Vortex 1.0 Release

[MikeInWare]

In response to post #73089893. #73437623 is also a reply to the same post.

MikeInWare wrote: The killer app for Vortex will be modpacks. It will suck in individual mods and create a "one click" install for newbies. Which is good!

GravitationalPull wrote: when?

My guess it will be 100% seamless by ES6

[Ashenfire]

I originally disliked Vortex. If the new version has the same disappointment, I might document them. For now, I will absorb the enthusiasm of this article and not make a negative comment.

 

This still, was an amazing advancement for the community and I am thrilled that over 60% usage for gaming and modding goes through this project!

It is so much fun to hear developers tell me of their new 'baby'. Since this new article of version 1.0 existing, I will give it another try!

 

 

[HadToRegister]

I originally disliked Vortex. If the new version has the same disappointment, I might document them. For now, I will absorb the enthusiasm of this article and not make a negative comment.

 

This still, was an amazing advancement for the community and I am thrilled that over 60% usage for gaming and modding goes through this project!

It is so much fun to hear developers tell me of their new 'baby'. Since this new article of version 1.0 existing, I will give it another try!

 

As someone who helps out in the support forum, I can tell you that around 95% of the problems I've seen with Vortex so far are user error, or refusal on the part of the person to take them time to learn it, or people destroying their game folders by putting the Mod Staging folder INSIDE the game folder, or anywhere else you're not supposed to etc

"I shouldn't have to read a manual on how to use software"

 

Those type of people have never used something like 3dsMax, or AutoCAD.

[blackstarraven]

Every few months I'll load up FO4 on my alternate computer install Vortex and see if I can get it to work.

Still can't. About 6 hours trying to get it to work, nothing.

 

Have no once successfully loaded even a small selection of mods on vortex. I'm sure it is good for something.. considering the number of people who use it.

 

But for FO4, its pure and utter garbage. Still have yet to have a issue with NMM (I actually never understood the issue that people say they had)

And I get the argument that people have with the counter argument of "Well maybe your just not that good at understanding how moding works."

 

That's fair.. but you know what the real issue is? If I suck at modding and can get FO4 to work with 190+ mods on it with NMM. But can't get it to work with a few on Vortex.. I think the issue is actually vortex.

 

I'm told that Vortex is the massive powerful thing that can do all this stuff, but NMM has yet to fail me, and I can't get anything to work on Vortex.

 

It's garbage if your playing a Bethesda game, if you like it that's fine. you like garbage.

Edited November 20, 2019 by blackstarraven

[blackstarraven]

In response to post #74442993.

HadToRegister wrote:

I originally disliked Vortex. If the new version has the same disappointment, I might document them. For now, I will absorb the enthusiasm of this article and not make a negative comment.

This still, was an amazing advancement for the community and I am thrilled that over 60% usage for gaming and modding goes through this project!
It is so much fun to hear developers tell me of their new 'baby'. Since this new article of version 1.0 existing, I will give it another try!

 

As someone who helps out in the support forum, I can tell you that around 95% of the problems I've seen with Vortex so far are user error, or refusal on the part of the person to take them time to learn it, or people destroying their game folders by putting the Mod Staging folder INSIDE the game folder, or anywhere else you're not supposed to etc
"I shouldn't have to read a manual on how to use software"

Those type of people have never used something like 3dsMax, or AutoCAD.

Your not totally wrong.
But the issue however is you still get people like me who do sit and read the manual and still can't get simple s#*! to work.
And ya it might be me.. but then the question comes up.

Why can I get FO4 to work with 190+ mods in MNN but can't get Vortex to work with a dozen?
I'm told that Vortex is the massive powerful thing that can do all this stuff, but NMM has yet to fail me, and I can't get anything to work on Vortex.

So what is the advantage to learning to use vortex? I'm still confused as to why it was even made.

[blackstarraven]

In response to post #73661678. #73752838 is also a reply to the same post.

Havredave wrote:

Preface: I really only play and mod Bethesda games at the moment, so my recent experience with mod managers is pretty well limited to that.

 

I thought I'd post something with a little more feedback for Tannin and crew in case it leads to development or explanation of current ways to do what I find isn't possible or easy in Vortex.

 

I never did have real problems with Vortex once I read its guides. I'd been using it since late alpha or early beta if I recall correctly, up until a few months ago. It worked fairly well out of the box, and most of the 'complaints' I had about it were addressed as I learned. I do not buy the comments about a mod not supporting use from Vortex. I've never met a mod I couldn't use from Vortex successfully, even ones that pretty strongly suggested that I don't. Am I an advanced modder? Maybe. Depends on who I'm compared with.

 

One of the Vortex features I thought was the most cool once I figured out how to tweak the installed archives properly is it can actually install SKSE/F4SE etc. and manage it from the mods list. Yes, Vortex CAN install the .dll and other files to the base game directory. It requires a little massaging (that might not be for beginners) of the downloaded .zip archive (not the installer version), but it works and works well. Cue other mods that want files dropped into the base game folder, and it becomes much easier to know updates are available and get them handled for the ones that are hosted on Nexus. That also means that mods of this type can be toggled on/off easily. You could even group all script-extender-required mods on and off along with the script extender really easily. I haven't tried it, but I'd imagine ENB could be handled like this also if you were careful and knew just what you were doing. Again, not exactly for beginners, but a cool feature.

 

I use MO2. Why? The overrides folder primarily. It helps immensely to keep the data folder clean as long as I don't mess with the data folder without MO2 being open. For example when I run a game and a mod creates files for personal configurations made through in-game SkyUI and similar menu systems, MO2 will show me what's been created in the override folder, and I can put them either in the mod they belong to or a personal empty mod created just for that mod's settings. That way the settings survive mod re-installs, updates, etc. The end result is I don't have files laying about that the mod manager has no idea what they go to, which leaves the data folder cluttered.

 

If Vortex has a way to indicate which data folder non-stock files it isn't managing are so I don't have to purge-and-guess, then move the files to the appropriate mod folder, I haven't been able to find it.

 

With MO2, starting with a fresh base game is as easy as wiping out my mods list or creating a new profile. With Vortex, my data folder gets filled with 'managed by vortex' files, empty folders, and other files that Vortex doesn't know belong with whatever mod I've run and later uninstalled, for example. Do these hurt a new mod build? No. Do these trigger OCD? Yep! Really though, you don't have to be OCD to appreciate a clean data folder. It also makes hopping between mod managers if you're inclined toward trying new things out for fun, a breeze.

 

That's one of the larger beefs I have with Vortex actually - when I ask Vortex to purge the entire mod list, please get rid of those managed by Vortex files, and clean up the empty folders properly. When I remove or deactivate a mod, I'd like it to remove the mod entirely like it already does, and if the folder associated to those linked files is suddenly empty and it isn't a stock folder, get rid of that too. I want a purge to leave me with a clean, pre-mod-manager data directory outside of anything I put there myself from outside the mod manager.

 

Another feature I'd love to see in Vortex is a way to browse the data folder and see what files belong to which mod like can be done in MO2's data tab. I don't use this tremendously regularly, but it's handy. See a script error with no mod associated? In MO2, look for the script in the data browser and you find out which mod it's from very easily. With Vortex it's a matter of opening.. every.. mod.. Or I guess I could use a command line to find it, but this really ought to be something the mod manager makes a simple task.

 

Oh, and please make the dashboard's launch section able to be resized so I don't have to scroll when I have so much unused horizontal screen space in the dashboard. While you're at it, why not make the blocks (I'm calling the dashboard a 'block') resizable and lockable? That could make the launch section tweak unnecessary if it auto-repositions the launch buttons as the dashboard is resized. Reorganizing those launch buttons would be nice too, and I don't recall that being possible from the Vortex UI after they're created.

 

If anyone knows how to get any of what I've mentioned done in Vortex, do let me know. I liked Vortex. I just don't like messy folders!

jsonger47 wrote: I agree 100% about vortex messing up your game folders when you try to uninstall a mod but I only mod skyrim le and se
and I use MO2 any mod conflicts just drag them around is so much faster then the "rules" vortext asks for

I still have no idea why the advantage is suppose to be with bethesda games with Vortex of NMM?
I wish some one would explain it to me...

I'm over here running FO4 with 190+ mods in NMM no problem.
And I can't get s#*! to work in Vortex, and I feel like I'm retaking calculus trying to learn the damn thing.

It would be different if there was some kind of tangible advantage I could see.

[blackstarraven]

In response to post #73400333.

HadToRegister wrote:

vortex = s***.....problems do not end

 

So far everybody who has had problems with Vortex try and force it to be NMM, and 99% of the problems is user error.

So far my issue is that I have no idea what the advantage of Vortex is suppose to be over NMM...
I've never had a problem with NMM, and I can't get anything to work in Vortex.

If there was some kind of tangible advantage to using it over NMM I might be inclined to learn more on Vortex, but it just seams to be a program that does what I need, and a bunch of stuff I don't. While also needing me to learn to use it.

See the issue I have? (And a lot of other people)
What's the incentive to actually use Vortex and learn how to use it?

[HadToRegister]

 

In response to post #74442993.

 

 

 

HadToRegister wrote:

I originally disliked Vortex. If the new version has the same disappointment, I might document them. For now, I will absorb the enthusiasm of this article and not make a negative comment.

 

This still, was an amazing advancement for the community and I am thrilled that over 60% usage for gaming and modding goes through this project!

It is so much fun to hear developers tell me of their new 'baby'. Since this new article of version 1.0 existing, I will give it another try!

As someone who helps out in the support forum, I can tell you that around 95% of the problems I've seen with Vortex so far are user error, or refusal on the part of the person to take them time to learn it, or people destroying their game folders by putting the Mod Staging folder INSIDE the game folder, or anywhere else you're not supposed to etc

"I shouldn't have to read a manual on how to use software"

 

Those type of people have never used something like 3dsMax, or AutoCAD.

Your not totally wrong.

But the issue however is you still get people like me who do sit and read the manual and still can't get simple s*** to work.

And ya it might be me.. but then the question comes up.

 

Why can I get FO4 to work with 190+ mods in MNN but can't get Vortex to work with a dozen?

I'm told that Vortex is the massive powerful thing that can do all this stuff, but NMM has yet to fail me, and I can't get anything to work on Vortex.

 

So what is the advantage to learning to use vortex? I'm still confused as to why it was even made.

 

 

I'm using 272 mods in Fallout 4 and have about 8 load order rules set.

I'm using 299 mods in Skyrim SE, I have a total of about 22 sorting rules set.

I let Vortex do all of my sorting, and I only manually sorted those 22, in order to accommodate some custom changes I made to some of the esps.

 

You're obviously trying to force Vortex to be NMM, by not letting it handle and sort your lad order.

 

The thing is NMM doesn't do anything, it allows you to sort your Mods incorrectly, and doesn't let you know that there are problems.

You think NMM is easy, but it's only "easy", because it ignores every bad thing you have in your load order, it truly works on the "Ignorance is Bliss" principle, because the user has absolutely no idea if their load order is properly sorted.

Vortex doesn't let you get away with forcing a terrible and incorrect load order on it.

That's why you're having such a hard time with it.

 

IF you can't get anything to work on Vortex, then the problem is YOU, because plenty of other people are using it just fine.

The only ones who complain, are always the ones who try and force Vortex to be NMM, and refuse to learn it, so they just come to the forums and complain endlessly about it

 

If you spend 6 hours, after "reading the manual", and you claim you can't get "simple stuff to work", then the problem is with you.

 

I have 299 mods installed for Skyrim SE.

When I mod a Bethesda game with Vortex, I download and install the mods I want and that takes roughly 45 minutes or so, depending on the amount and size of the mods.

I install them as I download them, and I don't worry about any "Conflict Errors" that Vortex tells me about, because I fix those later (It's not like NMM where you have ONE chance during installation to install the mods in the right order, with Vortex you can do that AFTER they're installed, and if you mess up, you just have to change a LOAD BEFORE to a LOAD AFTER, etc, with NMM, you have to uninstall all of the conflicting mods, and reinstall them in the correct order)

Once I have everything I want installed, comes the task of getting rid of the Mod Conflicts.

After reading the Description pages of the mods, and knowing which ones are supposed to load before and after other mods, I click on one of the red lightning bolts, and the MANAGE RULES window opens up, I then go through and set which mods load before or after other mods, (Vortex even suggests which mods should Load before or after).

Once I have that all set, and if I notice a Plugin out of Place, (Like with Fallout 4, Scrap Everything needing to go to the bottom of the load order, I assign the Plugin to the SCRAP EVERYTHING group, hit SORT (I have AutoSort turned on), and boom, now Scrap Everything is at the bottom of my load order.

Total time taken? Probably and hour to an hour and a half.

 

Something that used to take me a Day or two, now takes about an Hour.

 

 

 

[Guest deleted34304850]

Every few months I'll load up FO4 on my alternate computer install Vortex and see if I can get it to work.

Still can't. About 6 hours trying to get it to work, nothing.

why? its simple. are you unable to read and follow simple instruction? can't you get an adult to help you?

[Sparkythesquid]

I'm getting some strange effects in the UI with the latest update does not seem to effect anything else just this strange effect thought I would let you know.