Is MO able to install mods that require loose files and subfolders?

[lv4321]

I am planning to mod my games with MO but some of the mods I want require the loose files and subfolders to be installed?

 

Does MO do that correctly when you install it with manager or manually?

[Mator]

What do you mean "loose"?

[phazer11]

Yes MO can use loose files as well as bsas.

[TechAngel85]

If the mod is provided as "loose files" (not packaged in a .BSA archive), then all you have to do is install it and be done.

 

If you want to extract BSA files to loose files (not recommended), then there is a plugin that can be enabled to do this during installation of those files.

 

If you want to use a mix of both, then be sure the "Have MO manage archives" box is ticked on the "Archives" tab for the right plane. Be sure all archive are ticked in this tab.

[lv4321]

If the mod is provided as "loose files" (not packaged in a .BSA archive), then all you have to do is install it and be done.

 

If you want to extract BSA files to loose files (not recommended), then there is a plugin that can be enabled to do this during installation of those files.

 

If you want to use a mix of both, then be sure the "Have MO manage archives" box is ticked on the "Archives" tab for the right plane. Be sure all archive are ticked in this tab.

 

 

Yes MO can use loose files as well as bsas.

So according to the mod authors of my mods, they state that the mods will have "have a crap load of nif, kf and ini loose files and subfolders." Will MO be able to handle those kind of mods? If so how? 

[Mator]

So according to the mod authors of my mods, they state that the mods will have "have a crap load of nif, kf and ini loose files and subfolders." Will MO be able to handle those kind of mods? If so how? 

So the answer is yes, it can handle that.  The answer the question how... how would it not be able to do so?  It uses virtualization to emulate those files being in your data folder.  There's no limits on the number of files that can be virtualized in this way that you'll reach using conventional mods.  A huge number of people have used MO successfully with massive mod loadouts with well over 500 mods, virtualizing millions of asset files.

[lv4321]

So the answer is yes, it can handle that.  The answer the question how... how would it not be able to do so?  It uses virtualization to emulate those files being in your data folder.  There's no limits on the number of files that can be virtualized in this way that you'll reach using conventional mods.  A huge number of people have used MO successfully with massive mod loadouts with well over 500 mods, virtualizing millions of asset files.

So any mod that has those kinds of files in the quotation marks I made, should work and be included in the MO when I manually install them or with manager unless of course the instructions say otherwise?

[GrantSP]

Keep in mind how MO installs mods. No file is actually "installed" in the same manner as that which the majority of mod pages describe. No file is actually placed into the game's 'Data' folder and is rather, extracted into a folder named after the mod MO 'installed'.

Upon runtime MO takes all these files and creates a "virtual file sytem" (it isn't technically a VFS, but for the sake of this discussion calling it a VFS suffices.) which the game sees as in it's 'Data' folder.

This is the reason why these mod authors offer the advice they do, to avoid files cluttering the 'Data' folder. Since MO does not do anything to the real 'Data' folder they can safely be installed and you need not worry.

 

MO works with all mods listed on the Nexus for the games that it is designed for, ie. all games that use a ESM/ESP plugin system. (The exception being Morrowind.)

[lv4321]

Keep in mind how MO installs mods. No file is actually "installed" in the same manner as that which the majority of mod pages describe. No file is actually placed into the game's 'Data' folder and is rather, extracted into a folder named after the mod MO 'installed'.

Upon runtime MO takes all these files and creates a "virtual file sytem" (it isn't technically a VFS, but for the sake of this discussion calling it a VFS suffices.) which the game sees as in it's 'Data' folder.

This is the reason why these mod authors offer the advice they do, to avoid files cluttering the 'Data' folder. Since MO does not do anything to the real 'Data' folder they can safely be installed and you need not worry.

 

MO works with all mods listed on the Nexus for the games that it is designed for, ie. all games that use a ESM/ESP plugin system. (The exception being Morrowind.)

So pretty much, those mods with "a crap load of nif, kf and ini loose files and subfolders." should be able to be installed like any other mod and should work? Unless the mod author says otherwise?

[GrantSP]

It will work with any mod. Any issues you face with a specific mod, ask for assistance here and we will do what we can.