Custom STEP installation

[elips]

Hey guys, I'm pretty new to modding, but for some reason I got this huge urge to mod Skyrim a few days ago.  I've probably spent 20 hours or so researching and testing the last couple of days.  I may have overlooked this, and it is probably much simpler than I thought, but I have a question regarding a custom STEP installation.  I went through the entire mod anthology and installed all the mods that interest me.  I did so in alphabetical order since that is the way they are listed on the page. I didn't want to completely follow the STEP guide since there were several mods I don't want/need, and I prefer using NMM over Wrye Bash for installation. I knew it wasn't going to be final, it was just a simple way for me to actually acquire the mods.  I know that STEP has a particular order that is needed for mod installation for compatibility and certain textures to be overwritten. I also plan on installing a few extra mods once I finish my STEP installation.  

 

My question is, now that I have acquired all of the mods, (and installed a few for testing purposes) What is the best way for me to actually re-arrange/install the mods in the appropriate order according to STEP.  Should I just uninstall them all with NMM, and go through them one by one as they are listed on the guide, or is there an easier way?  I'm also curious as to what the best method of installing new mods not included in STEP is without conflicting with existing STEP mods.

 

I'm sorry for my ignorance, and hopefully someone can help me resolve my issue without too much complication!  I put way too much time into this to start over from scratch!  Thanks!

 

Edit: I would like to say that I do have Wrye Bash and BOSS. I just don't use Wrye Bash for actually installing the mods because I didn't want to manually download and drag/drop hundreds of zip files.

[TechAngel85]

First off, a warning from the new 2.2.1 Guide:

The Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) is no longer supported by STEP. The reason is that NMM does not allow the necessary level of control required by the STEP installation process. More importantly, NMM can *break* the STEP installation due to its lack of several controls related to mod overwrites and incomplete install/uninstall in some cases.

What you are asking about is exactly why we stated this warning. You need more control over your mods for STEP than NMM allows/controls. The easiest answer to your question is to use Wrye Bash. You can set the installation order of the mods; thus not having to worry about installation order once this is set up. Moving mods around in your installation order is also as simple as clicking and dragging the mod up or down in the list. WB also shows you the conflicts with other mods. WB is the answer to all of your questions.

 

You can also install your non-STEP mods anywhere in the order. It's easiest to put them in the STEP sections that have already be set up. I have non-STEP mods scattered all throughout my STEP installation order.

[elips]

Okay thanks.  Well I was afraid of that.. the reason is that I really didn't want to have to manually go through zip files and re-arrange the mod's directories (i read the WB guide and saw that it can only read 2 levels). Some mods have several directories consisting of 3-4 levels each. Also I didn't want to delete all of the readme files. On top of that, it is way too taxing to try to keep 100+ mods up to date manually. Is there a good way to convert my STEP installation from NMM to WB or am I pretty much locked into making a fresh install?  Would it be possible to move all of my archives from NMM's folder into a Skyrim Mods folder or something, and simply drag/drop them into Wrye Bash?  It can't be that simple can it?

[TechAngel85]

Okay thanks.  Well I was afraid of that.. the reason is that I really didn't want to have to manually go through zip files and re-arrange the mod's directories (i read the WB guide and saw that it can only read 2 levels). Some mods have several directories consisting of 3-4 levels each. Also I didn't want to delete all of the readme files. On top of that it is way too taxing to try to keep 100+ mods up to date manually. Is there a good way to convert my STEP installation from NMM to WB or am I pretty much locked into making a fresh install?  Would it be possible to move all of my archives from NMM's folder into a Skyrim Mods folder or something, and simply drag/drop them into Wrye Bash?  It can't be that simple can it?

For the majority of them, you don't have to...they install just fine. We've included some BCFs on the wiki Guide for some of the complex mods that need the "re-arranging". There may be like 2% of the total mods that will need to be manually re-arranged. You can also choose not to install the readme files in WB or delete them afterwards because WB stores them in a "Docs" folder in your Skryim Directory so they shouldn't be an issue.

 

I don't know of any way to convert really. The only thing I can think of is... Your mods files should be stored on your hard drive in archive form so just copy them all to the Bash Installers folder for WB. WB should check to see if the mod is installed and will report whatever it files in it's own color code. I don't any reason why that process wouldn't work. Just don't copy your archived mods into the Skyrim folder. Make sure you WB is installed correctly first though.

[elips]

Sorry, noob question possibly: What is the point of installing mods in the STEP order if BOSS is just going to re-arrange the esp files in it's own order anyway?

[torminater]

Boss is only rearranging the esp files. The mods you install contain a billion of other files, that boss won't ever touch. ;-)