Repacking bsa after editing scripts

[cwmatt11]

Hello, i was trying to edit the script of a mod i am using for personal reasons, but i can't seem to figure out how to repack the bsa once i have unpacked it. I have scoured the internet through google and the nexus trying to find an answer, solution, tutorial, anything, but i have found nothing, which is getting frustrating--i mean, who would want to unpack a bsa without intending to repack it??? I would appreciate an answer as soon as possible because i really did not want to waste this much time trying to figure out something like this...

[LargeStyle]

Use Skyrims "Archive.exe" to make BSA files - it can be found in Skyrims main (not data) folder. The file / utility is not there as standard unless you have Creation Kit installed.

 

Personally speaking I copy any files that are to be made into a BSA to the ROOT directory of a hard drive (if you use anywhere else I think it creates wrong folder structures within the BSA). Remember to setup the files and folders for the BSA in the same native structure that the game would use within the Data folder if the files were "loose".

 

In Archive.exe simply add the files / directories and create the BSA. Ensure that its filename is exactly the same as the .ESP / .ESM file and stick both the BSA and ESP / ESM into the Data folder.

[steve40]

I use BSAOpt.

 

I create a replica DATA folder structure somewhere and put only the mod's files that I want to pack in it.

Run BSAOpt.

In the menu, under Game choose "Skyrim"; under Compression choose "maximum"; under Settings choose "Unselect inappropriate"

Click the BROWSE button near the top and navigate *into* the DATA folder that you created and choose "use folder".

Click the BROWSE button near the bottom and navigate to a folder where you want to save the bsa. Type in a name (should be identical to the esp's name). Click SAVE. Click PACK.

Done.

 

TEST THE BSA. Make sure you have removed ALL the mod's loose files before testing (if any), so you can be certain the game is using the ones in your new bsa.

[Mookeylama]

sweet. i was looking for a way to repack using BSAOPT. i did just as you stated ^, but when it repacks my bsa it's only 3kb (was 27mb). when i unpack that little bsa, the file names and structure are correct in the tiny bsa, there's just no size to it. and of course it doesn't work.

 

any advice

[acidzebra]

So many ways to skin a cat ;D

 

I temporarily rename the data folder to data.old, create empty data folder, extract archive using whatever (bsaopt, bsabrowser, whatever you have handy), make changes (if you change source scripts you'll need to compile them!), boot up archive.exe, dump the modified archive folder into it and check the appropriate content boxes (meshes, textures, misc for scripts) and "retain file names"+"retain dir names", and zip it up. Delete the data folder, change the original one back, and off I go. Never had a problem.

 

I never tick the "compress" option because disk space is cheaper than extra CPU overhead IMO.

Edited April 25, 2013 by acidzebra

[foebits]

So i too have now been trying to tinker with modding, but for the life of me i can't figure out how to edit existing mods at all. i tried unpacking, editing with note pad, repacking; but it just breaks the mod and nowhere it seems does it even give me a hint at how to do this properly. I have also tried the creation kit but that thing is about as useless as it comes; it doesn't even have an option for editing scripts or the source that i can see. (the source is where i saw the variables and is, where i assume, i need to do my editing)

 

Please! save me from my ignorance!

[Ghaunadaur]

You can't edit mods with Notepad. :down:

[stibeof]

Ya i realize that. at least it allows you to see what the coding is. But what i need is something that can edit them. I've been looking for a few days now off an on and come up with nothing that works.

[Ghaunadaur]

Ok, so you want to edit scripts and not mods in general. You can do that with any text editor, but you will still need Creation Kit (Papyrus Script Manger or batch command) to compile them.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Ghaunadaur

[Ghaunadaur]

Wait, your username turned vice versa. How many accounts are you using?