How does vortex work?

[ranafuineluva]

Hi guys,

 

I have question about vortex. How does it work?

 

ı used to use mod organizer 2 for skyrim and fallout modding.

mod organizer 2 is a virtual and does not add any files to anywhere but u need to run the game thru mod organizer 2.

Some time ago I read at somewhere that vortex is also virtual. ıs it correct?

 

[dizietemblesssma]

Vortex uses the feature of the windows filesystem called 'hard links' which causes multiple files to exist in the filesystem but only one copy of the file information to exist.

These are not windows 'shortcuts', or 'symlnks' as _usually_ encountered in linux distros, but entries in the filesystem that are treated as separate files, but because the data is the same, only one copy of the data is needed on the disk. The moment either file is edited by any process, then windows will create a separate file with its own data and the files will no longer be linked. Because this a windows filesystem feature, it does not require Vortex to be running to play the game with mods enabled.

Vortex is a front end to making and unmaking these hardlinks. When it detects that one of the hardlinks has been unlinked by being edited, Vortex will ask you which version of the file you wish to use.

The entries of hardlnked files in the filesystem will show that have the same size, and importantly, not all programs can tell that a file is a hardlnk, so you may think you have a folder with 20Gb of files in it, but 10Gb of that may actually be hardlinks to other files and thus that folder is only using up 10Gb of your disk.

This filesystem feature in windows only works for files that are on the same disk, due to how the ntfs filesystem works. This is not a limitation of Vortex but how windows itself is programmed.

From the point of view of using Vortex, you can think of the 'staging folder' as where the data is, and the files in the game directories as the hard links, when you disable a mod in Vortex, the hard link is removed from the game directory, but the data still exists in the 'staging folder'. Thus all mod enabling and disabling and choosing which file of which mod to use, is non-destructive and can be reversed as long as the mod is not actually uninstalled.

 

diziet

[rmm200]

Couple of other important points:

If you use Windows to move your game directory, Purge your mods first. After the move, "Deploy" them again to refresh the hard links.

If you fail to do this - Windows will replace the hard links with actual copies of the mods - and really mess up Vortex while it is at it.

Avoid game files on One Drive. It will not work well.

There is no need to run Vortex while your game is running. Big difference from MO 2.

[Zanderat]

Not sure which game the OP is asking about. Some games that Vortex manages do use symlink . Depends on the game. Bethesda games default is hard links. But there is also a vfs extension for Vortex that works pretty well and is similar to MO2. Don't forget that Tannin42 developed both MO2 and Vortex.

[ranafuineluva]

I am using Baldurs gate 3 at the moment. Thanks guys.