Question re: profiles and save games

[jbsheridan]

     I just wanted a check to see if my thinking is right about how I can use MO2  as I mod SSE this time around.

 

     1. With the profiles options and their dedicated save games I should be able to have let's say 5 different mod profiles and a dedicated beginning save game for each profile, right?   Essentially I could have 5 differently modded Skyrim Special Editions?

 

    2. So if I set up these profiles and a base foundation save game for each at the very beginning of the game, I could have 5 very different mod built games, (or more), and play each one through as a separate game, right?

 

     3. And one of these could even be a mod profile that I wouldn't play now but might play later from its beginning save game and could include SKSE and SKSE dependent mods, whenever they become available?

 

     4. The main trick is to set each one up at the beginning with its base foundation save game, and then do no more modding for it after I begin using that profile for a play through?  But modding it and testing it can continue up until the time that I begin doing the play through and accumulate save games.

 

 

Thanks!

[GSDFan]

In theory this would be correct, but MO2 was left in a state that the profile local saves and use of individual ini files was not working. @LePresidente has stepped in to correct some things, but lacks the programming knowledge to go deeper into the code to fix other problems.

[jbsheridan]

wow...

 

     1.  So at the moment it is only possible to run one SSE profile game? IE; profiles do not work at the moment?

 

     2.  What will happen if you do more than one profile?

 

     3.  I assume that MO 1.33 profiles and dedicated save games to each proifile work correctly with Oldrim?

 

Thank you.

[GSDFan]

For 1 and 2, You can have as many profiles you want. They appear to only use the save games and ini files from the My games folder. There is a setting to use "Local Game Settings" under profile manager. It will copy the ini files to the profile and the configurator will see them, but the game will still use the My games files. I tested this by changing the game resolution in the both locations and only got a change from the My Games location.

 

For 3, MO 1.3.11 will work for all 32bit versions of the game and works as expected.

[jbsheridan]

     I have played Skyrim about half the way through and, of course, have a ton of mods and saves.

 

     Is there any way, in MO 1.33 and Skyrim, to set up a new profile that has no mods and with a beginning save game state and yet still keep my current game profile and current save game state that is associated with that profile?

[GSDFan]

You can create a new profile and you can start fresh. The left pane will still show all installed mods, but they will be unchecked. You will need to make profile specific mods for any mods that generate output like finis. You can't remove mods because other profiles will use them. You will need to enable local save games also.

[jbsheridan]

Hi there!

 

 

     Good News!

 

     ...but I come from another planet and don't speak your language very well, and my translator is on the fritz.

 

     Could we back up a bit and help me figure out how to get my new profile to have a beginning new game save?

 

 

     1. I created a new profile in MO 1.33 and checked it out by switching back and forth with my one default profile. The default profile still works fine, and yes, the new profile shows all of the mods installed in MO but unchecked and the plugins box only has the base plugins. Great!

 

     2. How do I get a new beginning save game with my new profile?

         Is it as simple as loading the new profile and when Skyrim loads then select New Game? I really don't want to screw up my default game in any way which is why I am asking in advance of doing anything. I have an incredible gift  for ruining things on my computer.

 

     3. What does, "enabling local save games",  mean,  and how does it work to create a new beginning game?

 

Thank you.

[GrantSP]

^{2) Yes, that's all that is needed}

 

^{3) 'Local savegames' simply means saves for this profile ONLY will appear in the load save menu dialogue, all other savegames will be invisible to the game.}

 

To put it another way, create a profile with 100's of mods that you want to create a specific type of character and start a new game, you can have all the saves specific to that character separate from any others.

^{Then you may want to try another playstyle with another set of mods, create a new profile, enable those mods and start a new game none of these mods will affect the other saved character.}

 

^{With one exception! Mods that create patches/script output, to handle various mods will need to be isolated from each other by naming them according to your characters. ie. A bashed patch will affect each game if it is enabled in both profiles so you must create one for each profile, NOT use the SAME one. This also applies to tools such as FNIS.}

[Nebulous112]

Just to expand on what Grant was saying...To actually enable local savegames, it is a checkbox in the profile options. So either when you create the profile check that box, or after you create it, edit the profile and check the box.

[jbsheridan]

Wow...

 

Thanks for the great insights.

 

1. This means I should check mark Local Save Games in each of my profiles, both the default profile and the new one, and not just the new one I begin, right?

 

2. What happens if I do not check Local Save Games in my first default profile?

 

3. I only have a couple of merged mods and FNIS in my beginning default profile and LOOT and TESVedit. Sorry about all the questions right here, but this is a can of worms I know nothing about.

 

     "Mods that create patches/script output, to handle various mods will need to be isolated from each other by naming them according to your characters. ie. A bashed patch will affect each game if it is enabled in both profiles so you must create one for each profile, NOT use the SAME one. This also applies to tools such as FNIS."

 

    Does renaming the mod or merged or batched mod take care of this problem?

 

    What is the usual way to take care of this problem?

 

    How does one determine if a mod or .... creates a script output?

 

    And how about LOOT and TESVedit are they included in this category?

[GrantSP]

Not using local savegames will not break your game, it's just a method to allow character specific saves to show for each profile.

 

After installing all the mods you want for ALL your profiles activate just those you want for a specific profile and then create the patches etc. specific to that one.

 

Profile A: Run FNIS and name the output something specific to this profile and activate it. If you create a bashed patch name the mod that contains it likewise and activate it. Repeat this procedure for all other tools/mods that create a new file/mod/patch based on the mods you have running.

All these new files a only usable with Profile A.

 

Profile B: Deactivate ALL Profile B specific mods, especially those you created in the previous step, and repeat the process with only the mods active for this profile. Be sure to name the containing mods to match this profile.

 

Why is this necessary?

FNIS output creates a mechanism to have animations, based on your mods active, that work correctly in your game. The same set of animations may not be in ALL profiles.

Bashed patches likewise are specific to the set of mods you have. Now since a bashed patch is just a plugin named: Bashed Patch, 0.esp, you can't rename it or use the same one for all profiles. This plugin, and the accompanying docs, should be in an appropriately named mod that you use ONLY for the profile you want.

If you keep Profile A's bashed patch active in a game with Profile B, issues will ensue. If you keep Profile A's patch active when you create a new one for Profile B, Profile A's will be overwritten. The reverse is also true.

Deactivate each patch BEFORE creating a new one!

 

LOOT and xEdit are not mods they are tools and as such have no bearing on this mechanism.

 

Please be sure to read the wiki and watch the tutorials by GamerPoets.

[Nebulous112]

Basically, the advice applies to every mod that is different.

 

Mod Organizer profiles differ mainly based on what is "checkmarked", a.k.a. "activated" in the left pane. All installed mods are in the list for both profiles, but the priority order and which mods are activated is what differentiates the profiles. (Also plugin load order and other profile options, but that isn't relevant at the moment.)

 

Say you run profiles A and B. In A, you run STEP. In B you run something totally different, like the SR:LE modlist. They have some of the same mods in both profiles.

 

For the mods that are exactly the same, with the same options, same everything...you really only need one copy of the mod installed in the left pane. Just activate it in both profiles, and move the priority order where you want it.

 

But let's say there is a mod named "Armors" that has different options in the FOMOD when you install. In our hypothetical example, let's say it is black armor vs. brown armor.

 

So, what you would do is install the mod a second time with a different name in the other profile. Instead of going with the default name it comes up with "Armors", rename the mod "Armors - brown". Or "Armors - SRLE" or whatever.

 

Basically you are trying to get MO to treat it as a different mod, because it sees you already have a mod installed named "Armors", and it would try to overwrite it otherwise, which would screw up your first profile if you ever went back to it.

 

 

So, with something like a Bashed Patch or FNIS output, or DynDOLOD output, or anything like that, it is the same principle. Those tools generate output that is specific to your mod list and load order when you run them, and therefore is individual to whatever profile you make it for. Rename these outputs when you make mods out of them from the "Overwrite" folder to something different from how you named them in the other profile.

 

 

LOOT and xEdit are tools that are run through MO, but do not pertain to left-pane installed mods, so it has nothing to do with this. Obviously run LOOT on every profile.

 

 

And I have local saves checked on every profile I have. For more info about the specifics of that, you need to read the MO guide, or ask Grant. Pretty sure he wrote the guide. :-P

 

Edit: Ninja'd by 20 mins. Teach me to write long posts on mobile. Lol

 

Faster thumbs, I say! :-P

[jbsheridan]

Hi there,

 

 

     Thank you for the detailed explanations, they really complement each other.  I will study the guides and tutorials more this weekend.

 

 

     1. Because TESVedit is a tool, then there is no issue with running it at any stage in building up the new profile B?

 

     2. I installed Timing is Everything directly into the Skyrim main folder because I could not get the mod to show up when I played the game by installing it via MO 1.33. I don't have a clue why it would not show up via MO, but there you are. When I make profile B in MO, Timing is Everything also shows up as an unmanaged plugin just like in profile A. I am assuming from what we have been discussing that as long as I do not change anything in Timing is Everything, then the settings will be the same in profile B as they are in profile A. And, if I Did change the settings at some point in profile B then those settings would also be changed in profile A. As long as I do not change the settings it sounds like both profiles will be okay. But if I do change the settings then one of the profiles save games will get broken and Skyrim may not load.

Edited April 15, 2017 by jbsheridan

[GrantSP]

I don't know why you can't install Timing is Everything, it's just a simple archive with no FOMod script or anything! The best thing to do is to remove it from your Data folder because it does use scripts and you will need to ensure the correct ones are being overwritten, as it is now you can't do that.

If worse comes to worse and you still can't install from inside MO just navigate to your "Mods" folder in explorer and create a new folder called: Timing is Everything. Use an archive extraction tool like 7Zip and extrract the contents into that folder. When you start MO it will appear as a mod in the left pane.