Trying to learn how to use Creration Kit

[Pur5uer]

Hey everyone,

So, I am trying to learn the basics of CK with BestInSlot playlist, but I'm having some doubts about some technical info of the tool.

 

Starting with something simple: How do I overwrite my eddited .esp files? It always says my mod is either a master file or it's in use.

I remember BIS commenting about it, but I can't find in which video. And after some research I only found people saying I should activate my mod when starting CK, but I don't understand this "explanation" since that's what you should do to even start edditing, right? When CK opens I go to the "Files" activate everything I need (includding the mod I want to overwrite) and I'm good to go, no? What am I missing here?

 

Now, how exactly should I save a mod that adds many things done in many days? I mean, if I create a mod that adds many characters, cells, quests, etc, by using other mods as a base, how CK will save it?

I just want to know if it will loose anything if I keep re-editting the same .esp file.

 

Also, if I want only one of the creatures from a mod that adds many others, how can I "assimilate" it's modded models/textures into mine so the original won't be a requirement? (I'm not stealing, the author of the original mod authorizes this)

 

That's all for now. I will update this thread after I keep messing with the tool and start finding more "issues"

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It's my 1st time ever modding, so I'm sorry if I'm making dumb questions for simple complications.

[LuciferOfAmsterdam]

When you go to "Files" and acticate everything, the thing you're missing here, is the difference between double-left-click and double-right-click. Left double click loads it. Right double click loads it as "active", which means it's the esp you're editing. Loading something as active, editing it and saving it works like any other file, and this will not be lost regardless of how many times you edit it or anything.

[Pur5uer]

Yeah, these two I had figured after some testing. But thanks for replying.

My biggest problem now is about the "assimilation" thing. I want to create a custom NPC with a custom armorset from the Nexus, but it seems I need to get the modded models into my own .esp file in order to get them to work. This or making a Papyrus script, which I have ZERO experience/knowlege about.

Right now I am searching for tutorials to edit the .esp files, get it's models, and put them in my own .esp (after getting the modder permission, of course), but any advice would be appreciated.

[LuciferOfAmsterdam]

Well, for importing / exporting npc's, you might have to ask someone else. I guess that like items, you could just load both esp's (yours as active), use his things in your mod, and keep it as a dependency. I personally hate this though, and would recommend that you just create "new" items in your own esp (using his models and whatnot). This is easy. I'm gonna assume you're familiar with things like the file-structure and bsa's.

 

When extracting a bsa, it's best if you keep the structure of the texture folders intact. This, or reassign all texture-paths in nifskope. The models are less strict, and can (within a reasonable degree) be moved around.

 

If the mod is loose files, ignore the above.

 

As for getting them in the CK, just load your mod (as active), open an existing item (vanilla or not doesn't matter, but for sake of ease pick a similar one) / armour / static (whatever), fill in a new formid (advisably with your own prefix, for everyone's sake), and replace the models / stats in their respective slots.

Edited January 19, 2019 by LuciferOfAmsterdam

[Pur5uer]

I'm not reallt familiar with those things, but thanks to you I at least have a clue of what I should search for.

 

I'll now look for some forum threads and tutorials about it and then I can hopefully figure most of these issues I'm facing.

Thanks for the tips.

[LuciferOfAmsterdam]

https://www.creationkit.com/index.php?title=Category:Tutorials

 

This contains just about everything you need.

[Pur5uer]

Thank you very much.

Now I'm being able to get most things to work in my project. But there is one weird issue happening since the very begining of my CK "adventure": Open helms won't show up.

 

At first I thought it was just a preview glitch, because all the custom armor would show up perfectly there besides the helm, what makes my custom NPC look half-bald. But then I went in-game to check it out and there was the NPC: with the armorset but no helm and half-bald. So I went back to CK to try a vanilla helm, but not even vanilla open helms, hoods, circlets or any headpiece that shows user's face show up in the object or NPC preview... (closed helms work fine)

 

Edit1- After some tests I noticed only vanilla helms you can use are invisible in their own object preview, but when I try to see vanilla NPCs wearing helms they load perfectly...

 

I couldn't even find this problem by searching, so I don't know If I messed up really bad... Does anyone know anything about it??

Edited January 20, 2019 by DarkBlackoutBR

[LuciferOfAmsterdam]

Sorry bud, no clue. Maybe try changing around the slots it uses..?

[Pur5uer]

I tried this, but didn't make any difference.

But then I decided to test something else (something I should have tried from the beginning): equipping a vanilla helm in the custom NPC.

Even if the vanilla helms wouldn't show up in the object preview they showed up in the character preview. So I decided to compare de differences in their armor addons and I noticed the orc/orc-vampire races wasn't active in the modded helm. (my char is a vampire-orc) so I just activated them and now works as it should.