Converting ESP mods to ESM

[uijk718293]

In Skyrim, Some modders like to give their mod ESM header for sake of stability or work around solution for reference handling limitation. While New Vegas doesn't share same problem, I do notice that Navmeshes on worldspaces loaded up in ESP files are sometimes broken when reloading save game while playing it. So I thought about giving certain mods with such issues an ESM headers to solve that matters.

 

Problem is I don't know what's the fundamental difference between ESM and ESP and weather giving different header would break the game. I had long test with WARZONES mods in SSE and SLE with no problem but I'm not sure weather It would be safe or at least side effects are acceptable.

[dubiousintent]

Please see the 'ESM and ESP Files' entry under the 'Misc Topics' section of the wiki "Getting started creating mods using GECK" article.

 

-Dubious-

[JimboUK]

This is something I do all the time to fix navmesh oddies and custom NPC texture mismatches and I've not run into any serious problems, I don't even bother changing the extension. Just as a precaution I would make a named save before doing anything, especially if the esp makes changes to existing references.

[FiftyTifty]

Another benefit to using ESMs, is that pre-Fallout 4 Bethesda games have all temporary forms, that are in ESP files, permanently in the memory heap unlike ESM files. In Fallout 4, Bethesda just made it so that all ESP files are treated as ESM files when the game loads.