SSE SE Creation Kit & Archive Tools Help

[Scd2112]

DO NOT USE - This tutorial is Flawed. Please Read Below for Answers:

 

Hello

 

So I originally posted a request for help with TESArchive for Skyrim Special Edition as I was having issues attempting to create my own BSA/BSL files for my mods.

 

Anyway, I figured it out and created a small Tutorial for anyone who might need it. It works for me and maybe it will help a few of you.

 

 

For Mod Authors

How to create/package a basic BSA/BSL Archive for your mod prior to publishing.

This tutorial assumes you have at least logged in and downloaded the creation kit and associated tools from Bethesda.Net.
Also written for use with Skyrim Special Edition and requires the use of Mod Organizer v2.1.5 or higher.

Step 1 - Move your finalized mods files to your desired location - I.E. Desktop

Step 2 - Open Mod Organizer (v2.1.5 or higher) Click on the gears icon at the top center of the tools bar.
A Modify Executables window will open and will require you to fill in the following information.
Title: Fill in the name "Archive".
Binary: Requires you to browse to your Skyrim SE installation location and locate the executable "Archive.exe" inside the tools folder.
Start In: Requires you to browse to the same folder that the "Archive.exe" executable is located in. (Just the Folder Location)
Finally click "add" and then "close". You should now see "Archive" listed in your drop down executable's tab.

Step 3 - Move a "Copy" of your mods required files to the "Data" folder inside your Skyrim SE installation location.
Example - Copy your mods Meshes, Textures, Sounds, and or Scripts folders along with your follower.esp file to the Skyrim SE's Data folder.
Note - These files will be removed at the end of this tutorial but are required for the next steps.

Step 4 - Inside your Mod Organizer's executable's tab/drop down menu find "Archive" CLick to open.
A TESArchive window will open - Tic/Check the following - Meshes, Textures, Compress Archive, Retain Directory Names, Retain File Names.
Note - Tic/Check the boxes that pertain to the data folders of your mod. The Compress and retain boxes being checked are highly recommended.

Step 5 - Drag and Drop a copy of your mods Texture, Meshes, Sounds, and/or Scripts folders Over the "TESArchive" Window.
Note - You should see contents listed in the center field TESArchive window.
Click "Edit" then CLick "Check All Items"
Root Dir: Browse to your finalized mods files - I.E. Desktop.
Last Step - CLick "File" then "Save As" Type the Name of your "ESP" file used in your mod. Example: "Follower" followed by ".bsa" and press enter on your keyboard.
Note - The progress meter may take a few minutes depending on the complexity of your mod. Be patient. When the progress meter is full this generally means your mod is complete and you can close the TESArchive window.

Step 6 - From Mod Organizer's installed mods Left window scroll to the bottom and inside your "Overwrite" Folder you should see your newly created BSL/BSA files.
Click the "Overwrite" tab to view your new files, From the "OverWrite" Window click "Open in Explorer" Now copy those files to your finalized mods location - I.E. Desktop.
Final Notes - Test your new Mod - Compress/Zip your BSL/BSA files along with your esp's and any other files needed and re-install into Mod Organizer. Run Skyrim SE.
After you tested your mod for your approval return to your Skyrim SE Data folder and Delete all files moved their in previous steps of this tutorial.

This is only "One" way to create BSA/BSL files using TESArchive and Mod Organizer. If this tutorial does not suit your needs try "Google" I did.

Scd2112

[Scd2112]

Also a helpful link if this tutorial does not help your situation - https://www.creationkit.com/index.php?title=Archive.exe

[Scd2112]

Ok So as I stated above my tutorial is flawed - I will atempt to fix it when I figure out how.

 

So Any way I found another tutorial on Bethesda.Net and will post it here in part only to ask "Is there an easier way" for those that know how to package a mod into a BSA prior to post.

 

Thanks

 

Below is the Bethesda.Net tutorial

Note: This is not my Work and I did not create this tutorial only requesting help for those that know.

 

 

From what I understood and feel free to correct this procedure if you feel its wrong.
The Archive tool in the tools should not be used.( doesn't compress and doesn't convert )

The archive tool in the CK is bugged and doesn't pick all the items in a mod

The CK inner packer is the one to be used , the other in loose folder is old and not supported

Pick all the loose files of the mod and drop into the Data folder ( the loose files are needed and shoudl be used from the CK to load the mod )
load the esp and save ( this generates possible extra content that might bee needed like facetint files and facegen )
login to Bethnet

Select create archive and pick windows
delete all the listed items
go into each folder of your mod and drag and drop the loose files ( not the folders ) into the window
proceede to do this for each single file needed for the mod, the paths will be automatically setup in the archiver list

once finished loading all the needed files into the list export that list as archive file to be used later .

pack the files for pc and it will ask two saves , one for normal BSA and one for Textures BSA that will be converted and compressed ( here is the big difference with the other external archive tool in theloose folders)

save the bsa file just like the name of your esp and the textures one like "yourmodname - Textures.bsa" this will pack the files and allow to be uploaded for pc

Now create new archive , delete the files in the list and import the archive list exported at point 7
pack the files for xbox , but save those inside the subfolder of data called "XB1" and not simply in the data folder
save as naming at point 10
now save and close
in the creation kit ini, set under [Archive] at the line SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim add the line "Mymod.bsa, Mymod - Textures.bsa" of course renaming to your mod name.
delete the loose folders
load the CK again checking that the files are correctly loaded by using simply the bsa of the pc version
login to bethnet
upload for PC , follow the procedure create a mod name and description overwrite files if you created a mod in precedence and you are updating its content.
repeat procedure at 19 for console.
Note that the new texture pack will be considerably smaller than the original file size, for example my Conan hyborian age file size was over 700 mb in original bsa from skyrim , now its like 300 mb, I checked that unpacking it opens into over 600 mb so seems to be correct.

The Archive tool in the "tools" directory is the exact program CK itself calls up and uses to pack bsa files. However, unlike CK, it expects the user to actually know which boxes to tick in order to choose proper compression and such. Given most noob modders, this means "just use CK" ... otherwise, yes, saving the esp is important because CK might indeed add extra content (usually head/face parts). PC does not require the textures to be separated into a textures bsa, but yes..CK will do it anyway. I really prefer for folks to actually plug the mod into their own Skyrim, load it up, make sure it works IN-GAME, then (and only then) publish....but close enough.

[Berenia19]

I have just a question which possibly does not belong here but I don't want to start a new topic: I can't download the CK for Skyrim SE no longer in Bethesda.net. Where can I find it for downloading??

 

P.S.: Forgive my bad english, I'm German.

[Scd2112]

I have just a question which possibly does not belong here but I don't want to start a new topic: I can't download the CK for Skyrim SE no longer in Bethesda.net. Where can I find it for downloading??

 

P.S.: Forgive my bad english, I'm German.

 

It should be there I was just there not long ago if I remember right you have to log in and create and account then select tools download and so on.

[Galantdramon]

Recently got SSE, and decided to look into the modding (used to play on PS3, so no mods, boo...but on PC it's going well, and the few I've tried have improved things a lot, just from some graphics/scripting fixes and a few inserts), but I can't find the 'creation kit'. The UESP on the Kit says "as of 2018, you must get into Library > Tools in Steam, then use the search feature for "Creation" in that section; the tool is no longer listed otherwise".

 

Tried that, logged in, got to tools, tried to search 'creation' and got "no such thing" errors. Any form of variation on the name gets 'nothing found'. :sad:

 

Any help finding a working source would be appreciated.

[LordMala]

I am sorry to necropost this but using the CK version of creating an archive is bad too. I made several attempts to throw some files into a bsa and only to find that they did not make it in after I created the file. I was able to verify that with a BSA extractor tool.

[thumbincubation]

The last few times I've made archives, what I ended up doing was letting the CK auto-fill the archive lists, then clearing them all out and adding the ones I needed manually. These were small mods, so it wasn't too difficult, but on larger mods will probably require extensive notes. I started doing it because I had read about the issue you're having.

 

You might try moving your loose files to a separate folder and running Cathedral Assets Optimizer on it. You may need to change the .bsa name to match the mod, afterward, but it seems to do pretty well.

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/23316

[DanielKelly1978]

I found out today that it's not working for me either. I was making BSA archives with the CK a few months ago and it worked fine. Now when I try to add my FaceGen data and my sound files they do not get added. I try to drag and drop them into the archive window and they just never appear. Extremely frustrating! I tried updating the Bethesda.net launcher but that did not fix the issue.

 

Recently got SSE, and decided to look into the modding (used to play on PS3, so no mods, boo...but on PC it's going well, and the few I've tried have improved things a lot, just from some graphics/scripting fixes and a few inserts), but I can't find the 'creation kit'. The UESP on the Kit says "as of 2018, you must get into Library > Tools in Steam, then use the search feature for "Creation" in that section; the tool is no longer listed otherwise".

 

Tried that, logged in, got to tools, tried to search 'creation' and got "no such thing" errors. Any form of variation on the name gets 'nothing found'. :sad:

 

Any help finding a working source would be appreciated.