Talk:Data file

Master Files

So if the Creation Kit was the tool used by the developers to make the base game, then why can't it make master files? -- Jumps-Down-Stairs (Speak) 08:07, 8 February 2012 (EST)

The entire delay between Skyrim's release and the CK's was to modify and remove features from the CK that they didn't want to make public for whatever reason. Most of these were for licensing reasons (i.e. stripping out utilities they couldn't legally give us), but some were because Bethesda didn't want to support them (e.g. masters, version control I think, though that may have been a legal thing too). I don't know why Bethesda doesn't want to support creating masters.

It's even possible that the CK never did, and they used some other tool to "mastery-ify" it at the last stage. We'll probably never know. At any rate, that's what we'll end up doing, if we want to make master files.

Dragoon Wraith TALK 09:11, 13 February 2012 (EST)

Merging .esp files

Does the Creation Kit have this functionality? Ub3rman123 05:30, 13 February 2012 (EST)

Nevermind, I managed to merge the files using FOMM's TESSnip. Ub3rman123 10:52, 16 February 2012 (EST)

It can act like the masterfile is changed.

Twice I've tried to make a mod where a certain script is changed certain way. Both times I got an error on closing the creation kit, and when I reopen the CK it shows my change, even if I just load the masterfile.

I don't think it's really making a useable masterfile though. Steam verifies the files on Skyrim, but not the CK after this error. The way I fixed it last time was to uninstall/reinstall the CK, and I'm about to do it again.

Scripts aren't stored within masters or plugins. When compiled, they're stored in pex files in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\Data\Scripts", or within an archive (bsa). The source files (psc) are stored in the Source folder, one level below the compiled scripts. Changing a script changes it for everything, so it's not recommended to actually change scripts that aren't yours, but instead to duplicate the existing script, give it a new name, and replace the original with your version in your master/plugin. -- Jumps-Down-Stairs (Speak) 07:57, 16 February 2012 (EST)

Changed master files

Some plugins I try to make aren't successful so I delete them. However, the master file seems to remember these plugins and store them in itself so the plugins are saved in the master file so they are enabled without a choice. I'm not sure about this but I tried to make a plugin disabling the main questline from going any further past Before the Storm, but it was not functional as it should so it was deleted. However now Before the Storm will not start even with the script deleted and unused.

In short... data in plugins seem to be saved to Skyrim.esm... SFK363 07:29, 9 April 2012 (EDT)

- Are you sure it is in Skyrim.esm? Or maybe in save file? --TomBrightblade 08:13, 9 April 2012 (EDT)

Why of course it's Skyrim.esm. And now that problem has been taken care of a few weeks ago, I'm having problems with my "No Spells" mod. Removing Flames and Healing works fine, but editing Stage 80 of MQ101 stays saved in Skyrim.esm. I have the original text in an TXT, but when I remove the "add spells based on race" section, I save it to NoSpells.esp, but Skyrim.esm remembers it, and even if I disable NoSpells.esp, Skyrim.esm will take these changes into itself. SFK363 11:45, 23 April 2012 (EDT)

3rd Party tools

This page had been flagged as incomplete as it was lacking information about Wrye Bash. I think that change should be undone. This page is an Intro to the data file format, and new users being told to take this information with a "grain of salt" is confusing. -- Tunaisafish 01:29, 21 April 2012 (EDT)

This article is flagged as inaccurate and incomplete for reasons like the following:

These two sentences appear to contradict each other:

"Plug-ins CANNOT refer to information in another plug-in."

(False statement. On.esp can refer to another .esp if things are set up right.)

"Master files, plugins and savegames are usually dependent on other master files or plugins"

(True statement.)

"You can only make a plug-in (esp) file active. You cannot save changes to a master file."

Incomplete information that leaves novice modders as lost as they were to begin with. This article fails to lead the reader toward the techniques he or she will use to make edits to a .esm file. [If editing a new custom .esm, you have to first edit the .esp file in the CK, and then turn the .esp into a .esm. If the file is an .esm to begin with, you have to convert it to an .esp before editing it. See more information on how to perform the task here: Creating Custom Master Files. ])

--David Brasher 21:17, 21 April 2012 (EDT)

Thanks for expanding David, and I agree with the points you raise.

If I get time I'll start to address some of these, as those type of questions are often raised in the forums too.

-- Tunaisafish 01:44, 22 April 2012 (EDT)