Follower body swap

[anjenthedog]

Not sure if this is the right group to post in but here goes... (admins, if this belongs in a different forum group, please move)

 

Suppose a follower comes in several varieties, CBBE, UUNP, SeveNBase, etc.

 

If I install one version, for instance, the CBBE, and then later on decide I'd prefer another version, can I do so without starting over on her "journey"?

 

That is, can I reinstall using a different body model version mod without altering her cumulative game stats, inventory item list, and so forth?

 

To be clear, I don't mean applying some other augmented ability mod that allows applying a bodyslide or tweaking a body via bodyslide, I mean literally replacing one file-download version with another.

 

EX: YuiH Standalone Follower - Sha (Renewal) SSE - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/15583?tab=files

 

4 optional body models. By default, Vortex installs the CBBE version. Suppose I decide later, ie, like 30 or 40 levels and countless quests and accumulated inventory items later, that I'd like to see if the SeveNBase looks more realistic, or offers more customization (or doesn't for that matter) , or the UUNP, or whatever (other followers offer other choices), or I want never nude or don't want never nude, or for whatever reason I want to swap the body model type, but I don't want to start from scratch with the follower from its starting location.

 

edited for grammar and content

[jjb54]

... not advisable.

 

I have read where some people had no issues and some had issues ( CTD's ). Yet, other had no issues for a short time and then started to.

 

So it's a gamble ....

[anjenthedog]

... not advisable.

 

I have read where some people had no issues and some had issues ( CTD's ). Yet, other had no issues for a short time and then started to.

 

So it's a gamble ....

 

 

Hmm...So you're saying, yes, you can do it and it won't overwrite the current follower inventory list, relationship rank, and so forth but there might be other problems (presumably script issues or similar)?

[Deleted64927026User]

Im not sure if I can follow

 

You have a follower with a CBBE body

and youre asking if you can change that CBBE body to (for example) a UNP one without having to be afraid of some sort of corruption?

 

Yes you can do that.

To stay with your example

 

I can download YuiHs CBBE Body and install it

If I decide that I no longer want to use the CBBE Body and try out her 7Base:

1. I go to her download page and download her 7Base Version >manually<

2. Then I go into my download folder and unzip the downloaded file

After that I can open the "YuiH 7Base Body" Folder and I see an .esp and 2 folders: "textures" and "meshes"

3. I open YuiHs CBBE Body Folder (the one I installed in my mod manager) and I can see the exact same things: YuiHs .esp and 2 folders named "textures" and "meshes"

I keep that one open.

4. I jump back to my "YuiH 7Base Body" Folder. Both, my installed CBBE Folder and the manully downloaded 7Base Folder are now open next to each other

5. Now all I have to is drag and drop the "texture" and "meshes" folder from the 7Base folder into the CBBE folder and overwrite the CBBE meshes & textures with the 7Base ones

The .esps stays untouched

 

___

 

 

Exchanging meshes and textures usually doesnt cause crashes.. As long as you dont do anything stupid like using a sword mesh for a body there wont be issues. Textures and meshes never ever, never never ever can cause some sort of serious corruption.

Meshes that cause crashes do exist but its extremly unlikely to find a corrupted mesh in the skyrim SE section

Textures can cause a ctd if you download 75k resolution textures en mass. They might cause your VRam to explode resulting in a ctd but you can simply replace the texture with one with a lower resolution, same goes for meshes btw. You can just uninstall them

 

 

As this is just a simple standalone follower mod, you could very well just uninstall the follower and reinstall another version, altough I dont know if the inventory is saved inside the .esp or inside your savefile or what happens if youre married to this follower and remove them from the game. My poorly written step-by-step-thing will definetly not touch your followers inventory and since the .esp never leaves the game there wont be any other issues

 

There are no scripts in your everyday follower mod such as YuiH, so there wont be any "script issues" either

Edited September 1, 2019 by Guest

[Algabar]

As this is just a simple standalone follower mod, you could very well just uninstall the follower and reinstall another version, altough I dont know if the inventory is saved inside the .esp or inside your savefile or what happens if youre married to this follower and remove them from the game. My poorly written step-by-step-thing will definetly not touch your followers inventory and since the .esp never leaves the game there wont be any other issues

 

There are no scripts in your everyday follower mod such as YuiH, so there wont be any "script issues" either

 

Inventory, marriage status, home and so on are stored in the savegame file. The game doesn't change .esp files at all. So, all that information should still be there.

 

General rule: Don't change anything containing scripts during a playthrough. Reinstalling/changing scripted mods can be dangerous, since it can mess up your save game file. The follower mod in question pretty sure doesn't belong to that category though, so reinstalling it SHOULD be okay. But to be absolutely sure, just change the meshes manually as described by Shinfoni. This is absolutely safe. Meshes and textures don't affect savegame files at all.

[anjenthedog]

Awesome advise on both your parts. Thanks for the bodyswap instruction Shinfoni, and Albagar, thanks for the clarification on savefile (I figured as much but wasn't sure) and potential dangers. And jjb54, thanks for the initial warning.

 

I think I'll be using the manual update method. It sounds the safest way to accomplish my body swaps for affected followers. (some, like Sofia, have additional mods that provide a method for ~direct body swapping)