#modding meta

[wanderingaldecaldo]

I figured out last night that some xl files are just json files.

I'm using the remover to do some world building for my OCs and needed to edit one of the removal scripts but it was one giant wall of text in VS Code. I added a json extension thinking I could at least format it to make it easier to find what I was looking for. Imagine my surprise when VS Code turned it into perfectly formatted and valid JSON code.

It's so obvious. And now that I think about it, the other xl files are just yaml files. AXL can tell based on the formatting which is which.

AXL is so fucking cool.

[rinaris-skyrim]

Obligatory Disclaimer and Best Practices

All of this modding may break your game! You may have other mods installed that conflict, and I can’t foresee the consequences.

Starting a new game is really best, and save often!

Unfortunately modders aren’t perfect, and games are prone to bugs, and weird interactions can happen, and just... yeah.

My game still crashes sometimes too (though I’m working on that; it seems to have to do with loading a particular worldspace, either waiting or leaving elsewhere and coming back later seems to then let me play on).

[rinaris-skyrim]

Modding Basics

If you’re familiar with modding, skip this. If this is your first time or you need some tips, continue!

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Mod Manager

You want this. Managing mods by hand is only gonna get super messy.

I’ve only ever used Mod Organizer, and I honestly wouldn’t go with anything else. You can create multiple profiles for different setups; it keeps all your mods in a virtual file system instead of messing with your actual game installation folder; it offers all the control and information I need, in one easy view.

[Download Link for Mod Organizer 2]

[Installation Instructions for Mod Organizer 2]

Load Order

This is the order in which the game loads the various mods you have installed. Position in this order is important, as plugins loaded last overwrite any plugins below them, if they overlap or touch similar things in the game, and some plugins depend on others. LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool) is usually built into a mod manager (definitely in MO2) but it’s not perfect, and it draws from the load order you manually generate when installing the mods (or rearrange by dragging stuff up or down).

Your tools and game stability is only as good as your load order!

TESV Edit

This one isn’t quite essential, but it’s considered best practice to create a merged patch, and we need this application for it.

Be sure to launch it from your mod manager, so it has access to your load order.

[Download Link]

[Instructions to Launch an Executable from MO2]

[How to Create a Merged Patch]

Alternatively, I’m just now learning about MatorSmash [link] but I will be investigating it in the future, and it may replace TESVEdit here.

Wrye Bash

A bashed patch will be essential. It should be at the very end of your load order. This can merge a lot of your patches and .esps into the bashed patch, saving you space in your load order (since the game engine can only load so many plugins), and also helps with merging the lists of NPCs and items added by all your mods (leveled lists). Additionally, the tweaks to timescale, crime alarm distance, and one or two other parameters are quite useful.

Again, launch this from your mod manager.

[Download Link]

[How to Create a Bashed Patch]

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If all this seems overwhelming, don’t worry! It’s okay to start off with just a few mods, get used to the system. Merged and bashed patches will be created after we’re done installing and ordering all our mods, so come back to the “How to Patch” links later.

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Advanced Links and References

(Mostly for me! Some for later)

[Merging Plugins]

[Merging Plugins with TESVEdit]

[Merge Plugins Tool]

[Patches and Load Order]

[GamerPoets’ Channel with Video Tutorials]