Rules vs Dependencies + Updating mods

[ComZiz]

Can anybody help me understand the difference between rules and dependencies.

I've seen videos on Youtube where people update their mods without losing their rules.

This is not the case for me and I have to redo all the dependencies again and again everytime I update a mod.

 

Also when I click on manage rules, I only see a handful of them and my dependencies aren't saved there.

Please help me sort these things out.

[Guest deleted34304850]

well I think you're conflating two different things.

 

a dependency

 

mod x depends on mod a - that means that if you want to install mod x, then you need to install mod a, and there may be further dependencies for mod a to be installed - for example, mod a may require mod b, c & d to be installed. So to install mod x, you need to install mod a, b, c, d.

 

that's a dependency.

 

a rule is something else

 

you want to install mod x. the author of mod x tells you that mod x MUST ALWAYS load last - or near to the bottom of your load order. That is going to be a rule. So you would add mod x to a group that loads near to the bottom of your load order.

 

you may also get a rule where mod a must load after mod b. So you would create a rule for mod a to always load AFTER mod b.

 

Does that help?

[Tannin42]

I'm not 100% in agreement with that explanation.

 

Rules and dependencies overlap and I'm pretty sure the language used in tools uses them interchangeably at times.

 

A dependency is when a mod or a plugin has interdependencies with another mod/plugin - be it that one mod can only be loaded if the other is also installed, that one mod/plugin is incompatible with another or one needs to load after the other _if_ the other is installed. Dependencies are just a "concept".

 

A rule is a concrete instruction you (or the loot masterlist) give Vortex. Ideally every rule corresponds to a dependency, e.g. you would load plugin a after plugin b because there is a dependency between the two and that is how they have to be loaded.

Rules can however also simply be a matter of preference, e.g. you set a rule to load the green variant of an armor mod after the red variant because you prefer the green one. In this case there isn't a dependency between the mods, either order would technically work, you just use the rule to tell Vortex which one you *want*.

 

To rephrase: A dependency is a "need" a mod/plugin has. A rule is the language you use to tell Vortex about a "need" or a "want".

 

What 1ae0bfb8 described with groups is yet another concept but those are really just a more convenient way to set a lot of rules with fewer clicks, and we only have them for plugins.

 

 

Regarding upgrading mods: Normally Vortex is supposed to keep your rules when you upgrade a mod, there are a few things to keep in mind though:

a) Vortex needs to know the new mod you're installing is an upgrade to the same file. If you manually download mods and then drag&drop them into Vortex, Vortex may not be able to make the connection that the upgrade is actually the same mod and if it doesn't know that, it can't keep the rules.

b) Mod rules can specify version numbers. Normally the "Version Match" is "*", meaning any version of the mod. If you change that however, the rule may simply expire. If you create a rule for example saying "mod a must load after mod b 1.2" and then you upgrade mod b to version 1.3, the rule will no longer apply. That is pretty much the purpose of that field.

 

If you're sure neither of these is the cause and you are losing your rules upon upgrading mods, you may be experiencing a bug and should report it (ideally through our feedback system and attach as much information as you're willing to give)

[Guest deleted34304850]

i tried to give a high level overview to help the OP along, nothing more than that.

I get there are overlaps - I just didn't want to overwhelm them as that seldom achieves the goal.