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- 1Overview
Overview
Page 1 of 3 - How do i merge two Fallout:New Vegas plugins? - posted in New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting: I've been searching the internet for seemingly forever trying to find a useful guide on how to merge two fallout:New Vegas plugins but they are all either showing me how to merge FO3 plugins or they are telling me to use FO3 Editor even though they never explain how to use FO3 editor for FO:NV. Nov 08, 2018 Merge Plugins Standalone (or just Merge Plugins), is a tool for combining mods from Bethesda games which have.ESP/.ESM files. It uses the xEdit codebase as an API, and can be used with Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4. Merge Plugins Standalone is the successor to the Merge Plugins xEdit Script.
Terminology
A 'mod' is a package (archive) of related files that make some change to the 'vanilla' (unmodded; as delivered by the publisher) game. Within a 'mod' package can be a number of 'asset files' which add to or replace the existing vanilla assets (meshes, textures, sounds, animations, XML files, etc.), and one or more 'plugin files' that tell the game about the existence and use of the new assets and where they are placed in the game. The 'plugin' files are the only ones that appear in the 'load order', which determines the sequence in which the game engine loads them into the game from the 'top' (lowest numbered) to the 'bottom' (highest numbered) position in the sequence. 'Plugin' files have one of two possible file extensions: ESM and ESP. There is generally only one ESM file, but there may be any number of ESP files (including none). The ESM files are loaded first, and are considered 'masters' to the ESP files that depend upon them.
Official game expansions ('downloadable content', known as 'DLC') typically are provided as ESM files along with other 'assets'. They may or may not include ESPs. DLC are usually sequenced in the order they were released but this is not mandatory unless they depend upon an earlier DLC. All DLC depend upon the game's original ESM file (i.e. 'FalloutNV.ESM') so it should always be first. Slimdrivers cnet download.
(For the technical distinctions between an ESM and an ESP, see this ESP vs ESM wiki article. Remember that the capabilities of 'Construction Set' tools vary by game but the concepts related to the same game engine endure.)
The Issue
A 'master file' is one which must be present for another plugin to be able to utilize it's resources. The files which require some 'master file' are known as 'dependencies', because they 'depend' upon the assets of the 'master'. Typically these 'masters' have an ESM file extension, but this is just a general guideline. A file is technically considered an 'ESM' because it has that flag enabled in the file header, which is normally not visible to the player. Thus an ESP file can have the flag enabled and be treated as if an ESM file to include loading with other ESM files at the top of your 'load order'. In addition, an ESP file from one mod may be required by another ESP, in which case it is also considered a 'master' even though in all other respects it is 'just an ESP' and may appear lower in the 'load order' . but still should be above any dependent plugins.
The game engine requires that a 'master' be loaded before a 'dependency' or it generates an error. Usually this results in a 'Crash To Desktop' (CTD). If a 'master' file is missing when the game starts, this CTD can occur during or even before the 'loading screens' are displayed. If you get as far as the game's main menu once it has finished 'loading DLC content', you are not dealing with an actual missing file problem, but rather one that is out of proper sequence in your 'load order'. This will also cause the game engine to display that same error message.
In general, make sure all your ESM files are loaded first, with the game ESM (FalloutNV.ESM) as the very first file and those of the DLC next in the order they were released:
- FalloutNV.ESM
- DeadMoney
- HonestHearts
- OldWorldBlues
- LonesomeRoad
- GunRunnersArsenal
- and then the 'pre-order packs':
- ClassicPack
- MercenaryPack
- TribalPack
- CaravanPack
- Mod EMS files should follow.
'Dependency' files are supposed to include a list of their 'master' files in the file header. This list can then be read in turn by tools for sorting the 'load order', such as LOOT. Some plugins are 'patch files' which modify other plugins. They depend upon the presence of the other plugins to effect their changes, yet may not have them as 'direct masters' or otherwise included in their list of 'masters'. These 'indirect masters' may need to be manually identified and either added to the plugin's list or that information provided to the sorting tool. (LOOT uses the 'required' metadata field for this purpose only. It can find all listed masters by following the chain in the header of the file. See it's included documentation on the use of metadata.) If they are not included, the sorting tool cannot determine the proper file relationships, which leads to CTDs and plugin conflicts.
Programs and Tools
- FNVEdit or the 'xEdit' equivalent tool for another Bethesda game using the Gamebryo engine (i.e. TES3Edit, TES4Edit, TES5Edit, etc.).
- Tome of xEdit Current online manual for all games
- FNVEdit Training Manual (PDF)
- list of 'xEdit' repositories and related scripts
- LOOT (optional but recommended)
Procedure
Finding which masters that a plugin depends upon are missing is fairly simple. However, first you must disable your 'bashed' or 'merged' patch file and enable any plugins they deactivated. (See the S.T.E.P. Guide to Merging Plugins which covers both the 'bashed' and 'merged' approaches to 'patch files'.) Otherwise you may get much of your 'load order' considered as 'masters' simply because part of the plugin you are concerned with is in that patch file, and indirectly requiring all the other plugins included in it.
- Open your 'xEdit' tool (i.e. FNVEdit). A 'Master/Plugin Selection' window will be displayed.
- Right-click in any blank space of that window and a 'context menu' will be displayed, overlaying the list of plugins.
- Choose the 'Select none' option. This will 'uncheck' all of the displayed plugins in your 'load order'. The context menu window will close, and the 'Master/Plugin Selection' window will refresh with all the check-boxes 'empty'.
- Now scroll down the list of plugins and enable (Left-click in) the checkbox of the plugin you wish to check.
- Note that ONLY one plugin should be checked.
- Left-click on the 'OK' button at the bottom right of the window.
- 'xEdit' will automatically load all the required masters of that selected plugin, and will report an error if one is missing from your 'load order'.
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Case 440 ct operator manual online. When the 'background loader' is finished (message in the right-hand pane at the bottom of the 'Messages' tab), in the left-hand pane you should see all the masters referenced by the plugin, along with the plugin name itself (which will be listed last).
- You can also see the listed masters in the 'View' tab of the right-hand pane when you select the 'File Header' record of the plugin file in question in the left-hand pane.
Notice that an ESM file can have other ESM files as masters as well. An ESP plugin may require other ESP files in addition to ESM files as masters. This is especially true where a 'patch file' is concerned.
When a 'missing master' error is reported, it can mean one of two things. Either the file is not active/installed, or the name is not what is expected by the plugin. In the first instance, you must install or activate the missing plugin. In the latter instance, you may need to add or change the new name of the 'missing' master.
Changing the name of a 'missing master' most often occurs when a 'merged' version of the master plugin has been created to reduce the number of active plugins required. The content is now in one instead of several files. A typical example of this is an 'All DLC' version using one merged file instead of one for each of the individual DLCs. The plugin is still looking for the individual DLC files as masters.
- Select the plugin file. A 'context menu' will be displayed.
- Right-click on 'Add Masters', and check the boxes of all the plugins listed. If a merged plugin is replacing a number of individual plugin files, then uncheck those it replaces instead.
- Left-click on the 'OK' button.
- Select the plugin again. A 'context menu' will be displayed.
- Right-click on 'Sort Masters'. This will sort them to match their current sequence in your 'load order'. Generally experienced mod authors have their 'patches' for other plugins with the correct/expected load order in them already, so consider their sequence carefully before you override their expectations. Record their load order and carefully test the result of resorting.
- Exit the tool and save. When you exit the tool if there were any changes made to the plugin it will automatically display a 'Save Files' window and list those plugins that changed. Select (highlight) the ones you wish to save and Left-click on the 'OK' button.
- Reload the plugin following steps 1-6 above, and check it for errors.
If there are unresolved references then the plugin was made badly and cannot be fixed automatically. Perhaps you can get this kind of missing information added. GECK/CKIT will do this exact same error checking if you load and save the plugin in it (though possibly only with the tool's 'Powerup' addon).
References
- FNVEdit or the 'xEdit' equivalent tool for another Bethesda game using the Gamebryo engine (i.e. TES3Edit, TES4Edit, TES5Edit, etc.).
- Tome of xEdit Current online manual for all games
- FNVEdit Training Manual (PDF) generally applies to all 'xEdit' versions for other games.
Nexus Wiki articles referred to by this article:
- <none>
Nexus Wiki articles that refer to this article:
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- 3Details
- 3.2Making an Automatic (Smash.All) Setting
- 3.5Automatic 'Bash Tag' recognition
Overview
This document is a brief, unofficial guide to a program still in development. Expect differences.
Mator Smash is still in Alpha testing (buggy and 'unfinished' as to features, though basically functional) and only comes with initial settings for Skryrim at the moment. For the average player, consider it 'experimental' at this time.
It does support any game that TES5Edit (aka 'xEdit') recognizes, but you will have to build and edit your own game settings to start. Knowledge of, or a willingness to explore, the intricacies of record and sub-record relationships is required. If you aren't comfortable working with a program still in the process of development or lacking direct support for your particular game at the moment, this isn't for you. You might want to keep an eye out for when it goes 'Beta' (basically finished as to design features but needing wider testing to flush out the remaining unknown bugs), but only if you are willing to provide detailed bug reports.
The design goal is to make it 'one-click' to produce a final patch file as possible. It is not designed to be used with Wrye Bash or any of it's game specific variations, but instead of them. Use Smash or Wrye but not both as your final patch file.
The effectiveness of Smash will increase over time as a dictionary (similar to that with Merge Plugins) grows through user-submitted Smash settings. Unlike Merge Plugins, the Smash dictionary will be far more selective. That means that every submitted setting will be reviewed carefully. The way it'll work is per each plugin there will be setting recommendations from 1 or more users. Users can then opt to use any of these recommended settings. At the moment this feature is not yet supported.
The general idea will be that recommendations should come from advanced users/mod authors who have put in the research to determine what should be used for a plugin. A setting submission would have a description of why that setting is recommended, and what was taken into account in developing it. Generally, most plugins won't have more than one setting choice unless all choices are equally valid. Input from multiple users will never be 'combined'.
Programs and Tools
- As of this writing (07 Apr 2017), the latest release is Alpha v0.4.0.11 from GitHub: Mator Smash releases. See the 'Issues' tab for all known current problems.
- There is a basic tutorial Video: Mator Smash v0.0.7, which was an early version and looks somewhat different now. There is no other official documentation, as the author is devoting his time to development and feels anything before v1.0 is not worth the time before that point. This 'Quick Start' is a supplement, and not a replacement for viewing the video.
- Velgus has posted a unofficial Mator Smash Basics article on Reddit.
- FNVEdit Training Manua applies to all game versions of xEdit.
Details
For those who prefer a 'quick start' set of instructions, the following is taken from various posts in the AFK Mods thread and S.T.E.P. thread for Mator Smash. As a result, some information may be outdated.
Starting the program for your game
- Launch the 'Mator Smash' app.
- If it doesn't detect your desired game, click on the 'blue +' to 'Create New Profile'.
- Enter a 'NickName' for the game in the 'Name' field.
- Click on the downward pointing black-triangle 'pull-down list button' at the end of the 'Game' field and select one of the supported games. That game's formal name will appear in the field.
- Click on the 'folder' at the end of the 'Path' field, and navigate to the location where the game is installed and it will appear in the field when that directory is selected. For Steam Games, this will be '<install path>steamappscommon<game>'.
- Click on the icon assigned to that game to select that Profile. The 'OK' button should now be enabled.
- (If the icon doesn't seem to enable the 'OK' button, try clicking on the 'Game' field and then on the icon.)
- Click on the 'OK' button. This will display the 'Plugins Selection' list from the game 'Data' folder.
- You have to load the master plugins.
- Make sure at least two plugins are selected. (You can't have conflict resolution without more than one plugin.) If you have a final 'Smashed Patch' or 'Bashed Patch' (BP) in your 'load order', deselect them. (If you have a BP, you may now need to enable the 'deactivated-ghosted' plugins that were fully incorporated into the BP.) Check for any 'red' plugins to make sure you don't have any 'dependencies' that need 'masters' selected. Try clicking on (but not enabling) the BP to see if that doesn't turn the 'red' plugins to 'black' or 'green'.
- If the 'OK' button is not enabled, then you need to add some plugins (probably ESM or ESP 'masters' to the selected plugins).
- Click on the 'OK' button. The 'Smash' splash screen will display while it is loading until the main window as shown in the video will now display, opened to the 'Plugins' tab.
- Click on the 'Settings' (Gear icon) button and configure the Smash settings.
- Some elements (such as 'Submission') may not be functional at this time.
- Be sure to set the 'Patch destination directory' under the 'Patching' tab.
- Enable 'Merge redundant plugins' (the equivalent of Wrye Bash 'ghosting'.)
- If you are using 'Mod Organizer': configure 'Smash' to work with it under the 'Integrations' tab.
Making an Automatic (Smash.All) Setting
Eventually the Game specific settings folder on 'github' will have 'settings/<game>' subfolders with settings appropriate to various games, but at the moment there is only 'settings/Skyrim'. Creating what was called in the video 'Automatic' but is now called the 'Smash.All' setting will get you started. However, expect that you will need to adjust the settings for specific record and sub-record types to get the desired result. This is the intent, even to the point of making different settings for the same records in different plugins: total customization.
- Click the 'Manage Smash Settings' button (It's the button with a screw driver crossed over a wrench in the toolbar). This will display the 'Settings Manager' window.
- Right-click in the 'Name | Records' pane and choose 'New Setting'.
- Select the just added 'NewSetting' record in the left pane, and enter 'Automatic' for the name field of the right pane. Choose a color for it, and give it a description 'Just for testing.' (You can obviously do whatever you want for these).
- Right-click on the 'Records' node in the right pane 'Tree' field and choose 'Build | Build from plugins'. This will display the 'Plugin selection' window with all the plugins previously loaded unselected.
- Right-click on the plugins list in the 'Plugin selection' window, and choose 'Select all', and then click 'OK'.
- Wait a moment, it shouldn't take more than a few seconds. You should then see a '+' appear by the Records node in the tree.
- Expand the records node by clicking on the '+' to the left of it. You'll see nodes for every type of record Smash could find overrides of in the plugins you selected to build the setting from.
- Right-click on the 'Records node' and choose 'Autoset attributes'. (Click 'yes' to the confirmation dialog.)
- Wait a little bit. then click 'Save'. (And click 'yes' to the prune dialog).
- You now have a new automatic setting, which will not perform perfect conflict resolution; it's only a programmatic guess of how to conflict resolve your records. The automatic setting is not the best that Smash is capable of: you can tweak what elements are processed and apply different logic to every element in every record beyond what this automatic setting does.
- Note the name for this 'setting' is now set to the name you gave it in the right pane 'Name' field.
- It's important to note, however, that auto-set attributes makes it so that all subrecords are treated as a single entity, so subrecord values are not merged unless you configure your Smash settings accordingly.
According to the author,if you can intelligently edit records in xEdit, then you can configure settings in Smash.
FAQs
- How do I create multiple settings for the patch?
- You create a new combined settings from the 'Settings Manager' OR you use tags in the plugin's description to have the program make a combined setting for you when it starts.
- If I am wanting to duplicate the use of Wrye Bash's bashed patch merging some mods, do I essentially need to utilize Merge Plugins first and then utilize Mator Smash?
- There's an option ('Merge redundant plugins') under 'Settings' (Gear icon) button to have Mator Smash merge plugins that are comprised entirely of override records . but I personally recommend people use Merge Plugins for reducing ESP usage in their load order.
Creating and building a new 'Smashed Patch'
- Select the plugins in the the plugins list that you want to patch using <Shift+Click> and <Ctrl+Click>.
- In general, you do not need to include the game or official DLC ESM files in the 'Smash Patch'. Mator still don't think it's good practice to patch them, but there are certain very specific circumstances where it may be necessary. More research is needed. (Just to be clear: You need to load the game ESMs initially into Smash, but should not usually include them in the patch file.)
- Right-click one of the selected plugins and choose 'Smash Setting | Automatic' (or whatever named 'Smash Setting' you want to use for the selected plugins). The plugins should change to the color assigned to your named 'Smash Setting', and you should see the name of the 'Smash Setting' in the 'setting' column.
- Right-click again, and choose 'Add to patch | New Patch'. Specify a name and a filename (e.g. 'TestSmash' and 'TestSmash.esp'). You should see the patch name appear in the patch column.
- Switch to the 'Patches' tab. You can now see you have a Smashed Patch called 'TestSmash'. If the color of the patch is not green you probably have an issue in your settings (most likely the patch destination directory). You can see what the issue is by clicking the Smashed Patch and reading the 'Status' value from the 'Patch Details'.
- Once your patch has the 'Ready to be built' status, click on the 'Hammer' icon.
- Smash will now build the patch. You can click 'Show Details' to view a log while it goes.
- The patch will be created in a sub-folder named after your Smashed Patch (i.e. 'TestSmash') in the 'Patch Destination Directory'. This is primarily to accommodate Mod Organizer users. Others will probably want to just point this path to the game 'Data' folder.
- You can't just click Smash and be done. You need to verify the changes in the Smashed Patch are to your liking. You don't need to check every record in each category, but the author recommends checking at least 5 (of varying conflict colors).
Combining Smashed Patches and Merged Plugins
Creating 'merged plugins' is a great way to reduce the number of plugins in your 'load order' to keep under the 'Plugin cap' for a particular game. See the wiki article Merged Plugin Guidelines for Personal Use for advice on choosing the appropriate plugins and procedures for this purpose.
According to Mator, the author of both:
- Make a 'Smashed Patch' for the plugins you intent to merge.
- (It should not be named the same as your final 'Smashed Patch' file. You can have multiple 'Smash Patches' for sub-sets of plugins with any names, so use one related to the plugins for which it is resolving conflicts.)
- Include that 'Smashed Patch' in the 'Merged Plugin' file.
- Smash everything after all merges have been completed.
- This will be your 'final' Smashed Patch file.
- Place the final Smashed Patch.esp at the end of your 'load order', similarly to with a 'Bashed Patch'.
- Note that LOOT will recognize the file name Smashed Patch.esp in it's masterlist, tagged with 'NoMerge', global priority the same as Bashed Patch, and additionally set to load after TES5Merged.esp.
Automatic 'Bash Tag' recognition
The idea behind 'tags' is 'a set of named logical groups that point to the specific data in records to process by patcher.' The following is taken from the Github 'Issues' list as closed (completed) on 01 Jan 2016.
Normal Tags
These are tags that work the same way as 'Bash Tags'. Tags are put in the mod's description field in the format:
- {{SETTING_NAME}}.
When in doubt as to which tag to apply, the author recommends the 'Bash.All' or more recent 'Smash.All' tag.
However, as an alternative if you prefer to be more precise, xEdit has a script called 'Generate Bash Tags' which identifies the appropriate tags that are suitable for a given plugin and FO3/FNV/TES4 (Oblivion)/TES5 (Skyrim). (Note that as Mator did not write this script, he does not support it or it's results.) The script can be applied to a plugin ESP file or a specific record in such a file. The result can optionally be added to the plugin's 'description' field so it will be available to 'Bash Tag' aware tools like BOSS and LOOT as well as Smash. The Smashed Patch will resolve multiple records with the same tag.
Extended Tags
Vocalizer demo. These are tags that include a partial or complete hash (4 characters recommended) to make certain the setting the user has is the correct setting. So:
- {{SETTING_NAME|HASH}}.
This would resolve conflicts between 'Smash Settings' with identical names, but would make it so updates to the setting would break its association with ESPs that included its extended tag in their description. This isn't THAT bad of a problem because 'Smash Settings' shouldn't change too often, and can be resolved automatically by the program giving the user the option to specify the 'Smash Setting' to use (if there is any SETTING_NAME conflict) and to update the tag.
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Special Extended Tags
These are tags that don't have a setting name, but have a partial or complete hash instead. So:
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- {{|HASH}}.
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Multiple Tags
Telcordia sr 332 handbook. Tags can be separated by a comma to specify multiple tags to be used (combined) for a single mod.
Examples:
Examples:
- {{SETTING_1,SETTING_2,SETTING_3}}
- {{BASH:SETTING_1,SETTING_2,SETTING_3}}
- {{SETTING_1|HASH_1,SETTING_2,SETTING_3|HASH_3}}
- {{|HASH_1,|HASH_2,|HASH_3}}
Fallout New Vegas Merge Plug-ins
References
- FNVEdit Training Manua applies to all game versions.
Nexus wiki articles referred to by this article:
Nexus wiki articles that refer to this article:
Fallout New Vegas Nexus
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