ESP marked as ESM. Is it safe?

[MadRabbitX]

So, since CK clears any ESPs from dependencies, it seams that the only solution to this is to mark your ESP as ESM. However, i do wander if it's alright to leave ESM marked ESP for the end users, and if i would to remove ESM flag from my ESP later on, will my other plugin still work without and issue?
Thanks in advance.

[VIitS]

The answer is quite simple: maybe. :tongue:

 

A bit more seriously, there are a number of factors. If your mod uses scripts, placed NPCs, or anything else that involves placed references that are affected by whether or not a given reference (object or NPC) is loaded at a certain time (regardless of how close you are to said placed reference), then flagging it as ESM can break it if you don't have the right placed references flagged as persistent/given a persistent location*. So if you developed your plugin as a .esp, leaving it as a .esm when released, without extensive testing, can result in a broken mod.

 

ESM flagged plugins with worldspace edits (i.e. overrides of existing records, not just new records) also need ONAM data in the file header, and I don't think loading it in the CK as a master to the plugin you actually have marked active will do that in the ESM flagged plugin.

 

It will also cause problems if load order is important for the ESM flagged plugin, since ESM flagged plugins have to be loaded before plugins that don't have that flag.

 

So all in all, unless you designed your main mod (the one that is a master to the other) with it being flagged as ESM in mind, and flagged it before doing any testing/unflagged it to edit again, it is probably best to remove the flag once you are done editing the child plugin in the CK.

 

 

For your second question: removing the ESM flag from plugin A (which mod B has as a master) after you are done messing with mod B in the CK shouldn't hurt mod B in any way.

 

*Not certain what a persistent location is when compared to flagging as persistent, I just know that the people doing hte testing and the people with much more experience than I do have said a persistent location might be enough.

[MadRabbitX]

Thank you so much for such an extend answer! I only really need that to make optional patches for my mods, in my corrent situation, a patch that would extend changes done by my mod to DLCs. With what you said in mind, it seams that the best way for me to go, is simply to add/remove ESM flag from my main plugin while working on the patches. Thank you again!