Mod compatibility

[binks77]

I'm pretty new to the all moding and game itself, so can you guys help me out and tell me is there a way to check if certain mod are compatible with each other? I mean i installed Riverside Lodge mod and at the same time Become King of Riverhelm mod and the entrance to the lodge was just in Riverside Castle floor. Or i installed some mod, i don't even know what mod is responsible for this, and i could only cast spells with my left hand:| Or another time i installed some mod that causes all my wooden furniture and some food to display in purple colour:( Because i didn't know what mod caused that, and uninstalling every mod and checking how my furniture looks like in game with Nexus Mod Manager didn't worked, i have to uninstall the game and install it again. Is there some tool to check each mod if it won't do some weird thing in the game? I don't want to install and then uninstall the game every few days...

[Glhadiator]

OK, not a Mod expert here but I'll pass on some advice that works for me;

 

 

 

1. (I list this as #1 because I feel it is the reason I don't suffer from CTD's or conflicts) Read the instructions on the MOD page! Many times the author will have known conflicts listed there.

 

 

 

2. Read all the comments on the MOD page. Players before you have already tested the MOD and tell of their experiences there.

 

 

3. Use BOSS for your MOD load order. That said you should learn everything you can about load order yourself since many times you must simply adjust it manually to resolve conflicts. Lots of tutorials on this sight.

 

 

 

4. Install one MOD at a time. Then play test it (ie play and adjust load order). If it creates conflicts then de-activate via NMM and go back to the save prior to the activation/install. Cumbersome I know...but better than a screwed up game you've invested 100's of hrs into only to have to start all over.

 

 

 

5. Be aware that the Skyrim save sometimes retains parts of a MOD even after you uninstall. Clean saves are very important. Sometimes its the baggage in the save game that screws everything up.

 

 

6. How MODs work depend on your system, the MODS you have installed and where you installed them. Which means it is going to be different for almost every user. Bottom line, there is no secret master plan. But the more you read and study concerning each MOD makes it easier but never perfect.

 

 

 

7. Read the forums here. I am by no means a MOD 'expert' but they exist here on the Nexus. The members here seem to always be willing to help. And I rate most of them pretty high.

 

 

 

I hope that this helps you. Welcome to the world of MODS!

[binks77]

5. Be aware that the Skyrim save sometimes retains parts of a MOD even after you uninstall. Clean saves are very important. Sometimes its the baggage in the save game that screws everything up.

 

 

Thanks for that, but what do you mean by "clean save"? I just make saves through game menu. Is ther any other way?

[woody79]

Hopefully directing you to a few extemely helpful links will make Skyrim&Mods a little easier. These guides give much better info than I could attempt to explain.

 

Skyrim Mods Best Practices

STEP Wiki for Installing, Uninstalling, and Upgrading mods to maintain a clean Savegame

 

The following mod was probably the most useful to me when I first starting modding Skyrim. Its actually a guide which include a lot of mods that have been tested to work, installation instructions, INI tweaking, among other things. Even if you don't use mods from the guide it's worth a look for simply a learning tool.

STEP

 

 

Most mod authors post incompatabilities. If not, you can generally find out potential incompatabilities/problems from browsing the mod comments page. If your experiencing purple textures either maxed out RAM or missing files in which case Verify Integrety of Game Cache: >>Steam Library, right click Skryim, Properties, Local Files tab then Verify Integrity of Game Cache...<<

Edited August 9, 2012 by woody79