Extract BSA?

[azizen]

Hi!

I've followed the guide so far, I'm currently at the optimizing texture part. I've been using MO for quite a while now, but I'm a bit lost right now. After installing the optimized texture pack, I get "This mod contains at least one BSA. Do you want to unpack it. (This removes the BSA after completion. If you don't know about BSAs, just select no)?"

 

Now I could just select no, as MO advises me. But I really do want to know a bit more about what's best, since I've been modding my skyrim for a long time, but never actually going any deeper than cleaning ESMs and such. So, should I unpack the BSA or not? What benefits/consequences are there? I've been reading a bit after googling on it, but people seem to be really divided on the matter. I'd love to get some opinions from you guys, since most of us are using Skyrim Revisited!

 

Cheers!

[DanimalTwo]

If you are following Skyrim Revisited, you should extract BSAs as instructed in the guide. This gives you more control over which textures are going to be used, since what is lower in the load order on the left pane overwrites what come prior. It also saves you some ESP slots that become unnecessary, as they are only there to load the BSAs. IIRC lose files take priority over files in BSAs. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

[GrantSP]

Any ESP that is provided to only load a BSA can safely be unchecked as MO will manage that BSA, thus saving that plugin slot.

In MO the argument that loose files wins over BSA files is also not 100% correct as all the load order issues are handles in the left hand pane. Thus if ModA has priority but contains files in a BSA, those files will win even if ModB has the same named files in a loose format.

 

The greatest reason to unpack BSAs is due to the step that the OP is now at, Optimising Textures. You obviously can't optimise textures that are packed in a BSA and they will need to be extracted.

 

With MO BSAs can be extracted either at the time of installation, as in this case, (though that setting isn't on by default and needs to be set) or after installation with the context menu.

[Kneph13]

*Deleted after further reading this forum*

Edited December 19, 2015 by Kneph13