A big Thank You! and a few minor topics

[lrogers287]

I want to provide a big thank you to the team that has assembled and tested this collection.  I played Skyrim 5-7 years ago, pure vanilla, and this is a totally different and better game.

So much so I can get paralyzed with what I want to do next!

The guide was very well done and had a solid amount of warnings & guidance.  There were a few unforced errors on my part that the forum graciously answered.  I skipped the ENB install as my system runs fine.

Here is my current view where I have started outside of Whiterun.

Here is a few questions/comments.

1. Is there a way for me to confirm that all the mods are operating as expected? I  ran though to the Rift which has beautiful aspen and through the grasses, which "looked" ok.  E.g. the above picture - is it right?

If it ain't broke don't fix it" is fine with me.

2. I would like to make a baseline / copy of the 418 mods and any configuration files associated with this. As I understand it, MO2 suggests making an instance (the profile vs instance is confusing to me) in order to revert to a stable/well known config if needed.

3. If I wanted to input an additional mod, like the one that widens the lock range for always successful lockpicking, is there some guide to taking the next step beyond the 2.3?  Like make a new instance, test, cut into the main instance.  The graphics /visuals are beyond my interest of improving/fiddling with  - it is mostly QOL, personal preference from here on out.

4.  I perused the Testing forum and I was wondering if there is a list of candidate mods for 2.4?

5. A suggestion for the Step guide would be indicating if it is safe to launch SKSE after a mod or group of mods. I followed the instructions and maybe rushed here and there to get to the next smoke test.  Better clarity on "its ok to test after each mod" or "this mod is complicated so try a smoke test after this one" would reduce angst for travellers like myself.

Again, thanks for the good work.

Edited 2 hours ago by lrogers287

[TechAngel85]

1 hour ago, lrogers287 said:

I want to provide a big thank you to the team that has assembled and tested this collection.  I played Skyrim 5-7 years ago, pure vanilla, and this is a totally different and better game.

So much so I can get paralyzed with what I want to do next!

The guide was very well done and had a solid amount of warnings & guidance.  There were a few unforced errors on my part that the forum graciously answered.  I skipped the ENB install as my system runs fine.

Here is my current view where I have started outside of Whiterun.

Here is a few questions/comments.

1. Is there a way for me to confirm that all the mods are operating as expected? I  ran though to the Rift which has beautiful aspen and through the grasses, which "looked" ok.  E.g. the above picture - is it right?

If it ain't broke don't fix it" is fine with me.

2. I would like to make a baseline / copy of the 418 mods and any configuration files associated with this. As I understand it, MO2 suggests making an instance (the profile vs instance is confusing to me) in order to revert to a stable/well known config if needed.

3. If I wanted to input an additional mod, like the one that widens the lock range for always successful lockpicking, is there some guide to taking the next step beyond the 2.3?  Like make a new instance, test, cut into the main instance.  The graphics /visuals are beyond my interest of improving/fiddling with  - it is mostly QOL, personal preference from here on out.

4.  I perused the Testing forum and I was wondering if there is a list of candidate mods for 2.4?

5. A suggestion for the Step guide would be indicating if it is safe to launch SKSE after a mod or group of mods. I followed the instructions and maybe rushed here and there to get to the next smoke test.  Better clarity on "its ok to test after each mod" or "this mod is complicated so try a smoke test after this one" would reduce angst for travellers like myself.

Again, thanks for the good work.

1. The screenshot looks right to me. There isn't any check to see if all mods are working or not. As long as you installed them as instructed, everything should be good.
2. There are a couple ways to do this. You can create a new profile in MO by copying the good Step SkyrimSE profile. You can also manually backup the MO Profiles and Mods folders found under AppData\Local\ModOrganizer.
   Instance = game; so these are only created one per game and you can have one for each game that MO supports. You switch Instances when you want to switch games that you play.
   Profile  = modList for game; you can create as many of these as you like. They are only available for the game (instance) that is currently active so when you change instances only those profiles for that game are visible.
3. The recommendation here is to keep the Step SkyrimSE Profile and create a new Profile from it. You can copy it within MO to a new profile and use that new profile to install additional mods. This allows you to fall back to the good profile if something goes wrong. Beyond that, there is no advice when adding additional mods. The Guides can be played as-is, but many use our Guides as a foundation to build their modLists up from. The main thing to worry about is conflicts with other mods already installed. Checking that typically takes some basic xEdit knowledge to verify that mods aren't conflicting in bad ways (conflicts are normal and often wanted; just need to make sure the results is the desired results).
4. Any mod marked the the yellow TESTING prefix will be a candidate for v2.4. Most should also have the "2.4" tag as well.
5. It's typically not safe because the order we have the mod groups means that some requirements of mods installed early on may not be included until later in the Guide. This is called out at the end of the Extenders mod group with a large red warning that states:
   "Beyond this point, DO NOT launch the game again until instructed to do so.
   Many of the following mods are interdependent, and launching the game prematurely will most likely result in issues or failures. Please DO NOT post on the forums for support of non-issues relating to preemptive or premature test launches."
   So you have the test launch right before this warning and the next isn't until the remainder of the mod list is fully installed. This is by design. I agree that it's not ideal as it would be nice to launch more often to test to see if the installation is going smoothly. This would mainly just satisfy the human nature of wanting reassurance, though, as the mass majority tend to work through the Guide fairly easily.

If you'd like any more clarity or have other questions/suggestions, please feel free to ask/suggest.