[RELz/WIPz] Unofficial Starfield Patch

[Arthmoor]

There is no CK yet for Starfield so we don't actually know what their license terms are for that yet.

If we assume it's the same as Skyrim and Fallout 4 though, then the CK EULA specifically says you have copyright on your mods. So no, Bethesda would not own the SCP or the USFP, but the terms DO allow them to use those mods to incorporate into the game. They have just never exercised this power before.

[Lonewanderer]

I am happy that you and the team will take on Starfield!!

Just a few remarks: I am aware that there are no fixes yet, and the description/instructions are copied and edited a bit, just want to point out:

+ LOOT (from the link you provide at Github) seems not yet changed for Starfield.

+ There seems no plugins.txt file for Starfield (yet?).

+ The game does not (yet) show mods in the menu.

The folder in which to install mods still seems a bit unsure, there are arguments to install mods to <Game>/data as usual, but also arguments to install mods to <USER>/Documents/MyGames/Starfield/data. There seem to be conflicts if you use the built in photo engine, because the pictures are stored to your personal folder under textures and this seems to disable textures in the games data folder. The guys at 'Step Modifications' discussed it, but as I see it, there is no final conclusion.

[Arthmoor]

My personal preference here would be to use the folder in Documents rather than the main game folder. Reason being is that Bethesda did this for some reason and I don't see any value in fighting against it since it will be the way to allow Game Pass players to use mods. Not just the usual PC crowd. Granted, it won't allow for stuff that needs the script extender, but USFP won't require that anyway.

[smr1957]

3 hours ago, Arthmoor said:

My personal preference here would be to use the folder in Documents rather than the main game folder. Reason being is that Bethesda did this for some reason and I don't see any value in fighting against it since it will be the way to allow Game Pass players to use mods. Not just the usual PC crowd. Granted, it won't allow for stuff that needs the script extender, but USFP won't require that anyway.

This is my personal view as well.  For whatever reason, that is the way Bethesda set it up, and for mod authors - or anyone, for that matter - to state otherwise, with no other reason behind their recommendation than "it's not how it was done in the past," borders on the irresponsible. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by smr1957

[Lonewanderer]

12 hours ago, smr1957 said:

This is my personal view as well.  For whatever reason, that is the way Bethesda set it up, and for mod authors - or anyone, for that matter - to state otherwise, with no other reason behind their recommendation than "it's not how it was done in the past," borders on the irresponsible. 

I have no preferences, but I would like to mention one argument, which came up several times against the new method:

Many people have two drives, one for Windows, and there are their personal files too, i.e the Documents folder. Games are installed to the second drive. The argument now is, that the Windows drive/partition is fairly small, and the personal documents and game saves do not fill this up too much.

But with mods, which may include textures this folder would become very big indeed and may fill up the Windows drive. So goes the argument.

For me it does not matter, while I found it rather practical to have the mods besides the game itself, I can live with the new solution, because I moved my user folders to another (SSD) drive, where personal data are stored. So I have a SSD for Windows, my boot disk, a drive for work and special data which also includes my relocated user folder Documents, and a third SSD which contains games.

Just wanted to mention this argument, but I must say it probably works more Microsoft/Windows like with the mods under personal data. It also allows several different persons who use the computer to use different mods (and saves anyway). So the solution is not bad.

Best solution would be, if BOTH methods worked, with a defined priority of one folder to the other. It would allow to install really big mods to the games folder, and the rest to the Documents folder. But I think in the end it will be the Documents folder...

[Arthmoor]

The problem with trying to split things into the main game folder vs the new location is that it becomes impossible to do proper load order resolution since the game is now being forced to look in two places.

So while I prefer the Documents folder, because I haven't bought into the questionable advice to have "2 drives" using whatever methods are suggested for that, it's true that other people have and that it may not work out. Unfortunately this is going to be how things work going forward as long as Microsoft is calling the shots. So I don't believe it's a productive use of one's time to resist the change in this case.

Fortunately this isn't something we're going to need to worry about with our project because where mod managers ultimately decide to put things isn't our decision to make

[Scythe Bearer]

For me, the solution is simple.  I will put things where the CK saves them.  Can't go wrong with that approach.  And if it does go wrong, I will open a ticket with Bethesda. 

 

[lmstearn]

One issue with My Documents is for OneDrive (free 5GB) users. If the My Games folder is included in the backup, then be sure to exclude My Games\Starfield\Data from the backup before installing the mods.

The personal preference here is to have kept the folder structures as they were with previous games. As far as how the concepts of mods and documents intermingle , the move of mods to Documents could even indicate MS revamping the documents thing altogether somewhere down the track. The fun element might end up something like: the changing guards of Musical chairs => purposed allocations of Musical folders!

Edited September 23, 2023 by lmstearn

[smr1957]

One Drive - the bane of gaming!

One Drive to ruin them all, One Drive to make you crazy,
One Drive to block it all and at the start impede you,
In the land of Microsoft where the updates lie.
 

Edited September 23, 2023 by smr1957

[LimitlessOyster]

I clicked on the Nexus link and am met with this. Any updates?

[Arthmoor]

Nothing yet. We're still waiting on the CK to release before diving in.