beginner questions about STEP setup

[rothbardian]

First off, thanks so much for creating STEP!  What an amazing resource.

 

I'm about to embark on my first install of Skyrim and STEP, and I have a few questions that cropped up from the setup reading I've done here:

 

1) The Core and Legendary Edition guides seem geared around using BOSS/BUM, but I'm reading elsewhere here that BOSS is outdated and we should be using LOOT.  Is it OK to use LOOT instead?  Any gotchas?

 

2) The guides also say to use DDSopt.  Is using DDSopt a suggestion or a requirement?  For reference my machine has SLI GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5.

 

3) I read in the Core guide that Wrye Bash has been largely superseded by Mod Organizer...  But that Wrye Bash is still used to make "bashed patches".  I tried wading through the Wrye Bash guide, but I still don't have a good understanding of what a bashed patch is and why we need to make them. 

 

4) When I spend the 10-15(?)+ hours to download and install Skyrim and all these STEP mods and the related utilities for managing them, is there a way to back up all this work so that I can transfer the freshly completed STEP install package to a new machine?  I might trade in my laptop for a desktop in a couple months, and the idea of starting all this from scratch is kind of horrific.  I understand the concept of making a backup of the vanilla Skyrim Directory per the Skyrim Installation Guide.  But what about after I install MO, BOSS/BUM (or LOOT?), Wrye Bash, SKSE, TES5Edit, ENB, and a huge pile of mods?  Is there a way to snapshot all this stuff to an external drive so it can be transferred to a new machine easily?  (I have the wonderful program Beyond Compare if that helps.)

 

5) I find the 'cleaning ESMs' sections in the Legendary guide to be fairly confusing.  Is there a way to avoid having to do this by opting out of using certain mods? 

 

6) The Core guide references ENBoost, but I've read that the lastest ENB already has ENBoost incorporated.  Just wanted to make sure that's true, i.e. that I don't need to separately install ENBoost.  Also it's a bit unclear which exact files I should download from enbdev.com.  Do I need this Antifreeze one?  Do I need the generic injector?  Or is this 0.254 file all I need?  If it matters, I plan to use the Vividian ENB recommended in the Legendary guide unless there's an updated recommendation forthcoming.

 

7) Lastly, the Core guide warns against installing the latest Mod Organizer.  Since several new versions of MO have been released since 1.1.2, I just wanted to ask if the STEP update that would allow the latest MO to be used was planned in the near future (and thus worth waiting for), or whether it's a ways off.  If it's a ways off, can I use the latetest MO if I don't use STEP patches or DDSopt?

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance.  It's very much appreciated.

[rothbardian]

Got it, thanks Neovalen.  I'm scanning through STEP 2.2.9 and don't see ELE mentioned anywhere.  As I work my way through the install process, where does ELE come in?  I just downloaded ELE Interior Lighting 0.0.4 and see that it's 4 esp files.  What do I do with them?  I read the author's post but couldn't find instructions.  Thanks again.

[Nearox]

ELE is part of SRLE, not STEP. SRLE has instructions for ELE and has a compatible version of Relighting Skyrim along with ELFX to be used as a complete lighting overhaul combination. 

 

I'd suggest to either install STEP or SRLE, but not mix if you're just starting out with modding :)

[Aiyen]

Yeah first complete STEP and make sure it works, then you can play with lighting overhauls. 

 

ELE image spaces are only required for the reasons mentioned earlier.. they will make sure you wont have a million different weird interior issues while using ENB presets. 

 

 

As for where you place them....if in doubt then just place them near the end of your list. They only need to overwrite any mods that alter interiors... ie any lighting overhaul mods, house mods, and mods like that. None of which are in STEP atm as I recall. 

[rothbardian]

Understood, thanks.  I'm going to stick with Core since the guide is less complex and uses LOOT. 

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around bashed patches.  You only make a single bashed patch after any given mod suite install (e.g. Core or SRLE)?  And you remake the bashed patch only if you change a mod with a plugin (meaning an ESP, but not just BSAs?)  And this is all for the purpose of 'merging mods' so they work better together?  What happens if you install Core with MO and LOOT but don't make bashed patch(s) -- they conflict, or just perform worse?

 

The bashed patch help page talks about LOOT meta rules.  So these are separate individual files I need d/l and put some place before I run LOOT and before I make the bashed patch?  And after I've made my 'STEP Core Bashed Patch', what do I do with it and where do I put it?  Run LOOT again?  Or does MO automatically see the patch and I just need to check it to enable it?  Or enable it in MO and then run LOOT again?  Arg, sorry, I'm easily confused apparently.  :O_o:

 

Thanks again -- it's awesome how generous people here are in sharing their knowledge and answering questions.

[Aiyen]

Yes you only create one for every mod list. 

 

The easy way to think of the bashed patch is the following. 

You have mod A and B. Both add new items to the game. Mod A´s .esp is earlier then mod B. 

In this case only the changes of Mod B would be visible in the game since it is later in the load order. 

Now what the bashed patch does is to take the changes from mod A and B and create a new .esp that makes sure that the items from both mods are in the game. 

 

A more technical way of saying it is that the bashed patch makes sure your leveled lists contain all the items from your mod list.. so they all appear ingame. 

 

It can also contain other things.. but 95% of what it does is making sure the leveled lists contain everything. Since it is a patch then you only need to remake it if mods contain an .esp. (Once you get more experienced you will know which mod types contain records that go into it. Starting out just remake it every time you add a new .esp). The last 5% are various small changes... that depend on your list. 

 

The bashed patch is almost always the last mod on your list. When in doubt place it there. I say almost since if you use skyproc patchers then they come later. For STEP just place it last. 

[rothbardian]

Thanks Aiyen.  What about "LOOT meta rules"?  Can I ignore whatever they are for the Core install? 

 

Big picture, I'm trying to figure out if/how I can go through the Core page and just do what *that* page says, step by step (pun intended).  And if the Core page is not sufficient instruction to do a Core install, what specific steps do I need to do, and when/how do I do them? 

 

For example, the Core page references Wrye Bash and says to use it, but it points to a really involved page with tons of info.  For a newcomer to Skyrim and to modding, it's overwhelming in that it's not clear exactly what I need to do in Wrye Bash for a Core install and when I need to do it (beyond the top level direction of 'make a bashed patch').  And then when I find other Wrye Bash pages like the LOOT meta rules help page for bashed patches, and I'm just like, ack...where? when? how?  Hope what I'm trying to say makes some sense.

[Aiyen]

As I recall it then all you need to do is the following 

 

Run WB which will create the bashed patch .esp for ya. (as I recall.. it has been over a year since I did a fresh install last someone correct me if I am wrong!)

Right click it and select rebuild patch. 

Just use the settings it suggest and create the patch. 

 

This is what you do every time you add a new .esp until you are experienced enough to know when to not do it. 

 

All the other stuff is just technical stuff for the people who really want to understand what is going on under the hood. 

[rothbardian]

K, cool.  So I can ignore "LOOT meta rules"?

[Aiyen]

You should sort your mod list before creating the bashed patch. Since the mod order does matter when creating the leveled lists. As I understand the LOOT rules then you just need to set them up as the mods say and let LOOT sort your list and then create your bashed patch as I outlined above. I just assumed that you already had a sorted list to work on! So sorry about not mentioning that earlier. 

 

 

Hope that it is clear now. 

[Member121]

I'm at the same spot. Overwhelmed by MO's guide.

 

This thread is answering some of my questions also. thankyou

[DoubleYou]

LOOT meta rules is not hard! I wrote it in like 15 minutes! LOOT rules must NOT be overlooked.

 

You shouldn't need to look over the entire MO guide. We provide all essential instructions on the main guide + mod pages + template linked pages. Guides are generally for problems/questions/customizations/etc.

[rothbardian]

Since LOOT meta rules are an essential part of the Core install process, it would be wonderful if the when and how-to for it could be integrated into the Core guide itself.  It would save other newcomers from wondering the same thing I did, i.e. whether it's essential.  Also, the branch page isn't clear (at least for new people) *how* to do it.  It just says:Please ensure that you have added the necessary LOOT meta rules from the following mod pages:

• Weapons and Armor Fixes
• Complete Crafting Overhaul Remade
• Audio Overhaul for Skyrim
• Realistic Water Two
• aMidianBorn Book of Silence
• SkyFalls and SkyMills

[DoubleYou]

That is merely a reminder for those who might not have done the LOOT rules to go back to those pages and perform them. They are integrated throughout the mod pages. The fact that LOOT is a core mod, and that the LOOT page tells how that the only reason you must install LOOT rather than merely using MO integrated LOOT is because of necessary meta rule creation should be clear enough for users that yes, the LOOT rules must be followed.

[rothbardian]

Ok, thanks for clarifying DoubleYou.  When you say "might not have done the LOOT rules" that are integrated throughout the mod pages, are these separate files that need to be downloaded from the Nexus mod pages?  For example, the Audio Overhaul page on Nexus says the AOS_2_1_Installer includes up to date compatibility patches and versions for the official DLCs.  Does that mean you've already done the LOOT rules by using this installer?  Is see on the Step page for AOS this sort list below and don't know if this is a manual adjustment I make in LOOT or is handled by a file.  Sorry I'm having trouble wrapping my had around this!

Meta Rule Instructions
AOS.esp

Load after:

• ADS.esp
• RealisticWaterTwo.esp
• Wet and Cold.esp

Edited July 13, 2014 by rothbardian

[DoubleYou]

See Meta Rule Instructions? Click on it.