Resource Query, part 2

[Striker879]

I never extract from the vanilla game BSAs directly to my game install's folders ... it's always done to a folder outside of the game (actually on a different drive). Only when/if I decide to use the vanilla asset does it see the inside of my game folders.

 

When I get ready to upload a mod (not that I have done it but a few times) I create the entire mod install outside of my game (again on that separate Data drive) ... so that is all files in their correct folder structure. I'm a real step by step type, so once I am certain that I have all prepared correctly I then zip up the download into it's own folder (actually a subfolder of the one I create for the project ... so in the end there is one subfolder that has the uncompressed mod and one that has the compressed download). The compressed archive is uploaded to the mod page, and then when problems get reported I have the uncompressed folder to refer to for troubleshooting.

[Pellape]

I constantly update my release in a separate place, on my google drive as I use it locally and update it with a synchronizer and that way I can easy get access to the files no matter which of the 2 computers I am playing at and it also makes it so easy to beta test and look where I did miss to add a texture or a mesh.

 

If you miss to add icons if you add new stuff to your mod, it will bother the player for sure. Lets say you call your folders BSR for BlueSteelRanger?

 

You put your unique:

• meshes in Data\meshes\BSR
• Textures in Data\textures\BSR
• Icons in Data\textures\menus\icons\BSR
• Docs in Data\Docs

I constantly add what I am updating as well in the update text, not that anyone reads it but it is a nice custom and your read me should have all info about the mod, no matter if someone will read it or not but someone might read it... :wink: My Read me and description is huge as one example. The readme should be a pure textfile but you can complement it as PDF or RTF.

 

When you pack your mod, you put the esp and Data at top, not inside a folder as that way, any mod manager can handle it, no matter which packer was used. I do prefer the 30 year old zip. :wink: Maybe I should change it now when my package got so damn huge to RAR or 7z?

Edited January 27, 2021 by Pellape

[Pellape]

By the way, why do we use 3 letters in our folder? It is an old habit that comes from Morrowind as the path length in that game could not pass 32 letters, so we had to count every letter we did put in a path so you can call your folder whatever really as Oblivion do not have that limit as far as I know.

[DrakeTheDragon]

Just a slight correction. Don't make it "meshes/BSR/", "textures/BSR/" exactly like that. There's resource types which, like icons, will need to be inside a very specific path under "meshes" or "textures" as well.

 

For example I for one always put my resources into this folder structure:

"meshes/clothes/DrakeDragon/<name of item>/", "textures/armor/DrakeDragon/<name of item>/" and so on.

 

Inside the respective "clothes" or "armor" subfolders for example you have basically free reign with the folders you use. Outside of them, however, not so much.

But at the end of the day it's mainly for a cleaner folder structure. As long as the game doesn't complain, you're in full control of where to place what files. (Unless it's replacements, of course.)

 

 

And I for one prefer 7-Zip (.7z) for packaging my mods. There's been several reports of users being unable to extract certain mods lately, which have been packaged in a much-too-new version of RAR, which almost no other packaging program or mod manager can unpack as of yet. They call the downloads corrupt in their reports, but it needs only to find the exact right version of packaging app which is able to unpack them in fact. However, if I need to fire up my Windows virtual machine, which I use for modding, as absolutely no packaging app on my Mac is able to even open it, something tells me it was not a good choice of packaging format or tool.

 

Always keep your potential users in mind. They are not at all tech-savvy or in possession, or even knowledge, of all the tools in most cases.

 

 

Oh, and there's also some fancy tools floating around (was it TES4Files?), which can actually scan your ESP and extract all files it references to from your Data folder to put it into a mod for you. However, it really catches "all" files referenced, even Vanilla ones, which you don't really need to pack in with your mod, as everybody already has these. So it's not really the perfect solution either. ... Hmm, no wonder there's always day-1 immediate fixes released with many new-coming mods, because 1 or 2 files were missed when packing it all up.

[Pellape]

Well of course but isn't that obvious?

 

I put my new weapon meshes at Oblivion\Meshes\Pek\Weapons and in separate folders under there as MOO check the mesh names to make them to tools. An axe only works for chopping trees in MOO if it is named Waraxe.nif and I have 2 that I made myself.

 

I put my new textures for the Cellar resource at Oblivion\Textures\Pek\Cellar

 

But most stuff ends up in Oblivion\<whatever>\Pek\Hobbithome and it has to many items now for sure, so I add more folders now.

 

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By the way BSR, if you do not use custom resources, you do not need to bother with this... :wink:

If you add textures, like you did mention, the more purer Ayleid textures, you have 2 choices:

• Add them in your mod
• Point at the resource as a requirement or a suggestion

If you choose the second option, all you need to do is to pack the esp and the doc. I use option 1 and my mod size is therefor HUUUGE. It will grow more.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Pellape

[BlueSteelRanger]

@Pellape: I do in fact start my filenames with "BSR". :) Hmm. I have a couple of "new" items that use vanilla meshes/textures and seven or eight actually new things thanks to a "Crown Jewels" resource mod.

I want to have some in-game books created for some lore, still figuring out how to do that.
But, everything else is vanilla. I've created some new enchantments but again, that was all using the vanilla system.

@DrakeTheDragon: Oh jeez.... I'm only roughly familiar with some of that myself. By the way, is it actually possible to play Oblivion with or without mods on a Mac? How does that work?

To both of you: Oh, my. I'm honestly not sure how to pack the thing. I've literally never done this before -- this is my first ever mod that I've even thought about releasing. So I want things as flawless as possible, you know?

[Pellape]

Packing

Well packing stuff... There are many different free packers and I use Peazip which can make zip, rar and 7z. Mark your files, right click, -> Peazip -> Add to Archive, 7z or zip

 

Books

I do have a xcf (gimp) and also a psd (Photshop) file included in my old Painting resource of book covers that you can look at and the sizes for each texture you will add at it is inside the same files. I do think it is even in my tutorial included how you make them as I think I saw it when I checked a couple of weeks back but first it covers the paintings. My tutorials are as safe failed as they can be, as they are step by step.

 

What is your experiance with graphic programs and what tools do you have, like dds plugins and similar stuff?

 

Here's what the book in a dungeon mod I made 2006 from that xcf looks like and the books I made for Morrowind did look similar as well. You only need to copy and paste stuff to the xcf/psd that are included and those resources will end up in Textures\clutter\Books when you unpack them, which is stupid when I see it now :D It is impossible to change it as I do not have access to that account any longer. You can make your books to look more realistic as well, using this base as I do love lots of fancy colors as it is only your imagination that will limit you :wink:

 

That book is hot and is burning inside a mages guild as I added a flame effect on it back then. But I do not recall I saw it burn last time I saw it though... ;)

 

This is what my books looks like today, still the same as 15 years ago... :wink: You see 3 of them in the bookshelf.

 

Paintings

You can easy make your own paintings as well if you use my resource as a castle or mansion must have paintings. I made the frames for Morrowind first with Blender and then later when Oblivion came out, I ported them so do what you want with them.

 

You can use the Bethesda original frames as well but I do dislike them a lot, all except the oval one and I did remade the UV a couple of weeks ago, finally... I put Chanel in such a frame here:

 

That frame is available in my house mod if you would need it. Original size of pictures is now changed to 1 x 1.4 (not included in my resource as I cannot access that account) and then you resize them to 512 x 512 or double if you really want the details, but 512 x 512 will do just fine as who do go up close and study paintings in game? Not me but they contribute to the immersion of your mansion. Some paintings I made are to detailed as they are 2048 x 1024 and now I make them 1024 x 512, except for the more square shaped frames. The original oval one works fine as well but it is a pain to get the middle as I use it for portraits and then I want their noose in the middle. This is explained in the tutorial as well, how to get the noose in the middle.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Pellape

[BlueSteelRanger]

@Pellape: "What is your experiance with graphic programs and what tools do you have, like dds plugins and similar stuff?"

 

This....is going to be an extremely weird response because there's a bit of explanation involved.

Short answer: With adaptive tool help, I have some experience with Paint Shop Pro 7 and can direct texture paths with NifSkope.

 

Long answer: Physically speaking, I actually *see* very little. I am functionally blind, have been so since birth due to optic nerve hypoplasia. Basically this means that I have few, if any, developed optic nerve endings. The eyes are fine themselves but without the optic nerves to receive visual information, little or nothing "gets through".

 

How do I play Oblivion, Skyrim or other games, let alone try mod-making? A *lot* of help, trial and error (heavy on the error) and my aforementioned adaptive tools.

 

As for my little palace mod, I am progressing well with it. I test it with each new addition to ensure there won't be a frame-rate drop, lag, freeze or crash. So far, so good.

My crowns still have this odd purple dealio and I did triple check the mesh/texture paths. On the slab/table, they have that purple thing going on. Worn, they appear perfectly as they should.

The weapons? No glitches at all. And their textures are in the same folder as the crown textures are.

[Pellape]

Cool. :smile: I am amazed.

 

Well then you have the tools needed I guess if you are able to make both dds and normal maps and can export them with Photoshop. My tutorials are for gimp, but they do have a lot in common and looks very much the same.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Pellape

[DrakeTheDragon]

Well, no, you can't really mod or play Oblivion on a Mac just like that, not without use of Wine and similar or like I do it a Windows install in a virtual machine (which I already have for work necessities, thus just abuse for modding in my now-non-existent free time).

 

Basically packaging up a mod for release is just taking out files and folders like an "excerpt" from your Data folder. So when other people install your mod into their game, they'll end up with exactly the same folder contents you now have. Just don't miss any and take care not to include something not needed by your mod or not needed to be downloaded, as it's already part of everybody's games.