HGEC/High Res Skin Textures For HGEC/Dalls "Sexy Female Feet"/OBSE/BLOCKHEAD Issue I Think

[Striker879]

OK, I'll start with my basic advice of where to find info ... look in the Mopy\Docs folder for Wrye Bash General Readme.html and Wrye Bash Advanced Readme.html for the basics and more advanced (but the Advanced has stuff that you'll need even for "less advanced" subjects ... getting more info on bash tags for instance).

 

So my take on Wrye Bash (WB).

 

The vanilla game (which is all you've experienced thus far, albeit with mods added) has only one single way of deciding which assets to use in the game ... load order (which we've covered to some extent). Lower on the load order list "wins" when two or more mods try to change the same thing using an ESP (install order determines who wins in the replacer type mods ... those that do not use an ESP to effect their change, like the base install of HGEC). Wrye Bash can't change the game's way of deciding which order the game loads assets, but it does offer tools to allow mods to sidestep that rigid top to bottom hierarchy.

 

The primary tool is the bashed patch, and to give the bashed patch even greater utility we have bash tags.

 

The bashed patch is simply an ESP (named Bashed Patch, 0.esp by default) which is made up from changes that mods in your load order would like to make to the game via their own ESPs. Wrye Bash analyses all those changes that mods would like to make and finds those that conflict (so where modA.esp, modB.esp and modC.esp all want to change the same things, along with other things individual to each mod).

 

WB is limited in what even it can achieve within the framework provided by the game, as load order will still win the day (and if modB.esp is the lowest of those three then modB.esp will be the winner) so it introduces a new element which can allow certain types of records to be tagged in individual mods. Bash tags are assigned to individual mods to give WB a method of giving those record types in tagged mods priority over and untagged mods lower in the load order, effectively sidestepping the "lowest wins" rule. The list of available bash tags can be found in section 5b of Wrye Bash Advanced Readme.html (which is why I say some of the Advanced readme stuff is really required for basic understanding).

 

If two or more mods use the exact same bash tag and want to change the exact same asset records with their ESPs then load order will once again determine the winner.

 

In the case where if modA.esp wanted to change some NPC's aggression and confidence (bash tag Actors.AIData), modB.esp wanted to change some of those same NPC's stats (Actors.Stats) and modC.esp wanted to change AI packages for those same NPCs (Actors.AIPackages) plus death items for one of those NPCs along with a bunch of others the other two mods don't intentionally touch (Actors.DeathItem) WB can cherry pick which records win using both bash tags and load order.

 

Those records are then put in the Bashed Patch, 0.esp and the bashed patch is placed at the bottom of your load order, ensuring that the right changes are used by the game.

 

You build (and rebuild after additions or subtractions from your load order, or changes to the order of mods in your load order) by right clicking on Bashed Patch, 0.esp and selecting Rebuild Patch from the right click menu (or Rebuild Patch (CBash (*Beta*) if you are using one of the slightly older versions of WB like me). You can generally leave the items ticked in the resulting dialogue at their defaults, though you may like to review the options of Tweak Assorted and see how the defaults fit in with you. Click the Build Patch button and if you have any mods in your load order that can be completely merged into the bashed patch they will be listed in the next dialogue (again generally it's best to leave WB's defaults there ... WB will merge those ESPs into the bashed patch and deactivate the original ESPs, saving valuable room in your mod limit count).

 

Once WB is done building the bashed patch it will present a page outlining the changes it has incorporated into the bashed patch (including outlining which mods are the source mods for which type of records ... a good tool for learning what WB is doing behind the scenes for you). Close that when you're done reading and wait for WB to finish crunching through the changes (can take a little while ... I spend that time mousing over my mod list waiting until the tip at the bottom of the WB Mods tab window changes as it reflects each mod's current status, while it's still at work it won't update that tip as the mouse moves over the list).

 

I'll update this post once I have a chance to see exactly what options I have selected in my own COBL install reported in the WB Installers tab (to do so I need to log into the account I use for playing/modding the game ... I do my utmost to live a complicated life).

 

- Edit - First step for using the WB Installers is to start WB and once it's loaded click on the Installers tab. It will prompt you about if you want BAIN initialised ... select Yes and wait while WB sets up the Installers tab (good time for another sandwich, it can take a while). I believe this process also creates some folders ... of specific interest here is the Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion Mods\Bash Installer folder (not certain whether that folder structure exists before you initialise the Installers tab).

 

I'm that millennia old dinosaur, so I like to use Windows Explorer to populate the Installers tab (no "dragon drops" for this kid). Do a "Copy/Paste" on your downloaded COBL download (mine is Cobl v173.7z ... your version will likely be more recent) and do the pasting into the Oblivion Mods\Bash Installers folder (so Oblivion Mods\Bash Installers\Cobl v173.7z for me).

 

Start WB and then open the Installers tab. In the left hand pane you'll see Cobl v173.7z (actually your file name for the COBL download). Single left click it to highlight it and in the lower right you'll see two panes. The left hand of those two panes (with the heading Sub-Packages) I have 00 Cobl Core and 02 Tweaks (Only Install One) selected (the others are not ticked). In the right hand of those two panes (header Esp/m Filter) I have Cobl Main.esm, Cobl Filter Late MERGE ONLY.esp, Cobl Glue.esp, Cobl Si.esp and Cobl Tweaks - SI.esp as the only selected items (so obviously I'm not using Salmo nor any of the COBL races). Install by right clicking on Cobl v173.7z (well your file name, for your version of COBL) and select Install from the right click menu.

 

If you decide to change options you make your changes to the selections in the Sub-Packages and Esp/m Filter boxes and then select Anneal from the right click context menu to commit your changes to what is installed.

 

- Edit 2 - As will become your WB routine, you always run BOSS to sort your load order and then rebuild your bashed patch after all additions, subtractions or alterations of your load order.

 

- Edit 3 - If the version of COBL you have downloaded includes a BAIN installation wizard you can right click on your "Cobl v17x.7z" and select Wizard. The Wizard should walk you through picking and choosing ... if you decide to go that route I'll be expecting a thorough step by step description of the experience, so that I can live that aspect of life through your eyes (I am a proud Wizard Virgin).

Edited February 24, 2019 by Striker879

[JustHereForSass]

Ah this is a lot of valuable information, i had been reading the general html last night but it kept using things i didn't understand to explain things i didn't understand, kinda like trying to explain an IPhone to a greek philosopher and saying "well see an IPhone is sorta like an advanced calculator" and the greek philosopher has no idea what either of those are, but eventually you can get down to "a calculator is like an automatic abacus" and THAT makes sense because they know what an abacus is, and then you can start to work your way up the learning scale for what things are, and that's why this hands-on help really does the trick, it's putting it at base values that i can understand and appreciate


after that typing, i do have to ask and it probably sounds obvious, the answer i mean, but do i hit the check mark to activate that Bashed Patch 0.esp at the bottom of my load order

patch is currently building, i enabled unlimited rings because, i mean you have TEN fingers why can you only use two that's so weird, now i can wear ten rings if i so choose

edit, it asked me if i wanted to activate it so i hit yes, i take it that answers my question

Edited February 24, 2019 by JustHereForSass

[JustHereForSass]

See my thing is i tried putting the cobl file into the Bain Installers folder and it didn't show up on the installers page of Wrye, which prompted me to think i did something wrong even after i had it set up like the readme suggested at the beginning, but reading what you said it sounds like i definitely did it right, however i will try it again

haha i think i see the problem

though it told me i could move the "Oblivion Mods" folder, perhaps i misinterpreted, i had moved it to my Oblivion Modification folder for quick and easy access, but i went to move it back just in case to my Steamapps\Common folder where it was originally and there it was, i had a second one, perhaps i'll just, leave that there and see if pasting my thing there will work, it must be back there for a reason after all

Edited February 24, 2019 by JustHereForSass

[Striker879]

There you go ... looking at re-writing ancient history in addition to getting Oblivion modded ... ambitious to boot.

 

While you catch up on my edits I'm into sandwich mode.

[JustHereForSass]

In accordance with my edit above, voila, suddenly, it noticed and scanned the package haha, i started laughing when it IMMEDIATELY started scanning, like, yep that's my problem

[Striker879]

Yes, generally programs, utilities and games want to find things where they expect to find them.

[JustHereForSass]

ok it's done, and the Wizard was really easy to use
here's a gif-through of the experience

https://gyazo.com/30065b31a38c7ce94aa98d1b07a6fed3
https://gyazo.com/497da05f5ba66e24ade5554f7a013447
https://gyazo.com/29aa0bcfb97a48e1bbd426e519e73648
https://gyazo.com/20cf7b9c1f88bf410e92a2527644e3a9
https://gyazo.com/a3b974edff382bdb75e722b65e638073

i had already done it once so i didn't click finish and i knew what i wanted to select, it took a bit more time looking through everything the first time

Edited February 24, 2019 by JustHereForSass

[JustHereForSass]

Rebuilding my Bashed Patch again for good measure

update, i have a few reds, should those matter? should i do anything with them?

i hovered over and looked at their descriptions and some are missing masters, then it says "mod should be imported and deactivated" but i'm unsure what that means exactly

Edited February 24, 2019 by JustHereForSass

[Striker879]

The bashed patch needs to be below all of those Item Interchange and the Cobl Filter Late MERGE ONLY.esp ... did you sort with BOSS before building/rebuilding your bashed patch?

 

- Edit - Your Gifing is pretty fast paced for this old guy, but I think I caught most of the high points.

 

- Edit 2 - At least in the case of Cobl Filter Late MERGE ONLY.esp the missing master warning is expected and normal (I have it myself) ... can't say what is normal for the others as I don't use them but the Item Interchange readme.txt leads me to expect some of those will be the same.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Striker879

[JustHereForSass]

AH ok that should have been obvious, i haven't run BOSS yet, but i failed to realize i needed to put the Bashed Patch at the bottom again, i'm planning on running BOSS after i finish the merging and that sort

and yeah, they'd be more slow and in-depth but Gyazo, without premium, will only allow me, what, five seconds of gif time, and i didn't want to bog down with 20 gifs, you know? one of the haughty foibles of this pay-to-go world

looks like it's done patching up, time to run BOSS and then see what's up with Oblivion

Edited February 24, 2019 by JustHereForSass