Updating old mods for update 1.8 and higher

[RaulCuevas]

I have a issue I'd like to adress, or more accurately, a question about mods that stopped working since update 1.8

 

I have been browsing the nexus recently, and stumbled upon a bunch of mods that I'd like to add to my Skyrim. Thing is, they're somewhat old and the modders haven't updated them after the update 1.8. As far as I know, if you had an outdated version of Skyrim (say, 1.7 when 1.8 was just released), and you tried to open mods created with the CK of 1.8 in ypur outdated version, it wouldn't recognize them, and they wouldn't have any effect in your game (since the format of the esp changed or something like that).

 

But, my question is: if I have my Skyrim up to date with my CK, can I use it to open the old mods and save them, or somehow update them myself, in order to make them work in my game, or they have to be redone from scratch?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Georgiegril]

Mods may not need to be updated, so I wouldn't immediately discount a mod that was last updated before 1.8. Mods that do not use the update.esm as a master, in particular.

 

If you have a mod you want to try to update yourself, you could try, and it may work. It really depends on the mod, the changes that it makes, and how the 1.9 interacts with them.

You might want to try to contact the specific mod author, however, since they will know a lot more about their mods specifics, and they may be grateful that their mod is still appreciated! Plus, if the mod does need updating to work, there are probably others that will be grateful if you can find the author and they make the change to the mod for everyone.

 

I'm not sure if you have used the Creation kit before? If so, the next advice is probably obvious. In the case you are new to modding, if you do decide to give it a go yourself, I suggest that you make frequent backups of the file somewhere separate-- The CK is notorious for random CTDs. Nothing hurts more than loosing several hours of work because you got wrapped up in modding or didn't want to take the time to make a backup save. I'd also suggest you change the name of the file so that you know it is your own version. My understanding is that it is acceptable to make changes to a mod for your own private use, but anything else requires the mod author's explicit permission.