Frequently Asked Questions - About the Project

August 29, 2023

Will the unofficial patch ever cost money if paid mods return?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: The unofficial patches are a community driven effort in probably the purest possible way. It would be wrong of us to attempt to capitalize on that by suddenly shifting to a for-profit model for these patches. Even if there were to be some super simple way to remove all of the logistical and legal barriers to trying it, we still wouldn't do it. Put simply: It would be wrong on so many levels. So no. The unofficial patches will never cost money. They will always remain free.

If we are involved in the effort to generate unofficial patches for other games, those will also remain free.

What platforms is this mod available on?

Currently the Unofficial Starfield Patch is available for PC (Steam) and XBox One (OG, X, and Series X).

Will you be making patches for Creation Club DLCs?

We will not be making any patches for Creation Club content. Any legitimate bugs in these DLCs should be reported directly to Bethesda to be addressed.

There are likely to be far too many of these released over time for us to reasonably be expected to buy and support them all.

Should someone decide to take up the cause of providing patches for Creation Club DLCs in Starfield, we will link their project here.

What happens if Bethesda releases a patch for something you already fixed?

Should this happen, then the next available release of the unofficial patch will remove the changes we've made - assuming the issue is completely fixed by Bethesda's patch. In cases where they are not completely fixed, we will remove only those portions of our changes that are confirmed to be fixed.

Does using this mod disable achievements while playing?

Yes. This is a decision that was imposed on Bethesda by Microsoft. It is not something we have control over and cannot address. If you have an issue with this policy, you need to take it up with Bethesda on their official Discord server.

Has the mod been cleaned?

Yes. The unofficial patch has been cleaned using the latest available version of xEdit. You do not need to clean it yourself.

Do I need to do a clean save when upgrading?

No! When upgrading the unofficial patch, you simply need to copy the new files in and overwrite the old ones. NEVER follow advice given by someone to do a "clean save". In Starfield, there is no such thing. Performing one can lead to corrupting your save, and nobody really wants that.

Is it safe to install the unofficial patch on an existing save?

Yes. The unofficial patch comes with scripts designed to go over the state of things we've fixed and make sure your save is up to date with those. You can install them at any point during your game, whether you've completed the entire main quest or you just left Helgen for the first time.

Some issues may not be possible to fix retroactively. Those which can't are listed in the version history with an [NR] tag. Only starting a new game will resolve those issues.

Will the mod be released as an ESM file?

Yes. The mod is being released as an ESM flagged file with the .esm file extension.

Have you included the source code to the modified Papyrus scripts?

Yes. All of the modified and added script source code is included in the .bsa. You'll need to unpack the file in order to be able to view them.

What if I want to use something the unofficial patch has provided? Can I do that?

Yes. You are allowed to use any assets contained in the mod: Scripts, meshes, textures, text, etc. You do not need to obtain permission beforehand. In fact, it is strongly encouraged that you check regularly with the unofficial patch and see if you have edited anything with your own mods that might cancel out a fix. If you find that you have, you may feel free to copy whatever is needed in order to retain the fixes.

In fact, with the nature of Papyrus, it is almost critical that you check to see if a script you intend to change has been updated by the project. Papyrus conflicts can result in CTDs, bloated saves, and performance degradation.

If you feel it necessary, you may also use the unofficial patch as a master to your own mod in order to be sure you're not overwriting a fix. It is up to you to inform your users of this, if you wish to use our file as a master for your own.

Do not include the USFP's ESM file in your distribution if you use it as a master. ALWAYS refer your users to our downloads so they can be sure to obtain the proper files.

Am I allowed to modify your fixes and distribute supplemental packages based on that?

No. We do not permit modification of the actual bug fixes. This policy unfortunately had to come about because certain people took it upon themselves to "fix" things in the USKP they thought were broken but were not. This has led to a number of false reports of bugs attributed to our project that these people are actually responsible for causing. Since these folks have refused all meaningful attempts at communication to resolve this, we are making it explicitly clear we do not condone this type of behavior. It has always been the community's understood etiquette that permission to do things like this is required, and it's backed up by copyright law if you really need to go there. Nobody has EVER had standing permission to produce modified copies of the work this project has done, and it's extremely disappointing that we apparently need to spell this out clearly now.

This is not the same as the previous question though! If in the course of modifying the game you realize you need to incorporate a USFP fix to prevent it getting lost, that's entirely fine and we encourage that.

If you are confused, ask us, don't just assume you can do as you please. Our Readme file also covers the details on this.

The unofficial patch changed something that conflicts with my mod. Can you fix this?

No, unfortunately not. The Unofficial Patch is only answerable to Bethesda's updates and to the bugs in the vanilla game and its official DLCs. We are not responsible for any problems fixing a bug may cause in your mod, no matter how popular it may be. It would be best to incorporate the fix into your work so as to avoid the issue to begin with.

There can be certain exceptions made in some scenarios, but they will be handled on a case by case basis. If you feel you have grounds for such an exception, make your case on the AFK Mods forum. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time trying to rally support by getting a bunch of Nexus or Reddit users to comment about it. Such tactics will be ignored.

Does text edited by the patch show up in English in non-English games?

Yes, it does, unfortunately. At the moment the only viable way to fix this is for translators to manually update the text in the ESP file and issue a translated package in their preferred language. It's a tedious process, but at present the only one available that doesn't risk corrupting the file.

As the state of translation tools progresses, it may become possible in the future to issue the ESP file in localized format with external string files that can be translated into other languages more easily, thus allowing for the possibility that the mod could be distributed in one location with multiple translation files available.

What is the proper load order for the Unofficial Patch?

As of September 2023, the load order for the mod has changed! It must now be loaded as follows:

Starfield.esm
[Other Official Content]
Unofficial Starfield Patch.esm
[Everything Else]

For getting load order set with other mods loaded, please use LOOT. It will provide you a solid starting point for everything that you can then tweak as needed.

I'm getting errors when trying to install the patches using Nexus Mod Manager

NMM is obsolete and should no longer be used. Install Vortex if you want what Nexus provides as a mod manager.