegendaryAllDifficulties3x.esp
Enemies_Don't_Shoot_So_Good.esp
AITweak.esp
Ai Tweak.esp
Settler Sandbox Overhaul.esp
advancedAITweaks.esp
No Combat Boundaries.esp
AutomatronUnlocked.esp
DumpsterDiving.esp
PackBrahminsToEyebots_Settlements.esp
BobbleGirl.esp
RealisticHunting.esp
UrbanFoodExpanded.esp
Ketaros_TradingCards.esp
VATST_Combat_SlowMo.esp
U_VATS_CritHitBar.esp
VATST_Distance_10000.esp
VATST_HitChance_1_5.esp
VATST_Targeting_SlowMo.esp
Smoke-able Cigars.esp
Animated Drinking.esp
Animated Chems.esp
Eli_Immersive Coffee Mod 9000 GTX French Roast.esp
BetterLowHealth.esp
MoreNoticeableHitEffect_REDMOREhardcore.esp
LongPlayXP.esp
Depth of Field Removal.esp
Fr4nssonsLightTweaks.esp
CTHHostileNPCsAndWeaponDrawn.esp
ColorfulSurvivalIcons.esp
Immersive Fallout (DLC).esp
DocDrumlin.esp
Realistic_conversations.esp
PrivateVertibird.esp
Vertibird Alt Fix.esp
DV-Very Durable Vertibirds.esp
UncappedSettlementSurplus.esp
AutomatronDisassembler.esp
Locksmith.esp
WaitAnywhere.esp
VendorCaps.esp
X13_PerksWithoutSPECIAL-FH-NW.esp


Wait anywhere,Settler dialog, Piper dialog, traveling/wandering NPCs, custom voiced settlers from 3DNPC, voiced lore holotapes, and Agony is healthcare basically, have to get surgery to fix limbs, disease is harder to cure, puts the character in Agony at times. Below.

WaitAnywhere.esp
IcebreakerCDO-Settlements.esp
IcebreakerCDO-Piper.esp
FO4 NPCs Travel.esp
3DNPC_FO4Settler.esp
WastelandCodex.esp
MK_Agony.esp



Bunch of Loot Merger Below - Merged in Green Makes tons of loot, but also adds tons of useless garbage. Makes it a mini game of sifting through trash just to loot. Some of it is gross stuff too. Then this works with another mod that turned some of the garbage piles into lootable containers, dumpster diving activities or the loot mini game, combines with dirt effect from CWSS, the character is covered with dirt from CWSS (showers) simulates a dirty world fairly nicely.
LotsOfLootsII.esp

Lunchboxes - less junk, more food.esp
More Loot in Boss Chest.esp
TepiltzinsNicerSafeLoot.esp
More Loot in Containers.esp
More Materials Loot.esp
Stuff In Wood Boxes.esp
LootableWorkbenches.esp
LootInVaultLockers.esp
Loot Anywhere.esp
Oven Sesame.esp
LSD_LootalbleSchoolDesks.esp
VaultSuitBoxes.esp
Lootable Vault Crates.esp
Lootable Cars.esp
WorthlessMod.esp
Merge Patch.esp


Custom companions & fun dog utilities below

ellen.esp
llamaCompanionHeather.esp
Pet - Call -Feed Dogmeat.esp


Worsin's power armor mod combined with various other mods below in Green

WorsinsTwoLMZGII.esp


LegendaryModification.esp
LegendaryModification2LM.esp
LegendaryModificationMisc.esp
LegendaryModificationCSA.esp
LegendaryModificationGroknak.esp
AnS Wearable Backpacks and Pouches.esp
AnS Wearable Backpacks and Pouches - Power Armor Carry Capacity.esp
Buildable_PAFrames.esp
Buildable_PAFrames_Recipe.esp
Jetpacks Unlimited Master.esp
JU Worsin's Edition (Compact).esp
More Power Armour Mods.esp
WIPAG - Paint Garage - Full (Easy).esp
WIPAG - Decal Station.esp
WIPAG - Materials Overhaul.esp
WIPAG - Mod Overhaul.esp
WIPAG - Model-X.esp
WIPAG - Super Patch 2LM.esp
Sporty Underwear.esp
wasterArmor.esp
Eli_Apocalypse Attire.esp
Eli_RuggedOutfits.esp
K9TacticalHarness.esp
DOOMGlock.esp
GS Benelli M3S90.esp
M2216.esp
ClassicSniper.esp
Scrap Melee.esp
M1014.esp
CROSS_BreakActionLaser.esp
Pipe Guns +.esp
FO4LaserBolts - NormalRoyalBlue.esp
FO4LaserBolts.esp
CROSS_GoreCrits.esp
CROSS_GoreCrits_FarHarborPatch.esp






Stackable clothing buffs & armor with power armor buffs & armor (like under armor) below.


UNnaked Power Armor.esp


The old damage threshold mod (need to replace it with the new framework)

Impervious Power Armour.esp


Location mods, settlements, homes, interiors below.

Vault111Settlement.esp
Vault98.esp
Museum of Freedom - Cut Content.esp
RW9 Cambridge Police Station Settlement beta.esp
AlootHomePlate.esp
DrumlinDinerSettlement.esp
subwayrunnnernodynamic.esp
AA Subways of the Commonwealth.esp
CrimeTown.esp
TrainBar.esp
BTInteriors_Project.esp
Stm_DiamondCityExpansion.esp


Turns dead bodies into skeletons or gross decay below - Might need to get an alternate version or debug test it.

DECAYMOD.esp


Crafting Workbenches Merged Together To Save Space Below

CraftworkBenchesII.esp


Mixed Below - Controlled lowering of firearms into a rested state for tactics & firearm safety, Player character speaks if X is pressed, more attackers at settlements & forced attackers to begin attacking outside of the settlement, A quest script to have a non-violent ending to a quest so as to produce a faction agreement & better settlement, stop the BOS from entering the wasteland unless the player helps Danse, expanded issues of the diamond city newspaper, a mod to control survival mode options, a mod to have multiple followers at once, a mod to edit faction data in case someone accidentally hates the player, a menu manager for settlements, and the i Hud version of def hud with container menus added with old looking text.

Arbitration - Button Lowered Weapons.esp
PressXtoRespond.esp
MoreAGOMBz.esp
Covscript.esp
EnterTheBrotherhood.esp
Publick Occurrences Expanded.esp
SurvivalOptions.esp
EFF.esp
FactionMaintenance.esp
SettlementMenuManager.esp
Immersive HUD.esp


Merger of video tapes for Videos of the Wasteland mod, merged mods in green

RiskyVideoMergerII.esp


VotWSpecialVideos.esp
GoodOldCartoonsVolumeI.esp
GoodOldCartoonsVolumeII.esp
GoodOldCartoonsVolumeIII.esp
GoodOldCartoonsBonus.esp
MoToonsVOL1.esp
MoToonsVOL2.esp
MoToonsVOL3.esp
BurlyQ set1.esp
BurlyQ set2.esp
BurlyQ set3.esp
Brainwashing.esp
NukeFilms.esp
Prepare for the Future.esp
SoberingVideos.esp
SPDV-BettyPage.esp
SPDV-CivilDefenseVideos.esp
SPDV-KillersFromSpace.esp
SPDV-PlanetOutlaws.esp
VaultTecTapes.esp
SilentShockers.esp


Tons of radio stations below

Swingin' Baby!.esp
OWR.esp
OWR2.esp
AtomicRadio.esp
More Where That Came From - Classic.esp
More Where That Came From Diamond City.esp


True Storms mixed with Vivid Weathers via a patch merged below in Green with Reverb and Ambience Overhaul


WeatherClimateMergeII.esp


Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul.esp
RAO - OWR patch.esp
RadioReverbFix.esp
ImmersivePipboyRadio.esp
ImmersiveScrapping_SeasonPass.esp
Scrupulous Scrapping.esp
TrueStormsFO4-FarHarbor.esp
TrueStormsFO4-EarlierSunsets.esp
TrueStormsFO4-EarlierSunsetsFH.esp
TrueStormsFO4-NukaWorld-FH-Compat.esp
Vivid Weathers - FO4.esp
Vivid Weathers - FO4 - Far Harbor.esp
Vivid Weathers - Nuka World.esp
WeatherSynergy-FarHarbor-ES-x4.esp
WeatherSynergy-NukaWorld-FH-Compact.esp
WeatherSynergy-VividPriority-N-ES-x4.esp



Two mods below - that were left out of the above weather/climate merger to test for quality to see which is better, Vivid Weathers nights, True Nights, or a possible switch to Darker Nights, because this weather synergy is new to me, I haven't used Vivid Weathers yet, because Subtle ENB is set up to work with True Nights & True Storms. Have to see what works best. Same for the fancy water from Vivid Waters (Vivid Weathers) I haven't used those. But if it works out I can drop NMC texture packs on it, takes time to build. Just like tons and tons of patience.

True Nights v03.esp
Vivid Waters.esp

Ending below - scrap everything in the settlements then combine loot/leveled lists across different mods.

Scrap Everything - Ultimate Edition.esp
ScrapUpdate - Ultimate.esp
Merge Patch.esp

Merger III Below In Spoiler. Currently testing MergerII by just playing & building MergerIII until it breaks while I muck about with lighting/sound inside Vault 111 to serve as a foundation for use later to build upon with other types of content hopefully. It would be like adding in events that typically happen in vaults. Stupid stuff like controls for the washing machine & dryer. A microwave oven to heat up all this crap food. Science applied in a game so these players learn things. Need to add attacks made upon a interior settlement just like the game Fallout Shelter. Add air conditioning, that would be nice. LOL.

Fallout4.esm
DLCRobot.esm
DLCworkshop01.esm
DLCCoast.esm
DLCworkshop02.esm
DLCworkshop03.esm
DLCNukaWorld.esm


BerettaM9FS.esl
Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp
ArmorKeywords.esm
Homemaker.esm
Arbitration - Resources.esm
Endless Warfare.esm
FCOM.esm
HUDFramework.esm
Worsin's Garage.esm
TrueStormsFO4.esm
SimSettlements.esm
VotWMaster.esm
DamageThresholdFramework.esm (New, Replaces DT.esm & ImperviousPA.esp)


extendedLightsWS.esp (MergeIV Seperation/Preperation)
Colored Workshop Lights.esp
AutoDoors.esp
Business Settlements.esp
CleanSettlement Beds.esp
EferasBetterBeds.esp
Generator Fusebox - More realistic version.esp
Invisible_Guard_Marker.esp
LooksMirror.esp
Alternate_Power_Sources.esp
MK_ComponentsRedone.esp
MoreWeaves.esp
OCDecorator.esp
OCDispenser.esp
OCDecoratorDLC.esp
OWR_CraftableDecor.esp
OWR2_CraftableDecor.esp
OWR_CraftableDecor_CW.esp
OWR2_CraftableDecor_CW.esp
ManufacturingExtended.esp
DLC items to manufacturing.esp
CHKFlora.esp
Farming Resources.esp
Commonwealth_Livestock.esp
PlantedPlantable.esp
Automatron Protectrons Expanded.esp
AEWS.esp
AdvSettleTurretSet-Real.esp
AES_Renovated Furniture.esp
Wasteland Brewing V1A.esp
ImmersiveVendors.esp
generatorsConsumeFuel.esp
ICS Router.esp
MiniGen power.esp
LT_Lorenzo_Reactor_AIO.esp
SolarPower.esp
SolarSensorSwitch.esp
WIND FARMS.esp
TheFridge.esp
SanctuaryParts.esp
GOT.esp
GOT_DLCs.esp
SouthernCrafting.esp


SimSettlements_MegaPack_YearOne.esp (Build Mode Crafting Mods That Broke The Menu If Merged)
RecruitableSettlers.esp
RecruitableSettlersFH.esp
RecruitableSettlersLeaders.esp
Northland Diggers New.esp
CREAtiveClutter.esp
SettleObjExpandPack.esp
NWM_House.esp
Evan_Modular Kitchen.esp
CWSS Redux.esp
Towel_Beds.esp


Armorsmith Extended.esp (Character Block)
CBBE.esp
LooksMenu.esp
LooksMenu Customization Compendium.esp
The Eyes Of Beauty.esp
KSHairdos_oel.esp
Lots More Female Hairstyles.esp
KSHairdos.esp


strongerRobotsSynthsTurrets.esp (Overhaul Block)
Synth Overhaul.esp
Synth Overhaul - White Patch.esp
SuperMutantOverhaul.esp
RaiderOverhaul.esp
My_Minutemen.esp


MiscMergeTooFixedII.esp (Huge Busted Risky Merger I Had To Fix)


WaitAnywhere.esp (Risky Block End Of Merger Above)
IcebreakerCDO-Settlements.esp
IcebreakerCDO-Piper.esp
FO4 NPCs Travel.esp
3DNPC_FO4Settler.esp
WastelandCodex.esp
MK_Agony.esp


LotsOfLootsII.esp (All the mods that add Loot merged with a merge patch)


ellen.esp (Companion Block)
llamaCompanionHeather.esp
Pet - Call -Feed Dogmeat.esp


WorsinsTwoLMZGII.esp (Huge Merger Of Worsin's Related Mods)


UNnaked Power Armor.esp (Risky PA Mod Left Out Of Merger Above)


GS Beretta PX4.esp (Weapon Block)
P220.esp
TommyStickMag.esp
DTFOptionalPlugin.esp (The New DT)


(I'm Working In The Location Block Right Now)
Vault111Settlement.esp (Location Block, Contains Benign Amount Of IDM)
Vault98.esp
Museum of Freedom - Cut Content.esp
RW9 Cambridge Police Station Settlement beta.esp
AlootHomePlate.esp
DrumlinDinerSettlement.esp
subwayrunnnernodynamic.esp
AA Subways of the Commonwealth.esp
CrimeTown.esp
TrainBar.esp
BTInteriors_Project.esp
Stm_DiamondCityExpansion.esp


DECAYMOD.esp (Not Sure If It's Working So Well Yet, Script Mod, Makes Bodies Decay)


CraftworkBenchesII.esp (One Of The Older MergerI Mods)


Arbitration - Button Lowered Weapons.esp (Risky Near Ending Block Here To Insure Functionality)
NoInfiniteRunning.esp
PressXtoRespond.esp
MoreAGOMBz.esp
Covscript.esp
EnterTheBrotherhood.esp
Publick Occurrences Expanded.esp
SurvivalOptions.esp
EFF.esp
FactionMaintenance.esp
SettlementMenuManager.esp
Immersive HUD.esp


RiskyVideoMergerII.esp (A Risky Merger Of In-Game Videos)


Swingin' Baby!.esp (Radio Station Block)
OWR.esp
OWR2.esp
AtomicRadio.esp
More Where That Came From - Classic.esp
More Where That Came From Diamond City.esp
OWR2_TCM.esp


WeatherClimateMergeII.esp (Risky Weather/Climate Block, With Vivid Weathers Added To True Storms)


True Nights v03.esp (End Of Subtle ENB, True Storms, And True Nights Matched Build)


Scrap Everything - Ultimate Edition.esp (Has To Load Last)
ScrapUpdate - Ultimate.esp


Merge Patch.esp (Stuff I Make)
Override - FDA.esp
Override - Armor.esp

This build began with editing the first MergerI worth for functionality. Though there are many edits which are just personal taste. I usually edit everything in all the mods because I usually disagree with most other mod authors. Maybe not disagree, that sounds bad. I just have a different perspective. Tons of these people live in different places in the world. Game design/development is a little bit strange in the United States. Let's just put it that way. But sure, if I disagree with the choices of another mod that does something that saves me the trouble of having to make my own, I serve as the final editor.


Now, I don't keep up with this stuff. It's all just stuff in my head or what I had wrote to someone else. Years & years still of a computer hobby. I've built about 120 different load order installs, builds of one game or another. That's the real educational part. Just get in there to build. Thing is though I love playing the games first, and I love working on them second. This keeps me close to the game. If I'm working on something with no end in sight, eventually I lose the plot. That's when it's time to play. I got that itch you know. So most of the time I just play until I need something in the game that doesn't exist yet.

I don't know what else to say right now other than I had a admin invite you to a group PM to talk about games/life/modding.

 

 

 

Back To Work On Lighting & Sound,

 

 

0&1

Edited October 23, 2018 by ZeroAndOne

[SMB92]

O.o

 

1. NMM (the unofficial community fork) = simplicity, Vortex = alpha program, Mod Organiser = You're in for the long haul, Wrye Bash (a python based app that been around since Oblivion) = a nice but mostly manually operated alternative

 

2. FOMM was a community mod manager for Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Not applicable to Skyrim and beyond (since Bethesda acquired rights to Gamebyro and forked it off to the newer "Creation Engine"). In the same sense GECK/Construction Set was pre Creation.

 

3. xEdit is a powerful tool developed by community members that can be used alongside or instead of Creation Kit. It can display and be used to modify the contents of plugins, and much more. This exists for all games (by simply renaming the exe accordingly). This is the tool you'll use to make quick edits and clean plugins (particularly those you make yourself). This should be one of the first things you look into.

 

4. There exists an app and other methods to "merge plugins" but this is not without its flaws. Too much to explain here, learn that later as you advance.

 

5. You do not need multiple installs, but it's always an idea to keep a backup of a clean install locally. Only real problem you may run into is using Dev plugins on an existing save game and rolling with that save game in a serious play through.

 

ZeroAndOne, mate you've got some serious spare time on your hands, that's a hell of a lot more information than what was requested.