BSA Question - [SOLVED]

[ath3nos]

First I would like to apologize if this question has already been asked.  If a mod has both a .bsa and .esp file and the .bsa is unpacked, do you need to enable the .esp file or can it simply be ignored?  I was just wondering in general and if the .esp can be ignored by unpacking the .bsa is it 100% of the time or does it depend on the mod?  Thanks in advance for any response and also patience if this has already been asked.

[rpsgc]

Short answer: It depends on the mod.

Long answer: You'll have to wait for someone more knowledgeable ;)

[JudgmentJay]

In general, if the mod has an .esp file, it needs to be used regardless of whether the files are in .bsa format or loose.

[ath3nos]

Thank you.

 

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[z929669]

The BSA will always contain files within folders under skyrim/Data. Therefore, it will never contain any plugins (ESM/ESP). The BSA is simply a compressed version of the Data directory structure containing only files related to the mod. Thus, never ignore the plugins!

 

(The plugin tells the game to load the BSA when they are named alike, but the plugin usually does much more than this ... it contains instructions that modify the vanilla game usually, and it is very rare that a plugin is used only to load a BSA)

 

I always extract my BSAs and throw them away, but I am a control freak :P