Profiles Still Broken

[Zanderat]

Using v1.3.19. I cloned an existing profile and then uninstalled all the mods from it, in order to get to a clean slate for testing (as opposed to playing). After I was done testing, I went to enable the previous profile and literally all my mods were uninstalled (and presumably all my "load before/after rules"). WTF?

 

Any chance of recovering my previous profile (before it was nuked)?

 

edit: tried the backup function and was greeted with this message:

Again, wtf?

[Pickysaurus]

Uninstalling your mods is not a per-profile thing, only enabling and disabling them. So when you removed it from one profile, it deleted the mod from your staging folder for all profiles.

[rmm200]

I hope that information is captured somewhere. Seems obvious to me - but a lot of new users could be bitten by it.

Also - I would love to see a clear description what the backup function does.

[Pickysaurus]

I hope that information is captured somewhere. Seems obvious to me - but a lot of new users could be bitten by it.

Also - I would love to see a clear description what the backup function does.

 

It could probably be improved, but at the same time it would be up to users to read it properly.

 

The backup function isn't really something to play with. As I understand it, it exports all of Vortex's internal data to a JSON file. It's only good if Vortex's internal data gets corrupted as it as no association with your actual mod files.

[Zanderat]

So you are saying the backup function is broken? Why even have a backup function that can't do a proper backup/restore?

 

I tried the restore plugins from a save file. THAT doesn't work either.

 

My game is destroyed because of your lack of a proper backup function, even though the game has one and I think it was reasonable of me to expect it to actually work.

[Pickysaurus]

As I said before, the backup function doesn't back up your mods. It's for the internal state (i.e. metadata, settings, configuration, etc), do you feel the text under the setting doesn't convey that properly?

 

 

Essentially, when you removed the mods, you removed them for all profiles. So the only way to get them back is to reinstall them. I don't know of any mod manager that has a full-scale backup.

 

I'm sorry that you've had this problem, but I feel it stems from a misunderstanding of the state backup function rather than a problem in Vortex itself.

[Zanderat]

Thanks, Mike.

 

I would add two things. I would explicitly say something like "backup function does not backup/restore your mods/load order" or maybe hide it altogether from user access.

 

Secondly, I would make it crystal clear that the "profiles" are not truly independent. I think most people (like myself) would assume that they are independent. Otherwise, what is the point?. (Also, just because you don't know of any other mod managers that have independent profiles doesn't mean that Vortex shouldn't. I can't imagine it would be hard to implement and would be a great boon to the modding community).

[HadToRegister]

OK, I get it now.
Profiles use the same "POOL" of mods already installed in the Mod Staging folder, and are enabled and disabled between profiles, which is WHY the Deployment is needed when switching profiles, in order to sever or restore the hardlink to a mod between profiles.

However, I was also under the impression that not only enabling/disabling was a thing between profiles, but I also thought installing/uninstalling was too, mainly because of the "VARIATION" feature when you install a mod twice.

[AugustaCalidia]

Perhaps because I had been a long time user of MO for Fallout 3 and Skyrim, I realized that uninstalling a mod in Vortex is not a per-profile event. Since Vortex uses only one and the same Downloads folder and Mod Staging Folder for all profiles of a game, I surmised that installing and uninstalling mods are across all profiles.

 

However, I agree with @rmm200 and @Zanderat that this should be made crystal clear to new users.

 

As for the Vortex database backup, I agree with @Zanderat that it should also be made crystal clear that a Vortex database backup is not the same as as a full profiles backup that includes mods, load order, etc. I suspect that many (if not most) users do not understand that, rather than being a full assets backup, the Vortex database backup is actually akin to a Windows registry backup. All they see is the word "backup" and suppose this means that their profiles and mods are all tucked away safely in some backup folder somewhere.

[nt5raham]

 

Secondly, I would make it crystal clear that the "profiles" are not truly independent. I think most people (like myself) would assume that they are independent. Otherwise, what is the point?. (Also, just because you don't know of any other mod managers that have independent profiles doesn't mean that Vortex shouldn't. I can't imagine it would be hard to implement and would be a great boon to the modding community).

 

I use Profiles extensively, but I agree that my education as to the specifics of what it does and does not do was largely trial and error. Fortunately, when I learned about the effects of a mod uninstall "the hard way" it was with a single mod, before I did any large-scale changes. But the OP could have easily been my situation because it did not work the way I thought it would.

 

However, I was also under the impression that not only enabling/disabling was a thing between profiles, but I also thought installing/uninstalling was too, mainly because of the "VARIATION" feature when you install a mod twice.

 

I had a bit of a learning curve with this as well. I eventually figured out that when I re-install to create Variants, and then perhaps remove a Variant, I am never uninstalling the mod itself unless I remove ALL Variants (including the original). The mod always has its foot in the proverbial door, and thus is available in all Profiles. I have also observed that FNIS creates its own Variant in respective Profiles, for whatever that info is worth.

 

The fact that such "senior" Vortex users such as those who posted so far in this thread are having problems with understanding some features reinforces my Vortex Survey feedback. One of my primary recommendations for the Vortex Survey was better (user friendly and up to date) documentation, including videos, to bring folks up to speed.

 

Great app, but there are LOTS of moving parts. What is intuitively obvious to some is a stretch for others.