Using ESPs as a master file

[jet4571]

disabled or just dragged out of the play area works just fine. Really the only time something should be deleted is if it was added to the mod it is being deleted in such as you built a room into your house mod then decided you dont like how it was decorated, you delete them and add all new, but if it is a room in another mod or vanilla then the drag everything outside the house then add all new. One should never delete anything from a master in another mod. always move it out of the play area or disable it.

 

For large amounts of items like a complete redecorate of breezehome I always drag everything i dont want off to the side and create a room bound around them so they are not loaded into memory. Saves a ton of time not having to disable each item and has the same effect.

[MitchelKnight]

In a word, I should do all the changes in one sitting, right?

[Tb0ne]

Final Update:

 

T3nd0 explained the process to me. It's simpler than I was thinking it was. No need to esmify mods or make esps into esms. Tested it, verified it works. Will continue working on this tomorrow.

 

1) Open CK. Select the esp that you want to access items from or use as a master (but don't make it active). Make the changes to the items that you want to modify. Save your new mod. Close CK.

2) Open Wrye Bash. Right-Click the the new mod, click "Add Masters" and select the esp that you're using as a master.

3) Set the load order so your new mod is below the mod you that you used as the master. Run Skyrim. Start a game. Test it. Done.

 

 

THANK YOU !!!!!!!

 

I have spent 3 days working on a project for my girlfriend and I. It has been a nightmare! The goal sounded simple enough, was I wrong.

 

All I was attempting to do was make a plugin for another mod so we could have custom settings, via ck, when we played our characters. Simple, when one was player, load their plugin for that mod, their changes that was made in ck would be there. Ummm, that didn't work like I had imagined. I spent 3 days researching, trying different things and ranting and raving :devil: on this. My last option I could see was to attempt to make the mod I wanted to have the customizable options on converted into a master file. I am just learning the Creation Kit so I was very hesitant about doing that. I wasn't sure of how it would effect my performance or what other issue's it might would develop.

 

 

I stumbled across this forum and saw this response, the answer to my problem!!!!! I did not have Wrye Bash installed prior to reading this. I installed the program, followed the instructions listed above, and wahhhlaaa! works perfectly!

 

MTichenor, I can't thank you enough!! This was priceless information for me and my gal!

 

Here's an example of what I wanted to do, tried to do and failed, did and succeeded using Wrye Bash and the instructions above:

Tundra Defense, awesome mod, I had decorated the interior of my Grand Estates, prior to my gal playing....anywho, she starts a game and decides she wants to learn how to decorate her Grand Estates her way. Cool, np. Yeah, right. So, my 1st attempt I simply copied the Tundra Defense mod, renamed it, and loaded it into CK, made changes, saved a new plugin with her ID. Unactivated "my" version, activated hers along with her plugin. Her changes showed, all seemed well until I loaded my game back. Even after deactivating her plugin and such, all my work had been replaced with hers.

 

I tried several different things to try to make this happen properly, all to no avail. Using the instructions above, I now have Tundra Defense working with two separate options available, depending on which of us is playing. Simply deactivate one and activate the other while keeping Tundra Defense active at all times. Works perfectly! I can see many uses for this technique in other mods and areas of game play and am looking forward to better gaming experiences because of this extremely useful information!!!!!!!!

[Shadeybladey]

T3nd0 explained the process to me.

 

I wish he'd explain it to the rest of us.

 

How do I make a mod that is a patch and update to one of my own mods without having duplicates of essential elements such as keywords and hidden perks?

 

I have a smithing mod for vanilla and I want to add crossbows from Dawnguard where the DG version loads after the vanilla one and updates the original, rather than have two separate versions.

 

~.~

[Anduniel]

People keep mentioning Wyre Bash, but I don't have that. Anyone know how to use Tes5edit to make a mod dependent on another as a master?

[Ghaunadaur]

Using Wrye Bash is still the easiest way to flag an .esp file as a master file for my taste. But it can be done in Tes5Edit too.

 

Load and expand the .esp you want to edit and select the 'File Header' entry. On the right, make a right-click on 'Record flags' and choose to edit it.

 

 

 

From the list of available values, we want the 'ESM' flag. The File Header entry should now look like this:

 

 

 

Save the file, now you can use the .esp as a master in Creation Kit. For testing/playing, remove the flag. That works similar.

[WinterandStars]

So, if I use Ghaunadaurs method, every time I play with the esp that uses content from that other esp I have marked as an esm in TES5Edit, I have to remove the esm flag again, do I understand that correctly? So I just flag that esp as an esm everytime I use it in the CK as a master for another plugin?

 

But what you explained worked wonderfully so far, it's a very simple method!

[Stavjr]

Ok TES5Edit i use just load up the mods in question, right click your mod "Add masters" you can choose any mods to be your masters, works with the creation kit and skyrim no issues.

[Koshinn]

This thread mostly seems pretty foreign to me. I learned a different way in Oblivion and continue to use it in Skyrim.

 

To create a mastered patch where one .esp uses another .esp as a master:

 

(1) Use the esmify function in Wrye Bash to esmify the file with the assets that is to be the master.

(2) Load up your mod and the .esp master in the CK at the same time with your file as the active file.

(3) Make edits to the master, or use content from the master.

(4) Save the file.

(5) Use the espify function in Wrye Bash espify that which you esmified in step 1. (You must do this or Skyrim will be all messed up when you play. Like maybe the ground won't be there. Should you save while the game is messed up, that savegame will be totally ruined and fit only to be deleted.)

(6) Play-test.

(7) Go back to step 1 to make more edits or fix bugs.

 

This works perfectly for a mod that already exists and needs to use another mod's resources. In my particular example, realshelter.esp.

[Darkangel13]

First of you need to make sure your CK is ready for multiple masters, if you have problems with that you can't move. So erase SkyrimEdtior.ini and SkyrimEdtiorPrefs.ini from the Skyrim instalation folder most of the time in Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim

Run Steam, right click on the Creation kit, select properties. Got to local files and select Verify Integrity Of Tool Cache
Run the Creation kit, close as soon as it starts.

Open SkyrimEdtior.ini
Search for bAllowMultipleMasterLoads if you don't have it just put it under General so it looks like:

[General]
bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1

Search for: SResourceArchiveList2=
Change the line so it looks exactly like below.

SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Update.bsa, DawnGuard.bsa, HearthFires.bsa, Dragonborn.bsa,

IT HAS TO LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THAT LINE. The comma at the end is important for some reason.

If you are using multiple ESMs with BSAs like apachi hair etc. the line will be looking like below

SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Update.bsa, DawnGuard.bsa, HearthFires.bsa, Dragonborn.bsa, ApachiiHair.bsa,

Space after the last comma then BSA file then comma. Repeat as needed.

Now the fun part.

For normal users just run WryeBash, Right click on the ESP you need to use as master (mod you would like to use resources from) and select Copy to ESM. Close the WB


For Mod Organizer users.
Run WryeBash through MO
Right click on the ESP you need to use as master (mod you would like to use resources from) and select Copy to ESM. Close the WB, Go to your MO righ clik on any mod in MO, hover above ALL MODS and select Refresh. Right click on Overwrite select Create Mod name it TempESMs or what ever tickle yr fancy. Activate TempESMs mod.


Normal users
Fire up CK and load your masters and activate your esp. And do your changes. Save


MO users
Fire up CK through the MO and load your masters and activate your esp. And do your changes. Save. Exit CK. Go to your MO righ clik on any mod in MO, hover above ALL MODS and select Refresh. Right click on Overwrite select Create Mod name is MyEditedESP or what ever.

Normal users:
Fire up Tes5Edit, Load your ESP. Wait for Tes5Edit to finish loading. Expand your mod (click on the + on the left hand side of your mod) Select File headers. Right click on the ESM you have temporarily created in earlier step. Select Edit. Change the extension from ESM to ESP. CTR+S to save, close T5E.
Erase the ESM you have created and test your mod. "IT'S ALIIIVEEEEE"

MO Users
Fire up Tes5Edit through MO, Load your ESP. Wait for Tes5Edit to finish loading. Expand your mod (click on the + on the left hand side of your mod) Select File headers. Right click on the ESM you have temporarily created in earlier step. Select Edit. Change the extension from ESM to ESP. CTR+S to save, close T5E.
Go to your MO righ clik on any mod in MO, hover above ALL MODS and select Refresh. Right click on Overwrite select Create Mod name is MyEditedESP2 or whatever. Deactivate TempESMs and MyEditedESP mods, Activate MyEditedESP2 and test your mod. "IT'S ALIIIVEEEEE"

 

I have combined over 7 esms and 5 esps this way.

Any problems PM me.

 

Much love D13